The Marriage Law

Ministry

The night passed by in a blur.

Hermione raked through the vast library she'd collected in her red beaded bag as the school library was closed for the day. Harry and Ron dutifully sat besides her on the common room sofa, flipping through their own books though with much less gusto. By midnight, the room was empty except for the trio and before long, Ron was snoring away as well.

With so less the time, Hermione couldn't afford to take a break even when Harry dozed off.

She religiously went through the law pamphlet dozens of time and buzzed through many of the books, not stopping until the first of early risers descended the stairs.

Looking around, she gathered all the mess of parchment, papers and Ron's snacks. Leaving the boys still sleeping in the common room, she rushed to wash up.
Fifteen minutes later, she was fresh as a flower, with her personal library tucked in her schoolbag, and a book in her hands.

By then, the boys were gone, so she tucked herself in the armchair and began reading again.

The classes went by uneventfully and being short on time, Hermione kept up with her research during any bare minutes she could manage.

After getting dismissed from Arithmancy, she was walking alone towards the great hall for dinner when she noticed a group of slytherins arguing among themselves. She knew it was difficult for them this year and wondered if she should go over but dismissed the thought. She didn't have time.

Keeping her bag aside, she charmed the book to float in air as she ate and continued her research, ignoring all the talks about the recent marriage law.

The next morning, by 9:00 AM, she knew she didn't have any solid loophole to utilise so the trio and their friends stuck by Ron's random suggestion and decided to launge by the black lake instead of appearing for the meeting. Hermione knew it was wrong and childish but couldn't help it. She thought she could postpone it as long as possible but by 9:40AM, there was a group of Aurors standing around them.

She was utterly exhausted from continuous research and stress when the six friends were escorted to one of the public halls' of ministry, fifteen minutes late. Hurriedly taking the available seats at the back, she observed, about a hundred or so number of magical citizens seated in the hall.

A group of government representatives including the minister were sitting on the podium with grim faces.

They were Debriefed about the law and magic behind it's execution before seven doors were opened on the other side for exits. Everyone got into lines and started moving ahead. Hermione, Harry and Ron were in one such line, which was moving at very slow pace. The brunette witch wondered why there were no objections from other members of the hall. She scanned her memory for any last minute epiphanies before resigning to her fate for now.

Ignoring the mild headache, she entered the curtailed chamber when it was her turn. After following the instructions of the unspeakable on duty, she cast her last spell and walked through the other side which led to the exit chamber. She waited to be joined by her friends before all of them made their way to the atrium. Professor Onbarrow Raven was waiting on one side with some Hogwarts students. He shook his head disappointingly before Beaconing the six youngsters to follow him.

He escorted all Hogwarts students back to school and led them to the antechamber of great hall.

" I'll be receiving the list of pairings for all students to prevent another ministry visit for you all. Please be here by 8:00 PM tonight. "

Grumbling to themselves, everyone scattered. Harry and Ron went out for flying with some other quidditch players and enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Hermione made her way to her dormitory. After an appropriate dose of pepper up potion, she scanned her notes before coming to a conclusion.

She didn't think the pairings will be safe for everyone, for instance, there were acquitted death eaters, who if paired with someone not to their expectations, could use the law to harm the innocents. She guessed not all Purebloods have changed their ideals after war and they could be a risk factor and Harry. Whoever gets matched with him could be a risk.
Her best friend hadn't had a single peaceful year for as long as she knew and his childhood wasn't really a tale of roses, so if someone who didn't care for him got around him, she'd be forced to do something horrible. People could take advantage of each other and what not.

While she didn't have the power to overrule the law right now, she decided to draft a list of rules and safeguards one could have in place for maximum protection of all. A compromise for now is better than nothing.

She listed out the significant points, added explanations with examples along with possible course of actions in case of breach.  After drafting the final document, she attached a summary,  wrote a note to enlist it's urgency and sent it to Kingsley.

By the time she was finished, it was already dinner time. She packed her study table and went down to the common room to look for her friends.