Author: Veefa (VTveefa@yahoo.com)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Severus Snape, and all associated characters from the Harry Potter universe are the property of J.K. Rowling and publishers. No profit is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
This story contains slash, meaning same sex relationships. If you do not like, do not read. Consider yourself forewarned.
Summary: An answer to Artemis Luna Diana's "The Accidental Marriage" Challenge.
"No one can dictate whether two people truly belong to each other." But something has and now Harry Potter has been married without his consent. Is everything he believes about love going to be tested or reaffirmed? (Slash, HP/SS)
Prologue
A young woman with flowing red hair walked slowly, but surely down the aisle. With each step, her anxiousness abated and certainty showed in her face. To steel her resolve, she pictured a bright future with a dark-haired, bespectacled man. She imagined long walks together and intimate conversations. A lovely home with a brood of children. The promise of a wonderful life with the man she loved gave her the courage she needed when she reached the altar.
In a voice full of determination and hope, she said, "I, Virginia Weasley, take Harry Potter to be my lawfully wedded husband."
Unfortunately for Ginny Weasley, the Goblet only takes requests; it does not grant wishes.
Centuries ago, the wizarding race was close to extinction. Prominent wizarding lines were dying out because more and more magical couples were producing squibs. Years of research concluded that a majority of the squibs came from couples with unevenly matched magic levels. It seemed that having a spouse with a comparably weaker magical capability diluted the magical potential of any offspring they were to have. Thus, faced with the possibility of extinction, the Ministry of Magic created a goblet, much like the Goblet of Fire, to pair up wizards and witches of complementary power levels.
Upon the birth of every witch and wizard, their name is placed into the goblet and their names remain there, only to be removed from the goblet in the case of death or marriage. In order to marry, a couple must petition the goblet. The goblet compares each individual's magic and inner qualities to determine whether they are suited for each other in marriage and, ultimately, in the procreation of future magical infants. The petitioning individuals are then married if the goblet deems the match acceptable. However, if the match is deemed unacceptable, the goblet selects a more appropriate match for both parties from the names contained within. To prevent any evasion on the matter, no one could divorce or be married twice. These issues never met with any argument because all the matches turned out happily. Thus, the goblet soon earned the name the Goblet of Love due to its matchmaking success.
Through the years, magic thrived once more, and evolution itself provided an increase in the magical population by introducing Muggleborn witches and wizards. As a result, many began to view the Goblet of Love as intrusive and unnecessary as the wizarding world slowly withdrew from the edge of extinction. Although it produced many successful marriages, it was no longer necessary to conduct every marriage through the Goblet of Love. Nowadays, it is viewed more as a tradition reserved mostly for Pureblood families who generally practiced arranged marriages. It was the strength in the Pureblood lines that gave rise to the belief in their superior capabilities and spawned their prejudices against those with supposedly weaker blood, namely the Muggleborns.
The Weasleys, coming from a Pureblood family, were familiar with the Goblet tradition. Thus, in an attempt to make their only daughter happy, they suggested she have a marriage conducted by the Goblet. They did this in full knowledge that the marriage, albeit arranged, would flourish nonetheless. Arthur and Molly Weasley thought that the happy marriage would finally allow Ginny to let go and move on from her past relationship with Harry Potter.
Unfortunately, Ginny had other intentions and took advantage of the opportunity to prove once and for all that she and Harry were meant to be together. Thus, with delusions of grandeur and fairy tale endings running through her head, Ginny Weasley approached the Goblet with excitement thinking that her dreams would be fulfilled.
After her pronouncement, she waited expectantly for the Goblet to confirm her heartfelt beliefs. Above the ruby-encrusted goblet floated two slips of parchment – one with her name inscribed upon it and the other with Harry's name. Suddenly, two pieces of parchment rose from the goblet to intertwine with the other two. She watched in surprise as her name swirled and danced upon the air with a new piece of parchment while Harry's did the same. Then each parchment separated itself from its little dance and with a flash of light, each turned into a pink envelope.
Her surprise turned to fear as Ginny watched three of the envelopes being snatched from the air by white doves, while one floated down to her. With trepidation, she plucked the envelope from the air and noticed that her name was written on the front. The letter fluttered to the ground forgotten as her hands went limp and her body shook.
The man she loved was now engaged to someone else.
