Yo. I know this idea has been done before more than once, and while the ones I've read have all been good, I've never finished reading any of them because, at some point or another, Harry, male or female, ends up pregnant. I HATE that. So I decided to write my own where that doesn't happen. (If you've read one where that doesn't happen, do let me know!)
Warnings: mentions of child abuse, which I don't at all condone. Fem!Harry. AU!Fifth year. Manipulative!Dumbledore. I haven't thought of anything else yet, so I'll mention it if I do.
Pairings: TMR/LVxHP, RLxSB, RWxHG, that's all I have planned so far. I'll add more if and when I think of them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...
Violet Potter was content. It was strange concept indeed, but she had no desire to really think about why that was. It would ruin her mood, after all.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in June, and exams had come to an end. OWLs had been difficult, yet easy at the same time, and the raven haired girl was pleased with how they had gone. She knew she certainly didn't manage to do as well as Hermione, but was positive she'd done better than Ron at least, and earned a few OWLs. Hopefully.
She was seated under a large tree by the lake, her feet in the cool water, surrounded by her friends. Ron and Hermione were seated to her left. The bushy haired witch was cooling her feet in the water as well, though she was more caught up in her argument with the redhead. Those two were always arguing! Violet wondered why they didn't just snog already and get it over with! Luna was to the right of her, lying on her back in the grass, staring up at the passing clouds while she hummed a Christmas carol vaguely under her breath, despite the time of year. And not far in front of her was Neville. He had rolled up the legs of his trousers and waded into the water to poke and prod at some sort of weed, his expression a mask of concentration.
Violet smiled, tipped her head back, and closed her eyes, feeling a gentle breeze play across her face. It was so rare for her to feel this at peace. Especially this year, what with Umbridge and her literally bloody detentions, and her constantly painfully twinging, burning, stinging lightning bolt scar. She doubted the scar on the back of her left hand would ever fade.
No, bad Violet! Don't think about all that! She pulled herself out of her thoughts and peered at her friends again, keeping herself distracted. Yes, if she didn't start thinking, she was most certainly quite content.
She should have known it wasn't meant to last.
"Hey, Violet!" Ginny, who had opted to spend time with her boyfriend Dean, approached while waving.
"Hey, Gin," the emerald eyed girl greeted with a smile.
"I just ran into McGonagall," said the youngest Weasley, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder. "She said Dumbledore wants to see you in his office."
Ron and Hermione stopped arguing immediately, Neville looked up from whatever it was he was examining, and even Luna stopped humming.
Violet frowned. "Did she say why?" She couldn't possibly have done something wrong now! She'd been focused on her exams all week, and with her friends since they had finished mere hours ago. She hadn't done anything!
Ginny shook her head. "No, but she looked really serious. All she said was that you have to go up right away."
Despite being quite confused and a little concerned, the Girl-Who-Lived nodded and got to her feet, thanking Hermione when she spelled her feet dry. She pulled on her socks and shoes, straightened her skirt, and with a small wave to her friends, began making her way into the castle.
The corridors were deserted, the students either outside in the sun, or holed up in their common rooms. Everyone was enjoying the end of exams in their own weird way. It was that one, rare moment of the year when there were no altercations between the four Houses, everyone too relieved to argue or fight.
Running into no one at all, not even a ghost, Violet soon found herself standing before the gargoyle that blocked the staircase to the Headmaster's office. And it was only now that the teen was realizing she had no idea what the password was. Well, damn.
"Chocolate Frog? Blood Pop? Ice Mice?" Sweet, after sweet she named, none of them earning her any sort of reaction, which eventually led her to start naming Muggle sweets. ...Where was a professor when you needed them? "Mars? Smarties? Reese? Um, Snickers?"*
At that, the gargoyle sprang aside, revealing the staircase. Amused, but deciding not to question how the headmaster even knew what Snickers bars were, she ascended the stairs, eventually finding herself standing in front of the door. Raising a hand, knocked with the griffin door knocker.
"Come in!"
The door sprang open on its own, and she stepped into the large, circular room, only to pause in place at the sight before her. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, looking rather solemn, but he wasn't the only person in the office. Professors McGonagall and Snape were also here, the latter of whom had a large, dark scaled serpent coiled around his shoulders for some reason. Besides them, there were two more in here.
"Remus? P-Padfoot?" Violet stood where she was, blinking rapidly, her concern only growing. "What's going on?" she questioned, stepping further into the room. "Did-did something happen? Is everyone okay?"
"Everything's alright!" Remus assured quickly, looking oddly...guilty?
"All will be explained in a moment, my dear," said Dumbledore with a smile as he flicked his wand.
Violet heard the door shut behind her, and she felt a flicker of magic pass over her shoulder. Seconds later, Padfoot turned back into Sirius, who wasted no time in drawing his goddaughter into a tight embrace. An embrace filled with concern and guilt.
Emerald eyes narrowing, the girl carefully pulled away. McGonagall looked guilty as well, her lips pressed tightly together. Snape was the only one who looked impassive, but her attention was quickly drawn to the serpent coiled around him.
The snake seemed to realize it was being observed, for it raised its dark head off the man's shoulder, revealing crimson irises. "Sss, more staring fools. How irritating."
Violet blinked, but couldn't help the tiny smile that caught at her lips. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've never seen such a beautiful snake before."
The serpent raised its head further, actually looking at her now. "A Speaker?" It, he, perhaps, paused as if in contemplation. "You may touch me, if you wish."
Nodding, but not willing to do so without Snape's permission (he'd never hesitate before slapping her with a detention), she glanced up at the professor. "May I pet him, sir?"
Snape peered down at her, expressionless. "You may," he finally relented with an incline of his head.
Quickly forgetting about everyone else, the girl reached out and gently began petting the snake, amazed at the soft, smooth scales beneath her fingertips. She'd never touched a snake before, not counting the basilisk, considering it had been trying to kill her.
The snake seemed to be enjoying her touch, and leaned into her. "Sss, what is your name, young Speaker?"
The girl smiled, but didn't stop petting. "Violet. My name is Violet. Will you tell me your name?"
"I am called...Thanatos,"
Violet grinned and glanced up at the Potions Master. "Thanatos? You named the snake after death?"
Snape merely smirked, amusement flashing through his eyes, though he said nothing in return, not that that was surprising or anything. Or maybe it was. She wasn't sure she had ever lasted this long in the same room as the Potions Master without losing House points.
Dumbledore suddenly cleared his throat, drawing Violet's attention to him again. She immediately noticed that he, McGonagall, Remus, and Sirius all looked a little uncomfortable. She tried not to roll her eyes. Parseltongue was just a...foreign language, that's all. Still, she figured it was time to refocus on why she was here in the first place.
"So, what's going on?" she asked. "Does-does this have something to do with Voldemort?" Of course it does. Why else would you be here? She saw Thanatos stir out of the corner of her eye, as if attempting to near her, but she chose to ignore it, wanting to find out what the heck was going on.
"It does, yes," nodded Dumbledore. "But it is not necessarily bad."
But there was something in his tone that had the teen raising her guard quite quickly. 'Voldemort' and 'not bad' weren't words that really went together in her opinion. "So then..."
"I have only just returned from a meeting with Cornelius at the Ministry," Dumbledore began. "And attending that meeting was one other-Tom."
Violet blinked, absently noting the snake stirring again. "Tom? As in Tom Riddle? As-as in Voldemort?" Because the only other Tom she knew was the innkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron, and he certainly had no reason to be in a meeting like that, which left only one option.
"Yes, indeed."
"You had a meeting with Fudge and Voldemort?" This sounds fake. How could it not?
"Yes, and it was a most interesting meeting."
"Why? Sir," she added quickly, remembering to be polite.
"Tom has offered a peace treaty."
Violet blinked. "What? Why?"
"Both sides of this war are in agreement with this treaty," replied the old man, ignoring her questions, unsurprisingly.
"...I can hear a 'but' in there somewhere," she pointed out.
Dumbledore nodded and peered at her from over the rim of his half moon spectacles. "But there is one thing he is asking for that we cannot agree on without first discussing it with you."
Violet was getting a really bad feeling now, dread settling over her like a thick blanket. "What...what is he asking for?"
"You."
"E-eh? M-me? What do you mean he wants me?"
McGonagall seemed to take pity on her. "He wishes for your hand in marriage."
For a second, Violet wondered if she was about to faint. Her mind went blank, her knees went weak, and Remus sprang forward, catching her around the waist before she managed to hit the floor.
"Careful, Cub," he murmured, gently guiding her into a chair and wondering why the Headmaster hadn't invited to her to sit before. He remained at her side, keeping a firm hold on her hand while Sirius moved to stand behind her, his hands on the girl's shoulders, an unfamiliar, but comforting weight.
There was a long pause where no one spoke. Eventually, it was Violet herself who broke that silence, desperate to voice her thoughts, but unsure of what even to say, and settling with-
"If I say no?"
"Then the peace treaty will go unsigned, and the war will continue as it is," stated Dumbledore without preamble or hesitation.
"Meaning if I agree, the war will come to an end?"
"Yes."
Way to be blunt. I marry Voldemort, the war ends. I don't marry him, the war continues. Yeah, I really wonder what I'm going to choose. Merlin, why can't I have a normal life for once...? Violet had no idea what to really think about all this.
"You have time yet, to decide," said the old headmaster. "Until your birthday, in fact. However, I expect you to come to me before the Parting Feast with your thoughts."
Violet just nodded. She felt like she was in shock, unable to believe this decision that had, ultimately, been made for her. She sighed inwardly, then looked up. "If that's all, may I be excused?"
McGonagall answered before Dumbledore could, looking saddened. "Of course you may. Go on and-and enjoy the sunshine." Clearly she was upset with all this, but for whatever reason, wasn't bothering to argue against it. No one was.
"Cub." "Pup." Remus and Sirius spoke in unison, neither releasing her as she stood.
But the Girl-Who-Lived merely faked a smile, something she was very used to doing. "I'm fine," she assured the two men. "I just want to-to get out of here."
Both hesitated before nodding and letting go of her, allowing Violet to shakily make her way out of the round room.
The emerald eyed girl wasted no time, and immediately hurried back outside and over to the large tree by the lake. Even as she approached she spotted her friends exactly where she had left them, Ginny included. She must have ditched Dean for now. All five noticed her as she neared, and looked up.
When Violet finally came to a stop, the looks of concern had her words catching in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, wanting to tell them what she had just learned, but all that came out was a choked sob, knees crumpling under her again.
Ron's eyes widened and he leapt to his feet before anyone else could even react. Probably used to dealing with Ginny when she'd been younger, he wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders and gently guided her down onto the grass, even as the others approached.
"What happened?" asked Hermione worriedly, setting her palm on the other girl's forehead to check for a fever.
"I'm not sick," Violet muttered. "I just got some...bad news."
"Was it something Dumbledore said?" asked Neville with a furrowed brow.
Violet nodded. "He and Fudge had a meeting at the Ministry, and Voldemort was with them."
"What!?"
The girl cracked a smile, unable to help herself. "That isn't even the shocking part."
"Go on, then," encouraged Ginny, despite the look of confusion on her freckled face.
"Apparently, Voldemort proposed a peace treaty."
"What!?"
"That still isn't the shocking bit."
"Keep going then."
"Dumbledore and Fudge agree with the treaty, but..."
"But?" they echoed.
Violet hesitated, then decided to just be blunt. "Voldemort wants to marry me. Or rather, wants me to marry him. Same thing, really. It's marriage either way."
"..."
"That's the shocking part."
"W-WHAT!?"
"Why!?" questioned Ron, blue eyes wide with disbelief, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. And he certainly wasn't the only one.
Violet shrugged. "I have no idea. But basically, if I marry the Dark Lord the war ends, if I don't, the war doesn't."
Hermione released a horrified gasp, a hand coming up to cover her gaping mouth. "They can't be serious! That's appalling! They can't hinge the end of the war on a teenage girl marrying the Dark Lord!"
The emerald eyed girl shrugged again, feeling helpless. "Remus and Sirius were there along with McGonagall and Snape too. Everyone but Snape looked oddly guilty. They couldn't even look me in the eyes half the time."
"But-but they can't possibly AGREE with this!"
"They do."
"Even Sirius and Remus!?"
Violet nodded. "Everyone wants this war to end," she said softly, tugging at tufts of grass.
"I know what you're thinking." It was Neville who broke the sudden silence that had fallen. Violet looked up at him, only to see he was regarding her closely, his eyes locked on her face intently. "We all know what you're going to choose to do, Violet, but you said you still have time, right?"
"He said my birthday, which is the day after yours. But he wants to hear something before the Parting Feast."
Neville nodded. "If V-Voldemort is serious about this, then have you considered asking to meet him for negotiations?"
"That's right!" exclaimed Hermione, catching on immediately, her eyes lighting up. "The marriage clause can't possibly be the only thing on the treaty! You need to know what else they're agreeing on, besides you and this marriage."
"And there are all sorts of marriage contracts too," Ron pointed out. "Some are definitely better or worse than others for sure, so you can ask which one he's planning on using, and after Hermione here does some research," he gave the bushy haired witch an amused glance, "we'll know if it's any good or not."
Ginny nodded in agreement. "If it's a bad one, you can always propose one of your own. There are no laws against that. He can't flat out deny using yours, but he doesn't have to accept it either."
"Daddy and mum bonded using a very good contract," Luna pitched in abruptly. "I'll ask him if you like."
Again, Violet nodded, unwilling to deny any help being given to her, something the adults didn't seem to give a damn about. And the rest of the day was spent with the teens making note of everything the poor Girl-Who-Lived could ask the Dark Lord, if negotiations were actually allowed.
Violet had never been more glad to have her friends on her side...
*I'm too lazy to research which chocolate bars do and don't exist in Europe, and those are what I was eating while writing, so yeah...
And that's the beginning. I'm in the middle of writing chapter three right now, but I don't know when I'll have the time to edit and post the next chapter. Anyway, I'm open to suggestions and ideas, though that doesn't guarantee I'll use them. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!