Is Love Blind?

Chapter 1 - There's More To Life Than Looks

Inspired by the well-known Netflix show, Love is Blind, to which I own nothing.

Can we all just humour Hermione, and agree to pretend that the identities of her suitors aren't glaringly obvious? Lets ignore the tags.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome! I hope to update 2 weekly, for as long as my procrastination monster remains at bay.

Enjoy!

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In accordance with The Postwar Population Planning Act, witches or wizards above the age of seventeen will be required to form a marriage union within six months of their seventeenth birthday. If a suitable match is not found and declared to The Department for the Regulation of Population Control by such a date, the witch or wizard in question will be entered into A Ministry Mandated Dating Service, whereby a suitable match will be assured. 

Upon special application a witch or wizard may be eligible for a deferral, whereby the time period in which a suitable union must be found, may be extended. However, it should be noted that deferral requests are granted on a case-by-case basis, as dictated by The Department for the Regulation of Population Control. 

Older members of Wizarding society who are single, divorced or widowed, will also be required to form a suitable marriage union within twelve months of the passing of The Postwar Population Planning Act (unless eligible for a deferral). In the instance a suitable match is not declared, see above. 

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Exactly one week ago, Hermione Granger had received a letter, inviting her to join the next cohort of eligible suitors, in Ministry's Marriage and Population Scheme (colloquially known as The MaPS Dating Service). She had spat out her tea quite violently indeed, upon reading the missive. It was not completely unexpected, of course. Hermione was well aware that the proverbial clock was ticking. She had naively wished that her name would just drop off the list, and The Ministry would forget about her. 

The Postwar Population Planning Act was a glorified marriage law, that had been enacted exactly 3 years and 6 months ago, following The Second Wizarding War. The global wizarding population had been in dire straits prior to the resurrection of Lord Voldemort. Many other nations had already enforced their own marriage laws as a result of the dwindling birthrate of witches and wizards. After the war though, the need for population control in the UK became unavoidable. The Ministry of Magic, taking inspiration from foreign legislation, announced their own attempt to increase the birthrate of wizard kind. 

Hermione was outraged by the new Act. At the time of its passing, she had protested to anyone who would listen, about the immorality and absurdity of the new marriage law. She had notably joined a peaceful protest, in Diagon Alley, that had stretched from Gringotts to Eyelops Owl Emporium. Hermione had even abused her celebrity status a little, daring the reporters to photograph her amongst the crowds. The Ministry had soon grown tired of the disruption, however, and began arresting protestors who became too confident. A handful of young radicals had over-stepped, earning themselves a short sentence in Azkaban for abject disobedience. 

Deterred from her efforts, Hermione had applied for a deferral in a vain attempt to prolong the inevitable. Her aggressive campaign had paid off, receiving permission for a three year deferral, with the promise of seeking foreign education. The Department for the Regulation of Population Control had been strict, stating that Hermione would be liable for punishment if she did not return to the UK after the period of three years had ended. 

Upon her homecoming, Hermione had inevitably received a letter stating that she had 6 months to form an organic union. As it happened, 6 months had passed by far more quickly than she had expected. After going on a few dates with no success, she had no other option than to wait until she received a letter, inviting her to participate in The MaPS dating service.