A Marriage Decreed

Chapter One: The Decree

The usual roar of the Great Hall was absent as students and staff alike waited for the flutter of hundreds of owls that would signal the arrival of the post. It was the first of November, which meant another round of decrees from Cornelius Fudge.
There was only a third of the number of witches and wizards there had been a hundred years ago and the Minister For Magic had taken it upon himself to make sure the situation was reversed by sending out twenty-five marriage decrees on the first day of each month. The decree was delivered to the wizard, who then had to inform the witch who was to be his new wife. The entire wizarding community under the control of the London Ministry of Magic had been outraged but the Wizengamot had upheld the decision so long as both parties were fifteen or older. The pairs were chosen based on similar Magic ability and had to be married within a month of receiving the decree and they had to conceive a child within one year of marriage.
So far, Ginny Weasley had married Neville Longbottom and Angelina Johnson had married George Weasley. Molly had not really minded George's decree since he'd already left Hogwarts and he'd been seeing Angelina already. Neville's decree had been a different story. Ginny had only turned fifteen two weeks before Neville's decree had been issued. Molly had gone straight to the Ministry and screamed exactly what she thought of Fudge until he'd threatened to lock her in Azkaban for a week.
The sound of owls flapping their wings filled the hall, causing what little chattering had been happening to cease entirely. The students watched as three Ministry owls headed toward the house tables. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables gave audible sighs of relief as the tawny owls split, one heading to Slytherin and the other two to Gryffindor. The first landed in front of Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were too busy enjoying their nemesis's look of terror to notice the other Ministry owls dropping their letters on the table in front of them. Hermione nudged them just as a look of horror appeared on Draco's face as he read his decree.
"You two got the other decrees." She hissed at them and their faces immediately mirrored Draco's.
"Fudge must think this will stop us from doing something stupid about You-Know-Who." She said as Draco came up to them with his decree in hand.
"Aren't you going to see who you've been stuck with?" He asked, motioning to their unopened letters.
"Why? Who's the unlucky girl that has to marry you?" Ron asked.
"Hermione."
If they had been in a different situation, Harry and Ron would have laughed at the despair in Draco's voice. Instead, Hermione shrieked and Harry grabbed the decree out of Draco's hand and read it to see if he was telling the truth while Ron ripped open his own decree, suddenly even more anxious about what was waiting for him inside of the envelope.
"Luna Lovegood!" Ron exclaimed, loud enough for the whole Great Hall to hear.
"She's really smart and sweet, Ron. Give her a chance." Hermione told him.
"What, like Malfoy here is going to do with you?"
"I'm willing to try if she does!" The Slytherin defended himself, having already decided there was no point in fighting or complaining.
"Perhaps the Great Hall is not the best place for these conversations." Dumbledore announced as he, McGonagall, and Luna Lovegood approached the Gryffindor table.
"Come along. All of you." McGonagall said and the group was led to the same room Harry had found himself in two years prior when he was chosen for the Triwizard Tournament.
"There has to be something you can do! I don't want to get married!" Ron was yelling at the headmaster. Hermione was sniffling in the corner, Luna was staring blankly into space as was usual for her, and Draco was looking more uncomfortable with every passing second.
"Mr. Weasley-"
"Wait a moment." McGonagall interrupted him. "There are only five of you. Mr. Potter, who has the Minister decreed you marry?" She asked.
Harry suddenly remembered the unopened envelope in his hand that he'd thought to grab from the table.
Sliding his thumb under the wax seal, Harry opened it and pulled out the parchment. Everyone watched as his eyes widened in shock as he read his decree.
"As the brightest and most powerful witch of our generation, the Ministry decrees that Harry James Potter marry Minerva Isobel McGonagall by the first of December."
The others waited expectantly as Harry opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.
"Well, Harry? Who is it?" McGonagall asked finally.
Harry swallowed hard and opened his mouth again.
"You, Professor."

Harry was currently in Dumbledore's office. The headmaster had immediately grabbed the decree and flooed to the Ministry earlier after Minerva McGonagall had turned a dark shade of red and left the room without a word. Ron and Hermione had tried to talk to Harry but eventually given up and gone to discuss things with their soon-to-be spouses. The two seemed to have rethought their pairings and decided they were not as bad off as Harry. At least they did not have to marry Minerva McGonagall.
Harry felt bad for the Transfiguration professor. His initial shock had been because he couldn't believe the Ministry would pair her with anybody. Fudge was bound to get a hexing from someone for this. But after seeing his face, she must have thought that Harry was offended they'd pair him with someone like her.
In all honesty, he couldn't say he really minded his pairing. Minerva McGonagall was indeed the brightest and most powerful witch he'd ever seen and he was best friends with Hermione Granger. Minerva put Hogwarts and its students before herself. She was loyal to a fault. And even at her age, Harry still found her to be an incredibly attractive witch. He could see himself falling in love with her.
But to Minerva McGonagall, their marriage would only ever be just that. A marriage. She was his professor. She'd taught his parents. It was very doubtful that she'd ever see Harry Potter as more than a student the Ministry had forced her into a relationship with.
The fire in Dumbledore's office flared green, drawing Harry out of his thoughts. A few seconds later, the headmaster stepped into his office, finally returning from the Ministry where he'd been all day.
"Hello, Harry." He said, sounding rather exhausted.
"Professor Dumbledore."
"I'm sorry, Harry. I tried. I managed to organize a vote from the Wizengamot but they voted in favor or your upcoming nuptials."
"It's okay, Professor. I'm alright. I'm just worried about her. No one should be forced into marriage with anyone but no woman should be forced to have children and certainly not in a specified time frame."
"Harry, at least she was paired with you and not someone like Mr. Weasley or Mr. Malfoy. They would not hesitate to...shall we say, assert their dominance. You, on the other hand, will give her the time and space she needs and you will wait until she is ready instead of rushing her just because there is a deadline. You are more understanding than most wizards your age and indeed, most wizards at all."
"I've been forced to do too many things I don't want to do in my life. I won't do the same thing to someone else."
"I know that, Harry. But you might make sure she knows it too."

Minerva McGonagall was alone in her quarters. She hadn't left her couch after throwing herself there after returning from breakfast. She'd downed a third of a bottle of firewhiskey, had a bout of anger and thrown the rest of the bottle at the wall, cried for maybe five minutes, and then stared at the wall, which she was still doing now.
She was going to ruin Harry's life. He was only sixteen. He was much too young to get married and certainly too young to produce a child. He deserved to go out and make mistakes and have fun. He'd had the weight of the entire wizarding world on his shoulders since before he was born; wasn't that enough for him to handle with the Ministry forcing him to start a family with her of all people? She was old enough to be his grandmother for Merlin's sake!
The distinct cracking sound that signaled the arrival of a house-elf finally tore her gaze from the wall for the first time in hours.
It was Dobby.
"Harry Potter sends Dobby, Professor. He comes to the kitchens and asks Dobby to make steak and kidney pie and treacle tart and brings it to Professor McGonagall on this tray that he broughts hisself."
Steak and kidney pie? Treacle tart? How had he-
"Dobby musts be getting back to the kitchens, Professor. Dinner dishes needs to be washed."
"Thank you, Dobby." Minerva said finally.
Another sharp crack and Minerva was once again alone in her quarters.
She turned to the tray the house elf had placed on the desk as she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten any breakfast before the post arrived and she'd skipped lunch and dinner.
There was a plate of steak and kidney pie next to a saucer of treacle tart and a glass of gillywater. Beside these, there was a tiny vase with a single red rose and a note.
"Hermione told me you weren't at dinner so I asked Dobby to bring this up to you. As for how I know your favorites, I asked Madam Pomfrey and I haven't seen you touch a single glass of pumpkin juice in all my years at Hogwarts. Please at least try to eat some of it.
It seems we have several things to discuss. You know where to find me when you are ready.
~Harry"
Minerva looked up from the note with a sigh before she down and started eating. As much as she hated her current situation, she had to admit it could be worse. At least she'd been paired with Harry. She could have been paired with Draco Malfoy. Minerva pitied Hermione Granger. She truly did.