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Emancipation	By : BadGirlgoesworse Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 14093 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything recognisable does not belong to me. Story is based on the books by JKR and inspired by other writers of this genre. I do not make any money with this story.

Chapter List
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REVELATIONS FROM HELL (2)
Actually, he could not say that he had not expected something like that to happen, Draco mused picking himself up from the floor and assessing the damage done to his jaw. Though, when it did happen, it still took him by surprise. Mr. Weasley was pacing some distance away. The jerkiness of his movements and the tenseness of his posture and face were giving away just how angry he was, barely restraining himself from attacking Draco again.
Suddenly, he moved over to the desk and picked up the marriage contract unrolling it and flopping down on the couch he had been sitting on before. Draco made use of that time to cast some healing spells on his rapidly swelling cheek, before turning to face him again.
Mr. Weasley read the papers carefully, but then snorted in derision and threw them on the floor. “Very well, what do you want?”
Draco blinked in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t play coy with me, boy!” Mr. Weasley exploded. “You are holding my daughter’s reputation and the good name of my family in your hands, I got that well enough, now tell me what you want!”
He thinks I’ve duped her! Draco’s eyes widened in recognition. He thinks I’m blackmailing him!
Well, considering their family history it was not too surprising he supposed.
Mr. Weasley jumped up and resumed his pacing. “Proud of yourself, aren’t you, boy? How clever and ingenious to wrap a young, innocent girl around your finger with false promises, only to discard her when her use has dissipated! You are destroying her life! But well, she is just a Weasley, so it doesn’t matter, does it?” he sneered sarcastically in his direction.
Draco bristled and rose as well. “I don’t care what you think of me and my family, Mr. Weasley, but I’ve been raised a gentleman and am a man of honour! And at least give your daughter a bit more credit, she is neither innocent nor stupid, and most certainly not easy to fool!”
Mr. Weasley was regarding him through narrowed eyes, obviously not believing a word of it and still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Losing patience rather quickly Draco decided he had enough. He had done his duty and informed his bride’s father of their plans. So, as far as he was concerned they were finished here.
“You know what, believe what you will,” he straightened his robes and made himself ready to leave. “I came here to inform you as traditions and propriety demanded, and I have done so. Good day, Mr. Weasley,” he bowed and headed for the door.
It was hit with a heavy locking charm before he had reached it though. Draco whirled around wand in hand and ready to fight. Honestly, the whole idea of him being here was a bad one and he had known that from the start. So, why in Merlin’s name had he agreed to it then?
Mr. Weasley was looking at him with a strange expression on his face, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. “You are actually serious, aren’t you?”
Draco suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “I believe I have made that clear enough, sir.”
“Why?”
He raised his eyebrow in question.
“Why her? You are a Malfoy, so what in the name of Merlin has possessed you to propose to my daughter?”
He smirked at that. “I am a Malfoy, and as such I always choose only the best.”
Mr. Weasley regarded him unimpressed. “And what of your father’s wishes?”
“What of them?”
The man’s pointed look told him that he actually wanted an answer to that. Draco sighed and moved back to the couch to sit down again. This would be a lengthier conversation than he had expected it seemed. Mr. Weasley followed suit and picked up the papers from the floor, folding and putting them in his pocket this time.
“My father, Mr. Weasley, has nothing to say on the matter of the future of the House Malfoy as far as I’m concerned. Not only has he deliberately turned away from the principles distinguishing our family name, he has thrown it into crisis and disgrace.”
They exchanged glances of understanding here; there was really no need to elaborate further on the point.
“His political affiliations aside, I really don’t know why he chose Ms. Parkinson my bride. I have my suspicions of course, but they would not have mattered much if she at least did care about me personally and I about her. Recent events let me believe though that all she cares about is my money and standing and that is not to be tolerated! I want a wife, sir,” he looked the man in the eyes conveying his honesty, “not a gold digging trollop, who does nothing but squander my money all day.” He smirked suddenly. “And as to your daughter, well, she got into my head and refused to leave. The rest is between her and I, and that’s all what I’m going to say about it.”
They sat for a moment in silence, until Mr. Weasley finally sighed and ran his hand through his sparse hair, as if in search of words. “I still don’t know what to think, young Malfoy, that much I can tell you for sure,” the gaze directed at him was serious and heavy. “I want to believe you, to give you a chance to prove yourself, if only for my daughter’s sake, but the generations old feud running between our families does not permit an easy forgiveness; you understand I’m sure?”
Draco nodded once. He would not have expected anything else.
“That you have not gone through the official channels, doesn’t speak in your favour either, though considering the circumstances I at least can understand that. What bothers me the most at the moment is that I don’t know anything about your own political affiliations, not to mention your future plans concerning the upcoming war and beyond.”
Draco leaned back in his couch thinking fast. They have entered dangerous territory here, particularly because he had not received any instructions as to how to proceed in a scenario such as this. Neither Pott... Harry, nor anyone else in the New Order had even considered the possibility of something like that to come up. In retrospect they actually should have, he thought furrowing his brows ever so slightly. What the hell was he to do now?
He looked up regarding the man sitting opposite him calculatingly. On the other hand, this could be an excellent opportunity to unsettle that undying faith the Weasley parents had in Dumbledore. The Weasleys were among his most ardent supporters within the Order of the Phoenix. If they began to waver, many of the others won’t be far behind. It would be definitely worth the risk. And even if P... Harry won’t agree, the task of bringing down the Headmaster was his, and how he would do it was consequently his own business as well.
He pulled his wand again and secured the room more efficiently. “Before we continue I would require a Wand Oath of you, Mr. Weasley, that anything discussed from this moment on will stay between us.”
Mr. Weasley’s eyes narrowed again, but his curiosity got the upper hand and he complied.
“Excellent,” Draco put his wand away. “As to my political affiliations, I’m still a firm supporter of the pureblood ideology. However, on the side of the Grey and not that of the Dark. I do concede that some of the aspects I have formerly believed in are not true. The magical superiority of purebloods over the muggleborn for example.” That one he had learned the hard way actually. “Fact remains though that the loose politics in regard to wizard/muggle relations Dumbledore and the Ministry are pursuing, are far too loose for my tastes.” He smirked slightly. “In that respect the side of the Grey is ideal for me. It is moderate and based on compromise, and compromise is something neither Dumbledore, nor the Dark Lord is capable of.”
The confusion written all over Mr. Weasley’s face was very entertaining he had to admit. The man had opened his mouth several times, only to close it again, as if unsure if he should protest or agree, or maybe both. After debating with himself for several minutes he seemed to have settled on something else entirely.
“This side of the Grey you have mentioned several times, I’m not sure I understand what exactly you are talking about.”
“The side of the Grey is led by the Lord of Dusk and Dawn, whom I have pledged loyalty to.” The look of shocked disbelief he had received was absolutely hilarious. All he had allowed himself to respond with was a sly smile though. “Well, he doesn’t call himself that of course. It’s just a private joke,” he cleared his throat to cover his amusement. “The goals we are pursuing are of both political and social nature. Primarily, to end the upcoming war with as little bloodshed as possible on both sides, and in its aftermath to reform the wizarding world and establish a society everyone, no matter their background and inclinations, could live in without feeling the urge to seek the next conflict straight away.”
xxxoooxxx
Arthur blinked several times before furrowing his brows thoughtfully. “Assuming that this organisation does indeed exist, how exactly do its goals differ from those the Light side is pursuing?”
“Quite simple,” Malfoy’s lips twitched wryly. “The Light side is pursuing these goals for Light wizards and creatures only. The side of the Grey on the other hand, does pursue them for everyone. And this organisation does exist, I assure you. It has existed for quite a while actually. Though, since we prefer to operate in shadows, most people are not, and likely never will be, aware of us.”
Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again turning thoughtful instead. If he was honest with himself, the boy did have a point, and since he could not offer any real evidence to the contrary, he would not be able to dispute his assertion for wrong, and that was bothering him to no end. It had been bothering him for a while actually.
Arthur Weasley was a rather quiet man, who preferred to sit and observe instead of starting or even joining an active argument. Thus, he could not help but notice that Dumbledore’s words and actions were contradicting themselves at times, and lately more often than not. The whole business with Harry and Severus was a dangerously boiling cauldron, as far as he was concerned. That aside, young Malfoy was right and Order business had nothing to do with the situation at hand. Merlin’s balls! He still could hardly wrap his mind around it. How on earth was he supposed to tell Molly?
“Very well,” he focused back on the young man sitting opposite him. “I will concede to that for now, but this conversation is not over yet, I assure you. I will go through the contract with my Head of House and let you know...”
The wards came crushing down and the door flew open hitting the wall with a resounding bang. Dumbledore stormed in wand drawn with Sturgis and Kingsley on his heel. He could see Molly shifting worriedly from one foot to another in the corridor outside. Young Malfoy had the presence of mind to stay as he was thankfully, so he got up and lifted his hands reassuringly.
“It’s alright, Albus, nothing is going on here. We were just talking in private.”
His fellow Order members looked sceptical, but followed the Headmaster’s example and lowered their wands. Dumbledore’s eyes wandered between him and Malfoy questioningly.
“Actually, we were done here already,” Malfoy rose and straightened his robes before bowing formally. “Good day, Mr. Weasley, we will hear from each other sometime later I assume. Gentlemen, Mrs. Weasley,” he bowed to Molly passing her on the way out. Kingsley went after him to see him through the Floo. Dumbledore had not said anything, despite the fact that Malfoy was out of bounds without permission, turning to him and Molly with a raised eyebrow instead.
Arthur sighed and sat down again with a fretting Molly by his side. He ignored the questions thrown at him immediately to take a moment and gather his thoughts. Kingsley returned soon enough looking confused, and rightfully so he supposed. One look at Molly and he knew that he could not tell her the truth, not the entire truth at least. Ginny was their favourite child after all, as well as the one carrying the highest expectations. Maybe that was exactly where they went wrong, heaped too much on the girl’s shoulders driving her to desperate measures. Draco Malfoy, for Merlin’s sake! She must have been desperate indeed! Unless there was something he was unaware of, and that he really did not want to think about right now, not ever actually.
He took Molly’s hand into his squeezing it lightly. “Young Malfoy has asked me for Ginny’s hand.”
She stared at him eyes wide in shock. “WHAT?”
The expressions on the others’ faces were not any different.
“It’s rather unexpected, I know,” he sighed rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “Fact remains though that his intentions are serious. I will have to speak to uncle Percival as soon as possible.”
“But... it’s Malfoy... how... you can’t... I mean she will never agree! How can you even think of doing that to her?”
He took a deep breath. “As a matter of fact, young Malfoy told me that he has proposed to her before coming here,” he paused bracing himself, “and she has accepted him.”
“WHAT?”
“Molly,” he squeezed her hand more forcefully, “it’s out of our hands I fear. She has accepted him already and is therefore bound by honour. Besides, I doubt that uncle Percival is going to say no to a Malfoy. Son of a Death Eater or not, as long as he doesn’t have a Mark himself, he is an eligible match, a very eligible match actually and you know that. There is nothing we could possibly do to prevent it, dear.”
Predictably, Molly went into hysterics at that and he wrapped his arms around her protectively, his face grimly set. As bad as this was, it was far better than the truth. He kissed the crown of her head. She must never know; he would make sure of that.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. “Arthur, Molly, I must advise you to not be too hasty in this. Do not do anything before you know all facts and do not trust young Malfoy’s intentions on his word alone. Who can tell what power and influence his father might still have over him? Or if he had lost any of it in the first place? Besides, was there not some previous betrothal agreement with Ms. Parkinson? If you would entrust me with the matter, I would deal with it swiftly and to everyone’s satisfaction. I doubt the boy could not be persuaded to turn his interest elsewhere.”
Molly perked up looking hopeful, Arthur though could not allow anything of the sort. Not only would it be highly improper, it would be an entirely futile endeavour, since the engagement was irreversible.
“Thank you, Albus, but there is nothing you could possibly do. It’s a Weasley family matter and we cannot put it into an outsider’s hands, no matter how helpful and trustworthy. I will contact my Head of House as soon as possible... immediately actually, and let him decide on any further course of action. I will tell him of course that you have offered assistance, but I cannot guarantee that he will take it.”
Arthur could clearly see that the Headmaster was quite displeased, despite his friendly smile. “But of course. Tell him he can reach me any time.”
He nodded patting Molly’s arm in comfort. He could not let Dumbledore meddle in this, thought he had a feeling that he would do so anyway. He would seek out uncle Percival as soon as Molly let go of him. Afterwards, there were quite a few questions his daughter would have to answer, that much was for sure.
xxxoooxxx
Draco returned to the castle and made his way to the remote storage room he and the rest of the New Order had agreed to meet in. Dumbledore’s premature appearance was bothering him deeply. What would Mr. Weasley tell him? Not much, if he had judged the man and his reactions correctly, but one could never be too sure.
In any case, the Headmaster was now aware of his and Ginny’s relationship and would of course try and put his nose into it. They had to prepare for that carefully. His reaction to the Notts’ ‘engagement’ had not been very cordial and Draco would not put it past him to start playing dirty. Severus’ and Harry’s marriage must still smart after all. Where the hell were they by the way? They needed them now, urgently.
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Emancipation