Everyone that was or should have been in seventh year last year, when the Carrows were in control of punishment, were standing in Hogsmeade. I knew why. Of course I did. They didn't call me know-it-all Granger for nothing.

Hogwarts didn't have room for an extra year of students. So us 'eighth years' were residing in a newly built condominium in Hogsmeade that - by chance - happened to look over the Shreiking Shack feild.

They were nice buildings. Enough for perhaps two people to share a building. Only they were like actual homes inside. Professor Flitwick was giving us the tour through the Head's home - Harry and Hannah Abbott's home. It was like a flat. Two bedrooms. A living room. A kitchen. And two full bathrooms.

Ron was walking next to me, eying everything, "What are they trying to do? First they make this year mandatory for all of us, and now we get to live in luxury for the next year."

"Something's not right," I murmured, looking about. It was too family-built. It was homey, sure, but suspicious. "I know they didn't have room for us, but this is strange."

Flitwick stopped in the living room of Harry and Hannah's home - as I came to think of it - and cleared his throat for attention, "Now, now. Listen up. The fourteen of you are going to be paired up. Two of you will live in each flat together." Just as I suspected. "The first two would, of course, be Harry Potter and Hannah Abbott."

"Excuse me, Professor," Ron interrupted. "Are we all going to have male/female rooms?"

"I'll get to that in just a moment, Mr. Weasley," Flitwick said patiently. "The second two roommates will be Draco Malfoy and Parvarti Patil, living in home 2."

"What!" Parvarti cried. "You're kidding me if you think I'll live with that Death Eater scum!"

"Miss Patil, please let me explai-"

"Yes, please do," I said fiercly. This was honestly ridiculous. "What is the meaning of this? Does the Ministry have something to do with this?"

"The Ministry has nothing to do with this, Miss Granger. This is just a suggestion they gave us. Two members of the opposing sex will be paired together. With the end of the war, many are rushing into getting married and having children. This is to ensure you don't jump into anything and are more... shall I say, cautious."

"So you pair us with each other?" Ron demanded.

"We will place the two selected randomly to room with each other. You will be given a family set-up. None of the women will go through a pregnancy, but you will be forced to raise a child of three and a child of five. In some cases, you will recieve twins of the age of three, or twins of the age of five. That meaning, every couple will only have two children. You cannot put them up for adoption. Nor are you allowed to have another couple take them into their care," Flitwick's squeaky voice explained.

"We're being. . . married?" Parvarti whispered. She fainted promptly after that. I didn't blame her.

"It is a fake marriage," Professor Flitwick stressed, eyes darting around nervously. "It will not be recognized by the Ministry."

Draco's pale face seemed to regain a little bit of color. Being on probation had really sobered him up from his 'Almighty Slytherin' attitude. He was quiet now. With the death of his father, and his mother being sent to Azkaban for three years, he really had nothing left. I can't actually believe I felt sorry for the git.

He only had Goyle and Blaise Zabini left as friends, really. Pansy had been hanging off his arm but he had shook her off when we first walked inside of House 1. They must not be dating anymore. Crabbe having died in the fiedfyre incident no longer was present in the Slytherin crowd, and it was obvious with the way they moved.

In fact all of the Slytherin's this year were on probation. For five years. If they did anything out of line, or even uttered you-know-who's name in a respecting way, not to metion Mudblood, they'd be sent to Azkaban for life.

Ron was more angered now. His brother Fred had died feet from him, his other brother Percy had died as well. No one even mentioned them. No Sunday brunches were held. Not even a single Quidittch match was played in the garden. It was useless, really, without the twins - both equal in skill - not playing beater for both teams.

I had lost my parents. The one thing holding me to the Muggle world. Their memories were irreversible so I had to do what was the only thing left. Let them live their life, forgetting about me, and start over in Australia. The hardest thing I ever had to do. Hunting down horcruxes was easier than letting them lose their child. And knowing I could have stopped it. Could have let them remember me, but sent them away forcefully without a choice.

Padma shooting Aquimenti at Parvarti's face roused me from my thoughts.

"I will make short work of this, then," Flitwick said wisely as Parvarti started to wake. "Seamus Finnigan and Millicent Bulstrode will be placed in home 3. Dean Thomas and Padma Patil in home 4. Blaise Zabini and Lavender Brown in home 5." It was only Neville, Ron, Pansy, and I. And I already felt sick to my stomach. They wouldn't place Neville with Pansy would they? She'd eat him alive. "Hermione-" I sucked in a sharp breath, waiting for my fate. I honestly never knew Neville too well, but Ron would be a nightmare to live with. He was a wonderful friend of mine - but it was insanely awkward to be around him since we broke up after the battle. "Granger and Neville Longbottom in home 6." I sighed in inaudible relief, but looked at Neville and sighed audibly. This was going to be torture. I hardly knew him. "Ronald Weasley and Pansielle Parkinson in home 7."

"It's Pansy," Pansy Parkinson snapped before biting her lip and putting her head down. She could have violated her probation with just that simple phrase. Flitwick didn't seem to mind though.

"Your rooms are unlocked and your keys are on your kitchen countertops. Be in the Great Hall eight sharp for breakfast tomorrow morning and we will pass out your schedules and give you more information concerning the new class's schedule."

"Professor!" I heard Lavender protest, but it was too late. He had already Floo'd out.

I sighed and turned to Neville, "Home six."

He nodded, slightly pale, and led the way. I gave Ron an apologetic look as Pansy headed towards him. But turned and followed the crowd as they all dispersed from the Head's home to their own.

"This is it," Neville said quietly.

I realized that Neville hadn't lost anything in the war. Only a friend or two. He was given a medal of honor for his brave act of slaying Voldemort's snake Nagini, but he hadn't really suffered like the rest of us, and I was jealous because of that. But I also knew he lost everything in the first war. His parents, tortured to insanity by Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastian, and Barty Crouch Jr. They were walking zombies in St. Mungo's wards.

There was really nothing he had left except for his Gran and his Aunts and Uncles that were his Gran's brothers and sisters. No one his parents age to look up to, to my knowledge.

The door opened and a rush of cool air went out, breezing past us. Neville shivered a bit.

"Mummy!" A black haired streak nearly knocked me over before a brunette leaped onto Neville, or as he screamed, "Daddy". The door shut behind us on its own. Creepy.

I concentrated on the girl in my arms. She had my brown chocolate eyes, but Neville's straight black hair. She looked older than the boy in Neville's arms - who looked quite uncomfortable.

She had to have been five, then.

I smiled and picked her up, wanting to get the best out of this experience. I didn't really think of having children of my own. With the war coming, I didn't really think I'd survive to have children. And this would be the perfect opportunity to see what its like before finding a man out there.

"Hello, sweetie," I said softly, pushing a black strand of hair out of her face. "How are you?"

She beamed with excitement and started to babble a mile a minute. I tuned her out, tilting my head to signal to Neville to follow me. As I passed the kitchen, I saw the house keys and a thick envelope. I grabbed the envelope and as I sat on a couch, Neville sat next to me, awkwardly clutching the tired looking boy.

"Hold on, hun. I need to read this letter," I interrupted her story about the snake in the backyard. Did we even have a backyard?

Jeeze. . . "We have to bring them to breakfast, and I'll make dinner tonight," I told Neville after reading it. "Alice Pernella and Oliver Frank."

Neville looked at me sharply, "What?"

"Their names," I replied.

"Of course that's our name, silly!" Alice giggled, "And you're Mummy and that's Daddy!"

I sighed, but couldn't help but roll my eyes, "Of course. How could I forget?"

"I-I don't understand what we're supposed to do," Neville admitted.

I shook my head, "I'll admit I don't either."

"Mum, I'm starving!" Alice said dramatically.

"You are?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, "For what?"

"I want Daddy to make pancakes for dinner," Oliver said quietly. I looked at him and he blushed, ducking his head. Oh, he was shy.

"Yeah," Neville said after a moment of watching the boy. "I can do that."

"Yay!" Alice cried, smilingly widely.

Neville rose, Oliver easily rested on his hip, and he headed towards the kitchen. "How do you like your pancakes, Hermione?"

"You know how to cook?" I pressed my hand to my mouth as I realized what I said.

"My Gran raised me as a Muggle as well as a wizard," he admitted.

"That's quite unheard of for Purebloods, isn't it?" I asked cautiously. I stood and followed him to the kitchen before lifting the boy he had set on the ground onto the counter so he could watch his father.

"For a while, Gran thought I was a Squib," he explained, opening the cabinent and pulling out a bag of flour. In the fridge he found eggs and more pancake ingredients and began to make it by hand. No wand at all. I was pretty impressed. "So she raised me as a Muggle would be raised. I went to primary school before I got my letter."

He ran a hand nervously through his hair as he looked at me over his shoulder.

"But you learned magic as well, didn't you?" I asked, my hand running absently through Oliver's hair.

"Oh yeah, as much as my Uncle Alfred could teach me. It never really stuck, of course. I always was forgetful when I was younger."

I suppressed my laugh and comment. Of course he was. He couldn't even remember what the remembrall wanted him to. But he made up for it with his loyalty.

"They must have been happy that you got your letter, then," I continued.

"More like relieved, actually," he said goodnaturely. "They didn't know what they'd do if I was a Squib. Gran even bought me a racing broom the next day." He jiggled the handle of the frying pan and the pancake flipped in the air. Oliver giggled, clapping wildly. "I never liked flying. They knew I was magical though, when I was eight, so they weren't really too concerned."

"But sometimes wizards lose their magic a few days after they get it."

He nodded, starting another batch of pancakes, "So there was still a risk."

I nodded, running my hand through Alice's black hair, "How are you and Luna?"

From behind, I saw his body stiffen. "She's traveling abroad with her father."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

He shook his head, "It's fine. She's a little..."

"Overbearing?" I offered when it was quiet for a minute.

He flashed me a smile, "A little." He flipped the pancakes once more and Oliver giggled happily. "She's getting Rumbleskin Horncracks or something."

I snorted, "Of course."

This marriage law fic I've had for... a while. I just haven't gotten around to posting it mostly because it wasn't done. But since there's only a few chaps left to be written, i figured I might as well. Review? Thanks(: