Harry was determined to enjoy her date with Oliver Wood, even though she found herself terribly distracted by her upcoming meeting with Minister Riddle. It was good to see Oliver again, and he kept Harry entertained with plenty of stories about his job as the Keeper of Puddlemere United. Harry was also pleased to discover that the attraction she'd once felt towards Oliver was still there. She was sure that Oliver had all the makings of a fantastic future husband.
Oliver persuaded her to join him in the Three Broomsticks for some lunch and they happily chatted about the state of Quidditch at Hogwarts over two plates of bangers and mash. Just before one Minister Riddle stepped through the door and Harry's heart sank into her stomach while nervous jitters coursed through her entire body.
Riddle greeted people left and right, shaking hands and offering comforting smiles, but his sharp eyes immediately found Harry.
"I have to go," Harry blurted, because for some reason she felt like she needed to protect Oliver all of a sudden.
"Already?" Oliver asked, grabbing hold of Harry's hand while she shot up from her seat. Across the room, Riddle's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, I'm sorry," Harry rambled, heart hammering in her chest while she quickly pulled her hand free. "I have an important appointment I can't miss." She gave Oliver a quick glance. "I loved our date, I really did."
"Then we'll do it again," Oliver said, glancing between Harry and Riddle and apparently realizing Riddle was there to see Harry.
"I'd love to," Harry said with as much sincerity as she could manage. She really loved spending time with Oliver and she wanted to do it again, but Riddle's penetrating gaze kept her from being too forwards with her affections towards Oliver just then. She gave Oliver one last, fleeting smile and hurried towards Riddle, who met her in the middle of the pub.
"I have booked us a private room," Riddle murmured while staring down at Harry with a blank expression. His eyes, though, were alight with many things, most which Harry couldn't quite identity.
"Thank you," Harry said while a small wave of relief washed over her. At least she wouldn't have to keep up appearances because they were in public while she chewed him out. Thank Merlin for small favours.
Riddle led her up a flight of narrow stairs and through a hallway full of creaky floorboards. He pushed open a door and gestured at Harry to enter the room. Harry stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway, though, because there in the room stood a huge bed and nothing else.
"I do apologize," Riddle said, gently slipping past Harry while waving his wand. The bed disappeared and was quickly replaced by two comfortable chairs with a small table between them. "I had asked for a meeting room, but apparently Rosmerta didn't quite understand what kind of meeting exactly I was planning on having."
"That's fine," Harry whispered, shuffling inside and sitting down in the chair Riddle gestured her into. She inhaled several deep breaths while a house-elf briefly popped into the room to place a tea service on the table.
"How have you been?" Riddle asked pleasantly as he picked up the steaming teapot and poured them both cups of tea.
"Angry, mostly," Harry said, her lips pursed as she gave Riddle a defiant stare.
Riddle picked up his teacup and sat back in his chair while giving Harry a decidedly delighted look. "Do tell." And then he sipped his tea with a smile as though a fuming Harriet Potter was the most entertaining thing he'd seen in a long while.
"I'm pissed off that you tricked Blaise into giving up his courtship," Harry said, ignoring her own tea, hands clasped tightly in her lap.
"Tricked?" Riddle tilted his head as he gave Harry a curious look. "I vaguely remember offering a talented young wizard a job that would suit him well. Nothing more than that."
Harry gritted her teeth while trying to think of anything useful to say. Mostly she just wanted to yell at him about how unfair it all was, but she knew that would get her nowhere. "You lured him away," she finally said, even though that didn't really sound right either.
Riddle chuckled for a moment before licking his lips and looking at Harry with a smug little smile. "It can't have been a very serious courtship if the boy was lured away so easily. I do believe I have helped you, Harriet, by showing you exactly what sort of boy Mr Zabini was. Someone easily persuaded to give you up. He never even protested." Riddle leaned forward in his seat and narrowed his eyes in a way that made Harry's stomach do several unexpected flips. "You deserve much better than a boy who would cast you aside so quickly for a mere job opportunity."
Swallowing, Harry stared down at her hands. Riddle had just articulated what she'd been thinking ever since Blaise ended their courtship. She understood why he'd done it, but that didn't mean she hadn't been genuinely disappointed by his decision. She realized she wasn't going to get anywhere by talking about Blaise so she decided to focus on the other thing that had pissed her off recently. "Your whole coven system is a lie."
That seemed to take Riddle by surprise and he sat back while he stared at her with wide eyes. "Please elaborate, if you'd be so kind."
"I had a meeting with Professor Prewett about career advice," Harry said, fire erupting in her belly at the unfairness of it all. "And all he had to say was that everything I wanted to do was impossible because I had to pop out lots of babies first."
"And what is it that you want to do, dear Harriet?" Riddle asked, seemingly with genuine interest.
"I want to play Quidditch for a few years," Harry said, wringing her hands, suddenly full of nerves again as her blaze of anger ebbed away. Riddle was just so calm and collected as he ignored Harry's obvious mood swings. "And after that I want to be an Auror."
Riddle's lips quirked up in a small smile. "An excellent choice. I enjoyed my time as an Auror very much. And if you're only half as talented as your father, you'll go far in that department."
"Just rub it in," Harry muttered, shifting in her seat.
"If you were to marry me, you'd be able to play Quidditch and become an Auror," Riddle said matter-of-factly, causing Harry to snap her head up and gape at him in surprise. "I don't expect you to give me any children," Riddle added with a knowing glint in his eyes.
"What?" Harry's whole body went cold with shock. All her life she'd been told she had to have children, lots of them, whether she liked it or not, and now here Riddle was saying she didn't have to, after all. "How?"
"Think of it as the perks of marrying the Minister for Magic." Riddle seemed to thoroughly enjoy Harry's utter disbelief if his wide smile was any indication.
For the first time since this whole ridiculous courtship began, Harry was tempted to accept Riddle's offer. Just for a second, because then she remembered that all the other witches in the country would still be stuck in the Coven system. Hermione would still not be allowed to be a curse-breaker as she wanted.
No, as tempting as Riddle's offer had suddenly become, Harry knew what she had to do. She couldn't risk staying in this courtship any longer because she now understood that Riddle had a talent for offering people exactly what they wanted so Riddle could get what he wanted in return.
And Harry refused to bargain with herself as the ultimate prize.
Without saying a word, Harry pulled the locket over her head and held it out to Riddle. "I'm sorry, Minister, but I'm ending our courtship."
Surprisingly, Riddle didn't seem at all angry as he gently accepted the locket back. If anything, he seemed fascinated as he stared at Harry with an enraptured gaze. "Of course, my dearest Harriet."
Harry quickly got up from her seat and hurried towards the door. The moment she grabbed hold of the doorknob, Riddle cleared his throat. "I should tell you, though, that I am not nearly as easily brushed aside as your other suitors will turn out to be."
"Are you threatening me?" Harry looked over her shoulder at the Minister with wide eyes.
"Not at all," Riddle said pleasantly, sipping his tea again as though nothing was amiss. "Merely pointing out that your objections are futile. But no matter, my dearest Harriet. I do love a good challenge."
Harry all but ran out of the room, heart beating wildly while she suddenly found it hard to breathe. How on earth had any of this happened? How did she suddenly find herself in some sort of perverted game with the bloody Minister for Magic with herself as the ultimate prize?
Thankfully, Harry found Hermione in their dormitory. "You broke your courtship off?" Hermione asked, sounding rather disappointed as she stared at Harry in disbelief.
Shoulders slumped, Harry dropped down on the edge of her bed. "I couldn't do it. Sorry if this messes with your plans, Hermione, but I stood no chance against Riddle."
Hermione sat down beside her at once. "Did he…do something?"
"No," Harry said immediately, much to Hermione's obvious relief. "Nothing like that. He's just…so full of confidence and power. Terribly smart, too. And I'm just a fifteen-year-old girl. What chance do I have against him and his offers to give me all I've ever wanted?"
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Then it's good you broke it off. We'll figure out how to get information on the curse some other way."
Harry lay down on her bed, legs still dangling over the side, as she thought back at her meeting with Riddle. He really was unlike any other wizard she'd ever met and she simply hadn't been prepared for him in the slightest. It truly was for the best that she'd dumped him and never had to see him again, even though a very small part of her was a little disappointed by that for some unfathomable reason.
"I'm just glad I never told my parents about his courtship," Harry said as she stared up at the ceiling.
Hermione made a noise of agreement as she sorted through some papers on her desk.
As she lay there, Harry sincerely hoped Riddle wouldn't take out his disappointment on her Dad, Sirius or Peter. She didn't want to be the reason they suddenly lost their jobs, even though they didn't have a clue she'd been involved with the Minister in the first place. Harry had been far too confused about the whole thing to tell her parents about it, and now she was at least happy she didn't have to tell her family she'd turned down the most powerful man in the country.
Thankfully, over the next few days, Harry received no negative news from her family. Everyone kept their jobs and no one was demoted or something like that. Much to her surprise, though, Harry did receive a letter from Riddle. It was a polite little missive inquiring about Harry's wellbeing and telling her some random facts about the history of parseltongue.
"He can't do that," Hermione pointed out at once at the breakfast table as Harry read the letter with a frown on her face. "You turned him down, Harry. He can't keep bothering you. It's against the law."
Harry shared a knowing smile with Hermione and tucked the letter away carefully. If she played this right, she could cause Riddle some very real political damage by hauling him in front of the Wizengamot.
"It won't work," Severus said that evening as Harry had tea with him and Regulus in their quarters.
"What do you mean?" Harry demanded, pointing at Riddle's letter as Regulus read it a few times. "I broke off the courtship and yet he's still contacting me. He can't do that."
"He can." Regulus folded the letter and handed it back to Harry. "He's not allowed to pressure you about a courtship, that is true. But he's not doing that."
"And he never will," Severus said while giving Harry a pitiful look. "He'll keep writing you, but he'll never mention your very brief courtship. In the meantime, he'll move all the chess pieces in position as he likes them."
"And then what?" Harry demanded, tempted to rip up the letter in her hands. She didn't, though, because she wasn't about to destroy potential evidence.
"And then checkmate," Regulus answered before Severus could. "Eventually, he'll conquer the queen, no matter what anyone does."
Harry gulped. "He can't do that," she said rather uselessly.
"Stop wishing for things that are impossible," Severus said with some heat in his narrowed gaze. "And start using what few strengths you have. Riddle wants to marry you. He always gets what he wants. But you can bargain with him along the way for whatever it is you want out of your life."
A lump formed in her throat and Harry had to swallow a few times before she could speak again. "I just want him to leave me alone."
"Harriet," Regulus said, his voice full of kindness, but his grey eyes surprisingly hard and flinty. "He's not going to leave you alone and there's nothing you can do about that. Try to figure out how you can twist this situation to your advantage."
"I don't know how to do that," Harry said, because she honestly had no idea how to accept the situation she found herself in.
"You'll have plenty of time to figure it out," Severus said as he leaned back in his chair. "Riddle will get rid of all your suitors and that will give you ample time to focus on dealing with him."
Severus' prediction came true sooner than Harry even thought it would. A week after her meeting with Riddle, Draco pulled her into an empty hallway.
"What the hell's going on?" Draco asked while he gave Harry a look full of confusion. "Who did you piss off? Mother's been on my case for years to court you and this morning she suddenly sends me a letter to urge me to break off our courtship at once."
Harry rubbed a very tired hand across her face. "This stays between us, okay?"
"Okay," Draco said with a quick nod. For all that Draco was a huge gossiper and loved learning everyone's secrets, he was also incredibly discreet once he'd given his word. Draco also knew much more about politics than Harry did, so perhaps he'd have some useful advice for her.
"Riddle asked to court me. I accepted initially, but last week I broke it off," Harry blurted out in one long breath. "He's already offered Blaise a job in exchange for breaking off our courtship, and now he's gotten to you, too."
Draco looked rather impressed for a few moments. "Oh yeah, you really did piss off the wrong person. Riddle never gives up, at least that's what my father tells me. And he's powerful enough to keep anyone else from courting you. You're fucked, Harriet."
"Don't say that," Harry hissed, punching Draco in the arm. "You're supposed to help me, not predict my doom."
Rolling his eyes, Draco shook his head. "Just try to make the best of it. You can bargain with him. Get a good deal for yourself."
"You sound just like Severus," Harry muttered, crossing her arms tightly over her chest in defiance.
"We're Slytherins," Draco said as though that explained everything. "We understand how the real world works. Anyway, our courtship's off. You can keep the broom." Draco shrugged and walked up the hallway. "We can still go flying sometimes, right?"
"Sure," Harry said, suddenly feeling utterly miserable. Even Draco seemed to think Harry should just lay down and take whatever Riddle wanted with her. Draco and Severus might be Slytherins who understood other Slytherins, but they were apparently clueless about Gryffindors and how stubborn they could be. Harry had no intention of ever giving into Riddle, no matter what.
Almost two weeks later Harry received a letter from Oliver in which he regretfully informed her he wanted to end their courtship. He'd just been selected for the English National Quidditch Team and he simply didn't have the time to invest in a relationship right now. Harry felt like crying as she read the letter, but she kept it together since she was sitting in the Great Hall and she refused to let anyone see her break down.
Riddle kept sending her letters. Every few days a huge eagle owl delivered them. Riddle was very careful to never mention their courtship or his desire to marry her. Instead he played his interest in her off as that of a parselmouth who was happy to have finally met another parselmouth. He told her about parseltongue and his own experiences with it. He also told her a bit about himself, his day-to-day life and his interests in Runes and Warding. And he mentioned interesting anecdotes about his time as an Auror.
Harry read them all, hoping against hope he'd mention something that might give Harry reason to prosecute him, but Riddle was always very careful. The more Harry learned about him, the more she realized that she might have actually liked him if things were different.
Harry showed a few more letters to Regulus and Severus, just to get a second opinion, but they assured her she didn't have a case against Riddle. He simply wasn't breaking any laws by sending her a couple of polite letters a week. If Harry did press the issue, Riddle would just play it off as a parselmouth who was simply delighted to meet another one of his kind. And in the end Harry would look like a heartless witch for trying to hurt Minister Riddle. After all, who wouldn't want to indulge the beloved wizard who had shaped their entire society?
"So," Cedric said during their second lunch date in the kitchens. "Any reason why I suddenly got an offer for a position with the Kenmare Kestrels as long as I ended our courtship?"
Harry sighed while giving Cedric a defeated look. "I'm so sorry. Riddle is trying to marry me and he won't stop even though I ended our courtship."
"Riddle?" Cedric asked, leaning forward in his chair as he looked at Harry with wide eyes. "The Minister?"
Harry nodded miserably.
"Wow." Cedric seemed at a loss for words for a few long moments.
"He's already driven off all my other suitors," Harry added, not meeting Cedric's eyes. He was the only one left and Harry knew she was about to lose him, too. Not that she blamed him. His options were accepting a dream job or going up against the most powerful wizard in the country.
"Hey." Cedric placed his hand on top of Harry's, much to her surprise. "You're worth so much more than any Quidditch position. I'm not breaking off our courtship."
Harry was so utterly relieved that she jumped up from her chair and threw her arms around Cedric's shoulders in a tight hug. Cedric returned the hug at once and they held on to each other for a minute before Harry slowly pulled back to look Cedric in the eyes. Their faces were very close together and it seemed only natural to close that distance even further until their lips touched.
And thus Harry got her first ever kiss. From Cedric Diggory in the Hogwarts' kitchens. And it was perfect, as far as Harry was concerned.
Harry looked forward to many more kisses with Cedric in the future but before any of that could happen, a rather alarming headline graced the Daily Prophet one morning.
AMOS DIGGORY ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION
The newspaper fell from Harry's hands as she met Cedric's eyes across the hall. So this was how far Riddle was going to take it. He was powerful enough to see innocent people arrested just so he could get what he wanted.
"I'm sorry," Cedric said quietly as Harry met up with him in the Entrance Hall after breakfast. "I can't let my father suffer like this."
"I understand," Harry said because she truly did understand. Cedric didn't stand a chance against Riddle. No one did, apparently.
"I'm ending our courtship, though I really regret doing so." Cedric briefly touched Harry's shoulder before turning on his heels and disappearing into the crowd.
The very next day the Daily Prophet announced that the whole case against Amos Diggory was based on a misunderstanding and that he'd been released already with sincere apologies from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
And so when the Christmas holidays rolled around, Harry had no suitors left at all. She got plenty of offers, still, but she didn't dare take anyone up on them, knowing full well that Riddle would find a way to end them anyway.
Hermione had one, Ron, and she was completely happy with that. She openly said so without a hint of shame, telling everyone who would listen that she'd see to it that the curse would be broken and that everyone would be able to live the kind of life they wanted to, with one husband or many.
Life at Potter Mansion was chaotic as usual, and where once Harry had loved the large family she had, she now looked at it in a whole new light. Because how much of this family was even real? Were her siblings only there because it was her Mum's duty to pop out more and more kids? Had her Mum even wanted to have this many children? Harry was the oldest of all of them, so perhaps she'd been wanted. But what about the other seven kids? What about the four husbands?
Was Lily Evans even happy with her life? She was a muggleborn, like Hermione, and Harry could see how much Hermione resented the Coven System. Had Lily been the same, once upon a time?
Halfway through the holidays, Harry caught her mother alone. "Mum? Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, darling." Lily paged through a magazine as she sat at the kitchen table, enjoying a quiet cup of tea while Remus wrangled the small children in the main living room.
"In private," Harry whispered and that got Lily's attention.
"Let's got for a walk across the grounds. It's such a lovely day." Lily led the way to the entrance hall where they both pulled on their wool cloaks before stepping outside. The air was crisp and the grounds frozen, but the sun was shining so it was quite a nice day. "What did you want to talk about?"
Harry swallowed a few times as she fell into step with her mother. "Are you happy, Mum?"
"Happy? What do you mean?" Lily looked at her daughter with a concerned frown.
"With your life, I mean," Harry said quickly before she lost her nerve. These were horribly personal questions, yet she needed to know the answer to them.
"Ah." Lily gave a nod full of understanding. "Are you having second thoughts about the Coven system?"
Harry shrugged while she stared ahead. It was a little more complicated than that, but she wasn't sure how to explain all of that to her mother. "I suppose."
"I'm not unhappy," Lily said with a soft chuckle.
"But if you were given a choice, a real choice, this wouldn't have been your life, would it?" Harry pressed her mother.
Lily fell quiet as they kept walking across the paths between the trimmed hedges. "If I could have had a choice, I would have married your father and no one else," she finally said and it sounded like she'd been wanting to say that for a very long time. She looked at Harry with wide eyes, as though uncertain about Harry's reaction. "I love all of you children, please believe me, but I would not have had eight of them if our society were different."
"Yeah." Harry nodded as she bit her lip, not at all surprised by her mother's answers.
"I'm lucky," Lily continued, apparently unable to stop now that she was giving voice to all these forbidden thoughts. "My husbands get along great with each other. Love each other, even. But Sirius and Remus would be much happier if they could simply be in a relationship together. And Peter is married to his job, to be honest. I hardly ever seen him. The only one I really consider my partner is James."
"Hermione is determined to break Grindelwald's curse," Harry blurted, though she wasn't sure why. It seemed like such a childish thing, almost. "She wants to marry Ron and no one else."
Lily's smile was full of indulgence at the idea of another muggleborn railing against the system. "And what about you, Harriet? What do you want?"
Before she could help herself, Harry's eyes welled up and tears spilled over. "I messed it all up, Mum."
Lily grabbed her in a hug, running her hand down Harry's wild curls as Harry told her all that had happened so far with Minister Riddle and his schemes. "Darling, this is not your fault. Minister Riddle is a powerful and determined man."
"I know," Harry mumbled, face buried against Lily's cloak. "I don't know what to do. I can't accept any more courtships because Riddle will ruin them anyway. But if I don't get married before I'm twenty I'll go to prison."
Lily pulled back a little and stared down at Harriet with narrowed eyes. "So make the Minister an offer he couldn't possibly meet. He'll have to let you go then."
Harry blinked as something occurred to her and at once she had a plan fully formed in her head. If she played her cards right, she could ensure her freedom to marry who she wanted.
"Feel better?" Lily asked as they walked back to the mansion arm in arm.
"Oh yes," Harry said, voice full of quiet determination. She was going to beat Riddle at his own game.
The first thing she did back in the Mansion was write a letter to Riddle, inviting him to meet with her at the Three Broomsticks the next afternoon. Then she wrote Rosmerta a quick note to book a private room.
Harry made sure she looked confident and mature in a tailored black dress that fell down to the floor and hugged her waist. She pinned her hair up and wore Blaise's snitch earrings. Then she stepped into the floo half an hour early and made sure the meeting room looked perfect. By the time Riddle stepped through the door, Harry had made herself comfortable while sipping a cup of tea.
"I asked you here to make you an offer," Harry said before Riddle could even open his mouth.
Riddle looked intrigued as he sank down in the remaining chair. He gestured eagerly at Harry. "Do enlighten me, dearest Harriet."
"I'll marry you," Harry said, eyes narrowed as she gazed steadily at Riddle. "When you break Grindelwald's curse."