Chapter 2: The Match
It was a week later when the Golden Trio plus one Genevra Potter nee Weasley found themselves at the back of Leaky Cauldron sipping fire whiskey. The small group spent previous evenings at the same pub and at the same table, and they planned to spend another one there as well. This evening though was expected to be particularly significant for at least one member of the group.
Magical projections hung in the air above the bar and tables displaying the latest news on the marriage law matches. Hermione looked balefully at the large letter G at the top of the displays.
This was the sixth day of the circus as Hermione started to call the proceedings around the marriage law.
Hermione studied the law and researched the custom around it in a manner similar to her preparation for OWLs. She generated impressive collection of notes in a limited time she had. Unfortunately, much to Hermione's surprise, she didn't find any cases of the overturn of similar initiatives. She however found at least two occurrences of adoption of marriage law in the recent Wizarding Britain history.
First mention of Marriage Law was at the start of 18 century, shortly after passage of the Statute of Secrecy. The goal of the law at the time was the restoration of the wizarding population damaged by centuries of Muggle violence. Another marriage law was enacted in the mid-19th century, a reaction to population dip from a decade of particularly deadly variants of usually mild magical diseases.
Both times the goal was to increase population. Neither of the two laws attempted to force people with opposing views into the same bed!
The Wizarding community didn't object then, and remained largely compliant now. Hermione just couldn't wrap her mind around such attitude.
Hermione managed to get a meeting with the Minister right away, but she received exactly the same message from Kingsley as Harry did. Hermione then applied to Wizengamot for individual exemption. She was granted a hearing and then was denied in person. One of the more humiliating experiences of her life!
…'Miss Granger, we understand certain wizarding approaches may be different from what you grew up with but in this case we cannot look to Muggles. Their counts in billions, ours are not.'
…'Miss Granger, if you've read the law carefully, you'd know the law is more than reasonable, its conditions adjusted for modern customs.'
…'Miss Granger, we appreciate your role in the victory against…You-Know-Who… but the law should be equally applied to all… don't you agree?'
She cringed as she recalled the predominantly older and married wizards and witches who felt they had the right to demand such things from the younger generations. They want to procreate, they could go and procreate between themselves for all she cared!
She even semi-seriously contemplated moving to Australia to never to come back. She didn't have a lot of money or any properties Wizengamot could seize from her. She could stay with her parents. She was certain they wouldn't leave her homeless, even if they were unhappy with her right now.
It was a nice dream to have, but Hermione discarded it just the same.
She refused to effectively exile herself from the community she sacrificed so much to preserve. After hours of crying she resolved to wait and see her match before making any decision.
'Like a twist on the Muggle bars sport viewings.' muttered Harry looking at the magical projections not for the first time in the past six days. 'Bet a Muggle-born came up with this thing.'
The projections looked like a three sided upside down pyramids with the Daily Prophet-like front page pictured on each side. On top, near the ceiling, above the pyramid, there were large blazing letter G. Previous five days As though Fs got their matches.
The matching went in alphabetical order without regard for person's sex, blood status, estate or sexual orientation. Hermione thought it surprisingly progressive, on the surface. A witch would still be expected to adopt the family name of her spouse. The purebloods and half-bloods from old families would still likely play host to their spouses and thus have power over and expect concessions from their spouses.
She pushed down her annoyance, knowing it had less to do with her being a witch and a Muggle-born, and much more to do with being robbed of the opportunity to figure out her own path.
'Ron, do you think you'll get a wizard for your match?' she asked thoughtfully remembering the recent same-sex match they saw on the projection.
Ron's drink went through his nose and he howled, grabbing his burning nose. Harry clamped his hand over his mouth to keep the liquid in.
Ginny looked curiously at the three.
Harry, finally victorious over his drink, turned to Ron grinning and waiting for a reply.
'Is it why you broke up with him, Mione?' Ginny finally said innocently just as Ron was about to say something.
Harry clamped his hand over his mouth again.
Ron fell into another bout of coughing blinking furiously between Ginny and Hermione.
Hermione frowned. They didn't exactly brake up... more like avoided marrying until the decision was out of their hands.
'Why- why-' the red haired wizard tried but was interrupted with coughs so he just waved his hand at his ex-girlfriend to prompt some explanation.
'I'm just wondering how the matching knows who we like… and for people attracted to both sexes... how does the matching decide? Does it decide based on how many witches or wizards a person dated in the past or on the latest partner or does it even account for-'
'I expect a witch as a match!' Ron was finally able to spit out of the constricted throat.
'Oh I know, but how do you know magic will comply? The Ministry questionnaire didn't have a preference field, and for those who skipped filling anything in there at all... I'm just wondering how the spell works... what the match is even based on...'
'Did you ignore the questionnaire, Mione?' Ginny asked curiously.
Hermione shrugged.
'She did!'
'You did!'
'You did?!'
Hermione gave the group a look.
'This is a joke and a mockery of a free will and I refuse to participate in it! What about you Ronald, what did you write in there?'
'I clearly remember writing a witch-who-is…'
'Oh..'
'And what witch are you looking for, big brother?'
'Bug off Ginny!'
The group got back to discussing Mrs. Weasley plan for the proper group wedding when her youngest son finally gets his match, and Hermione turned back to her book.
Hermione suspected she'd know her match by the end of the day. The displays were already at the surnames starting with GE. The interchanging spikes of anticipation and dread made her sick. Focusing on reading was almost impossible.
She looked up at the closest projection.
Under the blazing letter G, the two similar templates with Match1 and Match2 headers took up most of the display space. Match1 fields always filled in first with the name, age, portrait, education, occupation, blood status and war affiliation of the person. Currently, a pretty 23 year old witch by the name of Aria Gemmell filled the Match1 template. The template fields announced her to be Scottish, homeschooled, half-blood with no war affiliation.
Hermione chanced a look to her right, and sure enough Ron looked attentively at the empty template for Match2 waiting for the space to fill in.
Every time a pretty witch popped up in the window, Ron would perk up, and every time the witch would match with someone, his face would cloud with the concerned anticipation of his impending match. And every time that happened Ginny would snicker and often say something needling too.
Hermione could relate to Ron's feeling, she just hoped her face was not as open as her friend's. That was just embarrassing!
'Shut up, Ginny!' Ron glared at his sister when Aria Gemmell matched to a handsome wizard from Bristol. 'Whoever I get, she will be your sister-in-law, you know.'
Hermione looked back down at her book pretending to read. Between Harry, Ginny and Ron she doubted she would miss her match even if she tried.
She once again wondered if it was a mistake not to take Ron up on his offer. They wouldn't be here now nervously clutching their drinks with each new announcement if they married ahead of the law. She was peeved by Ron's easy acceptance of her initial refusal. She warmed up to the idea of marrying him after her disastrous Wizengamot hearing, and hoped Ron would bring the topic up again. He never did.
'Oi, Mione, imagine you and Ron get matched?'
She looked up at Ginny.
'Then it would be fate, wouldn't it?' she muttered quietly.
She didn't believe in fate. From the look on Ron's face he didn't believe in it either and just couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Harry brought another set of drinks and snacks to the table.
'I reckon we still have some time left. They won't have Hermine Granger, the War Hero, be as a match to someone. I bet whoever orchestrated this viewing, made someone a match for you.'
'Poor blokes in As though F's had no chance.' Ginny said.
Harry shrugged.
'I'm just saying that for Hermione I think they'd make an exception to the order.'
'I'd rather they'd make a different type of exception.' Hermione muttered under her breath. Not quiet enough apparently, as both Ginny and Harry looked at her sympathetically.
'Dad says this happens in real time,' Ron nodded to the projection. 'To prevent cheating… By the dark purebloods...'
Hermione hummed quietly. Purebloods of all leanings were surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing.
'How could they though?' Ginny nodded toward the parchment sticking from the middle of Hermione's book. 'This thing is a one way charmed, right?'
Hermione pulled the parchment out and smoothed it on the table.
'Yes, a simple Intent to Marry contract. Once the names match, the blanks fill in. The signature here would mean my acceptance.' she pointed at the blanks on the scroll where the spouse name would go, and where signatures would go. 'He will see me signing it. And when he accepts, I'll see it here too.'
'You came prepared, Mione.'
'No point of dragging it out. I intend to accept. The second match could hardly be any different than the first, now could it?'
'Hm… what if you match with Malfoy?' Ginny asked grinning.
'Isn't he hiding with his father?'
'Didn't he marry before the law went into effect…?'
Hermione rolled her eyes at the gossip.
'And what if my second match turns out to be Goyle or Flint or…' she grinned ' or Ron.'
'Mione!'
'Flint is already gone, and Goyle was on just now, but I didn't see who he got…' Ginny added.
And just like that Hermione's face and name filled the air above Leaky Cauldron bar.
She sucked in a breathe, her heart thundered in her ears.
The bar fell silent, patrons' eyes flickered between the Golden Girl in their midst and her portrait on the projection anticipating the new power couple.
Everyone waited.
And waited.
And waited.
'Why is it taking so long?' Ginny whispered in the unusual silence of the bar. Hermione wanted to know that too. Her portrait was up for a good minute with a blank match next to it.
A sliver of hope that she had no match appeared. Hermione wondered if the Ministry decided to satisfy her complaints in such a slightly humiliating way… Her mental count reached 107 seconds.
The Match2 template filled and Hermione's world tilted.
'Mione?' she felt Harry's hand on her elbow steadying her.
She took a long sip of her drink, squeezed her eyes and reopened them.
Bellatrix Lestrange's portrait was still there under the Match2 template, right next to hers. Pureblood, Hogwarts, Fugitive, Dark Side, 48 years old.
She felt more than heard a hysterical giggle leave her lips. Fugitive… Dark Side… What an understatement of the insane witch's accomplishments.
'This is not a wizard.' she continued to giggle only vaguely aware of others.
'Bollocks, didn't mom kill her? Harry, didn't my mom kill the bitch?!' That was Ron, she would recognize his panicked bellow anywhere.
'Mione! Hermione? Are you alright?' Harry shook her shoulders. 'This can be a good thing, Mione. Remember the Avery case the other day? Lestrange shouldn't even be in consideration.' Harry's voice of reason, murmured into her ear. Avery case...Hermione thought that should mean something to her.
'Harry, Ron, she needs space… Maybe we should take her home… Uh Ron, you can stay in case your match-' Ginny's voice was somewhere close too, and just as reasonable as Harry.
'No no I'll go with you' Ron protested. 'It's almost over and the contract will fill in anyways, you know?'
'Alright, you two clear the way, I'll walk H-' Ginny again.
Harry and Ginny... found each other without stupid matchings, Hermione noted absently.
Hermione laughed anew.
And what a splendid match she got.
She had to go, and not to Harry and Ginny's.
She needed answers, and she wanted revenge, and not only on the supposedly dead witch who suddenly became her wife-to-be.
The disturbing laughter stopped, and the whole large room was dead silent.
Hermione realized her and Bellatrix portraits were still up.
She glanced at the crumpled parchment still in her hand. Not a joke, then. Both hers and Bellatrix information was already there. She found the line of Spouse Current Residence.
Before anyone could react she strode out of the bar and apparated away.
End of Chapter 2