Friday, July 9th, 1995 – Early Afternoon
Rookie Auror Nymphadora Tonks was on guard duty near the office of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fiudge. Every Rookie had this assignment two times a week. The rest of the week, they were working with other Aurors on various field duties.
When a Rookie was started their session of guard duty for the Minister of Magic, they were required to have charms placed on them that stopped them from eavesdropping or overhearing discussions that Minister Fudge and other high-level Ministry workers were participating in. The charm was directly placed on the ears of the Auror. However, Tonks – owing to being a Metamorphmagus – had used her ability to plug up her ears, blocking the charms from taking effect. If she was careful, and didn't react to any discussion she heard, neither Minister Fudge or anyone else would be any the wiser for this. Her reason for decieving Fudge and the others? Albus Dumbledore had asked her to eavesdrop and spy on Fudge and his people for the Order of the Phoenix.
Tonks had only joined the Order a week ago, having been recruited by Alastor Moody, her mentor at Brighton Auror Academy. She had been invited to a very memorable Order meeting at the Black family home at #12 Grimmauld Place. She had, at first, been rather confused as to why the home her late Great Uncle Orion, and Great Aunt Walburga was being used as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Then, to her shock, she discovered the fugitive – and her cousin – Sirius Black was living in his home again. Until that night a week ago, she had no idea Sirius Black was innocent of the charges he had been accused of.
That wasn't the only shocking revelation she had learned. She – and the other Order members – had all been told the story of the night Voldemort returned to his full strength and power, and how Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had been a witness to the rebirth of the Dark Lord, and had barely escaped the event with his life.
The Order of the Phoenix, Tonks learned, was a secret vigilante group that fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the last war, and would do the same this time.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Tonks looked up to see Lucius Malfoy, Tonks' uncle-through-marriage – though the man would never admit she was his niece, as she had a Muggleborn father – make his way over to Fudge's secretary. He was carrying a briefcase, and Tonks had to muffle a snort. For such a pureblood snob, he reminded her of her father, who never went to work without his own briefcase. Uncle Lucius seemed very Muggle-ish today.
"I have a meeting with the Minister, Deliliah," Lucius said to the secretary, with a brisk, cool voice, "He is expecting me."
"I believe he is currently meeting with Dolores Umbridge at this moment in time, Lord Malfoy," Delilah said.
"I am sure the Senior Undersecretary would also be interested in what I have to say, as would the Minister," Lucius said. "Please tell him I am here."
Delilah hesitated for a moment, before she stood up and walked over to the door. As the door opened, Tonks could barely hear the exchange between Delilah and the Minister.
"Lord Lucius Malfoy is here to see you, Minister," Delilah said, "Should I ask him to wait?"
"No, no, he is welcome to come in," Fudge said. "Which Auror is on guard duty?"
"Rookie Auror Tonks," Delilah said.
"Have her escort Lord Malfoy in," Fudge said.
Delilah turned to Tonks, then nodded Lucius' direction. Tonks nodded.
"The Auror needs to check your briefcase, my Lord," Delilah said, turning back to Lucius.
"There is only parchment in my briefcase, I assure you," Lucius said.
"It still must be done," Delilah said.
Lucius' lips thinned, and he walked over to Tonks. He opened his briefcase and showed it to Tonks. She waved her wand over the contents, making sure there were no dangerous hexes or other spells on anything. When she was satisfied, she nodded at Lucius.
"You're clear," Tonks said. " Allow me to escort you inside, Lord Malfoy."
Lucius eyed her with narrowed brows, and nodded once. She turned and stepped into the office, then moved to the side of the door. Cornelius Fudge was standing behind his desk, and on the closest side of the desk, Fudge's Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge – Tonks thought she resembled a toad in a pink sweater – was standing beside her own chair. Lucius stepped into the room, and Tonks shut the door behind him. Lucius glanced at her, suspiciously.
"Well, why are you still in here, girl?" Lucius asked.
"New DMLE policy, Lord Malfoy," Fudge said, "Made by Director Amelia Bones. If I have a guest in my office whom is not a part of my staff, I must have an Auror present. Rookie Auror Tonks is on guard today. However, have no fear. She has anti-eavesdropping charms placed on her so she cannot listen to what we are saying. The charms will drop, however, if things get heated in here, and she has to take appropriate action."
"I see," Lucius muttered. "When did this happen?"
"Three days ago," Fudge said. "I meant to inform you, but I've been rather busy as of late. Come... sit, so you can begin with the reason you are here this afternoon!"
Casting one last suspicious glare at Tonks, Lucius walked over to the empty chair next to Dolores Umbridge, and sat down.
"What can I do for you, Lord Malfoy?" Fudge asked.
"Please, Minister, you know you can call me Lucius," Lucius said.
"Then of course, call me Cornelius," Fudge smiled.
"I have come here today to discuss with you a Bill I am putting forth to the Wizengamot council next Saturday," Lucius said, "I thought you would be most interested in it."
"I am always interested in anything you bring to me, Lucius," Fudge said, chortling, "You know that."
"A week before Christmas last year, the eldest daughter of one of my closest friends and allies birthed a daughter," Lucius said. "Two months ago, it was discovered the girl is a Squib."
"Oh, the poor dear," Fudge said, sighing, "Alway such a tragedy when that happens."
"Indeed," Lucius said, "A week after this was discovered, I decided to do some research on Squibs, and the birthrate of Squibs when it comes to purebloods, halfbloods, and Muggleborn. I have discovered a most shocking revelation: the majority of Squibs born over the past four decades, Minister, were born from two pureblood parents."
"The majority?" Umbridge asked, "Numbers, my dear Lucius, I am not hearing numbers here!"
"Ninety percent of Squibs in the past forty years were born from two pureblood parents," Lucius said.
"Merciful Merlin!" Fudge gasped, leaning back in his chair. "Are you sure?"
"Quite positive," Lucius said. "I double and triple-checked the numbers."
"And what is the birthrate of pureblood squibs over pureblood witches and wizards?" Umbridge asked.
"Five to one," Lucius said, eliciting in more gasps from Umbridge and Fudge. "A century ago it was ten to one."
"Merlin help us!" Fudge exclaimed. "What... what should we do?"
"Well, the answer to that is to why I have come here," Lucius said, opening his briefcase, and giving the top piece of parchment on the stack inside to Fudge. "Next Saturday, I am going to put forth a new Marriage Law bill. Half-blood and Muggleborn witches and wizards, who are unmarried or have no children with magical abilities, will be placed in a will then be paired with a pureblood witch or wizard, married within a week after the Bill is passed. Then they must be pregnant or have a child within the first eighteen months, and a second after five years. If they have squib, they will be forcefully divorced, and married to someone else, following through with the same pattern.
Cornelius raised an eyebrow as he read through the parchment. Then his eyebrows narrowed. "What is this about witches and wizards fourteen years and older?"
"Oh, yes, did I forget to mention the age-range," Lucius said, "This Bill affects all witches and wizards between the ages of fourteen and sixty."
Tonks' eyes widened. School-aged students... underage students... had to be married and have a child within eighteen months? As young as fourteen and fifteen?! That means... they'd have to be pregnant during their schooling!
"I trust the underage students won't be forced to marry older wizards and witches?" Cornelius asked.
"Of course not," Lucius said, "I knew that would never go well with the Light Alliance, and many of the Neutral as well. Those under seventeen will not be forced to marry anyone older than seventeen."
Tonks frowned. It was better but... this law was still disgusting!
"Hem-hem," Umbridge cleared her throat. "Lucius, something I do not understand here. This law of yours would decimate the pureblood population, and turn the majority of the next generation into half-bloods! Most purebloods will never go through with this! It is unheard of!"
"Ah, I thought I would hear that argument from you and others," Lucius said. "Which is why I added an addendum. Wizards who are proven to have a family history of not producing Squibs will have the choice to marry more than one witch. So a pureblood could marry more than one witch. Their first wife would be pureblood and would be the Lady of their House. And then their second and additional wives could be half-bloods or Muggleborns. This would ensure that there would be Purebloods still, though we do risk a number of Squibs when it comes to those Pureblood children."
"The same could be said for children of Half-blood and Mud... Muggleborn parentage!" Umbridge huffed.
"It could... but history tells us the numbers of Squibs of lesser parentage are greatly reducing," Lucius said. "It is my hope that with one parent being 'lesser' than the number of Squibs would be well-reduced."
"What about Betrothal Contracts?" Umbridge asked. "I believe your son is Betrothed to Lord Parkinson's daughter, is he not?"
"Existing and Active Betrothal Contracts made before the Bill is passed will still be legal," Lucius said. "The witches who are in these Betrothal Contracts will not have their names up for eligibility for the Marriage Law. Though of course, the Betrothed must be married immediately, and eligible wizards who have a family history of not producing Squibs will be given the option to marry multiple witches."
"I tell you what," Fudge said. "I'll allow this Bill to be put forth in the Wizengamot. And I will even allow you to be the first one called. But I will not show any verbal support of the Bill until after it has been accepted by the Wizengamot. I know this Bill will have some backlash from the community, and I don't want to be seen supporting it if the Council does not pass it!"
"I am fine with that, Minister," Lucius said.
"Right now, I am more concerned when it comes to those who are still Hogwarts students," Fudge said. "I assume their education will not be affected by this?"
"It will not," Lucius said. "When the Bill is passed, a meeting with the School Governors, Dumbledore and a few of the Hogwarts Professors will be held to discuss the future of Hogwarts and the Marriage Law. It is already assumed that pregnant – or students trying to become pregnant – will be having a different set of classes altogether. No pregnant witch will be in any class where harmful spells and Potions would be taught until their pregnancy is over. Obviously this will affect OWLS and NEWTS but that can be worked around by the Professors and School Governors."
"Well, that seems better than I had imagined," Fudge said.
Umbridge cleared her throat. "I am currently thinking of ideas when it comes to Hogwarts, Minister. If this Bill were to pass, I believe I could bring forth some... interesting ideas for the future of Hogwarts in the era of the Marriage Law."
"I will be glad to hear it, Dolores," Fudge said. "But only if the Bill passes. I don't want to hear any more about this until it passes. Lord Malfoy, I warn you now. If the media gets any word of this before the next Wizengamot meeting, I will not call on you or anyone who might parrot your Bill forward during the next council meeting. I don't need word getting out about this until the Law is passed. Is that understood?!"
"Yes, Minister," Lucius said, coolly. "I will keep it to myself and my most trusted Allies until the Wizengamot meeting. Neither my Allies, or I, will speak of it to anyone outside our small Circle until it is time to be voiced in the meeting."
"Good," Fudge said.
I, on the other hand, will be speaking about this at tonight's Order meeting! Tonks vowed.
"Is there anything you needed to speak with me about, Lord Malfoy?" Fudge asked.
"No, Minister," Lucius said.
"Then you may be excused," Fudge said,
Lucius returned the parchment into his briefcase then stood and headed for the door. Tonks opened the door, and Lucius ignored her as he walked out. Tonks bowed her head to the Minister, then stepped out of the office.
Lucius was already walking away, but Tonks ignored him as she moved back to her oriignal position. She was too preoccupied thinking of the Order of the Phoenix meeting, and bombshell she would be presenting them.
Friday, July 9th, 1995 – Evening
"... and that is everything I was able to overhear," Tonks finished her report on the meeting between Lucius Malfoy, Dolores Umbridge, and Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "I, of course, do not know what other details Lucius may have when it comes to the Bill. And I was not privy to what Dolores Umbridge's ideas for Hogwarts would be."
By the end of her explanation, the emotions around the table from the members of the Order of the Phoenix were varied. Molly Weasley looked quite emotional and stricken. Several others looked quite shocked. Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape looked thoughtful, and Sirius Black looked murderous. Albus Dumbledore looked calm and serene, however.
"Thank you, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said; Tonks winced at his use of her first name; she hated that he refused to call her by her preferred surname! "You have only been with us for a week, and have already proven yourself a reliable and welcome member of the Order of the Phoenix, especially when it comes to your talents as a Metamorphmagus, and your career as an Auror. Without either, we may have not been forewarned about this new issue before it was too late to do anything about it."
"Albus," Remus said, "Because we were forewarned, what are the chances you can counter the Bill at the next Wizengamot councul meeting?"
Albus sighed. "I hope this warning will be enough to convince the various members of the Light and Neutral-Light Alliances to put down the Bill. But something tells me it might not be."
"Why not, Albus?" Emmeline Vance asked.
"Because I am afraid," Albus said, "even members of the Light and Neutral Alliances will be convinced that moves need to be taken, so that there is little risk of the possibility that a good percentage of the next generation of purebloods be Squibs. The Wizengamot is dominated by Purebloods by a good eighty percent after all. Even Light and Neutral purebloods will find this worrisome. They will flock to the first good solution and this immediate solution set forth by Lucius Malfoy will be – as Muggles say – music to their ears."
"But for teenagers – fourteen through seventeen years – to be forced to marry and become parents at such a young age?" Tonks asked. "The Light Alliance would never support this! Surely you could argue that more people would agree to the Bill if it only affects those who have finished their Hogwarts education!"
Albus sighed. "I very much doubt Lucius Malfoy would agree to editing his Bill. After all, I do not believe it is his Bill to begin with. I believe he is simply a parrot, and the true creator of the Bill is Voldemort."
Many around the table gasped, though mostly it was because of the name.
"Why would that bastard be concerned with something like this, Albus?!" Sirius Black growled.
"I very much doubt he has little care about the next generation of witches and wizards," Albus said, "Especially since it is his priority to destroy Muggleborn as well as those half-bloods who will not bow to his every desire and whim. As a good percentage of those targeted would be affected by this Bill, I highly doubt he did it for the good of the wizarding world. No... I believe he did it to cause a distraction."
"Oh?" Sirius asked.
"Yes," Albus said. "With this Bill being passed, the Ministry of Magic would be busy creating a new Department for the Marriage Law, and focusing on a good majority of the population getting married and becoming pregnant. The rest of the population would be concerned about being affected by the Marriage Law, whether it be those who qualify for the Bill or their loved ones and family members. They would ignore more serious concerns and issues, like what Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be doing in the future. Yes, the good majority of the magical population in Great Britain may not yet be aware of Voldemort's return – but the Marriage Law would distract them from noticing that future attacks on families and businesses are a pattern and something to truly be worried about. They – especially those who are parents of the affected teens – would be too worried about their children to worry about anything else."
"Damn," Sirius muttered. "That sounds quite convincing. Is this something you've just thought up now, or is this something you heard from our resident spy here?"
Severus Snape narrowed his eyes in Sirius' direction. "If you're accusing me, Black, of knowing anything about this damnable Marriage Law bill, and saying nothing about it to the Order members -"
"Maybe I am!" Sirius growled. "You're supposed to be in the Inner Circle of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. If this is his idea, and Ol' Lucy is just the parrot, then why haven't you been privy to it!"
"The Dark Lord knows I am close to Dumbledore, Black," Severus said, "close enough for Dumbledore to try to get things from me without me knowing. He does not trust me with everything."
"I thought you were close to Lucius, Snape!" Sirius said, "Aren't you his son's godfather? He has not spoken to you about this over a family dinner?"
"If Voldemort ordered him to not speak of this Bill to me," Severus said, "Then I would not have heard of it."
"Then what good are you to this Order if you can't get information like this to us!" Sirius growled, standing up, and staring loathingly at Severus. "Huh? What good are you when you can't be privy to all of Voldemort's plans!" Eh?!"
"I'm more of a use than you are to this Order, Black!" Severus snarled.
"Severus, Sirius, enough," Dumbledore said, sighing. "Everyone here does their part for the Order. Sirius, I understand Severus cannot give us everything that Voldemort has planned. But he can give us enough, and therefore he is useful. Without him, we would have nothing when it comes to Voldemort and his plans. Anything he can give us is welcome, and it should be understood that he can't give us more than he is allowed to know. Severus, without Sirius, we wouldn't be allowed the privacy, secrecy and safety of this building as a Headquarters for the Order. Both of you have proven yourselves useful to the Order, and it is time for the animosities between you to stop! I believe I asked this of you already the night Voldemort returned to full power. Do not make me repeat myself again."
"Yes, sir," Severus said.
"Of course, Albus," Sirius said, though he was still glaring at Snape.
"Due to the seriousness of this new issue," Dumbledore said, "I am setting two more meetings over the next week to discuss this new Bill before it takes place. Many of you in this room would be affected by this Bill, including your children, and your children's friends. Therefore, we will be meeting again Sunday night, as well as Wednesday night. To those of you who have children and friends who would be affected by this Bill,I must ask none of you to speak openly about this Bill to them or anyone.
"If word gets out we know about the Bill before it is laid forth in the Wizengamot, we would risk Miss Tonks' safety and her usefulness as an Auror in the Ministry. After all, she is the only one who could have eavesdropped on this information and told it to people like us. Lucius Malfoy, Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge never would tell anyone who qualifies as our friends and family information about this Bill. Only Miss Tonks would be targeted. Again. Do not speak of this Bill so openly outside the Order. Is this understood?
Murmurs of agreement and acceptance were heard around the table.
"I will try to have more information for you about this Bill when we meet this week," Dumbledore said. "This meeting is about to come to an end. You all know your duties over the next few days. More schedules will be handed out next Wednesday. Molly, Arthur, will you please stay here with me, so that I may speak to you about your children and any concerns you might have about the Bill? Concerns you would rather not voice to the other members about?"
"Of course, Albus," Arthur said, and Molly nodded.
"The rest of you may be excused," Dumbledore said. "I know some of you need to return to your posts. Thank you all for being here this evening. And remember... only united are we strong, and we are only weak when we are divided. So concludes this evening's meeting of the Order of the Phoenix."
Tonks stood up and followed most of the other members out of the room.
"Tonks, Remus, I need to speak with you," Sirius said, as they entered the corridor outside the meeting room.
Tonks nodded. She and Remus followed Sirius up through the upper levels of the house, until they reached a room that Tonks knew was Sirius' bedroom. Sirius waved his wand – which had been procured by Dumbledore for him – around the room, muttering privacy, secrecy and silencing spells. Then he pointed his wand at a wizarding wireless radio on a nightstand near his table.
"We may talk freely, Molly," Albus Dumbledore's voice came over the radio, "Arthur will not be able to hear anything we have to speak further until I lift the enchantments I have placed on him."
"Sirius!" Remus said, "Did you place spying charms on the meeting room?"
"Yes," Sirius said, "They are behind Notice-Me-Not charms, and will never be discovered. Now, hush. We need to listen to this. It seems Arthur's been enchanted to ignore the discussion about to happen. I am curious as to why."
"... Ginny is thirteen, Albus!" Molly said. "There is still a month until her birthday! Harry Potter could already be married to somebody by the time she is old enough!"
"Not to worry, Molly," Dumbledore said. "When the Bill passes, I will ask an addendum be added that says that teens who are not yet fourteen but will be by August 31st should also be qualified for the Bill."
"'When the Bill passes', not if?" Tonks asked.
Sirius hushed her.
"Wait a minute!" Molly said. "Tonks said that Betrothed witches and wizards will be exempt! We could pen a Contract between Ginny and Harry! You could represent Harry as his magical Guardian."
"I have not been Harry Potter's magical guardian since October 31st of last year, Molly," Dumbledore said. "When Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, he was found to be an Emancipated Minor by the representatives of Hogwarts, the Ministry, the Wizengamot, and Magic herself."
"What?!" Molly, Sirius, Remus and Tonks all exclaimed.
"Does Harry know this?" Molly asked.
"Of course he doesn't," Dumbledore said. "I have done everything I could to make sure he does not. Otherwise certain plans of ours would be ruined. No... in order to create a Betrothal Contract, Harry Potter must be present during the meeting in order to sign said contract. No Goblin would allow it otherwise... not even the possibility of a stand-in to do it for him. Not the Potter Account Manager, and certainly not the Weasley and Prewitt Account Manager. Betrothal Contracts can only be made Active if they are penned on Gringotts soil."
"So what do we do?" Molly asked. "You promised me Ginny would eventually be Harry's wife! And that mudblood Granger wouldn't get her mits on him!"
Tonks gasped at the use of the word 'mudblood'. Never did she suspect Molly Weasley to use that word. Especially about a girl who was a friend of her children!
"Ron wants her so Harry can't have her, and he will get her!" Molly said. "If it was her choice, she'd probably want to marry Harry. We both know that!"
"Of course I do," Dumbledore said. "Given it was I who found them kissing in a broom closet several times over the past few months at Hogwarts, and had to Obliviate them every single time."
Sirius and Remus growled, and Tonks gasped.
"Have no fear, Molly," Dumbledore said, "your son and Miss Granger will be well-paired together. And Ginny will soon be Lady Potter."
"Lady Potter?" Molly asked. "I thought you didn't want Harry to know he is a Lord? I thought you wanted to keep him oblivious of his family legacy?"
"As if!" Sirius growled. "I was going to make sure he knew about it this summer!"
"Unfortunately, due to this Marriage Law, it seems we have no other choice," Dumbledore said. "My current plan is to have Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and your children here next Wednesday evening, so we may tell them about the Marriage Law Bill, and how if they do not partake in a Marriage Ritual before next Saturday, and the Bill were to pass, then they may find themselves being paired up with unscrupulous students, such as Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson."
"Tonks told us Malfoy's son is betrothed to this Parkinson girl," Molly said.
"The children do not need to know this," Dumbledore said. "If Mr. Potter believes your daughter is to be the future wife of Draco Malfoy, then he would do anything to save her. He does have that saving-people-thing after all."
"Ginny and Draco are both purebloods," Remus said, "Harry knows that."
"Course he does," Sirius said, "But if Dumbledore told Harry that Malfoy could be married to Hermione instead..."
"He'd want to protect Hermione, not Ginny!" Tonks said. "And Dumbledore and Molly don't want that!"
"Exactly," Sirius said. "It seems my godson and Miss Granger are supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend right now if they hadn't been Obliviated by Dumbledore. Therefore... before Wednesday night, we need Harry and Hermione married, and their marriage consummated! I had my suspicions that Molly Weasley wanted Harry and Hermione to be married to her kids, and I wasn't sure if Harry and Hermione would support that. From the few times I met my godson and Hermione together, they were always so close. Closer than they were with Ron, or Ginny.
"I had no idea Dumbledore was a part of this scheme. But now it seems he and Molly have been scheming to get her children together with my godson and Hermione. We cannot let that happen."
"What should I tell my children?" Molly asked.
"Nothing," Dumbledore said. "It will all be taken care of by Wednesday. For now, we do nothing..
"Nothing?" Molly asked. "I could send Harry and Hermione my care packages so they will be more agreeable by Wednesday to support our plan."
"What do you want to bet those 'care packages' have Love Potions and stuff in them?" Sirius asked.
"God, I wish we had proof!" Tonks snarled. "I want to arrest this woman!"
"Calm yourself, Tonks," Sirius said, "We'll make sure Molly and Dumbledore pay eventually."
"I will allow this," Dumbledore said. "Especially if it helps Harry and Miss Granger agree to marry Ronald and Ginevra without argument. Once they are married, such 'care packages' will be unnecessary. They might be angry with us for putting them in this situation without their consent, but of course, once married they cannot divorce without agreement from the Ministry – if I understand this new Bill correctly that is – and it seems the only way that would happen is if Ginny and Miss Granger produce Squibs.
"Of course, then it could be discovered that Harry and Miss Granger are the reason Squibs are produced and... who knows... both could find themselves in hot water with the Ministry. I assume they would be forced to have enchantments placed on them so they would never be able to have another child again. After all... two purebloods from a family with seven children, all of whom are witches and wizards, could never have produced a Squib, so of course your children would be in the clear."
"Thank goodness nobody knows about Elizabeth," Molly muttered. "I would never be able to live that down."
"Wait," Tonks said, "Is Molly saying she had an eighth child, another daughter, who is a Squib?"
"Seems like it," Sirius muttered.
"I wonder when this happened," Remus said, "Before or after Ginny was born?"
"Anyway, I will make sure to have Fertility Draughts and Lust Potions ready to ensure the girls are pregnant, of course," Molly said.
"Of course," Albus said, "In fact, if they are discovered to be pregnant quickly, instead of half a year from now, the marriages will be more supported, since their marriages are already so successful, and Harry and Miss Granger will see that what has been done to them is for the best."
"I will go shopping tomorrow for the required Potion ingredients, and have them delivered by Sunday morning then," Molly said.
"Very well," Albus said, "I believe we are finished. I will lift the enchantments off of Arthur, and he will believe we've been discussing the futures of your children, and that he is very supportive of us working on getting Ginevra with Harry, and Ronald with Hermione respectively."
"Thank you, Albus," Molly said. "You are such a dear friend."
Sirius waved his wand toward the radio and it turned off.
"Fuck," Remus said, "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't hear it with my own ears. Obliviations, love plots, keeping Harry from knowing about his Emancipation and legacy! What the fuck?!"
"I have suspected some of this for a while, Remus," Sirius said. "Especially Harry not knowing his legacy. He has made no mention of it before. I didn't know why until now. Alright, here's the plan. Tonks, you are watching Harry tomorrow afternoon, right?"
"Yes," Tonks said.
"We know he jogs to the park every day," Sirius said. "You will follow him and reveal yourself. Tell him that you solemnly swear you are up to no good. When he asks who you are. say you are Padfoot's cousin. Then you will tell him about this marriage law bill, and the plots of Dumbledore and Molly. Then ask him how he feels about Hermione."
"Alright," Tonks said.
"Remus, you're watching Hermione tomorrow afternoon, yes?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," Remus said.
"You will meet with her – and her parents, if they are home – and let her know about the Bill and these plots," Sirius said. "I assume Harry and Hermione will agree to marry each other. So, here is what we are going to do. When both of you are finished, you will take Harry and Hermione to Gringotts via Apparation. I will meet you there."
"How?" Remus asked.
"Keeper Ragnok gave me a two-way Portkey that goes to Gringotts, then back to the destination I left from," Sirius said, grinning, "Anyway, I will meet you all there. Try to get there by two-o-clock. We will then meet with Keeper Ragnok, and explain to him what is going on, and that they wish to be married. Gringotts has a Marriage Ritual room. They will marry and consummate their marriage tomorrow. Then... we will take them to the Potter cottage in La Rochelle for their honeymoon, where they will remain until after the Wizengamot council meeting is over! We should be able to find the Portkey that goes to the cottage in one of the Potter Vaults."
"I am not sure Hermione's parents will agree to this," Remus said.
"Simply tell them if they do not agree to allow their daughter to marry Harry," Sirius said, "Then, if this Bill passes, she will marry a Pureblood who will probably not respect her, who will insult her and only call her "Mudblood" and "whore". Tell them she will be a sex slave and baby factory, to be raped several times a day even after she becomes pregnant. Tell them that she will likely never come to enjoy sex with the man she is forced to marry. Tell her parents they will have no choice on the matter. Do you really think parents of Muggleborn are going to have any say when it comes to their children marrying because of this Bill?"
"Point," Remus muttered.
"Are we in agreement?" Sirius asked. "Any problems with this plan?"
"Not for me," Tonks said. "If Harry and Hermione truly love each other, then they should marry each other and not someone else – including Molly's children."
"Same," Remus said. "Like you, Sirius, I noticed how close Harry and Hermione were when I taught them. Those two only ever had one serious argument, and to be honest, Ron started the argument and allowed it to carry on and make it worse. It had to do with the Firebolt you gave Harry, Sirius. Hermione reported it to Minerva McGonagall to make sure it wasn't hexed or cursed, and after it was confiscated, Ron was all steaming and yelling about how she had betrayed them. All because he wanted a chance to ride it. Harry barely said two words, and Hermione was upset and didn't talk to either of them. So, in truth, I never witnessed a real bad argument between Harry and Hermione that wasn't created by Ron."
"Hermione would be miserable if she had to marry Molly's son," Tonks said, sadly, "And if any of the Weasley children could produce a Squib, it would likely be him. Hermione would be in deep trouble if that happened, especially with what we heard Dumbledore say."
"True," Sirius said. "So Operation Harmony is underway?"
"Harmony?" Remus asked.
"Sounds good to me!" Sirius said, grinning.
"Operation Harmony it is," Tonks said.
"I suppose so," Remus said.
"Operation Harmony is underway!" Sirius said, grinning, "Now, next topic! Tonks, as you know, you are the daughter of a Black. I am Lord Black – the Ministry may not identify me as this right now, but Gringotts does, so it is official!"
"Yeah, I know that," Tonks said, "What of it?"
"Well, if this marriage law passes, then you're going to be forced to marry someone," Sirius said, "Someone you might not like. Someone who will force you to Morph into other appearances. Someone who will rape you, and make you their sex slave and baby factory."
"I get the point, Sirius," Tonks said, "Where are you going with this?"
"How would you like to marry somebody who would definitely not treat you like a sex-slave and baby factory?" Sirius asked.
"That would be in my best interests," Tonks said.
"Then, Miss Nymphadora Tonks," Sirius said, grinning; he motioned to Remus. "As Lord Black, it is my honor to introduce you to Remus Lupin, your future husband."
"WHAT?!" Remus and Tonks exclaimed.