Harry Potter 1. The Minister's Law

**Yeah so I know it's high time I revised this story,I'm about halfway through the revision right now so updates will be regular, readers are not to worry!**

**Harry Potter obviously doesn't belong to me, if it did I wouldn't bother with fan fiction.**

**This is just a fic which I wrote for my friends on paper at boarding school. They liked it quite a bit so I thought I would put it up. Please do review. It's great to know someone's reading. **

**The Minister's Law**

Fred opened his eyes to see weak sunlight filtering through the windows of his room on top of the shop in Diagon Alley and Goerge's face hovering over his as he yelled his head off in an attempt to wake him up. Fred jumped a foot and fell back into the bed with shock and George sauntered off with an evil smirk on his face.

He rubbed his eyes, stretched and struggled out from under the blankets as he tried to recall an approximation of the day's schedule. He was not a morning person and trying to get his bearings occupied quite a large chunk of his waking moments.

They had to go to the Burrow for breakfast that day as they had all been invited over including Harry and Hermione. As he dressed he couldn't help but wonder why Mum had been so insistent on all of them coming to breakfast. Oh,well…

George was already up and dressed, which was he supposed a good thing, because they had only one bathroom to the both of them. He headed for a shower as George pottered about, sifting through random scattered pieces of paper.

"Freddie, we're going to be late and I do not want to begin my day with Mum screaming at us. Do you hear me?" George yelled as he folded the blankets and made the bed in his room from the lack of anything better to do.

"Yeah Yeah I get it, I'm hurrying!" he yelled back and indeed he did manage to hurry. A half an hour later, they were being whirled through the Floo network and then they were in the Burrow.

On entering the kitchen they found that everyone had already arrived except for Harry. Fred sat down opposite Ginny with a slight smile and George sat next to her just as Harry entered and took his seat on Ginny's other side.

"Sorry guys, had a bit of trouble with Sirius` mum," he said by way of explanation as he settled into his seat after giving Ginny a quick peck on the lips though it was plain that they both wanted more than just that.

Fred let his head sink to the table where he cradled it in his arms, lifting it to rub his bleary eyes only when Mrs. Weasley began to set the food on the table. She had prepared quite a spread and just seeing it woke Fred up enough to fight over some toast with Ron.

Among much skirmishing everyone managed to find the right kind of food in the right quantity if not exactly what they wanted and they dug in.

In the midst of a mouthful of potatoes, Fred realized that his parents were whispering angrily to each other.

"Let them enjoy their food.." Mum was hissing, and Fred and George raised their eyebrows at each other. There was definitely something fishy going on here.

"So, why is everyone here?" Percy asked, looking at Mr & Mrs. Weasley but neither of them answered.

"Need to talk to us." Ron said through mouthfuls of food.

"Doesn`t sound good." George said thoughtfully, exchanging yet another worried look with his twin.

It had been two years since Harry had defeated Voldemort. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were studying to be Aurors. Percy was working in the Ministry. Bill was working in Gringotts and Charlie was working with dragons in Romania. Fred and George were busy with their joke shop.

To put it in fewer words, all was well with world but none of them realized that their parents were going to throw their perfect world upside down with what they were going to tell them.

Most of them were nearly through with breakfast when Mrs Weasley finally stopped her fidgeting and stood up, clearing her throat.

"Uh, dears…" she began and they all looked up at her, impatience writ large and clear on their faces.

She gulped nervously before turning to Mr. Weasley, looking even more anxious than before which none of them had believed possible.

"Arthur, tell them," she said, prodding her husband, her eyes large with what looked suspiciously like fear and a slight amount of guilt.

Mr Weasley took a large breath and looked around at all of them as if examining them for signs of something before finally speaking.

"Well actually, the minister is passing a law that marriage is compulsory for all wizards who are of age. We thought you would like to be forewarned," he said, cringing slightly as he finished his sentence.

"What?" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.

"Why is Kingsley doing this?" was Percy's rhetorical question which came out sounding more like a despairing wail.

"How..." Charlie trailed off, trying hard to retain his composure which was fairly easy as he did not seem as disturbed as the others.

"But Mrs. Weasley.." this from Harry and Hermione.

"Not fair," Ginny said, sounding very whiny and unlike herself.

Bill kept silent and Ron just spluttered indignantly as his mouth was full of food, some of the food sprayed onto the table near Hermione's plate and she managed to shoot him a dirty look amidst all the confusion.

"Now this is not our decision," Mrs. Weasley began, holding her hands up in an attempt to pacify them but it was an effort that was perfectly lost on everyone there.

Hermione was the only who even responded to Mrs. Weasley's gesture and that was only with a slightly apologetic and wistful smile. No one blamed Mr & Mrs. Weasley but they were all in such a state of shock that they were in no state to behave well.

The atmosphere in the room had become considerably more serious and no one was talking any longer, much less laughing. Everybody gobbled up their food as quick as they could and went off to their respective work, each of them eager to be out of there.

**Any criticism would be most welcome, and it's needed too as any of you who read the original version will know but please don't flame. But even if you just like the story please be sure to let me know.**


	2. Who?

**Harry Potter….never belonged to me and never will**

**Everyone who took the time to read, thanks a lot, you people made my day. Here's another chapter and I'm hoping that I don't disappoint anyone.**

**Here's the edited version of Chapter 2- its much more readable, even if I do say so myself.**

**Who?**

"What are you going to do Hermione?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione entered one of the relatively empty elevators.

"I don't know. Viktor would want to marry me but I don't think he'd live for a long time after the marriage," she responded with a smile that was more than just a little bit bitter in nature.

"Ye..es, Ron will be so angry," Ginny agreed with a laugh.

"Well, you know how slow Ron is, it took him seven years of knowing me to finally kiss me." Hermione said with a tiny regretful smile, "You unlike me don't even have to worry; Harry will surely ask you to marry him."

"Well…," Ginny trailed off, blushing, "Ron is such a disappointment of a brother," she finished instead with a slight shake of her head and a thoughtful expression.

Just as Hermione finished what she was saying a flyer with Ginny's name on it flew up to her. She plucked it out of the air and opened it. Her expression slowly changed to one that was an inexplicable mix of disgust, anxiety and anger.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, trying to read it over Ginny's shoulder. Ginny tossed it to her.

ALL WITCHES AND WIZARDS WHO ARE OFF AGE SHOULD BE BETROTHED WITHIN A FORTNIGHT OF THIS FURTHER INFORMATION, PICK UP FULL COPY OF LAW FROM DEPT. OF MARRIAGES(TEMP.)

"So, they were right," Hermione said wonderingly.

"Obviously," Ginny said with a glare which said that Hermione was silly to hope for anything else.

"I guess I was just hoping it wasn't true," Hermione protested with a shrug.

"Today isn't Fred and George's birthday," Ginny muttered darkly just as they reached their office.

After about an hour of uninterrupted work, a flyer entered the cubicle, almost hitting Hermione in her right eye; she cursed and plucked it out of the air, muttering under her breath as she opened it.

It turned out to be from Jack Pierce, a senior Auror, who was essentially her boss.

"In my office, got something for you to do," she read out, and then she turned to Ginny and pulled a face.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she said with a scowl. Ginny simply scowled in reply even though there was a hint of mockery about it and Hermione prepared to go to Pierce's office, her face resembling a bank of thunderclouds.

"Someone's really grumpy this morning," Ginny murmured snidely when Hermione was almost to the door. Hermione responded to this by shooting a glare over her shoulder that only served to make Ginny's innocent smile grow larger.

Pierce's office was on the other side of the floor and Hermione's mood wasn't improved at all by the long walk even though she tried her best to embrace a pleasant frame of mind.

"There's been a Dementor sighting in Little Whinging. Check up on it. Oh, and you can pick up a list of all the wizards in the area from Potter." Pierce said when she got to his office.

"And you don't need to come back to work today," he added almost as an afterthought. Hermione was surprised at that last, was Jack actually showing her sympathy? She decided not to question him and instead flashed him a quick smile.

"Sure thing, Jack. See you tomorrow," she said before heading to Harry's office.

"Hey Harry," she greeted him with a tired smile as she entered his office, her pace much slowed from what she had used to get to Jack's.

"Oh, the list. Here it is," Harry said, handing her a paper that wasn't too long. How strange that there should be so few wizards in that area.

She thanked Harry absently, her attention focused on the list which he had given her as she made her way out of his cubicle.

Hermione was almost out of the door when Harry called out to her. She turned around to see him looking so nervous that she almost burst out laughing but controlled herself with difficulty. She didn't think it would be too hard to guess at what he was thinking about.

"Has…has Ginny said anything?" he asked, his face beginning to turn slightly red.

"She loves you," Hermione replied with a smile and a huff as if she was stating the obvious -which she was- allowing herself to burst out laughing as she was unable to control herself any longer. Harry smiled gratefully and Hermione nodded slightly.

"You better ask her soon. She'll be waiting," she added, suppressing her smile before heading out of the door.

Harry could swear that he heard her mutter something along the lines of "You two are so lucky" as she left.

No doubt she was worried about Ron, Harry wished he could help and as the thought entered his head he decided that he would ask Ginny about this later.

**(A/N : Fred and George's birthday is on April fool's day, hence the reference.)**

**Please do review, pretty please with a cherry on top.**


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Harry Potter, Romance