Yo. Okay, so sorry about the long AN, just some things I'd like to address here. If you don't care, skip ahead-thank you to all readers so far! First off, there seems to be some confusion on whether or not this will end in romance. This isn't a spoiler. It will. When? I have absolutely no idea. Will it be within the next few chapters? Probably not, but who knows? I don't really plan ahead when I write. Will the two sleep together? Yup. When? Not until they fall in love, which, as previously stated, will happen whenever it happens. I grew up watching Bollywood-I like fluff, so that shit will definitely happen at some point or another.

Second, I had one anon say the no children thing was disappointing, and I can't tell if they were being sarcastic or not because of the way it was written and the things, er, suggested. Still, regardless of how disappointing it might to you be for the two to not have any heirs, I don't really care. There's more to life than having kids. Like I said before, you are free to pretend they had kids later on if you're that desperate for it. Honestly, if you don't like the idea of them not having children, then just stop reading. It isn't as if this is the only marriage contract fic with this pairing around or anything. And why do I still have to bring this up in chapter ten?

Third, I got my first flame for this fic a few weeks ago. I only read it once, so I don't remember what it said, but I wasted thirty seconds of my life stewing over it, and then went back to writing Aragorn smut. Why? Because Aragorn is Aragorn and he needs more love! Wouldn't you agree?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...

When curfew arrived on Friday, Violet found herself making her way down to Marvolo's rooms, rather than her dorm. She had been reminded via a note from Dumbledore that she was to spend her time from Friday night to Sunday night with her husband. As if she could forget it or anything. Still, she didn't argue against it. She knew there wasn't a point. She supposed she didn't really mind either. Her House mates were hardly...well, people she wanted to be around right now. Most of them, at any rate.

Instead, she just took her bag, which was filled with what she needed for her weekend homework, and her DA lesson plans from the previous year, and headed off, Ron walking with her. The small group of friends had decided that the best thing to do for now, along with ignoring the negative attention Violet was getting, was to not have her wander about the castle alone, unless she had her cloak and map with her. And while it was kind of annoying, Violet found that she actually agreed with it. Honestly, it was better to be safe than sorry.

She and Ron finally found the painting of a rather large snake, and the two bid one another a rather cautious farewell, at which point the redhead turned and headed back up to the Tower. Violet turned her attention to the painting, and hissed the override password she had been given. (Dumbledore had said the password was 'unity', but Marvolo had just clenched his jaw and given her an override. Dumbledore would always know when 'unity' was used to get into his rooms. He wouldn't know about the second password.)

"Home," she hissed. The large, dark scaled snake hissed contently in return, and the door appeared. A moment later, Violet found herself standing in Marvolo's sitting room. It was a large space, decorated in a way that was actually very reminiscent of the manor, which she actually kind of liked.

Marvolo himself was seated in a large, dark coloured armchair, reading. He set his book down as she entered, telling her to sit, and watching as she settled down on the couch across him, placing her bag on the floor by her feet. "We will begin with the rules here now."

Violet nodded. She hadn't doubted this was coming, and just listened. The rules at the manor hadn't been all that bad, so how much worse could they get here? Especially since she would really only be spending a couple of days a week in here.

"I have made it clear to Dumbledore that I will take my weekend meals in these rooms, so I am not expected to appear in the Great Hall until Sunday dinner," Marvolo began. "If you wish to join me, you may. If you wish to eat with your friends, you may. If you wish to eat alone, you may."

Again, Violet nodded. She didn't really have a problem with either of those options. She supposed it would really depend on what time she ended up waking up, and whether she was busy throughout the day or not, or if she and her friends had anything they wanted to talk about or something like that.

"These rooms are not quite as private as the manor, therefor you are free to touch or examine what you wish here, without fear of any dangerous reactions. That does not, however, mean that you should go around touching everything. As always, you respect my privacy, and I will respect yours."

Violet understood what wasn't being said. Marvolo didn't trust things here, and hadn't bothered bringing any of his darker or more questionable books and items, just in case. It was best to be safe here. Even though everyone knew who he really was. She supposed it was for the best.

Marvolo shrugged rather elegantly. "Beyond that, there is not much to be said. I expect you to do your homework and not leave your belongings around on the floor." When the girl nodded once more, he went on. "Unfortunately, these rooms only seem to have a single bedroom," he stated calmly.

Violet froze. "What?"

"Most rooms do," the man continued, seemingly unconcerned. "Particularly the teacher's quarters. This was to discourage the entry of students, from what I recall reading."

Violet blinked. "If a professor wanted to take advantage of a student, why would they put them in another room when they can share the same one?"

Marvolo inclined his head, smirking slightly. It was clear he understood what she was referring to, though he chose not to elaborate on it. Instead, he said, "The bed is quite large. We might as well-"

The girl's eyes widened, all her breath leaving her at once.

"-shrink it and transfigure a second bed into the room. There is no guarantee we will sleep at the same time, and it is clear we are both prone to being awake at odd times. There is always a chance of being disturbed if one of us sleeps out here."

Violet inwardly sighed in relief. She understood. She really did, and it wasn't even like there was anything sexual here that she was worried about. It was the nightmares. They happened at random times, sometimes more frequently than others. And while she was normally a still sleeper, she was prone to being very restless when she had these. This was the reason why Ginny and Hermione didn't like sleeping too close to her. Both had been victims to knee and elbow strikes in random places-Ginny had even been left with a black eye once.

But it was just two nights, Violet told herself. Just two nights a week. Surely she would be alright. Surely she could make it work. If worst came to worst, she would just-just not sleep, she told herself. And it wasn't as if they were going to be sharing a bed or anything, just the room. Although none of this would have been a concern if it weren't for Dumbledore and his stupid- "Oh!"

"Violet?"

"Sorry, I just remembered something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Ah, yes. You mentioned this on Monday, did you not?"

She nodded. "You see, I've been getting this odd feeling-a suspicion, really, and Hermione suggested it would be best if I told you about it, just in case something goes wrong."

Marvolo raised a single, dark brow. "If Granger suggested it, then it must be quite dire."

"In a manner of speaking." Violet chewed her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words, then said, "I'm worried Dumbledore is going to do something to cause me to get pregnant with your child." And for the first time Violet could recall, the Dark Lord seemed to have been stunned silent.

"...Excuse me?"

Violet couldn't help but crack a smile. "That's what Hermione said when I told her."

"I have already told you, I have no desire or need for children," the man spoke coolly.

The teen nodded. "I know, and if I'm being honest, I don't particularly want kids either. And while I suppose it's possible I might change my mind, I really don't think I ever will. I know you're the one who suggested this whole marriage thing, for whatever reason it may be, but you said Dumbledore never once even attempted to counter it. In fact, he only seemed to agree with it. You once mentioned in passing that he seemed to want us married as quickly as possible, which is why, despite Remus and Sirius' insistence, the date wasn't delayed."

"Yes." He was eyeing her closely, clearly listening to her intently.

"Did you tell anyone that you took the marriage consummation off the clause?"

"I did not. The marriage contract, while mentioned on the peace treaty, was a...separate entity, for a lack of better words. There was no reason for it to be viewed by anyone other than the two of us."

Violet nodded in understanding. "Then, as far as Dumbledore and the Order knows, we-we slept together that first night, and perhaps afterwards as well."

"I did not mention otherwise to anyone else, so unless you yourself did, then yes, as far as they know, we have."

Again, Violet nodded. "And while this is kind of embarrassing to admit, I know literally nothing about contraception methods beyond birth control pills and condoms-and those I learned of in my Muggle primary school. I learned nothing about this here at Hogwarts, and surely Dumbledore knows that. Meaning, again, as far as he and the others know, we have had...had unprotected sex at least once, and possibly more than that."

When Marvolo remained silent, Violet decided to just go on, needing to get this all off her chest. "I told Hermione I felt as if they were all waiting for me to get pregnant, and while she normally dismisses my more crazy ideas and feelings, she actually agreed with this one. She said it was possible Dumbledore wanted our genes passed on, because, according to her, we're both attractive, intelligent, and extremely powerful. Not to mention we are also part of very important families."

The man's eyes flashed here, clearly in anger, and his entire body tensed up. Whether he had believed her earlier or not, she didn't know, but it was obvious he now understood what it was she was trying to say.

"You believe Dumbledore purposely encouraged this so that we might have a child or children he could use to his advantage." But he didn't wait for an answer. "Even just one child could easily inherit all our titles put together, which would make them very powerful indeed, in more than one way." He cupped his chin, eyes losing focus as he thought hard. "Perhaps he thinks he can kill me after you have the child, and then manipulate you into giving him control or custody. Perhaps he think he can kill us both for the same reason. It would be far too easy to kill you while you are weakened after giving birth.

"This would explain his insistence and encouragement for the wedding. It would explain his eagerness to have you spend your weekends in here with me. Perhaps he thinks I will not control myself around you, and force you to sleep with me to calm my own desires. Perhaps he thinks you will wish to sleep with me, due to your age. He wishes for me to impregnate you as soon as possible... No doubt this was his true intention behind agreeing to the peace treaty."

Violet had no idea what to say. Thinking about Marvolo killing her was less frightening than the thought of him getting her pregnant, by accident or not.

"And if he thinks it is taking too long," Marvolo continued, seemingly not even realizing he was speaking out loud, "he may take matters into his own hands. There are many ways to get a witch pregnant, the most basic of them being love potions, Polyjuice, the Imperius curse even. There are far too many ways to cause an 'accidental' or 'miracle' pregnancy."

If Violet was being honest with herself, this was starting to get kind of scary now. She knew she was the one who was feeling this and everything, but would Dumbledore really go that far? Wasn't what he had already done bad enough? "So...what do we do then?"

Marvolo's eyes snapped back to hers, and it was almost as if he had forgotten she was even in the room with him. "There are...physical procedures commonly done in the Muggle world, that are all but unheard of here, and while our apparent ages would make it difficult to get them done, a few compulsions would be all we need to get the right attention," he replied slowly. "But those can be permanent."

Violet understood. If there was even a chance she wanted kids in the future, well... "And there's nothing like that in the Wizarding world? No counter measures or anything?"

The man smiled wryly. "Nothing that is not considered Dark. Willingly deciding to not have children is considered a rather evil and selfish thing, you see. Therefor all counter measures that have been created in this world have been labelled as Dark and illegal." He leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs at the ankles. "There are...methods I can look into, though it will take some time. Until then we must simply remain cautious."

Violet swore she could hear Moody yelling 'Constant Vigilance' right about now, but didn't comment on it.

"Be careful with what you eat and drink. It seems I'll have to teach you a revealing charm of sorts-it will show you whether anything...extra, for a lack of better words, has been placed in what you are consuming. Be sure to use it on everything you eat or drink, including water and sweets-given to you by someone trusted or not."

Violet nodded. The Dark Lord sounded quite intense right now, and she knew it was best to listen and do as asked. She was the one who was going to suffer worse if something really did end up going wrong.

"I too will use the charm on my own food and drink," Marvolo added. "However, we will also have to be observant towards one another-observant of our behaviour. While I am less susceptible to it, it is possible for us both to be magically manipulated."

The girl bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. "Then...should we use a secret phrase or gesture or something to know we're both okay or that nothing's wrong?"

Marvolo brushed his hair out of his eyes, and then cupped his chin. "I believe the easiest thing that can be done here is for us to rely on our Parselmouth ability."

"Sorry? How is being able to talk to snakes going to help?"

"Parseltongue cannot be forced," Marvolo explained, sounding like he was going into Professor mode, "no matter what method may be used. If I were to cast the Imperius curse on you-and you were not able to fight it off, and I asked for you to speak in Parseltongue, you would not be able to do so. Even if someone were to Polyjuice as one of us, they would not gain our ability to speak in this tongue. It can be mimicked, yes, but that is very difficult to do."

"But...wouldn't it be suspicious if we just randomly started speaking in Parseltongue to each other? Everyone knows we're the only two who can do it. I feel like if we're trying to be cautious, it isn't going help much if we start doing the most obvious thing."

Marvolo inclined his head. "I am not suggesting that we only speak to one another in Parseltongue. I am suggesting that we use it as a..." he ran his thumb over his lips, "method of security, of sorts. We may not have spent a great amount of time together, but I believe we have come to understand how we both...function, I suppose you might say. I believe we will both know when the other is behaving oddly, correct?"

Violet supposed she couldn't argue against that, and had a feeling she now understood where the man was going with this idea. "I suppose it won't be all that odd if we occasionally slip into Parseltongue with one another, as long as it isn't too often. If we start now, it could turn into a habit or sorts. So, you're suggesting that if either of us find that the other is acting oddly, or otherwise out of normal, we just slip into Parseltogue, and if the other doesn't reply, it'll likely mean that something is wrong, right?"

"Indeed. It is not a perfect plan or method by any means, but it is enough for the moment, until I have the time to look into other 'Darker' plans."

Violet bit her lip as she listened, but nodded. Food and drink being spiked was something that was a lot harder to regulate, so she supposed she could always just ask Dobby to prepare hers and not let any of the other House-Elves touch it. She trusted him and was positive he was loyal to her and not Dumbledore. She'd still learn the revealing charm Marvolo was planning on teaching her though. Better to be over prepared than under.

"Now..." Marvolo reached around to grab a few loose sheets of parchment, clearly prepared to change the topic for the time being. "As I stated before, I would like to know more about this...Dumbledore's Army you lead last year. Who was in it? Do you have a list of names?"

The girl blinked, caught off guard by the change in their discussion, and then grabbed her bag off the floor and pulled it up onto the couch next to her, searching inside for the list Hermione had given her earlier, before passing it over. She had it memorized already, so she said, "As you can see, we had members of various Houses and years.

"Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, and Fred, and George Weasley have all graduated so far, so I won't linger on them, but they were all Gryffindors, and on the Quidditch team too-with Angelina as Captain, and considering that and studying for NEWTs...for the most part, I'd say they all did quite well and picked things up quickly. They had the most magical education out of us, so I'd say that helped them for sure."

"Those remaining? Begin with the youngest."

Violet nodded. "That would be little Dennis Creevey-he was a Second year Gryffindor at the time. He joined because of his older brother. He had a harder time than most because of his age, with a fair few of the spells we were using not ones he would learn until he was a little older. Still, he's a confident boy, and determined as well, so he didn't do bad at all for someone who was younger than the rest."

"He was the only Second year?"

"Yes. There were no Third years, but there were four Fourth years-Hufflepuff's Zacharias Smith*, Ravenclaw's Luna Lovegood, and Gryffindor's Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey."

"And how did they do?"

Violet cocked her head in thought. "Ginny and Luna were great, both surprisingly powerful. Their Reductos disintegrated tables, you know. As I said before, one of the spells I taught was the Patronus-these two were one of five, excluding myself, who were able to form corporeal Patroni."

Marvolo raised a brow. "And they were Fourth years?"

The girl shrugged. "I was a Third year when I learned. Although...I suppose it was in different circumstances. I did tell them trying to summon one in a bright room without a Dementor in sight is much easier than the alternative, but still, I think the fact that they managed it is pretty impressive. But, like I said, Ginny and Luna are more powerful than you might think.

"Colin was very...enthusiastic. He was very much like his younger brother in the way he picked things up, though having a couple of years on him made things a bit easier for him. He's also very quick-good reflexes. If he ever got into Quidditch, I'd say he'd make a good Seeker."

"I see. And Smith?"

Here, Violet wasn't able to fully stop the scowl that formed. "Smith was...reluctant to join in the first place, but he still did. He didn't like that I was the one teaching, and didn't seem to think what I had to say was important, and often ignored my advice, which meant he was often one of the last ones to get spells right. He had good concentration, but bad execution."

"Hmm. And those not in your year?"

"We had three Sixth years then. Cho Chang, and Marietta Edgecombe were Ravenclaws, and Katie Bell-Gryffindor."

"Edgecombe was the one who betrayed your group?"

"Yeah. Apparently her mother works at the Ministry and she didn't want to get on the bad side of Umbridge, but her friend Chang dragged her along to the meetings. Because she didn't really care, Edgecombe's attempts were rather...half arsed, for a lack of better words. She put in minimal effort, so it took her a bit longer to learn the spells she wasn't good at. Chang was better in that aspect. She, er, dated Cedric Diggory before he, uh, died, so she actually did want to learn to defend herself properly. She and Edgecombe knew of all the spells I taught, but Chang was quicker in mastering them. She was also one of the few able to produce a corporeal Patronus, which isn't surprising. She was quite determined.

"Katie on the other hand, like the then Seventh years, was on the Quidditch team, and we had practice more times than probably necessary. She was pretty average, if I had to rank her. She was a bit slower in understanding, but had good focus and power in her spells."

Marvolo looked up from the notes he had been taking while she'd been speaking. "And the rest were in your year?"

"Yes," Violet nodded. "Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Ernie Macmillian are all Hufflepuffs. They're all hard workers, and paid close attention to what I taught them, always took my advice when I attempted to correct them or suggest things. Out of the four of them, Susan is the one who thinks things through the most. She was always asking questions or wanted advice."

Marvolo knew exactly who the child's aunt was, so he didn't doubt it at all. "Abbott, then?"

"Hannah learned a bit slower than Susan, but she always listened closely and actually improved a lot over those few months. She isn't very strong, but she has good defense. The boys were similar in their skill set and strength, but I'd say they're better as support."

"The Ravenclaws?"

"That would be Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Padma Patil. Corner was the most powerful from them, with good strength behind his spells. Padma was the thinker-better support, while the other two were good on the defensive. They were all eager to learn, but Corner, like Smith, had a bit of an attitude problem. He always questioned me, but once he was done with that, he actually did learn."

"And the rest were of your House?"

"Mmm hmm. I can't say much about Seamus-he only came to one meeting, and it was the last one we ever had, but he did well from what I was able to see. The others were there from the beginning, and they were all pretty eager to learn, particularly from me. Lavender and Parvati were...a bit slower on the uptake, so to speak. They wanted to learn, but as I'm sure you've noticed by now, they like to spend their time gossiping. They did still learn, and weren't bad at all, seeing as they made it into your class, but I think it would have been better for them if they had paid more attention. They would have learned much more, and a lot more quickly."

Marvolo had indeed noticed the...preferred behaviour of Brown and Patil, and made a mental note to pay closer attention to the two and ensure they remained focused. Of course, if they didn't then it was going to be their own fault, and it was their own education that was going to be affected. And the same could be said for just about anyone. Detentions and points removed could only help so much.

"Dean has always been very...creative and focused. I think he would be the type who would be inventing spells of his own-Fred and George are like that too. Because of that, he's the person you would want on the front lines, because you never know what exactly he'll throw out, and I think that gives him an edge. Neville... Honestly, I'd say Neville was the most improved out of everyone in the DA."

Marvolo raised a brow. "Is that so?

Violet nodded, and frowned slightly. "Neville is...very determined and very desperate to prove himself. He was raised always being told he wasn't as good as his father, and that isn't good or healthy...not that I know what a healthy family relationship is. Still, things aren't any better here at Hogwarts for him either, and he's generally being bullied for what others perceive as cowardice.

"So because he wants to prove himself, he worked harder than anyone else in the group. His main problem was confidence. He's never had much of it, but once he got the hang of what he was doing, he was able to master the spells quickly. He's a very good listener, and if he's able to take notes, he retains a lot of information. He's also very strong, but I'd say he's definitely better off in a defensive position."

Marvolo noted this down, but said nothing. He did, of course, know what had happened to Longbottom's parents thanks to a group of his Death Eaters, and was amazed the boy still supported Violet in her marriage with him when it was his followers who had attacked his parents and caused their condition, and ultimately the manner in which he had been raised.

Violet didn't notice this and continued speaking. "Hermione was as brilliant as always, naturally. She already knew about all the spells I taught, though she hadn't mastered most of them until then. It never took her very long to do that anyway. Once she becomes determined to learn something, she won't stop until she gets it right. But she also gets disappointed and annoyed if it takes too long or others manage to do it before her. She's used to being at the top of the class, but that's never applied in Defence, and while she knows that, it still bothers her. She does have a vast knowledge of spells, including healing, so I would say she is perfect to have in a supporting position. And she was one of the few able to cast a proper, fully formed Patronus as well."

"And Weasley?"

The girl smirked here. "You might not believe this, but Ron is an amazing strategist. Whenever I needed to decide on specific groups, it was always Ron who helped me, because he analyzed everyone's skills, and was able to put groups together based on what they could and couldn't do. He's pretty strong himself, good to have up front at your side, but he also casts spell with his emotions-which I used to do too until I learned better. If he casts a spell when he's feeling a particularly strong emotion, it's almost guaranteed to be stronger than usual. Honestly, I think that's just a Weasley thing. Although Ron's beat them by being able to summon a corporeal Patronus."

"I see." Marvolo finished noting all this down, then said, "And what spells did you teach them besides Expelliarmus, summoning a Patronus, and Reducto?"

"Let's see, Stupefy, Protego, Diffindo..." she listed off as she searched her bag for her lesson plans. "Here. We didn't manage to cover everything I wanted because we were found out, and we moved a fair bit slower than I wanted to, because some of our members learned a bit slower than I expected they might."

Marvolo scanned over her plans, intending on going through them properly later. "Mock battles?"

Violet nodded. "We never managed to get to it. It was one of the last things I was planning on doing with them. I figured putting them through battles, even if they weren't real, would make good practice for the actual thing. I was going to review things after they'd learned the Patronus, make sure they remembered everything, and then start on the mock battles. We'd planned for a meetings to stop a little while before exams came around, since so many of our members had to focus on OWLs and NEWTs, and not just normal exams."

Marvolo inclined his head in understanding, already planning. The mock battle idea was actually a very good one, and he already had an idea of how he wanted it implemented into his own classes. He would begin on Monday. "How long does it take you to learn a spell?" he asked his young wife abruptly.

Violet blinked, but said, "I guess it depends on the spell itself and how hard I work, but it usually doesn't too long, maybe a few days or weeks, again, depending."

"Good, I will teach you the revealing charm variation I mentioned earlier, over this weekend. I intend for you to be able to use it during breakfast on Monday."

Violet knew immediately that she was about to be worked to the bone, and groaned under her breath, even though she knew this was a very important spell for her to learn. Hopefully she would be too tired to dream for the next couple of nights.

*I think he's either the same year as the Golden Trio, or Ginny and Luna. I'm not positive, but it isn't particularly important in this case, so let's just say he's a year younger. I don't remember what year Corner's in either, so let's just go with whatever I decided above. It doesn't particularly matter.

...Holy shit that was a lot of talking! Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!