Title: Harry Potter and the Arch-Magi Contracts.
Author & Email: Miss Lesley, Douglaslr@aol.com
Archived: Fan Fiction Net, Ask if you want to place elsewhere
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: 3: How did we get here and where do we go from here?
Type: Has stuff from ALL the books.
Warnings: SLASH, bad Language.
Summary: In the heat of the Moment Ron Weasley lashed out at Draco Malfoy with devastating result. In a blink of an Idea Ron went from a Free Pureblood to an Enslaved one. With no hope of freedom all he can wish for mercy. What will his friends do to ensure that Draco Malfoy grants him that mercy? SLASH!
Pairing: It will be a surprise. Disclaimer: I only own the story, nor the people in it Beta: Spideria, Thank you for the great job. If you have not checked her story go right ahead.
A/N: Reviews make me happy. When I am Happy I write more.
A/N: 'single Quotes' =thoughts
"Double Quotes" = spoken words
Chapter 2
Where: Hogwarts
When: Two hours later
Arthur Weasley popped up at the front gate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, burden with the knowledge he gained from the Weasley Family
vault. Taking his time, Arthur began to slowly follow that path that would lead him to the Entrance Hall. What he had to do greatly disturbed him, but he learned that he had no other choice than to give Ron up to Malfoy. Hoping for the best, he thought, "Maybe everything will work out for the best."
At that thought, Arthur called himself all kinds of names. "How Can everything be alright when I have to go in there and tell my friends and family that due to one of their ancestors' ignorance and self righteous ideas, his baby boy, his son(!) would pay a very high price for it; that being his freedom!?" During his 30-minute walk to the castle, Arthur thought about how this all came about.
It seemed that the Weasley Family had been on a collision course with this twist of fate for about two hundred years. The predicament they had found themselves in does have its origins in the Weasley/Malfoy blood feud. However, Ron's current situation was due solely to an idiot named Tobias Weasley, Master of the Weasley family in the mid- 1700's. After receiving the best educated in both magical and muggle world, he came to the conclusion that the pureblood beliefs he was with were foolish and divisive.
Thus, upon reaching his maturity, Tobias turned his back on the pureblood traditions.
The older Tobias became firmer in his belief that there was no difference between a pureblood witch or wizard or a half blood or muggle- born once born. Therefore, in an effort to set an example for the wizarding world and his children, he publicly turned away from the remainder of the pureblood ritual practices and customs that he had participated in. In most respects, there was no major difference in the Weasley Family's lives, however, Tobias disadvantaged the family in two respects. One: Tobias withdrew the Wealsey Family from the Pureblood Counsel. The Counsel, which is still in existence if currently inactive, is made of the top ten Pureblood families, plus the Arch-magi. The pureblood Counsel was an agent of change and progress; most of the laws (even the ones that protect muggles) were the initiative of the Counsel. What Arthur found strange was that there had only been five official meetings of the Counsel since Tobias's withdrawal. Arthur sighed. Since the family had withdrawal, he could get no information of what they had done or been doing. Stopping to think, Arthur looked out at the lake.
"I must remember to ask Snape about the status of the Counsel." Shrugging Arthur continued his quiet contemplation of his problem and continued onwards to Hogwarts.
Two: The second disadvantage the family suffered occurred when Tobias abandoned the knowledge contained within the Weasley vault located at the bottom of the Ministry. At first Tobias tried to sabotage the vault by destroying or erasing the information contained within. Thankfully, the magic that created and protected the vault prevented him from doing so. Therefore, Tobias's only other option was to wipe all knowledge of the vault from his heirs' and descendants' minds; letting the secret die with him. After that, purebloods never ran around discussing the vaults. This prevented outsiders from trying to get access to the vault, at the detriment of the family. After all, the vaults contained a lot of wizarding history that had been lost to time. When Arthur commented that keeping these things hidden was wrong, the vault told him that even the staunches light support (The Potters, Du La Croixs & Weasley) agreed that most of it should stay lost. Without knowing exactly what the vaults contained, Arthur found he really could not argue properly.
It turned out that Tobias succeeded, but vague warnings were saved and passed down through the generations. For instance, when Arthur started Hogwarts, his grandfather had sat him down, and explained to him that at some point during his attention the Malfoy heir would also be there; he made it absolutely clear that if he had an altercations with him he would be punished severely. When Arthur asked his grandfather why, he (Arthur's grandfather) shrugged and told Arthur this warning had been handed down from father and sons for a long time. He also advised Arthur to continue the
warnings even if they made no sense. Of course, Arthur hadn't paid much attention to his grandfather's words. Even later, when Lucius entered Hogwarts as a first year, (when Arthur was in his seventh year) Arthur never thought of his grandfather's words. However, due to their age and different houses, he and Lucius had no contact. And their animosity did not start until they had been employed by the Ministry, and issues did not manifest
physically until later during the beginning of Ginny Weasley's first year of Hogwarts because neither Bill nor Charlie attended Hogwarts when the next Malfoy Heir attended. And by the time Percy, Fred, George and Ron attended Hogwarts with the new Malfoy Heir, Arthur had plain forgot the warning, and to be honest, even if he had remembered, he would never have told them. Simply because it had made no sense to him.
Finally, Arthur reached the Entrance Hall, taking a moment to compose himself; Arthur then pushed the wooden doors open. Arthur stepped through the doors. He made an immediate left and followed the wall to the Great Hall. When he walked in, the sight that greeted him was perplexing. First, he noticed that everyone minus Snape, Narcissa, Malfoy and his friends were gathered around his still kneeling son.
"Why the hell is Ron still kneeling!? Merlin is this how the rest of his life going to be!?" He swore under his breath. Arthur decided it would be best if he shared what he had found with only the Order members that were present. So he turned and closed the doors behind him. With the shutting of the doors, the group was alerted to his presences.
When the people assembled realized he was back, they all stared at him, waiting for some sign of good news. Unable to meet their hopeful faces, Arthur turned his face away and down. Everyone's shoulders dropped, and Mrs. Weasley's scream ripped through the hall. Hearing his wife scream, Arthur ran across the room and gathered the weeping woman off the floor. However, Molly was in no mood to be comforted. She pulled away from him and gathered Ron into her arms, and started to rock. Looking up at him, she yelled.
"Damn you, Arthur Weasley! Tell me why I am losing my child; my
baby!"
Albus stepped in, "Welcome back Arthur. Please take a seat so that we can discuss your findings." Pausing, as if deep in thought, the Head Master called out, "Dobby! Please summon Professor Snape here. Then, bring some tea and refreshments for us."
Arthur got up from the floor, and took a seat next to his son. Looking down, he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. Breathing a sigh of relief, Arthur gathered and organized his thoughts. He knew that they would want answers, but he also knew that there were things that he would not be able to tell them. Pureblood Magic wouldn't allow him to do so. Seeing the sad faces, he looked down at his son and asked his son a question.
"Ron why are you still kneeling on the floor?" However, instead of answering, Ron remained quiet. While looking to the group for answers, he saw that Molly started to cry again. Looking at Molly he knew she need comfort, but would she let him? Getting up he walked over to her and held his arms out. After a moment of hesitation, Molly flew into his arms.
The tears leaking down Molly's face began to increase, and finally she buried her head into the crook of Arthur's neck. The only time Arthur had ever seen her this distraught was when he, or one of the children, had been in danger and there was nothing that she could do about it. Finally, tired of the silence and needing answers, he looked to the others pleadingly. "
"Will someone please tell me what is going on?"
Just as Professor Snape walked into the room and took a
seat, Harry spoke up, "After you left, Mr. Weasley, Malfoy asked Professor Dumbledore if his friends could leave. When the Head Master agreed to this, he got up to see them out. However, because of his earlier command for Ron to kneel, he was unable to get up when Malfoy left. When Malfoy came back, Hermione, upset at his thoughtless actions toward Ron, slapped him. Then, the selfish bastard "punished" Ron for Hermione slapping him by making Ron continue to kneel there all afternoon without being able to move or talk. The evil git also further threatened us by saying that if we interfered with Ron, then Ron would be the one to suffer for of it. He would have to suffer for our wrongdoings! Please, Mr. Weasley, tell us that you have found a solution to this problem." Unshed tears were in Harry's emerald eyes.
Closing his eyes, Arthur felt a headache coming on, taking one of his hands from around his wife; he began to rub the bridge of his nose.
"God, what have we done?" Opening his eyes, he looked at the people in the room. He knew that they were waiting for him to report his new- found information, so without prompting he began.
"I went directly to the Ministry. Upon entering, I went to the Hall of Information. Once there, I asked for directions to the Weasley vault that houses magical contracts. I must tell you, I felt stupid and was certain that I would be told there was no such thing. Imagine my surprise when I was engulfed in a blue light and taken to the vault.
Once the spots faded from my eyes, I found myself in front of a large vault, where the door carried the Family crest. Curious, I tried to open the door, but the darn thing wouldn't budge. So I looked the door over for a keyhole, but there was nothing of the kind. When I was about to give up, I noticed a freestanding altar. I walked over to it, to get a better look. The altar had a place for me to place my hand, so, slowly I placed my hand on it. No sooner than I did, I felt something sharp, prick the center of my palm. Soon, my blood was running out, and being absorbed into the surface of the altar. After a few minutes, there was a gold flash and then I heard a disembodied voice say, 'Welcome, Arthur Weasley, Master of the Weasley Family. How may I be of service?'
Hearing a disembodied voice is not a very pleasant thing. I nearly jumped out my skin!" Seeing that he was being to digress, he picked up his teacup and began taking a sip. While doing this, Arthur used the time to recollect what it was, exactly, that had happened. After a few minutes, he saw that he had stalled long enough, so he picked up the threads of his story and continued.
"I asked the voice what or who it was? The voice replied that it was a manifestation of Weasley Magic, and that a very long time ago, it had been bound to the Weasley family vault. I asked it what its purpose was. It replied that its purpose was to guard the family secrets, manage the Family documents, and aid the Family in research and enforcement of contracts. However, its primary duty was to be a teacher to heirs of the
family, to ensure that they remember their history and the laws that govern the Family. The Voice also told me that this form of magic maintained all of the pureblood vaults. It also let me know that it was only loyal to our family." Taking a breath, Arthur once again distracted himself with pouring and drinking more tea.
The room was quietly contemplating what Arthur had revealed so far. Questions like, "Were all pureblood capable of this magic?" And "If the purebloods hide this, could they be hiding other things of value?" However, Moody voiced the question that they all wanted to know the answer to.
"Arthur, no offense, but how do you know that this voice can be trusted? I mean, we are talking about your son's life here." The others in the room nodded, grasping at anything that could give them hope. Hope that Ron's situation was not as dire as they believed.
Before Arthur could answer, not that he had a valid answer on how he knew that everything the voice said was true, Professor Snape spoke up. He, after all, was a pureblood, and knew that if he was to ensure a non-violent confrontation, the truth needed to be known. Clearing his voice, "Hrm, Hrm" The room shifted its focus to him.
"As a pureblood, I am familiar with the information vaults. I can tell you that what it told Weasley was true. A long time ago, purebloods came to realize that they had two different kinds of valuable assets: money and information. They decided that due to how goblins horded and guarded money, they would entrust with their fortunes certain provisions, thus they went to the Goblins and Gringotts was formed.
However, the purebloods felt that family histories, culture, and documents where far more valuable than money, and they did not want to chance anyone knowing their affairs. So, they researched and founded spells, and created the information vaults. Although the vaults were secure, the families wanted added protection. Thus, through blood and death magic, they bound part of their family magics to the vaults. Therefore, only blood family members were, and still are, allowed to access the vault. When you put your hand on the altar, a needle pierced Weasley's skin, drawing blood from his heart. This is where his family lineage is located. Once the blood hits the altar, the Weasley Magic absorbed it and conduced trace spells on it to verify your family blood and right to be there. The magic that protects your vault also protects your Family. It will never mislead you, and the advice you get from it is based on the facts; contracts you're a part of, and family history. Thus, it is objective. Whatever options it presents you are only in the families best interest." Reaching down, Snape picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Arthur sent Snape a grateful nod and then he closed his eyes. Although he knew the voice had told him the truth it was nice to have confirmation of the fact. Massaging his temple Arthur sends a silent prayer to Merlin.
Opening his eyes he begins to talk, "After I was verified I asked the voice for the Weasley/Malfoy Arch-magi contract of 845 A.D. The voice after a few seconds reported there wasn't a Weasley/Malfoy Arch- magi contract of 845 A.D. I was ecstatic." A sigh of relief went out among the members gathered there. "But then the voice came back and said that thee were several other contracts that were a close match, however since the Malfoy/Weasley Arch-magi contract of 840 A.D, was executed today it believed that was the contract that I sought. I asked if that particular Arch-magi contract was still legal and valid, the voice replied in the affirmative. I requested a copy of the document and I was given this." Taking a rolled scroll from his robes he placed it on the table in front of him. "I opened the document and even through I am not a lawyer, I knew that what the Malfoy brat said was true and that Ron, by drawing the blood of the Malfoy Heir in rage had violated the terms of the agreement."
Upon hearing his words Molly started to sob loudly, "My baby, my baby," could be heard coming from her by the others. Arthur gathered her closely and began to rock his wife, who was not taking the news well. Her sobs increased and as he looked at the group he saw he was receiving sympathetic looks. Molly's body was shaking and her red hair was flying. He did not know what to tell her. Usually he would say that everything would be all right, but how was everything going to be all right if they were going to lose their son.
"After reading the contract I told the voice about what happened today. It went silent for a minute and it came back and confirmed that after speaking with the Malfoy Vault and the Ministry Hall of Record; Ronald Weasley 6th Heir of the Family Weasley was now the property both physically and magically of Draco Malfoy, the 1st Heir of the Family Malfoy." Arthur Weasley was now openly crying with his wife and several
other members there. Ron, Harry, and Hermione to name a few.
Moody, asked "Arthur. Did you ask the voice if there was a loophole or way to invalidate or break the contract?"
"I asked the voice all those questions. It told me that once the contract is executed there is no way to break the punishment. The only thing that could help is if there is another Arch-magi or magical contract that is working in conjunctions with this one. I asked if there was another contract working in conjunction with this one, it told me that the Weasley's have no contract working in conjunction with this one; however, the voice suggested that the Malfoys themselves might be party to another contract that could help. Now free him, but make his life better, sort of like a slave bill of rights.
"I asked the voice what would occur if we didn't turn him over, it said that by the terms of the contract anyone refusing to term him over we would be enslaved along side of him. And then Malfoy could put a bounty on our heads and have us brought in dead or alive. The voice also confirmed everything that Malfoy said about situations of suicide and murder.
"When I asked the voice for options, it told me to accept Ron's fate. And to bring the other Weasley Heirs to the vault so they can begin their education so that this does not happen to them. Apparently we are a party to many contracts that have serve consequences." Arthur wrapped his hands around Molly who was opening sobbing.
After hearing this all those around the table were enraged that something like this could happen, and all of them blamed Draco Malfoy. Everyone was trying to think of what could be done to stop this from occurring.
Albus took all the information in and asked Arthur, "Arthur why are you just finding out about the vault now? Maybe fate made it this way so that we could use your lack of knowledge as a way to break the punishment."
Sighing, Arthur answered "no," and told them the story of Tobias Weasley.
Remus Lupin suggested, "Arthur, maybe you can buy Ron from Malfoy."
Taking a deep breath, Arthur wiped his face with the cuff of his robes. "Even if Malfoy was willing to sell, I doubt that we could afford Malfoy's offered price."
Harry sharply looked up, maybe he could actually be helpful, and get Ron out of this. "I have more money than I can spend in two lifetimes! Whatever Malfoy asks for, I'll give you! Even if it costs me everything down to my last knut!"
Sneering, Snape said, "If it isn't our resident hero riding in to save the day. How do you propose to get Malfoy to part with his new slave? It's not as if you, Harry Potter, are his best friend. And Mr. Malfoy certainly would not do you any favors."
With a workable plan on the table everyone started butting in their two cents.
Harry, "We can intimidate him."
Remus, "I can threaten him."
Head Master, "We can tell Mr. Malfoy that there will be dire consequences during the remainder of his stay at Hogwarts."
Moody, "We'll tell him that we will send him to prison with his father."
Hermione, "We can bribe him. We can help him get the charges dropped against his father."
Snape stared at them with astonishment, and then laughed, a deep belly laugh. It was so shocking to those present because they did not believe he was capable of the action. Finally, after about 5 minutes, Snape had himself back under control. Then he began to speak with mirth in his voice.
"Mr. Potter, your family, like mine, were a witness to the contract. Thus, it is our job, as the Masters of our Families, to enforce Mr. Mallfoy's right. For either of us to do anything else, would have the contract judging us. And I, for one, will not end up Mr. Malfoy's slave. And that is what will happen to you if you threaten him. And I am sure you remember that you have a greater obligation to the Wizarding world than a friend who could not keep his temper in check. Thus, in this matter, you either enforce the contract, or stay neutral.
"And you, Lupin, as I stated before, instead of offering a reasonable non-violent solution, you let your nature take over and offer nothing but blood. And you say that you are not a danger to people.
"Albus, I am not sure if Hogwarts can interfere in this dispute, and if it did, what would the consequences for the school be? You must do what is in the good for the school, not what is good for one student.
"Moody, a lot of time and effort has gone into preventing this generation
of Slytherins from becoming Death Eaters. I'll be damned if I let you undo all that hard work for a child that brought this situation on himself. So, unless you can come up with a real crime that Mr. Malfoy is guilty of, I will do everything in my power to protect him.
"Ms. Ganger, you are the only one here that has any real sense, and offered a possible solution. What the others failed to realize, is that if they take any negative actions towards the Malfoy family, the only ones that will suffer are the Weasleys. The contract would most likely judge their actions of those of an ally, thus, causing the Weasleys bigger problems.
However, even your solution would not work. I am sure that you read that some Death Eaters escaped from prison. What you might not be aware of, is that only the non-pureblood prisoners escaped. And what this tells me is that sometime in the near future, the pureblood prisoners will be released free and clear from prison with nothing but a slap on the wrist. Thus Mr. Malfoy will not need your help to obtain his father's release."
Frustration showed on everyone's face. Not happy with Snape once again shooting down their ideas Harry asked, "Professor, since our plans are obviously flawed, what do you suggest?"
Looking at Harry, Snape sighed. "I am honestly saddened to see Mr. Weasley in this position. No one deserves to lose his or her freedom, but, nonetheless, he has lost his. You, as his friends and family need to accept this quickly so that you may send him strength to endure whatever Mr. Malfoy does to him. Therefore, I would suggest you use the remaining time you have left with Mr. Weasley wisely. Who knows when you might see him again, and in what condition? I, for my part, will talk to Mr. Malfoy and see what his plans are. Maybe I can convince him to stay overnight.
"Next, I would start to make attempts to get on Mr. Malfoy's good side. This will benefit you in two ways. One: He might be more willing to let Mr. Weasley spend time with you during the school year and, Two: We won't have anymore punishment episodes as we did today."
Everyone was in a state of depression. But everyone realized that Snape was right, so they bucked up and started preparing Ron for going with Malfoy. Harry looked at everyone's face, hoping they had a better solution, any solution, other than having Draco Malfoy take his friend, his very first friend ever, away from him. Seeing that no one had any, Harry sighed, defeated.
He looked at Snape and said, "I guess your right."
The Weasleys called an emergency meeting, sending floo calls, to Bill in Egypt, Charlie in Romania, and Mrs. Weasley even insisted on Flooing Percy. However, he still wanted nothing to do with them. Although disappointed, she moved on and sent for Fred, George, and Ginny. Fred and George were sent home and told to shrink and pack all of Ron's things. Including his bed. Then, Molly and Remus took over the kitchens to cook dinner that Ron would never forget.
Time passed quickly, and Snape came back into the room. "I have convinced Mr. Malfoy to agree to spend the night." There was a round of cheers. Snape looking down at the young Weasley, said, "Mr. Malfoy sends you a message. You are free to get up, walk about, and speak." The minute Snape's words registered in Ron's brain, he jumped up, and ran to his mother and father, hugging them and babbling to them. Between them, Harry and Hermione then calmed him down, trying to help him deal with the situation.
An hour later, all of the Weasley children, except Percy, were present. The Head Master allowed Molly, Arthur, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to use his office to tell them what happened. At 9pm, about two hours later, the family came out, red hair, red faced, red eyed. All of them were visibly upset, hurt, and devastated. But you saw them with their heads held high, and the putting of a brave front for Ron's last night with them.
Everyone sat down to dinner. The tension was high. Knowing that only he could break the ice, Ron started making stupid jokes. Soon everyone was laughing, joking, and telling stories. Butterbeers were passed around. Later, fire whiskey, late into the night, they partied. Around 8 a.m., they went to bed. Draco, who was just waking up as they were going to bed, got up, washed, and then went to breakfast. Upon arriving, all he saw were the Head Master and Professor Snape. "Good Morning Head Master, Professor.
Where is everyone, namely my slave?"
Professor Snape motioned for Draco to sit. Upon him doing, so the professor explained, "The damn fools just went to bed."
Draco closed his eyes and focused, he located his slave about to go to sleep in the Gryffindor Tower. Opening his eyes, he said, "And I suppose you wish for me to once again delay my plans?"
"If it is not too much trouble." Snape answered as he sipped his tea.
Albus entered the conversation. "Mr. Malfoy, it was a nice thing you did last night. I hope you will be so kind and generous to Mr. Weasley in the future."
Shocked Draco stopped eating his breakfast to say, "Head Master, I did not do anything nice. Professor Snape came to me with a business arrangement and I accepted."
"A business arrangement?"
"A pureblood business arrangement."
"Oh. Nonetheless, it was a good thing you did. Please continue to do so in the future."
Draco bristled at his tone, "Is that an order Head Master?"
"No, my dear boy, just a plea from an old man."
Deciding to ignore the old fool, Draco directed his next comment to Snape. "What am I suppose to do all day?"
Smiling an evil smile, he replied, "I could use your help brewing potions."
"Potions? Professor, I am on holiday!" Draco whined.
"True, but you do want to stay ahead of that Granger girl, don't you?"
Sighing, he answered, "Yes."
Knowing that he won, he continued. "So potions it is." After they finished eating, the two disappeared to brew.
A day of brewing really relaxed his nerves. Although Draco did not look it, he was not happy with another burden being placed on him. Even if that burden allows him to have the Weasel at his every beck and call. But last night, Snape had reminded him of another contract that the Malfoys were a party to. He was bound by another contract that directly effected his treatment of Ron. Thus, he had very little time to make a decision about him soon.
Now, as he entered the Great Hall, he saw many more red headed people than yesterday, "Damn, more Weasleys." Walking over the table, he sat down.
All conversation stopped when Malfoy entered. Draco decided to eat, taking his time he finished his dinner. After everyone ate, and the dishes were cleared away, Draco looked at everyone and then said, "Mr. Weasley, did you find the Arch-magi contract?"
Weary from their late night, Arthur replied, "Yes, I did. I was able to verify that everything you said was the truth. We know that Ron does indeed belong to you."
Standing up, Draco smiled. "I am glad, then if you don't mind, I have things to attend to at home, and I would like to be going."
Bill spoke up and said, "Malfoy, we would like to know if you would consider selling Ron back to us?" Everyone waited upon bated breathe for his answer.
Sighing, Draco sat down. "I thought you said that you understood?"
One of the twins replied, "It's a simple question. No need to take
offense."
"I am not taking offense. To answer your question, even if I wanted to, which I don't, I couldn't sell the weasel back to you. The contract judged the weasel a danger to my life; his punishment is not really a punishment but a protection of me. For instance, did you know that the twins were both judged by the contract? No, well back in fourth year, you played a prank on me. It led to me being injured. However, when the contract judged you, it found that you did not mean me harm, but you were trying to lighten me up. Thus, it passed some annoying, but equally harmless punishment to them. The weasel did this to himself. No one can correct this. Not even me. Any other questions?"
Mrs. Weasley said, "I am begging you to take care of my baby. Treat him right."
Looking at Mrs. Weasley, he responded, "Considering I am just like my father, I am sure you can imagine what kind of treatment he will receive." After a few minutes of watching her sink into despair, he continued.
"Although I cannot make any promises, the Weasel's treatment will depend, in great part, on him. Anything else?" No one said anything, "Good. Then we will be off. Come along, Ron."
Draco walked out the door, never looking back to see if Ron followed, but he did stop when he had reached the door knob, "Head Master, the next time you send someone to spy on one of the Dark Lord's people, might I suggest you give them better training, or your Order will not last long." With that he left, leaving behind a hand full of shocked people.
Draco proceeded to walk down the drive, once he passed the apparition wards that surrounded the school. He pulled out a blank parchment and turned around and held it out to Ron. Ron step up to his new master and took hold of the paper. A minute later he felt the portkey activate and felt a tug around his navel. He appeared in a hump on the Entrance Hall floor of Malfoy Manor.
Laughing, Draco looked down and said, "Well Weasel, it's just you and me. Welcome to Malfoy Manor."
RainSW6: Thanks for reviewing. I am glad you think it is different. I try and make all my fics have an original plots. I just need to finish them before moving on to the next plot.
Spideria: Thank you for becoming my beta. Things are never what they seem, and your right about what section this fic falls into.
Bloomy: There is a very good chance, but I am not saying any more. Plus can you imagine the angst of Ron being Draco's slave? The hate, I am about to start on the next chapter, I feel it.
jeannie81: Well I should not tell you this, but Snape is in a triad with Narcissa and Lucius. But if you want they can take in Lupin as well.
Arrmaitee: Thank you for being my first and second reviewer. I love your fic and I glad I was able to help. As you can see I also incorporate the things you pointed out into the story. Wait until you see the Christmas cat fight.
Author & Email: Miss Lesley, Douglaslr@aol.com
Archived: Fan Fiction Net, Ask if you want to place elsewhere
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: 3: How did we get here and where do we go from here?
Type: Has stuff from ALL the books.
Warnings: SLASH, bad Language.
Summary: In the heat of the Moment Ron Weasley lashed out at Draco Malfoy with devastating result. In a blink of an Idea Ron went from a Free Pureblood to an Enslaved one. With no hope of freedom all he can wish for mercy. What will his friends do to ensure that Draco Malfoy grants him that mercy? SLASH!
Pairing: It will be a surprise. Disclaimer: I only own the story, nor the people in it Beta: Spideria, Thank you for the great job. If you have not checked her story go right ahead.
A/N: Reviews make me happy. When I am Happy I write more.
A/N: 'single Quotes' =thoughts
"Double Quotes" = spoken words
Chapter 2
Where: Hogwarts
When: Two hours later
Arthur Weasley popped up at the front gate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, burden with the knowledge he gained from the Weasley Family
vault. Taking his time, Arthur began to slowly follow that path that would lead him to the Entrance Hall. What he had to do greatly disturbed him, but he learned that he had no other choice than to give Ron up to Malfoy. Hoping for the best, he thought, "Maybe everything will work out for the best."
At that thought, Arthur called himself all kinds of names. "How Can everything be alright when I have to go in there and tell my friends and family that due to one of their ancestors' ignorance and self righteous ideas, his baby boy, his son(!) would pay a very high price for it; that being his freedom!?" During his 30-minute walk to the castle, Arthur thought about how this all came about.
It seemed that the Weasley Family had been on a collision course with this twist of fate for about two hundred years. The predicament they had found themselves in does have its origins in the Weasley/Malfoy blood feud. However, Ron's current situation was due solely to an idiot named Tobias Weasley, Master of the Weasley family in the mid- 1700's. After receiving the best educated in both magical and muggle world, he came to the conclusion that the pureblood beliefs he was with were foolish and divisive.
Thus, upon reaching his maturity, Tobias turned his back on the pureblood traditions.
The older Tobias became firmer in his belief that there was no difference between a pureblood witch or wizard or a half blood or muggle- born once born. Therefore, in an effort to set an example for the wizarding world and his children, he publicly turned away from the remainder of the pureblood ritual practices and customs that he had participated in. In most respects, there was no major difference in the Weasley Family's lives, however, Tobias disadvantaged the family in two respects. One: Tobias withdrew the Wealsey Family from the Pureblood Counsel. The Counsel, which is still in existence if currently inactive, is made of the top ten Pureblood families, plus the Arch-magi. The pureblood Counsel was an agent of change and progress; most of the laws (even the ones that protect muggles) were the initiative of the Counsel. What Arthur found strange was that there had only been five official meetings of the Counsel since Tobias's withdrawal. Arthur sighed. Since the family had withdrawal, he could get no information of what they had done or been doing. Stopping to think, Arthur looked out at the lake.
"I must remember to ask Snape about the status of the Counsel." Shrugging Arthur continued his quiet contemplation of his problem and continued onwards to Hogwarts.
Two: The second disadvantage the family suffered occurred when Tobias abandoned the knowledge contained within the Weasley vault located at the bottom of the Ministry. At first Tobias tried to sabotage the vault by destroying or erasing the information contained within. Thankfully, the magic that created and protected the vault prevented him from doing so. Therefore, Tobias's only other option was to wipe all knowledge of the vault from his heirs' and descendants' minds; letting the secret die with him. After that, purebloods never ran around discussing the vaults. This prevented outsiders from trying to get access to the vault, at the detriment of the family. After all, the vaults contained a lot of wizarding history that had been lost to time. When Arthur commented that keeping these things hidden was wrong, the vault told him that even the staunches light support (The Potters, Du La Croixs & Weasley) agreed that most of it should stay lost. Without knowing exactly what the vaults contained, Arthur found he really could not argue properly.
It turned out that Tobias succeeded, but vague warnings were saved and passed down through the generations. For instance, when Arthur started Hogwarts, his grandfather had sat him down, and explained to him that at some point during his attention the Malfoy heir would also be there; he made it absolutely clear that if he had an altercations with him he would be punished severely. When Arthur asked his grandfather why, he (Arthur's grandfather) shrugged and told Arthur this warning had been handed down from father and sons for a long time. He also advised Arthur to continue the
warnings even if they made no sense. Of course, Arthur hadn't paid much attention to his grandfather's words. Even later, when Lucius entered Hogwarts as a first year, (when Arthur was in his seventh year) Arthur never thought of his grandfather's words. However, due to their age and different houses, he and Lucius had no contact. And their animosity did not start until they had been employed by the Ministry, and issues did not manifest
physically until later during the beginning of Ginny Weasley's first year of Hogwarts because neither Bill nor Charlie attended Hogwarts when the next Malfoy Heir attended. And by the time Percy, Fred, George and Ron attended Hogwarts with the new Malfoy Heir, Arthur had plain forgot the warning, and to be honest, even if he had remembered, he would never have told them. Simply because it had made no sense to him.
Finally, Arthur reached the Entrance Hall, taking a moment to compose himself; Arthur then pushed the wooden doors open. Arthur stepped through the doors. He made an immediate left and followed the wall to the Great Hall. When he walked in, the sight that greeted him was perplexing. First, he noticed that everyone minus Snape, Narcissa, Malfoy and his friends were gathered around his still kneeling son.
"Why the hell is Ron still kneeling!? Merlin is this how the rest of his life going to be!?" He swore under his breath. Arthur decided it would be best if he shared what he had found with only the Order members that were present. So he turned and closed the doors behind him. With the shutting of the doors, the group was alerted to his presences.
When the people assembled realized he was back, they all stared at him, waiting for some sign of good news. Unable to meet their hopeful faces, Arthur turned his face away and down. Everyone's shoulders dropped, and Mrs. Weasley's scream ripped through the hall. Hearing his wife scream, Arthur ran across the room and gathered the weeping woman off the floor. However, Molly was in no mood to be comforted. She pulled away from him and gathered Ron into her arms, and started to rock. Looking up at him, she yelled.
"Damn you, Arthur Weasley! Tell me why I am losing my child; my
baby!"
Albus stepped in, "Welcome back Arthur. Please take a seat so that we can discuss your findings." Pausing, as if deep in thought, the Head Master called out, "Dobby! Please summon Professor Snape here. Then, bring some tea and refreshments for us."
Arthur got up from the floor, and took a seat next to his son. Looking down, he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. Breathing a sigh of relief, Arthur gathered and organized his thoughts. He knew that they would want answers, but he also knew that there were things that he would not be able to tell them. Pureblood Magic wouldn't allow him to do so. Seeing the sad faces, he looked down at his son and asked his son a question.
"Ron why are you still kneeling on the floor?" However, instead of answering, Ron remained quiet. While looking to the group for answers, he saw that Molly started to cry again. Looking at Molly he knew she need comfort, but would she let him? Getting up he walked over to her and held his arms out. After a moment of hesitation, Molly flew into his arms.
The tears leaking down Molly's face began to increase, and finally she buried her head into the crook of Arthur's neck. The only time Arthur had ever seen her this distraught was when he, or one of the children, had been in danger and there was nothing that she could do about it. Finally, tired of the silence and needing answers, he looked to the others pleadingly. "
"Will someone please tell me what is going on?"
Just as Professor Snape walked into the room and took a
seat, Harry spoke up, "After you left, Mr. Weasley, Malfoy asked Professor Dumbledore if his friends could leave. When the Head Master agreed to this, he got up to see them out. However, because of his earlier command for Ron to kneel, he was unable to get up when Malfoy left. When Malfoy came back, Hermione, upset at his thoughtless actions toward Ron, slapped him. Then, the selfish bastard "punished" Ron for Hermione slapping him by making Ron continue to kneel there all afternoon without being able to move or talk. The evil git also further threatened us by saying that if we interfered with Ron, then Ron would be the one to suffer for of it. He would have to suffer for our wrongdoings! Please, Mr. Weasley, tell us that you have found a solution to this problem." Unshed tears were in Harry's emerald eyes.
Closing his eyes, Arthur felt a headache coming on, taking one of his hands from around his wife; he began to rub the bridge of his nose.
"God, what have we done?" Opening his eyes, he looked at the people in the room. He knew that they were waiting for him to report his new- found information, so without prompting he began.
"I went directly to the Ministry. Upon entering, I went to the Hall of Information. Once there, I asked for directions to the Weasley vault that houses magical contracts. I must tell you, I felt stupid and was certain that I would be told there was no such thing. Imagine my surprise when I was engulfed in a blue light and taken to the vault.
Once the spots faded from my eyes, I found myself in front of a large vault, where the door carried the Family crest. Curious, I tried to open the door, but the darn thing wouldn't budge. So I looked the door over for a keyhole, but there was nothing of the kind. When I was about to give up, I noticed a freestanding altar. I walked over to it, to get a better look. The altar had a place for me to place my hand, so, slowly I placed my hand on it. No sooner than I did, I felt something sharp, prick the center of my palm. Soon, my blood was running out, and being absorbed into the surface of the altar. After a few minutes, there was a gold flash and then I heard a disembodied voice say, 'Welcome, Arthur Weasley, Master of the Weasley Family. How may I be of service?'
Hearing a disembodied voice is not a very pleasant thing. I nearly jumped out my skin!" Seeing that he was being to digress, he picked up his teacup and began taking a sip. While doing this, Arthur used the time to recollect what it was, exactly, that had happened. After a few minutes, he saw that he had stalled long enough, so he picked up the threads of his story and continued.
"I asked the voice what or who it was? The voice replied that it was a manifestation of Weasley Magic, and that a very long time ago, it had been bound to the Weasley family vault. I asked it what its purpose was. It replied that its purpose was to guard the family secrets, manage the Family documents, and aid the Family in research and enforcement of contracts. However, its primary duty was to be a teacher to heirs of the
family, to ensure that they remember their history and the laws that govern the Family. The Voice also told me that this form of magic maintained all of the pureblood vaults. It also let me know that it was only loyal to our family." Taking a breath, Arthur once again distracted himself with pouring and drinking more tea.
The room was quietly contemplating what Arthur had revealed so far. Questions like, "Were all pureblood capable of this magic?" And "If the purebloods hide this, could they be hiding other things of value?" However, Moody voiced the question that they all wanted to know the answer to.
"Arthur, no offense, but how do you know that this voice can be trusted? I mean, we are talking about your son's life here." The others in the room nodded, grasping at anything that could give them hope. Hope that Ron's situation was not as dire as they believed.
Before Arthur could answer, not that he had a valid answer on how he knew that everything the voice said was true, Professor Snape spoke up. He, after all, was a pureblood, and knew that if he was to ensure a non-violent confrontation, the truth needed to be known. Clearing his voice, "Hrm, Hrm" The room shifted its focus to him.
"As a pureblood, I am familiar with the information vaults. I can tell you that what it told Weasley was true. A long time ago, purebloods came to realize that they had two different kinds of valuable assets: money and information. They decided that due to how goblins horded and guarded money, they would entrust with their fortunes certain provisions, thus they went to the Goblins and Gringotts was formed.
However, the purebloods felt that family histories, culture, and documents where far more valuable than money, and they did not want to chance anyone knowing their affairs. So, they researched and founded spells, and created the information vaults. Although the vaults were secure, the families wanted added protection. Thus, through blood and death magic, they bound part of their family magics to the vaults. Therefore, only blood family members were, and still are, allowed to access the vault. When you put your hand on the altar, a needle pierced Weasley's skin, drawing blood from his heart. This is where his family lineage is located. Once the blood hits the altar, the Weasley Magic absorbed it and conduced trace spells on it to verify your family blood and right to be there. The magic that protects your vault also protects your Family. It will never mislead you, and the advice you get from it is based on the facts; contracts you're a part of, and family history. Thus, it is objective. Whatever options it presents you are only in the families best interest." Reaching down, Snape picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Arthur sent Snape a grateful nod and then he closed his eyes. Although he knew the voice had told him the truth it was nice to have confirmation of the fact. Massaging his temple Arthur sends a silent prayer to Merlin.
Opening his eyes he begins to talk, "After I was verified I asked the voice for the Weasley/Malfoy Arch-magi contract of 845 A.D. The voice after a few seconds reported there wasn't a Weasley/Malfoy Arch- magi contract of 845 A.D. I was ecstatic." A sigh of relief went out among the members gathered there. "But then the voice came back and said that thee were several other contracts that were a close match, however since the Malfoy/Weasley Arch-magi contract of 840 A.D, was executed today it believed that was the contract that I sought. I asked if that particular Arch-magi contract was still legal and valid, the voice replied in the affirmative. I requested a copy of the document and I was given this." Taking a rolled scroll from his robes he placed it on the table in front of him. "I opened the document and even through I am not a lawyer, I knew that what the Malfoy brat said was true and that Ron, by drawing the blood of the Malfoy Heir in rage had violated the terms of the agreement."
Upon hearing his words Molly started to sob loudly, "My baby, my baby," could be heard coming from her by the others. Arthur gathered her closely and began to rock his wife, who was not taking the news well. Her sobs increased and as he looked at the group he saw he was receiving sympathetic looks. Molly's body was shaking and her red hair was flying. He did not know what to tell her. Usually he would say that everything would be all right, but how was everything going to be all right if they were going to lose their son.
"After reading the contract I told the voice about what happened today. It went silent for a minute and it came back and confirmed that after speaking with the Malfoy Vault and the Ministry Hall of Record; Ronald Weasley 6th Heir of the Family Weasley was now the property both physically and magically of Draco Malfoy, the 1st Heir of the Family Malfoy." Arthur Weasley was now openly crying with his wife and several
other members there. Ron, Harry, and Hermione to name a few.
Moody, asked "Arthur. Did you ask the voice if there was a loophole or way to invalidate or break the contract?"
"I asked the voice all those questions. It told me that once the contract is executed there is no way to break the punishment. The only thing that could help is if there is another Arch-magi or magical contract that is working in conjunctions with this one. I asked if there was another contract working in conjunction with this one, it told me that the Weasley's have no contract working in conjunction with this one; however, the voice suggested that the Malfoys themselves might be party to another contract that could help. Now free him, but make his life better, sort of like a slave bill of rights.
"I asked the voice what would occur if we didn't turn him over, it said that by the terms of the contract anyone refusing to term him over we would be enslaved along side of him. And then Malfoy could put a bounty on our heads and have us brought in dead or alive. The voice also confirmed everything that Malfoy said about situations of suicide and murder.
"When I asked the voice for options, it told me to accept Ron's fate. And to bring the other Weasley Heirs to the vault so they can begin their education so that this does not happen to them. Apparently we are a party to many contracts that have serve consequences." Arthur wrapped his hands around Molly who was opening sobbing.
After hearing this all those around the table were enraged that something like this could happen, and all of them blamed Draco Malfoy. Everyone was trying to think of what could be done to stop this from occurring.
Albus took all the information in and asked Arthur, "Arthur why are you just finding out about the vault now? Maybe fate made it this way so that we could use your lack of knowledge as a way to break the punishment."
Sighing, Arthur answered "no," and told them the story of Tobias Weasley.
Remus Lupin suggested, "Arthur, maybe you can buy Ron from Malfoy."
Taking a deep breath, Arthur wiped his face with the cuff of his robes. "Even if Malfoy was willing to sell, I doubt that we could afford Malfoy's offered price."
Harry sharply looked up, maybe he could actually be helpful, and get Ron out of this. "I have more money than I can spend in two lifetimes! Whatever Malfoy asks for, I'll give you! Even if it costs me everything down to my last knut!"
Sneering, Snape said, "If it isn't our resident hero riding in to save the day. How do you propose to get Malfoy to part with his new slave? It's not as if you, Harry Potter, are his best friend. And Mr. Malfoy certainly would not do you any favors."
With a workable plan on the table everyone started butting in their two cents.
Harry, "We can intimidate him."
Remus, "I can threaten him."
Head Master, "We can tell Mr. Malfoy that there will be dire consequences during the remainder of his stay at Hogwarts."
Moody, "We'll tell him that we will send him to prison with his father."
Hermione, "We can bribe him. We can help him get the charges dropped against his father."
Snape stared at them with astonishment, and then laughed, a deep belly laugh. It was so shocking to those present because they did not believe he was capable of the action. Finally, after about 5 minutes, Snape had himself back under control. Then he began to speak with mirth in his voice.
"Mr. Potter, your family, like mine, were a witness to the contract. Thus, it is our job, as the Masters of our Families, to enforce Mr. Mallfoy's right. For either of us to do anything else, would have the contract judging us. And I, for one, will not end up Mr. Malfoy's slave. And that is what will happen to you if you threaten him. And I am sure you remember that you have a greater obligation to the Wizarding world than a friend who could not keep his temper in check. Thus, in this matter, you either enforce the contract, or stay neutral.
"And you, Lupin, as I stated before, instead of offering a reasonable non-violent solution, you let your nature take over and offer nothing but blood. And you say that you are not a danger to people.
"Albus, I am not sure if Hogwarts can interfere in this dispute, and if it did, what would the consequences for the school be? You must do what is in the good for the school, not what is good for one student.
"Moody, a lot of time and effort has gone into preventing this generation
of Slytherins from becoming Death Eaters. I'll be damned if I let you undo all that hard work for a child that brought this situation on himself. So, unless you can come up with a real crime that Mr. Malfoy is guilty of, I will do everything in my power to protect him.
"Ms. Ganger, you are the only one here that has any real sense, and offered a possible solution. What the others failed to realize, is that if they take any negative actions towards the Malfoy family, the only ones that will suffer are the Weasleys. The contract would most likely judge their actions of those of an ally, thus, causing the Weasleys bigger problems.
However, even your solution would not work. I am sure that you read that some Death Eaters escaped from prison. What you might not be aware of, is that only the non-pureblood prisoners escaped. And what this tells me is that sometime in the near future, the pureblood prisoners will be released free and clear from prison with nothing but a slap on the wrist. Thus Mr. Malfoy will not need your help to obtain his father's release."
Frustration showed on everyone's face. Not happy with Snape once again shooting down their ideas Harry asked, "Professor, since our plans are obviously flawed, what do you suggest?"
Looking at Harry, Snape sighed. "I am honestly saddened to see Mr. Weasley in this position. No one deserves to lose his or her freedom, but, nonetheless, he has lost his. You, as his friends and family need to accept this quickly so that you may send him strength to endure whatever Mr. Malfoy does to him. Therefore, I would suggest you use the remaining time you have left with Mr. Weasley wisely. Who knows when you might see him again, and in what condition? I, for my part, will talk to Mr. Malfoy and see what his plans are. Maybe I can convince him to stay overnight.
"Next, I would start to make attempts to get on Mr. Malfoy's good side. This will benefit you in two ways. One: He might be more willing to let Mr. Weasley spend time with you during the school year and, Two: We won't have anymore punishment episodes as we did today."
Everyone was in a state of depression. But everyone realized that Snape was right, so they bucked up and started preparing Ron for going with Malfoy. Harry looked at everyone's face, hoping they had a better solution, any solution, other than having Draco Malfoy take his friend, his very first friend ever, away from him. Seeing that no one had any, Harry sighed, defeated.
He looked at Snape and said, "I guess your right."
The Weasleys called an emergency meeting, sending floo calls, to Bill in Egypt, Charlie in Romania, and Mrs. Weasley even insisted on Flooing Percy. However, he still wanted nothing to do with them. Although disappointed, she moved on and sent for Fred, George, and Ginny. Fred and George were sent home and told to shrink and pack all of Ron's things. Including his bed. Then, Molly and Remus took over the kitchens to cook dinner that Ron would never forget.
Time passed quickly, and Snape came back into the room. "I have convinced Mr. Malfoy to agree to spend the night." There was a round of cheers. Snape looking down at the young Weasley, said, "Mr. Malfoy sends you a message. You are free to get up, walk about, and speak." The minute Snape's words registered in Ron's brain, he jumped up, and ran to his mother and father, hugging them and babbling to them. Between them, Harry and Hermione then calmed him down, trying to help him deal with the situation.
An hour later, all of the Weasley children, except Percy, were present. The Head Master allowed Molly, Arthur, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to use his office to tell them what happened. At 9pm, about two hours later, the family came out, red hair, red faced, red eyed. All of them were visibly upset, hurt, and devastated. But you saw them with their heads held high, and the putting of a brave front for Ron's last night with them.
Everyone sat down to dinner. The tension was high. Knowing that only he could break the ice, Ron started making stupid jokes. Soon everyone was laughing, joking, and telling stories. Butterbeers were passed around. Later, fire whiskey, late into the night, they partied. Around 8 a.m., they went to bed. Draco, who was just waking up as they were going to bed, got up, washed, and then went to breakfast. Upon arriving, all he saw were the Head Master and Professor Snape. "Good Morning Head Master, Professor.
Where is everyone, namely my slave?"
Professor Snape motioned for Draco to sit. Upon him doing, so the professor explained, "The damn fools just went to bed."
Draco closed his eyes and focused, he located his slave about to go to sleep in the Gryffindor Tower. Opening his eyes, he said, "And I suppose you wish for me to once again delay my plans?"
"If it is not too much trouble." Snape answered as he sipped his tea.
Albus entered the conversation. "Mr. Malfoy, it was a nice thing you did last night. I hope you will be so kind and generous to Mr. Weasley in the future."
Shocked Draco stopped eating his breakfast to say, "Head Master, I did not do anything nice. Professor Snape came to me with a business arrangement and I accepted."
"A business arrangement?"
"A pureblood business arrangement."
"Oh. Nonetheless, it was a good thing you did. Please continue to do so in the future."
Draco bristled at his tone, "Is that an order Head Master?"
"No, my dear boy, just a plea from an old man."
Deciding to ignore the old fool, Draco directed his next comment to Snape. "What am I suppose to do all day?"
Smiling an evil smile, he replied, "I could use your help brewing potions."
"Potions? Professor, I am on holiday!" Draco whined.
"True, but you do want to stay ahead of that Granger girl, don't you?"
Sighing, he answered, "Yes."
Knowing that he won, he continued. "So potions it is." After they finished eating, the two disappeared to brew.
A day of brewing really relaxed his nerves. Although Draco did not look it, he was not happy with another burden being placed on him. Even if that burden allows him to have the Weasel at his every beck and call. But last night, Snape had reminded him of another contract that the Malfoys were a party to. He was bound by another contract that directly effected his treatment of Ron. Thus, he had very little time to make a decision about him soon.
Now, as he entered the Great Hall, he saw many more red headed people than yesterday, "Damn, more Weasleys." Walking over the table, he sat down.
All conversation stopped when Malfoy entered. Draco decided to eat, taking his time he finished his dinner. After everyone ate, and the dishes were cleared away, Draco looked at everyone and then said, "Mr. Weasley, did you find the Arch-magi contract?"
Weary from their late night, Arthur replied, "Yes, I did. I was able to verify that everything you said was the truth. We know that Ron does indeed belong to you."
Standing up, Draco smiled. "I am glad, then if you don't mind, I have things to attend to at home, and I would like to be going."
Bill spoke up and said, "Malfoy, we would like to know if you would consider selling Ron back to us?" Everyone waited upon bated breathe for his answer.
Sighing, Draco sat down. "I thought you said that you understood?"
One of the twins replied, "It's a simple question. No need to take
offense."
"I am not taking offense. To answer your question, even if I wanted to, which I don't, I couldn't sell the weasel back to you. The contract judged the weasel a danger to my life; his punishment is not really a punishment but a protection of me. For instance, did you know that the twins were both judged by the contract? No, well back in fourth year, you played a prank on me. It led to me being injured. However, when the contract judged you, it found that you did not mean me harm, but you were trying to lighten me up. Thus, it passed some annoying, but equally harmless punishment to them. The weasel did this to himself. No one can correct this. Not even me. Any other questions?"
Mrs. Weasley said, "I am begging you to take care of my baby. Treat him right."
Looking at Mrs. Weasley, he responded, "Considering I am just like my father, I am sure you can imagine what kind of treatment he will receive." After a few minutes of watching her sink into despair, he continued.
"Although I cannot make any promises, the Weasel's treatment will depend, in great part, on him. Anything else?" No one said anything, "Good. Then we will be off. Come along, Ron."
Draco walked out the door, never looking back to see if Ron followed, but he did stop when he had reached the door knob, "Head Master, the next time you send someone to spy on one of the Dark Lord's people, might I suggest you give them better training, or your Order will not last long." With that he left, leaving behind a hand full of shocked people.
Draco proceeded to walk down the drive, once he passed the apparition wards that surrounded the school. He pulled out a blank parchment and turned around and held it out to Ron. Ron step up to his new master and took hold of the paper. A minute later he felt the portkey activate and felt a tug around his navel. He appeared in a hump on the Entrance Hall floor of Malfoy Manor.
Laughing, Draco looked down and said, "Well Weasel, it's just you and me. Welcome to Malfoy Manor."
RainSW6: Thanks for reviewing. I am glad you think it is different. I try and make all my fics have an original plots. I just need to finish them before moving on to the next plot.
Spideria: Thank you for becoming my beta. Things are never what they seem, and your right about what section this fic falls into.
Bloomy: There is a very good chance, but I am not saying any more. Plus can you imagine the angst of Ron being Draco's slave? The hate, I am about to start on the next chapter, I feel it.
jeannie81: Well I should not tell you this, but Snape is in a triad with Narcissa and Lucius. But if you want they can take in Lupin as well.
Arrmaitee: Thank you for being my first and second reviewer. I love your fic and I glad I was able to help. As you can see I also incorporate the things you pointed out into the story. Wait until you see the Christmas cat fight.