Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Betrothed ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating and talking during the lunch rush. Ron was stuffing his face like usual breathing in between spoonfuls of food and juice. A few times it almost looked like he was going to choke. Fred and George (off to the side) cracked jokes when Ron leaned forward grabbing his neck then coughed off a mouthful of chewed food. Hermione frowned once Ron continued to eat like nothing had happened.

 

“God you're going to turn into a pig,” she stated, looking disgusted.

 

Ron stopped in mid chew, glanced at Harry then back at Hermione. “What? I'm hungry. It wouldn't kill you to eat something.” He then continued to eat.

 

Harry didn't say a word as Hermione glared at him then went on to read the Daily Prophet. He looked back down at his plateful of food and began to poke at it again. His next class was McGonagall's class and hadn't studied for the test that everyone had known about for a week now. Hermione had bugged him about it, but him and Ron had ditched studying to go down to Hogsmead to have a few drinks.

 

He now rubbed his head angrily mentally calling himself an idiot. Harry now stared at the pages of the Transfiguration book. Great, he thought. I'm totally screwed no matter what. This day couldn't get any worse!

 

“Seriously Ron, I don't know where you put it all!” muttered Hermione who'd looked up again. Ron hadn't slowed down eating at all.

 

Ron shrugged. “I said I was hungry! Bloody hell Hermione lay off.”

 

Frowning, she glared at Ron. “I'll lay off after you have a damn heart attack!” Hermione looked like she was going to reach across the table and slug Ron, but kept her pretty little punches to herself. For now at least.

 

Harry smirked. “How was McGonagall's test?”

 

“Easy,” stated Hermione turning the page of the Daily Prophet.

 

“Easy as moving the Stone Hinge with your damn hands!” countered Ron. “It was hard, Harry. I'd try to get sick now before the class starts.”

 

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked over at Harry. “Ron only failed because he didn't study. You should do fine since you're now cramming it in.”

 

“Thanks Hermione,” muttered Harry.

 

“Hey look! An owl!” shouted someone from the upper half of the table.

 

The Gryffindor table looked up at the black and gray owl flying very low along the table. It held a pure white envelope with a red design on it and dropped it in front of Harry and took off once again. Someone else then pointed back up into the air and shouted, “Hey! There's another one!” This owl was brown and dove out of the Great Hall into the hallway. A few students screamed of surprised and yelled at the owl.

 

Hermione and Ron leaned towards Harry and looked down at the letter. Harry stared at it reading his name in fancy cursive handwriting. The red design was a family crest of a knight's shield.

 

Harry's forehead crinkled. “What is this?”

 

“Maybe you won something,” said Ron. He'd finally stopped eating and was now leaning over the table to get a better look at it.

 

Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned down farther to look at it. “Doubtful Ron. Maybe a distant cousin or something and its purely family related. Open it up!”

 

Harry then opened the letter and began to read the perfect, cursive handwriting addressed to him and read it out loud for Ron and Hermione.

 

“Dear Mister Potter,” he began, “I am here to inform you that you're betrothed will be joining you at Hogwarts this afternoon!” Harry's mouth opened and stared down at the letter. “Betrothed! What the hell!? I'm not engaged to anyone! This has to be some kind of mistake!”

 

Hermione quickly took the letter from Harry and continued reading. She didn't read aloud for Harry or Ron. “Oh my God Harry! This letter is from the Marcus family!”

 

“Who?!”

 

“The Marcus family. They're a very powerful family in the wizarding world. Also I do believe a pureblood family or basically close to it. Basically what they're telling you is that your betrothed is coming here to-”

 

“How do I have a betrothed?!” he demanded.

 

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione with his mouth wide opened. Hermione thought for a moment then answered, “Certain powerful families do still have arranged marriage Harry. I'm guessing that since your dad was a pureblood that they set it up, but when Voldemort killed your parents they assumed you were dead, too, so they betrothed her to someone else…”

 

Harry, shell shocked, simply stared at Hermione with his own mouth wide opened. Someone then pointed out another owl, this one without a letter, flying out where it had came from. The brown owl looked happier to leave than ever.

 

“So what's going to happen to Harry?” asked Ron. “If she's betrothed to two men then….” He waited for Hermione's answer.

 

“It sounds like to me that she's coming here to pick one since you guys haven't met yet. Her parents are letting her choose since she can't marry both of you!”

 

“What's her name?” asked Harry, still too stunned to do anything. I have to write Sirius about this! How could he NOT TELL ME ABOUT THIS!!!!!!

 

“Lullia Marcus.”

 

Ron raised his eyebrows at that name. “I've heard of her! Bloody rich and I guess pretty hot too.”

 

Hermione held back her glare from Ron then looked at Harry. “I'm sure you can speak to Dumbledore about this. He has to have some kind of connection with them and since you didn't know they can't just let you go off and marry her.”

 

Harry frowned and remembered Hermione saying that she was betrothed to two men. “Wait, Hermione, who's the second one?”

 

Hermione bit her lip and glanced back down at the letter, rereading it again and again. “Well let's just say that if she's marrying for money then your safe, but if not, you better pray that she likes the Malfoy name better than Potter.”

 

“No fucking way!” muttered Ron. If his jaw wasn't attached to his face then it would've been on the table long ago.

 

Yup, this day couldn't get any worse.

 

“As in Draco Malfoy?” muttered Harry now rubbing his head with both hands. “God, I hope she wants money. I pray that she wants more money!”

 

Harry then knew at that moment that he was screwed. He knew that no girl actually really liked Draco except for that Pansy girl who he saw multiply times getting rejected from Draco. He'd flat out told her no and kept walking away as she held onto him. Maybe that's why he keeps Crabbe and Goyle around was Harry's amused passing thought. Now he second guessed that theory…maybe Draco knew he was betrothed so he did what he did to Pansy or maybe she was that bad hence he did start to avoid her. Hermione even had mentioned something that some girls were afraid to ask him out (even though they had huge crushes on him) because of the way he treated people. So most of the shy to near braver girls simply avoided him too. Hermione did see a few braver girls asking him out, but he said no in the nicest way he could. Except for Pansy.

 

Yup, he was screwed big time.

 

“So basically if she picks me I have to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her?” he groaned. His head was now on the table with his arms covering it. A few other students were now watching Harry.

 

“It seems that way,” muttered Hermione. “But all of that could change Harry. She could possibly decide to not marry either of you. Again I'd talk to Dumbledore about this and see if you can get out of it somehow. After all no one told you.”

 

“Potter,” said a familiar voice from behind. Harry glanced up and back to see McGonagall standing there. She simply stared down at him then glanced over to the letter. “Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office. I assume you know what it's about and I wont have to drag you there, will I?”

 

Harry stood up grabbing the letter. “Drag me there Professor?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

 

“You'll find out. C'mon.” She then looked at Ron. “Mr. Weasley I suggest you wear a bib next time you eat.”

 

Ron looked down at his robes noticing pieces of food stuck on the front. He frowned and started to wipe them off with his hand. Hermione simply shook her head and gave Harry a hopeful look.

 

McGonagall escorted Harry to Dumbledore's office and said the password. The gargoyle leaped to the left and Harry heavily sighed.

 

“Get going Mister Potter. I suggest you go up there on your own and not some old lady drag you up the stairs.”

 

“Yes, Professor,” he muttered and walked up the stairs. What's the deal with the dragging me everywhere?

 

When he got up to Dumbledore's office he only saw Dumbledore sitting calmly behind his desk. In fact, he was reading a book and sipping on some tea. He glanced up at Harry and motioned for him to sit in the chair before him.

 

“Professor-”

 

“Sit down Harry. Would you like some tea?” Harry sat down and shook his head. “Very well. I had hoped you would. I believe that tea calms the nerves down in situations like this. I take it you read the letter from the Marcus family?”

 

“Yes Professor. I don't understand why I wasn't told of this!”

 

“I, myself, wasn't informed of this until yesterday evening. It's very surprising on how the family never contacted you before now either. I know of the situation that now faces you and Draco. Very strange, I say.”

 

Harry then heard struggling on the staircase and Dumbledore gazed towards the stairs. Harry turned to see Snape, literally, forcing and dragging Draco into the office. He then threw Draco down into the chair next to Harry's and snapped, “So help me if you get up, I will kill you!” Snape gave Draco the death stare and surprisingly enough, Draco returned it looking like he was about to jump up and run.

 

“Now, now Severus, there's no need for that. Draco is nervous as the rest of us. You may leave now.”

 

Snape glared once more at Draco then hurried back down the stairs. Draco sat in the chair, breathing heavily and gripping his letter from the Marcus family. Harry guessed that Draco was told about the arrange marriage.

 

“Draco there was no need to be dragged up here,” stated Dumbledore. “Literally.”

 

Harry now knew what McGonagall had been talking about. He guessed that she saw Snape dragging and forcing Draco along.

 

Draco said nothing for once in his life, but he did glance over at Harry.

 

“As both of you know you were both betrothed to the same girl and when her family assumed Harry was dead, they selected Draco. Well since Harry obliviously isn't dead, you both have a certain problem to this. Mr. Marcus has informed me that he's sending his daughter to choose since both of you are excellent wizards. She'll be arriving here this afternoon and when she does you'll both meet her. As I understand it she wont choose right away instead she'll get to know both of you and then choose near the end of the school year. Any questions?”

 

Harry then sat up. “Actually Professor I do. Why do I still count since they thought I was dead?”

 

Draco gave an unbelievable look at Harry. “Are you serious?” he demanded before Dumbledore could answer. “You're the stupid boy who lived! The Marcus family also selects famous families!”

 

Harry glared at Draco and Dumbledore said, “Thank you Draco. Now Harry you may leave and you are excused from your classes today. This is a great change in your life and I assume you need time to adjust. Also I have to talk to young Draco here before he leaves.”

 

Harry nodded, stood up, and quickly went down the staircase. He didn't hear Dumbledore yell or start talking to Draco yet, but he guessed it had something to do with Snape dragging him there. He looked scared. Really scared, in fact. Was this girl really that bad?

 

He started walking back to the Great Hall even though he knew Hermione and Ron were long gone. Classes had started again and no one was probably around anyway. Good. He needed time to think.

 

Harry ended up sitting somewhere between the Great Hall and Dumbledore's office. He was laying down on the bench thinking on how he could out of this. For one he really didn't want to get married to someone that he didn't know and second, he'd never saw her before nor was in love! God this was bad, was all that went through his head over and over again. Going into hiding seemed like the best plan so far.

 

He then heard the faintness of footsteps coming his way. They grew louder with each passing minute and finally joined the same hall as Harry lay in. He prayed that it wasn't Filch or a prefect demanding why he wasn't in class. The footsteps stopped by him.

 

“Um, excuse me?” asked a sweet voice.

 

Harry sat up and saw that it wasn't a prefect instead it was a visitor. She stood tall in her heels as she gazed down at him. She wasn't in robes instead she dressed in pale blue short dress with matching heels. She wore a matching jacket with white gloves that stopped at her wrists. Her hair was light brown that was tightly pulled back into a bun and even had a yellow flower stuck in her hair. She was thin and cute was the word that kept popping into Harry's mind. She had dark blue eyes that met his eyes.

 

“Sorry to bother you, but do you know where Professor Dumbledore's office is? I think I'm lost.” She lightly smiled.

 

Friendly.

 

“Uh yeah. Actually I can show you where it is. Its not that far up ahead.” Harry stood up, smiled and led the way back to Dumbledore's office. “So-uh-are you transfer student?”

 

She was only a few inches shorter than Harry even with the heels on. She slightly shrugged. “Kind of. It's hard to explain. I never knew Hogwarts could be so big.” She was gazing around at everything that they passed.

 

“Yeah. It is pretty big. Oh you see that gargoyle up there?” She nodded. “That's Dumbledore's office.”

 

The gargoyle then jumped off to the side and Draco appeared at the bottom of the staircase. At first, while looking down, he started towards Harry and the girl, but then he looked up. He stopped dead in his tracks with his face hardening, turned and went the opposite way. The girl slightly frowned watching Draco leave. Not a mere ten seconds later was he completely gone from sight.

 

“What's his problem?” she asked.

 

Harry shrugged. “We're kinda like rivals actually. He's always like that, so don't mind him. Well I'll see you later. Dumbledore is right up those stairs.”

 

She nodded remembering why she was here. “Thanks again. See you later!” The girl then went up the stairs with her heels clicking behind her.

 

 

 

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Pronunciation of Lullia: Loo-LEE-uh