Rose Among the Thorns

Chapter 3- To Find a Loophole

It was nearly dawn when Hermione finally returned to her tiny London flat. She tossed her handbag on the nearest chair, pointed her wand at the fireplace, ignited a merrily crackling fire, took a bottle of butterbeer from the refrigerator, and slumped onto the sofa.

She sat for a few moments, massaging her throbbing temples. They had sat for hours in the Weasley's garden discussing the Wizengamot's measure, but no one could think of any way out. Mr. Weasley had told them that for a marriage to occur, the pureblood witch or wizard was to apply to the newly created Matrimony and Magical Progeny Department for approval to the match. If a wizard or witch did not cooperate with the law and marry within six months, a match would be made for them. Hermione shuddered at the prospect of a "Ministry Approved" spouse.

"Damn them," she thought. "Damn them all to Hades for this." How could anyone believe even for a moment that this ridiculous law would work? She took a deep drink from her butterbeer and stood. She began pacing the floor mechanically.

She must get out of this, but how? There was no chance of fleeing the country. Even the Minister of Magic himself couldn't repeal the law. How was she, a junior Ministry official herself, going to get out of this?

"There must be a loophole! There must!" she thought. "They can't have thought of everything. Like everyone says, I'm the brightest witch of my year at school and then some, I've got to find a way out of this." Perhaps I could go into hiding, or live as a muggle..."

She paused and turned slowly. "But the Wizengamot would have thought of all these things. Like Mr. Weasley said, there isn't a way out of this. We are screwed." Sinking back onto the sofa, she pressed the cool bottle against her forehead and sighed. "If only Ron were here she wouldn't have this problem. If only Ron was here he would have rescued her from all of this. If only..." She buried her face in her hands. Why did everything have to go so horribly wrong? Suddenly, Hermione was filled with rage.

"Those bastards!" she cried, throwing her half empty butterbeer at the wall, where it exploded into a thousand pieces. "What if I have to marry someone like Nott? Or, God forbid, Flint!" She resumed her pacing. "After all I've been through, all I've done they think they can do this to me?

"But they can," she thought to her self. "And they have."

Hermione fell back onto the sofa, lost in her own thoughts and emotions. She curled up into a small, fragile ball and stared into the fire, her mind far from that moment.

*******

After Ron had been debilitated it had taken her a very long time to adjust to life without him. Eventually, both she and Harry had learned to live without their beloved friend. Both of them had gone to work for the Ministry, Harry as an Auror and Hermione in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Even though she missed him terribly, she knew that Ron wouldn't have wanted her to spend the rest of her life moping about over him. So, three years after he was injured, she went on her first date. It was with a young dentist who had just joined her parent's practice. He was very kind and sweet; her mother had told him that Hermione's last boyfriend had been killed in a car crash.

It had been difficult at first, but she eventually became acclimated to dating. She had dated a few wizards and some muggles, but none lasted longer than a few months. She had even tried rekindling a relationship with Victor Krum, but it too hadn't worked. Her parents, and even the Weasleys had been extremely supportive. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley considered her part of the family even though she and Ron had never had the chance to marry.

It had taken several years, but Hermione had finally come to terms with the fact that Ron would never return to her. That she had to make her way without him, that she had to find someone else to love. And now, with the Marriage Law in full swing, she had no choice but to do so. What horrified Hermione the most was not that she was being forced to marry, but that she was being forced to enter a relationship with a man in which it was highly unlikely that she would ever love.

*******

notes: Hermione is a very realistic person, so I didn't see her as the type of person to spend the rest of her life mooning over Ron. Yes, she did (and still does) love him, but I think she realizes that she's still very young and has the rest of her life ahead of her and doesn't want to spend it alone. After all, she is only 23.