Title: Marriage Binds
Author: Blemery
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Arthur/Lucius
Beta: Rogue Rouge
Spoilers: sort of for OtoP but mostly AU.
Summary: There Weasley's and Malfoy's haven't always hated each other it didn't come from some long lost unnamed relative. Unknown to any of the present Weasley or Malfoy children Arthur and Lucius used to be best friends and even lovers but what happened to change all of that.
Author's Notes: The fanfic was started and well on its way before JKR made her announcement that Charlie was three years older then Percy. HP-Lexicon assumed the age difference was 9 years because Gryffindor had not won the house cup since Charlie was in school and it was mention that happened fourteen years ago. Percy was a fifth year when Harry and Ron started that would make Charlie 9 years older than him. JKR admitted when she annoucned the age differences between the weasley children that she was very bad at math. Which is probably why Bellatrix's mother was 13 when Bellatrix was born. Please take that into consideration as you read this. I may try to change it later but it would be difficult with the AU I have set up. I hope you like the fanfic regardless. From now on this will have to be an AU fic and no long a fic that tries to answer some HP riddles. Although I am still going to merge this AU backstory to the first books in the series.
March 17th 1953
Ever wondered why the Malfoys and Weasleys seemed to despise each other? Or why there was a gap of nine years between Charlie and Percy? The answer is rather simple. Like most families of pureblood descent, both the Weasleys and the Malfoys practiced a long history of arranged marriages. However, arranged marriages tend to go slightly array when one of the pair falls in love with someone else, before the arrangement is made official.
It all started on a normal day nearly half a century ago. The wealthy blonde was having a play date with his fiery-haired best friend and neither of the two realized that the blonde's parents were meeting with the parents of the Black sisters - Bellatrix, the six-year-old raven haired beauty, Andromeda, the sweet, naïve, independent three year old, and Narcissa, the baby - down in the den. Little Narcissa had already been betrothed to the Malfoy heir at the age of a few months, even though it would be roundly two decades before the marriage could take place.
"And my horntail attacks your knight," Arthur declared, bouncing on the blonde's bed as they played with some action figures like G.I.-Joes for wizarding children.
"Nuh-uh," Lucius growled, "my knight's armor is attack proof!"
"Oh," Arthur frowned lightly, and then giggled, "It is unless the dragon is protecting a fair maiden."
"What are you boys doing, playing with dolls?" Bella had skipped into the room with her sister following as best a three-year-old could.
"They are not dolls," Arthur argued, flopping down on his stomach and propping his chin on the palms of his hands and swinging his legs in the air. He grinned madly when Lucius' cheeks flush a pale pink.
"Who are you?" Lucius, the precocious seven-year-old, sneered angrily.
"Bellatrix Black," the raven-haired beauty curtsied prettily, "Mum and Dad are downstairs having tea and they sent us up to play with you."
Lucius glared in annoyance and then promptly stomped out of the room, shouting, "Mother!" at the top of his lungs. His footsteps were pounding each stair with precision of an enraged child ready to throw a temper tantrum at anytime.
Bella blinked at the redhead and then picked up the toy knight, twirling it in her hands before tugging off the head. Arthur gasped and dove under the bed so as not to get blamed as the two girls' reeked havoc on the toys in the room.
"Mother!" Lucius entered the parlor where four people were sitting around the table, conversing cordially. There were his mother and father, who had the same blonde hair and grey eyes as he did, a man with raven-hair and blue eyes, wearing robes of the finest quality, and a women with golden blonde hair and hazel eyes, a bundled baby in her arms. Lucius paused, looking at the small gathering before clearing his throat. "Bellatrix Black is ruining my game with Arthur. If you insist on having tea with her parents, send them to Dolby's room!"
His mother frowned at him, "The house elf? Sweetie, I'm sure she'd much rather play with you."
"Well I want to play with Artie because it's our special time! Now remove her," he ordered haughtily, rolling his eyes at the incompetence of people; his mother in particular.
"Well Lucius, the girls are here for a special reason. We have come to an agreement that you shall marry Narcissa," Mr. Malfoy told his son firmly, the tone in his voice leaving no room to argue the matter.
Lucius wrinkled his nose in confusion, and his mother gestured elegantly toward the bundle in the other woman's arms. "Lucius, say hello to Narcissa Elizabeth Black."
Lucius gaped, before looking appalled, "I don't want to marry a baby!" He stuck his nose in the air and turned his head in disgust.
The four adults laughed at his naïve thought.
"Of course not Lucius, you wouldn't marry her for eighteen years but eventually, you will marry her."
Lucius glared contemptuously, for he highly disliked being told what to do. "She better not still drool," he said, grimacing and turning on his heel to rush out of the room.
He felt utterly enraged. There was no way he would ever want to get married to something so repulsive.
"I hate her," he muttered to himself furiously. He meant it, like it was hate at first sight. That was how he felt anyway when it came to girls. He hated them. They'd see their errors when he was all grown up and still free of girls. He wouldn't marry one even if his life depended on it. He was still steaming from the ears when he reached his room, and all he wanted to do at that moment, was throw himself on his bed and scream into the pillows.
When he opened the door to his usually neat and clean room, he found to his horror, that it had been literally torn to shreds with broken toy parts, blankets, pillows, and books scattered all over the place. Even his rat had been released from its cage and was currently scampering around the room in frantic circles. Two raven-haired girls in the middle of it all were busy playing Hogwarts - Bella, the professor admonishing the younger girl for misbehaving during a 'lesson' and giving her detention.
Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes; first his parents and that stupid baby, and now his perfect room and toys - and his special time with Arthur was ruined! The young boy stormed out again angrily flopping on the couch in the den, bitter tears rushing down his face.
Luckily, Arthur had seen Lucius rush out and had followed after him. He entered the den cautiously, making his way over to the couch and seating himself tentatively next to his crying friend. "Luke?"
Lucius lifted his head, startled, and blinked at his best friend. His tears began to well up even more.
"Arthur, they want me to marry a stupid baby!" he wailed, his head finding his friend's shoulder, "And I don't want to!"
"Shh Luke, shh it's alright - I have to marry too," Arthur reassured, "but not until she's eighteen."
"Is she a baby?" Lucius sniffled; feeling somewhat slightly relieved at knowing that he wasn't alone in being destined to an unthinkable doom.
"No, she used to be but now she's two and she is just terrible and ugly. I don't want to marry her but I have to!"
"I don't want to either, girls are so gross!" Lucius pouted angrily, "And they mess up my room!"
"Yeah and eat your ice cream," Arthur agreed.
Lucius gasped, horrified. "What are we going to do?"
Arthur had a troubled frown on his small, freckled face, and he sat there for a moment in thoughtful silence. "I don't know," he said finally, sighing.
"Mum always says that when we grow up, we'll want to marry when the time comes." There was disbelief in his voice.
Lucius shook his head stubbornly. "I don't think so."
"Well, what can we do we're not muggles you know," Arthur explained.
"And thank god, but-but I…" Lucius scowled angrily he could not think of anything he could do.