47 Disclaimer ~ As it has been since I started writing Dramione fanfics, I do not own anything but the plot. All recognizable and even some unrecognizable characters belong to their creator JK Rowling.
One Simple Mistake
Prologue
Ministry Announces Marriage Law
by Sylvia Fawcett
We have heard it talked about for the past year, however this reporter can honestly say that I never truly thought it would come to pass. As of late last night the Ministry of Magic signed off on a new law that it their terms, would save our dwindling population. According to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, the wizarding population has dropped 60% in the past six years, most being lost in the three years that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named returned. Though he was defeated three years ago, our population has yet to recover, with most births, mostly those of pure-blooded marriages, resulting in the birth of squibs. When asked why the ministry felt the need to take such archaic actions, the minister gave this statement.
"We at the ministry have pondered over this problem for the past three years, and after long nights of heavy deliberations, we have found there to be no other answer. While a portion of our society still lives by Voldemort's ideals, our magical heritage will continue to die out."
So what will this law mean for you? The law reads as follows:
On this day, the first of June in the year two thousand and three, per order of the Ministry of Magic, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, Chief Warlock Elric Woodcroft, and the entire Wizengamot, the following law will go into effect immediately.
MARRIAGE LAW 103179
All eligible witches and wizards will be required to marry a witch or wizard assigned to them by the ministry. Eligibility requirements and law bylines are as stated
*ALL wizards and witches ages 17 to 30 must submit to the law unless one of the two following situations apply.
*The witch or wizard is already married. Couples who are already married, no matter what their blood status, cannot and will not be forced to separate. All previous, legal marriage bindings shall stand.
*The witch or wizard is already engaged by choice. All couples who were engaged, by their own choice, prior to the effective law date of June 1, 2003 may proceed with their engagements but must marry within the laws guidelines. This also applies to any Veela who have been mated. All those claiming to be of Veela blood must submit proof of claim and give name of mate if known. All parental made arranged marriages are here by null and void, with the new law taking precedence.
*NO pure-blooded or muggle-born witch or wizard will be matched with someone of their own blood status. This is to insure less emphasis on blood purity and a smaller percentage of squib births.
*ALL couples will be paired based on their Annual Wizarding Record (AWR) for the best chance at compatibility.
*ALL couples must be wed within six to eight months of receiving their official letter containing the name of their betrothed. Wedding dates should be decided on and requested in writing no later then two weeks from the arrival of their official letter. A ministry official will be present at all weddings.
*ALL couples will be required to conceive a child within the year following their marriage. Due to the possibility of infertility, all couples will be required to submit to a physical exam at St. Mungo's prior to their wedding date. Any witch or wizard who does, in fact, have a fertility issues will be attended to by an expert Healer, and undergo any type of fertility treatment that the Healer deems fit for that individual's situation.
*THE LAW IS MANDATORY! Any eligible witch or wizard who chooses to refuse to abide by the new law will be punished with the following:
*All non-complying, pure-blooded wizards and witches shall be arrested and locked in Azkaban until they choose to comply with the new law or until their death.
*All non-complying, muggle-born wizards and witches shall have their wands snapped, memories wiped, and be banished from the magical community forever.
With such strict rules and harsh punishments, one can only imagine what the response from our community will be, especially from societies elite. Pure-bloods Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy, and Daphne Greengrass, along with muggle-borns Justin Finch-Fletchley, Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione Granger to name a few. Though no matter what members of our society may think about the law, one thing is for certain. Everything is about to change.
A.N.~ Hey everyone, thank you for joining me again in another Dramione journey. This is going to be a marriage law fic like no other, or at least I hope so. I was inspired to write this after reading a lot of other ML fics that all seemed to be the same plot, there is a marriage law put into effect and they all just take it without anyone trying to fight it. I have only seen one other author really try to take this same approach and that is Revjo and the story is Laws of Love. Let me know what you think about the law.