Ahhhh, Italy, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, and also many short stories by Edgar A. Poe. This story is sort of weird. I don't know how I came up with this. The setting is whenever you want it to be. It's sort of late but there are also vehicles. Italy and France are at war and Italy ultimately has won. They take families off the streets of France as their prize. How will the strong willed, fiery-tempered Lily Evans take to being James Potter's slave?
James shook his head. His family was suddenly rich due to his father's participation in the war. The Italians paid their mercenaries well.
He had received a letter that the Prisoners of War were men, women, and children from the losing countries' major towns, and all were for sale at the market. James despised this sort of thing. It wasn't new, captives being sold for slaves, but this was the first time his family was included in the news.
The Potters were now one of the richest families in town. The only consolation James found in this was that he now had his own private tutor for Magic and that they could buy so many Muggle artifacts, their Wizarding world did not shine through very often. They were practically Muggles.
Anyway, about the letter. James' mother was very interested in the market. She told him she wanted to see the French goods the Italians had stolen during the war that would be for sale. James suspected she wanted to purchase one of the men. His mother had changed quite a lot from when they were living on the streets to their transformation to near-royalty.
When James was a little boy, one of his best friends was Remus Lupin. He was an honest hardworking guy and James respected him greatly. Remus was his first best friend. They would play games together as little boys. They discovered magic together, received their first wands together, and spent all of their childhood together.
When James' family was a middle class family, he stopped seeing Remus as much. James' mother didn't like him playing on the streets, though they lived there until James was about twelve. Although James would sneak to Remus' side during the night, he did meet a boy whose family was in the middle-class that his mother liked. Peter Pettigrew. He was Magic also, although his mastery of it wasn't as great as Remus' or James'. This was James' second best friend. Although James didn't care much for his attitude and lack of respect for anyone and anything around him, he was loads of fun to hang out with.
After their final ascension to the first class, James' mother forced him to cut all ties with his former friends. This happened when James was about fifteen. He thought he would spent the rest of his spoiled life all alone, until his mother met Mrs. Black, the mistress of a Magic family whose husband was also a mercenary. She had two sons, Sirius and Regulus. Although Mrs. Black clearly preferred Rugulus' company, James liked Sirius as a mate much more. The Blacks were more accustomed to the rich n' famous life than the Potters were, as is easy to tell. They owned the biggest mansion James had ever seen, including his own. Sirius had been his best friend since he was fifteen, and as his mother's apathy towards whatever was going on in his life grew, James was able to see all three together more often.
"James dear, why don't you go down to the market with Sirius?" his mother asked.
James wrinkled his nose in disgust, tossing the letter on the table. Of course Sirius would go. Probably buy himself a whore.
"Alright," James mumbled. He walked the quarter of a mile to Sirius' house. He walked right in, which he was accustomed to now, and came into Sirius' room.
"Hey!" Sirius said excitedly. The market's only a few minutes away from Peter's house, and James, did you hear?!"
"Yeah, slaves on the market. It's awful, it's inhumane, it's right up your alley. "
"Hey, hey. It's not that awful, and don't make me out to be, either. Come on. Do you have your wand?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah. I tell you, those lessons are doing me so much good. I've improved tenfold in the last year," James said, walking out the door with Sirius.
When they got to Peter's house after about twenty minutes of walking, his mother curtly said that he wasn't available. She was sort of bitter at James' mother for abandoning her. The two boys shrugged and turned and bumped into Remus ten minutes later. Without a word, the scroungy, scruffy, teenager fell into step with the two well dresses, shining boys.
"This terrible, Sirius. These people were like us. Living day to day, minding their own business. Then our mercenaries came in and kicked them out of their homes-" James started.
"But they aren't like us because we didn't lose," Sirius said jovially as they entered the marketplace. Sirius seemed at ease and even excited. James couldn't believe what he saw.
There were tents and tents and tents filled with French vases and furniture and paintings. And then, behind the tents, there were rows of people shackled to the ground and handcuffed together.
James had to look down out of respect and he knew Remus was getting shifty and awkward. Sirius was having a field day.
"James, come on, look up, man. You're belittling them," Sirius said happily.
"You're talking about buying a person! It's barbaric!" James cried, throwing his hands in the air.
Sirius ignored him. "Ugh. I don't think any of them speak Italian. How am I supposed to have someone clean up after me if they don't understand me."
Remus nudged James with a look of horror on his face. There were girls of ages twelve to twenty or so with a giant sign above them reading, "Virgins".
James shook his head. "Sirius, I can't stand this. I'm about to leave," James said rather moodily.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Sirius shot back.
"This is awful! This is immoral! This is selling people!" James spat.
"Alright, alright, keep quiet, then, you're ruining my fun," Sirius said over his shoulder.
James swept his over the crowd of women and children, silently begging them pardon for the awful things his countrymen had done.
That was when he saw her. He froze and stopped walking with Sirius and Lupin. He felt his mouth hang open. The brightest shade of yellow-green eyes, the lightest shade of reddish orange, the palest skin, the pinkest mouth, the longest lashes, the most perfect nose, freckles perfectly splayed from cheek to cheek- James saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life was for sale. The entire world was looking for her.
James ran into love faster than a brick wall.