I ought to know better but you know that never stopped me before.

Yeah, my wheels just have a way of spinning, always ending back at your door.

So add your name to the list of all the things I can't seem to kick.

You're just another mess, another late night call I shouldn't be making.

Just another high, another one night shot I shouldn't be chasing.

I got my excuses, no I don't know why I do it but...

You're just another, just another thing I shouldn't be doing.

Marin Morris - Just Another Thing.

"The Daily Prophet. November 7th, 1966.

Lionel Winthrop - Editor.

Ministry Causes Chaos Over Marriage Law.

In a shocking move that has left this reporter and many others in a state of shock, the Wizengamot has voted in favour of a Marriage Law. The law, which comes into effect on the 3rd December will see all eligible citizens matched in efforts to stave off what experts are calling the extinction of magical blood in Britain. Officials state that according to the last three censuses the rate of non-magical births has risen by twenty-three percent and with the growing trend of having fewer children fears that magical blood will die out has led to what some consider a hysterical outcome. Regan Keller Minister for Health stated "This is a move in the right direction. Too many marriages of convenience, with only one child resulting, have caused a decline in population growth. This law addresses the lack of children and will ensure that the traditional roles of witch and wizard are reinforced."

In contradiction Adriana Wilcox writer for witch weekly was reportedly enraged at what she calls the reversion of women's rights and that the statistics cited show that magical births have increased as healthcare for pregnant witches has improved following the wars twenty years ago. She remains in Auror custody after assaulting Auror Barty Crouch when he attempted to silence and remove her from the viewing gallery. No official word but an unnamed source at St Mungo's report that the shoe will be removed from his posterior without significant damage.

When asked the Wizengamot have declined to comment stating that details of how such a law will be enacted will be made available in the coming days. This is of no comfort to this editor and smacks of the same attitude that allowed the likes of Grindelwald to rise to power. The unofficial reports suggest that matches will be made using the Celtic "ceangailteach na n-anamacha" ritual. The ritual, which fell away from common use in the mid-fifteenth century was said to find one's true match and bind the souls…"

Molly threw the paper down in disgust, it was her final year at Hogwarts and now as well as exams and NEWTs she had to worry about being lumbered with a husband of all things. She and so many others in her class were horrified at the idea of some official choosing their partner, it was bad enough their parents thought they could meddle. The curly haired witch pushed her half drunk tea away from her having lost her appetite. It was breakfast in the great hall and the normally social witch felt like she should have just stayed in bed that morning. She knew all about the method they were planning to use to make their matches. A strand of their hair and a drop of blood would be taken and blood magic would be performed to find the true match for each soul. If no unmarried match could be found, then the spell would find the next best fit for each of the participants until everyone was paired off. It was archaic and hadn't been used for over a century as some of the matches the ritual made could be disastrous. Just because you fit together in theory didn't mean that they were happy unions.

She had seen Professor McGonagall go pale as she too read the first of these articles and she couldn't help but feel bitterly to Dumbledore who had allowed this vote to take place at all. The head of Gryffindor house had left the Great Hall with Professor Vector this morning shortly after the papers had been delivered. The two witches had been grim-faced as they had passed by Molly and she knew neither of them was looking forward to the idea of who this law might just force on them too. Hell, In just twenty-nine days Molly's own life would be decided for her and she could not help the shiver of fear that ran down her spine as she tormented herself with fears over whom she would be matched to. She would be expected to be a loyal and dutiful wife before she ever had the chance to live and Molly wanted to live. She wanted the same chances her brothers had had, and she just knew it was all going to be denied to something told her she already knew who it was she would be matched to and she would do anything to escape his clutches.

No, she mustn't think about him and his broad shoulders and deep voice and the way he looked at her because he was bad, bad news and bad for her. If only he didn't look like an Adonis she could forget his arrogant arse. Her two older brothers had invited her to a works function after completing their three year auror training. Whilst they had been networking she had been enjoying the freedom of no parents when he'd handed her a drink. He'd made her laugh and he hadn't been some stuffy ministry bore that almost everyone else at the party had been. A part of her wished that he had been, then he would have been just another face in the crowd and not the devil that haunted her dreams. Everytime she fell asleep she could feel him again, his breath on her neck as he spoke into her ear, the heat that radiated from his skin that made her want to reach out and touch him. It was a nightmare she could not escape and she cursed the day she ever laid eyes on Corban Yaxley.

Molly was startled from her thoughts by fingers snapping before her eyes. "Earth to Molly, come on, our dating lives might be doomed but we have classes to get to. McGonagall isn't going to go easy on us just because of this law so we need to go." Andromeda Black was flicking her hair back from her face as she spoke, but Molly could see the worry in her eyes and the tell tale signs of fretting. Her nails had been bitten to the quick and her usually perfect uniform resembled Mollys. Tie loose, blouse untucked and if Molly didn't know better she'd think she'd forgotten her stockings too. The Slytherin witch was the envy of the entire school, she got all of the famed Black family looks and none of the madness.

The girls had formed a strange friendship in third year after they both realised that the only thing they didn't share in common was their school house. They were both talented and ambitious and had very little patience for giggling over nonsense and chasing boys. They got comments about misplaced loyalties and blood purity from both houses but after four years they didn't give a damn. Molly had needed a friend that didn't cower when she yelled and Andromeda needed someone who wasn't just there to get into the good graces of her family. They also helped each other with classes, whilst Molly excelled with Charms and Ancient Runes Andromeda excelled with Potions and Transfiguration. Their friendship made sense to no one but them, their parents certainly didn't like it to begin with, even though they were technically cousins through marriage. When Andromeda had been made head girl it had been a point of pride for Molly, the first outward sign that her friend was more than the pretty face her parents expected her to be.

"Andy, how can you even be thinking of going to class right now? Our lives are about to be derailed and you want to go and study the theory behind animagi. You need to sort out your priorities." Molly stood from her seat at the Gryffindor table anyway, even if she didn't feel like class she knew she was better off being there than sitting around stewing over things she can't change. Molly paused to let some first years run passed them, having no intention of being tripped by them or confused for being one of them yet again. Being five foot three had some serious drawbacks. She huffed at that memory as she asked the tall brunette beside her "Remind me again why we are friends?"

Andromeda grinned, not even fazed by the tempestuous redhead. "Honey I am your best friend. You need me as you turn too many people into minions and get bored of them. I keep you on your toes. Besides it's me or the airheads in your dorm room and considering how often you have to be bribed not to hex them I think my position is safe. Also you like sleeping in my room way too much to consider looking elsewhere for friends." Andromeda eyed the giggling trio of Gryffindors as they passed them with mild disgust. "Morgana help me I might just help you. As for my priorities, I refuse to worry until I know just how this affects me. My father had been in talks with the Travers family to marry me to their eldest so I might just trade up from this deal. Cause Molly we both know I was never going to get a say in who I married. The best I can hope for is pretty and dumb, at least that way I know my kids will have good looks. Because we both know I am the pinnacle of perfection."

Molly couldn't help but laugh in spite of her mood. "You are so damned vain, I am surprised they didn't name you Narcissa and not your little sister." They took the stairs up to class without much enthusiasm, it seemed like everyone was going slower today like the motivation had all been stripped from them.

"No, they named me after the Greek myth, Andromeda ruler of men." She winked then, grinning when Molly laughed.

"Funny, I always thought it was because they planned to stake you to a rock and use you as a sacrifice. Besides as lovely as you are, I need you to take this seriously. Andromeda just because you weren't expecting a choice doesn't mean you couldn't have made one. I personally had plans to run off and travel. See the northern lights in Norway, watch the Phoenix colonies take off at sunset off the coast of Greece not sit around and wait to be impregnated. I have no intention of being someone's broodmare and this law is interfering with my plans."

They entered the Transfiguration classroom and took seats at the front, knowing from experience that talking in this class without getting caught wasn't likely to happen so sitting at the back was pointless. Professor McGonagall was writing on the board as they entered and Molly had to bite back a groan as she realised that her head of house was giving them homework. Was it too much to ask that when they were all facing the impending doom of matrimony her professors give them a break and make their homework be practicing their beauty charms? That Molly could get behind, with her girls it was a constant battle to tame the frizz that came with the British climate.

Professor McGonagall placed the chalk on the desk before she spoke."Good morning class. We will be continuing with the theory of animagi, take out your books and turn to page two hundred and eighty-four. In pairs I want you to use the Horatio Alexstrasza guidelines for uncovering what the other's potential animagi form is likely to be. However, I must remind you that just because you learn what your form will be, it does not mean you have the skills or the knowledge to become an animagi. If I get one owl from the school healer that you've injured yourselves doing something utterly irresponsible I will be deducting fifty points from your house and removing you from this class. Am I understood?"

"Yes Professor" was uttered without much enthusiasm by the class and with an inclined head, the class was set to work. Theirs was a small class, not everyone continued on with transfiguration. The OWL for it had been hideously complicated and she had seen more than one studied cry tears of frustration over it. There was twelve of them in total, four from Gryffindor, three from Ravenclaw, two from Hufflepuff and three from Slytherin. She and Andromeda were they only females from their houses and the only other witch in the classroom was Mafalda Hopkirk, a rather meek little thing from Ravenclaw. Cassian Abbott, the head boy of their year and Hufflepuff hottie was sat behind them talking to Charles McMillian, discussing quidditch of all things. Just what was the male obsession with balls? She didn't get it and honestly, she had no desire too.

Molly hoped that this task was not as dull as it sounded that it might be. She thumbed through her book, taking her time to find the page that she needed. "So basically we answer the questions, correlate the personality traits our responses reveal and use the algorithm to reveal what our animagus form would be. What happens if we get two likely options?"

"Then Miss Prewett you would turn to page three hundred and thirteen and complete the steps listed there. Such a thing is not normally necessary as most animagi forms are common creatures such as cats. It is a rare individual that, when common creatures are too closely correlated, discovers that they would have a rare form. Such witches, like Morgana Le Fey, have been recorded to turn to creatures such as dragons and phoenixes. Such an undertaking is ill-advised though, as they can change the witch or wizard forever." Professor McGonagall answered Molly's question.

She hadn't realised that she had spoken aloud until the professor had spoken.

Cassian Abbott spoke behind her. "So what you're saying, professor, is that having one of those forms is not only rare, it has the potential to alter the man as well. That would be impressive." He shared a grin with Charles and winked at Molly who laughed.

"They become feral, Mister Abbott, it is not something anyone should hope for. Morgana's animagus form made her more powerful certainly, yes. But the more she used that form the more of her humanity that she lost, by the end of her life she had grown to distrust humans completely and took to living her life in her dragon form. So I will cede that such a form would be impressive, but are you really willing to pay the price of such a power? Especially as a fire charm is something that every first year can perform Mister Abbott? No? Then do cease acting the fool and act like the head boy we expect you to be."

And so the class had continued in quiet murmurs and Molly had been amused to learn that if she chose she could learn to take the form of a fox, whilst Andromeda would become a wolf. For some reason that annoyed the Slytherin witch but it's not like they planned on becoming animagi so what did it really matter. They had been finishing class when a harassed looking owl had come flying to the window carrying a red scroll. Red letters usually meant a howler, but Molly knew what red scrolls meant. The owl dropped the scroll and flew back out the window as though it wanted to flee the message that it carried. Molly didn't blame it, Ministry orders were something no one really enjoyed receiving. It landed on the desk with a thump and unraveled itself as it began to read aloud its own contents.

"Good afternoon,

As you will have heard in a recent move by the Wizengamot the new Marriage Law will take effect on the third of December. In order to ensure that all eligible citizens are included when the rituals commence, officials will be visiting Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry on Wednesday the Sixteenth of November to commence with the collection of personal specimens. Please note that aurors will be present to ensure that no tampering is committed and that everyone complies with the law in a peaceful manner.

As we understand that there may be questions that you have, pamphlets detailing the selection process are being delivered to every wizarding home and to Hogwarts school. Inside citizens will find details on how selections will be made, options that are available should a match be deemed unsuitable and incentives for participation. The ministry has deemed that as some participants will be forced to abandon betrothal agreements and/or require financial aid restitution funds are being made available where necessary.

The Ministry thanks you for your understanding and Participation in these uncertain times.

Yours

Millicent Bagnold

Senior Under Secretary to The Minister of Magic."

Molly wasn't surprised when the scroll caught on fire, what did surprise her that it was Professor McGonagall that had cast the fireball that incinerated the damned thing. The fire was a catalyst and the shouts and cries of outrage echoed in the classroom and the hallways as more and more students bellowed their outrage. One thing Molly knew for certain, she really should have just stayed in bed that morning, ignorance it seemed, had been bliss.