Three months later

"Harry?" Ron eyed the letter Harry's hand across the table at The Burrow with something close to worry. The owl that had delivered it, leaving without waiting for a reply, almost barreling into him in its haste to escape.

"It's Hermione's writing."

"What?" Ginny demanded sharply.

"It's Hermione's…." he trailed off, staring at the envelope in front of him with something close to disbelief.

"Open it then!" Ron demanded.

Dear Harry & Ron (and everyone else!),

Forgive me. God I didn't want to do it this way but we needed it to be believable. There could be no hint that things aren't exactly as they were supposed to be, and well…I love you both but acting was never either of your strong suits.

As you'll no doubt have gathered, nothing is how it was supposed to be. We have been working on a plan for months now and if you're reading this, it means we've made it out of the country. I won't tell you where yet. It's not entirely safe. I just didn't want you to panic when you visited and I wasn't there.

I'm sure the papers will give you some indication of the plan we've just executed, so I won't go into details. Nor will I name names. I just wanted you to know I was safe.

I hope I'll be able to see you soon,

Hermione.

He turned to find his wife both grinning and crying, his emotions warring as he attempted to figure out how he was supposed to feel about any of that, relief intermingling with sadness. "Gods that brilliant, stubborn, amazing witch!"

"What?"

"Don't you get it? She didn't go alone."

"Yes I got that," Harry bit out.

"Harry….how many of them do you think she took with her?"

He froze. "Fuck." he hissed, several things finally slotting into the correct place. The Wizengamot were going to be out for blood.

Hermione and Dean tried not to fidget as they sat in front of the Bulgarian Minister and his translator, an ICW representative looking far too entertained at their side.

"This law is barbaric."

"We know," Hermione agreed softly.

"We do not support it," They nodded, not letting the hope show on their faces. He sighed. "They will not like this, but give me a list of the names. We will grant you asylum. They will not be able to touch you."

Even Dean was crying at the announcement, making all three men's eyes soften. "What they have tried is a terrible violation of human rights, Miss Granger, Mr Thomas. It is the least we could do."

"Thank you," Hermione gasped.

The ICW representative smiled, finally inserting himself into the conversation, his voice soothing, "We will of course ensure any who do not wish to stay here are accepted in other territories. We could not interfere until you left." he smirked suddenly, "Well done, it's been a long time since Great Britain was forced to acknowledge its own shortcomings. We have already begun to change the rules of membership for the ICW so that we are never again forced to watch a travesty such as this one, we would have had no support without your mass exodus. Had it seemed like everyone was in agreement, or at least some show of it, our hands would have been tied completely. Given your very clear message, we are now able to change some things. Now, your list."

Minister Oblansk reached forward, accepting the list Dean held out with shaking hands. "Now go. I imagine the rest are as anxious as you were."

"Thank you…I don't…there aren't words."

The minister nodded, "Go."

They all but ran from the room, finding an anxious Seamus and Viktor waiting in the hallway. Hermione launched herself at Viktor without thought, her mouth finding his as she poured her relief into the kiss. At her side, she was dimly aware that Dean had Seamus in a similar position.

"They agreed?" Seamus gasped as soon as Dean drew back to catch his breath.

"They agreed.

"Oh thank Christ," Seamus exclaimed.

Viktor pulled back smiling slightly as he gazed down at her, "No more waiting."

She shook her head wordlessly, noting the way his smile widened as he leaned down to kiss her again.

"Let's go and put everyone else out of their misery," Dean commanded breathlessly, a grin still plastered all over his face. "Dennis will be ready to murder Snape by now."

"If he's tried it, we're going to return home to find Severus already filling in his grave," Seamus muttered.

"This is serious!" the Chief Warlock hissed, "if this gets out…."

"How did they manage it?" Silas Travers demanded. "They have to have been planning it for months."

"It's the gods be damned mudblood," the Chief Warlock growled, "she should have been better monitored!"

There was a swelling of noise at that pronouncement, "We banned language like that following the war!" Arthrur protested.

"This is her fault!"

"You're beginning to sound paranoid, Chief Warlock," Draco Malfoy drawled from his seat looking faintly amused by all the commotion. At his side Theo Nott wasn't bothering to look faintly anything, his grin was wide and he was practically bouncing in his seat. "Granger had her magic bound. What exactly is she supposed to have done?"

"She has to have orchestrated this! She isn't where she's supposed to be, we've checked! No one has seen hide nor hair for a fortnight! Her neighbour said she went off to University in Scotland, but she's not there! They all sold their flats, all of them are empty!"

"All of them?" Pansy Parkinson checked disbelievingly. "All of those you obliviated and bound are missing?"

"All of the unmarried muggleborns and half bloods are missing!" the Chief Warlock shouted.

"Chief warlock that has to be at least two hundred people" Arthur sighed, "And you would have had us believe they were being tracked."

"Four hundred and sixteen," he hissed, "And that witch found a way around it!"

Arthur bit back a smile, knowing that the Chief Warlock wasn't wrong, not that he was telling him that. "All of them? How on earth? She had no magic. You'd have known if she'd come into this world, she was tracked."

"I don't know!" the man howled in frustration.

"Do you think it was Granger?" Theo hissed at Draco, mindful of any listening ears.

"Without a doubt," Draco murmured. "Not alone."

"Oh?"

His lips twitched in response, "I had an…interesting owl from beyond the grave."

"Beyond…" Theo's eyes blew wide. "Merlin fuck, seriously?"

"Oh yes," Draco's grin widened fractionally. "Saying nothing of course, but the timing is too coincidental."

"Mother of Merlin, the thought of those two working together is terrifying."

Kingsley's exhausted voice cut through their conversation, "We need to prevent the papers finding out. It'll cause mass panic."

"You think you're keeping this from the papers, Minister?" Amara Zabini scoffed. "All those people had friends and family, I think they might notice." she paused, "Four hundred and sixteen people were just gone! That is an absurdly large fraction of our population, we are not a large populous, Minister!"

"Yes thank you Madam Zabini! I believe that is precisely why this law was put into effect! We are on the verge of extinction!"

"Then why in the name of all that is magic did you not listen to Miss Granger's other options!" she hissed.

"I tried!" he howled, "I was overruled!" There was a ringing silence as he slammed his hands down onto the desk in front of him, "Do you think that I wanted this? That I don't believe that Hermione Granger is a huge loss to our world? That I don't think that every witch or wizard we've cast out is a loss? We are on the verge of extinction, and we've willinging removed over a hundred people from our world, you cannot truly believe that I think that made sense!"

"Then whose decision was it?" Draco demanded.

"Closed meeting of senior Wizengamot officials where I was overruled," he retorted..

"Closed and confidential." the Chief Warlock hissed.

"I think we're rather passed that, don't you Thaddeus?" Kingsley demanded. "The only people left to rope into this abomination are the purebloods not yet married but already bound into contracts. We're completely fucked."

"We can speed up the children clause," Thaddeus muttered, "Widen the pool to include greater ages."

"Good gods man will you stop!" Pansy thundered. "We both know it won't work. If Granger is behind this, anyone you include who's unwilling will be given an escape route. And in case you haven't noticed, having children is a bit of an issue for a lot of us."

"Madam Parkinson…"

"No! We fought a bloody war, Chief warlock. Many of us were cursed. Many of us were cursed at school by our bloody teachers! The healers have already warned us there is likely damage. You can put as many clauses in as you like but there are an awful lot of us who are physically incapable of following them. And what are you going to do then? Throw us in Azkaban because Death Eaters thought we were training dummies?"

"Go Parks," Theo whispered.

"Miss Parkinson that is enough!"

"It is nowhere near enough," she sneered. "You're playing with our lives like we're amusing toys. Tell me where you were during the war?"

"I hardly think…"

"Oh that's right, you were in your family's villa in Spain," she continued, cutting over to him. "While children were trying to fucking survive."

"Miss Parkinson!"

"Chief Warlock," she growled, "Overturn this fucking abomination! Find a way to contact Granger, Potter might know where she is although Merlin knows I don't think he does, he is not that good an actor and he is devastated. Look at implementing her suggestions. And maybe, just maybe we'll survive this."

"She knows something," Draco hissed to Theo suddenly.

"What?"

"Parks. She knows something about Granger."

"How?" he demanded quietly. "They hate each other."

"Parks apologised at the end of the war," Draco mumbled, his voice almost inaudible."

"She did?"

"Mmhmm. Granger saved her from Rowle. I believe Parks returned the favour and prevented Yaxley disembowelling the Weasel. I thought…I hadn't considered that they'd remain in touch."

"Merlin fuck," Theo muttered "Parks and Granger." he shuddered violently.

"All those in favour of overturning?" Kingsley's tired voice boomed out over the noise.

There was a wave of lit wands.

"All those against?"

Only a few wand tips showed.

"Motion passed, marriage law abolished."

"Well then." Arthur Weasley looked faintly surprised, "How in the blazes do we go about getting them all back?"

Pansy scoffed, "I don't think you do."

"What?" Kingsley looked startled.

"You allowed this to happen, do you truly think they're just going to come back home like good witches and wizards after all this?"

"Madam Parkinson you know something!"

"I know many things, Minister." she countered.

"If you know where they are…." the Chief Warlock growled.

"I do not." she countered.

"She's lying," Theo hissed.

"Why?"

"I dont know."

"We'll begin planning tomorrow,." Kingsley sighed. "Everyone dismissed. Chief warlock. A word."

"Oi! Oi Parks!" Theo called racing after the witch.

Pansy sighed, spinning on her heel arching an unimpressed brow. "What?"

"Come with us." he gripped her arm, manoeuvring her into the floo.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Where's Granger?"

"How would I know?"

"Try again," Draco commanded.

"Hmmm. No."

"Pansy!" Theo whined, "You know something!"

She smiled smugly. "Why does it matter?"

"Because…because…" Theo floundered before something like resolve stole over his face, "She took Lee Jordan."

"She didn't take him," Pansy countered. "He went willingly."

"See! You do know something!" he crowed.

Pansy sighed realising her mistake. "Look, I truly don't know where they are, all I know is that they are safe."

"How?"

"I can't answer that. Literally. They were very selective in what they told people."

"They?"

"Well…it wasn't just Granger."

"No, Severus was involved." Draco replied confidently.

Pansy merely smirked, neither confirming nor denying that statement. "Regardless, they are safe. And I have a portkey to catch."

"What?"

"There is a reason I know they're safe," she informed them softly.

"Oh?"

Pansy grinned, "My betrothal was a very good forgery created by one of Granger's co-conspirators."

"Who?"

Pansy shook her head, "Not answering that. Now. I have a witch waiting on me somewhere undisclosed and I very much intend to meet her."

Theo and Draco's jaws dropped. "Who?"

"Luna Lovegood." Pansy admitted a faint flush appearing on her cheeks. "We haven't been able to see each other properly for months. So…I really must be going."

At that, she spun on her heel and headed for the floo.

"Wait!" With a heavy sigh, she turned back to face Theo. "Tell Lee I'm sorry….I…I was trying to protect Daph."

"He knows," she smiled sadly.

"It can be broken," he blurted, "We made sure of it. She…she…"

"Is half in love with Justin Finch-Fletchly but couldn't get the approval of her parents? Yes I know."

"What do I do?"

Pansy shrugged. "I can take a letter," she replied finally. "And maybe see if Daph wants to apologise to the Puff. They like that, don't they? I'm sure he'll forgive her."

"And then what?" he demanded.

"Then we move into Granger's new Utopia and live happily ever after" she smirked.

Theo blinked. "I could do that," he agreed slowly.

"You could?" Draco demanded.

"Well…with Lee. And no Wizengamot fuckwits. Sounds bloody delightful mate."

"Be prepared to move quickly and with gold," Pansy advised. "I'll…owl or something."