Title: The Marriage Bet
Author(s): josephinestone
Beta(s)/Alpha(s): digthewriter, tavia_d
Written For: wipbigbang
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R
Era(s): Post-Hogwarts
Content: bets, arranged marriage, genderbending Draco, hints at mpreg
Summary: Ginny just signed a two year Quidditch contract and is questioning her future with Harry, but Harry is ready to for them to promise their lives to each other. Draco runs into Harry at a jeweller's shop and bets him that he'd be a better spouse for him then Ginny would; Draco believes that you learn to love your spouse through marriage, but Harry thinks you have to be in love first for a marriage to work. Dejected because Ginny just called it quits for the two years she'll be away, Harry agrees.

Harry tried to shake the tension out of his arms. 'I can't believe I'm getting married in fifteen minutes.'

'You did fine in the rehearsal,' Hermione said. 'It's going to be okay.'

'Are you going to kiss him in the ceremony?' Ron asked.

'Ron!' Hermione smacked Ron's arm.

'What?' Ron asked defensively. 'They didn't in the rehearsal!'

It was obvious that Ron hoped that he wasn't going to have to witness their first kiss.

'Of course, they are,' she hissed. 'Harry, ignore him.'

'I don't know why I'm so nervous…'

'You've always hated public events,' Hermione said. 'It's not that surprising. Just remember that all the people here are your friends and family.'

'Or going to be,' Ron added.

'You are not helping,' Hermione mouthed at Ron, but Harry could see it through mirror.

'Really, mate, I'm not sure why you're so nervous either… What I'd be afraid of is what happens after you leave the reception tonight.'

'Maybe that is what I'm afraid of,' Harry said under his breathe still confused as to why he couldn't get his heart to stop beating so fast.

'There's nothing you can do about that right now,' Hermione said. 'You're just nervous because you hate lying and are about go out there and promise to cherish and love Draco Malfoy.'

That forced a smile out of Harry, who really didn't have a problem with lying, and a gag from Ron.

'I'm getting married, Hermione.' Harry ran his hands through his hair as he sat down on the chaise. 'What was I thinking?'

Ron snorted. 'You're asking us that now?'

'You weren't thinking, and stop that. You're going to ruin your hair,' Hermione pulled his hands away from his hair and started muttering spells at it, before pulling him back into a standing position and fixing his tie. 'Okay, now you're perfect, just don't touch anything.'

Harry nodded. 'Is Ginny here?'

'No,' Hermione said curtly. 'She's busy.'

'It's Friday night and almost seven o'clock…'

'Fine then. She didn't want to come.' There was a tap on the door, and Neville informed them it was time to go. Hermione nodded towards him, and got Harry and Ron out the door.

The place was beautiful, though Malfoy Manor always was. It was decorated with more candles than flowers, and though they were the only lighting, there were enough of them that it wasn't the least bit dark. They didn't do the traditional march down the aisle, as there was no bride. Instead, they both formed lines at the sides and came in walking straight towards each other. They also stayed away from the traditional gentlemen on one side and the ladies on the other. Ron was next to Harry and Hermione was next to Ron on his side, where Draco's was just the opposite with Pansy in between Blaise and Draco.

'Everyone may be seated,' the bonding official declared. It was much like a traditional muggle wedding. They were told what to say and repeated it word for word. They had practised it once the night before, but Harry really didn't remember anything about it and was still taking cues from the official and Draco. Harry hadn't really paid attention to the words when they had said them the night before, but he had noticed that they were slightly different than what was said at Bill and Fleur's wedding. He noticed then, that not only did they promise to honour and obey each other, but also to love and trust each other as well, until they both died. Harry twitched when he heard Draco say the word love, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to repeat the sentence himself. Draco and he were holding hands through the entire ceremony, and Draco squeezed his hand or thumbed the back of it whenever Harry started to stutter.

It hadn't seemed so final during the rehearsal or at any point up until they were there and actually saying their vows.

Harry never turned around or looked anywhere but at Draco, afraid that if he did he would run out of the room. Draco never took his eyes off of Harry either, but he looked much calmer, in control and almost happy. Draco's expression never changed much at all, and Harry still didn't know him well enough to determine whether or not he was happy. He had the same serious look he always wore on his face when he wasn't sneering, but it seemed softer when as he slipped the ring on Harry's finger. Harry was still shaky, but he took Draco's ring confidently and slowly put it on Draco's finger. Then they were back to holding hands and listening to the bonding official.

'Now you may kiss to seal the bond.' He nodded his head at them, and Harry froze once again.

They hadn't practice that part before just mentioned it in passing. Draco still had yet to kiss him.

Sensing Harry's hesitation Draco pulled him forward gently and leant in.

'Isn't this what you've been waiting for?' Draco mocked him with a small smirk, and then leaned in the rest of the way to kiss him.

Harry felt Draco open his mouth and did the same, though neither of them introduced their tongues. Harry wasn't quite ready for that and it would have been highly inappropriate in front of all their guests. That Draco opened his mouth at all surprised him, but not as much as the second and third kiss did. He expected it to be a quick peck on the lips, but it was so much better than that. Harry found that Draco was a very good kisser and that kissing a man wasn't all that different from kissing a girl.

'You can breathe now,' Draco whispered as he pulled away.

'Yeah,' Harry mumbled, 'right,' as they turned to face their guests then walked down the aisle with their friends behind them.

The reception was in yet another massive room of the Manor that was decorated to match the room they had the wedding in. Despite the very few people that were gathered, it was rather lovely, and people did dance and had fun.

It wasn't until Harry noticed how the Weasleys vastly outnumbered the Malfoys, that he realised Draco's mother, Blaise and Pansy were the only ones there for Draco. Didn't Draco have grandparents, or aunts, uncles and cousins? Well, he knew Draco had at least one aunt, but even she was there because of Harry. At least, he thought so. She had spent most of the night closer to Mrs Malfoy then the Weasleys. He didn't bother mentioning any of that, or asking Draco about his family, but he noticed Draco watching his mother and aunt taking with a concerned looked.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.' Draco shook his head. 'I just wasn't sure how my mother was going to handle all of this.'

'She's been the calmest person in the room out of everyone?' Harry asked perplexed as to what Draco thought he needed to worry about it.

'You don't know my mother very well,' Draco commented lightly. 'They're talking.'

Harry laughed at Draco's worried tone. 'They're sisters.'

'Yes, but they're sisters who haven't even nodded towards each other in public, since before either of us were born.'

'Maybe, this will turn out to be a good thing!'

Draco smirked at Harry, 'I'm sure it will. My mother could use family right now… It's just different.'

And then, there was Ginny.

'Hello, Harry!' She forced a smile as she approached him.

'Ginny,' he said much too excitedly for Draco, who stood quietly next to him. 'You came.'

'Apparently,' Draco muttered under his breath.

'Sorry, I couldn't make it to the actual wedding.' Though it was obvious she wasn't sorry and really didn't want to be there at all. 'I'm sure it was lovely.'

'It's okay. Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?'

Draco could see the hope in Harry's eyes and had to bit his tongue.

'No, I'm not mad at you. I know you aren't doing this to hurt me.' Ginny sighed. 'And I've made my peace with it, though I think you're still to thick to realise what you're doing,' she said the last part more to herself.

Harry responded with a confused glare, but before he could question her she spoke again.

'We're still friends, Harry. I've done a lot of thinking these last few weeks, and I know that you will always be a part of my family.'

'Well, isn't that wonderful,' Draco drawled. 'But, Harry, we have other guests to attend to.' Draco grabbed Harry's hand and led him away. He cursed under his breath as he realised that the only other people were also Weasleys, and so, he settled on Hermione and Ron.

Ginny had rolled her eyes and followed them. She was related to everyone there, and they would rather talk to her than to Draco anyway it because increasingly awkward for Draco. As though he were the one tagging along at Harry and Ginny's wedding.

Oblivious to all of that and happy that things seemed to go back to normal, Harry began to chat with his friends like it was any other day and not his wedding with someone other than Ginny. Harry was finally relaxing himself for the first time all day, and Draco was trying keep himself from hexing his husband.

Granger caught on it right away and soon after Harry noticed her glaring at him, they had a silent exchange that the rest of the group seem oblivious of. She tilted her head ever so slightly towards the dance floor. Harry caught her drift immediately, rolling his eyes but then started to turn towards Ginny. Hermione lost all subtlety then with a loud cough.

Ron pat her back roughly, 'Are you alright?'

Harry glanced back and forth between Draco and the dance floor a few times before he even attempted to make a sound. 'Uh, um…' Then continued the back and forth movement, while his sounds failed to turn into words.

Draco smirked, laced his fingers through Harry's, and pulled him to the dance floor. The song was mercifully a slow one, so after only a small bit of fumbling on Harry's part Draco took the lead and they danced.

'So,' Draco said, 'Was it everything you thought it would be?'

'What?'

'Our first kiss,' Draco reminded him. 'I know you were looking forward to it.'

'Let's not forget who the fairy is here,' Harry said.

Draco glared.

'Shit, I'm sorry.'

'Let me guess, you didn't really mean that.'

'No, I really didn't.' Harry shook his head. 'I don't know why you make me say things like that.'

'I make you?'

'No one else gets to me like you do,' Harry admitted.

Draco smirked. 'I'll take that as a compliment.'

Harry actually laughed at that.

'You would take that as a compliment.'

'I can get to you in ways that your "little girlfriend" can't? How am I not supposed to take that as a compliment?' Draco's tone was scathing when he referred to the "little girlfriend" yet instantly became teasing again at the following sentence.

Harry's forehead wrinkled in confusion. 'What do you have against Ginny?'

'Her presence seems to confuse you on who you're married to.'

Harry laughed. 'This is a bet Malfoy.'

'That's not the point,' Draco said.

'Okay then, what's the point?'

'It's about respect. She is your ex, and I am your spouse, and you should show me a little respect. You shouldn't look at her through the whole evening, and you should be kissing me instead of apologizing to her.'

Harry stopped moving and stared at Draco stunned.

'It looks bad when you make it so clear that you don't really want to be here with me. Do you think everyone in an arranged marriage is happy about it? No, of course they aren't. They're arranged. But they don't disrespect their spouse by drooling or mooning over their ex the whole time.'

Harry didn't try to apologize. He would have failed at it anyway, Draco was sure. Instead he kissed him. It startled Draco for a moment, but it helped his anger disappear quickly. Draco didn't hesitate to introduce tongue in the kiss. Harry was his, and certain people needed to realise that. Most importantly: Harry.

'Are you sure this is appropriate here?' Harry pulled back to ask.

'It's our wedding! Where could it possibly be more appropriate?'

'I'm exhausted,' Harry said as he sat on the bed after they arrived in their hotel room. 'Where are we?'

'I'm not sure.' Draco walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. They covered french doors that lead to a balcony, so he opened and walked out on to it. Harry stood and followed him outside. 'New York City… they say there is something for everyone here.' He glanced at Harry's puzzled look. 'What?'

'I guess I expected someplace… romantic.'

'I'd imagine that New York can be romantic.' Draco looked over the city and then moved to take Harry's hand, but stopped short. 'You were expecting something like Italy or France? Some place lovers go?' He laughed. 'We're not lovers. Don't you think we'd get bored there?'

'You said that your mother loved France.'

'My mother has a lover,' he pointed out.

'What? Who?' Harry asked. Draco's mother never left or had visitors, and he never thought of her as someone who would fool around on the side of her marriage.

Draco rolled his eyes. 'My father.'

He turned and walked back inside once again followed by Harry. It caught Harry off guard, not that her lover would be Draco's father—which made perfect sense, and he felt like an idiot for asking—but Draco referring to him as though he was just sitting at home. He was normally very aware of his father's absence, though Harry tried not to mention it.

'I'm going to take a shower.'

After Draco finished his shower Harry took one as well. It had been a long day and the hot water helped him relax, though not enough to forget what was waiting for him outside the bathroom. He took much longer than he normally did and even combed his hair before leaving the bathroom, not that it did any good. Draco lay on his side in the bed facing outwards, so he climbed in behind him.

Harry always wore only his pants to bed, since he no longer shared a room with four other boys and didn't own anything else any longer. However, Draco was wearing silk pyjamas, and Harry would have laughed about that except he was too nervous, so it would have seemed forced. Draco didn't move, but Harry was sure that he knew he was there. He lay behind Draco in a position that would have been spooning had they been touching and slowly reached out to touch Draco's shoulder.

'We don't have to do anything,' Draco said before Harry's hand made contact. 'I wasn't going to force any girl I married to do it until she felt comfortable, and I don't plan to do it to you either.'

'You wouldn't have really wanted to with any girl anyway.' Harry laughed. 'And I somehow doubt any girl would be saying no to you.'

'Whether or not someone is attracted to me has no bearing on if they are ready to have sex yet, and being gay doesn't mean I'd want to with just any guy either.' Draco rolled over and propped himself up on his left arm as he glared at Harry.

'You'd made it seem—'

'I was just trying to irritate you. I was attempting to call your bluff. I didn't really think you were going to agree to this.'

'I thought it was expected.'

'It's expected that couples eventually have children, not that they start trying on their wedding night.'

'Right, but we're never going to have children. We couldn't even if we wanted to. So, what? We have no reason to have sex?'

Draco groaned and buried his head into his pillow while he mumbled something.

'What?' Harry asked irritated.

'You are so depressingly muggle,' Draco repeated louder.

'What? It's biologically impossible for two men to have babies.'

'Yes, but we have magic! We can turn into other people, and we have wizards and witches that can change into animals, even ones as small as cats or beetles. We can age ourselves or make ourselves look young forever.' Draco sighed. 'You really think that we haven't discovered something as simple as a gender changing potion? Especially when we already have polyjuice and gender isn't an issue with that?'

'But, polyjuice potion only lasts an hour.'

'It only takes about an hour to conceive a baby.'

Harry looked even more horrified at that. 'Wouldn't the baby die after the man changed back?'

Draco laughed. 'No, because . . . magic. Do we really need to have a discussion about having children on our first night of marriage? How about I'll explain it if it ever comes up, and if not, you can ask Grander about it.'

Harry nodded and tried to think of anything else except men having babies. Suddenly, excited he asked, 'What do you look like as a girl?'

'What makes you think I know?'

Harry shrugged. 'You knew about the potion. I thought there might have been a reason for it.'

'There is a reason.'

Harry tried, yet failed, to contain his excitement at that statement, but Draco smirked which was always a bad sign.

'I paid attention in class.'

Harry rolled his eyes and then relaxed against the headboard, as he thought about the possibilities of the potion and was startled when Draco spoke again.

'I look a lot like my mother when she was younger, except you can tell that it's me and not her.' Draco snorted. 'You know like how most children resemble their parents, but are just not quite the same.' Before Harry could ask why, Draco continued, 'I was questioning my sexuality at the time and knowing how dangerous it is to be me, I wasn't about to go roaming around gay wizards' clubs asking to get hurt. Plus, I didn't want to embarrass my family anymore than they already were, especially if I decided that I really didn't like men after all.'

Harry nodded to let Draco know that he was listening, or rather that he understood.

'So, I took the potion and roamed around straight pubs instead. And before you ask: No, I've never ran into you in any of them.'

Harry wasn't going to ask; he hardly ever went out at all, and if he did, he went with Ginny.

'Did you have sex with them?'

'As a girl?' Draco asked scandalised at the accusation. 'Merlin, No! I did enough to realise that I do like men and stopped it there.'

'How far was that?'

Draco glared at him.

'What? I'm not allowed to ask my spouse how far he's gone with how many people? I'll tell you.'

'Like it's any surprise. You've gone all the way with one person and probably only ever kissed just her as well.' Draco smirked. 'Well, until recently.'

'Ginny's not the only girl I've ever kissed.' Harry blushed. 'Pretty much, but not the only girl. Cho and I snogged.'

Draco smirked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

'And… actually. I haven't had sex with Ginny.'

Draco looked up in actual surprise at that.

'What?'

'Nothing I just assumed—you two have been together so long.'

'Yes, and we probably would have, but we haven't really had the chance.'

Draco looked at him in disbelief.

'In school we were busy, and I never felt comfortable doing things like that at the Burrow with her parents so close all the time.' Harry waved Draco on. 'So are you going to tell me?'

'Fine,' he huffed. 'Since you were so honest, and I already told you my biggest secret anyway.'

'Potioning into a girl is your biggest secret?'

'Well… second biggest secret. From you anyway.'

Draco had a bigger secret than that? And Harry knew more about him than most people, apparently.

'Besides this really isn't that big of a secret being that my father is who my father is.'

That confused Harry.

'It's all about tradition, and my father has never been a very trusting man, you see. Nor has he ever been against using dark spells.'

'Draco, what are you talking about?'

Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'Even if I had wanted to go farther with any of those guys I wouldn't have been able to. Having sex before marriage would tarnish my family's reputation, so before I was even old enough to know what sex was, my father had me do a spell with him. It's sort of like the unbreakable vow, except I wouldn't have died. It just made it that I couldn't have sex before I was married, even if I tried.'

'How did it stop you?' Harry was disturbed by the entire idea; he was picturing Draco wriggling in pain or having his dick suddenly fall off. Though if he was a girl at the time that couldn't have happened.

'It's actually kind of silly.' Draco sat up and leant against the headboard next to Harry as he prepared to tell the story.