authorsnote: BOOM here we goooo
I am aiming to get as many fics as possible updated before christmas, and I am on a roll! tiny self celebration before getting back to it!
I do hope you enjoy this chapter, my poor bbys 3 lemme know your thoughts!
songrecs: the only exception - paramore (perf song for this fic)
She knew when the Ministry Official was 40 minutes early that it was going to be bad, the Ministry were never early, no, they were so fussy and entrenched in bureaucracy, they showed up perfectly on time, perhaps five minutes before to ensure they weren't late but never early.
So, she knew it was going to be bad, not the usual, 'You're marrying, don't whine, get on making babies now, goodbye' visit everyone else would likely get, but she didn't know quite how bad until she and Harry nodded at one another, steeled themselves and opened the door to find the Minister of Magic himself, alone, completely alone, no official trailing him, not even any paperwork in hand.
Yeap, this was going to be bad.
"Kingsley" Harry said, tone a touch stiff, considering this was the man they'd trusted, they'd lobbied to have put in power, and he'd signed into law something that was curtailing their basic human rights. Yes, they would be a bit stiff, one could hardly blame them.
"I'm so sorry" It was a good opener, "I voted against it, but was overruled, any protest and they'd have my seat, and by they, I mean the purebloods" And a better closer, but not quite good enough.
They all sagged a touch at that, and as Harry turned to her she offered him a nod, speaking in their own way again, and they ushered the Minister – Kingsley inside, stiffness forgotten … for the moment.
"We did suspect you weren't completely involved" Hermione offered, and they had, when they'd read the announcement, they'd known that many in government would have protested, but even though she disagreed with it, she knew the data was sound, and many would be led by that and the dose of panic that came with it. "But how did it get through? I thought the Wizengmont was suspended?"
"They are" Kingsley said as they hurried into the dining room, the living area far too cosy for this conversation. No, instead they sat around the table, Kreacher quickly brought tea and biscuits, and then coffee at Harry's nod, which they all drank, it was going to be a long day. "But there's lots of interests in the Ministry, Heads of Departments, advisors, and everyone wanted this through"
"Why?" Harry asked, and he sounded so worried she reached for his hand, he entwined his fingers through hers instantly, clutching one another, like lifelines, needed.
She took some comfort in that, she knew she'd always need Harry, surely that meant they wouldn't grow to hate one another, wouldn't drift apart. The conversation they'd started had put her a touch at ease, though she knew they weren't nearly done with it.
"The data" Kingsley said grimly, and Hermione nodded, even she could understand that, as much as she disliked it, she too would be led by the data, though she knew if she were working at the Ministry she wouldn't have agreed with this law, never with this law, she'd have found another way, she'd have had to. "It showed how dire a situation we are in, close to extinction if we don't take measures now"
"How close?" Hermione asked, gripping Harry's hand, the idea to both of them of wizarding extinction was terrifying, but not enough to agree with having their rights destroyed, even then.
"Too close" Kingsley said with a shake of his head, "We needed to implement this months ago. With the deaths from the war, less people having children, it's inevitable, and far too soon, implementing this yesterday was too late"
Hermione shook her head then, "But why not incentivise it instead? Offer rewards? Good rewards?" That was her first thought as to what she'd do, not this, anything but this.
"Not enough" Kingsley said, "We did so many projections, with seer's, arithmancers, everything" He said, and she could see the strain on him now, how difficult this had been, she felt a twinge of sympathy, but only a twinge, the rest was outrage, even if something needed to be put in to deal with the birth crisis this still shouldn't have been it, it was still wrong. "It wasn't enough"
"But this?" It was Harry who spoke then, and she could see he felt the same as her, still angry, furious even. Post-war Harry was a calmer Harry, more centred, but he still had that temper now and again, rare as it may be nowadays, it remained. "Taking away our rights?"
"I'm caught by this too" Kingsley said then, and something eased in all of them as they faced that truth, Kingsley didn't want this either, he wasn't who they should be outraged at, she wasn't sure who they should be, who had pushed this? And were their reasons, right?
No, she couldn't think that no reason was good enough to take away their rights, none.
'The ends justify the means' She remembered reading that, the quote by Sergey Nechayev, a 19th century Russian Revolutionary in a tome her Father had owned, and wrinkling her nose at, it she would now.
Could they justify this? Stopping their natural extinction by stripping the current generations of their rights? Did the ends justify the means?
She remembered Machiavelli as well, 'One judges by the result' A similar philosophy, and yet she still couldn't see it, even as practical as she was, it still felt wrong.
'The ends justify the means'
'One judges by the result'
"We had no choice" Kingsley shook his head, bringing her back to the conversation, "Even I had to come around in the end, not only so they wouldn't take my seat, but because we do risk extinction" He said, "None of us want that"
"None of us want this" Harry said back immediately, and Kingsley nodded, he looked tired, they probably all did, they all certainly felt it, the coffee was helping but not enough, her tiredness felt heavy.
"Why are you here Kings?" Hermione asked, using his nickname, as annoyed as she was, they were on the same side, for the moment, "Where's the Ministry official?"
"That's me for you two" Kingsley said, his smile grim as he spoke, "Because you two are a special case"
"Everyone was paired together through various means, I'm sure you read them in the paper" Kingsley began, going to facts now and Hermione found herself leaning forward, listening intently, as though back in the classroom, she didn't catch Harry's twitch of a fond smile beside her before he too focused, "Seers, Felix Felicis, coupling spells, arithmancers" He said, "To try and pair everyone up as best we could"
"Pair them how?" Hermione asked, "For happiness or good breeding?"
"Both" She was pleased Kingsley was being honest even if she grimaced at the answer, "Compatibility covers a lot of areas, and everyone we paired we paired to be as compatible as possible, including in potential happiness"
"And then there's you two"
She felt something in her tense, she wasn't sure why, but her grip on Harry was so tight she was surprised he didn't groan in pain, he didn't, only held her hand fast, and she realised he was gripping her too, just as tightly.
"Compatibility spells and such showed you would fit, but that wasn't the reason we looked at you in the first place" Kingsley said, he paused, Hermione felt that tension inside of her grow, she didn't want to hear what was coming next, she knew she didn't, and yet she didn't interrupt, she even nodded, and Kingsley continued.
"We looked at you, as it was felt that if two war heroes were seen to be complying…" He almost didn't finish that sentence, he didn't have to, but he did, "It would stop protest against the law"
"So, you expect to trot us out?" Harry said, his voice raising a touch, that temper coming back, the soft mood in the room snapped in a second, Harry had never been okay with the Ministry's attempts to use him as their face, for PR, and he still wasn't now even when it was Kingsley facing them. "Look at Harry and Hermione all fine, married and popping out kids, you will be too?"
"Harry" Kingsley began, sounding weary, but no, Harry continued, for his temper had calmed more and more since the war, but it hadn't gone away and when roused, it was eruptive.
"Don't Harry me" Harry said, and then he was on his feet, Hermione following, for she'd always stand by Harry, always. "This is worse, you're saying you put us together specifically? Taking away our rights and then you want to parade us around? One step worse?"
"We felt…" But this time Hermione jumped in as Harry was so red, she was worried he might start shouting, and when Harry started shouting it was hard for him to stop, even now.
"You need to leave" She wanted to yell, shout, scream herself, but not now, not like this. They both knew deep down that Kingsley didn't want this, he was caught too, he was just the face of the despicable institution, and so she didn't want either of them to say anything they might regret to a friend, as furious as they both were, "Now"
She wasn't surprised he didn't protest, Kingsley just nodded, stood, opened his mouth as though to say something else and then left, wise.
"Why did you kick him out?" Harry asked, turning to her, still clearly furious. "Didn't we have more to talk about?"
"It was no use" Hermione said, sitting back down with a sigh, she felt suddenly exhausted, as though she'd ran laps around the Black Lake, it was barely 12 and she felt ready to go back to bed. Once again, she reached for some coffee, it would indeed be a long day, she felt so flattened. "Nothing more to say except more anger"
"They want to use us like dancing monkeys" Harry said bitterly but he seemed to agree with her, sitting down too, deflating a touch, and Hermione managed a bitter smile before pouring herself a coffee and one for Harry too, he looked as tired as her.
"I know" She said with a shake of her head, all the calm they'd achieved in their conversation, the relief that had flooded her, it was all gone, gone and dead. "I know"
She played over what Kingsley had said in her mind, 'Compatibility spells and such showed you would fit, but that wasn't the reason we looked at you in the first place' The Ministry had basically placed them together, and though she could see their reasoning, it was still deplorable, their plan would have probably worked, were it not Harry and Hermione, two people least likely to co-operate with the Ministry following the war.
Deplorable but smart, that was often the way with the Ministry, the body that ruled them.
But again, she played over those words, 'Compatibility spells and such showed you would fit, but that wasn't the reason we looked at you in the first place' that suggested that maybe the compatibility spells would have placed them with other people, self-doubt rolled through her, was she meant to be with Harry? Or would they drive one another mad like she'd feared?
Yes, all of the relief was long gone, and she noticed Harry too sitting in silence, no doubt stewing over the same thing. Not just the outrage at what the Ministry asked, but at what Kingsley had revealed.
Everyone else would be paired with the people most likely to bring them happiness, to be compatible with them, but she and Harry? Was it that they sort of fit, and it worked for the Ministry? Or did the compatibility spells show they didn't fit at all? She swallowed a mouthful of her coffee and felt a touch sick; all that doubt came back to her.
All her fears, insecurities, that she'd drive Harry mad, that he'd grow to dislike her … part of her knew it was stupid, hated herself for doubting their connection, their bond, but it sat there in her stomach, festering, like a disease, invading her thoughts, and it wouldn't go away.
She wanted to speak up, but like earlier she didn't know what to say, and evidently neither did Harry.
Fuck.
Instead, she knew she needed to seek some comfort, even as the doubts wriggled in her stomach, and rested her head on his shoulder, managing the tiniest of smiles as Harry rested his atop hers, it was a position they'd adopted many times before, she hoped they would many times in the future, but now the doubt was there, living in her.
Part of her knew they'd be okay, they were Harry and Hermione, they had to be, but that part in her stomach, the fear, the anxiety, the doubt, it wouldn't shut up, that maybe this time … things wouldn't be okay.
sooo thoughts?
I enjoyed writing this! a touch shorter, lil filler but damn my poor bbys 3 the ministry is the ministry! it ain't magically getting better post-war, and trust me it's going to get worse!
now I've had A LOT of reviews refusing to believe anyone would go along with the marriage law, outraged at the idea, and trust me, this ain't gunna be harry and hermione rolling their eyes but getting on with making babies and getting married, it's going to be A LOT more complicated! so fav/follow to stay along for the ride!
I do hope you enjoyed, do review if you did!
speak soon