Chapter 1: The News

'Mione! Over here!' The two thirds of the Golden Trio waved enthusiastically from the corner booth of the recently restored pub in the Diagon Alley.

Hermione Granger, the final third of the Trio, spotted her friends and hurried towards the back of the pub. She hugged the dark haired wizard first, then dropped her bag at the bench next to the redhead, and pecked him on the lips.

'Harry! Ron! So good to be back!'

'When did you get in?'

'How did it go in Australia?'

Hermione smiled at them happily. Australian trip went better than she dared to hope. She held up a hand to stop the barrage of questions.

'Food first. Anyone wants a refill?'

'Fire whiskey.'

'For me too.'

'Mione, you might want to grab a third shot for yourself.'

'Uh not today, I'm still reeling from the three portkey jumps I had to take to get from Australia to London. I better stick with a butter beer.'

Hermione headed to the bar. The wizards exchanged a look bordering between surprise and alarm. Both thought the same thing, that the witch would want a drink soon enough.

'She doesn't know.' whispered Harry.

'Doesn't look like she does.' agreed Ron.

Several minutes later, three drinks and a basket of finger foods landed softly on the table.

Hermione took a seat next to her boyfriend of two months, grinned at Harry and sighed contentedly. She missed her friends. She was still unsure about Ron's earlier suggestion for them to move in together, but she thought they had plenty of time to discuss it properly now.

She picked up her butterbeer and the wizards raised their fire whiskeys. The three clinked glasses and grinned at each other.

'Cheers!' said Ron happily.

'To us!' added Harry.

'To the uneventful year!' finished Hermione just as the boys took first sips.

Ron spit the drink.

Harry coughed.

Hermione frowned.

'You truly haven't heard, have you?' Ron asked as he cleaned his face and charmed away the mess he created.

Harry kept coughing.

Hermione furrowed her brows, and shook her head no.

'Heard what?'

She took pity on her best friend who was now turning red and cast a charm to clear Harry's airways.

'Thanks, Mione!' Harry wheezed and coughed several more times before getting the cough under control.

Hermione sipped butter beer to hide her discomfort at the boys' incredulous looks.

The truth was, the was tired. She wanted to be free of the politics of the Wizarding Britain, and of the reminders of their victory. The victory implied existence of war. And she needed to pretend, even if just for a few weeks, that war was just a nightmare; that the horrible things that happened to her and to her friends didn't really happen. Getting wizarding news in Australia would have spoilt the fantasy.

'My parents' land is way away from the cities.' She found herself explaining; not the truth but not a lie either. 'No wizarding communities nearby. Why? What is going on?'

The wizards looked at each other, silently encouraging the other to talk. Hermione observed the exchange curiously as she chewed on a fried pumpkin stick. Ron appeared to have won and Harry took a breath to speak.

'Ginny and I got married.'

Ron rolled his eyes.

'What?! When? Uhm...Congratulations!' She hit Ron's arm, 'Why did you not owl me? I would have come back for the wedding!'

She looked at Harry, who looked surprisingly unenthused for the type of news he shared, and hit his forearm too. 'And you! How did you not invite me?!'

'Yesterday. Marriage law. Last minute. No wedding. Sorry!'

'W-what?'

'Mate, your explanation is rubbish!' Ron snickered.

'You do it then!' Harry ran his hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up.

'Ronald! What is going on?'

Ron gulped and jumped from his seat.

'Hold that thought, Mione! I need another drink. Anyone for another round?'

The other two nodded.

'Fire whiskey for me too, Ron.' Ron nodded and disappeared behind the patrons at the bar.

Harry gave Hermione a weak grin, and shrunk a bit under the stern look she gave him.

Ron returned with the whole bottle of fire whiskey and a fresh glass for Hermione. Soon all three sipped fire whiskey. Hermione frowned suspiciously at her boyfriend, wondering why Harry's announcement required this much alcohol, but decided to wait for the explanations.

Harry kicked Ron's foot. The redhead shot him a look, but cleared his throat.

'So… the Ministry doesn't want to deal with the divide in the community, you know. Voldemort's closest may have come from the Sacred 28, but thousands of regular folk were happy to go along with the world order he promised, you know. What do you do with those?'

Hermione blinked at her boyfriend, thoroughly confused. She opened her mouth to answer, but then changed her mind, deciding that the question had to be rhetorical.

It sometimes took Ron a moment to get to the point, and things usually progressed faster without interruptions.

'The Ministry believes that Voldemort's closest allies are now less of an issue than regular folk with silent disdain for Muggles or Muggleborns. The first round of testimonies revealed that many high profile Death Eaters stayed with Voldemort out of fear for their families. This time around, Wizengamot decided to actively change the attitudes rather than eliminate singular Death Eaters. Or so my dad says, anyway…'

Hermione now wished she had bothered to arrange for a newspaper to her parent's house in Australia.

Harry noticed Hermione's troubled look, and cut into Ron's rambling.

'Ministry is still prosecuting the most notorious of the Death Eaters, Mione. They are not letting them go. But they are looking into alternatives to imprisonment. And with Azkaban leveled-'

'What!'

'You really should have gotten the paper over there.' Ron muttered. 'Sorry, I don't mean-'

'I'm starting to agree…' Hermione shook her head at Ron's apology.

'So, Azkaban… No one knows who is responsible. The Auror Office now is rounding the escapees in addition to hunting the rogue Death Eaters. DMLE cannot find places to hold all captured. The Ministry basement holds are overflowing.'

'All aurors-in-training got assigned to the field duties. We got our first assignments two weeks ago, after the Azkaban situation, and we are not even half through the training!' Harry added excitedly.

Ron nodded vigorously.

'You already have official assignments?!'

'Most of it is quite dull. We babysit Death Eaters on house arrest. We check the wards and bindings, verify that they didn't skip town, and observe meetings with approved- '

'Wait, wait, wait, Ron! Harry!' Hermione focused on the dark haired wizard. 'How's your last minute wedding connected to any of this?'

Harry nodded to Ron to get to the point.

'I'm getting there, mate. Dad says the Ministry couldn't agree on anything from how to appease the public, or to stop the local riots, or where to put all the Death Eaters and other criminals…' Hermione bit her tongue at the mention of the riots. She didn't hear anything about the riots either but she refused to get sidetracked even more.

Ron sighed realizing that his girlfriend did not take the bait.

'The Wizengamot came up with a law that would mix people of different war associations on a personal level. As a bonus it also redirected the public's attention from security and policy issues. This is all anyone has been talking about for the last two days.'

'Ron, you are stalling.'

'Then why don't you explain, Harry!'

'Fine!'

'Great!'

'Well?' Hermione prompted when both of her friends fell silent.

'The Wizengamot passed Marriage Law to bring unity and replenish wizarding numbers. Ginny and I had to get married before she got signed up with some random Muggle-born bloke... since she is a pureblood witch.'

'And that's why we should get married too, Mione!' Ron beamed at her happily.

'Married?' Hermione whispered faintly. She blinked dazedly at Ron, who smiled winningly at her, then at Harry, who shrugged sympathetically, then back at Ron, who was still smiling.

She didn't want to marry Ronald Weasley right now. More than that, on her several days long hike through Australia wilderness to reach her parents' land, she realized that she might not want to marry Ronald Weasley at all!

'Surely the Ministry won't make us participate in such mockery?'

Her friends once again exchanged knowing glances.

'Did you two even try to protest?!'

Harry groaned.

'I tried, Mione, tried!' Harry pinched his nose closed, crossed his eyes and intoned in high-pitched nasal whine. 'Sorry Mr. Potter, you are not above the law!'

Ron's eyes bugged out and watered as the fire whiskey traveled up his nose. Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing despite the situation.

'And Kingsley was no help either.' Harry continued in a normal voice once again. 'He believes this is a great idea!' Harry's voice became deeper. 'Harry, it might not be something practiced in the Muggle world, but it is a valid solution in ours.'

'This is mad!' Hermione ran both hands through her hair and pulled at the long curls. 'It would never work! It would just create thousands of miserable couples!'

'Tried that too, Mione!' Harry's voice once again pitched high. 'Mr. Potter you are too young to be such a pessimist! This will promote only tolerance and understanding.'

Hermione clamped her hand over her mouth.

'Stop doing that!' She squeaked after the whiskey finally stopped threatening to leave her mouth. 'What happens if we don't comply?'

'Nothing good.' Harry refilled the glasses for all three. 'I don't remember but It's in the law.'

'Dad read the whole thing. Let's see… So, monetary fees proportional to one's wealth, to make the rich comply, loss of Ministry related rights, privileges, jobs or contracts, volunteer work assignments…'

Hermione's eyebrows climbed higher and higher and her eyes went wider and wider with each new revelation. Volunteer , she mouthed, Harry grimaced nodding, but Ron was not finished.

'...and then also house arrest or exile… though I'm not clear whether you'll even have a house left by that time so maybe just exile… I didn't ask for the details... But don't you want to marry me and be done with it?'

Harry cringed. Hermione may have been their friend before she became Ron's girlfriend, but she was still a witch and deserved romance and a proper proposal… Ginny certainly was pleased that he made an effort…

'Ronald, this is a matter of principle, of our rights! Who are they to make such a personal decision for us?'

The redhead wizard shrugged unbothered.

'Existing couples are permitted to marry until the law takes effect. In two days time. Only the purebloods from families allied to Voldemort are forbidden from marrying each other. All my siblings signed their marriage contracts already, even Percy! So?' Ron looked expectantly at Hermione.

'So?'

'So, we have today and tomorrow to register the marriage contract. When is the best time for you?'

Harry looked between the two, and bit his lip, hard.

'I don't think… I have to see that law, I'm sure there is a way… I have to go!'

Hermione grabbed her bag and hurried out the bar.

'I think she has second thoughts, mate…'

'She does, doesn't she? Bloody hell, Harry! Who am I gonna marry if she says no?'

Harry pushed the fire whiskey bottle Ron's way and shrugged.

'You had second thoughts about your relationship too…' Harry pointed out. If Harry was honest, even he had second thoughts about Ron and Hermione relationship, not that it was any of his business, of course.

'I did, Harry, before the bloody Marriage Law! I'd rather take my chances with the witch I know, you know.'

'You must hope Mione shares the same… settling… philosophy, then.'

Both frowned, sipped their fire whiskey and thought about the girl who saved their butts on multiple occasions over the last seven years.

'She is not.' Ron groaned resignedly.

'She is not.' Harry confirmed, looking at his friend with sympathy and some amusement.

'Bloody hell!'

End of Chapter 1