A/N: This was originally written for krazyredhead0317 as part of the 'Epilogue Didn't Exist' Exchange at Granger Enchanted. Many thanks to Krissy and StrongHermione for being my lovely betas.

Warnings: AU, Explicit Language, Triad Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, BDSM themes.

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

Chapter One

Hermione groggily opened her eyes. Her body ached and protested any types of movement, but she ignored it. Sitting up, she stretched her arms above her head. There was a lot of work that needed to be done today; she couldn't afford a lie in.

Ginny let out a snore from her bed, startling Hermione. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. It was still a bit fuzzy from sleeping.

She slipped out of the bed and silently crept across the room. She quietly opened the door and stepped into the hall. The Burrow was quiet, as most of its occupants were still sleeping. Hermione could hear the shower running and sighed – she'd have to get ready later. Her small flannel shorts and Harry's old Quidditch jersey would have to do for now.

Tiptoeing her way down the stairs, she cringed when a few of the steps creaked. She usually didn't mind if others were up, but today she just wanted a moment to herself. Once the rest of the house got up, it would be… different.

The air in the Burrow had been tense of late. It was three months past the Battle of Hogwarts and things had not yet returned to normal. Many of the Weasley family were still grieving. Fred's death still haunted many of them, specifically George.

Hermione frowned as she thought about George. He rarely left the shoppe anymore. He would fall asleep in the back office, papers scattered about him. Hermione knew that he was throwing himself into his work to distract himself, but it wasn't healthy. However, she knew that Angelina had started working at the shoppe and was caring for George as best she could.

Hermione began to make herself a cup of tea. She sat at the table, waiting for the water to boil. After breakfast, she would head to Hogwarts with Harry and the rest of the Weasleys to help with the reconstruction. They had made great headway and the castle was almost restored to its former glory. Hermione was sure that the school would be ready to open in a month for the next term.

The kettle whistled and Hermione stood. She grabbed herself a cup and poured some of the hot water into it.

"Care to make me a cup as well?"

Startled, Hermione let out a small squeak of surprise. She turned around and saw Bill standing there. His hair was a tangled mess and he had large circles under his eyes. "Sure," she said, giving him a small smile. "Just milk, right?"

When Bill nodded, she turned back to her task. She quickly prepared both cups and then carried them over to the kitchen table, where Bill had taken a seat.

They sipped their tea in silence. Hermione took the chance to discreetly look at him. She had heard from Ron shortly after the battle that Fleur had decided to leave Bill. From what Hermione understood of the situation, there had been no hard feelings. Apparently the two of them had married quickly due to the stress of the war. Now that it was over, neither of them had felt that same spark.

Hermione knew how they felt. During the battle, she had kissed Ron. She thought that Ron was everything she wanted, but after the threat of Voldemort was gone, she realised that she didn't quite feel the same way about him anymore. Ron understood, claiming that their kiss was a result of the heat of battle. The two of them were as close as they had ever been.

"Why are you up so early?" Bill asked, breaking the silence.

Hermione glanced at him, smiling. "I could ask you the same thing."

"You first," Bill said, returning her smile.

"I couldn't sleep any longer," she explained. "I don't sleep very well as I often have nightmares. Also, I wanted to have my cup of tea in peace this morning."

"Sorry," Bill said quickly. "I can go." He went to stand but Hermione reached out and touched his arm to stop him.

"No, it's all right. You can stay." She smiled at him. "I don't mind your company, Bill."

When he smiled at her, she felt her insides squirm. Her cheeks grew warm, and she was sure that she was quite obviously blushing. "What – What about you?" she asked. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I've been preparing a speech for the goblins. I want to tell them that I want to remain here in England. I'll still be a curse-breaker, but I don't want to be sent abroad any longer. Traveling no longer holds the same appeal to me, and my family needs me." He paused, frowning. "Mum would be so distraught if I left now."

Hermione nodded in agreement. He was right. Molly would probably be devastated if either Bill or Charlie returned to their homes abroad.

There was a loud bang on the upstairs floor, causing both of them to groan. Within moments, there was a shuffling of feet and slamming of doors.

"Guess everyone else is awake," Bill said, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"At least I've finished my tea," Hermione replied, laughing lightly. "Want to help me get breakfast started?"

"Sure," Bill said, standing. He started to boil more water for tea as Hermione began to fry up some eggs and sausage. He then started making toast.

Once breakfast was done, the rest of the family and Harry settled around the table. The only one missing was Arthur, who had gone to work earlier in the morning.

Hermione was nestled between Harry and Bill as she ate her breakfast. She was about to help herself to another piece of toast when the door burst open.

"Arthur?" Molly asked, alarm on her face. When she saw her husband's grave expression, she became distraught. "Arthur, what is it? What's happened?" she asked urgently, drawing her wand.

"Molly, I came as quickly as I could," Arthur said, panting. "Kingsley should be along any moment now with everyone's letters, so I need to explain it quickly."

"Explain what, Dad?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide.

"The Ministry has reenacted an old law." Arthur frowned. "I had no idea that it was happening until this morning. Kingsley tried to stop it, but the Wizengamot voted, and it passed."

"What law, Arthur?" Molly asked, a horrified expression on her face. "Please, don't tell me… No, no, no." She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm afraid so, Molly," Arthur said quietly. He turned to address the rest of the table. "The Ministry has reenacted an old marriage law. The Ministry has used an ancient method of matching a person up with their soulmate to determine who everyone's matches are."

There was an immediate uproar. Ginny had started shouting angrily and Harry was desperately trying to calm her down. Ron had gone red in the face as he sputtered for words. Percy was summoning a piece of parchment to write an angry letter that he planned on mailing immediately.

"Why?" Hermione asked quietly. "Why would they do something like this?"

The idea of a marriage law was just horrid. How could the Ministry force people to get married? That was cruel! She didn't understand how this law could have been passed. Weren't people opposed to this? Shouldn't people have a say in the matter?

Who was the Ministry to decide that she would get married? She wanted to choose the who, where, and when… Not the Ministry. She was torn between anger and frustration. How could this be happening?

Arthur cleared his throat, causing everyone to settle back into their seats. "I know that everyone is upset, but we need to remain calm. Hermione, you asked a great question. The Ministry is passing this law because something needs to be done to salvage the wizarding world. The war has claimed more lives than the Ministry realised, and that shows. At our current projected rate, the wizarding world will die out in fifty years or so. The equations have already been run by various Arithmancers within the Ministry. The marriage law is the only thing that will be able to change that."

Hermione's heart hammered in her chest. If Arithmancers have already run the numbers and equations, then it must be true. There was no way that type of data could be manipulated.

"Kingsley is bringing our matches?" Ron asked, his face still red. He looked as if he would lose his temper at any moment.

Arthur nodded. He glanced out the window and frowned. "He's here now."

Hermione held her breath, her hands shaking, as she watched Kingsley enter the Burrow. She had never seen him look so grim.

"Have you explained?" Kingsley asked, looking to Arthur. When he nodded, Kingsley turned his attention to the rest of the Burrow's occupants. "These letters all contain the name of your match. Please keep in mind that while the name may be surprising, ancient bonding rituals were used to determine every person's match. You all have a year to get married, and a child is expected within two years of the wedding date."

Hermione nodded, listening carefully to his words. At least the law was giving them some time to plan. She wouldn't have to marry someone immediately; she'd be able to get to know them if she didn't already.

Kingsley began to pass out the envelopes and Hermione felt as if she were a bundle of nerves. She tried to steady her breathing as she wished that this wasn't really happening. She didn't want to get married… She wanted to travel the world and explore new things. Getting married so soon wasn't on her five-year-plan.

When Kingsley handed Hermione her envelope, she felt as if she would cry. He gave her a sympathetic look as he moved back towards Arthur.

Hermione stared at the envelope in her hands. Although it was light, it felt as if it weighed a stone.

"I'll go first," Percy said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended. Everyone watched as he opened his envelope and read the contents within. "I'm to marry a girl named Audrey Belcher."

Molly nodded. "Who—"

"Me!" Ginny cried, standing up. "I can't wait another second. I need to know if Harry's my soulmate." She tore open her envelope aggressively, gripping the paper tightly as she read it. An excited shriek came from her lips as she threw herself at Harry, knocking them both to the floor. She peppered kisses on his face, murmuring 'I love you,' repeatedly.

"Ginevra!" Molly hissed. "Restrain yourself."

"We're pleased for you," Arthur said, smiling at them both. "Congratulations, Harry. You're officially going to be a member of the family."

Harry flushed, standing from the floor alongside Ginny. "Thank you both. It's a relief to be paired with you, Gin."

"I love you," she said, looking at him with a love-struck expression on her face.

"Ron? Would you care to go next?" Molly asked gently.

Ron tore open his envelope and quickly read the contents. "Hannah Abbot," he said. He made a face. "She seemed rather plain at Hogwarts."

"Shush, Ronald," Molly said, giving him a stern look. "I'm sure she's a lovely young woman. You'll have to invite her over for dinner, all right?"

Ron grumbled under his breath but nodded. He shoved the paper in his pocket before glancing at Hermione.

Hermione stared at the envelope in her hand once more. She gripped it tightly before taking a deep breath. "I'll go next, Molly," she said. When Molly gave her an encouraging smile, she slowly opened it. As she unfolded her letter, she resisted the urge to lose the breakfast she had just eaten. Her hands trembled slightly as she began to silently read.

Hermione Granger,

In accordance with the newly reenacted Marriage Law, please find enclosed the name of your match. Please bear in mind that this match has been found for you through impeccable methods utilizing Arithmancy. Your matches are:

William Weasley, Charles Weasley.

Have a pleasant evening. Please be sure to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Hannah Babbitt, Department of Children and Families.

Hermione read the letter two more times. Her mouth opened in surprise and she felt herself grow flushed.

"Hermione, sweetheart, who is it?"

"I…"

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking concerned. "Who is it?"

"There's two names," Hermione whispered, her voice cracking. "That can't be right, can it?"

Molly frowned. "Kingsley? Is this possible?"

"I believe so," Kingsley responded. "I imagine that it means that you're compatible with both of these people. In the past, triads were encouraged when a particularly powerful witch was getting married." He paused as he seemed to consider something. "Usually, the men who married the witch were of the same bloodline."

"But wouldn't that be incestuous?" Percy asked, his face scrunching up in disgust.

"Not necessarily," Kingsley answered. "Both wizards would have a sexual relationship with the witch, but not with each other."

Hermione could vaguely hear Kingsley speaking, but wasn't focused on the words. She felt like she was losing her mind. Both Charlie and Bill? Two husbands? Wasn't that… illegal or something?

"So?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence. "Who did you get?"

Hermione felt her throat close up. "I…" she mumbled, but she couldn't speak. She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes.

"Come on, Hermione, it can't be that bad," Bill joked from right next to her. "Here, let me see." He leant over and looked at her paper. A sharp intake of breath could be heard. "Hermione," he said quietly, reaching over and touching her shoulder.

The moment she felt his hand on her, she bolted upright, knocking her chair backward as she hastily stood. "I… I need a moment." She turn and ran up the flight of stairs.

The rest of the Burrow was in silence. Bill awkwardly coughed, standing. "I… I think I should go talk to her."

"Who is it, Bill?" Molly asked, tears in her eyes. She hated seeing Hermione so upset.

Bill awkwardly reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's Charlie and me, Mum."