Previously on Defiance…
"There is something else I wished to talk to you about, Mister Potter. I assume Mister Black would like to be a part of it too."
Sirius and Harry shared a mutual glance and nodded.
"Very well. Let us retire to the study. Daphne," he glanced at his daughter, "I would prefer if you would not be present in this one."
"Of course, Father." Daphne bowed and strode away.
"To the study, then?" Cyrus gestured.
Later in the evening…
Since the session was held on a Saturday, Harry had obtained a written permission from the Headmaster to be excused until Sunday. He had been provided with a portkey that would take him to the Hogwarts Grounds on Sunday evening at exactly 7PM, while Daphne was supposed to Floo from her house to Mcgonagall's office, which had a usable Floo that allowed incoming from the outside world.
Daphne Greengrass sat inside her room, relaxing on her bed as she read one of her mother's subscribed magazines. Her mother, Victoria Greengrass, was a healer by profession and though Daphne did not have any ambition towards that particular career, she did hold a fancy for the subject.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Harry entered the room, almost silently, his face revealing that he was deep in thought. Daphne instantly stood up and summoned a chair from one corner of her room to where her bed was.
"Have a seat." She offered. Harry took it, his glance never leaving her face as he sat down and let out a deep breath.
"I presume my father wanted to talk to you about the contract?"
Harry looked skeptically at her as he nodded slowly. "I cannot understand why on earth you would agree to this."
Daphne narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Harry paused, gathering his words. "Look Greengrass, I like you. I mean, not that like like, but well, I kind of have fun teaching and training you, and all of that is nice and all, but… marriage?"
"Oh." Daphne surmised. "Am I not beautiful enough for you?"
Harry widened his eyes as he felt the discussion moving towards a dangerous side. These were uncharted waters and ancient magic or not, there was simply no way to traverse through these waters and come out safely.
"No, it's not that-"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Daphne pressed.
"What? No-"
"A crush?"
Harry thought of Cho for a moment, but she had chosen Cedric and ever since the start of fifth year, she had been eyeing him like eye-candy, something he was not comfortable. He took a deep breath and replied, "No..."
"Do you like boys then?" Daphne retorted, keeping her face straight. Harry blushed in embarrassment and replied, "I certainly do not."
"Then what is your problem, Potter?"
Good point. What the hell was his problem?
"It's not that-" he tried to explain; though no proper explanations came to his mind. After all, he had never really thought about Daphne as a girlfriend, though she cut a great figure and she was witty and quick with a wand and did that thing with her lips and-hang on! Why was he thinking about her?
"I am waiting, Potter." Daphne replied, tapping her foot impatiently.
Damn. Fighting battles is easier than this.
"Well-" Harry drawled, dragging it and fishing for more time to think of a suitable reply, "I never really thought of you as a potential girlfriend and-"
"Oh I didn't know that. Tell me more." Daphne replied sassily. "Look Potter, if our families are up in an official alliance, this is a requirement. You spelt this on us, and now you have to deal with it. Come on, tell me. What is your problem in getting tied with me for life?"
"Why is it necessary?" Harry asked. Daphne muttered something obscure under her breath, before she answered. "When Potter-Black gets into an alliance with Greengrass, it will surely attract the dark lord's eye towards us. Since my father is the leader of the neutrals, allying with you makes the neutral faction an eyesore for the dark lord. The official alliance is not enough for my father to keep the neutral faction under control."
"So all of this is to simply benefit the political coalition between our families?" Harry questioned, eyeing her warily.
"Don't be daft, Potter. Coalitions are everything. People do things for a reason. For old families like ours, marriage is another name for coalition. Even if you would reject my proposal right now, sometime in the near future, you would have to marry some girl to carry on your legacy. You are the Lord of two Ancient Houses. If it makes you any happier, that gives you the right to marry two witches. Marry me and keep the alliance strong and intact, and then fall in love with some fairy tale princess of your choice and then marry her. The alliance would be kept powerful and safe, and you can be happy ever after."
"And what about you?" Harry questioned. "What about your choices in life?"
Daphne looked away. She walked up to the open window and replied. "I am the heir apparent of my family, and being the eldest daughter, it is my responsibility to make sure that my family name continues first and foremost. That is usually done in two major ways. One is that I marry a wizard who can agree to take on to my family name upon marriage. The other is to marry someone and become some kind of second wife, and give my husband at least one heir, while the next can take my family name. Once that is done, I am free for my other pursuits provided my husband doesn't have any problems with that."
Harry listened carefully to whatever she had to say, not interrupting her monologue even once. Finally, sure, that she had nothing more to say, he returned. "But why me?"
Daphne spun around and returned. "I will be frank with you, Potter. I am attracted to power. It is exactly what had attracted me towards you, the very day you caught me hiding, in the train. I saw you casting a wandless Patronus, then the Fidelius and each and every time you displayed your true power for me to see." She took a step forward. "And something tells me that I haven't seen anything yet. You are the lord of a powerful family-merger and yet very humble, at least from what I see. You are a good teacher, and you seem to be a decent person, given how you have never taken any unfair advantage of me while I was with you during the study sessions. I can hardly think of anyone better to get married with." She took another step forward.
"So I am nothing more than a convenience for you?"
"Stop acting stupid, Potter. It does not suit you. By marrying me, you get all rights to me as your wife. I don't suppose I need to describe what that entails." She retorted, trying very hard to keep the blush off her face.
"But political motivations aren't everything that matters in a marriage." Harry refuted, finding it quite hard to concentrate on the issue given how Daphne was stalking towards him. She smiled as she answered his question.
"Then?"
"What about love?"
"I'll be the first to admit that we are not in love today, Potter – I think we barely know each other. But I don't think that's a problem." At Harry's reaction, she hastily drew her hand up and explained, "Growing up, I attended many pureblood weddings. My mother always fond of saying that it was not love that sustained marriage, but marriage that sustained enduring love. I believe that's true, it certainly was true with my own parents."
"But what about- you know-" Harry tried to make some appropriate gestures but failed dismally. He wondered what happened to all his subtlety and his illusionary powers.
Daphne smiled. "What is it now? Romance?"
Harry nodded. Daphne took another step forward. "I thought so. Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem." She had come very close to him, their bodies a few inches apart. "Just do not deny my father when he offers you the contract once again. You can have all the romance that you want." She pressed herself toward his chest and kissed him softy on his lips. Harry was initially shocked but then his mind registered the softness of her pink lips as he reacted to her and kissed her back.
After a moment, Daphne left his lips and stepped back. "Hmmm. Not bad, Potter."
Harry had a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Will you agree to the contract then?"
Harry paused for a while. "I am not sure if this is right, but I will say yes."
"Good. For the record, my name is Daphne. Use it, Potter."
"Only if you call me Harry."
"Deal."
"Never thought that the son of Lily and James would marry via a betrothal contract, Harry." Sirius guffawed as he congratulated his godson with a rather resounding pat in the back. "Lily would be livid, while James would think of it as some elaborate prank and laugh his arse off. But tell me this, godson, how is it that you kept that girl frightened all this time, and now she managed to frighten you into agreeing to a betrothal?" Sirius laughed harder.
Harry scowled, trying hard to keep his embarrassment from showing up on the face. "I don't know. I was- I was kind of confounded, like she was using some illusion on me..." Harry proclaimed. "Trust me, I would fight a horde of dummies any day over that."
"Just like your grandfather you are." Sirius laughed. "Ferocious with the wand, but would turn into a frightened kitten when dealing with his wife. And she was a ferocious one too, great-aunt Dorea. A Black and a Slytherin. Good to know that you take after your grandpa."
Harry blushed. "So what happens now?"
"Now you return to school. The port key leaves in an hour anyway. Make sure to check out the morning newspaper. It is sure to carry some surprising news."
"This is going to be in the newspaper?" Harry asked, completely horrified. Sirius just smirked. "Of course, you are the boy-who-lived plus the youngest dual Lord in Magical history. A betrothal contract tying three Ancient families is a news for the first page. Then again, your name makes sure that it is on the first page anyway." Harry looked more and more horrified with each sentence, and Sirius continued, enjoying the look of horror on his godson's face. "I am sure people will begin asking you if you have planned your honeymoon destinations or not…."
"GAAAAAAAH!" Harry yelled. "Enough with that. It is just a betrothal yet. We haven't got married."
"But you will," Sirius pressed, not willing to let him escape, "and then you will have a couple of tiny, tiny-"
"Aaaah- I left something in the drawing room. I need to collect it." Harry diverted quickly. "Talk to you later, Sirius." He quickly threw Sirius's arm off and raced away, leaving an amused godfather behind.
Back at the school on Monday…
Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with the Weasley twins, having his breakfast and enjoying their friendly banter. The twins as usual, were creeping everyone out with that twin-speech of theirs and commenting on what Harry should include in his DA sessions. Bill had not yet returned from Egypt but he had sent a letter informing that he would be back by Christmas for a couple of weeks. His glance darted slowly to the Slytherin table as he caught Greengrass-err- Daphne's eye and she nodded slightly, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Harry nodded back, remembering the conversation they had had before returning to Hogwarts.
"You know they will make a big deal out of it." Daphne surmised.
"I don't know. The Weasleys, they should understand. Dumbledore I don't really care. I am not sure about you, though. Slytherin won't really be that accepting of you if you have… to quote your own words, tied yourself to me."
Daphne chuckled. "Yes, I don't think they will, unless…" She smiled disarmingly at him, making him fear for his sanity. "Perhaps if you could have some interactions with the Slytherins, the more open-minded ones at least, it could help."
Harry nodded gravely. "The things you make me do."
"Why Mister Potter? Are you feeling tied down?"
Harry smirked. "Maybe. Or maybe this is just an illusion to lure you into a feeling of safety."
Daphne edged closer to him. "What if I do not want to be safe?" Her lips drew close, very, very close to his. "I am beginning to like a little danger." She drew even closer, so much that he could feel her breath on his face. His lips went forward to grab hers and-
With a playful smirk, Daphne drew away. "It's getting late, Potter. We need to return to school."
"Damn woman."
"We didn't know that ickle Harrikins liked his girls in green and silver!"
The statement drew Harry's attention as he turned towards the twins who just smirked back at him. Even Lee Jordan looked interested.
"Say, Harry, did any Slytherin girl catch your fancy?" Lee urged, mimicking the twins' expression. Harry grinned back conspiratorially and returned, "I don't kiss and tell."
Fred wiped off an imaginary tear and whispered. "Good Lord, Forge, our little boy grew up! We should be so proud."
"He will be soon bedding girls on a daily basis." George supplied.
"Our youngest and most trusted advisor, after all." Fred quipped.
Harry scowled and swatted George behind on his head. Said boy began rubbing his head and grinned back.
"Tell me, Harry, when do you plan to start on with the DA?"
"I was thinking…."
"With the DA going on, how will you get time for our and your own training?"
"I guess I will have to think of something."
Daphne frowned with mock-anger. "Make sure that my private time is not lost because of your wish to become a messiah for DADA education."
"Oh really, who was it that came to me for help in DADA?"
"Maybe I just wanted to see you up and close. You never know."
"Cheeky minx."
"I was thinking about doing it on weekends. That day, everyone would be free and it could run without any problems."
"Hermione mentioned that you helped her find a room." Lee supplied. Harry's countenance darkened for a second before he controlled it and nodded. "I might have helped her a bit."
"So where is this secret training room?"
Harry's eyes glinted with mirth. "You will have to ask the resident bookworm for that." Fred stared at him curiously before commenting, "Why can't you show us?"
"Because I don't have the permission." He countered evasively.
"What do you-" Fred's words went unsaid as screeches filled the Great Hall as owls dive-bombed at the students, dropping the morning newspaper over the tables. Everyone gathered a piece of the Daily Prophet to look at the morning headlines.
And here it begins… three... Two… one…
Almost in unison, every single eye turned to look at him, including Fred and George, staring at him in disbelief. Their gazes made him swallow a bit, before his eyes met the headlines of the paper.
HARRY POTTER —-THE LORD POTTER AND LORD BLACK?
POTTER-BLACK-GREENGRASS ALLIANCE!
POTTER AND BLACK SHIFTS TO THE NEUTRAL BANNER. WHAT THE LIGHT AND DARK FACTIONS HAVE TO SAY?
HARRY POTTER BETROTHED TO GREENGRASS HEIRESS!
On the twentieth of October, this previous Saturday, an emergency session of the Wizengamot was called for by the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, with the agenda of condemning the boy-who-lived and putting him to a trial over the accusation that he was holding the Black lordship illegally. The boy-who-lived showed up for the trial and in a rather boisterous manner, pointed out the farce that was being carried out. By the end of the session, Harry Potter was recognized as Lord Potter and Lord Black (especially after he demonstrated Parseltongue in the courtroom and called it his family magic). He also proved that he was the true Lord Black by summoning the Black family totem against Lucius Malfoy who, on behalf of his son Draco Malfoy, had challenged him over the lordship. As his first deed as Lord Black, Harry Potter cast Draco Malfoy out of the Black family for good. Was that a show of power or was Lord Black eliminating all kinds of opposition? We all know what the last Parseltongue speaker did to Magical Britain, and now our savior is a Speaker too, and has no qualms over demonstrating his magical prowess in public. We at the Daily Prophet wonder what lies in the future. Is this a portent, which says that our savior might turn into another destroyer?
In other news, Sirius Black, notorious for his betrayal of the Potters to You-know-who and killing of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles, in a surprising turn of events was revealed innocent. The Ancient Houses ruled over the Ministerial jurisdiction and granted Sirius Black a trial under Veritaserum during which several important facts came to light. Peter Pettigrew was the true secret keeper of the Potters and had betrayed them to the Dark Lord You-know-who, framing Mister Black in the process. Mister Black was instantly given a free pardon and apologized to, for the inefficient Ministry administration and the injustice done to him.
The Ministry has released an official statement saying that Lord Harry James Potter, the Lord Potter has been adopted into the Black family and accepted as the new Lord Black. The House of Potter and Black, now in a single family merger called Potter-Black, sent out a notice claiming to shift from the Light and Dark factions respectively, into the Neutral faction, under the banner of Lord Greengrass, who at the moment, heads the Neutral families at the Wizengamot. What does this mean for the other factions now that the Neutrals have gained a powerful ally while the others have lost powerful vote-blocs?
On Sunday, a Ministerial notice was released, stating the coalition of House Greengrass with the House Potter-Black, confirmed by the news of the betrothal between Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass, who is the heir apparent of the House of Greengrass. That means that the most sough-after minor is not a minor anymore, and nor is he single anymore. We wonder what the female population of our readers have to say about that.
Our experts on Magical genealogy and customs state that being the Lord of two Houses, Lord Potter has the right to marry two witches. With his betrothal to Miss Greengrass, that just leaves one slot open. Who shall be the other bride? The answer to that question remains to be seen.
Sirius Black, Lord Potter's godfather and adopted father had to say, "Harry is the best of his parents. While the Potters have never really went for betrothals, the Blacks have been famous for it, considering how the Black marriages over the last century have all involved betrothals. I suppose he takes after his Black heritage in this case." Lord Cyrus Greengrass had to comment, "It is with great pleasure that I am confirming this union between our families, and with this, we confirm that the Potter-Black alliance has truly joined the neutral faction."
Lord Potter was unavailable for comment, and so was Miss Greengrass. We at the Daily prophet wish them a happy life.
Harry felt every eye staring at him. It eerily reminded him of the way people were staring when his name had come out of the Triwizard Cup. A sideward glance at Daphne showed her simply eating her breakfast, ignoring the stares that the entire Slytherin House were giving her. The entire Hall was completely silent, just like the calm before the storm, so silent that he could even count the beatings of his heart.
Thump….
Thump….
"Harry?"
His gaze turned back, only to find the bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore staring back at him. There was no twinkling, just a sharp, calculating stare in them.
"Please accompany me to my office."
Harry was about to retort, but somehow sitting in the hall and facing the staring students did not seem like a luring alternative to him. "Sure." He muttered, before the old man nodded and walked away, with Harry swiftly following behind him. His eyes met Daphne's as he past across the Slytherin table, as he crossed the antechamber.
"Do you understand what you have done?"
Harry stared at the Headmaster who was standing in front of him. There was no trace of the dotty old man, whom everyone knew and respected as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. His eyes were devoid of the usual warmth that Harry had seen all these years.
"I believe I do."
"And may I ask why you decided to make such a transition from the Light faction to the neutrals?"
Harry sat comfortably on the chair. Looking at Dumbledore in the eye, he returned. "Who was it that managed the political interests of House Potter after my father's death?"
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "I did."
"There, you have your answer. You managed the interests of House Potter, and yet, you left the blood heir with filthy muggles to have a tortured childhood. If that isn't reason enough, then I do not know what is."
"Your family has always been part of the Light faction, Harry. Your parents wouldn't have wanted-"
"My parents are dead, Headmaster. I don't know what they would have wanted." Harry retorted. "If they were to see how the Light has treated their only son, perhaps they would have had different thoughts too."
Dumbledore sighed. "I do not understand why you are being so difficult, Harry."
"You don't?" Harry's voice turned as cold as ice. "You truly don't know why I am being so difficult?"
Dumbledore considered his words. While it was true that he had wronged the boy, and needed to make things clear with him, he wanted to wait for some more time to analyze the changes in him. However, it was getting more and more complicated with each passing day, and it would not do to have the Light breaking into separate factions, especially when Tom was back.
"I know I have wronged you, and that you hold me responsible for-" he saw Harry glaring at him and quickly changed his words, "—I mean, I am responsible for your losses and your problems, but I was hoping to sit and clear things out."
"Not interested."
"Excuse me?" Dumbledore asked incredulously.
"I. Am. Not. Interested." Harry returned, punctuating each and every word. "I am done with you, with this madhouse called Magical Britain and with your blasted Order and Voldemort. I am done being the Boy-who-lived. Let someone else take up the mantle."
His words hit the old man like piercing curses, as the truth of how much Harry had changed hit him in the face. "You wouldn't fight against Voldemort?" He asked incredulously.
"Of course I will, if he comes after me, my family and my friends. As for the rest of Magical Britain, I couldn't care less. They have glorified me one week and vilified me the next, using my name and fame in any way that suited their personal motivations."
Dumbledore sighed. "I wanted to postpone this discussion with you for later but it seems that the time has finally come for me to reveal it?"
"What? Is this the moment when you shove the prophecy on my head and tell me that I have to defeat Voldemort or something?" Harry snarled.
Dumbledore instantly paled... "How—how do you know about the Prophecy?"
Harry scoffed. "Wasn't that difficult to figure it out. The order isn't well known for their subtlety. Sirius and I worked it out by the first week itself."
"I… see." Dumbledore looked at him calculatingly. "Do you know what it entails?"
"No." Harry replied grudgingly. "And I don't care."
"You should," Dumbledore replied forcefully, "Especially when it is a matter of life and death."
Harry had enough of that. He stood up. "I am getting late for class, Headmaster. Now if you are done with-"
"We are not done talking. I had not hoped it to be like this, but you leave me no choice. I know you are a powerful and resourceful wizard, Harry. I know you are angry on me and you are right in being so. Nevertheless, take this as a word of advice from a more experienced wizard; - even the mighty can fall to Hubris. In fact, you are the greatest example of that. Lord Voldemort fell not to some great arch-mage but to a toddler, and now you are repeating his mistake."
Harry glared at the old mage, gritting his teeth. Every time he saw Dumbledore, it reminded him about how he had to pretend that he was among friends. He had to smile and laugh when all he wanted was to snarl and sneer. Here was the man who had wronged him, and yet this sanctimonious bastard had the gall to preach that he was in the wrong path. He spun back towards the door and took a step forward.
"You really want to kill me, don't you?"
Harry spun back, an unbelievable expression on his face as he regarded the old man in front of him. Dumbledore took his chance and continued. "I know how it feels, Harry. The unbelievable power of the family magic and the devastating effect of the spells written in them. Very few are blessed with enough magical power to actually perform the spells. You, Lord Voldemort and I are among those blessed ones."
"What do you mean to say, Dumbledore?" Harry returned coldly. Dumbledore simply smiled and gazed back at him.
"I know that rage. That power trickling in your fingers, the confidence that comes when using such deadly magics, Harry. I myself have butchered thousands when I was a fighter like you. I know how the rage propels your magic, and I know how it propels you to use it more. There is a reason why such powerful magics are conscripted. Fight it Harry, or else…"
"Or else... Or else what?" Harry snarled.
"One who fights monsters must make sure that he doesn't himself turn into one." Dumbledore replied simply.
"Are you accusing me of going dark, Dumbledore? Because if you are, I don't care."
"Yes, I am." Dumbledore replied. "But not dark. I am accusing that if not checked, you are going to lose your way. I know you think that the solace of your family magics will be enough to keep Voldemort at bay. That is not going to work. He will come for you, and in your hubris, you will fail, and the world will turn to ash."
"What do you want?" Harry asked, frustrated.
"I want to end these... disappointments and differences among us, and I know that no matter how much I insist, you will not agree to a normal discussion. You have too much anger in you and most of that anger is directed at me." Harry raised his eyebrows but Dumbledore continued, raising his wand. "Duel me, Harry Potter. I give you permission to use anything and everything you have against me. No exceptions, no rules. Use the full power you have in you and the deadliest of magics you can call for your aid. The duel continues until one of us is incapacitated."
Harry looked at him skeptically. "I do not understand your reasons, Dumbledore. If this is another way of trying to manipulate me-"
"Manipulation has its limits, Harry. I have decided to take the direct approach this time." Dumbledore replied. "I am giving you a chance, Harry Potter. A chance for you to hurt me back for every wrong that I have done to your life. Don't you want that chance?"
Harry simply stared at the old man.
"There is just one thing I want you to agree with."
"And what is that?" Harry asked coldly.
"If I win, you will listen to what I have to say. No interruptions and no taking offense out of every word coming out of my mouth. After I am done, you can do whatever you like."
Harry considered it. "And what if I win?"
"If you win, I will be the happiest person in the world, knowing that there is someone whom the dark lord needed to fear," Dumbledore replied, shocking the wits out of him. "But I suppose you don't have any respect for my sentiments, so tell me, Harry Potter, what do you want if you win?"
"If I win," Harry paused, "I want all interference from you stopped. I want to live my life free of interference."
Dumbledore looked at him in the eye. "Deal."
Harry jerked his head. "Very well. When do you want to duel?"
"Tomorrow afternoon at two. Hogwarts Grounds. I suppose the students could do with a real duel, perhaps the greatest dueling show on earth. It's a pity the original dueling classes were abolished." Dumbledore chuckled. "You game?"
Harry nodded unperceptively.
Dumbledore extended his hand forward to shake Harry's. "May the best wizard win?"