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One Wish: The Beginning

Chapter Title: The Betrothal Contract
Rating: PG
Summary: "I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,
A church filled with family and friends.
I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,
He said one that would make me his wife."
-Author Unknown
Beta: No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

August 1, 1983

Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London, England

- Early Morning -

Lady Walburga Black, wife of Orion Black, mother of Sirius and Regulus Black, watched as her husband, the current Lord Black, sat unmoving on their bed. "Orion, what is it? What's happened?" Panic and fear evident in her every step, she softly whispered, "Is, Is it Sirius? Is he-" She let out a choked off sob, continuing fearfully, "Is our son gone?"

For a moment, Orion didn't say a word, then considering, he looked up at his wife. "Does it matter if he was? Would you care?"

Gasping in shock and outrage, she snapped, "Are you ill? Of course I would care! He is my son! I love him!"

Orion's sneer was evident in his voice, if not his face, "Love? Your needling and abusive comments are the reason our son ran away and went to live with the Potters."

"I was only trying to protect him. The further from us he was, the safer he was. The Dark Lord could not command his allegiance if Sirius was not here." She scoffed angrily in the middle of her rant, continuing, "As if you even care, why are you speaking up now? Why not when he was sorted into Gryffindor – and he first became a target? You never spoke out against me – never tried to protect him!"

Lips curled in a slight smile, Orion reached up and ran a gentle hand down his wife's cheek, "Oh, I protected him. Why do you suppose he still retains contact with me?" At his wife's surprised silence, Orion smiled, "Were you not aware? All of those business trips I would take? I have kept in touch with Sirius, remained involved in his life. Why do I think I never removed him as heir? I ask about your feelings only for my own benefit, I wished to know if you were still the woman I married."

Utterly at a loss, Walburga asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Orion let out a deep, barking laugh, "I was never certain if you were trying to protect Sirius or if you truly believed in the shit you were preaching. I suspected that you were trying to help him in your own way. That is why I never overtly stepped in and stopped you."

Scoffing, Walburga replied, "I may not wholly approve of muggleborns, squib-born and halfbloods, but I am also not a complete idiot. The purebloods and fullbloods alone cannot support our society. The most recent, so-called Dark Lord is a short-sighted fool – just like every other before him. Only when a true Black leads the magical world will we see intelligence and progress in our world. Sirius could be that Black. He has all the essential traits and the ability to use those traits appropriately. As for that false Lord, does he honestly expect to find purebloods who are willing to do the menial tasks currently done by the lower classes – day laborers, farmers, merchants, and the like?"

"The false lord was a short-sighted fool. Now that he's gone, perhaps we may be able to draw our family together again."

"If Sirius is to one day be The Black, he must accept that family always comes first. We may be able to teach him, now that we can show him our true opinions. Of course, this all is dependent on Sirius's willingness to understand and accept our motivation."

"Well, he is a Gryffindor. Aren't they supposed to be foolishly noble?" This was said with a smirk as Orion carefully pulled out an official looking packet. "Speaking of foolish Gryffindors, you will be quite amused by the packet Gringotts just sent." In response to Walburga's questioning glance, Orion handed over the bundle.

Walburga slowly unraveled the first parchment, and began to read. Abruptly, she stopped in her reading to stare at her husband, "What in the hell? Is this a joke? This says-"

Highly amused, Orion answered his wife's half-formed question with a wicked grin, "Our son has been quite busy apparently. According to the goblin's missive, last night he accepted a marriage contract and initiated a formal courtship with Rose Potter, the Potter heiress."

"A marriage contract and formal courtship? She's only three years old! And a half-blood – her mother is muggleborn, yes?"
"Yes to the first and no to the second. Rose's mother, Lily Potter nee Evans, is squib descended from both sides of her family. Meaning that our future daughter-in-law is full-blood. Rose's heritage is verified by the Goblin scholars on one of the parchments in the bundle."

"Ah. Well. He's planning to formally court a three-year-old? I always assumed the Black madness was restricted to Bellatrix in their generation. I suppose Sirius wasn't passed over after all – pity, he had such a promising future."

Barely managing to contain his snickers, Orion choked out, "He accepted the marriage contract. I never said that he initiated the process."

"Lord Charlus and Lady Dorea Potter, then?"
"No, I imagine Charlus and Dorea are equally as surprised by the packet they surely received this morning."

"You cannot mean James and Lily Potter? Surprising, I would think after his own love-marriage James would not expect an arranged marriage for his daughter. As for Michael and Lydia, although they are Rose's grandparents they do not have the authority to negotiate a contract or courtship for their family heiress."

"Not any of them. And, of course, you and I certainly did not suggest this."

"Well, the only person left who is able to declare intentions would be Rose, and- You must be joking." Gaping rather unattractively, Sirius' mother watched as his father proceeded to fall into paroxysms of hysterical laughter. "Our son? Our Sirius accepted the marriage proposal of a three-year-old! And you're laughing!"

"We should – haha – probably go see Charlus and Dorea, I'm sure they're – heh – in shock."

"No shit."

"Wally! Such language!"

"Are you drunk? May I reiterate, our SON and heir is engaged to a three-year-old child. Apparently of his own free will? The boy has lost his mind!"

"Relax, Wally. It's not as though he has to marry her immediately, there is still a great deal of time for both of them to evaluate the contract and choose if they wish to abide by it. After all, initiation and acceptance of a marriage contract is only the first step! They still need to go through the formal courtship. Only after the proper steps have been completed, of course, can they even think of physical consummation to make the contract binding. As well, the legalities must be observed, I imagine the bumbling fools at the ministry will expect all of the signed paperwork to be in order by the time Rose reaches the age-of-consent." Shaking his head, Orion continued, "No my dear wife, this marriage is by no means certain. I must admit, I for one am quite looking forward to seeing how this all plays out."

"And why is that, my dear, psychotic husband?"
"Well, darling Wally, normally, in witch-wizard couplings, the wizard proposes and the witch is then courted. However, our son has been proposed to. Therefore, the burden of courtship falls upon the three-year-old. I imagine the next eighteen years will be very amusing. Plus, there is of course Rose's eagerness to marry our son. Based upon the wording of the contract, I believe she tried to have him commit to marriage by the time she's of age. Unfortunately for her, and perhaps fortunately for our son, the type of betrothal contract she initiated cannot be manipulated in such a manner. As it stands, Sirius is merely obligated to enter into a formal courtship with her by the time she turns seventeen." Snickering, Orion rolled his eyes at Walburga's tense features, "Oh wipe that look off of your face. Remember the rules of formal courtship, Wally! As long as the couple does not physically consummate before the younger partner's twenty-first birthday, the betrothal contract will simply wither into dust and no marriage will take place."

"True. Well, at least she has a decent bloodline. The Potters have never had a squib in their line and they trend towards the upper end of the magical power spectrum. I suppose, as it stands there are more benefits to their betrothal than potential consequences."

"Yes there are, and he could have done quite worse when it came to his potential, future wife."

"I still think he's an idiot." Looking over at her still amused husband, Walburga teased, "He must get it from you."

"You think so? I wonder where he gets his prankster side from, then? Can you possibly think of some witch who delighted in tormenting her Professors with juvenile pranks?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Really? I remember some of those pranks quite well, such as the one where she transfigured Dumbledore's beard into a nest of snakes. I also remember being inspired by her bravery leading me to ask her to be my date – even though I was only a fourth year and she was in seventh."

"You know what I remember? I remember she hexed your hair Gryffindor red, laughed, and walked out of the common room."

"Ah, yes." Orion had a uncharacteristic, dreamy smile on his face while he reminisced about their Hogwarts careers. "Those were good times."

"You are a strange character, honestly I don't know why I married you."

"No one else would take you, Wally!" Laughing, both husband and wife made their way to the fireplace. Lighthearted banter aside, Walburga and Orion were both aware Charlus and Dorea might not take the contract as well as they had.

August 1, 1983

Potter Manor, Devon, England

- Late Afternoon -

"Orion, Walburga, please come in and sit down. I can imagine what's brought you here."
"Now, Dorea, aren't you going to ask us to how we are?"
"Please Walburga, this isn't the time for jokes."
"Who's joking?"

When Dorea sucked in a harsh breath in an attempt to maintain control of her ragged emotions, Charlus quickly stepped in, "Well, the two of you certainly don't seem as upset as I imagined you would be."

"Upset? Now, Charlus, why in the world would my wife and I be upset?" Mockingly widening his eyes, Orion attempted to look sweet and innocent.

Struggling not to snap, Dorea carefully bit out, "Oh, I couldn't say, Orion. Perhaps because we've just been informed that our heir accidentally initiated a marriage contract, and your heir foolishly accepted."

Before either Black could reply, Charlus spoke up, "Ahem. With regards to the betrothal. Would I be correct in assuming you've informed Gringotts of your disapproval of the contract – and thus had the curse-breakers undo it? I imagine you are here to ensure we do not lodge any complaints, yes?"
"Now Charlus, you know what they say happens when you assume!"

Dorea let out a highly unladylike noise, asking in shock, "Orion? Are you trying to suggest leaving the contract in place to come into effect?" When both Blacks just smirked in reply, Dorea shakily asked, "You-you didn't disapprove the contract? But, you...surely, you must remember the protocol? Rose initiated the contract and Sirius accepted, therefore Charlus and I cannot disapprove it, only you and Walburga have that power!"

Walburga, who had been mostly silent up until that point, answered for her husband, "Orion and I discussed it, of course. We both agreed that if Sirius entered into the contract of his own free will, which he must have for it to take, then it's not our place to second-guess him. Truly, I imagine the next few years will be fascinating – to say the least."

Before either Charlus or Dorea could speak up, Orion roughly pulled Charlus aside, and in a fierce whisper, explained his and Walburga's thoughts on the matter.

While the men discussed, Dorea turned to the woman who was technically her niece, "You've both lost your minds."

"Oh, don't be such a yawn, Dorea! "

As Dorea went to angrily respond, Orion and Charlus walked over. Orion, who was still talking, smirked as he spoke louder for Dorea's benefit, "Mmm, I must admit your dear grandniece is certainly a devious, little brat."

Laughing, Charlus nodded, Orion had explained the Black Family's official position on the matter and he saw the same potential for entertainment as Orion, "It will take a true miracle for her to avoid Slytherin."

"What? Charlus surely you aren't implying that the girl meant to do this. She's three, for goodness sake!"

"I'm not implying anything, dearest. There's just one little thing to take note of, however. You see, Dorea, our son asked me to start Rose's heir lessons last week." Waiting until nods from Dorea, Orion, and Walburga proved they were paying attention, Charlus continued, "The day before this little, ahem, incident between Rose and Sirius, was the day I gave Rose a lesson on betrothal contracts as well as the criteria and methodology for entering and exiting such contracts. She asked if it was possible to put in age requirements and limits, I told her it wasn't but I suppose she wanted to test it out for herself."

Walburga, trying to muffle laughter, turned away to hide her shaking shoulders while her husband cheerfully mocked, "Hah! Looks like Sirius has finally met his match."

"Orion, please! You and Charlus have both lost your minds. I highly doubt Sirius ever meant to accept something like this. Use those brains of yours for a moment, I know you both must possess at least some minuscule amount! I reiterate, Rose is only three. Yes, she may have latched onto Sirius for now. Yes, she might even have thought it was a good idea in her adoration, but eventually she's going to grow up and-"

"But nothing, my dear wife! Keep in mind, provided they don't consummate before she's twenty-one, the betrothal isn't binding. As it stands, you and I both think of Sirius as another son – so I don't even see the problem. He's a good man and would never even think of touching her until she was well past the age of consent. The age of consent, in case you've forgotten, is seventeen, Dorea, so at the very least we have another fourteen years before you even need to worry. And if Sirius and Rose do decide to consummate once she's legally old enough? ...Well, Sirius sure as hell better be planning on marrying her!"

Rolling her eyes, Dorea frowned, opening her mouth to protest but Walburga, finally having controlled her amusement, piped in, "We must also consider the benefits to both of them being in an active betrothal contract." Seeing she had gained the other adults' attention, Walburga proceeded speaking, "It seems Rose truly does understand how to initiate a contract and she has shown her willingness to act unilaterally in such matters, even at her young age. If we remove this contract now, she may initiate AND consummate another contract when she is older. There is no guarantee that you will approve of such an agreement – and you will have no recourse if she finalizes it on her own. In addition, there is of course the protection she now has as the contracted betrothed of the Black heir – for example, none of the many social climbing, deviants amongst the minor families will be able to take advantage of her. After all, I believe we're all familiar with the story of that poor Evelyn Weasley – impregnated while under the influence of a whole array of love potions by Abraxas Malfoy's great-grandfather. Now look at the Malfoys – from minor, destitute family to a prominent voice on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. And the Weasleys - they never did recover from the social or financial ruin. Pity, imagine how different things would have been if the Weasley Patriarch had stuck to the old ways and betrothed Evelyn before she began attending Hogwarts."

"That's all well and good, but what of Sirius?"

"This contract protects him as well. That Sirius managed to find himself engaged to a three-year-old simply proves he takes the old ways too lightly. However, now that he is already contracted, he cannot be fooled into accepting some gold-digger's marriage offer."

Nodding in agreement, Charlus stepped in to continue listing benefits, "Yes, and we must be honest with ourselves. We all care for Sirius, but he isn't exactly...known, for his stable relationships."

"Don't sugarcoat Charlus, my son is, what do the kids call it these days? Ah, yes, a man-whore."

Snickering, the Potter patriarch continued, "Yes, exactly Orion. The contract certainly won't prevent him from enjoying his personal life. However, it will block the creation of any – oh, how should I put it? – mmm, unwanted heirs."

Dorea finally seemed to be seeing the wisdom in letting the contract stand, but she had one last question, "And what if Sirius decides he does want children within the next eighteen years? What if he falls in love with one of his tarts – and decides he wants to marry her?"

"Well, if all four of us approve of the tart, we will certainly inform him of the contract and take the appropriate steps to have it terminated."

"I see. If we approve. And what happens if we don't all approve, Orion?"
"Well. Sirius should have been more careful in what he said. It is without a doubt his own fault he cannot get married or have children until this contract is resolved. Personally, I doubt he will even notice the agreement's existence, as my son appears to be somewhat allergic to commitment." Nodding to himself, Orion continued, "No, I rather suppose he will proceed on exactly as he has been – from one bed to the next. In truth, I believe it will be Rose who will come to us to for release from the contract, rather than Sirius."

"I suppose you may be correct. Well then, who is telling whom? We will need to inform both James and Sirius, of the contract and our decision to leave it in place. I imagine neither one is going to take it well. James, especially."
"Aw, Dorea. Why ruin the fun?"
"What do you mean Walburga?"
"I mean, Sirius did get himself into this..."

"What if they..."
Charlus promptly broke in, "He's her godfather, what are the chances they EVER end up consummating?"

"Rather low I suppose, but still, there is always a chance."

"Chance, shmance, dearest! We'll tell them on her 18th birthday – July 31st, 1998. He won't even think of touching her before then anyways."

"If you say so, husband mine. When this all ends up back-firing on us, I will take great pleasure in saying, 'I told you so.'"

A/N: So, those of you who read the previous version...probably realize why this chapter and especially the dates/ages were important. :D! As always, please review – especially if you're still confused on how betrothal contracts work!

Note: In response to a review, I wanted to clarify: Charlus and Dorea are Lord and Lady Potter, the patriarch and matriarch of the Potters - so all contracts, etc. go to them first – even though Michael & Lydia are Rose's grandparents and James & Lily are her parents. For the Blacks, Orion and Walburga are Lord and Lady - and therefore they get the contracts. Now, even though Orion's father, Arcturus, is still alive, he isn't the Lord Black, because he passed on the title to his son (in order to enjoy his retirement!).

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011