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The students involved in the ritual bondings watched anxiously as the minister arrived at Hogwarts on Monday at noon, accompanied by a large Auror contingent, ready to arrest the 'brides' who had failed to attend their weddings over the weekend unless they immediately agreed to accompany them to the ministry to be married to their ministry chosen matches. The purebloods who knew nothing about the bondings or the fact that their classmates had been due to get married this past weekend, looked on curiously wondering what had brought the minister and his entourage to Hogwarts, some of them hoping to gain information that would benefit their parents or the Dark Lord.
"What can I do for you today Cornelius?" Albus asked genially, though those who knew him well could see a hard look in his eyes.
"I've come to arrest those who broke the new marriage law by not turning up for their weddings yesterday and the day before," Cornelius Fudge replied slightly defensively. Even though he had the law on his side he knew Albus could be fiercely protective of the school and its students sometimes when it came to the ministry of magic, and he didn't was to face his anger.
"These are school children, they're not old enough to marry," Albus replied frowning.
"According to the law the legal age to marry is sixteen, we've been extremely generous by not matching up anyone under the age of seventeen so far. They've been paired with their magical compatible matches. The law was clear, agree to the match chosen for them or they would be arrested. I'm being merciful in giving the recalcitrant brides a second chance to attend their weddings before sending them to Azkaban, since I'm generously assuming that it was the standard Hogwarts wards that prevented their attendance, but I can and will change my mind if you continue to oppose me. Or I could have you arrested for altering the wards specifically to prevent ministry approved portkeys to work in the castle."
Albus looked over the crowd of eagerly watching students, several of whom looked smug or amused, others who looked guilty, worried or frightened.
"Everyone not affected by these marriage laws please head to class," he ordered, hoping to reduce the spectacle.
Harry and many of the other partners stayed seated and seeing that the other people who had married someone who'd receive a letter sat back down as well. Seeing how many of the professors who had also remained in their seats, Dumbledore sighed and changed his orders.
"Classes are cancelled for the afternoon. Given how many professors and prefects seem to be involved can the remaining older students supervise the younger," he declared, causing cheering among those not affected by the match notification letters.
"There aren't that many of you," Cornelius protested. "Potter, I know we didn't send you a letter."
It wasn't from lack of trying on the minister's part, he'd wanted the brat married off to someone who would force him to support his ministry, but the people who he'd put in charge had refused to make an exception to have him matched up a year early.
"No but you sent one to my wife so this does affect me somewhat," Harry replied calmly. "Though I don't see how or why you thought you were going to marry Hermione off to someone else when she was already married to me."
Hermione signalled to the others to keep quiet and let Harry speak. Dumbledore would protect Harry from being arrested but she wasn't so sure about the rest of them.
"She is breaking the law," Fudge declared. "Arrest her."
"We were already married when Hermione received the letter from the ministry informing her of her match and wedding appointment. Neither of us were breaking the law when we performed the marriage ritual. Unfortunately for Mr Higgs, the ritual we used doesn't allow for annulment, divorce or bigamy. Hermione is my wife for eternity, even my death will not free her to marry again," Harry replied.
"He's lying!" Fudge declared.
Minerva walked over and cast a spell towards Harry and Hermione and they both displayed a bright gold aura linked to each other.
"They are bonded, permanently bonded," she said. "And from the colour of the bond they're not lying about the fidelity part of the bond either."
Albus frowned, but that reaction passed without anyone other than Hermione noticing as Fudge threw a monumental tantrum. "Arrest them both," he yelled.
"On what grounds?" one of the Aurors asked. "You haven't proved that they've broken the law. They are right that they were allowed to legally bond before receiving their match notification letter."
"Then you will have to arrest us too" Katie Bell said standing holding her husband's hand.
Her husband Eddie Carmichael, looked anxious but nodded his agreement once she'd glared at him.
"And us," Susan Bones said, standing and dragging her husband, Ernie MacMillan, up with her.
More and more couples stood up asking to be arrested as well.
The Aurors stepped back, unwilling to arrest their boss' niece and then realising the impossibility of arresting the fifty or so students standing in front of them.
"We cannot arrest so many, the holding cells won't hold them," Auror Dawlish said.
"There are actually a lot more of us who got married. You only asked for those who received a match notification to remain. There are another dozen or so couples that bonded to avoid a match in future," Hermione said.
"Then send them to Azkaban," Fudge roared.
"There would be a massive public outcry. The backlash against the ministry would be huge. This law was passed by the Wizengamot to increase our population. Arresting so many young newly married couples of childbearing age counteracts that stated purpose," Auror Dawlish protested. "And these students aren't all muggleborn, some of them have relatives on the Wizengamot."
Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward brandishing his magic suppression cuffs and snapped them onto Cornelius Fudge's arms. "Cornelius Fudge, you are under arrest for child endangerment," he said with satisfaction.
"What! I'm the minister of magic. I'll have your job for this," Fudge yelled. "I insist you arrest everybody involved in trying to evade the marriages that were arranged for them."
"Surely Minister, you read the law in its entirety before you reinstated it," Tracy Davis asked, sneering at the Minister for Magic.
"Yes of course I did," Minister Fudge replied.
"Then you will recall that the matching process was only relevant to those who weren't already married," Daphne said drolly.
"You weren't married when the matches were organised. You're too young to be married," Minister Fudge protested.
"We started looking for a way to avoid being matched with strangers or partners not of our choosing the day the law was announced in the Daily Prophet, well before the matching process started," Hermione stated.
"And the way we found is perfectly legal. We checked," the seventh year who already had an apprenticeship to study magical law added.
"You will also recall that the law increased the penalties for any and all forms of child abuse, child endangerment or any actions that may lead to miscarriage," Susan Bones reminded him.
"You ordered your Aurors to send underage witches and wizards to Azkaban," Albus said, "The witches and wizards sent matches may all be seventeen but not all of their spouses are. There are more than half a dozen highly respected adults here who witnessed the attempt. As Auror Dawlish pointed out to you, the marriage law was designed to halt the decline in our population, sending children to jail for getting married to spouses of their own choosing, makes a mockery of the spirit of the new law. Us old people of the Wizengamot made a very understandable mistake when we voted in that law. We forgot what it was like to be young and in love and overlooked young peoples need to assert their independence and make their own choices. As soon as they heard rumours that this law was going to affect them they planned a way around it. And I must say I'm incredibly proud of the way they all worked together to achieve the results."
"One thing your stupid marriage law has done is to unite the four houses of Hogwarts more than they've ever been united before. Unfortunately for you, they are currently united against you personally, the ministry and the Wizengamot," Bathsheba Babbling said firmly. "Anyone attempting to arrest these students will have to arrest me too because I knew what they were doing and offered my support and assistance."
"I did too. You'll have to arrest me too," Madam Pomfrey replied.
Madam Sprout stood up. "Arrest me as well. I had strong suspicions what was going on and I helped make sure that the ministry visitors over the last few months and the wizengamot's little spies, didn't notice and interfere."
"You will need to arrest me too. To my shame I admit I offered no help with the ritual but I knew they were attempting to find a way around the law and I gave them extra time to research and access to the restricted section. I support these young people wholeheartedly in their right to choose their own husbands and wives, and I will argue that the law should be repealed or altered to allow the participants choice," Minerva McGonagall said firmly.
"The books containing the ritual, came from my library," Madam Pince stood as well.
Professor Charity Burbage stood as well. "I taught the students that arranged marriages went out of favour in the muggle world more than a century ago that child marriages are highly frowned upon and by the muggle authorities and the forced marriage of a seventeen year old would be considered illegal. That in their world, what you were trying to do to these students would be a crime," she said.
In fact, it was her muggleborn students who had told her that, she just didn't contradict them and allowed the spokesperson to speak up about it in all her classes.
"Filius Flitwick stood. "I was also involved in keeping the secret but if you attempt to arrest me I will call on my brethren for sanctuary. I warn you now that it could lead to another goblin rebellion." He was exaggerating, his brethren wouldn't make war for him who was only a part goblin but the ministry didn't know that.
Professor McGonagall spoke up. "The school will have to be closed if you arrest three out of the four heads of house and all these other professors," she declared. "Please give us time to contact the parents and have them collect the younger students. There won't be enough adults in the castle left for adequate supervision of underage students."
"Aurors, please send for Madam Bones, I'm afraid that Cornelius is partially correct. None of you do have the authority to arrest the sitting Minister, however, as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I do. The charges made by Auror Shacklebolt are valid and I'm happy to order the arrest or Cornelius Fudge, but it would be better for everybody if the head of the DMLE is here to oversee the proceedings and none of you can be accused of overstepping your authority," Albus said. "There will be no arrests here today except for you Cornelius Fudge, neither the students who have married nor those who helped them find the way have broken any laws. There was no reason for them not to marry before they received the notification letters of their matches."
"But… but…" Cornelius objected. He could hardly tell them that they had to go through with the marriages he had arranged because he'd already spent the money he'd accepted from pureblood wizards who'd wanted to marry a young second or third wife.
"These students are married. They used a bonding ritual vowing lifelong fidelity to each other that cannot be undone no matter what you want from them. Whether or not you accept this makes no difference," Bathsheba Babbling said.
"I will arrange married housing for any couple who wishes it," Albus decreed. "Please see your heads of house to inform them of your wishes."
"For those of you who do not accept married housing please be aware that all students married or not are expected to abide by the Hogwarts code of conduct outside the married quarters," Minerva said sternly. "We have our younger students to think of. Anyone found fornicating in a broom closet dorm room or empty classroom will earn themselves a week's detention. Those caught in more public places in the castle will be penalised more severely. Those of you who wish may leave but I would like several of you to be on hand either here or in your common rooms when the Head of the DMLE arrives, in case she wishes to speak with you."
Most of the couples chose to stay, too anxious to hear about what was going to happen or wanting to avoid interrogation from their housemates while they didn't have all the answers. Cornelius kept yelling to be released, growing more and more furious at being ignored until one of the Aurors silenced him from behind.
Madam Bones the head of the DMLE arrived with another complement of Aurors. She was met at the front gate by Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt who explained the whole situation. How the minister had come to Hogwarts accompanied by Kingsley and the Aurors who formed his personal security to what he originally believed was to interview those who had not turned up to their ministry organised weddings over the weekend. The students involved claimed to be already married and diagnostic spells confirmed marriage bonds making them exempt from the new marriage law and Fudge had then ordered all the 'brides', their new spouses and those who helped with the marriage spells to be arrested. He's insisting that the marriages the 'brides' are currently in be declared void even though the professors informed him that the fidelity vows the students made cannot be set aside like that."
"How many?" Amelia asked sighing. She did not approve of the way the marriage law was being implemented but had been reluctantly convinced of its necessity, though she felt vaguely ashamed to admit she might have felt differently and argued against it more if her niece was one of those affected.
"At least sixty two students, thirty one new married couples and in addition to that more than half the professors claimed to be involved in helping with the rituals and keeping it secret. The headmaster isn't saying much but the deputy headmistress pointed out that if we arrest all of the staff involved we will have to close the school and provide replacement supervisors until the younger students can be collected," Kingsley reported.
"We couldn't arrest that many students and staff. There'd be an outcry,"
"Minister Fudge acknowledged we didn't have room in the ministry holding cells for them all and demanded they be sent to Azkaban to await trial. At least a third of the students involved are underage so I arrested him for child endangerment. Chief Warlock Dumbledore confirmed the arrest but suggested we call you to help with the chain of command, since Fudge is currently the minister for magic."
"Merlin, what a nightmare," Amelia exclaimed.
"It's worse than that. I've spoken with the junior Aurors that were assigned as security for the wedding spell castor over the weekend and they have the impression that the matchups were influenced by money and bribes rather than magical compatibility. The majority of 'grooms' were not people they'd be content letting an underage witch in their family marry without a fight," Kingsley said. "They also said that a lot of the of age witches that were supposed to be married today had turned up already married, if we arrest this lot we will have to arrest them too. We haven't informed the minister of those yet. He was more interested in finding out why none of the Hogwarts students turned up for their weddings."
"Merlins Saggy Balls! Let's get in there and sort this out before we have a mutiny on our hands," Amelia said determinedly marching towards the castle.
"I think you might be too late for that," Kingsley said. "Sixty married students and half the professors just insisted that they be arrested too if the Aurors tried to arrest a single student."
Amelia barely refrained from groaning aloud.
Amelia's entry seemed to increase the arguments going on. As per protocol she turned to the minister and listened to Cornelius' demand for Amelia to remove the magical suppression cuffs Shacklebolt had put on him and arrest the students and the people that assisted them and have them thrown in Azkaban.
"Surely some of these students are underage," Amelia protested as mildly as she could.
"They've broken the law and refused the matches they were allocated. They need to be taught to respect their betters, end their defiance and have all these nonsense bindings voided so they can marry the partners chosen for them. They'll stay in Azkaban until they agree!" Cornelius declared.
Amelia looked at the Aurors, half of whom were holding their wands pointed at the minister for magic.
"How many of you are underage? Raise your hands," she asked. She took a quick count. "And how many of you are possibly already expecting a child?"
Every married witch in the room raised their hands and several of their husbands turned pale with fright.
"Relax! It's not likely but it is possible," Hermione whispered to Harry who was looking at her with concern.
"Cornelius Fudge you are under arrest for 26 counts of child endangerment, and 31 counts of attempted endangering a pregnancy and I'm not sure how many counts of interfering with the succession of an ancient and/or noble house. You are immediately removed from all official posts and will stand trial within the next thirty days," Amelia declared.
"You can't do this he's the minister of magic!" Dolores Umbridge shrieked.
"Former Minister for Magic, he was temporarily relieved of his position as soon as he was arrested on felony charges" Albus corrected.
Amelia turned to Kingsley. "Take him straight to Azkaban, he has too much of a following to guarantee his continued incarceration inside the ministry. Inform Robbards once you're done."
"There were no laws broken here, the students completed the marriage rituals before they got the notifications that they were paired with another, and the ritual they used vows eternal fidelity. There is no known counter-ritual to release them from their vows. The marriages are valid and permanent," Bathsheba Babbling stated, stretching the truth about when the bonding rituals occurred but that was something nobody would be able to prove without good cause to question any of them under veritaserum.
"Did you perform the rituals for them?" Amelia asked.
"No they used a runic ritual that does not require a third party bonder," Bathsheba replied. "I did check the runes to ensure they weren't going to kill themselves and blow up half the castle in the attempt."
"But you didn't try to stop them?" Amelia clarified.
"Why would I? They were not breaking the law at the time and most of the students involved were terrified they'd be matched up to pureblood bigots who would treat them terribly. Before they found the ritual, I had heard that many of the girls and muggleborns were planning to leave Britain entirely. Or to cast the spell to destroy their magical core. The prefects even came across a group of friends discussing a suicide pact. By comparison the ritual gave the students the best chance at a happy and normal life and the marriages they chose will solve the population issue just as thoroughly as the pairings chosen by the minister. I felt that assisting them was in my student's and our country's best interests."
"Auror Dawlish go to St Mungos and fetch me a healer experienced in diagnosing magical bonds," Amelia ordered. "Not that I don't believe you but the Wizengamot will require independent verification," she said to the Runes professor, resident mediwitch Pomfrey and the assembled newlyweds.
"Perhaps while we wait you will release the professors so classes may resume for those not affected," Albus suggested.
"Certainly, if Professor Babbling and Madam Pomfrey would remain," Amelia agreed.
Hermione pulled her books out of her bag and began studying, Harry and several other students, including all of the seventh years followed suit, allowing Amelia to have a quiet word with Bathsheba and Poppy who confirmed the legality, validity and permanence of the marriage ritual used and showed her to the disused corridor where traces of two of the rune circles could still be seen. "The elves have already removed the other circles and sanitised the area. I imagine they were disrupted by their regular duties and these would've been gone by this afternoon as well."
"The magical signatures are too degraded to identify. Once they've been assessed by the experts as evidence these circles need to be removed as soon as possible," Amelia ordered.
"I am sure that neither of these circles are in a state that would allow them to be used again without extensive testing and repair," Bathsheba replied. "In fact, in my opinion it would be safer to begin again than to repair all of these runes and be sure you hadn't missed anything.
"How many of your students are capable of fixing or redrawing this array?" Amelia asked.
"About seven without some help, even with a map of the runes, but only one of those is not already married, " Bathsheba replied. "He's been brought up by a pureblood misogynist and has unfortunately picked up too much of his father's attitude towards women I doubt that he would ever be able to convince a girl to want to marry him. The ministry matches or a betrothal contract will be his only chance of a family." She didn't mention that even the six who were already married would be prepared to draw another ritual circle if enough of their friends changed their minds about waiting for the ministry to match them. She noticed that many of the unbonded students had been frightened by the attempt to force the students into either marriage or Azkaban or who had seen the clear desperation in the minister's face as he realised that any attempt to force the muggleborns who had received a pairing notification into marrying their ministry chosen spouse would fail.
"Could he use other methods of persuasion? To get a girl to perform the ritual with him?" Amelia asked.
"No, that's the true beauty of this ritual. Both parties have to not only willingly perform it but to truly want to be bonded to the other for a bond to form. It cannot form a bond through rape, love potions or compulsions, and these rune circles couldn't be used to form a bond like that," Bathsheba replied. "We will remove them if only to stop the younger students trying to perform the ritual with the broken rune circles."
"We're there many failures?" Amelia asked.
"Several, but I couldn't tell you how many?" Bathsheba admitted. "Everyone who wanted to persevere succeeded in the end, even though some of the pairings are a little surprising."
"I noticed quite a few purebloods waiting in the great hall," Amelia said frowning. Her niece was one of them.
"The muggleborns had help with the research and drawing and maintaining the rune circles from several pureblood friends who didn't approve of the new legislation. Though only muggleborns received notification letters at this time they have all been matched with a pureblood so many of the students believe they will also eventually be matched whether they like it or not. And of course there are some who were dating a muggleborn, or who agreed to help a close friend escape the law. I believe some were probably also trying to escape the betrothal agreements their parents or head of house was negotiating for them," Bathsheeba said gently.
"I administered at least a dozen calming draughts to muggleborns whose attempts failed," Poppy told her.
"And you say it worked for them the second time?" Amelia asked.
"Not always the second time or even the third but eventually. Usually with a different partner," Bathsheba commented.
"Which may cause some line inheritance issues if they've conceived during the first attempt," Poppy added wryly.
"It was a sex ritual?" Amelia asked in horror.
"Yes, a ritual that required fully consensual sex on the part of both parties," Bathsheba said firmly.
"But some of these students are underage," Amelia protested.
"If they're old enough to be married off to old men by the ministry then they are old enough to choose to participate in a sex based marriage ritual with the partner of their choice," Poppy declared. "Miss Turpin was paired with Caradoc Dearborn and he's more than one hundred years older than her and has already buried four wives."
Amelia closed her eyes in horror. "We couldn't prove foul play in his wife's death but the healers were unhappy about it. She'd birthed several squibs in a suspiciously short time frame."
"And yet he was paired with the youngest and frailest of our muggleborn students old enough to be matched," Poppy said disapprovingly. "She'll not have survived a pregnancy every year for long."
"How many of the couples would you say are expecting, or planning on being expecting in the next year?" Amelia asked faintly.
"They all must be pregnant by this time next year, according to the law," Minerva reminded her friend sourly.
"It is worse than that. The notification letters contained a nasty dark fertility curse that cannot be countered. I'll be surprised if most of them aren't expecting by the end of the month," Poppy replied. "Minerva is planning to schedule separate classes for our expectant mothers to hopefully at least get all of them through their OWL or NEWT year. It's our sixth years that will be the least disadvantaged this year, though how any of them is going to study for NEWTs and care for a baby next year is beyond me. Perhaps some of the Hogwarts elves can be trained to assist and the unused corridors could be set up as a child care area."
"You expect Albus to allow them to attend school?" Amelia asked.
"According to the Hogwarts charter, only bearing a child out of wedlock is cause for expulsion, these students are all married," Poppy replied. "It would decimate the NEWT classes to lose them all. Particularly as many of their spouses would leave with them. If this blasted marriage law isn't revoked we could end up with nearly a generation of witches that aren't properly educated. It will set equality of the sexes back a century or more."
"And Hogwarts would be in danger of closing if we lose all of our sixth and seventh years, we would lose nearly 20% of our tuition, even if they are allowed to stay we will probably need to hire more staff to supervise the younger children if all the older students are moved to married housing," Minerva added.
The bonding specialist arrived and carefully cast diagnostic charms on each pair. "They're bonded, it is a permanent bond the equivalent of the strongest marriage bonds," she told the head of the DMLE. "Even Ms Perkins and Ms Brocklehurst are bonded strongly enough to be legally married."
"Why are those two young ladies significant?" Amelia asked curious that they were singled out.
"Because they are bonded to each other," the specialist replied.
"How is that possible?" Amelia asked shocked.
"I do not know. I assume they performed the ritual together," the bond specialist said curiously.
"The goal of these marriages was to increase the birth rate. This cannot be allowed," Auror Dawlish stated.
"Their bond is unassailable," the specialist countered. "There is nothing anybody can do about it."
"There are muggle ways for a woman to have a baby without being sexually involved with a wizard," Hermione said.
"Idon't believe you!" Auror Dawlish spat.
"Believe it or not, Hermione is telling the truth. In the muggle world it is possible for two people who never ever meet each other to produce a baby conceived with scientific help, it's called artificial insemination," Harry said.
"But why would any woman deliberately choose to have a bastard baby?" another Auror asked confused.
"The disgrace of illegitimacy no longer exists in most of the muggle world," Leanne Tinker said. "A child no longer needs to be legitimate to inherit part of his or her parents' estate. But a child born from artificial insemination of sperm from a donor registry has no claim on his biological father not even the right to know what his name was. He or she could be their mother's primary heir, even if they later married and had another child. In fact, if the mother is married at the time, her husband is considered the legal father."
"I don't believe you," Dawlish replied.
"Believe what you like, it's true. In the muggle world, even unmarried teenage mothers are encouraged to keep their babies and schools provide childcare so they can keep their baby and finish school," Harry said. He'd seen several of his primary school class walking around obviously pregnant or pushing prams over the summer, and it was only the more vicious gossips like Petunia that said anything nasty about them.
A/N: Thank you to Ghostisreading, starboy454, caughtinblackseyes, J.F.C, katmom, SilverSwan6, Lexarius, BMS, mooneysfate, mwinter1, Millie072, Rori Potter, jkarr, Tyler'sPrincess, .Wonderland.8510, Embers, Melikalilly, mother oracle, Jostanos, Firehedgehog and all those who followed and favourited for your support.
