Haunted Jaded Eyes
Chapter 25
Arthur Weasley sat in his small office rereading the contract for the twelfth time, trying to find an out clause for his daughter but not to find one. He had asked the goblin what had changed in the contract and found out that only the groom's name had been changed. The goblins certainly had no sympathy for him or, heaven forbid, his daughter; considering their savvy business sense, he wasn't surprised. They would all have known better than to sign a damn contract like that, and he should have as well. If his brothers had been alive they would have been kicking his ass, his parents as well. Sighing softly, he rubbed his eyes tiredly; he didn't want to deliver this news to his family ― who were all waiting in the kitchen for the news.
Standing up, contract in hand, he opened his door and found everyone's attention on him immediately. His daughter looked desperately at him, as if she thought him capable of performing miracles. Unfortunately he wasn't able to help her, with the exception of disowning her, but he couldn't do that, not to his only daughter. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he admitted, waving the paperwork uselessly in front of him.
"Can I look it over?" Percy asked; he had been the one that went into business, after all. He knew more about contracts than Bill, Charlie, or even his own father.
"Give it a try," Arthur said, although he would be astonished if his son managed to find anything.
"Sit next to me, Percy," Bill suggested; working with Goblins he too had quite the working knowledge of contracts.
"Budge along, Fred," Percy said, urging his younger brother over to make space for him beside Bill.
Surprised that Percy had managed to get his name right, Fred dumbly slid into the next seat and let Percy take the one he had used moments before. It was extremely rare that his family managed to tell him apart from his twin; that was just the way it had always been. Nobody was in the mood for jokes right now anyway; no matter what happened, their lives were never going to be the same. The twins were worried that Harry wouldn't want to be their silent partner anymore, and that they wouldn't get any more people coming into their shop, now that the news was out. The Weasley name was going to be dragged through the mud, especially by pureblood society; things had already been bad enough with them being labelled 'blood traitors' for their tolerance for 'Muggles' and of course having one in the family. He lapsed into a tense silence again; watching both Bill and Percy read it together, their heads touching.
"This is ridiculous!" muttered Bill. It was more than airtight, it was bloody ironclad; there was no leeway at all.
"He knew what he was doing…" Percy said, his tone grim. "If things had gone according to plan…Harry would have been utterly miserable for the rest of his life." Instead, his little sister would be miserable, but that was better than it being an innocent teenager. He wasn't stupid, he knew Harry wasn't lying, but he did feel that by associating with Harry they were putting themselves into danger. It had taken him a while in the real world after school to realize that, Harry or not, they were always a target. Look at what happened to his uncles. No, he'd projected his fears for his family onto an innocent boy.
"Rest of his life? But I thought two children…" Molly's voice had risen in her panic. "Arthur, you said…"
"I know what I said but it was pure speculation at that point, you know this... Neither of us had actually read the contract," Arthur told her tiredly. "I made an assumption ― a grievously wrong one."
"You mean…I would be married to him until he died?" Ginny asked, wide-eyed. He was an old man to be sure…but she knew how long wizards could live. Dumbledore could live for a further five decades it just all depended, but considering how healthy he was, and how powerful, she knew she was right. She could have lived with the prestige that came with Dumbledore's name right now, but she knew that there would be no prestige when the media was though with him. No, she was screwed. Harry's was and would be the best name to have ever, and things had gotten so screwed up because of Dumbledore. She should never have begged her parents, she should have done some research. Two male heirs... the thought of sleeping with him was abhorrent. She liked her guys a few years older, but not by that much.
"There is nothing about dissolving the contract or an annulment," Bill stated. "Since the Goblins said that nothing else was changed, Dumbledore had written it that way. He had effectively entrapped Harry into a marriage with no way out." He would have admired the contract for its brilliance if it hadn't been affecting his family.
"Surely there has to be something," Molly insisted, her voice a trembling mess.
"Nothing," Percy said, confirming his father's earlier words. He didn't even know if he would have a job at the end of the day once the news got around. He would be positively furious with Ginny if he lost his job due to her shenanigans. Hell, he wanted to shake his dad and demand a bloody answer as to why he'd done it. Just looking at him once though, he knew his dad was feeling the full force of what happened and was feeling guilty.
"What are we going to do?" Fred asked, feeling at a loss.
"There's nothing we can do," Charlie said grimly. "We just have to keep quiet, don't fuel the fire any more than it is; it's going to be a nightmare." He was glad he had a job in Romania; at least he wouldn't be hit with this madness. Bill could go back to Egypt. It was Percy and the twins who were in the most direct path of the oncoming storm, and would be hit the hardest. Then there was Ron; this was his last year at Hogwarts, and then he would obviously need to get a job.
Ginny scowled soundlessly at them, they were more concerned about themselves than the fact she was going to have to marry Dumbledore. Where was the sympathy for her?! She certainly hadn't asked for it, after all. She'd wanted Harry, the current and future hero... not the old wizard...the old hero. She wanted to rage at them, but she didn't ― she'd already screwed things up enough without alienating her family. She had to make them think she was a victim of Dumbledore's scheme, and then the press; maybe then the contract could be annulled. She absolutely refused to believe there was no way out of this.
"How is Harry?" Percy asked, surprising his family greatly. He flushed when he realized Ron must have told them about the letter he'd sent, otherwise it wouldn't have surprised them when he asked, surely? "I know he's angry, but other than that…with what's happening," he added when he realized this question had already been asked hours ago.
"He's different," Arthur commented, thinking back on his conversation with the young man. "Curt, demanding, but not as angry as he could have been. He was very honest; he doesn't blame everyone in this family for what happened, just those directly involved." This, unfortunately, meant him, Molly, Ginny... and Dumbledore. He doubted Harry would ever trust him again, but as long as he remained friends with Ron ― he could live with that.
"Will he help us get the press off our backs?" and keep our jobs, Percy added silently to himself.
"I wouldn't ask," Arthur said grimly, "Not for a while. He's been through a lot and this might just push him over the edge." Harry had been forced to watch the Dursleys killed; had been kidnapped from a place that was supposed to be safe, then tortured before his rescue. Then Dumbledore had proceeded to lie to the Order about the abuse Harry had suffered. They'd known, though; they had known from the moment Harry told them that he was telling the truth, and that Dumbledore was lying. Yet they'd let the old wizard do this to them? It was a good job they had moved back here already; otherwise they would have left Grimmauld Place without any protection.
"He's stronger than you think," Ron argued; he would ask him for help if it got bad. It wasn't fair that Harry would have to come to their rescue, but he couldn't let his brothers go through hell for something they didn't do. Man, Ron thought wryly, sometimes growing up sucked. Hermione would be proud through; hopefully she would stay here instead of at Grimmauld, now that they'd severed ties with the Order. His girlfriend would have to choose: the Headmaster of her school and the Order, or him and his family. He was actually worried about her reply, but he prayed that their friendship and relationship was enough.
"Does anyone want some dinner?" Molly asked, standing up and wiping away the tears on her cheeks. As much as it felt as though this was the end of the world, it wasn't. She had to stay strong; they were still in a war; the show must still go on, as the saying so often said. She had more than one child ―if any of them could be considered children anymore― so she had to see them all through this.
"No," Ginny replied, sneering inwardly; she couldn't wait until she was older to get away from this madness. At least Dumbledore wasn't completely penniless; she'd have money and an income, she would find somewhere else to live ― she wouldn't stay with the old man. She wouldn't live like her parents, in second-hand clothes like they bought. Still, the thought of sleeping with him or having children with him turned her stomach…not as much as losing her magic, though. Standing up she left the kitchen, not wanting to hear them discussing how badly Harry was let down! It was her that was being forced into something she didn't want.
Molly watched her go, sighing softly, struggling with the burdensome knowledge that she would have to see her daughter married to an old man. She'd had high hopes for Ginny; she was talented, powerful, and beautiful. She could have had any man she wanted, and like any loving mother, she'd hoped it was someone with money to see her daughter live a comfortable, content life ― one they simply couldn't give her. Those dreams were gone, and it was partly her fault; all she'd seen in her mind's eye was her daughter living a comfortable life, and signed the contract ― and this was the consequences. There was nothing she could say that would help, so she didn't even bother trying.
Just then the Floo Network activated, giving them warning before somebody appeared in their fireplace.
"Mione!" Ron cried in surprise, standing up. His heartbeat thumping through the roof, she had her trunk with her, his letter still in her hand. She'd chosen him, although he tried not to let his thoughts and hopes get too far ahead, but he couldn't help himself.
"I just heard what happened; I'm sorry," Hermione said as she looked at the devastated family, avoiding both Molly and Arthur. There were only a few times in her life where she'd gotten so angry that she might get into a physical confrontation or use magic. Although when she did get really angry, she forgot about magic and the basic 'Muggle' instincts she'd known since a baby came forth ― starting with her hands and fists. She was a guest here, so she couldn't say what she thought of them at the moment.
"Come on, Mione, let's go," Ron said, moving forward and grasping one end of her trunk, then they both started making their way up the stairs. Once they were in his room, he closed the door and put up a silencing spell. "Let it out."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, looking both surprised and sheepish.
"The questions, the anger... I know you, Mione," Ron said, grinning for the first time that day.
"WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WHERE YOUR PARENTS THINKING? HOW'S HARRY; I'VE NOT WRITTEN TO HIM YET!" Hermione burst out, unable to contain her questions. "What do you mean by Ginny has to marry Dumbledore? A contract is disgusting and outdated! Why are they no longer in the Order? What's going to happen between everyone and Dumbledore now?" She finally ran out of steam and breathed in large gulps of air.
"Finished?" Ron offhandedly asked; usually she had a few more by this point, but considering she'd been shrieking her voice probably hurt.
Hermione just gave him a look of impatience. She wanted answers; she had just read Ron's letter when she finally got her hands on a newspaper... which had been hidden, by the way. She'd been so horrified and as soon as she saw mention of the contract, and children, she'd been unable to read further. Ginny was younger than her, and Dumbledore was over one hundred and fifty years old.
Ron moved over to his bed and sat down on his pillow, knowing Mione would end up sitting at the bottom once she stopped pacing anxiously. He tried to remember everything she asked as he thought on how best to tell her. Hermione knew a lot ―she was extremely smart― but when it came to pureblood society, she wouldn't truly understand.
"It was mostly Ginny; she convinced mum and dad to sign a contract legally binding Harry and Ginny to marry when Ginny turned sixteen, although it could be put off until the bride is seventeen and had graduated, if that was what they wanted ― not even Dumbledore could have interfered with that," Ron explained.
"How did it change?" Hermione asked, finally sitting down but using a pillow to keep her hands occupied. "I mean, how is it possible that it changed from Harry to Dumbledore…not that I wanted it to happen to Harry," she hastened to explain.
"Have you read about Gringotts laws?" Ron asked.
"No," Hermione said shaking her head, making a mental note to put it on the top of her book reading list.
"Well, a long time ago, a wizard named Dunbook Hawkes gained custody of his godson, but he adopted and raised him as his son…after the boy's parents died under suspicious circumstances. There was nothing to point towards him, and when the boy grew up, Hawkes put a marriage contract out on him and Maria Hawkes, his own daughter; they became one of the richest families in the magical world," Ron explained.
"But they grew up together, that's…wrong," Hermione said, appalled.
"It was, but there was nothing they could do, it was marry or lose their magic. They married of course, dying was better than losing your magic, even then. Dunbook got his hands on their entire fortune, but he failed to realize…or maybe he just thought he had full control of them…Jackson became the head of his family estate upon his marriage, and Dunbook got nothing. He was furious. Despite it all, Maria and Jackson made it work; they had a child and were very fond of each other. A year or so later Hawkes snapped when his own fortune ran out, and tried to hold his daughter and his granddaughter hostage, demanding all of Jackson's fortune or he would kill them. He was captured and sentenced to Azkaban; he spent the rest of his life in prison," Ron told her.
"What does this have to do with…" Hermione questioned, just as confused as she was queasy.
"After that, a lot of purebloods began putting stipulations on their estates that would prevent such a thing happening again. The Goblins came up with a fantastic solution that most people didn't know about. It was a clause that prevented magical guardians, godparents, or anyone who adopted the heir of a big family from being able to sign contracts of any nature ―especially marriage contracts, and kept them from ever being completed. The Goblins made it so that restitution had to be paid, which could be anything from a fine to actually having magic change the contract's terms to bind the perpetrator," Ron revealed. "Which means that Harry's grandfather, or maybe even his great-grandfather, actually put a clause on the estate to keep the Potter fortune safe."
"Not necessarily, it could have been the Blacks," Hermione pointed out. "Harry did get his godfather's fortune, right?"
Ron blinked; he hadn't thought of that. "I don't know…I mean it makes sense that he did; not only was Sirius his godfather, but his father's mother was a Black. Either way, there was a safeguard on the estate preventing Dumbledore from marrying Harry off. The contract he drew up for Harry and Ginny changed."
"Poor Harry, how is he holding up?" Hermione asked, heartbroken for her best friend.
"Really angry," Ron said. "I've said that too many times today," he added thumping his head against his headboard.
"So now Ginny and Dumbledore have to marry?" Hermione grimaced.
"They do," he stated before answering some of her previous questions. "I have no idea what my parents were thinking. When Dumbledore couldn't stop the contract legally, my dad pulled us all out of the Order; we are not allowed to associate ourselves with him anymore, and if we did we'd be seen as traitors to the house of Weasley. Dad could disown us for it, and although we know he won't, we do want to respect his wishes."
"What about your sister? Will she even be allowed to see any of you when she is married?" Hermione asked, frankly disturbed.
"Of course; it's just Dumbledore," Ron explained. "He's ruined all our lives, Mione. We've always been considered 'blood traitors,' but this is going to ruin us even further. I might not even be able to get a job… Percy might lose his… Ginny will never be accepted into society."
"Why? It had nothing to do with you!" she exclaimed angrily.
"It's just the way society works," Ron told her sighing tiredly.
"Hmm," Hermione murmured, it sounded like the normal rich society in the Muggle world. If one person was shamed, the entire family was ignored by the rest of high society and practically blackened. Landing at the bottom of the society social ladder, they would then be no better than someone poor. That, she understood, and began to understand what Ron was telling her about pureblood society. "Is there a chance they might understand?"
"Maybe; I mean, if they know and see that Harry and I are still friends, then it's possible," Ron muttered, "But it's just a possibility; with it being Harry ― their reaction might be more forceful than if it was just someone else unknown." He was the hero of the wizarding world, after all. Well, most of the time, when they weren't cutting him down as if he was to blame for all their problems; Harry hated that.
"I can't wait until Hogwarts starts back up," Hermione confessed. "With this happening, he's probably going to keep Harry secluded, but at least he will leave him alone." She would write to him through, she wasn't about to let Harry think she or Ron were abandoning him again and leaving him to fend for himself. She'd done that once; never again.
"Me either, things are going to be pretty tense around here," Ron told her quietly.
"I'm not surprised," Hermione said. "How have you been?" She was sitting up at the top beside Ron now, cuddling into him.
"Worried, tired, and wired, all at the same time," Ron said. "I wasn't sure whether you would come or not," he confessed.
"Course I came," she said softly.
Both of them lapsed into silence, worrying about Harry.
They didn't have anything to worry about, since Harry was in a better place than he'd been in for a very long time, both physically and emotionally.
Big thanks to Jake and Jordre for editing this chapter!