Few facts before you start reading my new story-
Harry Potter is not the Boy-Who-Lived in this story. It's Neville Longbottom
It's an A/U as in it is totally different from canon.
The story is set after Hogwarts Education.
Voldemort has been alive for quite some time that is from the fourth year to until now.
There is going to be a lot of world building since I find restricting my story to Britain stupid. This will allow me to write something unique.
Harry is going to be very different in this story.
I have taken a lot of inspiration from Ironman.
I would like to thank literallychallenged to beta'd this chapter. It would have been possible without her. So, a million thanks to her.
Chapter - 1
Greengrass Manor,
A young woman with dark raven hair was glaring at two people for all they were worth. Her azure eyes piercing into two elder folks, one man and another a woman with dirty blonde hair. The said woman was judging them trying to find any form of insincerity.
"You have to be joking, Father." The young lady said, her voice devoid of any emotion however somehow she still managed to maintain her glare.
Daniel flinched at her daughter's clipped tone
"Daphne, I am really sorry. I never wanted this to happen." Daniel replied regretfully.
Daphne just sighed, she knew it wasn't her parent's fault that she was stuck in a marriage contract but she couldn't help but vent her anger on them. She had just turned nineteen few days ago when she was informed by her parents about her impending marriage. How absurd it sounded to her - Marriage! It felt as if her entire world came crashing down on her. She had worked hard to get where she was now, she got 2nd highest in NEWT's at her batch, just lost the first place by few points to Hermoine Granger (the muggleborn).
And just after graduating she got herself a job at the Department of Mysteries and within a year she was approached by the Unspeakables. She didn't like to brag but she was quite sure that she was the best dueller amongst her batch mates which is why she was left alone during her tenure as a student in Hogwarts. Everyone was just too bloody scared to be on the wrong end of her wand, which became even truer after her training as an Unspeakable was completed in a record time.
When she was first informed, she had not even dared to ask her intended's name from her parents despairing that it might have been someone like Malfoy or Zabini. Hence, she had to prepare herself for few days to take the entire situation in but no matter what she would have done it would have never prepared her for this. She was going to be sold off to bloody Harry Potter, the fucking-four eyed scrawny kid. It actually took her sometime to recognise the man since he was simply so unremarkable at class. He just never stood out at anything. That was never a good sign.
"You two do know that Potter might not have even completed his basic seven year Hogwarts curriculum." Daphne stated pointedly to her parent's still maintaining an even tone.
At this both Daniel and Elizabeth Greengrass blinked, this was news to them "Are you sure about that doll!? Your father and I tried to find more about your soon-to-be-husband but we came up with nothing." Elizabeth replied with concern evident in her tone.
"Yes, mother!" Daphne snapped "I am sure, because my intended simply decided to not appear after his fourth year in Hogwarts." Daphne said 'intended' with such vitriol that if Harry was present he would have turned to dust just by the sheer unpleasantness radiating from Daphne.
"You don't know that maybe he transferred to some other school like Beuxbaton or Durmstrang." Daniel replied reproachfully "Though I am sure he is nowhere in Britain right now." Daniel mumbled the last part not really wanting her daughter to catch on that.
However just like usual his daughter managed to hear everything and she exploded "You mean you don't even know where he is right now!? Just how much are you going to mess this up?"
"That's enough! Daphne Greengrass." Elizabeth crowed and Daphne couldn't help but flinch. She always said her whole name when she was pissed. Her mother with her hair blazing and her glare looked downright intimidating and even she didn't dare to test her patience further. Even her father sat back after seeing his wife like that.
"I know the circumstances aren't exactly great," Elizabeth started with a little caution "and we don't know much about your intended but every day we are working on finding more about him. He can't hide from us forever and if he turned out to be an unpleasant sort then we will take care of him." Elizabeth said the last part with a lot of weight on it and her eyes went cold.
Daphne took a step back in shock, she never knew that her parents would go so far for her that they would be ready to kill if her supposed husband turned out to be Death Eater or someone dangerous.
"But if he is not of an unpleasant sort then you will marry him." Her Father grounded out.
Daphne just gave a nod with a hard glint behind her eyes.
"How much time do I have? How long would I be free?" Daphne asked with resignation in her tone.
"A year at best." Both Daniel and Elizabeth replied but there was definite softness behind their answer. Daphne thought it might have been because of their own helplessness in helping her get out of this marriage. Since, she was sure of one thing in this world and that was her parents loved her despite their cold exterior.
Daphne then just simply stormed out of her Father's study with a purpose in her mind. Her parents had told her that the contract was solid and she was inclined to believe them, they would never joke about something like this but she wanted to get the contract checked further by Croaker who was the head of the Unspeakables. They might even be able to locate that idiotic loser. Seriously, who just vanishes like that she knew that times were tough because of the return of Lord Voldemort but if that was the only reason he went away from Britain then that made him a coward. This didn't endear him to her.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A large auditorium was packed to the brink by the students of Harvard University for a very special lecture. Harvard University was not only one of the premier institution of the modern subjects but also did cutting edge research in Thaumaturgy or commonly known by the wizarding population as 'Magic'.
Right now, there was a massive screen which lit up and said 'Runnic Arrays and their Significance in Modern Thaumaturgy'.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! A Good evening to all of you." A semi bald narrator screamed out using the Sonorus Charm. There was some light clapping from the students of the auditorium. "Today we have a very special alumnus from our very own university will be sharing some of his expertise on runes with all of us."
Now, there were some murmurs from the crowd. The future researchers were chatting excitably amongst them. "Yes! You all heard right, for the very first time Mr. Thorne will be making a public appearance."
The entire auditorium boomed with an applause. Every student was clapping until their arms hurt.
But now the narrator hedged a little with a mischievous smile "However before we bring the mysterious Arthur Thorne to the stage we would like to give a small presentation on his various achievements."
The narrator immediately made his way out of the stage and the entire auditorium went dark and then the screen lit up further showing various images.
So who is Arthur Thorne?
Arthur Thorne is the multi billionaire owner of the Advanced Idea Mechanics or commonly known as AIM which have made serious breakthrough in various fields of Thaumaturgy like Arthimancy, Runes, Formalcraft, and so on. Despite their various achievements in these field the most important breakthroughs have been in modern Sciences like advanced targeting system for missiles, satellite locating, and the ever latest crystal missiles.
A female voice spoke while showing various related images of the inventions and Thorne Industries.
All these achievements can be boiled down to a single person and that man is Arthur Thorne.
Arthur Thorne was adopted by the Legendry weapon manufacturer Howard Thorne at the age of thirteen. Then at the age of fourteen he made his very first Advanced level Runnic Array, the at the age of fifteen he was chosen to attend Harvard Thaumaturgical Sciences and by the age of 17 he graduated summa cum laude and by the age of eighteen he was already the CEO of Thorne Industries but then came the passing of a Titan 'Howard Thorne' and he left the entire company and its dreams on the young shoulders of his son.
Who despite all has proven to be a superior son of a stellar father.
All the students exploded with praise and clapping's. The entire auditorium shook.
"Well, wasn't that nice?" A sharp voice cut through the cacophony of more than a thousand students like a knife. All the students' attention immediately shifted to a young man who was standing in the middle of stage wearing a crisp suit. He was about six feet tall and cut quite the dashing figure with his impeccable dressing sense and a playful smirk. The suit of his clung to him like a second skin highlighting his sculpted torso and biceps.
"I would love to thank Harvard for this beautiful presentation about me but I think I should give due credit to that amazingly sexy voice who introduced me otherwise it simply won't be fair." The now introduced Arthur Thorne replied playfully which was accompanied by few giggles from the audience.
"And I would love to meet her backstage," he added with a smirk.
Which drew a few hoots of approval from a part of the audience, and a couple cheers from the other.
"So, all jokes aside today we will be talking about runes and their significance in modern Thaumaturgy. Symbols and Runes are capable of telling thousands words in a single structure but which words are they trying to convey, that is what's important. "Arthur spoke sternly immediately losing any hint of playfulness.
"So now I will be showing some pictures of symbols and runes on the screen and I want you all-" He spoke while pointing his index finger to all the students " to speak about the first thing which comes into the mind when you see the symbol or the related rune."
With that Arthur pointed towards the screen with a remote and it promptly lit up with a rune shaped like a mystifying pentagram.
Immediately shouts rang around the auditorium.
"Hatred."
The voice piqued his attention and he looked in the general direction of the voice, replying sternly, "No."
"Racism.", another student bellowed.
This time, Arthur didn't even bother denying, he just simply looked at him as if he was an imbecile.
"Devil Worshipping.", finally squeaked another voice from the back of the auditorium.
Now, that got his attention. He smirked, expecting to hear that from at least one student. Chuckling, he responded, "Definitely not. Some of you might think that this pentagram is related to devil worshipping since it comes from the Pagan religion, but this is a symbol for Venus and she is considered as the Goddess of love, fertility, prosperity, victory and desire so if anything, this should grace the cover of the next Playboy magazine. And above all, this symbol acts as a balancing force in a lot of runic arrays, making it stable. Strong. Workable. It is generally used when you are trying to work with very passionate subjects in runes."
The audience gaped at him, stunned completely, before they burst into laughter. Arthur grinned in response and waved the remote at the screen again, which now displayed a runic array shaped like a trident.
Shouts rang out from the students again.
"Hatred." came the first response.
Arthur snorted at the kid, "It's almost as if you're not even trying. Is it really that hard to look for another word? I thought I was holding a conference for Harvard students here."
"Devil's pitchfork!" screamed another.
Arthur quirked an eyebrow, "You might be trying too hard there."
"Evil." finally came a response.
Arthur threw his head back, looking at the sky as if he was asking mercy from God. This time he shows the entire runic array as he spoke, "This is Lord Poseidon's trident. The Greek God of the seas, a very powerful symbol to be used in a runic array. It definitely doesn't symbolise Devil's pitchfork. Or evil. Or hatred."
"Only very few of the best are capable of wielding the symbol in a runic array. You're looking at one of the few." He said with a smug smile.
He swiped at the screen once again, this time the runic array depicting a mother with her child cradled to her bosom, breast-feeding it.
This time, a sole woman raised her hand in a civil manner, drawing his attention. He motioned at her, beckoning her on the stage, intrigued to hear what she had to say. Her calm features immediately broke into a nervous expression as she uncertainly got off her set and walked up to the stage as gracefully as her apprehension would allow. Arthur smiled at her assuringly, holding his hand out as she climbed onto the stage to stand beside him.
"So, Ruby-haired lady, what do you think this symbol depicts?"
She stutters a little as she spoke, "That is virgin Mary feeding Lord Jesus."
Arthur smiled genuinely at her, before addressing the audience as well, "That's a darn good guess. A bit off the mark, but impressive nonetheless. Because to the rest of the audience, I'm sure, it just looked like a mother with her child."
"The baby is actually Lord Horus, being fed by his mother Isis. This actually happened centuries before Christ. All the history that you see in these symbols are inter-connected. I'm not standing here, trying to teach you runes, symbols, call it what you will. Everyone has a different perspective."
He gestures at the audience again, "But what I can teach you is history."
He inhaled deeply before addressing the subject again, "History of symbols. Where do they come from? From where do they draw their power? How to look at symbols dating back to thousands of years and disseminate them to determine the past, the present and the future? And tonight, I'll give you a short glimpse on how you could become capable of that."
**Scene Break**
"He is dead." Those were the words she heard first from the chief of Unspeakables.
Daphne couldn't believe what she heard, it just didn't make sense. It had been three months since she last contacted Croaker, her boss and her mentor. Since, then both of them have been trying to find everything they could try to find about her mysterious soon to be husband. They had wasted quite a few nights trying to figure out Harry Potter's whereabouts and they had come up with nothing. Seriously nothing? As if he never existed!
"That can't be possible, if he was dead then the contract would have turned into ashes." Daphne gritted out barely concealing her scowl. She didn't want to insult her superior purely out of respect.
Croaker, if anything, looked clearly amused by her disciple's barely concealed rage "Exactly, He can't be dead that is why I tried to cross check his facial patterns with other known muggles in the middle eastern and American continents."
That made Daphne eyebrow's raise a little "Why muggles?" she immediately retorted. It wasn't like she held any disgust towards normal people but wizards in general never interacted with the wider world. So, it came as a surprise to her that Potter would consider to cut himself off from his own heritage. Mind you she wasn't a sympathizer of Voldemort's cause, they were just a bunch of rapists and murderers. She wouldn't ever support them, but there was no way in hell that she'd ever relinquish her tie to her heritage. Not when it extended back to centuries and legends beyond the understanding of the muggle-world.
"And surprisingly, we hit a match." Croaker scoffed "I actually had to pull in some favours from my powerful friends back in the muggle world."
Daphne looked annoyed and she snarled. "Stop beating around the bush and just rip off the bloody bandaid already, goddarnit!"
Croaker's lips curled into a grin, knowing that he pushed her a little too much. But he didn't want to incur her wrath so he proceeded cautiously, "My colleagues hit a 90.83% match with one named Arthur Thorne."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"You gotta be kidding me. As in Arthur Thorne of Advanced Idea Mechanics?" Croaker makes an attempt to add to the conversation, only to have his words cut off as she continued, "Isn't that guy a 90-year-old vegetable who feeds off a needle and shits in a pan?"
Croaker's jaw dropped as he gaped at her in surprise before huffing out a laugh," Well, I know that he isn't one to mingle much, but I never thought that people mistook his identity that… oddly."
Croaker fished out a small jar from his pocket. Daphne saw the vividly luminescent matter glowing inside the jar and immediately recognized it as a strand of memory.
Croaker threw the delicate glass jar in her direction swiftly, without a warning and she caught it, to her surprise, but not without fumbling a little. She shot a sharp glare in his direction as if to ask him what the fuck he was thinking.
She held it up looking at it with great fascination, feeling the low heat that it radiated against the glass of the jar. Having never seen that before, she stood mesmerized.
"Go ahead. You know what to do." Croaker stated.
Daphne slowly freed the strand from the confines of the glass jar into the Penesieve placed in Croaker's office and stood there for a moment, taking a deep apprehensive breath before diving her head into the liquid, watching as the strand spread and took the form of the vivid memory that it originally was.
***Scene***
Daphne POV
Daphne didn't know what to think she had seen the memory which Croaker gave her and to say it mildly she had underestimated Potter. She had so many questions, like why did he leave Britain? Why would he change his name? Why would he deny his heritage? Why did he never make any contact with any UK wizard in the last five years? There were so many questions she needed answers for and she would like her questions answered before her inevitable meeting with him.
But as usual her wishes were denied, even after informing her Parents and her Aunt Samantha Zabini, they had come up with nothing. She still didn't believe that Samantha wasn't able to find anything since she was always surprisingly resourceful when it came to filtering out information from her massive string of lovers.
It was as if people went out of their way to hide information about him. It was unnerving and painted a very scary picture of Arthur Thorne.
Thankfully, despite their massive failure in finding credible info on her husband, they had provided great mental support to her and right now had accompanied her to their pre-designated meeting place.
Daphne discretely gave a thorough look at the interiors and she was impressed, only the best materials were used for the interior designing giving it a Victorian feel and it was also to be noted that they were called at a posh apartment in Kensington, one of the costliest places in muggle London.
She also gave a look over at her companions namely her parents and her aunt and she could see even they were impressed but there was also an under hint of annoyance maybe because they had been waiting for about half an hour for Potter to show up.
Daphne heard a small crack and she knew someone had just apparated in the next room. She heard some noises and before she could inform her parents a man walked inside with a gait of a self-assured predator.
He wore a crisp suit instead of a robe which she found strange. No self-respecting wizard wore muggle fashion. He also wore rectangular spectacles which framed his high cheekbones perfectly. He had a lithe body like an athlete and looked like a pureblood.
Daphne and her Parents also noted that this man was not Harry Potter.
"Greetings Lord and Lady Greengrass," the man spoke with a gentle smile "I apologise for my tardiness, I had to take an international portkey to get here but as usual you rarely ever get them on time."
Daphne saw as her father gave a stiff nod before he asked "Who are you and where is ?"
The man simply gave an another genial smile not even bothered by her father's rude behaviour and said "You can call me Mr. White and I will be the one to relay whatever you have to say to Mr. Thorne as is my duty as his lawyer."
"So, your client won't be attending this meeting personally." Daphne and her Father both flinched at Lady Greengrass's tone.
However, the man simply gave another smile not even bothered by her mother's tone "I am afraid that Mr. Thorne is currently unavailable due to certain excruciating circumstances."
Her mother just gave a disapproving smile clearly not buying this man's excuse.
Her aunt was still just watching the man with unnerving intensity, and again it seemed he wasn't even bothered.
Finally, after a stare down her aunt finally spoke "The information which we want to convey is case sensitive and must be conveyed directly to Mr. Thorne."
The man just gave a chuckle "And I said that whatever you have to say will be conveyed to him, and you forget that I am his lawyer, I always handle his case sensitive problems."
Her aunt just gave a flirtatious smile trying to appeal him to his vanity but the man again just gave a small smile not betraying anything.
Her aunt's smile immediately turned into a scowl when she realized that he won't be bending to her will like so many other men had done and lost their lives in the end.
She was also getting a little miffed with this exchange of words and decided to just jump the gun "We have a marriage contract with him, so if you please can you take us to him already. We don't have all day." Daphne downright snarled.
She could clearly see the disapproval in her parents and her aunt's eyes but she just simply didn't want to skirt around the issue any longer than necessary. She just didn't have the patience to break it gently.
Now, for the very first time the man donned an expression other than that cursed smile. He actually looked serious for a change.
Daphne couldn't help but grunt in satisfaction for making this insufferable man to actually show a reaction.
"I would like to see the actual written contract."
Daphne didn't even bother to hear her parent's protests and handed the contract to him immediately.
Daphne saw as his eyes widened by the time he had read most of the contract. He actually looked a little apprehensive. It might have been because the contract was with Harry Potter instead of Arthur Thorne.
"I assume you are the one he has been contracted to Ms. Daphne," he heeds her attention.
Daphne just gave a snort but there was also a hint of respect because the man had clearly done his research because she had not even bothered to introduce herself in the beginning.
"I think you all should follow me to the States." The man said while brandishing his pen which was clearly going to function as a portkey.
Malibu, California
Arthur was at present in his private residence and was tinkering with many of his inventions in his personal lab. Arthur sighed as he watched out of the windows from his lab to the raging sea. Even after staying here in this place for so long he was still impressed with the raw power of an ocean. It was so unyielding, no matter what you throw at it, it always met its finality.
It was early in the morning he wasn't really sure about the time and that scared him more than he admitted because if he was late for his appointments then his personal assistant was going to be a nightmare to deal with. According to her, he wasn't responsible enough and was nothing more than a pleasure seeker who liked to take unnecessary risks simply because it was thrilling.
Arthur let out a small chuckle.
'She isn't exactly wrong.'
***Scene***
A small ripple occurred in the porch and a band of five people walked out of it. If there were anyone to see this happen they would have first thought about their choice of ridiculous attire rather than their capability to just appear out of thin air. They were so out of place that it was not even funny.
The first thought Daphne had after getting out of her disoriented trip was 'It's beautiful.'
There was no other way she could have described the mansion which was in front of her in any other way, it was located in a sea side cliff showing the beautiful seaside cost. The design just by one look can be described as highly modern with an amazing design which was magnified by its location.
Even the other purebloods with her were visibly surprised and dare she say it awed. It wasn't very often a wizard was left speechless by a muggle building. The man she met earlier walked into the building in a quick stride.
The rest of his companions including her parents and her aunt immediately followed the lawyer they met earlier.
Daphne stiffened when she felt a sudden heavy felling on her entire body, it was as if someone had put chains all over her. She knew this feeling better than anyone. These were wards, ridiculously strong wards. So strong, that it felt as if it was touching all over you.
'This is insane!'
Lord and Lady Greengrass just looked at each other with barely restrained concern, they had never felt such strong wards, and they had visited highly secure places like the Wizengamot Chamber, Hogwarts and the Department of Mysteries. None of them had wards which were so choking in nature.
They looked towards Samantha Zabini and couldn't help but wince, she was profusely sweating from her forehead and had a downright horror struck face. Samantha unlike rest of her companions was not entirely human and was highly sensitive to surrounding magic and right now she was getting the full brunt of these wards. If they could even be called that.
"Please invite yourself in. The uneasiness will pass away in a few minutes." Elizabeth Greengrass heard Mr. White.
Elizabeth turned her head towards the man and levelled a downright nasty glare at Arthur Thorne's lawyer and to make it worse the man was still smiling in return.
Elizabeth Greengrass couldn't believe that they weren't warned about the wards beforehand. This was the height of rudeness, since the moment this meeting had begun they have been insulted repeatedly by the lackeys of Arthur Thorne, first after being assured a meeting the man himself had not bothered to come and instead sent an insufferable man as his substitute. They might not be the most powerful family in Wizarding Britain but they were still Lords and Ladies of their respective houses and when they requested a meeting they were not discarded so crudely.
And now these wards, she could still feel them. It was as if they touching her entire body. It was violating and downright disgusting. She wanted to have a very frank talk with Arthur Thorne. It was as if the boy lacked any manners. She was downright sure that even her husband and Samantha wasn't pleased by their future son in law's behaviour.
Her husband might be very accommodating with muggles and muggleborns unlike other purebloods but even he was a man of pride. He didn't like to be treated the way Potter has been treating him.
"Eobard! What are you doing here?" A distinctively female voice called from behind.
Daphne turned and her breath hitched. She even saw her own father momentarily surprised along with her mother and her aunt. The woman was breath-taking, long tresses of blood red hair caressed her face. Her mystifyingly purple eyes complemented the purple blazer that she wore over a pristine pearl white shirt tucked neatly under a figure-hugging pencil skirt of same shade of purple. She was fairly young, maybe in her mid-twenties. Even in such formal clothes, her silhouette left no doubt of her appreciably enchanting figure. The skirt ended at her knees, giving way to her long legs encased in a shiny stiletto that clacked against the floor sharply with each step.
…And she was carrying a neatly pressed dress?
Daphne had always been confident when it came to her beauty, she knew she turned the head of a lot of men but even she had to admit that this woman might be considered as more aesthetically pleasing to their lot. It wasn't like she was jealous or anything. Yup! She wasn't jealous at all.
Elizabeth Greengrass had already changed the target of her ire from her husband to the new woman. She had seen her husband falter when he saw this young woman. He was going to pay for that later. Now was not the time.
'Tch, men.' Elizabeth Greengrass snarled mentally.
"Mrs. Virginia Potts, It's a pleasure to meet you." Eobard White gave a slight nod of acknowledgment "I had to consult with Mr. Thorne regarding a problematic issue."
"Just follow me." The now named Virginia Potts sighed "Seriously Eobard! What did he do this time? I get my eyes off him for a second and he is already causing headaches for me. It is like dealing with a child who is on a sugar high." She continued with a little heat on her voice.
Virginia Potts ranted not even bothering to acknowledge the other companions.
Samantha was carefully watching the woman who was giving free information on her target. One thing Samantha Zabini was good at was manipulating men to their bidding and then killing them once she was done with them. Her seven dead husbands were enough proof of that. She was here with the Greengrass family at the insistence of Elizabeth since she didn't want to lose her upper footing during the negotiations. She and Elizabeth have been friends since their time at Hogwarts, she might not be the best person but she owed too much to the Greengrass family to deny help during their time of need.
Most probably the Potter boy might not even be aware of the contract so the surprise factor was going to rest with them. And frankly that was the only advantage they had. Even more of a reason to listen to this woman. She didn't like going in blind like this especially when the said target had so many resources at hand to use readily. She was also afraid that this woman might have some relationship with her target other than that of a boss and personal assistant. She clearly held a lot of concern for her boss, otherwise no woman would be so bothered by the actions of an irresponsible, impulsive guy.
***Scene***
Samantha was not the only woman who was listening to the words of the new woman intently. Daphne was staring at the woman just as intensely. She had seen her aunt eyeing the Potts woman from, trying to discern her most probably to gain an advantage. She was a little annoyed that the Potts woman even refused to acknowledge her but she didn't let that bother her for long.
More like she didn't have time to think because right now she was in the living room of Thorne Mansion and she was staring at yet another woman. A half-naked woman with wavy blonde hair who was a wearing only a shirt too big for her size cover her modesty.
She saw both of her parent's eyes widen in shock, they had expected a lot of things when they came for the meeting but not this. Her aunt was the only one who had her wits still.
The naked woman sauntered towards them, her hips moving hypnotically. Daphne heard her father gulp. She knew mother was going to kill dad later. She practically heard her mother growl. The woman moved towards Virginia Potts and bended a little since the PA of Arthur Thorne was a little on the short side compared to this scarlet woman. Her breasts nearly spilled out of her shirt "You must be the infamous Pepper Potts."
Samantha saw the personal assistant's expression harden. Clearly, she didn't like to be called by that name. Though even she thought the name was funny.
Pepper managed to immediately hide her displeasure and gave a smile "I am here to inform you that your clothes have been dry cleaned and pressed and there is car waiting out for you which will take you anywhere you want to go."
The unnamed half naked blonde woman just gave a mocking smirk "Even after all these years Arthur has you picking up laundry."
Pepper Potts again just gave a smile which quickly turned into a mocking smirk of her own "I do every and anything which is required by Mr. Thorne which sometimes even includes taking out the trash."
'Take that bitch!' Virginia snarled mentally.
The blonde woman now had a nasty expression in her face and instead of returning a snarky comment. She snatched her clothes from Pepper and walked away with a thunderous expression.
Daphne watched the little exchange barely listening to the subtle jabs made by both woman. Since, she was in the state of perpetual rage. It was only her occlumency lessons which allowed her to maintain her façade until now but even occlumency can be used for only so long. She had gone into shock when she saw a half-naked woman in Potter's living room, it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was doing here.
Daphne gave out a guttural snarl immediately making every occupant present at the mansion to stare at her. She turned her face to Eobard White "You said that your client couldn't attend the meeting because of excruciating circumstances and now this is what I see, Arthur Thorne fucking some no-good, blonde bimbo. This- This is just insulting and not to mention downright infuriating." Daphne finished while she was gritting her teeth. She looked the very vision of a warrior queen.
Mr. White for the first time in his life felt nervous. He was being glared at everyone present bar Virginia. The young woman Daphne was giving him a stare which would have even turned a basilisk into stone.
"You better get used to that," scoffed a cross-handed Pepper, sporting a disdainful smirk.
Thankfully, for him Virginia came to the rescue. Bless her soul! He sometimes hated to deal with the shenanigans of his client.
Daphne shot her mother a disapproving glance, as if to say, 'Look who you've set me up to marry, mother.'
"Eobard, you wanted to meet with Arthur, right? He is in his lab right now, I will take you and your companions right away." Virginia made a clear gesture to follow her. Somehow within the small time it took for Daphne to make her displeasure known she had somehow managed to procure a pad which had lots of papers sticking out.
It had only taken them minutes to reach the lab of the Thorne Mansion. Again, Elizabeth was impressed by the security. She was sure that most of the security here would prove to be downright lethal if they were brute forced. It just simply raised question that what did Arthur Thorne had to hide that he would take such drastic measures. The more and more she learned about the man the more she was on edge. It just didn't make any sense, something was really amiss with the man.
Daphne after months of searching finally came face to face with Potter. He had changed so much, people often said after schooling everything changes about a person but in Potter's case almost nothing about the old him was left. He used to be a scrawny little thing always trying his level best to hide among the crowd. But now he was about 6 feet and few inches tall, wearing the same kind of dress that he wore in the lecture at Harvard as she saw in the penesieve. He was solidly built and looked sharp and intimidating.
"You are supposed to be half way around the world." Virginia said with a smile which barely reached her eyes.
"I am sorry." Arthur said in an apologetic tone which immediately turned into a mischievous smirk "I had a very rough night." Daphne could have sworn that his smirk could have covered a multitude of sins.
Her parents didn't think the same. Neither did she.
Apparently Virginia was having none of that, she snipped back "It's just sad that I have to escort your rough nights out of your home every damn time."
Arthur just gave a lop-sided smile "So, how did she take it?"
"Like a champion," Pepper grounded out, not willing to discuss the matter any further.
"Before I send you out, I need some statements from you, for instance, should I say yes for the lecture in June in MIT?"
"Oh! It's in June, Pepper, stop haranguing me about it."
"Well, they are haranguing me about it. So, you will be going there in June. End of story." Pepper snipped.
"Now, you have to give a statement to vogue magazine?"
"About what?" even he was surprised at that. What did they want from him?
"They want to know whether it is true that you slept with all twelve models of Victoria's Secret?" Pepper asked with a smile but disgust was evident in her eyes.
Daphne, her parents and even Samantha were just gaping.
"You know I could never do that; I was incredibly busy during that time."
"Really?" Pepper asked in a very hopeful tone.
"Yes, though it is to be noted that I featured in their Christmas Edition and thankfully they had Veela twins in my cover." Arthur said in a playful tone "and whatever happened there I am not responsible for it in anyways."
"Tch. I should have known."
"You have to meet up with some people then you have to get a move on. Make it quick. You are already so late for your weapons presentation." Pepper Potts ordered with every cell of her body.
Arthur again gave a playful smile and walked closer to Pepper invading her personal space "Why is it that you want me out of here? Do you have plans?" Arthur preened further.
"I hate it when you have plans." He said while giving a melancholic smile. Daphne would have believed him if he wasn't giving his thrice damned smirk.
"I am allowed to have plans on my birthday." Pepper said snidely.
"It's your birthday. That's great. Already?" said a very flustered Arthur. He couldn't believe he forgot her birthday. Ah-gain.
"It's so surprising isn't it? It was the same day last year and then it comes back again next year." Pepper replied with sarcasm.
Arthur sighed faintly as he watched Pepper walking out of his lab, clacking her heels. Daphne felt her irritation peak to a new level.
Samantha's eyes followed Pepper as she left, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny while she further questioned the nature of their relationship.
"That could have gone worse."
If everyone was not so tense, then they would have face palmed so they just decided to settle with a fixed expression.
Daphne saw as Arthur finally deigned to give his attention to her and smiled mischievously. Daphne gulped.
Now was the time to get clean about their situation.
***Scene***
"You have to be joking!" Arthur Thorne muttered. Earlier signs of playfulness in his eyes vanished and he glared at the people who had dared to bring such farce. His eyes bored in to Elizabeth and Daniel Greengrass as he was holding the written contract at his hand.
Then he decidedly stared to his soon to be wife Daphne Greengrass. She also stared right back at him
'As if that's going to happen!' Arthur thought furiously but he didn't dare to show any of his outrage on his face. Then he looked at her intended's aunt. He had heard of her, Samantha Zabini, the black widow the killer of weak willed men. Arthur just scoffed at her. He didn't give a damn, he practically ate woman like her.
God! He sometimes loathed the parents who gave birth to him. Even after their death they were being a nightmare to his amazing life. Nevertheless, he always managed to get out of sticky situations by using his wits and influence. He always got out no matter what Pepper thought.
Arthur took a deep breath to calm himself and the looked at his lawyer and said "Get me out of this." His voice was steely and demanding. This is what he had hired him for, that is to get him out of troublesome situations.
Daphne and her parents bristled at his tone. Even Samantha was a little agitated.
The only reason Daphne had allowed to let him talk was because she had an even worse temper tantrum when she had heard about the contract. Comparatively, Potter was acting like a cool cucumber.
"I didn't have time to analyse the contract properly considering the time constraints; I was only able to verify its authenticity. Rest assured, if there is a way out of this, I will find it." Eobard replied in an even tone.
"You better! Seriously, I am not cut out for marriage. It includes fidelity!" Arthur groaned. Earlier signs of discomfort abandoned for amusement.
Daphne gaped for a moment and then sneered "That must come as a real surprise to you, Potter."
"Don't call me by that name. I hate it." Arthur snapped back.
"Why!? That is who you are, aren't you?" Daphne replied snidely feeling a satisfaction on making him a little uncomfortable and agitated.
"You are not even my wife yet and I already find you annoying." Arthur said in a smug smile knowing that she hated it when he smiled like that.
Daphne let out a growl barely restraining herself from cursing this bastard. He was making this as difficult as possible. Maybe just for sheer amusement.
"Frankly speaking, you and I both know this marriage will be disastrous. Heck! Even your parents realize that and needless to be said, I can do so much better than you." Arthur replied with the same smug smile. "I deserve better than an inbred abomination." He finished with a snarl.
Daphne looked like as if she was slapped right across her face. She couldn't believe that Potter could change between his expressions so quickly.
Arthur gave a light chuckle and walked towards her and whispered in her ear "That is what you are aren't you? An inbred abomination?"
Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore. She had enough of this, they had let the situation escalate too far too quickly. She could even feel her husband's outrage at Thorne's latest comment for Daphne.
"That's enough! Both of you." Elizabeth said in a dry tone.
Daphne immediately closed her mouth before she could let out another insult. Clearly, displeased with the situation. Whereas, Arthur Thorne just rolled his eyes. He actually seemed rather pleased with himself which just further irritated Daphne.
She really wanted to have a few minutes with her intended alone so that she could teach him some manners first. He clearly didn't know how to treat a lady. She had never been insulted like that by any man and she wasn't about to let someone like Potter walk all over her like that.
Eobard White just watched the entire scene dispassionately. He walked towards the Greengrass family and handed them a bunch of papers.
"What is this?" Elizabeth and Daniel questioned immediately.
"It is a prenuptial agreement. It states that if something untoward happens to my client, none of his assets will be released to his spouse under any circumstances instead it will be taken care of by one Virginia Potts. The written agreement will be enforced by the Wizarding State of California and U.S. Military due to the sensitivity of the said assets in wrong hands. I will need your daughter to sign that." Eobard White said in a monotone.
Elizabeth and Daniel saw red when they heard that since having access to the vaults of a husband was considered one of the basic rights of the wife in the Wizarding Britain and it really rankled them that their daughter will not be having that privilege.
"You can't be serious about this." Samantha growled before Daniel or Elizabeth could have protested. She didn't like it when her niece was being taken advantage of.
Before Samantha could say more Elizabeth decided to cut in. She didn't want her to make the situation worse.
"There has to be a limit to this Mr. Thorne. You are not the only one who is having a hard time because of this. What you are trying to take from my daughter here is considered a basic right back in our country." Elizabeth said dryly with disapproval and a hint of barely restrained anger apparent in her tone.
Daniel didn't bother to voice his thoughts for now allowing his voice to handle it for the time period.
Arthur just gave a smile in return to her intended's mother "Do not worry, Mrs. Greengrass. I am not heartless. Every month I will be writing a cheque of five hundred thousand galleons on your daughter's name so that she can cater to her various needs. She will be receiving this for the rest of her entire life even if something happens to me." He finished while waving his hands to sway her from her worries.
Elizabeth Greengrass goggled at the figure. This was more than some ancient or noble house had attained over their entire lifetime and here was a man who was ready to give away that kind of money every month just to get her daughter out of his hair. She wasn't stupid enough to believe that this boy was doing it out of the kindness of his heart.
Elizabeth turned to look at rest of her family and just like her even their eyes were wide. She was a little amused to see Samantha gaping at the figure offered by Arthur and then she saw Daphne she was fuming barely holding herself from escalating the situation to a duel. Her daughter never liked to be disregarded so casually.
This was going to be a very tiring day and they were not even halfway done with the negotiations. The only thing they had achieved today was to make the situation as tense and unbearable as possible.
Daphne and Arthur/Harry were looking ready to kill each other.
'Just Great!' Elizabeth thought ruefully. Hoping to see some humour in the situation.
"We are not here for your money, ." Daniel gritted out with his teeth clenching. "We just want to make this as bearable as possible for both my daughter's and yours' sake."
Arthur just gave an amused smile because he really was amused "Then we have already achieved that; if my lawyer is unable to find a way out of this then we will go with my previous arrangement."
"And what arrangement is that?" Daniel asked even though he already knew the answer.
"The arrangement where I will pay ridiculous amount of money and your daughter will stay out of my hair." Arthur said evenly.
Daniel just sighed and looked at his wife, hoping that she could make him see sense. Elizabeth just shook her head. He was just simply so tired to be even angry now.
"Is there a reason why you can't make this work? If we are not able to find a way out of this, we will be husband and wife." Daphne choked at the word husband and wife "Do you really want to live the rest of your life alone?"
Arthur really wanted to laugh but he didn't dare do it because he was sure that if he did he would be attacked by the entire family so he gave a downright sorrowful look and replied "I am sorry it has to be this way."
"Why?" she asked in an empty tone. Daphne never really cared much for marriage but if she was going to be forced with Potter/Arthur whatever she at least wanted to try to make it work. If they were to be married she wanted to give her best. He was better than most of her batch mates. He was doing really good at his field of magic, was ridiculously rich and was one of the biggest name in the wizarding world right now and finally wasn't a death eater. Daphne wasn't vain in nature but even she could see the benefits. He was a better person then most of the Slytherins she had been acquainted with over the years. However, then she heard his answer.
"Hmmm…. because of excruciating circumstances." Arthur replied with a smug grin; believing he was the only one who got the joke.
Daphne saw red. She couldn't believe that he was turning his back on the marriage because he wanted to continue his philandering with whores. Before anyone could stop her, she brandished her wand to her loathsome soon-to-be husband and fired her first curse. She wanted blood.
Well this is the end of first chapter, review and tell me how did you like it.
Don't forget to review. It helps to know how you people feel about my stories and how can I improve them further.
crazyrajat out!
