Kerra was taking advantage of a day that Artemis was spending with Hermione to go through the mountain of paperwork that had accrued during the last decade regarding the Potter Accounts.

Having finished signing and stamping a form regarding some investments, Kerra picked up another sheet of parchment.

"Contract of...Betrothal?" She read out loud as her eyes widened. Reaching the end of the contract, her eyes widened at the date. It was signed almost six months before Artemis's birth.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?" She shouted, very glad that Artemis was not there. No need to panic her with this information.

Quickly grabbing a sheet of parchment and a fountain pen, her attempt at writing with a quill had turned out so horridly she gave up trying to use one, she quickly penned a letter to the other party of the contract requesting a meeting between them and their charges.

Going to the room that had been set up for owls, she walked up to her owl, a Verreaux's Eagle-Owl named Cosmo, she rubbed the owl's beak before tying the missive to her leg.

"Take this to them and wait for a response okay girl?" She instructed.

The owl gave a soft hoot and took off out the window.

Hedwig gave a questioning hoot.

Kerra turned to her and sighed. "Kit's life just got a lot more complicated." She said giving the snowy owl a treat.

Artemis was highly confused when she had returned from her sleep over at Hermione's.

Her mum had instructed her to get out her best wizarding robes and to get ready to go to a meeting.

This was confusing because she knew that the meeting with the Longbottoms was not until next week and to her knowledge nothing had come up that they needed to address.

Now the pair were in a conference room at Gringotts, graciously provided by the goblins to their fellow warrior.

Kerra was currently up and pacing, muttering as she did so, though Artemis could not make out what was being said.

Suddenly the door opened and a goblin guard escorted a dignified nobleman, a noblewoman who was most likely his wife, and a pair of blonde girls, one that appeared to be her age and the other a couple of years younger.

Artemis stood quickly and discretely smoothed her robes as she respectfully inclined her head at the group.

Kerra spun on her heel and faced the group before speaking. "Lord and Lady Greengrass. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice." She said walking up to the pair, slipping into the courtly courtesies that Sally had pounded into her head.

"It is not a problem Dame Prower-Potter. I had fully expected this meeting to occur a lot sooner though." Lord Greengrass said. "Allow me to properly introduce myself and my family. I am Lord Damion Greengrass and this is my wife Lady Eleanor Greengrass. These are my daughters, Daphne and Astoria." Damion said, gesturing to the females in turn.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, though given the circumstances, it could be better. My name is Dame Kerra Prower-Potter and this is my legally, magically, and ritually adopted daughter, Heiress Artemis Potter-Prower." Kerra said shaking the hand of Damion and giving a polite nod to Eleanor and the girls.

Artemis gave a small curtsey to the group.

"Please, shall we take a seat?" Kerra said, motioning to the table.

The group sat and, with Kerra pulling a sheet of parchment from a folder, she locked gazes with Damion.

"Lord Greengrass, I have to ask are Betrothal contracts made before the birth of an heir common?" Kerra asked, getting to the crux of the matter.

Kerra inwardly chuckled as all heads snapped around so fast she could hear their necks crack. Outwardly, her gaze was guarded and closed off. SPARTAN-048 was at the forefront.

Damion coughed to clear his throat as his wife and daughters glared daggers at him.

"It is not common, but it is known to happen on occasion between Houses." He said.

"What about before the gender determination?" Kerra pressed, a manicured eyebrow raised.

At this question, Damion got very nervous, going so far as fidgeting with his collar.

"That is quite rare. It usually only happens between close allies." He said.

"Were you and the late Lord Potter such allies?" Kerra asked.

"Yes, we were. Our fathers had formed an alliance between several major and minor houses to try to get reforms through." Damion replied.

Kerra closed her eyes and took a deep breath before asking her next question.

"Were your wife and the late Lady Potter informed of this decision before the contract was drawn up and signed?"

Eleanor's eyes narrowed as her glare intensified at her husband.

"I will take your silence and your wife's attempt to immolate you with her eyes as a resounding no. I can imagine that Lady Potter was similarly ignorant of this as well. I must ask what the pair of you were thinking." Kerra said.

Damion mumbled something that only Kerra was able to pick up, causing her jaw to drop.

"Seriously? You're serious?" She said before standing up and resuming pacing. "By the Walkers you have got to be having me on." She added as she glanced at Damion, who shook his head.

"Mum, could you explain what is going on?" Artemis inquired, getting a nod of agreement from the Greengrass daughters.

"You late father and Lord Greengrass, while under the influence, somehow penned a very clear, concise, and may I mention MAGICALLY BINDING betrothal contract between you and Heiress Greengrass. I read over the contract several times and I even contacted a respected magical lawyer before coming to Gringotts to get their opinion on the matter. There is no way out of this, for either family. Had it not been magically binding, we probably could have settled this, no harm no foul. But unfortunately, you two are stuck." Kerra explained. "If it was not for the fact I have absolutely no desire to go down that road, I would bring your father back from the other side and smack him upside the head for being so damn foolish."

Artemis was stunned and more than a little upset about the situation. Looking at the older blonde, it appeared she was in a similar mindset.

"Mum, may I be excused?" Artemis asked. "I need some time to get my head around this."

"I would like to be excused as well, Mother, Father?" Daphne asked.

The pair were given nods by their parents and they left the room, Daphne giving her sister a squeeze on the shoulder and a tight smile as she passed.

The pair exited the room and were escorted out of the bank at Artemis's request.

Standing on the steps, the pair shuffled awkwardly for a moment before Artemis spoke up.

"You know what, screw this. I need ice cream and I think you could use a bowl as well. My treat?" Artemis said to the blonde.

Daphne look askance at the crimson haired witch for a moment before nodding.

The pair made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice cream parlor.

After ordering their treats and requesting a private booth, the two sat down and began to eat their ice cream in silence.

Finally, Artemis had reached the end of her introspection.

"Well, it appears that our fathers are both idiots." She said blandly.

Daphne snorted at this before laughing.

"You are the master of understatement Potter. I had no idea that this contract existed until your mother said it." Daphne said.

"Me either. I imagine that she probably intended to tell me, but she was stressing out about it." Artemis replied as she took another bite of her sundae.

"Understandable. I do not understand what Father was thinking. He had even told me that he wasn't going to be entering into any contracts. I wonder if he had forgotten about this one." Daphne said.

"Possible. The contract was written over a decade ago, and while drunk might I add. I would imagine if they had not made it magically binding, it would be null and void." Artemis replied.

"It would be." Daphne replied simply.

Artemis sighed.

"Well, since we are stuck in this mess, I figure we should make the best of it and have a go at it." Artemis said finally.

"How so?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, considering the fact that when it comes to relationships and such, though I had hoped to put it off until I was around eighteen or so, I don't really see a person's gender as important as their personality." Artemis replied.

Daphne tilted her head to the side. "That, is actually a very profound way of looking at things. Myself, I was fully prepared to have to marry for convenience and station rather than any kind of attraction. This situation is definitely a shock, a bit unwanted actually as I am sure it is for you, but given the short amount of time that we have been able to talk, I have found myself liking you for some reason." She said after considering the other girl's words.

"As am I. You definitely have a good head on your shoulders, and while your parents probably do dote on you and your sister, you aren't spoiled like some heiresses. You also seem to have a dry wit that I find most amusing." Artemis replied with a smirk. "So, in light of that, tell me about yourself."

"Only if you do the same." Daphne said, causing Artemis to laugh nervously and rub the back of her neck.

"I will tell you as much as I can." Artemis said raising a hand to forestall any objections. "Some things about me fall under the category of 'State Secrets'. For both the UK and the US. In both nations, there are maybe a thousand or so people that are aware of the secret. My mum and I will petition to have you and your family read in, but it would probably require Unbreakable Vows to do so." She finished.

Daphne's eyes widened. "What are you involved in that would require that level of secrecy?" She asked the red headed girl.

Artemis smirked. "As my Uncle Daniel puts it, some real meaning of life stuff. It will blow your mind and make you question everything you have been told prior." She replied.

Daphne nodded. "I will hold you to it." She said. "So what would you like to know?"

"Just tell me about yourself. Likes, dislikes, interests and such." Artemis said with a smile.

The pair sat at the table for a while until Artemis jumped.

"Something wrong?" Daphne asked.

"My phone went off and I wasn't expecting it. Give me a moment." Artemis replied as she pulled out the magically altered device.

Quickly responding to Kerra's text asking where they were at, she turned back to Daphne.

"Sorry about that. Looks like our folks are done talking. They should be here in a couple of minutes." Artemis said.

"That is a muggle device? How does it function around magic?" Daphne asked, her curiosity stoked.

Artemis smirked. "My mum is a genius when it comes to technology. She can figure out solutions to a multitude of problems that others can't. It took her about two months and several phones for her to figure out a way for them to work in areas of high magic concentration. She got a patent on it and has licensed it to a number of companies that have been wanting to break into selling modern technology to mages. Especially in places like Japan and China. They do love their technology." She explained.

"How did she do it?" Daphne asked.

"Specialized runic arrays. If you are interested, I can show you." Came Kerra's voice, causing Daphne to jump.

The younger blonde turned to the woman.

"Could you? I have had an interest in Runes and Arithmancy for some time." Daphne replied.

Kerra chuckled. "Shouldn't be a problem, given your folks' permission." She said. "So I take it you two on getting on fine?"

Both girls nodded.

"Good. Now Daphne, your parents have given their permission for you to come and visit for a few days so you two can get to know each other in Artemis's usual environment. After that Artemis will be staying at your family's home to see what your home life is like. They have already headed home and asked me to see you to the Leaky Cauldron to Floo home to pack. We will wait for you and then we will head for our current residence." Kerra explained.

Daphne nodded. "That sounds fine Dame Prower-Potter. I will gather what I need quickly. Though I will warn you that I do not have much in the way of muggle clothing." She replied.

"Please, Just Kerra, or if you must, call me Miss Prower. As far as mundane clothing, I am sure that Artemis has a few outfits you can borrow until we can take you shopping." Kerra replied with a smile.

Soon the trio was at the Cauldron and Daphne had headed off to her home through the Floo.

Kerra and Artemis headed to a booth and ordered some tea. Once Tom, the barkeep, had served them, Kerra threw up a privacy spell.

"So? What did you think of her?" Kerra asked.

Artemis blushed a bit. "She is nice in her own dry witted way. Also very driven from what I could tell from her talk about her interests and desires. We both want to try to make the best of this situation." Artemis replied.

Kerra nodded. "So friends at least?" She asked.

Artemis nodded. "I think so. Wouldn't quite call it love or anything, but we are young." She replied.

Kerra nodded again. "Taking it slow then? Good idea. I would hate to see either of you hurt." She said.

Artemis smiled as the Floo flared and Daphne stepped out, carrying a satchel.

Kerra took down the privacy spell as she and Artemis stood.

"Ready to go?" Kerra asked.

"Yes Miss Prower." Daphne inquired. "How will we be getting to your residence?"

Kerra smirked. "My own personal method of transportation." She said as she led the girls out of the pub.

Quickly finding a darkened corner, Kerra placed her hands on the shoulders of the two and the trio disappeared from London in a flash of green.

They reappeared in the foyer of Kerra and Artemis's home in Crawley.

"That is a very smooth way to travel Miss Prower. I didn't even feel the movement." Daphne said.

Kerra smirked. "I know what you mean apparition is highly uncomfortable. I learned how to do it as a matter of course, but I much prefer my method." She replied as she pulled off her robes.

"I can see why. Can it be taught?" Daphne asked as she looked around the house.

"Not really. The only other person capable of learning how to do it is standing next to you." Kerra replied, pointing to Artemis.

"Oh, and why is that?" Daphne asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"That is one of those things we have to get clearance to tell you about. Speaking of." Artemis said before turning to her mom. "We should contact General O'Neil to see about getting at least Daphne and her father read in. Kind of hard to be able to explain a lot of things without them having clearance."

Kerra nodded. "I'll give him a call." She said, noting the use of Jack's rank rather than calling him 'Uncle Jack' as she usually did.

The older woman headed off to make her call while Artemis led Daphne to the guest bedroom.

"Here is the room you will be staying in when you visit." Artemis said.

Daphne looked around at the room. "Very nice. I am guessing this is a Potter property?" She inquired.

Artemis nodded. "It is. We decided to stay here as it is the most lightly warded of all the properties so that we can use it to have the rest of the family come to visit until the we have a chance to make sure the main manor is up to snuff." Artemis replied. "That and we aren't sure how much of the modified tech will work at the manor. The wards there might cause too much interference." She added.

"I see. Care to show me around?" Daphne asked.

Artemis was about to reply when the doorbell went off.

Raising an eyebrow, Artemis lead the way to the front door. Opening it, she found Hermione and her father at the door.

"Hermione, Mr Granger, hello. How are you two doing?" She greeted.

"We are doing fine Artemis." Jonathan replied. "Sarah and I are having to go out of town for a conference and we were hoping that Hermione could stay with you and your mother." He explained.

Artemis nodded as she stepped aside to let them in. "It shouldn't be an issue. Let me track Mum down. She was going to be calling General O'Neil to find out about something related to her old unit." She said.

Jonathan nodded. "And who is this young lady?" He asked, gesturing to Daphne.

Artemis sighed. "This is Heiress Daphne Greengrass. My betrothed. Neither of us are happy about it, but we are going to be making a go of it since it is impossible to nullify the contract." She said, introducing the blonde.

"Betrothal? Is that common in the wizarding world?" Jonathan inquired.

"Only between some of the older Houses sir. And generally after both children have been born. Our fathers got a little too deep in their cups and drew up a magically binding agreement." Daphne explained.

"That is barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed before blushing.

Artemis nodded. "I agree. Though in the few hours I have know Daphne, I find myself enjoying her company and her wit." She explained.

"But what about heirs?" Jonathan asked. "I can imagine that continuing your family lines is a concern."

"One, I have a few abilities I got when my mum blood adopted me. Two, magic is capable of a lot. But that is something to look into years down the line." Artemis replied, turning to head for Kerra's office.

"Good news everyone. General O'Neil gave me permission to read in the Greengrasses and the Grangers." Kerra said as she came down stairs.

"Read us into what?" Hermione asked.

"The program I was a part of when I was assigned to Cheyenne Mountain, Pumpkin."Jonathan replied.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Trust me girls, this is going to blow your minds." Artemis said with a smirk.