Welcome to The Lives Of The Broken.

This is going to be a marriage law fic with my favorite pairings along with others as well. There will be a lot of mature themes as well as domestic violence, so if that is a trigger for you, please don't read.

As always I don't own any of Queen Rowling's characters nor the wonderful world that is Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: Decree No. 71

It happened so quickly, it seemed as if it was going in slow motion. Harry Potter, in the middle of death and rubble, was battling it out hard against Lord Voldemort. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom were trying to make Nagini follow them so they could trap and kill her, as she was the last Horcrux.

They were so close, they could almost taste the victory on the tip of their tongues. Ron and Hermione had Nagini right where they wanted her.

However, they didn't anticipate Lucius Malfoy. They didn't even see him coming. Last they seen any sight of him, he was outside where the war was taking place.

But there he was, pointing his wand at Neville and screaming "Avada Kedavra!" at the top of his lungs. There was a flash of green, the sound of death rushing and claiming Neville as his, and the snake slithering away triumphantly.

And then, the deafening screams of despair and horror, and Voldemort's combination of yelling and cackling: "HARRY POTTER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!"

The evil had won. Their best friend had been wiped off the face of the Earth. All that was left of Harry Potter was his glasses.

Hermione woke up sweaty and panting, as usual. She had the same nightmare of that moment almost every single night. She wished that she could find a way to not sleep, but that was impossible.

She looked over at her practically a sister, Ginny Weasley, tucked in her bed sleeping what appeared to be soundly. But she knew it wasn't what it looked like. It had only been a mere month since Hermione had lost her unofficial brother, and Ginny, her boyfriend. They had briefly mentioned getting back together after everything was said and done, and now Ginny wouldn't have that chance. Hermione felt horrible for the girl.

She got up and walked out the room, closing Ginny's door quietly. She then tiptoed up the stairs until she got to Ron's room. Before she could knock, he had already opened the door.

"Was I that loud coming up the steps?" asked Hermione.

Ron chuckled. "No. I wasn't sleep. I was about to get some water actually."

"Oh." said Hermione. "Do you still want to go?"

Ron shook his head and grabbed Hermione hand. "Get in here." he said as he pulled her into his room and into his arms.

They embraced each other as they did most nights when Hermione would sneak up to Ron's room. She found that the only comfort she could get when she would have nightmares was from him.

"Was it the same one?" asked Ron as he squeezed her as close to him as he could get her.

"Isn't it always? It doesn't change. And when I wake up, he isn't here." whispered Hermione as she rubbed Ron's back in circles.

"I know." said Ron. "I still can't grasp the fact that I wake up every morning and that bed over there is empty."

He let go of Hermione and let her get under the covers of his bed. He got in with her, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close to his body.

"I worry about her Ron." said Hermione, bringing up Ginny. "It's been a month, and she still hasn't said anything. Not even a whisper of a word."

"I know. The healers still haven't figured out what's wrong with her. They think that it's more to do with something mental than physical. Mum thinks that she's traumatized or something, and that she won't ever speak again."

"Maybe." said Hermione, as she turned to face Ron. She put her hand on his torso, outlining his abs as Ron twirled a loose strand of Hermione's hair around his left index finger.

"Are we wrong Ron?"

"About?"

"About being together when Ginny doesn't have Harry anymore? Don't get me wrong, you know I'm happy to finally be with you, but do you think it's hurting Ginny that we have each other and she lost Harry?"

Ron looked over at his brown-eyed beauty. One thing he loved about Hermione was her brain and how it was always working. But sometimes, like this time, she thought too much.

"If Ginny was mad, she would let us know. Even without speaking, she would let us know. I do think that we should still not be too flirtatious in front of her out of respect, but I don't want to be without you. I need you, Mione." said Ron, voice heavy with emotion.

Hermione smiled as she moved Ron's fiery strands out of his sapphire blue eyes. "I need you too." she said lifting her head to kiss him passionately on the lips.

Despite what was going on in the world around The Burrow, Molly Weasley always tried to keep mealtimes as cheerful as possible. However, with the deaths of both Percy and Harry, it was much harder these days to keep her merry attitude.

Percy may had fallen out with the family for a while, but he was still her son. When he finally seen the reality of the Ministry, he came back, fighting for the Order. He had actually pushed Fred out of the way of falling rubble, which is what had killed him. Molly often thought that she hadn't properly forgiven him before he died, thus the hurt was even more impossible to bare sometimes.

Still, she had six more as well as Hermione and her husband to take care of, and she couldn't let her woes get in the way.

Bill and Fleur had went back to Shell Cottage and Charlie had went back to Romania. The twins moved back into The Burrow, as they couldn't very well rebuild their shop under Voldemort's new order. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Bill and Charlie, there wasn't much that the Weasley's could do lately.

The Weasleys, along with the Malfoys, Blacks and the Potters were among the most well-known pureblood families in the Wizarding world. While the Potters ended with Harry's death, the other lines were still alive, strong, and above all, pure. However, the Weasleys were deemed blood traitors. Voldemort hated blood traitors just as much as he hated Muggleborns, so he created laws in which caused the Weasley's to not be able to work in England anymore. He had no control over Romania, nor the goblins that Bill worked for, so their jobs were secure. However, Arthur was fired from the Ministry, and Fred and George got their building permits as well as business licenses taken away, so they were not allowed to re-open their shop.

Still, the Weasley's tried to survive. Fred and George did minor mail orders in secret with dealers they knew they could trust, while Bill had taken on the responsibility of training his father in banking and code breaking, so that he could work with the goblins in Gringotts someday.

As Ron, Hermione, the twins, Arthur, and Molly sat down and munched on toast, bacon, and eggs, a small and very energetic owl came soaring through the window, flying lopsided circles around his owner Ron's head. The weight of the mail he had was causing the little owl to fly wonky.

Ron caught Pigwidgeon from out of the air, and untied the roll of parchment from his tiny leg. He then plucked what looked like a very official letter from his beak, gave him some toast, and sent him on his way.

"What you got there, Ronnie dear?" asked Molly as she stared at the envelope in Ron's hand. Hermione had taken the parchment, which was a Quibbler newsletter, and began scanning it for names of the killed and/or missing.

"Looks like another bloody Ministry letter, Mum." said Ron looking disgusted at the envelope in his hand. "Wonder what decree it is this time? What are we on, number 71 or some shit?"

"Language boy!" harped Molly.

"Mum, I'm so sick of this." said Ron as he flung the envelope on the table. "It's like we have our own set of laws that we have no choice but to abide by. Dad and the twins can't work, you can hardly shop for food, our vault that didn't have hardly anything in it to begin with has been seized and frozen, we can't even set foot in Diagon Alley unless it's bloody Bill, Ginny can't go back to school, and so much more. I'm sick of living like this, Mum!"

Molly sighed as she picked up the letter from the table. "I understand sweetheart. This is a stressful time for all of us. Of course He Who Must Not Be Named is making our lives miserable on purpose, but just like we have survived these many years, we will survive now. We won't let anything they throw at us knock us out, do you understand?" she said looking at everyone at the table. Everyone nodded.

Molly opened up the envelope and read over the letter. Her expression changed from mild worry, to what looked like absolute horror. She dropped the letter and slumped down in her chair.

"Mum, what happened?" the twins shouted as they rushed to their mother's aid, along with Arthur. Ron picked up the letter from the floor and read it out loud.

To The Weasley Family,

Under the now instituted Decree No. 71, under the rule of our great leader, the Dark Lord, it is to become in effect on September 1st, 1998, that Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley and Master Draco Lucius Malfoy are to be wed. This is to ensure that blood lines are to remain pure and intact. Failure to comply to the terms of this arrangement will result in immediate death.

We await your answer of agreement and hope that this has found you well.

Signed,

Antonin Dolohov

Head Of Magical Law And Enforcement.

Ginny and Hermione's jaws dropped. Molly weeped in Fred's arms while George and Arthur stood staring at Ron, dumbstruck.

"No, this can't...no." whispered Hermione as she put a protective arm around Ginny.

"Like hell this is happening! yelled Ron, finding his voice. "No sister of mine is marrying that bloody evil ferret!"

"I second that!" said George. "They can all go to Hell for this!"

"We have no choice, boys." said Arthur slowly.

"What do you mean we have no choice? I'd rather die than see my sister on the arms of that Death Eater spawn!" yelled Ron as he pulled Ginny protectively into his arms.

"He would kill us all, Ronald. Every single one of us. And he would still make Ginny marry that awful boy, don't you see?"said Arthur as he looked over the letter.

Ron hugged Ginny tighter to his chest, hot tears welling up in his eyes. Of all the underhanded, mental, and downright evil things to do to their family. And worst of all, to Ginny.

"They can't marry her off to the prat if he's dead." said Ron sinisterly.

Hermione ran over to Ron and gripped his arm. "Don't you dare talk like that, Ronald Weasley! Of all the crazy things to say! They will kill you if you even look like you want to touch Malfoy!"

"I'm not going to sit here and let this shit happen Hermione!" shouted Ron.

The room erupted in arguments. No one could hardly make sense of what the other was saying.

Ginny wiggled her way out of Ron's arms and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door. She couldn't take the yelling and screaming anymore. It was driving her crazy. What was the point in arguing the inevitable?

Ginny hadn't told her family that she could very well speak if she chose to. She didn't have anything to say to anyone. What could she say? Nothing could bring Percy, nor Harry, nor Colin, nor Remus and Tonks back. There was no point.

She did indeed have a lot to say over this idiotic trap of a marriage law. It was sick. Absolutely disgusting. She found it insulting that Tom would find such delight in making her suffer.

She also saw the real reason as to why he did it. It would be the ultimate smack in the face for the Weasley family. Everyone knew that the Malfoy and Weasley families have feuded for centuries, especially Arthur and Lucius. What better way to cause her father immense pain than to marry her off to Lucius's only son?

Ginny sat on her bed and held close to her a stuffed hippogriff that Harry had given her two years ago for her birthday. She allowed her mind to drift back to when they had won the Quidditch cup her fifth year. Their first kiss. They had two victories that day.

She thought back to long talks under the tree that was in front of the lake. They would talk about everything from Quidditch, to their possible futures together. Even though they hadn't been dating for very long, they already knew that they were meant.

The funeral left her devastated as she had to sit there and pretend that she agreed with the reasons why Harry was breaking up with her. She felt as if Harry didn't know her at all. She would have gladly supported him and fought beside him along with Ron and Hermione. She would have given anything to be by his side.

Instead, she had to help fight the battle of injustice alongside Neville and Luna at Hogwarts. And while that was a trial in itself, it still didn't keep Harry from her mind.

Watching Harry die right in front of her face was devastating. She didn't get to tell him she loved him. She didn't get to tell him that she wanted nothing but to spend the rest of her life with him. She felt almost as if she was a widow.

And now she was to be married to Harry's rival. What a sick twisted world.

Ginny had only interacted with Draco Malfoy four times over the years. Twice was first year when she defended Harry at Flourish and Blotts, and then when he mocked her about that embarrassing Valentine's Day singing gram. The third was in her 4th year, when she gave him a nasty Bat-Bogey hex along with his cronies in Umbridge's office.

The fourth encounter was less negative. It was her sixth year when Snape was headmaster. She had just finished tagging a wall with the D.A. symbol, when Draco caught her. She thought for sure he would sound an alarm, hex her, do something nasty to get her in some form of trouble.

Instead, he showed her a charm to make it glow and to make it non removable from the wall, and then seen that she got back to Gryffindor safely. That experience vexed her, and for many days after, she would observe him, wondering if she should say something to him, but she never did.

She laid down on the bed, face buried into the hippogriff as she shed tears. She had two months to try to live somewhat of a life. For come September 1st, it would all be over.