Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J..K.R.

Author's notes: Thank you to Shygui for editing this chapter. You are the best!

Chapters 18 yo 20, including Bonus Chapter, 29/03/18

19

The last time he'd felt a sense of hopelessness like this was when he walked into the clearing in the forest to face Voldemort. Back then, he'd known that everything would be over within the blink of an eye: the flash of a green spell, followed by nothingness.

Dying had been a piece of cake, as Sirius had said, compared to what he was going to do right now: he was going to shackle himself for life to a girl, a girl he'd not spoken to once outside of class. Of all the dangerous adventures he'd been through in his short life, this was the most daunting one. What if they couldn't stand each other from the very beginning? What if she was secretly in league with the Death Eaters? Would he have to sleep with his wand in his hand from now on? Shit, from their wedding night on they would share a bed! His heart plummeted into the deepest pit of his stomach.

He snorted. What an idiot he was! It was a bit late to think of that complication, wasn't it?

'The great Harry Potter, Master,' Matty said, and held the door to Cyrus' study open for him.

Harry's heart thumped in his breast like a hammer on an anvil. Nevertheless, he thanked the small creature with a smile as he stepped into the room. He'd rather die than to let Cyrus see how shaken he was.

Cyrus sat behind his desk, but rose when Matty closed the door, and gave him a polite handshake.

'I see, you've come to a decision, Harry.' He motioned with his hand to the uncomfortable visitor chairs.

Harry braced himself. Now was the time for some expert acting. Cyrus might have the upper hand for the time being, however, that didn't mean that he'd be his puppet. He hadn't given in to Voldemort, and he wouldn't give in to Cyrus Greengrass. He raised his chin at Cyrus, slipped his wand into his hand, gathered his magic, and cast a silent Cushioning Charm on both chairs.

The charm would be as good as permanent, thanks to his power as the master of the Elder Wand, but also thanks to the power the Elder Wand had transferred to his own holly and phoenix feather wand when he had used it to repair his wand. He'd discovered his increase in magical power a week after the Battle, and so far hadn't discussed it with anyone, not even Ginny or Ron and Hermione.

Let's see how Cyrus would deal with that when he discovered it. He bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from grinning.

Cyrus' eyebrows went up at his actions, but he didn't comment. Was there a hint of admiration in his eyes? It was hard to tell; it was gone within a split second, and his face was that bland wall once again.

Harry slid the wand back into its holster and sat down. For nothing in the world he was going to show Cyrus how much this talk was terrifying him. He leaned back in his chair, his arms on the armrest, and crossed his legs. As long as he didn't start to bop his leg up and down, he'd look nonchalant and calm that way - at least he hoped so. He looked Cyrus in the eyes. 'Well, yes. You didn't leave me much of a choice, did you? Since I'm not inclined to bite the dust anytime soon, I'm going to accept your most generous offer.'

If Cyrus felt offended by the unveiled sarcasm in his voice, he didn't let on. A broad smile appeared on his face. 'That's wonderful, Harry. I'm sure you're never going to regret your decision.'

Harry didn't answer. At the moment, it was hard to share Cyrus' optimism.

'However, before I call my daughter to this meeting, I need to be sure that you'll keep your part of the bargain,' Cyrus said.

The breath caught in Harry's throat. What did Cyrus want from him? 'Do you want a magical oath?'

Cyrus shook his head. 'No, tricky business they are, and most likely will come back to bite us. I want your word, Harry, your word as a man and an honourable one, that you agree to marry Daphne and stay married to her until at least one heir is born to you from your union. I don't care whether it's a boy or a girl.'

That sounded reasonable. 'You have my word on that,' Harry said.

Cyrus gave him another broad smile and clicked his fingers.

Matty appeared beside him with a soft PLOP.

'Please, ask Miss Daphne to join Mr Potter and me in my study,' Cyrus said.

The elf nodded and Apparated away.

Harry put both feet on the ground. There was no way he wouldn't start bopping his foot if he kept his legs crossed while he waited for his future wife. He put his hands on his thighs, palms down. Why were they that sweaty all of a sudden? He subtly flexed his fingers, and dried them on his robes with the miniscule movements.

Silence descended on the small room. The blood rushed in Harry's ears, and his heartbeat sped up at an alarming rate. Dizziness overcame him. He blinked; he was not going to faint on his future wife! He concentrated on his breathing: in … and out - in … and out, slow and deliberate. His heartbeat slowed down, though it still was so loud he was sure Cyrus must hear it.

There was a soft knock on the door. Harry's heart jumped in his throat and stayed there, pumping hard.

'Come in,' Cyrus said.

The door opened. Cyrus rose to his feet. Harry followed his example and turned around. For the first time since the Sorting in his first year he took a deliberate look at his future wife.

At the Sorting, she'd been an eleven year old on the smaller side, and cute in the way all little girls were cute. Her long, blonde hair had been held back by a bandana, and the Sorting Hat hadn't needed long to put her into Slytherin. She'd seemed to be rather pleased about that.

She hadn't changed much since their first day at Hogwarts. She was still on the smaller side: the top of her head just reached his nose. Her straight hair had darkened slightly. It now had the colour of ripe wheat and was still held back with a bandana, and fell down past her shoulders to her waist. The skin of her unmoved oval face was clean, with no trace of freckles, and as white as a sheet. She had delicate eyebrows over eyes as blue as the sky, a straight nose, and full, pink lips that were shaped slightly upwards at the corners of her mouth and gave her face the appearance of a permanent smile, though her eyes at this moment were cold and distant. She was a pretty girl, yes, but she had nothing on Ginny's vibrant beauty. She was the kind of girl who melted into the background and was always overlooked. No wonder he hadn't been able to match a face to the name when Cyrus' letter arrived.

'Thank you for coming that promptly, my dear,' Cyrus said. 'Daphne, allow me to introduce you to Mr Harry Potter. Harry, this is my oldest daughter, Daphne.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Greengrass,' Harry said, and kissed the knuckles of the hand she held out to him. Mr and Mrs Weasley had drilled him that morning at breakfast about how to behave when he met his intended bride for the first time.

Her fingers, clammy and cold, trembled in his hand. So, she wasn't as aloof and indifferent as she appeared to be?

'The pleasure is all mine, Mr Potter.' Her voice was flat.

With the introductions out of the way, Cyrus motioned them to sit down. Harry waited until Daphne sat down, and used the time to take another look at her.

Her eyes widened for a split second when she sat down and noticed the Cushioning Charm on the chair, and she shot him a scrutinising glance from under her eyelashes. The next moment, however, her surprise and curiosity was overcome by the seriousness of their situation. She pressed her knees together, and clenched her hands in her lap. No, she definitely wasn't calm about this.

Cyrus cut the crackle straight away. He turned to his daughter. 'My dear, as you know, Mr Potter and I have been negotiating a union of our families in marriage, and we have come to an agreement. Mr Potter asked for your hand in marriage. How is your answer to that offer?'

Harry bit his tongue. Neither had there been any negotiations, nor had he offered for Greengrass' hand in marriage. What a farce this meeting was!

He examined his bride-to-be from the corners of her eyes. She sat very straight.

Her bland face betrayed no emotion at all, but her eyes were two blue shards of ice as she looked at her father. 'I am honoured, and I gladly accept Mr Potter's offer.' Her voice still was void of all emotion, however, her hands, clasped together until the knuckles stood out white, told another story.

How much say had she in this so-called negotiations? There was no way to ask her in Cyrus' presence. Later, maybe.

'I am honoured by your trust in me, Miss Greengrass,' he said, as Mr Weasley had instructed him.

She didn't answer, nor did she look at him.

'Wonderful,' Cyrus said into the silence and rubbed his hands. 'Congratulations to both of you. Today is a lucky day for our families.'

That still remained to be seen. Harry clenched his teeth.

Cyrus turned to Harry. 'We have a lot to talk about. No offense meant, Harry, but I guess you don't have much time to lose to get your treatment under the way, so I'd suggest a wedding at the earliest date possible. I hope you understand that I won't give you access to anything before you two have taken the vows.'

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled at Cyrus. 'I didn't expect anything else, Cyrus.'

'The wedding will take place in the park of The Rectory, as is the custom for the girls of our family. Closest family only, I think. Also, I think it's better not to announce the engagement. That will cause too much unwanted attention. I'm going to send the announcement of the wedding to The Daily Prophet afterwards, together with the notice that you're on honeymoon in France. Is that alright with you?' Cyrus asked.

Harry nodded. He couldn't care less about the details of the wedding.

'Of course, Father,' Greengrass said.

'Good. You are my heir, Daphne. Instead of the customary dowry you'll receive the usual stipend as the heir of the house of Greengrass from the day of your wedding until you both take control of the company from me. For you, Harry, I'll make the same provisions I made for your father when he married your mother. However, I think it advisable that you live with us at The Rectory following the wedding.'

Harry froze. No, by no means! He didn't want to live under the same roof as his in-laws. Given how this marriage started, and considering his temper, he was probably going to explode at some point, sooner rather than later, if he didn't have some space. He and Greengrass would never have a chance at a proper relationship if they had to begin their married life under the close inspection and constant meddling of Cyrus Greengrass. 'Didn't you say something about a few Potter houses I could take my pick from when we first met?' he asked.

Cyrus gave him a close lipped smile. 'That's true, but things have changed significantly since then, don't you agree?'

Heat flashed through Harry's body. He glared at Cyrus and clenched his fists. The next thirteen years until he'd be independent seemed a very long time.

'Besides that, it's only a hop and a skip from here to Canterbury University, where you both will begin your studies in September. Not to mention that you need to be in close proximity to me, since I'm going to be introducing you to your duties as my successor.'

Harry gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt. So, Cyrus had already planned what he was supposed to do in September? There was little he could do about Cyrus meddling in his life and about the Potter houses, at least not as long as Cyrus held the executorship. He'd have to talk to Greengrass during their so-called honeymoon. Maybe between them they'd have enough Galleons to rent a cottage or a flat somewhere. Or would Cyrus cut off the gold if they moved out?

Greengrass gave him a short side glance. He couldn't read her expression. She cleared her throat and straightened. 'I don't agree with that, Father.' There was more than a hint of steel in her cold voice.

Harry turned his head and stared at her. Was that the same girl that had entered the room? Well, at least she seemed to agree with him on that point, though she most likely had her own reasons for that.

A faint blush dusted her cheeks. She looked straight at her father, but her hands twisted in her lap.

'Look, Daphne -' Cyrus said.

'No, Father. I want my own house.' The steel in her voice became more pronounced.

Father and daughter exchanged a long, hard stare. Cyrus was the first to avert his eyes. 'You and Harry need to live close to me because of the reasons I explained, Daphne. What else do you suggest?'

Harry sucked in a sharp breath. So, his daughter was Cyrus' weak spot? That was good to know.

'What about The Coach House? It's been empty ever since great-great aunt Marigold died. We'd be living next door, but would have our own house,' Grerngrass said.

Cyrus gave a slow nod. 'That would work.'

Greengrass jutted her chin ever so slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned upwards.

Cyrus took a sheet of parchment out of the drawer of his desk. He dipped the eagle-feather quill into the silver inkwell and wrote a few paragraphs. 'I've written down the points of our agreement,' he said, and handed the parchment to Harry.

Harry took the parchment from him and read it. The agreement was short and to the point. It covered everything they had agreed on, and there seemed to be no hidden catches.

He nodded his consent and handed the parchment to Greengrass. 'Is that alright with you?'

Her head jerked back, and she blinked while her mouth formed a silent "oh", took the parchment out of his hand, and read it thoroughly. 'I agree,' she said.

Cyrus handed her the quill. She signed the agreement and pushed the parchment and the quill towards Harry.

He took a deep breath and scribbled his name beside hers. He closed his eyes for a brief second and breathed out. The deed was done. Had he sold himself to the devil? Only time would tell.

t.b.c.