An Unwanted Marriage, But An Unexpected Love

An Unwanted Marriage, But An Unexpected Love


Hermione glared at the floor of the main lobby of the Ministry of magic, as a security guard checked their wands. Barty and Sirius exchanged nervous glances. Hermione looked about ready to murder something or someone.

They decided to keep a distance between themselves and her, they not wanting to end up on the receiving end of her rage. They’d allow her to save it for Fudge, and most likely Snape and Greenwell.

Once their wands were returned to them, they waited for the elevator. Moments later the elevator arrived with a ding. They watched as the doors opened, and a piece of parchment, which had been made into a paper aeroplane, flew out and went in the opposite direction.

They stepped inside the elevator and Barty pressed the button for the floor they required. Once the doors closed, all was silent apart from the sound of a female voice announcing the different floors as they stopped, allowing others to get on and off the elevator.

Once the elevator stopped on their floor, they reluctantly stepped out into a waiting area, Hermione, she being reluctant more so then her male companions.

Hermione spoke to the receptionist, who appeared as if she would much rather be reading the latest issue of witch weekly then being behind a desk, sorting through appointments and other such documents.

Hermione drummed her long French manicured finger nails impatiently upon the edge of the desk. The receptionist looked up annoyed. She asked “Yes, and what can I do for you, Miss?”

Hermione replied uninterestedly “I have an appointment with the minister of magic, in regards to the law that states all muggle born and half blood witches must be married. I unfortunately am one of those individuals, which said law applies to.”

The receptionist suddenly looked sympathetically at Hermione and asked “And your name please.” Hermione replied “Miss Hermione Jane Granger.”

The receptionist typed something on her key broad before nodding “Okay. Minister Fudge, Sirius Black, Barty Crouch Junior, Severus Snape and Rupert Greenwell are expecting you. Please got to room 110, it is the last door on the left.”

She then turned to Barty and Sirius. “And do you two have appointments?” Barty smirked slightly “I am Barty Crouch Junior and am here with Miss Granger.” Sirius added “And I am Sirius Black, and am also here with Miss Granger.”

The receptionist’s eyes widened slightly. She turned to Hermione and asked surprised “You arrived with two of your possible suitors?” It was now Hermione’s turn to smirk. She replied “Of course, it’s rather handy that one of said suitors is the godfather to one of my best friends.”

She added her smirk growing wider “And of course the other said suitor is friends with the first suitor. Rather interesting isn’t it?” Hermione looked positively devious.

The receptionist merely shook her head then gestured for them to head down to Fudges office. When the three had turned and made their way down the long corridor, they exchanged amused and knowing smirks.

Hermione took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Hermione opened the door when Fudge’s pompous voice called out “Enter.” She entered followed by Barty and Sirius.

Barty and Sirius glared when they saw Snape, who returned the glare just as heatedly. Hermione warned “Don’t start you two, he is not worth it.” Both Barty and Sirius pouted like chastised little school boys, while Snape favoured her with a withering glare, which Hermione returned by a ten fold.

Fudge fidgeted uncomfortably in his large high back chair. Things were becoming a hell of a lot more heated for his likening. He gestured for Hermione, Barty and Sirius to take a seat each. They did so, Barty and Sirius sitting on either side of her.

Fudge cleared his throat and began “I am certain you are all aware of the reason as to why I asked you all here to day.” Hermione spoke up, her voice like ice “We are here to marry me off, being the cause of some pathetic law that is discriminative to half blood and muggle born witches.”

She continued in a dry tone “I most certainly do not see any pure blooded witches being forced into marriages to someone that is not of her own choosing, in less be stripped of her magic and exiled.”

Hermione was glaring heatedly at Fudge, who swallowed nervously and fingered the collar of his shirt, before scrubbing his hand across his face.

Barty and Sirius had to stifle their smirks of pure wicked glee. She was getting to him; all she had done was merely speak, this was far too precious for words. Fudge was about to piss his pants there and then.

Even Snape was amused, but his amusement was based on his disdain for Fudge, and not because of what Hermione was doing to cause Fudge’s discomfort.

Fudge cleared his throat and spoke avoiding what Hermione had said, making her silently seethe, and she made a point of not hiding her anger.

“Anyway” Fudge went on “We’re here because Miss Granger being a Muggle born is required to marry a wizard of the Ministries choosing. Plus you four wizards are also required to choose a wife, as you are also just as much at risk of having your magic striped and your wands snapped. And finally you’ll be exiled from the wizarding world indefinitely.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, as he noticed there was not one single person in the room that was not shooting looks that promise serious pain or death.

“Miss Granger you have four suitable suitors to choose from, if you fail to choose on your own, then one of the four will be chosen by myself personally, and you shall marry him.”

He added at her look of pure hatred and disgusted disdain aimed right at him. “And if you refuse, then you know already that you’ll be stripped of your magic, your wand destroyed and disposed of. And lastly you will be exiled from the wizarding world indefinitely. That I can grantee and promise.”

Hermione looked positively murderous; her face was a violent shade of red from her red hot seething rage. Everyone moved nervously in their chairs, as the air crackled slightly with her suppressed magic and boiling rage.

Her knuckles were white from her brutal grip she was subjecting the arms of the chair to. Barty and Sirius exchanged a grimace, knowing she was about to reap hell on Fudge.

Hermione replied in a tone of voice, chilly enough to freeze even Jack Frost to the very core. “I have already made my decision Minister” the word Minister was said dripping with pure undisguised disdain.

“I choose Barty Crouch Junior.” She added “I do not agree to this law, in fact I hold it in immense disdain. But the fact of the matter is that the wizarding world is my home. My magic is apart of me, I was born with said magic, even though I was unaware of such a birth right until my eleven birthday. I shall not give it up Minister.”

They all turned to face Barty, all except Hermione and Sirius. Barty merely raised his chin and shot Fudge a pointed looked. Fudge sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose and asked. “And your reasons Miss Granger for choosing Mr. Crouch.”

Hermione replied “He is the only decent one here besides Sirius, whom I’d consider a worthy husband.” She went on. “I choose Barty and not Sirius, because I have no romantic feelings for him, nor shall I ever. He is like a second father to me. Plus he is after all the god father of one of my closest and best male friends.”

She went on “As for Mr. Greenwell. I and he have already met; he was one of the examiners when I took my owls. I assure you I most certainly was not impressed in the least.”

She looked pointedly at Greenwell her looked indignant. “He acts like he is important, who should constantly be the centre of attention. I do not wish to be married to man of that nature, seeing as there is no such thing as a divorce here in the wizarding world thank you very much, that would be torture and immensely cruel.”

Barty and Sirius openly snorted. While Snape and even Fudge looked hard pressed to not follow suit and snort as well, at the horrified and puce coloured face of Greenwell.

Hermione then choose to knock the final nail in the proverbial coffin. “And as for Professor Severus Snape, that is exactly what he is, my professor. I can not marry my teacher. I also can not and point blank refuse to marry a man who holds me in such disdain and distaste. My name and the term respect do not compute with Severus Snape.”

She added “Whatever children I and he could have possibly ever had together, would have grown up to despise both I and he, and themselves. They would have surely grown up in a verbal battle zone, laced with disdain between their parents. That is not a suitable environment for children to be subjected to and to grow up in healthily.”

Snape snorted and smirked cynically. “That Miss Granger probably made more sense then anything I have ever heard come out of your know it all mouth.” He finished “And as much as it deeply pains me to admit, I do believe you and I actually agree upon something for once, and I assure you for the last time ever, I do not doubt.”

Hermione sneered “My sentiments precisely professor.” Hermione’s lower lip curled in a silent snarl, causing Snape to sit back and smirk in genuine amusement.

He commented truthfully. “If you were not an irritable and blasted know it all, you would make a worthy match and wife Miss Granger. But as it is, you are that irritable and blasted know it all.”

He added “I do not like you, but you have my respect Miss Granger. I do not have to like you in order to have some what begrudging respect for you.”

Hermione nodded “I dislike you also, but I respect you as a professor and a highly capable potions master, but nothing more and nothing less.”

Fudge clapped his hands together and commented “Okay then. It is official; you Miss Ganger on the day of your eighteenth birthday must marry Mr. Bariums Crouch Junior. I shall need the two of you to sign some papers.”

He added “I shall attend the ceremony to prove that the marriage has taken place. Whom do you intend to conduct this ceremony?” Hermione replied instantly without a moment’s hesitation. “Albus Dumbledore head master of Hogwarts.” Barty nodded his head in full and complete agreement.

Fudge nodded “Good. Now that is settled, I shall need you to sign the documents I mentioned earlier on. I shall keep a copy and you two shall be given a copy of your own each.”

He then turned to Sirius and said “Seeing as you are still available, I have another young witch, a half blood in fact, who still requires a husband. She has refused all four suitors. Meaning it is my choice now.”

He continued “Her name is Sara-Jane Lily Delaney; she has just turned eighteen a week ago. She is due to attend her last year at Hogwarts. She is a member of the house of Gryffindor.”

Hermione sighed “I know Sara-Jane she is one of the girls who sleeps in my dorm. Or at least she did until I got rewarded with head girl status.”

Hermione turned to Sirius and smiled “She is also one of my best friends. She is very pretty. Long spine length wavy blond hair, with eyes a similar shade of green to Harry’s.”

She finished “She is around five foot five inches and is very slender. You might even like her, she has a sweet easy going nature and always up for a laugh.”

Fudge said “I shall send for her. She now has no choice in the matter, if she wishes to remain a witch and stay in the wizarding world.”

Hermione glared at Fudge, while Sirius sighed sympathetically. He really truly did pity those poor girls. The fact this whole law was based on the fact said girls were not pure bloods, disgusted and made Sirius’s pure blood boil.

And of course he was at risk of meeting the same fate. He was just itching to snuff the life out of Fudge. Somebody needed to. Who hell did he think he was some kind of overly pompous Cupid?

Fudge tapped his wand on top of a small speaker box on his desk and said “Marina, please will you send someone to fetch Miss Delaney from the down stairs lobby, her presence is required immediately.”

The receptionist replied “Certainly sir, I shall send someone to fetch her right away.” And with that Fudge tapped the box with his wand once more.