Your Hand in Marriage

Thanks for your reviews! In the following chapter Lucius and Severus walk a fine line with the Dark Lord. The plan you will see in the chapter has it's flaws, but Lucius is hoping to rely on Voldemort's fear and paranoia (in his favor, of course). One wrong move, and our boys are toast…

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As soon as the floo flames died, Hermione and Severus were on their feet. With one look, they rushed to the hearth and grabbed a handful of powder, “Headmaster’s Study!”

Hermione and Severus practically flew out of the fireplace where they were met with a cool and collected Albus Dumbledore looking at them over his half-moon glasses.

“I thought you might come by, “ he gestured for the pair to sit, “I just received a visit from the very same person who was only moments ago in your rooms. He caught me in my dressing gown. I must say, for someone so concerned with manners, he really has no sense of privacy.”

Hermione and Severus gazed at the Headmaster as they sat down with matching smirks.

Albus simply smiled at them indulgingly as Severus grew impatient, “…Well? Get on with it, Man. What did he say?”

Albus leaned back, and for a moment looked mildly quizzical, “He came in and swore a blood oath to the Order of the Phoenix. Actually, he didn’t even bother with a proper greeting, he just came right out of the floo with a silver knife and a bleeding hand. Chanted his oath, bled on my oakwood floors, and swept right back out of the floo.”

Hermione clutched the sides of her armchair, “He did what?”

Dumbledore spoke a little louder, “I said, my dear, he took a blood oath.”

Hermione scowled as Severus bit back a chuckle at her expense.

“Did you know, Headmaster, that he was my..”

“Yes, child, I am well versed in wizarding genealogy. I did not realize, however, that he had connected you to his bloodline. It simply did not make sense with his supposed course of action. I see it now, of course. We know that the Dark Lord has taken an interest in both yourself and Mister Weasely. He would likely focus on you, however; as you are somewhat of an anomaly in his eyes. A superior witch, supposedly muggleborn. He fears, above all, the unknown. For that reason, he will see you as a much larger threat than a pure-blooded Weasely.”

Hermione blushed from the backhanded praise, “And if he finds out about my bloodline?”

The headmaster looked at her darkly over steepled fingers, “All the more dangerous. He would attempt to sway you to his side, and if he failed he would kill you.”

At that moment the floo flickered green again.

“Alas, we are forever being interrupted.”

Out of the floo came Lucius. He has obviously been spinning around fireplaces like a tornado, but he didn’t look the slightest bit disheveled.

“Ah, good. All here.”

Albus looked at Lucius interestedly as he continued to speak, “I’ve been spying around some death eater fireplaces, those who knew of my plans for the Marriage Laws. I think I have come up with a plan of action.”

Severus scowled blackly, “We’ve already planned, Lucius. Hermione and I will pretend to have married out of choice before the laws are enacted. I will tell the Dark Lord that I was in need of an heir and I found the only woman who would accept me.”

Lucius laughed unkindly, “Severus that is the most painfully terrible story I have ever heard. Good gods, man. You are supposed to be a world class spy, playing the Dark Lord and the World’s Most Overrated Headmaster like pianos.”

Dumbledore laughed good-naturedly, and Lucius shot him a half-smile.

“Frankly, old friend, I wasn’t even sure whose side you were on until you got mad at my little joke about your lovely little wife’s taste.”

Severus folded his arms and frowned, “Well pray tell Lucius? What is your solution? I hate to tell you, but I’ve only had a day to figure out some outlandish story to feed the Dark Lord. What are your words of wisdom?”

Lucius smiled widely, showing a set of pearly teeth, “Glad you asked. There is no possible way the Dark Lord will believe that Dumbledore had no knowledge of my little law now that you have married the reason for it. He keeps a careful eye on his followers, and though his sight may not reach Hogwarts, there are children of death eaters here who would relay nothing but tales of your apparent distaste for the ‘muggleborn’. He will not believe his most faithful follower would sully his bloodline with a mudblood, even if she threw herself in your lap and reached down your pants.”

Hermione colored a little at this and Severus felt a thrum in his bond, his witch had a dark side. He must take note of that…

“Severus are you paying attention?...Good. Now my plan will take some work from Dumbledore. There will need to be some truth in this tale for it to work…”

The plans continued into the dusk, and Hermione and Severus left for their rooms for supper feeling worn.

They had just finished eating when a parchment flared through the floo. Severus caught the note as it fluttered to the ground. In the slanted, familiar handwriting of the Headmaster it said:

News has broken of the union. Expect your summons.

The note burst into flames and Hermione looked at Severus with trepidation. He stared back into her eyes…

“It has begun.”

~ * ~

As expected, Severus’ dark mark began to burn only less than ten minutes later, he clutched his left arm in pain and looked at Hermione with ill-concealed concern as she reflexively grabbed her own with a gasp.

“Take care, witch. If I am tortured, take the potion next to the bed. It is illegal,” and for good reason if muggle heroin is any indication he thought, “but it will numb your pain. I hope you should not need it.”

He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and with another grimace he flooed out of the rooms, already dressed in his death eater’s finest.

~ * ~

He arrived posthaste in the marble throne room of Lord Voldemort, in an effort to both stop the pain in his mark from effecting Hemermione, and prevent himself from being tortured for tardiness.

Severus found everyone else to be already seated in the two tables that lined the walkway to the head of the room, this did not bode well for him.

He looked to the front of the room where Voldemort sat on a gilded throne, his red-eyes narrowed in distrust.

“Why hello Severus,” Voldemort said in a false innocent tone, “Welcome to our party where you are the guest of honor!”

Severus made his way to the steps below Voldemort’s chair and got to one knee with his head bowed, “My Lord.”

“Please tell me, Severus, why it is that you did not inform me that you planned on marrying Potter’s mudblood? I was sorely disappointed to find no wedding invitation in my owlry.”

Severus bowed his head lower, “My Lord I was given no time and no choice, I could not leave the school to alert you without rising suspicion. Dumbledore had learned of a—“ his mouth was caught as his tongue rolled back on itself.

Voldemort looked surprised and displeased, “A tongue-tying oath?”

Severus simply nodded, his tongue not yet unwound.

“LUCIUS!” barked the Dark Lord, “Come here!”

The blonde figure made his way from the front of his table to the side of the throne where he too kneeled, “My Lord?”



Voldemort ignored him and turned back to Severus, “Did Dumbledore learn of a law set to be announced in the coming week?”

Severus nodded again, a show of relief on his face.

Voldemort looked to Lucius accusingly, “How is it, Lucius, that Dumbledore has learned of this plan?”

Lucius looked to his Lord with anger showing on his face, “It must have been one of those ministry idiots, my Lord. Necessary lines of communication to get the Law passed, but apparently incompetent and incapable of holding their tongues. I think I know which one. If you would look into my mind?”

Lucius pushed out the information he wanted to show and stored the rest behind layers and layers of useless memories, completely occluded. He showed Voldemort an image of a portly man with large glasses. In Lucius’ mind, the man looked from side to side and then gathered up some papers from his desk. He walked to the floo and muttered his destination. In the memory, Lucius cast a ministry spell to see where the man had gone. Words glittered from out of his wand, ‘Headmaster’s Office.’

It was an elaborate illusion of a memory, indiscernible from a true one, created by the master manipulator himself—Albus Dumbledore.

Voldemort stroked his jaw with a spidery hand, “I see, I see… Yes he will be taken care of…”

Voldemort looked to the table on his left, “Goyle! Come to me!”

A large burly man got up from his seat and strode ungracefully to the throne where Voldemort beckoned him near. Severus watched the man shudder as Voldmort’s breath hit him while he whispered instructions to kill the man Lucius had volunteered for “the greater good.”

Severus knew the man was not a good man, he had been Draco’s tutor at a very young age and word had reached his ears that he had taken diabolical liberties to ‘tutor’ in something less savory than magic. Still, pedophile or not, the fact that Dumbledore would allow an uninvolved man to be killed by creating this ruse bothered him. He supposed he shouldn’t be terribly surprised, after all, he had been breeding the Potter boy to kill or be killed since he stepped foot into Hogwarts, barely lending a hand during each life-threatening obstacle that crossed his path.

Hermione had gone to get a book from Dumbledore’s rooms when the exchange had occured. Severus wondered what she would think if she knew what her dear, old Headmaster was allowing in order to maintain the integrity of the mission

Light and Dark… how laughable. Both sides killed people for reasons they thought were righteous. But Severus knew from the time he was young, All Truths are but Half Truths.

He looked at the Dark Lord, he knew he was trying to decide whether to torture him or not. Normally Severus would not have cared, pain was just an extension of his duty. Now, however, he had to worry about that blasted girl who wormed her way into his heart in less than 48 hours.

Voldemort cocked his head to the side, “This could be fortuitous. It matters not to me which of my followers gets the mudblood. Perhaps we should bring your ‘wife’ here for some fun.”

Severus willed himself to be calm, “As you like, my Lord.” Severus was trying to think quickly how to get himself out of this when a smooth voice sounded from his right, “My Lord, if I may.”

Severus felt a wave of relief pass through him. Damn, it felt good to have someone on his side.

Voldemort turned to Lucius in interest, “I am most displeased that my son and I will not have the pleasure of making the trumped up little mudblood suffer humiliation and torture in our home --all in due time, I have faith— but I am most concerned about why he would give her to Severus so quickly knowing you would desire her presence. Perhaps, my Lord, Dumbledore has begun to suspect Severus of treachery. Perhaps this is a test...”

Voldemort was pensive, stroking his pale chin.

“That may well be Lucius, it is somewhat suspicious. With such an obvious oath that I would surely have taken notice of… Yes, far too obvious, even for an old fool like Dumbledore. He is plotting. Trying to sway me into outing my best spy. He thinks he can outsmart Lord Voldemort? I, who have used magic beyond the powers of any other wizard?! No. We must take care. Much care… My plans for you at Hogwarts are not yet complete. All this careful planning will not be for naught”

Lucius triumphed inside; he had won this round for sure. All this time in the Dark Lord’s service had taught him just what he needed to say. It was as simple as planting a seed of doubt. It would tide them over…..for now.

Voldemort looked down upon Severus, “Tell the old man you concocted some tale for me. I don’t care what excuse you give him, the fool will eat up any idiotic story, I’m sure. Additionally, you must take extra care in coming to our meetings now if he suspects you. You will walk to the edge of the anti-apparition wards instead of coming by floo. For good measure, make this marriage to the mudblood look as real as possible to the outside world. I know she was untainted when you wed, so you will use this as a means to prop yourself up in the public light.”

And again, Lucius triumphed. The Dark Lord’s pride made him think he would deceive them all, and so he was now eager to push Severus in exactly the direction Lucius needed him to go thinking he would one-up his ‘lessor’ enemies.

Voldemort smiled evilly at Severus, “Yessss….When everyone is convinced by this sham, when Dumbledore thinks you his loyal pet… Then and only then will we bring the Mudblood into the Lion’s den. Then we will strike Potter where it hurts most.”

He laughed a high-pitched laugh that made Severus’ insides crawl.

“Rise Severus, I will release the wards for you to apparate outside Hogwarts. You are lucky my slippery friend, my wand is twitching for suffering, but I do not want the old man to think I did not believe your story.”

Severus felt the wards lower and nodded his head at the Dark Lord, “Thank you, Master.”

At this, he apparated out of the opulent room with a crack.


A/N: I should let you know that this fic will get very, very dark and disturbing in some of the future chapters. Death, Non-Con, and more… My plot bunny is whispering in my ears and she’s a deviant…


Wish you were: I do my own beta'ing, and as such I am sometimes subject to human error, but I try to re-read repeatedly, even after posting, to make sure I make corrections where they are needed. So thanks for the compliment ;-) Thanks also for the heads up on Severus' mark. I thought about it when I mentally planned the chapter, but I completely forgot about it when I got to writing that part!


Special thanks to those of you who continue to review my chapters as they come, it is both your praise and critique that keeps my plot bunny inspired to continue my work.