Mere moments later, Harry and Hermione arrived at the Ministry of Magic, the atrium filled with witches and wizards from all over Great Britain, and it was a cluster fuck.
Harry and Hermione watched as couples were scrambling around, looking for the Department of Records in order to register their engagements. The couple looked at one another, smiling as they nodded at one another before making their way to the elevators. Hermione pushed the button for the 5th level, her nerves the best of her once more.
Harry looked down at Hermione, noticing her face turning a little pale as her hands were becoming clammy. "Are you getting cold feet already, Hermione?" he teased, causing his fiancée to turn away from her thoughts.
"No! Not at all."
"I can tell something is bothering you. What's wrong?"
"Honestly, Harry it's nothing. I'm just a bit nervous that's all."
"You can back out you know. I wouldn't hold it against you if you decided that I'm not the bloke for you." Harry told her, his voice filling with a hint of sadness.' Is being engaged to me horrid?'
She placed a hand on his cheek, looking at him intently. "Harry, never in a million years would I want to back out of our engagement. What you've done for me today with my parents, that's more than any man has ever done. I want to marry you and have not the slightest doubt about it."
His heart fluttered with the sound of those words. He leaned down, brushing their lips together. Shivers shot down Hermione's spine, as their lips made contact. She moaned, looping her slender arms around his neck. He traced the outline of her lip with his tongue, seeking entrance into her mouth. She obliged, taking in the taste of him as their tongues massaged one another. She could feel her heart pounding, her desire for him intensifying.
Harry's hands roamed her curvaceous body, their kiss intensifying. He moaned her name softly, "'Mione". He could picture the smile on her lips as he said her name as he deepened the kiss once more. He didn't understand where his desire to taste her, to roam her body had come from. But one thing was for certain, he never wanted to stop.
The sound of the elevator ding jolted the couple apart, Hermione blushing furiously as she straightened out her clothes. Harry grabbed her hand in his, leading her to the Department of Records office.
'Merlin, what's wrong with me? How is it that I want her so badly? He thought to himself, confused as to where these feelings for his best friend had come from. 'Was her mum, right? Do I have feelings for her? Does she feel them for me?
"It's just around the corner I believe. Harry?" Hermione asked him, her eyebrows slightly raised. Harry broke free from his thoughts, turning his attention back to reality.
"What's that?" Harry asked her, feeling a bit of guilty that he hadn't been paying attention.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I was saying that the office should be around the corner." She told him, motioning for them to turn right.
"Oh, right then. Let's go." They turned right, and within five feet from them was the Department of Records. Hermione looked at Harry, beaming with delight her eyes narrowing at him, told you.
Harry opened the door, letting Hermione walk in first as he shut the door behind them. Harry gawked at how small the room was. 'You'd think for a place that handled all the records of Great Britain that this place would be a tad bigger.' The office was about the size of his dining room and kitchen put together. To the right of them sat a black, leather couch, with a coffee table placed in front. The room was bright, fluorescent lights shining at full capacity. There were filing cabinets lined up alongside all four walls, the receptionist desk sitting in the center of the room. Harry noticed a small, plump witch with greying brown hair standing at the back of the room, rummaging through one of the filing cabinets.
"Be with you in a moment." She told them, as she placed a few papers into the rightful folder. She turned around, her eyes softening as she stared at the couple before her. "I take it you're both here to make and record of your engagement?"
"Yes ma'am." Hermione said, gently nodding her head.
The elder witch sighed as she returned to her desk, pulling out her wand as she conjured up a form. "Your names please?"
"Harry Potter."
"Hermione Granger."
The elder witch's head shot up, looking directly at the young couple. She looked at them sadly, her heart aching for them. "I'm sorry you're both having to go through with this infuriating law. You've both faced so much during the war and now your lives are once more out of your control."
"In all honesty, my life has never been really normal." Harry laughed.
"No, it hasn't." She told him, recounting all the news stories that slandered his name just a few years ago. "My own son is having to deal with the repercussions of the marriage law. He was just down here less than an hour ago across the hall, I can't do his papers for him since we're family, but he dropped by to introduce me to a woman who looked as if she'd rather be off trolling for men my age. But any who, I just need one form of identification and then for you to fill out these papers." She told them, before pulling out a stack of forms, placing them in front of her. "The first form states that the two of you are here of your own free will and that you agree to all the terms of the marriage law. The next paper is a binding contract between the two of you. You are to make up your own ideals on what you want in your marriage, what the two of you are merging together, etcetera etcetera.
The third page is for our use, so we know when the date of your marriage will be and who will be performing the ceremony. It can be anyone that's close to you, however it cannot be a blood relative. The last page is your marriage license. That will need to be signed by the both of you, the marriage officiant and of course two witnesses that attend your wedding. The marriage license needs to be turned into the ministry no less than two hours after the ceremony. I recommend letting the marriage officiant send it in, seeing as it can get easily get lost between the dinner and the next morning.
It is also my duty to remind you that you have no less than twenty-four hours to consummate the marriage, binding the two of you together as a whole and the marriage official. Any questions?"
Harry and Hermione glanced at one another, shaking their heads.
"No ma'am." Harry replied as he and Hermione pulled out their forms of Identification, handing them to the clerk. The clerk picked up her wand, muttering ''Gemino'', creating a duplicate copy of each of their forms of identification. She handed back the original copies to their respective owners before handing over a quill and the forms them to go through and sign.
The pair took a seat on the sofa near the door, Harry handing her the quill and forms. "Your handwriting is much neater than mine."
"Probably because I spent more of my time doing schoolwork rather than daydream about Quiddtich." She laughed.
"Ouch." Harry told her, placing a hand over his heart. "You know how to wound a man don't you."
"Nope, just you." She winked, before focusing on the papers. She and Harry read over the first page silently, Hermione signing her name first at the bottom of the page, followed by Harry.
"One down, three to go."
"So, anything you want to add in our marriage?" Hermione asked him, unsure what she should jot down on paper since she didn't have much to offer. Harry thought about her question for a few moments, before an idea popped in his head.
"Well, how about your name gets added on my account at Gringotts and the deed to the house?"
Hermione looked at him in awe. "Y-you want us to have a joint account?"
"Why not? I trust you with my life and I know you would never stoop as low to take me for everything I have." He replied, resting his hand on her knee. She could tell from his eyes that he was being serious, yet kind.
"And you want my name on the house?"
"Of course. If something were to happen to me, I wouldn't want you and our children having to worry about what to do with the house or having to find somewhere else to live. I want the house to be passed on throughout generations."
Her heart soared as she listened to him talk about him and their future children. She hated the marriage law with all her might, but she couldn't help but think they were growing closer together. "Alright." She told him, giving him a side smile as she jotted down for her name to be added to all accounts at Gringotts and for her name to be added on the deed to the house.
"What else?"
"How about our children?"
"Our children?" She asked him puzzled.
"Well, we are going to have to be parents within two years so how about we also agree, to raise the children together as a whole. We both make the important decisions together without making a final say, including the upbringing of Edward Lupin."
"You want me to help co-parent Teddy?"
"Absolutely. 'Mione, you're fabulous with him and he loves you. You are his Godmother after all. He deserves to have us both in his life, to raise him together with Andromeda."
"I love that little tyke too." She told him, thinking of two-year-old Teddy laughing happily each time they had tickle wars and how intently he would stare at the pages of the books she would read to him on the weekends Harry had him. "Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of that won't be included in our marriage vows." Harry chortled. 'Why does this feel so easy with her? If this had been any other woman, I would probably be hesitant to add her on my assets.'
"Now onto the third page." Hermione said, placing the second page face down on the coffee table.
"I'll let you choose the date of the wedding. This will be the biggest day of your life after all."
Hermione beamed at him before pursing her lips together, deciding what the perfect date in September would be. She had decided against the first and nineteenth of September, seeing as how those dates already hold a momentous meaning for her.
"How about the Fifth of September?"
"The fifth it is." Harry nodded. He watched Hermione happily jot down 5th, September 2000 onto the parchment. He could tell the wedding planning was an exciting milestone in her life, seeing as he had a feeling, she never thought the day would come for her. "Any thoughts on who'd you want to have as the officiant?"
"How about Arthur? He's been like a second father to me and the closest thing you have to a father. I think it would mean the world to him if we asked him."
"I agree, Arthur is the perfect choice." Once they signed the bottom of all three forms, they handed them to the clerk who was sitting patiently at her desk.
"Got everything sorted out then?" she asked them, Harry and Hermione nodding in reply. She stamped the three forms with her Ministry approval seal, before gently placing them in a manila file folder etched with their names in purple ink. "Well that's everything I believe. I just want the two of you to know how wonderful you both have been throughout this part of the process today. Over the last two days I've heard nothing but bickering and complaining when it comes to the involvement of the future children and money. I hope the two of you don't mind me saying so, but you make an excellent pair and by far my favorite couple I've had the pleasure of working with. May your marriage be filled with the utmost love and respect for one another. Have a wonderful day." She finished with a warm smile.
"Thank you, ma'am. Have a great day." Hermione told her as she carefully placed their marriage license in her handbag before walking out the door hand in hand with her fiancé. She couldn't help but smile broadly as she replayed the clerk's words over and over in her head as they stepped into the elevator.
'Oh, how I hope your right lady.'
Harry and Hermione reached the atrium a moment later, walking towards the fireplaces to head home for the rest of the day. They were two feet from the closest elevator when Harry heard a familiar voice call out his name, "Harry!"
He stopped in his tracks, his blood boiling within him. He tightened his grip, balling one hand into a fist at his side. "Harry, you're hurting my hand." He heard Hermione say gently, causing him to let go of her hand. "Sorry, 'Mione."
"Harry!" He heard a voice call out once more, he turned to face Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Harry, Hermione! It's good to see you both." He told them genuinely, happy to see their familiar faces.
"Hello Kingsley."
"Minister." Harry spat, his eyes sending daggers at his former mentor.
"What brings the two of you down here today? I had word that you'd taken the day off for some personal matters." Kingsley spoke, his eyes flickering between Harry and Hermione.
"Why do you think we're here, Minister?"
"Harry! I know you're mad, but you can't talk to him like that." Hermione chastised him firmly.
"No, Hermione it's quite alright. He's not the first person I've spoken to today that's had a problem with me." He told her, holding a hand up to her. "I take it the two of you just finished up at the Department of Records. Congratulations."
"Congratulations? That's what you have to say! Not 'I'm sorry Harry? Sorry for once more taking control of your fucking life even though you've been through hell and back for the world that took everything from you? No. You don't get to stand there and congratulate us on a wedding that you forced upon us!" Harry snarled. Hermione could feel the heat radiating from Harry, his face turning from his usual tan to a deep red.
"Harry, please try to understand. I had no choice in the matter. The Wizengamot brought forth to my attention the impact the last war had on us along with the records of Purebloods breading within their families. I had to do what was right, my hands were tied."
"That's bullshit and you know it. You fought alongside us, giving us hope that one day we wouldn't be subjected to a world where our lives would be free for us to do what we wanted, marry whom we wanted of our own free will! Not by some shit law that requires us to handpick from a list of people that you deem fit. For fucks sake you had me paired with Pansy Parkinson, who would have handed me over to Voldemort himself if she'd had the power to do it!"
"Harry, calm down. People are starting to stare." Hermione told him once more, taking him by the hand as she nodded at the crowd of people watching the debacle between the Minister for Magic and The-Boy-Who-Conquered.
"What did you expect me to do Harry?" Kingsley asked him firmly. "Watch our world suffer as our kind die out?"
"No. I expected that you'd trust your community enough for us to rebuild on our own terms. Thanks to you, much of the wizarding population are now engaged to people they don't like, let alone love. How do you think the children born to these people will turn out? Knowing that the only reason they are in this forsaken universe, is because a law required it, not that their parents were in love and wanted to have children. The last time someone was born in a loveless, forced marriage, Voldemort was born. Look how that turned out." Harry told him flatly, before taking Hermione's hand in his. They walked into the fireplace, disappearing behind the green flames leaving Kingsley Shacklebolt standing there, taking in every word Harry had spoken.