The marriage law has been reintroduced to Wizarding Britain. Hermione Granger is one of the first to be paired...to a Slytherin. Another Slytherin has been forced with a Ravenclaw, but Draco Malfoy is a Veela and a Veela cannot choose his mate...

I have never read an arranged marriage fic, but I know that there are plenty of them so I wanted to create my own. However, I want to do this with a twist, therefore I am also using the Veela storyline, another plot that has been used a lot.

Just to clear up this is not a canon story, there was a war during their sixth year, obviously they triumphed but people who died in the books didn't die in this, if I mention them it will be obvious :)

Short chapter at first, they do get longer :)

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MINISTRY MESS?

Outrage has followed after the Ministry's extremely interesting announcement yesterday afternoon and the Ministry of Magic has been flooded with many owls expressing people's rather colourful opinions. Unfortunately for some, it has been made explicitly clear that that the law still stands. Ah, unlucky.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, seems to have been sitting on this new law for some time and yesterday, thirtieth August, he released the long awaited news; the marriage law has been reintroduced to Wizarding Britain. It seems that the Ministry's officials have come to the conclusion that magical blood is dying, hence why they're insisting that Pure Bloods marry Muggle Borns. Looks like you're only safe if you're a Half Blood!

What seems to be the worst news, they Ministry have decided that the youth of today will be the first examples to be made. So that means, you guessed it, the first Muggle Borns and Pure-bloods to become of age at Hogwarts will be subject to the marriage law. I can hear the horrified parents from here. Even the... Rita Skeeter article cont. on page 5.

Hermione threw the Daily Prophet down in disgust, knowing full well that the new law affected her. She flung herself back onto her pillows and took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. Her life had been determined on the whim of someone with the same name as confectionery! The tears escaped from her eyes, staining her powder blue pillow case. Her choked sobs became increasingly louder.

There was a light knocking on her door and it opened slowly.

"Hermione honey?" Her mothers soft voice called, stepping fully into the room as she saw her crying daughter. "Whatever is the matter?" She immediately ran over to her side and leant on the floor next to her.

Hermione gestured angrily towards the crumpled paper. Jean Granger picked it up questioningly and smoothed the front page. Her face fell as she quickly read on and she gasped as she reached the mention of Hogwarts. Tears sparkled in her eyes, threatening to fall; her only daughter could not be forced into a marriage, it just wasn't fair!

"Oh sweetheart!" She dropped the paper and bundled Hermione up in her arms, soothing her quietly.

"What am I going to do mum?" She cried. "I'm one of the oldest!"

"It's all going to be fine, it's all going to be fine." Jean repeated, not truly believing it but trying to convince her daughter.

Hermione slowly fell into an uneasy sleep, exhausted from her crying. Her mother gently pushed her back onto the bed and covered her with a blanket. She closed the curtains to hide the morning sun and exited the room, pausing momentarily at the doorway to look at her sadly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Jean wept as she showed her husband the newspaper. He finished it and said nothing, merely taking her in his arms. She broke down just as Hermione did and cried into his shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do, is there?" She said tearfully. He shook his head and hugged her even tighter.

It was with heavy hearts that they completed Hermione's packing that day, her trunk a reminder that she would be leaving the following day and they would not be going through the ordeal together. Hermione drifted off to sleep that night after hours of trying, her eyes red and bloodshot, her nose stuffy and blocked and her dreams full of cruel husbands and lots of unhappy years ahead of her.

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Like I said, this is a just short chapter but I have already written most of the second chapter and it's much longer than this :)

I really hope you like this! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot in my mind.

08/08/11, riots started in London, a day later they have moved to Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, people are looting, hurting innocents and destroying their own cities. My heart goes out to the victims. xoxo