Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit to J.K Rowling for the creation of the Harry Potter universe. I just found a plot for this ship.

Warning: Later chapters will contain adult themes. There is an M rating for a reason. The story will NOT contain, rape or sexual violence. Lemons and fluff expected.
There will also be the use of profanity.

Beta love to Ihrin for taking the time to go back to and help me clean up this story. If you see this note the chapter has been checked out for my appalling grammar and misuse of words. We should all thank her.

7-2017 ran through with Grammarly.

Music speaks to my muse. I usually have songs on repeat or a playlist for stories as I write and edit them.

This chapters song was: Give me Love Ed Sheeran
Lyric of choice: Lately I've been craving more.

Preview:

Hermione is the undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, working as an adviser to Muggle Ministries and their wizarding counterparts around the world. The last war caused rather a lot of havoc in the muggle world and Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt needed some help to sort all that out and also reassure other Ministries that they had things under control now in Britain.

But it's not just reassuring muggles that the war is over, the Ministry also has to reassure its own wizarding community that peace lies ahead. That means that those involved in the war (or seen as responsible), specifically pureblood families, are subject to strict sanctions and laws.

They are not allowed to marry without the Ministry's approval, and they are not approving marriages between pureblood families. They have all been sterilized so that they can't keep interbreeding. This is due to the discovery of a gene that they find is causing the madness and low birth rates among the wizarding families.

The Ministry turned to Hermione Granger for answers and she developed a charm that could find matches who had the compatibility to be 'soul bonded'. This was an ancient magical ceremony that had fallen out of style due to incompatibility. It was a great honor to be soul bonded. The union was widely believed to increase the power of the witches and wizards involved and also their offspring. No soul bonded couples had been matched in generations.

But what happens when her own charm turns against her? Because Hermione Granger is about to be matched with Draco Malfoy…

Charmed to You

Chapter 1
Soul Bonds and Brandy

Hermione Granger wasn't one to normally indulge herself in the habit of drinking spirits. But tonight, she was sipping brandy instead of tea. Her grandmother, when she had been alive, had always drunk brandy before bed. She had claimed it helped to calm her nerves. Her grandmother, being a Muggle, of course, wouldn't have had the ability to brew up a potion or use a charm to help with such matters. And while Hermione, who was considered one of the best witches of the era, did, in fact, know multiple spells and have an entire drawer full of potions to help with a restless mind, she sipped the brandy instead.

She didn't much like magic right now.

There was a swoosh as green flames suddenly appeared in her fireplace and a swirl of red hair attached to a petite woman who was wearing jeans and a jumper with a bag in her hand. She walked in and tossed the bag down, glaring at Hermione. "It's true, isn't it?"

Ginny was breathing hard and Hermione could see tear stains running down her face. She hated this, that she was hurting other people, but it couldn't be helped.

"Yes," she whispered softly.

Ginny blew out a ragged breath and then sat down, her face pale. "I just came from seeing Harry. He's out of St. Mungos."

Hermione nodded. Yes, she knew that; she had gotten an owl.

Ginny blew out another breath and then gestured towards her bag. "We broke up."

Now, this Hermione didn't know. "You what?"

Ginny gave one firm nod. "Harry isn't my match. I did the charm."

Hermione gasped at her friend. She didn't have to ask what 'the charm' was, Hermione knew exactly what Ginny was referring to. A year ago, she was approached by Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was now Minister of Magic, with a top-secret assignment. He had told her that the Wizengamot and the Ministry were having discussions regarding a law that would have a serious effect on the Wizarding World or at least the British one.

After the war, it had become abundantly clear that something would have to be done about wizarding blood status and low birth rates. Purebloods had interbred amongst themselves for years in order to preserve their "pure" blood. Their hatred of muggleborns, half-bloods, and blood traitors was just as important to them. Both of those things had made them easy prey for a dark wizard like Voldemort. It had also made them susceptible to psychiatric disorders and genetic diseases. The war, of course, had also decimated their ranks, meaning there were even fewer of them to interbreed with.

Kingsley had explained that there was really only one way to ensure the survival of the Wizarding World and also that another war didn't break out in a few decades: Purebloods would have to be split up. So, immediately after the war, there had been a hold on Purebloods marriages. Kingsley had made sure that the families hadn't paired off their remaining kids in order to preserve their status amongst each other. At the time, she thought it had been done to simply stop arranged marriages, but now she knew better.

The Ministry had decided that it was time Purebloods marry outside their close family ranks, for the health and safety of the future generations- the Ministry finally had to step in. But how could such a thing be enforced? How could a plan like the one Kingsley had envisioned work? Well, they appealed to their arrogance and offered a tantalizing treat. The offer that their Pureblood offspring could participate in an ancient prestigious ceremony, which was known worldwide. They were offered a bound soul match.

That was where Hermione came in. She had been tasked with developing a charm that could predict a couple's stability and likelihood of success, and therefore run through the soul bound charm. Kingsley had also wanted her to arrange it so they could test multiple batches of couples at a time to increase the likelihood of finding matches. Six months ago, she had succeeded with both requests.

Unfortunately, the charms had also proved to her that her relationship with Ron, her Hogwarts sweetheart, would never work. Hermione had broken up with Ron immediately.

Three weeks ago, with spells in hand, Kingsley had announced to the Wizarding World his plans to consider the bill the Wizengamot had drafted. The print hadn't yet dried on the Prophet before total and complete chaos had erupted, with a few of the Pureblood families even taking up wands against the Ministry. The battle had been outside of Wales, and it had been spectacular. The last of the most stubborn Pureblood families of Britain against the Ministry and remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix. The Ministry and Order had won easily.

It was funny that by being willing to die to avoid a fate they had, in a sense, sealed their fate. Popular opinion shifted immediately and the bill now had huge support. No one wanted more war or any more battles. Witches and Wizards alike stepped forward to volunteer to see if they had a match, aided by a large galleon reward for not having to be drafted into the law.

She looked up at Ginny, who was staring pensively into an empty glass she had conjured and evidently filled with brandy she had already drunk. Ginny and Harry had been dating since the Battle of Hogwarts, but it hadn't been smooth sailing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had not come out of that battle unscathed. Emotionally, the three of them had been all over the place. The Weasley family had lost a son, Fred. Many families had lost sons and daughters, actually. Hermione still had nightmares; Ron and Harry she knew did as well.

She let out a long sigh and put aside her own angst. "Ginny?"

Ginny looked up, her face still pale but set in a firm stubborn line. "I volunteered, Hermione. I signed the contract; I am going to drop it off tomorrow. I want to feel like this was my choice, not that I was forced," Ginny said severely.

Hermione gave a slow nod; Kingsley had said that he would honor prior engagements as long as they put in intentions to be married whenever possible, even if there was a genetic problem with the couple. Hermione had known, of course, that he had been referring to Harry and Ginny, who had been engaged for over two years now. But if Ginny was no longer engaged, she would be drafted into the marriage pool of the law eventually. Each wizarding family was required to draft the oldest unmarried son and daughter to see if they had a soul bond. In the Weasley family that meant George and Ginny. And, knowing Ginny, she could understand why her friend wanted to volunteer instead of being forced into it.

"Does your mother know?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Ginny gave a firm nod her face screwing up into a grimace. "Oh yes, she knows. It took three calming draughts to stop the screaming."

Hermione flinched and rubbed her own suddenly cold arms. "I'm sorry, Ginny."

Ginny nodded, still glaring at her glass. "Harry said he was volunteering too. When I told him about the charm, he didn't look at all surprised that we weren't a match. He just nodded and said "okay" and when I told him I was going to hand in my papers to the Ministry he bloody nodded again and said he wished to do that too."

Hermione felt shock run through her. If Harry was volunteering, that would basically remove the last of the arguments against the law. The Boy Who Lived didn't make many political statements, but when he did people listened.

"Dad said that Harry's support would mean that there would probably not be another battle. Purebloods aren't stupid; they know that if he supports it they have nothing to stand on. Not that the idiots did before, all the battle did is steel the public's regard for the change. Prats." Ginny finished angrily.

Hermione nodded and went back to staring at her own glass of brandy.

Ginny shifted to look at her. "What did Kingsley say when he found out one of the Golden Trio would volunteer? Ron won't, you know. He already said so."

Hermione flinched and then sighed. "Ron might not have a choice- but to answer your question: Kingsley expected me to volunteer all along. He is probably going to faint over Harry though, not in the least because you two broke up."

Ginny nodded and her face showed traces of sadness. "Mom knew that was coming though. Things with Harry and I have been a mess for a while now. It's you and Ron that she is still grieving."

Hermione closed her eyes as pain washed over her. "I know," she said simply.

Molly Weasley had been a mother to her long before she had sent her own to Australia. When she and Ron had started dating, no one had been as excited as Molly. So it was no surprise that when she and Ron split up, no one had been as upset as Molly.

Ginny sank back on the loveseat and crossed her arms, her face paler. "My meeting with the matchmaker is tomorrow. Can I stay here?"

Hermione nodded. "I had mine yesterday."

Ginny looked at her. "How did it go?"

Hermione shook her head. "It went fine. They had to bewitch a muggle genetic specialist, you know. I had to go through all sorts of testing. So will you, I imagine. It's a bit of a shock if you aren't prepared for it."

Ginny sat forward, her face both interested and weary. "What will he do?"

"He has to take your blood in the muggle way, with a needle from your vein. It doesn't hurt much after the initial stick. He sets up a genetic profile based on what he finds. It usually takes weeks to get the results back but they've done something magically to speed it up. Then he sits down with you and goes over the results. With Pureblood families, I imagine it matters a lot more. There's a reason most of them don't have high birthrates and are so mentally unstable."

Ginny was frowning. "It's down to this muggle thing? Genericts?"

Hermione nodded softly. "Genetics," Hermione corrected, "and yes. It's in your genes, your DNA fingerprint."

Ginny shook her head and then laughed. "I have no idea what any of that means."

Hermione flinched. "It's what's in your blood, Ginny. Your blood can tell this man everything about you."

Ginny sat back shocked. "But I thought the whole point of this was to stop worrying about blood?"

Hermione gave a sad smile. "Well, yes. The law is encouraging us to stop worrying about insignificant things, but there are things in the blood that do matter. For example, they've identified a gene in Purebloods that is causing the low birthrates and all the stillborn babies. They are calling it nondum-natus, which is Latin for stillborn. If the gene is carried by both parents, it doesn't bode well for them.

Ginny gave a soft gasp and her eyes widened. "Mom had three stillborn babies! We're an oddity you know, mom having as many kids as she did."

Hermione gave a sad sigh. "I know, and yes, your mom did have the gene. Wizards in the Ministry could have the man do testing on them. Percy and Penelope went in last week. They both have the gene too.

Ginny's eyes went wide. "What will they do? They're already married!"

"Well, now that it's known, they will be watched closely. There are some muggle things that might help with this. But it means that any pregnancy she has is in danger."

Ginny's eyes closed in horror. "Poor Penelope, that's awful."

Hermione sighed and set down her own glass, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yes. Bill and Fleur are fine and so are Charlie and Lisbeth "

Ginny rocked a little, looking upset. "I might have the gene though? That's what you are warning me against?"

Hermione nodded, feeling sick. "Yes, Ginny, you will probably have it. Harry wouldn't because his mother was muggleborn; it's passed down from your mother, you see."

Ginny frowned. "Then why don't Bill and Charlie have it?"

Hermione flinched. "Well, it can skip but you can't have it at all if your mother did not. Bill does have it but his wife does not; Charlie doesn't but his wife does. Both people having it is when it's really a problem. None of their kids have it. though. All of them checked out okay and I don't think either of them wish to have more children, so it's fine. It's just Percy and Penelope who have to worry."

Ginny was still frowning. "What about the next generation? You said it could skip?"

Hermione sighed and then shrugged. "I am not really sure. Kingsley said that genetics testing was going to become standard now for wizards until the gene is eliminated. I know that St. Mungos is sending five healers to a muggle school to learn about it. They're working on an Arithmancy problems over this; it's going to become a pretty big deal from now on."

Ginny shook her head in shock. "That's got to be unprecedented. I have never heard of healers going to learn muggle medicine. Dad will be so excited."

Hermione nodded, finding a small smile. "They are sending healers to learn about some muggle fertilization techniques too. There is medicine in the muggle world that might help couples like Percy and Penelope. Fertility treatments that, I guess, can target certain genetic problems."

Ginny gave a sad little grunt and then sighed. "Well, that's good then. Percy might have been a giant prat but he's not so bad now, and I know they want to be parents."

Hermione grinned and then dropped her chin onto her palm, feeling her earlier depression return.

Ginny was watching her. "Hermione, I know you did the charm but weren't you against the law?"

Hermione nodded, feeling anger burn in her gut. "I am against it. It's wrong to force something like this on someone."

"So why would you volunteer like you did?"

Hermione pinched her lips, glaring at the now cold fireplace. "Because it's the only way to stop this madness! Harry was hurt in that battle when they rebelled again; he might have died. They have to be stopped and Kingsley is right- the only way to do that is to force them or allow the lot of them to just die out, and that would be even more wrong. I don't like any of this. The forced sterilization while this has all been decided, the fact no one could get married without Ministry approval, all of it is bloody wrong, Ginny. I guess I am just going with what feels the least wrong."

Ginny nodded, her expression hard. "Me too. At least with your charm I know there is a good chance of finding love, and the fact that we will be soul bonded not just married. Whoever it is can't hurt me; they can't beat me."

Hermione gave her a long look. "Harry would have never hurt or beat you, Ginny."

Was that something Ginny had been afraid of?

Ginny flinched and looked at Hermione in shock. "I never said he would have. I am just pointing out that if I go to some git like Malfoy, I at least know he can't torture me or something. That's a good thing to have in my corner."

Hermione grinned. "But you can't torture him either."

Ginny shrugged. "Well, you win some you lose some. You can though, maybe I will just call you over to do it for me."

Hermione laughed and then hugged Ginny. "I love you, Ginny, no matter what happens. I will always love you."

Ginny grinned at her. "Even if I am a Malfoy?"

Hermione smirked. "Well, now that's pushing it!"

Author Note:
Please read and review! I am very excited to hear back from readers and will try to interact with you whenever I can as the story progresses.

Lot of information so here is what you need to know. Since the war no one from the 'dark' side has been allowed to inter marry or have children. It's a magical sterilization and reversible and Hermione has invented and tweaked a charm that allows for 'bonded' soul mates. It's a big deal and all of this will be explained further in the story.