The Marriage Law

Her mind

Hermione woke up early next morning alone in the infirmary. It was almost dawn and the sky out the window was still a bit dark. She lied there for a long time thinking about the situation she found herself in.

She'd been matched with two guys. One was her best friend for the longest time And she didn't know what to think about him now. He was possibly still in love with Ginny and had proclaimed of thinking of her as a sister on more than one occasion. It didn't matter that she once had a crush on him but he'd always made it clear, he didn't think of her as a girl. She was just one of the guys for him. His best mate. There was probably no chance of them being anything more if this law wasn't in act.

The other one. Well, there wasn't much to think. He'd made his dislike of her well known to everyone who'd hear since he first met her. He probably hated her even more now. He was an attractive wizard, no doubt. But he'd been raised to believe she was beneath him in every way. There was high chance, he still thought of her as below him and she knew she couldn't imagine living with someone like that.

She thought she didn't really have much to offer them. Sure she was Smart and fine to look at. She knew she was passable as an average girl when it came to looks. She wasn't much interested in makeups and dressing up. Not every guy was interested in her, certainly not someone like Malfoy, who was well known as the Slytherin Sex God, not a title she wanted to check the validity of, and certainly not Harry, who apparently thought of her as a sister.

She wasn't unaware of her flaws. She knew she had many. Insistent nagging, hurting others with her words if she felt threatened, selfish and being too damn proud were a few ones. She knew she was insecure and had a serious issue with overthinking. She knew she was doing it again but she needed to think of everything before making a decision about her next plan of action.

She knew both the boys were probably unhappy with the happenings and she couldn't help but find herself in a conflict.

After arguing with herself for about an hour, she finally decided to take the challenge head on. She couldn't find any loophole in the law itself but she could prolong things as much as possible.

She was not ready for marriage, not at all for the children. She didn't really have a choice in the first matter. They could get married but they still were too young. Maybe they could wait this out while looking for a way out.

There was nothing relevant in the history books except for the fact that laws like these usually lasted for less than a decade mostly and she was hopeful, they could make it.

Just as she was thinking about getting up, Madam Pomfrey came to the infirmary and headed straight for her bed.

"Miss Granger. You're awake. How are you feeling? "

"I'm fine. Thanks madam Pomfrey. "

"Uh worry not. Make sure not to skip any meals and take care of yourself. You can leave now but I don't want to see you in that state again. "

Hermione meekly nodded while tying her shoes and made a quick run out of the hospital wing.

When she was halfway en route to the Gryffindor tower, she suddenly remembered her residence was different now. Immediately heading to the approximate location she remembered from last night, she shook her head. She didn't know which portrait to look for, or even the password. She wasn't even sure If she was on the right floor.

Just as she was about to head for the great Hall to wait for Harry, the said friend came sauntering from around the corner with perpetually messy hair and a scowling companion.

She smiled a little as Harry picked up his speed on seeing her ahead. They met in the middle of the hallway as her best friend seized her shoulders and gave her a thorough scolding for the fainting episode before asking if she was well. For her credit, she looked thoroughly chastised. The blonde looked at his two companions and sighed.