Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise. It is the property of JKR. I only own my version of this plot and my OC/s. No profit is being made from this. All rights to JKR.

Warning/s: Nothing I know of.

Author's Note: Here is the long overdue chapter two! Enjoy!

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Hope you're all having a wonderful day/night xx

- igiveyouallofme -

Enforced Love

Chapter Two

The sun shined through the windows at the Manor, lighting up the dining table. Draco Malfoy growled at his mother, Narcissa, for her cheery mood to go with the weather. They'd just found out his father had a life sentence in Azkaban – and yet, prisoners have escaped before – so Draco doesn't see how today could get any worse.

Narcissa Malfoy and her son had been fighting all summer about what it meant for their family. Draco was slightly pleased his mother wasn't going to be sent away but she was oddly cheery for a woman whose husband was in prison. Draco found her mood ridiculous. A woman of her stature should be a little less over the top. Silence befell the mother and son as they attempted to deal with what today would bring for them. Draco refused to be the first one to speak. He had many regrets about the Battle, but he refused to voice them to a soul.

He chose the wrong side to protect his mother and sometimes he wonders if it was all worth it. He wished that he could've stood alongside his school, fighting for what was right, instead of what wasn't. He may not have liked Harry Potter, but despite the crap life he was given, he still did what was right. He could've abandoned everybody, but he didn't. Draco sometimes wished he had the same courage as the Gryffindor. He was too much of a coward to do what was right. He knew the kind of man Lucius Malfoy was and yet he stood back in the shadows, allowing it to happen. His parents had had a rocky marriage which turned him off from ever getting married. Despite the fact, it was clear Narcissa loved her husband, love didn't equal marriage. Draco was aware of that before he even knew what love meant. He knew marriages were only marriages of convenience and it was only a bonus if you loved the person you were betrothed to. Narcissa Black was the luckiest of them all.

She had loved Lucius Malfoy since the moment they had met when they had been betrothed as young kids.

It had never been clear to Draco whether his father felt the same about his wife. Draco was terrified of ever marrying anybody for the sheer fact that it'd probably crash and burn like his parents' marriage. He was fuming about the new laws the Ministry had enforced. He found them quite dumb and irresponsible. If he were to ever marry, he knew that the wife had to be perfect. She had to mirror his mother in a way. Never stood out of line, only spoke when spoken to and she had to be a Pureblood from a respectable family. He couldn't marry anybody that had views opposing him. Lucius instilled in his son the virtues of what a wife was supposed to be, but times had changed. Not every woman was going to fit the bill anymore. He had decided after the Battle of Hogwarts that he wouldn't continue the Malfoy line. There was just too much evil in their family.

He always thought he'd make an awful father anyway – just like his own. He refused to ever be the same man that his father was. A promise was made that day that Draco would be last of the Malfoys – even if it killed him.

"Draco, a letter came for you today."

Draco rolled his eyes, "You can burn it. I don't particularly feel like a wife at this moment."

Narcissa frowned, "I think the new law is a great idea. You've been moping around for a while and I'm not going to stand for it anymore. A wife is a grand idea." She said, as she picked up his letter and opened it for him. She was bubbling with excitement to meet her new daughter in law. She had faith that the Ministry would assign her son with an incredible woman, to match the intelligence of her son. Not every woman could handle Draco and she was aware of that. She had hopes that whoever the Ministry chose for him, that she would be the best candidate. Someone who could challenge Draco intellectually and love him with all of her heart. Narcissa had faith that she had raised her son well, and that despite what happened at the Battle, he still deserved to be loved.

Her son wasn't a terrible person, he had put his mother first through everything which is what landed them in this mess in the first place. Draco could've denied becoming a Death Eater, but he chose to accept, in order to protect Narcissa. She would never forgive herself for what she did to her son. He needed a wife that would understand that his loyalty ran thicker than water, and that he would do anything for those he loved. Even if he only loved two people in his whole life – Blaise Zabini, his best friend, and his mother. He'd never admit it though.

Draco needed someone who could put up with how stubborn he was and who would be so much more than Narcissa could have ever hoped to be. His wife needed to be seen and heard. Obedience didn't equal love, Narcissa had learned that the hard way. She may have loved Lucius, but she knew he didn't love her back. She didn't have the heart to tell Draco though. He was a child of convenience and not love. She wanted more for her son and nobody could blame her for that.

Draco growled, "I didn't want it opened."

His mother frowned, "It could be good for you, Draco."

"Yeah, right."

"Dear Mr. D Malfoy, we're pleased to inform you that we've found the perfect match for you," the letter began, pissing Draco off even more. "A wife is a dumb idea," he spat. "Stupid Ministry."

"Be nice," Narcissa said, shushing her son. She hit his hand away from lunch that the house elf had prepared, so he could listen to the letter properly. She also wanted to hear it.

"We expect a wedding in six months and a baby a year after that. Don't disappoint us, Malfoy. You're on thin ice as it is," the letter continued. Draco gapped, "Me?" He glared at his mother, "Why couldn't we pretended we didn't even get this letter at all?"

"You know where I stand on this, Draco," Narcissa said, gesturing back to the letter. "You need a wife. You need to move on and make a proper life for yourself. The Malfoy and Black line can't end with you. I won't let it."

"What about Lupin's kid," Draco mumbled, "He's a Black."

"He's part werewolf too," Narcissa said, rolling her eyes. "The Black blood is tainted there."

"I shouldn't be punished for that," Draco muttered, glaring at his mother.

Nyphadora Tonks had been a pureblood but because she married a werewolf, the line pretty much ended there. At least that's where the Black family stood on things. Andromeda had betrayed them by marrying a Blood Traitor and she had been burned off the family tree. Despite the high hopes that maybe Nyphadora would be different, she wasn't. She still disappointed her ancestors, even more so by marrying a Half-blood.

Narcissa didn't want that for Draco. She wanted happiness for her son. A real life, a way to move on from the Battle. He deserved a second chance. However, Draco was adamant on the fact he didn't deserve one at all.

"We hereby declare Hermione Jean Granger as your fiancée, and under no circumstances can this be changed. You two are a perfect match and we are confident you think so as well. We look forward to your wedding. Have a lovely-"

Draco aims his wand at the letter and it flames up and becomes a pile of ash on the dining table.

"Granger? Are they absurd?"

Narcissa looks close to crying, "What about the pureblood line?"

"Who cares about that right now! Granger, of all people, they think I'll ever marry that girl? I rather be dead," Draco yelled, his face glazing over in anger. He only ever let one emotion show: Anger. He enjoyed the way everybody cowered whenever he raised his voice. He had a kind of authority that demanded to be heard. "Isn't she with Weasley anyway," the blonde boy asked, more to himself than his mother. "The idiot didn't put a ring on it, did he?"

"How could the Ministry do this to us," Narcissa said, frowning. "You should've left Father a long time ago," Draco commented, "And this wouldn't have happened to us."

Narcissa's eyes widened like galleons before her gaze drifted to the table, beginning to blame herself for this. If she had left Lucius sooner, maybe the Ministry would've been more lenient on Draco and maybe he wouldn't have gotten the Dark Mark.

"I'm going out," Draco said, standing up and leaving the dining room. He slammed the front door after him, for dramatic effect before apparating away.

Regret swirled in Narcissa's eyes as she bit her lip, staring at where her son had been seated. The sound of a CRACK made her jump a little, realising that when Draco is in one of his moods, he could disappear for days on end.

Harry had found Hermione sitting on a park bench where she used to go with her parents as a child. She spent an enormous amount of time playing there before she found out she was a Witch. Life changed drastically for her after she had gotten her letter. It would never be the same. She felt like she was alone in the world and that she would never feel the warmth and love of a family again. The Weasleys had felt like family growing up and when her and Ron had fallen in love, she had just expected that she'd be apart of the family for real. Nobody expected them to break up, and technically, they haven't yet. They were in limbo which was worse for Hermione. She knew, by law, they had to marry two completely different people. They both didn't have a choice.

"'Mione?"

Hermione looked up, frowning as she saw her best friend approaching the park bench. She bit her bottom lip, nervously. She had never just left the Burrow the way she had but she couldn't be there anymore, realising that she could never marry the man she loved, not when he was engaged to Cho Chang. The name even made her angry. It was better than Lavender Brown though. She hated her way more than Cho.

"You can't give me the silent treatment forever," Harry commented, taking a seat beside her. "I know this is hard for you, but I promise I'm going to speak to the Ministry tomorrow. We'll get this sorted out. We'll say you two were engaged just keeping it quiet for a while."

"No," Hermione spoke up, "We weren't though. I had no idea if we would ever marry." She looked at Harry, "Maybe this could be good for Ron. Cho is lovely, I'll give her that," she added. Harry chuckled, "But I know she's not you. Nobody could ever replace you."

The brunette shrugged, "In time he will grow to love her, I'm sure of it." Harry frowned, "Are you sure you don't want me to clear up this mess?" Hermione nodded, feeling like it was the right choice. "There's too much history between us for it to work anyway," she said. Harry disagreed with Hermione, but he didn't push. He knew if he did, she might just crack. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "What if you don't like your match?"

Hermione thought for a moment, she knew that she loved Ron, but perhaps even the Ministry didn't believe they were a good match. They were too different, after all. Maybe she'd get another muggle-born who would understand her. She needed someone to understand her, in a way Ron never could. She wanted someone who could challenge her in ways she desired to be. This could be good, for both of them.

"I have faith the Ministry hand-picked someone they believed would be a perfect match for me. You can't hate the system. Its flawless when Magic is involved," she commented making Harry laugh a little. "S'pose you're right," he said, shrugging.

He handed her the letter, "it's up to you now what you do with it. But remember, your best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived, if you ever need a re-match, hit me up," he winked before standing up and apparating away. Hermione laughed a little before sighing. She may have connections, but she knew these things were mostly set in stone. If the Ministry had hand-picked someone, he must be the best choice for her. She hoped that they could grow to love each other in time even if the thought of loving anyone but Ronald Weasley made her stomach queasy. He was so different but that's what made her heart melt. He was quirky and ridiculous and the love of her life. The man she wanted have kids with and to grow old with. She wanted what Arthur and Molly had, but with their son.

Now she never could.

Hermione fiddled with the letter, wondering what she would do about it. She had to rip the Band-Aid off and just hope for the best. If she never tried to make something work, she will never know if it might.

"Here goes nothing," she mumbled before opening the letter.

Audrey found her new fiancé sitting on the grass outside the Burrow, watching the sky. He was frowning, wondering how the world got so messed up.

"Is this seat taken?"

Percy looked up, scowling a bit before sighing, "I guess not."

Audrey sat down, flattening her skirt. She hadn't sat on the grass in a very long time. She almost missed it. She missed the girl she was before the Battle. She had been livelier and fun to be around. She wonders if Percy had rather met the girl she used to be, than the one she is now. She frowned, "I know this isn't an ideal situation-"

"Not an ideal situation," Percy cut in, "This is the worst situation. I don't want to get married. I don't need to. All I need is to be there for George. I don't even want to work at the Ministry anymore."

Audrey pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, pretending he didn't just cut her off. "Listen Weasley, we all don't want to do this. Let's think of it more as a job. A deal. I leave you alone, you leave me alone. Let's just get that quick marriage and then stay out of each other's faces. Deal?"

Percy frowned, "What about that baby part of the law?"

Audrey felt uncomfortable about the idea, "I suppose we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

The redhead shrugged in response, "I'll still have time to work on the joke shop with George?"

"Yes," Audrey said, "We'll have to get a place together of course."

"No way," Percy said, "I don't want to see you more than I have to," he argued. Audrey shook her head, "No, we can just say you moved in with me. For the first few weeks though, to make it look real, I'll have dinner ready and you can stay on the couch for a while. Hows that sound?"

"It won't matter I work till late, so you don't have to make dinner," Percy said before standing up. "This is only so you can have that stupid job, that won't make you happy. I'm not changing my life to make you happy. I'll do what I want, when I want. You just have to acceprt that you'll always come last to everybody else in my life. Deal?"

The words hurt Audrey just a little before she nodded, her eyes glazed over emotionally. She stood up as well, hand outreached for a handshake.

"Deal."

Percy shook her hand, "Time for you to go. Don't show up unannounced again. If you need me for something, I'll be at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he said and with a crack he was gone. Audrey shifted uncomfortably, rolling her eyes, "This'll be fun," she said to herself before doing the same.