A/N: Oh my days! I never expected that reaction. 8 follows, 1 favourite and more than 150 story views within the first 24 hours of posting. Even my now deleted M rated fic (the M rated ones always do miles better) didn't do this well. I think I've found my niche, though the Dramione fandom is die hard, it really isn't the biggest one out there, and I'm shocked, though I think I'm a tad biased.
I must say I'm pretty useless at these updates thing! I get an idea for a story in my head, get the first chapter all sorted and posted and then life gets in the way. When this chapter goes live there will be this one done (obviously) and I'm hoping to have a decent start on chapter 3. Ha! Well anyways enough of my ramblings and on to chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Malfoy Out & a Creevey in the Family.
Hermione's first week back at Hogwarts had mostly proved uneventful, much to her relief, barring two reasons. She had been placed as study partners with Malfoy: for every shared class. It's not that she didn't mind having someone who could challenge her intellectually, and it isn't that she wasn't trying to get along as per their agreement on the train. If she wasn't in the classroom, the great hall or the prefects common area, she was either studying with Malf... Draco or she was being bored to tears by Ginny, who was constantly blubbering about how she missed Harry and she couldn't wait for the first Hogsmeade weekend in October. She simply never got a second to herself, her patience was wearing thin and it was only week 1!
The second reason you ask? Well rumour was swirling around the castle that the ministry was about to put in place a new law. See, with the toll the Second Wizarding War had taken place on the population of Britain's witches and wizards, it was no wonder the ministry wanted to preserve their numbers. It was well known amongst the magic folks that the muggles were outnumbering them five to one before Voldemort came to power a second time. Now, now it was closer to eleven to one! But Hermione and most of her classmates were in agreement. They had helped the ministry and the Order permanently overcome Voldemort and now they were going to be forced to marry off and bare children or forever forfeit their magic. Over Hermione Jean Granger's dead body!
However they were still only rumours and until there was an official announcement from the ministry themselves, Hermione was simply going to ignore them.
Cue the owls arringing for the morning mail delivery. And true to the rumours, the front page of the Daily Prophet was plastered with the headline.
HOGWARTS HEROES SET FOR ARRANGED MARRIAGE.
Silenced spanned the Great Hall as every student new and old, took in the news of the once rumoured new law.
Hermione's next lesson was Transfiguration with the rest of the eighth years, though due to the impromptu announcement earlier that morning, Professor McGonagall decided to use her double lesson to talk through the new law.
"Morning class. As you are aware there is only 28 of you, and for everything you have been through previously, you have all been matched with somebody in this room. I know there are to be some questions before I even announce to you, your partners; there is no switching your partners, You will not be paired with someone in your own house and every partnership has been carefully put together by officers at the ministry and thoroughly reviewed by myself and Professor Snape.
"There will be no arguing, I will list off the pairs and then questions may be asked." She stated bluntly
"Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott
Dean Thomas and Pansy Parkinson
Seamus Finnegan and Mandy Brocklehurst
Ernie MacMillan and Daphne Greengrass
Justin Finch-Fletchley and Lavender Brown
Wayne Hopkins and Eloise Midgen
Anthony Goldstein and Millicent Bullstrode
Michael Corner and Fay Dunbar
Terry Boot and Tracey Davis
Kevin Entwistle and Susan Bones
Stephen Cornfoot and Lisa Turpin
Theodore Nott and Padma Patil
Blaise Zabini and Parvati Patil
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
An amass of chatter start around the room that consisted of groans, 'I'm not being partnered with him/her...
"Silence. These partnerships are non-negotiable. Understand. The person you are partnered with is the person you will marry and have children with."
"Um, just because she saved me from going to the hell hole they call Azkaban doesn't mean to say I'm ever going to marry the bushy haired bookworm. It's bad enough I've got to share a common room and a bathroom with her while I'm here, but now I've got to marry her. No thanks, Malfoy out." He groaned.
Hermione's heart couldn't help but sink a few inches, and even though he had convinced her that the past was the past and he wanted to move forward from then on, there was still a small part of her that believed his reaction was him holding on to past beliefs.
They made their way back to their common room, a very awkward silence hung in the air. A huge manila folder was ensconced in Hermione's arms, detailing how their partnership was decided, their compatibility estimates and of course, the requirements of the new law. Upon reaching the entrance to their common room, Draco muttered 'Constellation' and the portrait swing open. After holding the door open for Hermione, he followed her inside, but couldn't hold in the laugh as soon as the portrait swung shut.
"Just what on earth are you laughing at, this is no laughing matter. It's one thing that we share a common room this year but to actually have to be a couple and get married and have babies, is, is, is a pretty serious matter. Especially since we have no choice."
"Mione we're school kids, they cannot force us to get married and produce heirs. Just because they're saying it's a law, they can't actually make a law like that. They can't force two people to do anything they don't want."
Hermione was only half listening to what Draco was saying, she was too busy looking through the parchment that detailed everything to do with the freshly introduced law.
"No, no, no, no, no, this cannot be happening. Draco, its basically says that if we don't comply with this new law and follow it within the guidelines then there will be a 'yet to be determined punishment' unless there is extenuating circumstances. A complete refusal to comply will be reflected on the newly formed couple having their magic took away from them and being expelled from the magical world. We have to get married within a year of leaving school and I have to be at least pregnant another year after the wedding. I'm not even 18 yet and I'm already being married off."
"Hey, hey, look at me, right at me. That's right, straight at me. Hey I tod you during our chat on the train that I wanna marry a girl with her own career, her own ambitions and not someone like Pansy or Daphne who would spend all day at home doing nothing or out all day with her girlfriends, spending all my money. You already know that my mother and I want absolutely nothing to do with my fathers shady businesses. I want to be an auror and my mum wants her own high end clothing stores in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Did you know that having her own store was my mothers ambition before my father turned his allegiance to the Dark Lord?"
"But I'm the brainy, good for nothing mudblood girl who shouldn't even be here. Why aren't you sending an owl to your father in Azkaban demanding that you be paired with some pure blood girl who will give you pure blood heirs, with names as constellations? Why aren't you flying off the rails at the fact that in less two years we have to be married with a baby on the way?"
"Don't call yourself a mudblood, yes you descend from non-magical heritage, but you are the smartest witch of this age, you beat me at every class we get examined in. If it wasn't for my fathers influence, guided by the Dark Lord, I would have seen years ago that we are the two most compatible students in this whole stupid castle and it even has 300 year old ghosts. Our children will be incredibly good looking and the smartest witches and wizards ever. If my father hadn't have been incarcerated, I'd have been married to Pansy, days after the graduation ceremony, and do you remember what I said on the train?"
"Yeah of course I remember everything you told me on the train. But I always thought I'd be married to someone I love. I'd have a small simple wedding, Ginny and Luna would be my bridesmaids, my father would give me away, the ring would be small and not flashy and I'd wear a dress that is simple and elegant."
"Honey, you can have most of that, if not all. We're both trying to make the most of a bad situation. Is there anything in that information about divorces?"
"We're not even married and you already want to divorce me!" She exclaimed.
"Wait, honey. It's not like you to use terms of endearment that aren't an insult."
"I was just throwing something out there. I meant if you want to divorce me. There's got to be some sort of loophole you can get through, so you can leave me and marry the weasel."
"It says and I quote, 'for those in an organically formed relationship, the marriage ceremony must take place within 12 months of the youngest person leaving a school education. For those couples who have already left school and are not yet married, a marriage ceremony must take place within 6 months of this law being passed, the female in said relationship must have bore or at minimum be with child within 12 months. Medical issues will be taken into account after counsel of a healer. For partnerships wanting to be terminated, said persons must be married for a minimum of 5 years and a minimum of 1 child must have been produced.' So basically they're making it hard live a life you want to carve for yourself."
"Do you wanna go and talk to the she-weasel. You also might want to let her know what's going on, so she can make plans with Potter before she gets married off to the Creevey boy with the camera obsession."
"I guess you're right. No offence to him, but I don't really think of him as a brother, though it could be handy the have a photographer in the family. Also please don't call my best friend 'the she-weasel, you're more than likely going to be spending more time with her now." She said with a wry smile.
As Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor common room, she couldn't help wonder about a life with Malfoy. Where would they live? What would their children be like? How would Ron take the news? Ron, she was so caught up in the news of spending at least 5 years married to Malfoy, she hadn't spared a single thought to her relationship with Ron. But then again Ron had no leg to stand on in that sense, their relationship had fizzled out as quickly as it had started. A quick stolen kiss here, a fumble there had proved them physically incompatible, plus he was no intellectual match for her.
She gave the Gryffindor password on request of The Fat Lady and traipsed her way in. Quickly glancing around the common room she ascertained that Ginny was not there, so she headed for the girls dormitories. Opening the door she was relieve to see Ginny sat on her bed, stroking Arnold the fluffy purple Pygmy Puff.
"Oh, Ginny I've so much that I need to tell you."
Ginny put Arnold back in his pen, summoned an elf to get tea and biscuits and settled back down on her bed.
"So go on then. What's the big news then. Shouldn't you be in lessons.?"
"Not until after lunch on Mondays. Oh. Where do I begin. The ministry law is not rumour. They've brought in this new law since a lot of people lost their lives 3 months ago; Everyone gets paired off, then they have to be married by no more 12 months after leaving school and at least to be pregnant by another 12 months after that." Hermione finished.
"So, who have you been put with then?"
"Malfoy, according to the ministry, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape we're perfect for each other."
"But what about Ron. He's going to lose his mind." Ginny butted in.
"Lets not dwell on that now. This is going to happen for years to come. I don't have a choice now but to marry Malfoy, but you still have time to get Harry. I've know there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up soon, lets get a message to Harry and Ron and we'll meet them in the Three Broomsticks and talk it over. Just make sure that you get your guy before you get paired with someone like Colin Creevey. Not that he's not a nice guy, but I need you to stay my sister-in-law Gin."
"As soon as I find out when in October the trip is, I'll let you know. In the meantime owl Harry and ask him if they want to join us for some lunch in Hogsmeade, but please don't mention the Draco situation, then th two of you can sneak off for some alone time. I better get back to the common room and make sure Draco hasn't gone back on his word and decided he would rather live without magic than be married to me."
"Oooh, Draco now is it?"
"We're putting the past aside for the sake of what's coming. It's a long story, I'll get into it another time. I'll see you at lunch."
A/N: I know bits of this chapter onwards are incredibly similar to the story Life Studies, but before I get accused of plagiarism, it's my own story to copy from lol. Love to you all.