A/N ~ This was written in response to a prompt: A marriage law is passed just before the Christmas holidays. Hermione is matched with a former Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov...and Hermione is furious. "Why is this happening?!" she demanded. "He tried to kill me!"

**Disclaimer: All characters from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and I appreciate her allowing us to express our creativity in her world. All original ideas that are being introduced in this story are mine. I am not making any profit off this. It's just for the love of writing.

As always i greatly appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and review my stories. I'm always so delighted to hear from you. Special thanks to my amazing beta AlexandraO. Who is brilliant and so much fun to work with. So glad you're with me on this journey. :~)

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It was a brisk Friday morning and Hermione bustled around her kitchen preparing herself some tea and breakfast. It was a little over a week before Christmas and she had taken time off from work - a move entirely unlike her. It had been quite a while since she had taken any time off for herself, and a long holiday sounded appealing. She had just situated herself at her kitchen table, overlooking her lovely view of a snow covered Diagon Alley when her floo roared to life.

"Hermione, are you there?" Harry's voice called through the floo, "I need to talk to you. Can I come through?"

Hermione hurried over to the fireplace and ducked her head to talk to Harry. "Hi, Harry, is everything alright?"

"I really need to talk to you. Can we come through?"

"We?"

"Oh yeah. I have Ron and Kingsley with me. So, can we come through?"

Looking down at herself, she took in her appearance as she stood in front of her fireplace, bare feet and in her pajamas. "Sure, just give me ten minutes to change first. I'll put the kettle back on for some tea."

Moments later Hermione found herself pouring her three unexpected guests their tea. All three men were silent and she knew better. It wasn't like any of them to be so tense around her. When she couldn't take the awkward silence any longer, she finally spoke up.

"What has got you all so anxious? Is everything alright?"

Kingsley breathed a sigh of exasperation and took the lead when Harry and Ron both peered down sheepishly at their tea. "Hermione, we're here because the Wizengamot held a meeting in secret to vote on a new law." He paused, clearing his throat in an attempt to formulate the right words to tell her.

"What new law? I haven't heard of anything."

"That's because it's been top secret for over a year now. The Ministry wouldn't allow it to be leaked to the public in fear of any backlash it may cause. But last month, it was completed and turned over to the Wizengamot for a full evaluation and a vote." Kingsley responded with slight hesitation in his tone.

Hermione's stomach began to twist at the pale expressions on both Ron and Harry's faces. She also couldn't help notice the sweat begin to glisten on Kingsley's brow.

"Will one of you please tell me what this law actually is and why you felt compelled to come to my flat in person and tell me about it? By the looks on all of your faces you'd think everyone was being forced to...I don't know, marry a Death Eater," She laughed at herself, flippantly taking a sip from her cuppa.

All three men shot their heads up in unison, their eyes wide with shock spread across their gazes.

"Hermione, I think you should read this," Ron finally said timidly as he handed her a letter bearing a Ministry seal addressed to her.

She gave him a skeptical look, but took the letter from his grasp. She peered at all three wizards, not missing the fact none of them returned her gaze. Setting her tea on the table before her, she opened the letter to read it.

Harry and Ron winced as her facial expressions morphed from that of curiosity to disbelief, then to sheer rage.

"What!" She exclaimed as she shot out of her seat and began pacing the floor, the letter still in her hand. Her magic began crackling around her as she read it again, she surely had missed something. "This can't be right. Is this some kind of sick joke? A marriage law? It's completely barbaric!" The thin material of the paper crumbled under her now clenched fist. "How did this pass? Who has the audacity to think they can control someone else's life like this?! Do they even know who any of us will be paired with?"

"Read the second page." Harry responded quietly as he ran his hand through his dark, messy hair. Hermione narrowed her eyes then glanced at Ron, who was swiping his hand down the side of his face.

Hermione turned to the second page and her face went as white as a ghost, completely losing her balance. Stumbling back into her seat, her hands shook with a mix of both rage and horror.

"Antonin Dolohov? Bloody Antonin Dolohov! He tried to kill me! Why is this happening!?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but a handful of Death Eaters were set free after their participation in the rehabilitation program that you had a large hand in creating. He was one of them. The war caused so much division and death in our society. The Wizengamot thought this would be the best way to reunite our people and mend those bridges destroyed by prejudice and hate that fueled the War. They want to end the ideology of supremacy once and for all." Kingsley spoke as if his speech had been rehearsed. Even he knew it was a load of rubbish, but right now he had to do everything he could to keep the peace. This would be the reaction from a majority of people affected by this law. He knew what was coming.

Looking up she made eye contact with Kingsley, already feeling the sting of tears in her eyes as she vividly recalled the battle in the Department of Mysteries all those years ago. "You do know his curse literally would have killed me had I not thought to silence him first, right? I had to take ten potions a day for nearly a year. I barely survived. Still, none of it matters to the bloody Wizengamot now does it?" Hermione clenched her teeth and took a deep breath in..

"It says here in the letter, if I refuse to comply, I will be fined twenty-five thousand galleons and thrown into Azkaban for ten years. How is threatening their people keeping the peace?!" In an attempt to reign in her ire, Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "So none of what he did to me has any bearing on my being forced to marry him? How was I even paired with him? What about the age difference? Wouldn't they want to pair me with someone closer to my own age?Did they just draw names randomly out of a fucking hat?!" The more questions she asked, the more her ire grew.

Hermione looked down at the parchment in front of her and couldn't take her eyes off the name - Antonin Dolohov. Needing to think on something else, she shifted her eyes up to Harry and Ron. "Do either of you know who you've been paired with yet?"

"I'm paired with Pansy Parkinson." Harry responded lowly with hesitation.

"I'm paired with Sophie Roper, a Slytherin in our year, but she did fight on our side. I'm not sure why she is paired with me." Ron chimed in, knowing his response wouldn't make Hermione feel better about the age difference in comparison to his or Harry's.

"I believe her father was a sympathizer. So she went against her family affiliations in the final battle," Kingsley said matter of factly.

"So is every eligible member of the Order paired with a Death Eater or sympathizer? Harry with Pansy Parkinson? She was ready to hand him over to Voldemort." She had been eying Kingsley, but flicked her gaze to Harry. "How could they pair you with someone like her? How were the pairings determined exactly?"

"As I'm sure you recall, every witch and wizard was required to complete a Magical post-war census two years ago. Between the responses to the questions, your magical signature - which is given to the Ministry when you begin your first year at Hogwarts - and for you three, your stance in the war. All of that information was used in a Magical formulation based on highly complex arithmancy to gain the best potential matches for each individual. After said potential pairings were narrowed down for a specific witch or wizard they, in turn, used a highly complex method of magical matchmaking to pair you with the one person who would compliment your magic and intellect. It's taken two years to gather all the needed information to execute this plan. You three were the first they paired and the first to receive your letters" Kingsley informed.

"So, we're their guinea pigs?" Hermione spat still seething.

"No, you will be the examples, not test subjects. Everyone has been paired and will receive their letters in one week's time. This is happening, but you three can expect to be in the spotlight," Kingsley answered.

"When will Antonin, Pansy, and Sophie receive their letters?" asked Harry curiously.

"They will receive theirs tomorrow. This was simply a courtesy to all of you. I didn't want any of you to be blindsided by this," Kingsley replied as he took a deep breath and looked at the trio, "I'm asking for a favor in return."

"You want us to cooperate. You want us to smile for the camera and to the public. Act like this is all normal and we're alright with it. Is that it?" Hermione scoffed.

Kingsley, at the very least, had the decency to look ashamed. "Yes. It will help my position. I have to uphold this law whether I agree with it or not. It would help me immensely if you three would support me. Maybe not the law, but me. I'm asking as a friend. I know this is complete rubbish and as soon as I can find a reason to abolish this ridiculous law, you have my word I will. But you can bet the way you three have reacted today will be the way a majority of the people will respond as well. If they see the golden trio following the law, perhaps the backlash won't be as bad. Rest assured, I voted against it. But if I step down because of this, it leaves a door open for someone who voted for it to take my position and never work on abolishing it. So please, do this for me?"

Hermione looked from Harry to Ron then back to the letter in her hand. She gently placed the letter on the table in front of her as she stood to get a bottle of Wizards Bourbon and four glasses. This decision called for a drink stronger than Butterbeer, and she handed them each a glass.

Harry took a drink then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He studied the contents of his glass in deep contemplation.

Running a hand through his red hair and releasing a long sigh, Ron took a much needed drink. He hated awkward silences and saw that Kingsley was beginning to slump his shoulders in defeat. He decided to be the first to speak up.

"I'll do it for you, Kingsley."

Harry and Hermione both slowly raised their eyes to study Ron's face then met each other's gaze.

"I'll do it for you as well. But I want it to be known that I am adamantly opposed to this asinine law. I do not appreciate being used as a tool of manipulation by the Ministry to help control the public," Harry's tone was heated.

Hermione's gaze was still stuck on the name of the former Death Eater she was being forced to marry. She could feel the heat of all three gazes boring into her. The tension in the room was so palpable you could almost taste it. She downed her Bourbon before she ran a hand through her hair. She dropped her head in her hands and let out a grunt of frustration. She lifted her head and eyed Kingsley once more.

"This is so unfair! Haven't we all sacrificed enough for our world? Now they are mercilessly taking away our right to choose a partner? Our right to fall in love and have a happy, normal life? I'm sorry, Kingsley. I cannot be alright with being forced to marry Antonin Dolohov. What if he's abusive? What if he loses his temper and curses me again? What statutes are in place to protect me from that? Would you want to be forced to live in a house and share a bed with a former Death Eater?"

Kingsley sighed in defeat and looked her in the eye. "No, Hermione, I wouldn't. But there are no loopholes. I know this is completely unfair, but at this point, you really don't have a choice. You all have the rest of the day to accept this. Please, Hermione, I don't want to have to throw you in Azkaban."

Hermione looked back at the letter in complete disgust and her eyes stung with tears.

Harry stood and walked around the table to sit beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her in for a tight hug. "Everything will be alright Hermione. I'm well on my way to being head Auror. I will never allow anyone to hurt you again. He so much as looks at you in a way I deem unworthy, he'll be back in Azkaban quicker than he can say his name."

Hermione chuckled as she wiped away stray tears.

"I give you my word Hermione, as Minister for Magic, I will not allow any harm to come to you. I, myself, have spoken with Antonin after his rehabilitation. He truly regrets his actions and his past. He has served his time and has willingly accomplished everything the program required of him. Please, Hermione, I need you on our team. The four of us could work diligently at abolishing this law when the time comes. But for now, will you comply?" Kingsley pleaded in a gentle tone.

Ron leaned forward and reached for Hermione's hand. Their fingers clutched together as her head stayed resting on Harry's shoulder.

"You're not alone in this. We need to stick together. We'll all be here for one another. None of the Weasley men will allow anything to happen to you; you're family now whether you have our last name or not. Do this alongside us, we need you," Ron implored.

Hugging Harry and holding Ron's hand, Hermione looked at Kingsley. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll...marry Antonin Dolohov."

"Thank you, Hermione," Kingsley stood as he finished his glass of Wizards Bourbon, secretly thanking Godric for the American witch who invented it. "I'll see myself out, but I'll be in touch. Try to enjoy the holidays."

Kingsley stepped through the floo and left the trio to themselves.

"I should be going too. Mum and the family should know about this as well. It's going to be an incredibly long night at the Weasley house," Ron stood to leave.

"Want me to stay Hermione? I'll stay with you all night if you want me to? Harry offered still holding tight to her shoulders.

"No, Harry, you should go with Ron. He's going to need some support. I just don't have it in me right now. I need time to process all this," leaning up to kiss his cheek she pulled herself away. He stood but took hold of her hand. She looked back as hazel eyes met brilliant green.

"Everything will be alright, Hermione."

All she could do was nod in response as he pulled away, turned and made his way to the floo. She barely registered him shouting his destination.

Hermione sat at her kitchen table once more and stared at the busy snow-covered street below, thinking of nothing but the brooding, dark wizard she was destined to marry.

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Antonin Dolohov groggily walked from the kitchen to his small study taking sips of his black coffee. His flat was humble but perfect for him and above the bookshop he owned. He let out a sigh of exhaustion as he sank down into his favorite chair by the fire and ran a hand through his tousled dark hair. He hadn't slept well; his mind occupied with ways to help improve sales. Business hadn't been good lately and he knew why. No one trusted a Death Eater, reformed or otherwise. He couldn't blame them really.

He had been young and foolish when he allowed himself to be recruited by the powerful, charismatic Lord Voldemort. Promising a young man the world at his fingertips in exchange for seemingly very little was enticing enough to have many young men lining up to join the ranks of his followers. By the time he realized what exactly he had gotten himself into, it was too late; he was in too deep.

Staring into the fire, he took another sip, when a tapping on his window interrupted his thoughts. He stood to let the owl in and took the letter. He didn't recognize the owl, and it didn't wait for a response. He looked at the letter closer and noticed the Ministry seal as he opened it and sat back down to read it.

Upon reading the contents of the letter he felt his entire countenance crumble. "This has to be some kind of sick joke. Why would they pass such a horrible law? Who would they attempt to pair me with?" Mumbling to himself in his native tongue as he turned to read the second page. His eyes zoned in on the name of the witch he was to marry, and he froze completely. Vivid flashes of that fateful day assaulted his mind. Every time he saw her or heard her name spoken, all he saw was the purple flash shooting from the tip of his wand and her fierce, defiance that had no doubt saved her life.

He sat back in complete shock; there was no way this witch would ever marry him. No way he wanted to spend his life feeling guilty for one of his many horrible mistakes. He wanted to move on from his past as much as possible. He was planning on spending the rest of his life buried in his books. If he were to marry at all, he would return to Russia and find a witch who would love him regardless. His parents had a wonderful marriage and he wanted what they had. They truly loved one another.

Looking down at the letter again he couldn't take his eyes off the name Hermione Granger. This had to be a cruel mistake, and there was only one person he could go to for this. He stood up and rushed into his room to change. He was meeting with Kingsley today whether the Minister had time for him or not.

Stepping through the floo into the Ministry atrium, he bolted for Kingsley's office. Rushing past his secretary who attempted to stop him, he knocked on the door then opened before he heard a response.

Kingsley shot up out of his chair, wand in hand but not aimed. Antonin noticed Kingsley's countenance shifted the moment he recognized him.

"Mr. Dolohov, I have no doubt why you're here, bursting through my door unannounced this morning. Under the circumstances, I'll let it go this once," turning he walked to a locked cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Wizards Bourbon, Firewhiskey, and two glasses. Walking back to his desk he sat and looked up at a pacing Antonin from across his desk. "Which do you prefer? I had this same conversation yesterday with Miss Granger. I have a feeling this won't be much different."

Antonin stopped at the mention of Hermione and pointed to Wizards Bourbon as he took his seat. "She knew yesterday? This has to be a mistake. I've...I almost…," he couldn't speak the words. So Kingsley finished his sentence for him.

"Killed her, , you almost killed the brightest witch of her age, and according to her account, the only reason she survived was probably due to a silencing charm? Is that correct?"

Nodding his head, he took the glass of wizards Bourbon from the Minister and took a sip. The burn felt good and mingled perfectly with his emotions at the moment.

"I was astounded by her swiftness of thought. Had many others thought to do the same they may have also survived. She was the only one to ever do that to me," Antonin solemnly spoke as he studied his glass. "I have no doubt she was irate at the very prospect of marrying me."

"You could say that," sitting his glass down he looked at Antonin Dolohov in a whole new light. The brooding wizard was clearly recalling a memory he regretted. "Mr. Dolohov, I'm going to do something that I vowed never to do when I took this position. I'm going to set aside my title as Minister for the duration of this, one time, conversation. Let me make perfectly clear, the only reason I've allowed your intrusion today is because of Hermione Granger. She is one of many who suffered and sacrificed a great deal for Harry, Ron, The Order and for the betterment of our society. Now she's being forced to marry a man who almost killed her."

Antonin gripped his glass and lowered his head in anger and regret as he took a drink of his Bourbon. When he looked up ready to defend himself and met Kingsley's gaze, he didn't see any condemnation. Instead, he saw empathy.

"I see the look on your face; you're a man who truly regrets his poor decisions and their consequences. I told Hermione as much yesterday when Harry, Ron and I delivered the letter to her. The three of them and their partners will be under the scrutiny of the media and the public. You and two other witches are receiving this letter a week earlier than everyone else. Normally, I wouldn't divulge such information to you, nor will I for any other person who seeks me out over this law. But as a favor to a friend and a favor to you; a man who truly is sorry, I'm making an exception. I can't change what's happening. I wish I could, but as I said to Hermione yesterday, there are no loopholes and no getting around this. You both have one month to get to know each other, plan a wedding and sort out the details of your life together. All three couples are expected to marry by the end of January. I suggest you do whatever it takes to make things work with her. I know Hermione will comply, She's given me her word."

Antonin didn't know what to say. She had agreed to marry him? He finished his drink and looked at Kingsley. "I should go and write her a letter then. We don't have much time to waste. Thank you for your time Minister Shacklebolt."

"Today, I wasn't the Minister; I was a friend Antonin, call me Kingsley. If you're going to be married to Hermione, you'll be seeing a lot of me," extending his hand of friendship to Antonin, he looked the Russian wizard in the eye and stood.

Taking his hand, Antonin met his gaze. "Thank you, Kingsley. I have a lot to do. Just one question, what's her favorite flower?"

Kingsley smirked, "If I'm not mistaken, I believe it's the lavender rose."

"Thank you. I'll leave you to your work." He turned and walked out.

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Hermione was seated at her desk, quill in hand, blank parchment in front of her and crumbled up parchment scattered around her. She had been there for over an hour. What does one say to a person they are being forced to marry with the kind of history they have? Everything she started writing either seemed too cold and callus or cliche. She didn't want to come across as either. A tap at her window startled her out of her thoughts.

She opened the window for a great horned owl. His espresso brown feathers were adorned with soft copper and white spots and had the most intense, piercing blue eyes. He was absolutely beautiful. "Well, hello there, I don't believe I've seen you before. You are quite a lovely owl aren't you?" She reached out to pet the bird, and he leaned into her touch as he waited for her response. She picked up a few treats and laid them before him while she read.

Miss Granger,

How does one begin such a correspondence? I received a very informative letter today from the Ministry, in regards to the both of us.

I would be honored, if you would join me tonight for a private dinner at Anna's Attic bookshop at six? It seems we have much to discuss. Rodion has been instructed to wait for your reply. I hope to hear from you soon.

-Antonin Dolohov

His demeanor seemed pleasant enough in the letter. She sat down at her desk and began her reply. Rolling the note, she placed it on Rodion. With one more nuzzle of affection into her hand, he flew out the window.

Hermione's stomach was in knots, and she needed to relax in a hot bath with her favorite wine. Walking into the bath she turned on the water and added her favorite oils and bubbles. Walking back to her room to choose her dress for the evening. She decided on a slightly off the shoulder sweater dress. Nothing provocative but pretty all the same.

With wine in hand and bubbles just right, she was happy to sink deep into the water. Trailing a finger over the scar that was a constant reminder of Antonin. Her mind wandered to the same man who had kept her up all night and occupied her thoughts all day. Knowing this marriage had to happen, didn't make it any easier but she had accepted it. She would put on a brave face for the sake of Kingsley, Harry, and Ron. She would smile for the public, but could she truly forgive the man who would be smiling next to her? That was what she had to determine. Forgiveness would be mandatory in order for their marriage to work. Could she forgive him and move forward? Could she freely give herself; heart, mind, body, and spirit to Antonin Dolohov? Was it possible?