AN: All rights go to the respectful creators. I don't own anything!

I couldn't resist writing another Graham Montague/Harry Potter fanfic. I will admit that TheUltimateUndesirable got me first intrigued by the ship. And was insistent I write this when I mentioned the idea. And so this was born.

~NicoDiAngeloLover7

An Arrangement from The Dark – Chapter 1 (The Offer)

Lily was busy pacing the floor in their home at Godric's Hollow. She had been doing it for the past hour or longer. She had honestly lost track of time.

The reason was simple... they had just been visited by Lord Voldemort, but he wasn't there to kill them like they originally thought. They knew that the Dark Lord would come after them, Dumbledore had told them as much. Well… as much as he would say. They were enemies to him, this they knew.

But instead of being killed by him, he had come to talk to them and offer a deal. Something he was sure that they would not refuse. It was a deal that would have them withdraw from the war entirely in exchange for their son living. Who was just barely over a year old.

They knew that the location had been betrayed by one of their best friends, Peter Pettigrew. And they had mixed feelings about it. It was hard to ignore the sense of betrayal. They had the Fidelius Charm cast on their home. And the only way they would have been found was if their secret keeper had given away their location. That was how the Fidelius Charm worked. The location would be hidden, but it was through a series of spells and enchantments. You could not force the secret by use of the Imperius Curse. It had to be given willingly. And as long as the Secret Keeper kept the secret, they would never be found. Even if Peter had died and never gave out the secret, their location would be secret forever. Maybe they should have kept it being Sirius… but they didn't. They knew Sirius would never have given the secret away so freely. He would have freely died before giving their location away. But the truth remained… Voldemort had found them and walked through their front door. Though they were thankful it had been blasted off its hinges. Though that would have defeated his purpose.

But they tried to focus on the matter at hand. To get past the hurt of betrayal and be able to focus on the now. They couldn't allow emotions to get in the way of logical thought. Though in the beginning they had been on the defensive.

But hesitantly, they lowered their wands when the Dark Lord only wished to speak to them. They had expected him to either torture them or cast the Killing Curse. But he did neither, it was truly shocking. That was when they heard of the offer that he was willing to give them.

All of them had known about the prophecy. They originally heard of the thing from Dumbledore. Perhaps not all of its words in entirety. But enough to know that their lives and their son's life was in danger. It was hard not to guess that when he hinted that the prophecy said that their son would vanish the Dark Lord. Since Harry had been born at the end of July… as the seventh month dies… And James and Lily had already defied Voldemort three times. So, another part of the prophecy, deny him thrice…

Lily honestly had believed that Divination was rubbish to begin with. But she couldn't help but worry for her son. Because if Voldemort was putting stock into this prophecy, it was likely to become true. Most prophecies were either faked or self-fulfilling. So, this feeling did not bode well for her. Especially when she had been pregnant at the time. And she could tell James was worried by the crinkle in his brow. So, they had decided that they needed to go into hiding. They could no longer think about themselves. They had a son now, they had to think about him. They couldn't continue fighting in this war. That decision was made when Lily had still been pregnant with Harry and that meant no more going out to Order Meetings at Headquarters. Defeated the point of going into hiding if they still went to the Order Meetings.

So, James and Lily decided on the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. It had been a place that James' parents had spent their time away when they could. The Potter Manor was a bit too obvious of a location. Even if it had been hidden under the Fidelius Charm, people would know exactly where they would be. And that is not what they wanted. They wanted somewhere where people would not know, unless you were close friends of them. And so, the Potter Cottage was a natural option for them. It was no longer in use since Dorea and Charlus' death. At the hand of Death Eaters, or least that is what had been reported. But it had been an explosion, so there was no telling on how James' parents had truly died.

Yet the offer was... they would have no further part in this war. They would either become neutral or join his side, to join the Dark. Though he had no doubt that they would never join him, given the number of times they had defied him. But in exchange he would not kill them or their son.

Though he didn't tell them this, but he wanted to prevent their son from even thinking of eventually vanquishing him, least according to the prophecy… That part they would know nothing about. And that was the reason why he was offering this deal in the first place. But the final part of the deal was that their son was to be in an arranged bonding to one of his Death Eater's children when he reached the proper age. This way, he could ensure the actions of the Potters and have one less enemy against him. And he would have their son potentially on his side. He already had one in mind, though he would have to think more on it later. Providing that the Potters did accept. Though even if they did, he knew they wouldn't join his side.

He didn't mention the satisfaction it would bring him knowing that he would be taking part of Dumbledore's biggest supporters. He already knew of the tales of how big of a light supporter James and Lily Potter were. Not to mention their two Gryffindor friends… Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. So, it was very possible that he would be able to drag those two out of the war as well. And possibly draw them to his side and maybe fight for the dark.

The Potters didn't automatically deny his offer, but they didn't immediately accept it either. He hadn't expected them to. But he knew if they valued the life of their son… they would accept… eventually. And he was prepared to wait.

And then there were the words… can we think about your offer?

That had been when Voldemort left their house. No death and no destruction. It was almost hard to believe. They had expected to be dead or tortured, not to unharmed and still breathing. But he would be back later to get their answer.

That was when Lily had finally stopped pacing. She knew that Harry was still asleep upstairs, so he never knew that they had a visitor. She expected him to stay napping for a few more hours at least before getting hungry. He was already a year old and had already started walking and talking. He was even managing some sentences; she and James had never felt prouder. And he absolutely loved that toy broom of his. She couldn't imagine a life without her baby boy.

She turned to look at James, he looked just as worried but yet… determined. She walked up to him, letting him wrap her into a gentle embrace. And just stayed there… thinking. Thinking of what they should do. They couldn't run. Voldemort would eventually find them again and probably actually kill them. And knew that he wouldn't hesitate in killing their baby boy. So, that wasn't even an option to consider. And their location had already been betrayed by Peter.

What would Remus and Sirius say once they knew? And what would they say about his offer?

Sirius had always been against everything dark, not that they could blame him. And it wasn't like Voldemort was requiring them to join him. They could be neutral, but they couldn't fight against Voldemort anymore. But they wouldn't join at his side and become Death Eaters. Would Sirius and Remus join them in being neutral? They couldn't bear to think if they had to fight one of their best friends.

Lily pulled out James' embrace and walked over to the stairs, looking up. She didn't hear any cries, so that meant that Harry must still be asleep. Why was this so hard to make a decision? Maybe because she knew that she may be signing her son's life away, it may not be right now. But years to come he would have to marry someone from Voldemort's side. A child of a Death Eater…

James stood by her side.

"Are we really going accept this, James?" Lily asked, her hand on James' shoulder.

He placed his hand over hers, "I don't want to live in fear forever, Lils. And there was only a matter of time before he found us. That is something we both knew was coming. And I rather have our son alive rather than dead."

"But to agree to a forced marriage?!"

James sighed, "I don't like it any better. But at least our lives will be safe."

"But for how long? We don't even know who he will choose for Harry to marry…" Lily's voice trembled.

"No doubt he will tell us, providing that we accept his offer," James said.

"What if they wind up killing him years later?"

James shook his head, "there wouldn't be a point in him offering this to us if that was going to happen. Lily, I know this doesn't sound like the best option at the moment. But at least we can be comforted that our son will be safe from danger. Voldemort will no longer be after us or Harry… We will be able to watch him grow up."

Lily took a deep breath, as much as she didn't like this. She knew that James was right. If they declined this offer, there would be no chance in them seeing Harry grow up. Because all three of them would be dead. That much was a certainty, no guess work would have to be involved.

"So, what do we do?" she asked.

James looked grim, "we wait till he comes back. It is obvious that he knows where we're at. We can give our answer then. Hopefully, we will be left alone, and hope Dumbledore doesn't question us on why Voldemort gave up searching for us. Though he may assume that our location is still safe."

Lily glanced back up the stairs. She let her eyes drift close for a moment before taking a deep breath. That's when she opened them and looked into James' brown eyes.

"Okay… for Harry…" she whispered.

"For Harry…" James repeated.

Lily let herself be pulled into another tight embrace by her husband. She felt so scared for what the future lied in store for them. What if Dumbledore did find out? They had been fighting on his side and against Voldemort ever since they left Hogwarts. Even when they still had been in their seventh year. They doubted that he would take this decision lightly or would respect it. Would they then become the enemy? So, there was extreme hope that he would never have to find out. And there was no telling on how this war was going to end. Now that they had accepted their fate that they would have no further part in it. Not that they had since they went into hiding… but this felt more final.

And they would eventually have to tell Harry when he was older. But what age would that be? Would he even have the privilege of being able to date? Or was that a freedom that would be taken away from him? Because he was to be betrothed to another… Would their son hate them for making this decision for him? For taking something away from him without having a say in it. Or would he be appreciative that they had thought about his life… And would Harry actually wind up falling in love with his betrothed? Would be he trapped into a bonding that he couldn't escape? Knowing that he would never be happy with them… Would he feel that they took his life away from him, knowing that they made this decision when he was just a mere baby?

There were so many worries and endless questions about this. But they had made their decision. Course, they could always change their mind about it. They still had time. But both James and Lily knew they wouldn't. This just had to be worth it… just had to be.

They would have to find a time to tell Sirius and Remus. And it had to be in person, there was no way this could be sent over a letter. Plus, that would run the risk of it being intercepted and that was the last thing that they wanted. They couldn't risk this information getting out to others, especially those that wouldn't be in the know.

They would be in danger, if this information got out to the wrong people, especially Dumbledore. They could be in danger once more, especially Harry. And he was the only reason why they had accepted this offer to begin with. Not that Voldemort knew it yet. But perhaps he suspected on what their answer might be. If it hadn't been for Harry, they knew they would continue on fighting Voldemort. Even if that had meant death for the pair of them.

And both Lily and James knew if Voldemort had come to kill all of them. They would have fought to the best of their ability. And Lily would do anything she could to protect Harry. Even then, she knew that if they had fought like they originally thought was going to happen. They would have all been killed, no matter what they tried to do.

Though they did hope that Sirius and Remus didn't continue to fight. Because that would make it even harder for them. They had already lost one best friend; he may not be dead… but still. They didn't want to run the risk of losing two more.

They could still send a letter, but it would have to be brief and to the point. There could not be any crucial information, just for them to meet them at the usual place. It would be vague if anyone tried to read it. And James would leave it unsigned, Sirius and Remus would recognize who had sent it anyways. It didn't matter if they recognized his handwriting, which was pretty recognizable to anyone that knew him. No charm could ever fix that.

Both Remus and Sirius were still in hiding, at their selected places. They couldn't risk leaving themselves. They couldn't chance themselves on being seen and leaving Harry all alone. Plus, they didn't know when Voldemort would return to their home to get their answer. And they wanted to talk to both Sirius and Remus before that happened.

It wouldn't change their decision, but at least they would know if their friends still wished to fight in this war or not. Which the knowledge could either break their hearts or be a silent relief. But they would never know until they sent a letter and either waited for a reply or got a home visit from their friends.

And if that happened, they were due for a long conversation. Much like the one that Voldemort had with them. Had it really just been hours or a day ago? Though that was more of a stare down to see who would cast the first curse. And even when no curses had been thrown, they were still on edge and wary. Who wouldn't be if they had the Dark Lord in your home? You would expect curses or to be killed if you were the enemy. If not that, maybe an offer to live and join his side. Then all you could do was either accept or die by their hands. There was no in between on choices like that. War could be a very dark place, especially at times like these.

But that did not change the facts… they still had a letter to write. And then part of the waiting game would begin. Hopefully there would be answers soon.

AN: TheUltimateUndesirable had me intrigued up on the Marriage Law fic they're working on. Then this idea hit me to write my own.

I am quite excited to see what this will turn into. And I will admit that Montague/Harry is becoming a favorite of mine.

I am rating this T for now, the rating will be go up. Anyone who wants to read their work, you can find them on AO3.

~NicoDiAngeloLover7