Fic info:

Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger/OMC, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa

Keywords: Forced Marriage, Romance, Forgiveness, Friendship, Family, Widowhood, Grief/Mourning, Alcoholism, Sobriety, Canon Compliant Through DH, EWE, Ignores CC, Good Slytherins, OC death, Dying spouse, Secondary Character Death, Terminal Illness, Marriage Law, Remarriage

Written for NaNoWriMo 2018

Warnings: Mentions of canon torture, Secondary character death, OC death

Author Notes:

I got a little hooked on the marriage law plot device in the HP fandom and it made my overactive imagination open up another new tab to join the other 150+ tabs that are already open in the file browser of my mind to start working on this story.

It's a plot that's been itching at my brain for a while now and NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity to write it. I'm running with a couple of tropes (Marriage Law plot device, not all Slytherins are bad, Lucius is a Lord) though this is not crack!fic by any means. I'll also be tackling the heavier concepts of alcoholism/sobriety, PTSD, living with and loving a dying spouse, widowhood, and eventually forgiveness, amends, and new beginnings.

It is set a few months after they all return for a final year at Hogwarts and graduate. Obviously it will be ignoring the canon epilogue and CC. It will ultimately be a Hermione/Lucius HEA (because I am eternally addicted to a HEA) but in reality it's three separate but intertwined relationship stories- Hermione/OMC, Lucius/Narcissa, Hermione Lucius.

While it is a Ministry-forced marriage, there will be no rape or sex that is in any way non-consensual between the partners and this story is labeled to reflect that. Yes, I am aware that technically any sex between partners forced to marry can be classified as Ministry-sanctioned rape, however, my goal here in describing the physical relationships between the characters is so that people can avoid triggers and not to debate the minutiae of what defines rape.

To that end I will just say that when any two characters engage in sexual relations in this story it is because they genuinely want to be with their partner in that way, in that moment, with no violence or pain, only attraction and mutual desire. In fact, there will be no violence at all save for mentions of things that happened in canon (Hermione at Malfoy Manor, DoM, BoH, et cetera).

This is a love story, well technically I guess it is three separate but intertwined love stories, and while the Ministry may have forced some of them to marry, it did not force the feelings and desire that grew between any of them.

~WritinginCT

Miss Granger: The Marriage Act Part I

October 1, 1999

The entire breakfast table at the Burrow was filled with those bristling with outrage.

"How dare they," Hermione said, her cheeks flushed with anger as she re-read the official letter from the Ministry.

Harry was reading over her shoulder having not received a letter of his own. "A Marriage Act? They're going to force people to get married? Have they gone mad?"

Percy piped up from across the table, Ron's letter in hand. "Not only that, but the Ministry is going choose who you marry. You'll have no say in it. Those official notifications are to be delivered later today supposedly. I honestly can't believe this passed. Something seems very wrong with how it all came about. There was no notice, no public discourse, no hearings, nothing, it just doesn't add up."

"It's not right," Molly said angrily as she dished sausages out onto everyone's plates, "it's not right at all."

"They have to be out of their minds," Ginny said curtly as she read Ron's letter.

Ron speared a link from his plate and waved it on his fork between Harry and Ginny and asked, "Why didn't Harry get one? Or Ginny? Or Percy? They're not married." before he bit off half the sausage and began to chew. Nothing could ruin Ron's appetite.

Hermione was the one who answered, "Because Harry and Ginny have a formal betrothal contract on file at the Ministry which is legally and magically binding and the Ministry can't break that. And Percy most likely didn't get one because they are apparently doing this in cycles a year apart with a certain number of names being drawn each time and his name wasn't drawn this time."

Harry had never been so grateful that Mr. Weasley had informed him of the betrothal contract practice shortly after he had proposed to Ginny last summer and that they had officially taken care of it post haste. Harry looked to Ginny and gave her a wane smile, happy that they weren't affected by the new law but still upset about how it affected everyone else.

A moment later the Floo activated and an angry George stepped through, his own letter clutched in his hand. "They've gone completely barmy!"

George pulled out the chair next to Hermione and sat down heavily. Dramatically he took Hermione's hand and pleaded, "Let's elope. That'll take us off their mailing list."

In spite of everything it made Hermione smile. Truth be told, if they had been given a deadline but still the choice of who they married, George would have been very high on her list of preferable husbands. While she and Ron might not have worked as a couple, she and George were both driven, ambitious, and intelligent. She could do far, far worse in a husband than handsome and brave George. Unfortunately she had to break the news to him. "I honestly would if we could, but that's no longer an option. I'm guessing you didn't read the whole letter. The Ministry is assigning us matches, matches that are magically binding as of this morning, we have no say in it at all. It's their match or exile from the wizarding world in Britain."

"Bloody hell," George spat out then sheepishly apologized to his mother, "Sorry, Mum."

Molly was scooping out scrambled eggs onto everyone's plates and with a curt little nod of irritation she replied, "That about sums up all our feelings on the matter. Now, everyone, eat. It's going to be a long day."

They all tucked into their breakfast and were still yapping back and forth over the whole debacle when Kingsley's patronus came through the wall.

Kingsley's familiar baritone came from the patronus, "I'm sorry. They passed this in secret last night with the absolute minimum number of Wizengamot members present to vote. I didn't know anything about it, and I was purposely kept away from the Ministry last night, the sneaky bastards. I'm doing all I can on this end, but as it stands right now, it is the law. I know it's hard, but please keep calm. I'll keep you informed as I know more."

The patronus faded leaving an eerie quiet in the normally boisterous room.

Hermione shook her head. "There has to be something we can do. I'm not going to be married off just because they say so. With my luck it would be someone who hates Muggle-borns or some ancient old codger or even some obnoxious combination of the two."

Harry looked at her with concern, he hadn't even thought along those lines. Solemnly he vowed, "No one is going to hurt you, Hermione, husband or not. I promise. If I have to take on the whole Ministry you know I will."

Hermione turned and threw her arms around Harry and hugged him fiercely. "I know. I'm hoping it won't come to that though," she whispered as she squeezed him close, "we've done enough fighting for one lifetime."

Harry pulled back and nodded before turning and picking up his fork. It was going to be a very long day.

While that outraged breakfast was going on at the Burrow, across the country another, far different, though equally outraged, breakfast was taking place.

This breakfast was a bit more formal, far less boisterous, and was being served by house elves in the solarium of an enormous, but cheerful, manor house to two elegantly dressed wizards.

Lucius Malfoy wiped his mouth and picked up his tea cup. He sipped it calmly and listened as the man across from him swore fluently in French as he read the letter from the ministry which had just been delivered.

The other elegantly dressed man was Lucius' age, and had, in fact, started Hogwarts as a Slytherin firstie with Lucius. While Lucius was blond and fair with ice grey eyes, Xavier Lavigne had a mop of rather unruly brown hair and blue eyes which were normally warm and friendly when he wasn't being infuriated by the Ministry. He was not nearly as broad in stature as Lucius, rather he was thin and a bit pale with a tiredness on his face that no amount of rest could banish.

"They cannot be serious," Xavier said in English as he slapped the letter down on the table rattling all the delicate Lavigne family crest monogrammed china breakfast was served on.

Lucius put his cup down on the saucer and replied, "Unfortunately they are. I told you weeks ago there were rumors that it would happen."

"Tell me you didn't support this?"

"Of course not, quite the opposite. But I may have bribed my way into seeing the list of matches."

"So you know whom I'm paired with, then?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, spit it out then, Lucius. Don't make me wait in suspense," he demanded irritably.

"You are to marry Hermione Granger," Lucius replied flatly.

"What? Harry… Potter's friend?" the normally overly articulate Xavier stammered out bleakly.

"Indeed."

"She can't be more than twenty-years old. I'm old enough to be her father for pity's sake, Lucius. What were they thinking?"

"Of everything about her, it's her age that bothers you, old friend? Not that fact that she's a Muggle-born?" Lucius asked wryly, not using the slur that had completely dropped out of casual use in polite social conversation regardless of ideology since the war.

Xavier just glared at Lucius and raised his eyebrow. Blood purity was point of disagreement between the two men and had been since their school days. While the Lavigne family did tend to marry only witches and wizards and had not had a Muggle in the direct family tree in over three hundred years, they cared not if said witches and wizards were of pure blood, mixed blood, or Muggle-born.

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "Discussion for another time then. Think about it this way, all single witches between the ages of seventeen and forty are affected by the law. You could have been paired with an absolute troll of a woman. Miss Granger is at least intelligent and fairly pleasing to the eye for a Muggle-born."

"Still, Lucius, she's a young woman, certainly they should have paired her with a young, healthy wizard with whom she could have a future."

"Those that pushed for this law see only the fact that so many witches and wizards were lost in the war and how few children have been born in the past decade. They don't care about compatibility or the age-appropriateness of the pair, they simply want babies with magic being born."

"It's repugnant."

"I agree," replied Lucius without hesitation.

Xavier closed his eyes and rubbed his brow before saying softly, "She's going to hate me, Lucius."

"Doubtful, old friend. Now if your surname were Lestrange…," Lucius teased dryly.

The other man's eyes opened wide in horror. "Merlin, Lucius, she could have been paired with one of the Death Eaters in Azkaban or one of the Voldemort supporters who managed not to go to prison. Many of those wizards are eligible. Who knows what they would have done to her."

"Indeed. All things considered, your pairing is not the worst that could have been arranged for either of you. She will have the protection of a respectful husband with a good name who cares not for blood status and you will have a future heir by an intelligent and attractive witch."

"I know nothing about her personally. I know of her role in the war, obviously, but nothing personal about her."

"Much has been written about her in the Prophet, though you'll have to separate fact from fiction, especially where Rita Skeeter is concerned. You might owl Draco as well, while not friends, they were schoolmates, and he would perhaps have some insight into her personality for you."

"I'll do that," Xavier muttered before picking up his fork and starting to eat the breakfast before him. Both Lucius and the house elves would nag at him unmercifully if he skipped yet another meal, not at all caring about his ever-present lack of appetite.

Lucius left immediately after breakfast and Xavier had a house elf apparate him to his study. While he could have done it himself, it left him drained, something a person in his condition needed to avoid at all costs, and all of his elves cared far too much for him for them to think anything wrong with serving him in such a simple way. Before dismissing the elf he asked her to go through the old copies of the Daily Prophet archived in the library for articles about Miss Granger. The little elf apparated away to do just that and Xavier sat at his desk to compose two letters.

The first was a quick note to Draco inquiring about Miss Granger and why. He had just given it to one of his many owls to deliver when his elf reappeared with a stack of clippings from the newspaper. While a bit awed at how fast she accomplished the task he didn't think too much on it having long ago decided that house elf magic was a thing onto itself best not looked at too closely.

Article by article he read about his future bride and her exploits. While the Prophet wasn't known for being unbiased, or even completely accurate most of the time, he was able to get a glimpse of the young witch's mettle.

When he was done he pulled out a fresh sheet of his favorite elegant stationery and began crafting a second letter, this one with much more thought and care than the first.

tbc...