Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

BeWitched, Body and Soul	By : SiriusWriter Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 5197 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not make any money from this fanfic. I do not own Harry Potter or any part of this world, nor do I own any part of "Pride and Prejudice." Anything you recognize belongs either to Jane Austen or JKR.

Chapter List
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A/N: This is not the first fic I've written, but it is the first I've decided to upload onto AFF. Typically, I hate Marriage Law fics, as they're an easy way to force two incompatible characters together and make them have babies. That being said, there ARE some wonderful Marriage Law fics out there, and I hope that this will soon be considered one of them. As mentioned in the summary, this is based loosely on "Pride and Prejudice," so there will be multiple character pairings as well as quotations and references both from the novel and the 2005 film (which I prefer of the two). As previously stated, anything you recognize does not belong to me. I've done my best to stay true to the characters JK Rowling created, and I have tried to convey the mood of the novel and the film as well. Fear not, however; the pre-Victorianism does not extend much past this, and there will be plenty of steamy encounters between most of the pairings later on. As this is my first AFF story, ratings and reviews are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 1

As Ginny Weasley sat in her compartment on the Hogwarts Express, she was completely and utterly oblivious to the frantic clacking of girls’ shoes in the halls, nor did she notice the anxious whisper that seemed to flit its way down the train like a Cornish pixie. No, Ginny Weasley sat with her head against the cool window, watching the steady progression of silver beads of rain as they embroidered themselves along the smooth pane of glass. She was grateful for the silence of Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville as they sped across marshes and hillsides, for her thoughts were heavy and did not seem eager to form themselves into spoken words.

She had refused to talk to anyone but Hermione about it all summer, for, perhaps, if she refused to admit it, it would not be true. She kept convincing herself that she would walk into the common room after the welcoming feast and find Harry there reading his beat up copy of Quidditch through the Ages, as she often had the year before. As many times as she had attempted to rework everything in her head, she could not escape the suffocating conclusion that they simply weren’t right for one another.

For years Ginny had fawned over Harry, building him up in her mind as the perfect boyfriend. Fantasies and imagined scenarios had been polished to perfection over her years of pining, but when she finally threw her arms around him and pressed her lips against his, she felt… nothing. She had convinced herself at first that it was simply because she could not believe she had him at last, and that once she did, all those passions that she had harbored for years would come bubbling to the surface. They didn’t.

She was, though she had only admitted it once out loud, relieved when he had ended it. To be honest, she felt he was too. There had been so much waiting, so much anticipation, that when the real thing had come along, Ginny supposed she had allowed herself to get too carried away in her daydreams to accept reality. Most surprising, she’d never thought her fantasies were too far from reality; Ginny wasn’t the type of girl to envision rose petals strewn across her bed or fairy-lit evenings every night. What she had expected was emotional intimacy, playful flirtation, and the occasional trip to Hogsmede or cuddle on the couch. She had somehow convinced herself that once they started dating, Harry would act… well, like a boyfriend. But he was still awkward around her, would still rather plan Quidditch strategies than dates, and still couldn’t open himself up to her. She’d tried. She’d tried so hard. But he just wasn’t able to trust her with his emotions.

So it had ended—Ginny was headed back to Hogwarts for her sixth year, and Harry had gone with Lupin to hunt the horcruxes. Though Voldemort had retreated further underground after his most trusted servant had revealed many of his secrets, the wizarding world seemed in a constant state of silent panic, no one knowing who could be trusted. After Snape revealed his true allegiance to Dumbledore in June, he was murdered by his fellow Death Eaters and blasted off the Astronomy tower, leaving Voldemort and his ranks somewhat shaken—for months no disasters had occurred, but rather than calm people, it seemed to set them even more on edge, dangling over the abyss of catastrophes unknown.

As the scarlet engine pulled to a halt at Hogsmede Station, Ginny forced herself from her thoughts and glanced around the cabin. Her friends were beginning to gather their things, and Hermione squeezed Ginny’s hand, asking if she was alright. She had such great friends, and yet for months she had been ungrateful, moping through life like it was a burden rather than a blessing. Suddenly Ginny felt disgusted with herself for being so pathetic. She and Harry could never be together, and frankly, she was more upset about losing her concept of the ideal boyfriend rather than Harry himself. Even when they had been at their best, he had been withdrawn, unable to let himself fully love her. A pain more terrible than any other gripped her chest for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by firm determination, and in that moment Ginny Weasley decided she needed to be done sulking over it. She felt a new sense of hope and purpose as she descended to the platform and climbed into an enchanted carriage. She had her friends, her family, and a year’s worth of new challenges to conquer. Had she known the form those challenges would take, however, she might have gotten back on the train.

When Sorting came to an end and the glittering gold plates filled themselves with food, Ginny happily ate and allowed herself to fully engage with her best friends for the first time in months.

“Looks like a good lot of Gryffindors this year,” Hermione said cheerfully, already flipping through her copy of Advanced Transfiguration: From Animagi to Zygodactyls.

“Yeah, if you like a bunch of twitchy swots,” Ron snorted, earning him a quick swat on the arm from Hermione’s book.

“ We. Are. Prefects!” She hissed at him, though the corners of her mouth held the tiniest shadow of a grin. “Besides, they’re not all bad,” she gestured to the far end of the table, where the first years looked anxious but eager.

“They’re not that bad, but I think Lavender Brown stole one of their uniforms.” Ginny glanced meaningfully towards the other end of the table, where Lavender sat with her chest practically bursting out from under her top. She did not seem to mind the attention she was receiving from a group of rowdy fifth years at the Ravenclaw table across the way. “Her plaits actually go farther down her midriff than her shirt! And when did she get such big boobs anyways?”

Ron uncomfortably muttered something under his breath, of which Ginny managed to catch the words “enchanted bra” and “false advertising.” He glanced guiltily at Hermione, who thankfully had been too preoccupied in a lengthy explanation of human transfiguratory theory to notice.

“When do you think they’ll make the announcement?” Neville asked, knitting his eyebrows together and glancing around nervously.

“What announcement?” Ginny asked, having heard of no such thing.

“Didn’t you hear everyone on the train? There’s a rumor that some big announcement is being made tonight, but no one knows anything about it.” Neville explained, craning his neck towards the Hufflepuff table in an attempt to overhear their theories as to what it might be.

“It’s probably just a new security measure,” said Hermione, not even looking up from her book. “Voldemort may be lying low, but he can’t do so forever. I just hope it doesn’t get in the way of classes—that Ministry woman looks troublingly Umbridge-esque.” Ginny followed Hermione’s gaze to the head table, where a rather round, curvy witch sat to Dumbledore’s left, apparently engaging him in deep conversation. Her brassy blonde locks were pulled back by a self-curling lilac ribbon, and her otherwise kind brown eyes were rimmed in the same bright purple eyeliner that many of the fourth year girls were sporting that year. Ginny was relieved at the absence of a fluffy pink cardigan, but the woman’s leopard-print robes and diamond stud earrings struck her as bizarre on an otherwise matronly witch. Just as Ginny was about to turn her attention back to her second helping of chicken, however, the plates were wiped clean and filled with desserts. The students seemed less preoccupied with sumptuous cakes and truffles than they might have been, as they knew Dumbledore always waited until after dessert to give his welcoming speech; a low buzz filled the Great Hall as the impending announcement was anticipated.

Dumbledore appeared in no hurry, however, and calmly ate his generous serving of pumpkin tart without seeming to notice the mounting curiosity of the thousand-some students before him. After a few minutes (though it felt much longer), he set down his spoon, delicately wiped the crumbs from his silver beard, and stood. As he approached the podium, Ginny was happy to see that his blackened hand was returning to its usual colour, thanks to Hermione’s counter-curse research over the summer (she had been awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class, and recognized with highest prestige by Dark Arts Daily for her work).

“Students, faculty, and staff, it is my extreme pleasure to welcome you back most heartily to another year at Hogwarts.” His piercing blue eyes swept the room, twinkling in the candlelight. “Though we are of course here to learn and grow for another year, I feel it essential to speak with all of you regarding the dangers we now face together.” He paused, as though bracing himself, “The very fabric of our world is being threatened by Lord Voldemort and his followers.” A shudder echoed across the room among the faculty and students alike.

“In this troubling time, I cannot stress enough the importance of trust between us. Voldemort will prey on our doubts and our fears, and his biggest strength is in our dividedness. He cannot win through curses or manpower, but rather through the differences between us which lead to fear and hate. We must strengthen our bonds to one another in order to save our world, and reach across dividing lines to fight for the greater good.” Dumbledore paused again, his mouth in a grim line and his forehead creased; Ginny began to realize that this announcement, whatever it was, had nothing to do with security procedures. “In order to create alliances among the wizarding population, and build bonds of trust between us, the Ministry of Magic, along with the other Magical Ministries of Europe, has decided to impose a marriage law, effective today.”

There was a moment of silence, and then, chaos.

A/N: Zygodactyl is a term for a bird or other creature with yoked toes. Presumably Hermione’s book goes into explanations regarding foot transfiguration, a very complex subject given the vast number of bones in the human foot.
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BeWitched, Body and Soul