Everybody silently waited in the Gryffindor common room, at last they heard the portrait door swing open allowing the unsuspecting birthday girl to enter. She had spent the last four hours in the library wondering why nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten her birthday. As she stepped into the common room she gasped.

"Happy Birthday Hermione!" Echoed throughout Gryffindor Tower.

An overwhelming happiness filled her, she instantly beamed at her fellow Gryffindors. The first person to find her was her chizzled, handsome boyfriend.

"Happy birthday darling." He whispered into her ear as music started to boom.

Ron moved behind her, arms around her waist. His chin resting on her head, occasionally kissing her hair as people came to wish her a happy birthday. Ginny walked over to them with Harry following with firewhiskey. The party continued into the early hours of the morning, more alcohol was consumed than butterbeer even for the younger students. Usually Hermione would have had a heartattack about such things but tonight was her night to loosen up and have fun. As the Gryffindors and a few select Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs danced and drank little did they know that a meeting in the Headmistresses office would change life as they knew it forever.

Minerva McGonagall sat at her desk with her head in her hands.

"No. There must be another way." She cried. "They are just children!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt sighed defeatedly. "I wish there was McGonagall but Wizengamot has decided it's the only way to increase the magical population."

"Marrying them off and impregnating them is not the only way! Not in my school, Dumbledore never would have stood for this!" She shouted standing up infuriated.

The new minister sighed again, "I've tried to overpower them but I can't! The only thing I've managed to do is bump the age from seventeen to eighteen. Over fifty percent of the population has decreased because of that blasted war!" Minister Shacklebolt shouted pounding his fist on the table.

"Just give them a few more years to mature, to live the lives they deserve." McGonagall pleaded.

"I would if I could McGonagall, this new law will only be passed to those eighteen and older." Kingsley tried to comfort.

"So Potter, Weasley and Granger after all they've done. Longbottom, Miss. Weasley and Miss Lovegood keeping the light inside Hogwarts last year..."

McGonagall continued with other students who had gone to desperate measures like Dean Thomas going into hiding and Lavender Brown taking the bite of a werewolf. The minister seemed unaffected by her speech.

"Fine!" She eventually snapped. "However if you think they'll take this lightly or if you think I'll be the one to tell them, then you are sadly mistaken!"

As Hermione slowly woke up she realised she wasn't sure where she was. She felt an arm tighten around her waist. As memories of last night flooded back to her she gasped and bolted upwards realising her naked body and bare boyfriend next to her.

Ron stirred. "Hermione?" He asked groggily.

He supported himself on his elbow realising what she had realised seconds before.

"We didn't, did we?" Hermione asked.

"Yup." Ron answered with a grin plastered across his face.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked still in shock.

Ron looked around the room as if he were testing something. Suddenly a pile of neatly folded clothes appeared on the bed.

Ron nodded to himself smiling. "I think we've found the room of requirement."

"I thought it burned?" Hermione questioned while examining the room for scorch marks.

Ron shrugged. "Maybe there's a new one?"

Ron stood up and on some of the clothes from the foot of the bed. Hermione copied him, disgusted with her drunken self. She did enjoy having sex, it was just her and Ron hadn't even been together that long. Once dressed they headed down to breakfast in an awkward silence. As she took her seat at the table opposite Harry and Ginny she noticed a platinum blonde pass her.

She spun around raging. "Is that Malfoy!" She spat.

As Draco Malfoy walked into the great hall he couldn't help but feel judged as he recieved angry looks, shocked stares and yells of protest.

"Come on Draco." His girlfriend Pansy whispered, slipping her hand into his.

He had missed her. He'd arrived at Hogwarts two weeks late after serving his three month sentence in Azkaban. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the dreadful place. His mother was given ten years and his father was sentenced to dementors kiss. His sentence had been significantly shorter as he had been influenced into the Dark Arts and for fighting with the resistance for the short time that he did. He still felt shame for the mark on his left lower arm. Draco decided to keep his head down at breakfast. Eventually McGonagall spoke up.

Hermione groaned as McGonagall spoke up, every sound was like someone banging drums in her brain. Ron laughed looking at her hung-over face. She shot him a deadly look to silence him.

"If all students under the age of eighteen would return to your common rooms, the minister would like to speak with all eighteen and nineteen year old students." The headmistress finished with a look that was hard to describe, fear, anxiousness, worry, disappointment. The younger students all cleared out, Ginny gave Harry a quick peck before exiting the hall, as did Luna to Neville.

"What do you think is happening?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno." Replied Ron.

"Better not be that bloody tri-wizard tournament again!" Neville complained.

"I don't think it is." Said Harry.

Seamus, Parvati and Lavender came to sit with them.

"Lads I've got a bad feelin' 'bout this." Seamus stated.

As the minister stood up the chatter stopped. He asked all the remaining students to sit at the top of the hall. It was obvious the minister was nervous. All the students looked up curiously. McGonagall had been right they were just children.

He cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Due to the circumstances of the
last year our population has
decreased, as has the number
of magical children. In an
attempt to fix this problem the
Wizengamot has passed a law to
subject all Wizards and Witches
between the ages of eighteen to
twenty-five to be joined in an
arranged marriage...." He never got to finish as uproar started.

Hermione felt sick as she felt the firewhiskey beginning to make a reappearance. Ron, Harry and Seamus were red in the face from shouting, standing up in protest along with many others in the hall. Neville and a few others were in a state of shock. Hannah Abbott had vomited into a breakfast bowl. Goyle looked completely and utterly confused and Malfoy, well Malfoy might as well have been a ghost.

"Silence!" Shouted McGonagall as even the teachers protested.

"Any questions?" Asked the minister who was unnervingly calm.

This just restarted the uproar. "Why are you doing this to us!" "How could you do this!" Shouts flew around the room. Harry stood up and started to walk down the hall.

"Potter, return to your seat!" McGonagall shouted.

All eyes were on Harry. "No." Replied Harry.

"And where might I ask, would you be going?"

Harry spun on his heel and very plainly retorted. "I'm eighteen years old, an adult. I'm leaving!"

Hermione found her voice and stood up. "You are denying us basic human rights!"

Ernie Macmillan had had enough, "I'm with Potter, I'm leaving." and stomped off.

McGonagall shot a spell at the door, locking it with and old spell that couldn't be opened with alohamora before Harry and Ernie could leave.

Out of habit Draco bellowed, "My father will hear about this!" and instantly regretted it as comments flew back at him about his father and Azkaban.

The minister stood up again. "Speaking of your father Mr. Malfoy, this leads me to the second part of the law. Once married you will be given four years to produce two magical children."

Hermione' heart broke. She wanted a successful career not two children.

"Hold on a second, did you say arranged marriage?" Goyle had finally realised.

Everyone groaned.

"And how exactly will it be chosen who we marry?" Skrieched Pansy Parkinson.

"As we have decided you will
marry either a fellow classmate or past student, there will be an examination about who is likely to make the marriage last with matchings in behaviours, personalities and ambitions. From the time your given your result you will be given until the end of this July to marry. For all students turning eighteen until then dates will be arranged for their examinations." Concluded the minister.

Parvati and Padma Patil were sobbing and being comforted by Lavender Brown.

McGonagall spoke again. "If you do not abide this law your magic will be terminated and wand snapped." All of the students looked miserable. McGonagall sighed. "You will be examined this evening and stay here until tomorrow morning."

Hermione couldn't hold back a sob anymore, Ron pulled her into his arms. A pile of purple sleepingbags and blue pillows appeared behind the teachers table. The teachers themselves eventually left the hall outraged, in fact Hagrids bellows could still be heard from outside. The Minister for magic and headmistress McGonagall left the great hall with a last word of warning not to leave the hall. Defeated Hermione and many others sulked on the benched and thought about how life as they knew it was about to change forever.