Disclaimer: I own nothing, Harry Potter and the Harry Potter universe belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I know it's been done before, but here's my take on a Harry/Daphne betrothal contract story. I've had this idea floating in my head for a while now, so I ended up putting together an overview for the story, then I started writing, and this was the result.

Chapter I:

Unseen Consequences

Lord Aidan Greengrass looked at the newspaper that was sitting on his desk, a thousand thoughts running through his head. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the portrait that hung on the wall to his left. Cygnus Greengrass, his late father, had been a great wizard, and an even greater politician. Aidan hoped he would have some piece of advice for him, anything would be welcomed at this point.

Albus Dumbledore had been right all along, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had indeed returned. Now Aidan found himself in the same situation his father had been in during the first was, and he knew he couldn't sit on the fence like his father had done.

The Greengrasses had prided themselves with being a neutral family, even if the others didn't see them that way. Many of the "light" families claimed they were as dark as the likes of the Malfoys and the Blacks, the truth was far from that. For the past couple centuries, the Heads of House Greengrass had done everything they could to keep the family neutral, and while each different Head would always lean more one way or the other, they had been successful. Cygnus had always been more dark than many would have preferred, but he had never agreed with the Dark Lord and his ilk. True, the Greengrasses were a pureblood family, and yes, they did pride themselves with the fact that they had kept their bloodline pure throughout the ages, but that didn't mean they followed the pureblood agenda.

The letter Aidan had received the morning after the Department of Mysteries incident had been a rude awakening to the truth. The Dark Lord was no longer content with a passive House Greengrass, and was under the impression that if you weren't with him, you were against him. He had to choose a side, and he had choose quickly. After another moment or two, he cleared his throat, causing the portrait of his father to jump slightly.

"What is it now, son?" Cygnus asked, annoyed that he had been woken from his slumber.

"I find myself in difficult times, father." Aidan began, ignoring his father's attitude, "The Dark Lord has returned at long last, only this time he isn't letting anyone sit the war out."

"The old fool was right after all, how interesting." his father replied, quickly shaking away his annoyance and becoming serious, "And I'm not surprised the Dark Fool is making everyone take sides."

"Yes. But now I need to make the choice between the two fools. The Dark Lord will hold the upper hand, of that I have no doubt. He almost won last time around, and now the Ministry isn't even prepared for him." Aidan continued, "However, he'll be the end of our freedom, even for us purebloods. He's not doing this for us, we're merely his pawns in a game for power, to be used to our fullest extent, and discarded when our usefulness runs it's course.

"Albus, on the other hand, has the potential to save Wizarding Britain, not only from the Dark Lord, but from itself as well. But the old fool, as you deftly put it, isn't playing a very active roll, just like the last time. And I have no way of being sure he can guarantee our safety."

"Indeed. Quite a conundrum you have." Cygnus replied, "My question is, what do you want me to do about it? It's been a few years since I've even walked the Earth."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of that. I need your advice, and any knowledge you might have of something that could help me and my family out, father."

"My advice?! Tell them all to sod off! The Dark Lord, Albus bloody Dumbledore, the Ministry, every last blighter!" Cygnus practically shouted, "But that's not an option, now is it? Listen to me lad, you do whatever it takes to keep this family alive. Your grandfather, your ancestors, and I, we didn't put our lives into making this family what it is just to have it destroyed by two fools.

"As for anything that can help you, I'd have to say no. There's nothing I can think of. I never built permanent alliances with many families, and those that I did were killed off in the last war for the most part."

"So nothing at all... not surprising, but thank you." Aidan heaved a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, "The Dark Lord demands a response... it seems the neutral days of House Greengrass are at an end."

"You're not going to join that fool are you?" Cygnus asked.

"Not at all. I'll try to buy sometime with him, and write a letter to Albus. If the rumours are true, Sirius Black was allied with him, so he should be willing to accept my proposal."

Cygnus's head snapped up as Aidan finished talking, "Black, you said?"

"Yes, Sirius. Orion's oldest son."

"Ah yes, Orion... if Black is with Albus... I might have something for you, lad."

~~~FM~~~

Aidan rose from his bed a few short hours later as the last few rays of dawn were creeping over the hills around Greengrass Manor. He wasn't surprised to see that his wife, Caroline, was already up. She had been asleep when he turned in after finishing his long discussion with his father.

He wasn't too happy with the plan they had come up with, but he knew that in the end it wouldn't be his decision to make. That however could wait, first he needed to be sure everything was still as his father had said it was. And to do that, Aidan would have to make a trip to Gringotts.

A few minutes later Aidan joined Caroline at the breakfast table, a cup of tea in one hand and the Daily Prophet in the other. His wife looked up from the stack of papers in front of her and gave him a small smile as he sat down.

"My mother wrote to me, asking if we are to be visiting them this summer." she said as he opened the newspaper.

Aidan nodded slowly, Caroline's parents invited them to visit every summer. He sipped his tea before replying, "I don't have an answer for them yet." he said with a sigh, "And I doubt I'll have one until the girls return."

Caroline smiled as she reached for her quill, "I thought you would say as much. I'll tell her we have not decided yet."

He nodded again in reply as he returned to perusing the newspaper in front of him, idly sipping at his tea while waiting for the elves to serve the morning meal. A few minutes had passed in silence before Caroline spoke up again.

"How did your talk go last night?"

Aidan looked up at his wife and frowned, "Not as good as I had hoped. However I think I might have something that can help us out of our predicament." at Caroline's inquisitive gaze he continued, "It seems that Lord Arcturus approached my father in an effort to unite our Houses. My father never followed through with the offer that Lord Black gave him, but never disposed of it either."

Caroline interrupted Aidan before he could continue, "When you say offer, what exactly do you mean?"

Aidan sighed, "Lord Black gave my father a marriage contract between our Houses. Now -"

"Now wait just one moment! You don't really intend to marry off one of our daughters to a Black, do you?" Caroline nearly screamed, "Through a contract no less!"

Aidan raised his hands in protest, "Of course not! I would be leaving that decision to them!" he replied, "Now, I have to go to Gringotts to see if the contract still exists, as my father never signed it himself. However he said it was already signed by Lord Black, and that he placed it in our vault."

This seemed to calm Caroline down significantly, though she was still upset about the idea of using a marriage contract, especially since she had no idea who it would be too.

"I will be going to Gringotts today to see if it is still around, and if it is, I will learn all I can about the current state of House Black." Aidan continued, "As Sirius Black was the last known head of House Black, I need to know who inherited the title, and who, if there is anyone, is eligible to fulfill the contract for House Black."

"Lady Malfoy was a Black before she married Lucius," Caroline offered, "Their son, Draco, would be eligible no doubt."

Aidan nodded, "Indeed. But from what I've been able to discern, Sirius was with Headmaster Dumbledore, in which case, I doubt he'd leave the Head of Houseship to Draco, with his father's loyalties being what they are."

"So who would he leave it to than?"

"That, my dear, is what I intend to find out. If it is indeed someone like young master Malfoy, than I will not be inclined to finish signed the contract." he replied, "And of course, if Daphne does not want to go through with it, than I will not do so. I will leave the final choice up to her."

Caroline nodded, "Good, now let's eat breakfast so you can be off for the day."

~~~FM~~~

Rain was pouring from the gray sky as Aidan stepped into Diagon Alley from the Leaky Cauldron. He quickly cast a few charms on himself as he strode towards the white marble building that lay ahead of him. He nodded to Caroline as she parted ways with him after promising to meet up in the Cauldron later.

Upon entering Gringotts, he approached one of the goblin tellers and announced himself by clearing his throat. The goblin looked up at him inquisitively for a moment before returning to the papers he was going over.

"Lord Aidan Greengrass here to access my vaults." Aidan stated simply, "And to set up a meeting with the House Greengrass account manager."

The goblin sighed and pushed the papers aside before looking up at Aidan once more, "May I see your ring, Lord Greengrass?"

Aidan nodded and extended his left hand so the goblin could examine his Head of House ring. After looking at the ring briefly, the goblin nodded and rang a bell that sat on the counter. A few moments another goblin approached and smiled toothily at him.

"Lord Greengrass, if you'll follow me." he grunted as he gestured towards the door he had come from.

Aidan fell into step behind the goblin and followed him to the cart that would take them down to the Greengrass vaults. He took his seat and grimaced as he prepared himself for the journey. Moments later the cart was flying down the tracks towards one of the deepest parts of the bank. It was times like these that Aidan rued being from an Noble and Most Ancient House.

After a rather length cart ride, Aidan stepped out of the cart after the goblin, who quickly gestured for him to follow again. A few minutes later and they stood in a rather large and round cavern. Across from the hall they had entered from where seven vault doors arranged in a semicircle along the wall. On the floor of the cavern was a large depiction of the House Greengrass crest, a prancing silver unicorn above crossed olive branches in a dark green on a black shield, with the words "Fortem Crescentis" written below it.

The goblin gave Aidan a curt nod as he took a seat next to the entryway, "Take your time, Lord Greengrass."

Aidan returned the nod and approached one of the smaller side vaults, waving his left hand at the door as he approached, causing it to shimmer for a moment before swinging open. He quickly stepped through the doorway into what was obviously the Greengrasses document vault.

He was thankful that his father had kept everything well organized when he was still alive, and that his wife had taken up where Cygnus had left off. It didn't take him long to find the envelope bearing the seal of House Black on it. Aidan quickly placed the envelope into the briefcase he had with him after checking that the contract was still within it.

After his brief stop in the document vault, he made an even briefer one in the main vault where he withdrew a fairly sizable amount of galleons. Out of habit, he did a quick check up on his daughters trust vaults, though he knew they would all be in order, as the goblins took good care of all their vaults.

Aidan made his way back to the entryway, where the first goblin had now been joined by a second. He bowed his head to both in turn before gesturing to the door. Both goblins returned the nod and set off down the hall back to the waiting cart.

"Lord Greengrass, Goretooth will see you as soon as we return to the main floor," the second goblin spoke up as they boarded the cart, "if that is acceptable with you, of course."

Aidan nodded, "That works perfectly, thank you."

The goblin grunted in response just before the cart took off towards the surface.

~~~FM~~~

Aidan bowed before Goretooth as he entered the goblin's office, a sign of the respect he had for the elderly goblin that had been managing his family's accounts for generations. Goretooth returned the the bow with a quick nod of his head as he began moving papers about on his desk.

"Well, Lord Greengrass, what can I do for you today?" Goretooth spoke quickly, "I must say I was surprised when I was told you wanted to meet, as we rarely meet outside of our monthly appointments."

Aidan smiled as he took a seat opposite the goblin, "I have a few questions I need to ask you, about this contract I have here." he said as he placed the envelope containing the contract on the desk.

Goretooth nodded and picked up the envelope, he extracted the contract from within and began reading it. As he neared the bottom of the parchment, a single eyebrow rose on his face as a toothy grin formed.

"A very interesting thing, this is." he said at last, as he placed the contract down on the desk in front of him.

"I thought so as well. Now, is it still valid?" Aidan asked.

"Well, I would say it can still be made valid, as it is not just yet. The late Lord Arcturus signed it with a blood quill, and as such House Black is bound to the contract, should it be activated." Goretooth explained, "However, the Head of House Greengrass has yet to sign the contract, and until such a time, the contract is inactive. Once it is signed, then it will be activated and both Houses will be bound by it."

"And can it be signed by any Head of House Greengrass, or must it be signed by my father?" Aidan said.

"The late Lord Arcturus may have been many things, but a fool he was not. The contract never once refers to the Head of House Greengrass by name, or even the Head of House Black by name. As such the contract can be signed by the current Head of House Greengrass, whomever that may be."

"Good, thank you." Aidan said with a small smile, "Now, is there anyone in House Black that meets the requirements set forth by the contract?"

Goretooth quickly shuffled through some papers before retrieving one from a large stack, which he studied for a few moments before giving Aidan a toothy grin. "You are in luck, Lord Greengrass, as it seems there is indeed." he said, "And you are even luckier, as it is a male, enabling the contract to bind him to your eldest daughter."

Aidan nodded slowly, that was good news at least, but now he had yet another question for the goblin. "And just who might this candidate be? If I am allowed to know."

Goretooth was now sporting the biggest grin Aidan had ever seen the old goblin have, "Why, Lord Greengrass, it is none other than the current heir of House Black."

"And who might that be?"

"The young Harry James Potter, of course." Goretooth said with a cackle of laughter.

"Excuse me? You said Harry Potter is the heir to House Black?" Aidan said with disbelief, "And the candidate for House Black's side of the contract?"

"Currently heir, yes, as he has not come in to take up his Lordship." Goretooth replied, still grinning, "And yes, he is House Black's candidate."

"Wait, why would he come in to take up his Lordship? The boy's not of age yet."

Goretooth let out a throaty chuckle, "The boy is considered of age by the laws of magic. I cannot say anymore of the matter."

Aidan was truly confused by what he had just learned. Not only was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the candidate for House Black, and the one his daughter would have to marry, but the boy was also already of age somehow. There wasn't much more for him to do at Gringotts about the contract now though, as he still had to speak with his oldest about this whole thing.

He rose from his chair and bowed to Goretooth, "Thank you for all that you have explained to me, my friend."

Goretooth nodded in return and handed Aidan the contract, "It was my pleasure, Lord Greengrass. Now, do you have anymore questions for me this day?"

Aidan shook his head, "No, that will be all. However I will inform you right away if I do decide to sign the contract."

"Wonderful, we at Gringotts are always willing to help you with any matters you might have for us."

"Thank you, and good day. May your vaults be ever filled with gold, Goretooth." Aidan said with another bow before turning for the door.

"And may the blood of your enemies flow ever freely, Lord Greengrass." Goretooth replied, "And good day to you."

~~~FM~~~

Aidan heaved a sigh as he stepped into the drawing room in Greengrass Manor, he had one last conversation to have that day, and it would be the hardest by far. He approached the fireplace and grabbed a pinch of floo powder, which he threw into the flames.

"Hogwarts Castle, Potions Master's office." he called loudly.

The flames roared green for a moment before dying down, and he lowered his face to the flames. After the the twisting trip through the floo, he looked around the dim lit office.

"Severus!" he shouted to the room, hoping the Potions Master was present.

After a few long moments of silence, Severus Snape's sallow face appeared in front of the fireplace. "Ah, Lord Greengrass. What can I do for you this evening?" Snape said softly.

Aidan nodded, "I need to speak with my eldest daughter, in person, Severus." he replied, "Could you arrange that with the Headmaster? Tonight would be the best."

Severus paused for a moment before replying, "And what, Lord Greengrass, is so important that you must speak with your daughter now, and not in a week or so when she returns home?" he asked, "Surely the Headmaster will want to know, and I shall need to give him an answer."

Aidan sighed, he knew that was coming, "Family business, Severus. Not even Albus Dumbledore would interfere with the business of a Noble and Most Ancient House."

Severus nodded, obviously it was important, as he knew Lord Greengrass rarely ever pulled the Noble and Most Ancient House card. "I shall speak with the Headmaster immediately than, Lord Greengrass. If you will wait here for my return."

"Of course. And thank you, Severus."

"Anything for the family of my Snakes, Lord Greengrass."

With that, Snape turned and departed his office, leaving Aidan to glance about in silence as he waited for the man to return. The minutes passed quickly, and before Aidan knew it, Snape had returned, a small smile on his face.

"The Headmaster has granted you access to the castle, you may use my fireplace." Snape said.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll step back, I'll come through."

Moments later, Aidan stood in the Potions Master's office, cleaning soot off his robes as he looked around. Snape was now sitting as his desk, most likely going over students homework. The Professor looked up at Aidan and nodded to a armchair that sat to the side of the room.

"Miss Greengrass will be with us shortly, I informed her that you wish to speak with her." he said after a moment, "I will give you use of my office for your talk."

Aidan nodded, "Thank you, Severus."

Snape looked up at him again and nodded quickly before returning to the papers on his desk. A few minutes later there was a quiet knock at the door, causing both men to look at the door.

"Enter." Snape said coolly.

The door swung open and Harry Potter stepped into the office. The raven-haired boy glanced at Aidan quickly before turning to face Snape, "Professor. The Headmaster asked me to give you this."

Snape looked at the letter Potter was offering him, then back up to the boy's face. After a moment, he took the letter from Potter and gestured to the door. "Thank you, Potter. You may go now."

Harry nodded curtly and left without another word, though he threw another quick glance at Aidan as he stepped out of the office.

Snape heaved a sigh as he read the letter, "It seems that the Headmaster wants to speak with you after you have finished with your family business, Lord Greengrass."

Aidan nodded, that was something he had been expecting. Both men returned to their silent waiting, with Snape going over the papers again, and Aidan looking about the office. It wasn't long before there came another knock at the door.

"Enter." Snape said without even looking up from the papers.

This time it was Daphne Greengrass that entered, her violet eyes darting about the office till they landed on her father. She rushed over to him and embraced him in a hug, which he happily returned.

"Father! Professor Snape said you had something to discuss with me?" she said quickly.

"Yes, my darling, I do indeed." Aidan replied.

Before Daphne could say anything else, Snape cleared his throat, causing both Greengrasses to turn to look at him. The Potions Master was now standing, a bundle of parchment in one hand, and the other on the door handle.

"Miss Greengrass, if you will be so kind as to inform me when you and your father have finished," he said, "I will be in the potions classroom."

Daphne nodded, "Yes Professor."

"Thank you. Now I bid you a good evening, Lord Greengrass." Snape said as he opened the door.

"And good evening to you as well, Severus." Aidan said just as Snape stepped out of the office, leaving the two Greengrasses alone.

"What did you want to speak about, father?" Daphne said after a moment of silence.

Aidan smiled at her before drawing his wand, and in a flourish of spellwork, he quickly raised numerous privacy wards around them. "Well, Daphne, first I have to ask you," he started slowly, "How well do you know Mister Potter?"

Daphne gazed at her father in confusion, "I've never personally met him. I know he's in Gryffindor, and we share a few classes, but other than-" her eyes flashed in realization, "Wait, wait, wait! Why do you want to know how well I know him?"

Aidan sighed, he wasn't surprised she had caught on that quickly, Daphne was easily one of the smartest witches in her year. He rubbed his eyes before looking at her again, "I'll get to that in just a moment, for now I really do want to know how well you know him."

"No. You tell me now." Daphne replied fiercely, "You didn't seriously do that to me, did you?"

"No! I would never! You know that, Daphne." he drew his wand again with a sigh, and conjured up a chair for her, "Take a seat, this will take a while to explain."

Daphne glared at her father as she sat down in the chair he had conjured. She crossed her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to explain what he meant.

"As you now know, the Dark Lord has returned. It seems that young Mister Potter was telling the truth all along." he began, "And I'm sure you know that my father kept our family neutral in the last war. This time, however, the Dark Lord isn't giving us that option, either we side with him, or we're against him."

He let out an exasperated sigh before continuing. "The Dark Lord is bad for business, and the magical world as a whole. I can't very well just side with him, it would destroy our family, of that I'm sure. The other option is side with Dumbledore, and even this isn't a very appealing one to me. Dumbledore seems to want to take a wait-and-see approach to this whole matter, something I don't agree with.

"But I have come up with a third option, one that doesn't directly put our family in the war, and will even protect us. As you know, wars are expensive things, and even Albus will need funding. So, I have made him an offer. In exchange for him providing our family with protection, including a safe house in case the manor is attacked, I will offer him financial support, nothing more."

"But where do I come into this?" Daphne interjected, "And why not just support the Ministry? Won't they be up against You-Know-Who as well?"

"Well, my dear, it's simple. The Ministry is corrupt. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dark Lord already has agents in place there." Aidan explained, "As for you, well that's a little more complicated. Your grandfather, Cygnus Greengrass, was approached by Lord Arcturus Black when he was younger, with a offer to unite our two families. Now my father never put his signature on the contract, so nothing has come of it so far.

"Wait, how does Potter come into all this than?" Daphne exclaimed, feeling rather lost, "Malfoy has been bragging about how he's going to inherit the title of Lord Black ever since Sirius Black died in the Department of Mysteries. So wouldn't the contract be between us? How will that help us side with Professor Dumbledore?"

"Well that part is simple, really. The late Sirius Black left everything to Mister Potter. Everything, including his title." Aidan continued, "As such, the contract would be between you and Mister Potter, and not Mister Malfoy."

"But if you've already got something worked out with Dumbledore, than why do you need this contract? Why would you need to put me through this?"

"I haven't finalized anything with Albus, simply made him my offer. He has requested to speak with me after we finish here, most likely to discuss what I wrote to him. As for the contract, my father suggested it as an option to further strengthen our connection with the Light, and to force Albus to offer us the best protections he can."

"So I'm being used as a bargaining chip? To protect our family, you, mum, Tori, Rosie..."

"No! It's not like that! I haven't signed the contract! I'm leaving that choice to you, my dear. It is yours, and yours alone, to make." Aidan sighed, "I would never force you or your sisters into a marriage you didn't want."

"Oh, well thank you, papa." Daphne gave her father a smile before staring at her feet. When she looked up, she had a frown on her face, "If I go through with this, it'll help protect our family? You're sure of this?"

Aidan nodded, "I'm positive. Albus wouldn't have a choice but to offer us the best protection he can. It would cast him in a bad light if he didn't do all he could to protect Harry Potter's family."

"Right, that makes sense." she breathed a sigh, "Well, if there's one thing you and mum taught me, it's family first..."

"Daphne... I'm not expecting an answer right now. And we won't try to influence your decision at all, you know that. We won't be upset with you no matter what you choose to do."

"No. I've already made up my mind. I can't sit by and do nothing when an opportunity to help protect my family appears." she stared off at the wall behind Aidan, "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you, mum, Tori, or Rosie because I didn't do this. I must, it's that simple."

With a sigh, Aidan nodded again, not wanting to argue with his daughter, when she made up her mind, there was no dissuading it. "Very well, if that's what you want."

"No, I don't want this. I don't want any of this, the war, the Dark Lord, Potter, Malfoy, I don't want it. But I don't have a choice."

"Darling, you always have a choice-"

"Not when the other option might put my family in danger." she sighed, "Well, at least Potter's not as bad looking as some of the others in our year, even if he dresses terribly, but I'm sure I can fix that."

She paused and rested her face in her hands, "I just don't know anything about him. Malfoy talks a lot about the boy, but you can't believe a thing he says. There's so many stories surrounding Potter, I doubt anyone really knows him, aside from that Weasley, and Granger." she looked up at her father and gave him a weak smile, "Well, I guess that's that. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about papa?"

Aidan shook his head, "Other than your mother and I miss you and Astoria very dearly, and for you two to be careful, no."

Daphne rose, shortly followed by her father, and looked at the clock, "Well I guess I should get going then, Professor Snape wanted me to let him know when we finished, and I don't want to be out after curfew."

Aidan nodded and enveloped his daughter in a hug, "And I shouldn't keep Albus waiting any longer. I'm proud of you, Daphne, so very proud." he said quietly, "I don't think I'd be able to make a choice like that if I were you."

Daphne smiled up at her father, "I'm sure you would, you're the one who taught me that family comes first."

Aidan smiled at her before releasing her from the hug, "Thank you for your vote of confidence, my dear. Now off you go, and I will see you again soon, until then, be careful."

Daphne nodded and turned to leave with a parting wave to her father, wanting to find Snape and then just go to her dormitory and lie down for the rest of the night.

Aidan watched his daughter disappear out of the office before heaving a sigh, not sure how to feel about what had just happened. After a few moments, he groaned and set off for the Headmaster's office, not looking forward to this discussion so soon after the one he had just had.

~~~FM~~~

As Daphne made her way to the Potions classroom, she found her thoughts focusing on a certain green-eyed boy. As much as she tried, she couldn't shake him from her thoughts, which was quickly starting to irritate her.

She hadn't lied when she told her father that she had never personally met Potter. The boy had never spoken to her, and she had never had a reason to speak to him. Outside of the classes they shared together and meals, she barely even saw the boy. Daphne blamed her lack of interaction with Potter on the fact that they were in different Houses, that and the Weasley boy that was always with him.

Oh how she detested Weasley, the boy had the worst eating habits she had ever seen, and absolutely no manners what so ever. Not to mention he continuously slacked off in class, barely paying attention to the professors. Daphne was certain the only reason he was doing as well as he had been was due to Granger. She had overheard them in the Library more than once, with Weasley begging her to do his homework. How he thought he'd be able to get away with that she had no idea, but she figured he wasn't, for he was still only getting average grades.

Daphne shook her head, not wanting to continue thinking about the red-head. Again her thoughts wandered back to Potter. She wondered if he did his own homework, or if, like Weasley, he had Granger do it for him. If that was the case, she would quickly quash that habit, she wouldn't be married to someone who had another do his work.

It wasn't a long walk from Professor Snape's office to his classroom, but Daphne realized she had taken her time getting there. With a sigh, she rapped on the classroom door twice and then started looking around as she waited for an answer.

"Enter." Snape's voice called out after a moment or two.

Daphne stepped into the dimly lit classroom, blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She saw Professor Snape sitting as his desk looking up at her, an inquisitive gaze on his face.

"I take it you and Lord Greengrass have finished your discussion, Miss Greengrass?" he said.

Daphne nodded quickly, "Yes, Professor."

"Very good." Snape said as he began to gather up the papers in front of him, "Thank you, Miss Greengrass. You may go now."

Daphne knew she had been dismissed, but after a glance at the clock, she simply stood there, trying to form the words in her head.

Snape looked up to see the girl was still standing there, and with a sigh he cleared his throat. "Is there something else you need, Miss Greengrass?"

Daphne looked down quickly before meeting his gaze, "Actually Professor, since it's after curfew, I was wondering..."

"If I would write you a note in case you come across a teacher or a prefect?" Snape finished, raising an eyebrow. At her nod, he continued, "The Slytherin Dungeons are not that far from here, Miss Greengrass, and I doubt you will run into anyone. However, I do not see the harm in giving one just in case. One moment."

Daphne smiled slightly as Snape drew forth a small slip of parchment and quickly signed it. He handed it to her as he passed her on his way out of the classroom, "There you go, Miss Greengrass. I suggest you move along now, as it is getting late."

She nodded and quickly thanked the Professor before hurrying off down the hall towards the entrance to the Slytherin common room. After giving the password, she slipped in the common room, ignoring the looks she was given by the few students that were still up. She quickly looked around the common room, and once she was sure her friend wasn't there, she went straight to her dormitory.

Daphne noted that the other beds in the room all had their curtains drawn, leading her to think the other girls had all turned in already. She tip-toed across the room to her bed, not wanting to wake the others, and quickly changed into her pyjamas before crawling under her blankets.

She let out a sigh and she stared up at the canopy of her bed, wondering just how much her life was going to change now. Then she realized she'd have to inform Potter of the contract, something she was not looking forward to doing. 'Thankfully Weasley and Granger were still in the Hospital wing,' she thought, 'So it shouldn't be too hard to get Potter alone. Maybe I can even get Trace to help me.'

~~~FM~~~

The next morning at breakfast Daphne received two owls, one from her father informing her he had signed the contract that morning, and one from Gringotts informing her that she was contracted to Harry James Potter of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

Daphne let out a groan as she noticed her best friend, Tracey Davis, giving her an inquisitive look after watching the Gringotts owl soar away. She shook her head and began buttering a piece of toast, but Tracey was not willing to give up so easily.

"So a letter from your parents and a letter from Gringotts?" Tracey asked with a smirk, "Just what is going on, Daph?"

Daphne sighed as she began to nibble at her toast, "Listen, Trace, you know I don't keep secrets from you, right?" at Tracey's nod, she continued, "Well trust me on this, I will tell you later, alright? Just, not right now, too many people around..."

Tracey peered at Daphne curiously as she sipped her morning tea, finally with a resigned sigh she nodded, "Fine, but this had better be good."

"I'm sure you'll get a real kick out of it, Trace..." Daphne replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"That bad, huh?" her friend said with a smirk.

Daphne nodded quickly before returning to her breakfast, part of her wishing this was all just a dream and she was going to be waking up very soon.

Her plans for life had all been ruined by the Dark Lord's return, well maybe not ruined, as there was still a chance for them to work out even if he won. Then her father had brought forth this contract, normally she would have said no without a second thought and refused to speak with either of her parents anymore than necessary for a month at least. It would've been just like what had happened when they first mentioned a contract being offered for her, and even though they both assured her it wouldn't happen, she still refused to talk to them.

However two things about this contract made it different than any other, two things that without the other wouldn't make any difference to her, but together changed everything. First, it was to the Heir of House Black, one of the oldest and richest pureblood families in Magical Britain. Second, it was to Harry James Potter of all people, who had someone landed himself as successor to the late Lord Black.

With those two factors, plus the fact that she was Heiress to House Greengrass, would make her one of the most influential women in all of Magical Britain, not to mention the richest, of that she had no doubt. The only possible way this could interfere with her plans in life was if he tried to have her be nothing more than a trophy, like many pureblood ladies. That was not happening.

No, she would make that quite clear to him that she was not going to be some fool's trophy wife. Of course, they would have to discuss what they both wanted to do after school, where they wanted to live, and how many children they wanted, to name a few things. At least those could wait, for the most part. The pressing matter was telling him, or confirming it with him rather, for she was sure he had received a letter from Gringotts just like she had.

Daphne let out a sigh as she finished her breakfast, then after grabbing one last apple, she rose from her seat with Tracey not far behind her. The two girls set off down one of the corridors, neither really sure where exactly they were going. So Daphne made do with the first abandoned classroom they came across.

After checking to make sure it wasn't in use, both girls stepped inside, and Daphne began throwing up privacy wards while Tracey cleared as much of the dust out as she could. Once they were done, Daphne transfigured a couple of the old chairs in rather comfortable armchairs, which they promptly sat down in.

"Right, I said I would tell you what's up." Daphne began at last, "So I will."

"Good! I've been dying to hear since breakfast!" Tracey exclaimed.

"Well, simply put, I'm betrothed to Potter." Daphne stated without any emotion.

"WHAT?! Did you just say what I think you did?" at Daphne's nod, Tracey shook her head and started laughing.

She finally stopped after a minute or two of Daphne glaring at her. With a sigh, she shook her head one more time, "Very funny Daph, now tell me truthfully, what's really going on?"

And so she did. Daphne told Tracey everything, or most of it anyways, and adding a few things to keep the real truth hidden. She started with explaining that her father had told her she was betrothed to Potter the night before, and neither knew for how long, which could be considered true. Then she went on to say that her father had visited Gringotts rather early that morning, and then they both had written to her, confirming the contract did indeed exist.

At first Tracey thought her best friend was still taking the mickey out of her, but as Daphne continued, she decided there was no way she would've invested so much time into a false story. When Daphne finished, Tracey couldn't help but start laughing again, the whole thing was too damned funny.

Daphne glared at brunette that sat across from her as she laughed away at Daphne's misfortune. Finally she could take no longer and cleared her throat, causing Tracey to come to her sense.

"It's not funny, Trace. I had plans." she didn't lie, she really did have plans.

"I know, I know, but bear with me on this." Tracey said, offering Daphne an apologetic smile, "You, the Ice Queen of Slytherin, are now betrothed to Harry Potter, the bloody Gryffindor Golden Boy. I doubt you could find two further opposites if you tried."

"Lord Malfoy and your mum." Daphne said with a straight face.

Tracey broke out in laughter at that, and even Daphne couldn't stop herself from joining her best friend.

"Alright, I'll give you that." Tracey said after they had gotten a hold of themselves, "But now let's be serious. You need to talk to him, before the term ends next week."

"I know, but I don't how I'm going to get him alone. He's always with someone these days." Daphne groaned, "Even with Granger and Weasley in the Hospital Wing."

Tracey shrugged, "He usually visits them by himself in the evenings before dinner, you might be able to corner him then?"

Daphne's eyes sparkled as a plan started to form in her mind, she leapt from her chair and pulled Tracey into a hug, "You're a genius sometimes, you know that Trace?"

Tracey nodded as Daphne let go of her, "I do try my best, Daph. Now why don't you tell me what you've got planned? Since I know you have something, I've seen that look before."

~~~FM~~~

Harry Potter ran a hand through his hair as he trudged out of the Hospital Wing, he had wanted to stay and continue talking with Ron and Hermione, but Madam Pomfrey had ushered him out as it was nearly dinner time. At first he had protested, arguing that he wasn't hungry, which was true, and then that he could just eat in the hospital wing with his friends. But as was Harry's luck, Madam Pomfrey would have none of that and told him strictly that visiting hours were over. It wasn't until Ron and Hermione told him to go enjoy dinner with his other Housemates that he finally agreed to leave.

He took one last look behind him and gave his two best friends a wave, which they happily returned just before the doors to the Hospital Wing closed. He shook his head in defeat and turned around again, with a sigh he decided he would return to the Gryffindor Tower.

The hall before him was mostly empty, he noted, aside from him, there was only one other person around, a girl. He couldn't tell what House she was in, as she was holding her robes over her left arm, and there was no sign of her tie. Though he couldn't help but feel like she was familiar in some way, and that there was something wrong.

Harry shrugged off the feeling that something was wrong, and set off for the common room without sparing the brunette witch another glance. He noticed footsteps behind him as he turned a corner, and chanced a look over his shoulder. Sure enough, the witch was behind him, and if he had to chance a guess, he'd say she was following him.

He swore under his breath as he continued down the corridor, trying his best to think of where he could lose her. He couldn't think of any secret passages nearby, and an empty classroom just wouldn't work. As he couldn't think of anything, he decided to focus on just why she was following him.

She was definitely familiar, of that much Harry was certain, which meant she was probably in his year. But what House? Definitely not Gryffindor, he knew all the fifth year Gryffindors. He tried to remember the faces and the names of all the fifth year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girls. Only a few of them had been in the D.A., and the girl behind him wasn't any of those.

Harry was getting decidedly more agitated as she quickened her pace and catching up to him, and yet her name still evaded his memory. She had almost caught up to him when the thought that maybe just maybe she wasn't following him but just heading in the same direction. Oh how Harry hoped that was true.

And then it happened.

Just as he was passing yet another abandoned classroom, she hooked her arm around his and flashed him a sweet smile. Before he could react, she was pulling him into the classroom. Now he knew something was really wrong here, and he knew he needed to do something, quick.

He struggled against the girl, but she was stronger than he had anticipated, and managed to get him through the doorway and into the room. The first thing he noticed was that she had dropped her robe when she was getting him into the room and in the pile of black cloth, there was a very green and silver tie. The second thing he noticed was that they were definitely not alone in the classroom, as there was another figure standing off in the shadows on the far side of the room.

As Harry registered what was going on, the brunette girl quickly closed the door and drew her wand. Suddenly his mind kicked in, followed swiftly by his reflexes, and his wand was in his hand. Without a second thought he cast a quick expelliarmus on the girl in front of him, catching her wand as it sailed out of her hand. He then turned on his heal and pointed his wand at the other occupant of the room with barely contained anger.

"Just what the bloody hell is going on here?" he demanded.

A/N: Well here it is, my second story. I hope you all enjoy it, and of course reviews are always welcome.

For those of you who are reading Band of Misfits, worry not! I am already working on the next chapter, and I won't let either story be forgotten as I push onward. This was actually written at the same time as Chapter IV, so it hasn't taken away from Chapter V.

- Mordenkaiser