A/N: weird fanfic idea. I'm not going to continue with my other Harry Potter fanfic. When I looked further in Sirius's family tree and re-read the fifth book, I came accross the fact that Sirius is related to the Weasleys. I didn't feel comfortable writing a story where relatives date each other, though no hard feeling towards those who are okay with it. Anyways, this story is different than anything I have ever written. I hope you enjoy.

Prologue

After the first wizarding war, the ministry created the first marriage law. There was a need for children and for a larger wizarding population. The ministry of magic knew that there would have to be guidelines that were followed. And strong, powerful magic would have to be used to find each witch or wizard the perfect match. So, the Decree was created.

As of November 12, 1981 The Ministry of Magic Decrees that any unmarried witch or wizard is to marry and produce a child with in three years of their marriage.

To whom the law applies to:

Any Witch forty years old or younger.

Any Wizard forty-five years old or younger.

Any witch or wizard born before or on November 12,1981

Guidelines:

Both participants have to be seventeen before they marry.

There can only be a twenty age difference between matches.

Children matched to an adult are still considered minors. Any sexual relations with a minor and an adult is a crime, whether a match or not. Matches are only allowed to have sexual relations once both parties are of age.

Any subject to abuse terminates the relationship, match and/or marriage.

If both participants are of age, they are given two years to plan the wedding and get to know each other.

If one participant is over seventeen and the other is a minor, then they are given a year to marry after the minor turns of age. If one of the participants is still a student during the time of planing the wedding or after, the school is expected to make accommodations for the couple. ( All students are expected to finish school and the marriage law is not a valid excuse to dropout.)

When both matches are of age and still in school, they are given a year to marry after they graduate.

Each couple is expected to conceive a child within three years of their marriage. If fail to do so, the marriage is terminated. Those who have failed to conceive a child will be rematched to a partner less compatible. A marriage will not be terminated if the couple is experiencing complications in conceiving and their doctor has informed the ministry within the three year time range.

After five years of marriage and the birth of at least one child, both parties are allowed to file for divorce if the marriage is not working.

Severus looked at Dumbledore in disgust as he set the piece of parchment on the desk. The Headmaster smiled at him with a twinkle in his eyes. It was obvious Severus Snape did not like the new law put into place. He was convinced he would only ever love Lily. There wasn't a single woman in the world who could take her place; no one could ever live up to Lily. The old man in front of him knew better.

"Severus, this law may be what you need," Dumbledore told him with a wide smile.

"I hardly doubt being paired with some insolent witch is what I need!" He sneered.

"The pairing isn't random."

"No, it's most likely done by some stupid muggle compatibility test!"

"Actually, they are using old magic to make the pairs." The older wizard responded. "I believe it was used to help people find their soul mates. It became illegal in 1892 due to people using the spell to their advantages. The spell predicts the future course of your life and shows those you meet and the one that you are destined to be with. The problem was that some tried to change others future by countering the spell. This time, the spell has been changed as to ensure that the results are permanent and satisfactory. Every step has been to taken to ensure that no one is able to see another's soul mate."

"You're saying that there's a way to know the future?"

"No", Dumbledore responded, "The future is always changing based on the present. The spell merely shows who you are going to end up with. Your soul mate. Every wizard and Witch is said to have one, even muggleborns. There will be those who have either lost their soul mate due to circumstances or were never meant to have a soul mate. Those who do not have a match will be added to the list and re-matched at a different time with different means of matching couples. You were lucky enough to be matched the first time with wondrous results!"

"How wonderful," Severus drawled, hardly thrilled and mostly uninterested.

"The ministry has sent the information regarding your match in hopes that you will handle the news better if it wasn't given by a ministry official."

"Tell them I refuse."

Dumbledore sighed, "Severus, I'm afraid you don't have a choice." The young man stayed silent, looking anywhere but at the Headmaster. "I know you love Lily. Lily was an amazing young woman. Perhaps, if in a different time and place, she would be your soulmate but she is not. She-"

"Do not bring Lily into this! Severus snapped, raising out of his chair and clenching his fist together. "I love Lily! I will always love Lily. There is no one that can take her place."

"There is nothing you can do."

Severus said nothing.

"Do you want to know who you are meant to be with?"

"No, though I'm sure you are going to tell me." Severus looked at the older man and motioned for him to tell him. Dumbledore only shook his head and waved towards the chair in front of his desk. Severus huffed and sat back in the chair. "Who is it?"

"I'm sure Lucius has told you about his little endeavor and the consequence of his actions."

Severus looked at the old man in shock.

"I believe her name is Eleanor Olivia Malfoy. You know her as Ellie."

"She just turned six years old!"

"And well within the age limit."

"There shouldn't be a twenty year age limit!"

"Severus, this relationship would happen with or without the marriage law. She may be a child now, but a few years down the road she is going to be a beautiful young woman. You will still be a young man in wizard years. There is nothing wrong or unusual with your future relationship." He stood up and walked around the desk. "You can try to avoid the future but the attraction will become overpowering by the time she is seventeen."

"I'm going to take charge of my own life." Severus snapped before exiting the Headmasters Office.

"I am afraid you will be extremely disappointed when you realize she is your life and there's nothing you can do about it." Dumbledore said to the man who was already gone.

XXX

Lucius Malfoy leaned against the doorframe of his daughter's room. He found himself there most nights before he went to bed. His daughter was the most beautiful human being in the world. He was biased. He knew it. Narcissa thought Draco was more precious, more beautiful than his bastard child. He strongly disagreed. While he loved his wife, she wasn't the one he was in love with. His heart would always belong to Melody Mathews. She was his first love. She was his world before she slipped from his fingers.

Melody Mathews was possibly the worst candidate for him to fall in love with. She was a muggleborn, a disgrace in his parents world. His father made it clear he would have the Dark Lord kill the women of Lucius married her. His parents didn't want the Malfoy name tainted by a Mudblood. Lucius had been heart broken, but went along with his betrothal to Narcissa. It was the only way to keep his Melody safe. He joined the Dark Lord based on the promise that Melody would be left alive. It was risky to trust the Dark Lord, but it was Melody's only chance of living a long life. Lucius convinced himself that her safety was more important than their happiness. She was his everything and so much more.

Now, he had to live without her. Bellatrix killed her three days before the Dark Lord vanished. He knew why she did it. The deranged women did it for her sister. Narcissa was devastated when she learned that Melody was seven months pregnant with Lucius third child; a son he would most likely love more than Draco. She had a hard enough time conceiving Draco and almost lost him several times during her pregnancy. His wife was done ignoring her husband's second life. She wanted Lucius to herself. Bellatrix took it upon herself to rid her sister of the problem.

Yes, Lucius still held a relationship with Melody during his marriage. He stayed days on end with her, loving her into the early hours of the morning. He was overjoyed at the birth of his eldest child, saving a special place in his heart for his little girl. When Melody told him she was pregnant with her second child, he was thrilled at the prospect of having two children with the woman he loved. He knew they would take after their mother. They wouldn't believe in the prejudice against muggleborns and half bloods. They would have larger hearts than their father and would do great things in the world. He knew they would be his pride and joy as they wouldn't be raised in the hostile environment Draco would live in. Melody would give them the childhood they deserved.

All of that had changed. He was lucky Ellie had survived the attack. It took less than five second before Lucius took full parental rights of his daughter. She moved into the room next to Draco's, only a few doors down from his own bedroom. He made sure to paint the walls a vibrant purple and give her the bedroom a princess deserved. While Draco's room was dull and hardly resembled a child's room; Ellie's room looked like it was out of a muggle magazine. Lucius was going to try his best to raise her the way Melody would raise her. She would never follow in her father's footsteps. She was free to love whomever she wanted to and if that man was one of his closest friends then so be it.

Ellie moved onto her belly in her sleep and pushed the covers off the bed. Lucius chuckled and he walked over and picked the blankets of the floor. He made sure to place them over her and pull them up to her shoulders. She sighed in her sleep and he smiled as he pushed her hair out of her face. Her hair was a dirty blonde that fell down to her shoulders in ringlets. She had vibrant blue eyes and a button nose. She had his sharp facial features but they were more delicate. Everyday she reminded him of Melody and everyday he loved her more.

"Daddy?" Ellie asked in her small voice.

"You should go back to sleep," Lucius told her in a soothing voice.

"I had a dream about mummy."

"Was it a good dream?"

She nodded.

"Would you like to tell me about it?" He asked as he sat down beside her.

"Mummy was singing me a song." She told him in a soft voice. He grabbed the little girl's hand in his. "You were there and we were sitting outside at the park. The one with the swirly slide."

"Was it a nice day outside?"

She nodded.

"Do you miss mummy?"

She sniffled and nodded yes.

"I miss her too."

"Daddy, will you stay with me tonight?" She asked in a small voice. "I'm too sad to be alone."

He looked in his daughter's eyes and felt his heart give away. Her blue eyes made his heart fill with guilt. Guilt that he didn't stand up to his parents. Guilt that he hadn't married Melody, that he wasn't able to protect the woman he loved. Guilt, that his daughter had already felt so much grief in her five years of life.

"Yes," he replied. "Move over to make room for your old man."

"Daddy," she giggled as she wriggled over for him. "You're not old! You still have two or three years."

He gave her an incredulous look. "How old do you think I am?"

"Seventy-Seven!"

He snorted.

"It's okay daddy. I still love you. Mummy use to say love has no age. So, no matter how old you get, I will still love you. You'll always be my daddy."

Lucius couldn't believe his daughter words. Love has no age. How true that would be when his daughter would reach seventeen. She would fall in love with a man almost twice her age.

"Remember that darling," he whispered as he slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "Always remember that love has no age."