Hermione sat on the bed in her flat, thinking over what to wear. She hadn't been to the Burrow in close to two weeks, and she was hoping to look somewhat decent. She was really looking forward to seeing Harry, Ron, and Ginny today. Unknowingly, she had isolated herself from her friends, and she was desperately attempting to undo that.

It had been almost a year since the Battle of Hogwarts. They were still mourning over the deaths of Fred, Moody, Lupin, Tonks, and everyone else who perished in the horrible war, but it was starting to get easier for most of them.

Hermione stared at her wardrobe for a moment longer, before pulling out a simple, knee-length red dress, a black cardigan, a thin black scarf, and brown ankle boots. She quickly dressed herself, before pulling her hair out of her face into a simple ponytail, and adding a dab of mascara.

Good enough, she deemed, before grabbing her purse and apparating to just outside the Burrow.

As she stepped inside, she was greeted by a plethora of hugs, smiles, and friendly "Hello"s. A delightful smell wafted it's way from the kitchen, and Hermione breathed it in gratefully.

Looking around, she saw Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Ginny, and Harry, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She noticed, however, that George was missing.

Not surprising, she thought to herself. He was never around anymore. Not after Fred.

"Why don't we all have a seat, so we can start dinner," called Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen.

Everyone murmured in agreement before sitting in a chair, Hermione wedging herself in between Harry and Ginny.

While they ate their dinner of chicken and rice with mashed potatoes, Hermione conversed with Ginny, Harry, and Ron about their lives, and caught up with the last two weeks.

Hermione was really lucky that she and Ron were still friends. After her relationship with him went awry, they agreed to try and go back to how they were before. In a normal situation, their friendship would have pretty much been terminated, but they had been close since they were eleven. There was no awkwardness now.

She learned that Harry and Ginny had finally set the date for their wedding, after a great number of arguments with Mrs. Weasley about her daughter's age. They were going to get married on Valentine's Day. Wow, was that cheesy! Nevertheless, she was happy for them.

Right as they were finishing up, and Mrs. Weasley was about to serve the pie, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Weasley opened up the entryway to reveal Gerard Flannikey, the newly appointed head of the Department of Law Enforcement at the Ministry.

"Good evening, Gerard," Mr. Weasley called. "What can we do for you today?"

Flannikey smiled politely before taking a deep breath, and giving what was, no doubt, a very well-rehearsed speech. "I bring news from the Ministry," he started. "During the Battle of Hogwarts, too much magical blood was spilled. Not only that, but the number of witches and wizards are decreasing as the number of squibs grow higher. A new law has been set in place: all witches and wizards between the ages of 18 and 30 who are not currently engaged, married, or still in school will be matched with another witch or wizard. They will be required to become legally wed and produce a minimum of two magical children within a certain amount of time. There will be more details in a week's time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or someone else in my department. All matches will be final. If you are engaged or married, please report that to us so there are no mistakes in the pairing. That will be all for tonight. Be prepared for more information in a week. Thank you, and have a nice night."

He smiled with false sincerity, and closed the door, before apparating out with a pop.

There were gasps all around the room while the news was sinking in.

Hermione's mind was racing. Who would she be paired with? Who would she have to be married to? Who would she be forced to raise children with? What if she was matched with someone who was 30? She was only 18! She was too young! Honestly, Hermione didn't know if she could wait a week for the information to come; she was too anxious.

Suddenly, she began to envy Harry and Ginny. They didn't have to go through any of this. Nor did Bill and Fleur, who were already married, or George and Angelina, his fiancee. They were safe from this new law.

A week had passed, and Hermione sat anxiously waiting on her cold bed. She had pulled her legs up to her head, and her chin rested in the crook formed by her knees, eyes closed, as she rocked back and forth in a weak attempt to calm herself.

Suddenly, there was a faint pecking noise outside her window. She looked up to see a tawny-brown owl from the Ministry waiting expectantly on her windowsill, a letter resting in its small beak.

Hermione quickly leaped up, and opened the window. Retrieving the letter, she gave the owl a quick stroke before sending it off.

She was a bit hesitant about opening the letter at first. After waiting all week, it all seemed too real; this letter held her future.

Taking a deep breath, she tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter.

To Hermione Jean Granger,

As you have heard, there is a marriage law being passed. This is not a punishment; it is merely to increase the magical population. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. You have been assigned a match, which will be shown later on in the letter. After today, you will have exactly six months to become legally wed to your assigned partner. The deadline for this marriage will be October 1st of this year. After the wedding, you will have exactly eighteen months to bear your first magical child. If a problem arises, and you give birth to a muggle or squib, or there is a different sort of complication, we will grant an extra six months to bear the child. After the birth of your first magical child, you will be given another eighteen months to produce your second magical child. If a problem occurs, the same rules stated will apply.

There will be no change in whoever you are matched with. You must remain with them for a minimum of five years after marriage, or you will be sent to Azkaban for a minimum of six months, or your wand will be snapped. However, if you feel unsafe with your match, you may contact the Ministry, and an exception will be made upon inspection.

Your match for this new law will be Draco Lucius Malfoy.

Please contact us with any comments or concerns.

Hoping you are well,

Gerard Flannikey

What do you think so far? I will try to update at least once a week. R&R please! Thank you!