Saviour of Magic

A Shocking Discovery

Lord Cyrus Greengrass walked into his study in a daze. He couldn't believe it. He sat down and meticulously went over the contract again. He had just come back from a meeting with his solicitors. Why hadn't he known about this? If he had, he would have done something to ensure that his daughter wasn't trapped in a loveless marriage. Now it was too late. There was a time limit mentioned in the contract. Since so many years had passed without another Potter being born, the contract had activated.

He didn't have a choice. The contract was very specific. Should there ever be a situation where either family was reduced to one member alone, the betrothal clause would come into effect. Logically, since his daughter had not signed it, it wouldn't bind her to it. But unfortunately, the contract had been signed in blood, and because there was no escape clause expressly mentioned, the will of magic would determine if the contract was voided or not. If that were to happen, with magic having found his daughter and Harry Potter having violated the terms of the contract, it would be disastrous. The situation was still too unpredictable to comprehend. His solicitors had advised him to accept the terms of the contract without fighting it.

But how could he do that? This was his baby girl, his daughter!

"Any luck?"

Cyrus shook his head as his wife Elizabeth sat in the armchair by the fireplace. "It's iron-clad," he explained. "They have to get married before they turn twenty-one."

"Who's the boy's guardian?"

Cyrus scowled. "Albus Dumbledore. There is no way am I talking to that man about something as delicate as this. I –"

He was interrupted when he sensed an owl enter the wards and head directly for the study. A beautiful snowy white owl entered through the window and dropped a letter on Cyrus's table and took off.

"What a stunning bird," murmured Elizabeth. "Who is it from?"

"The object of our conversation," exclaimed Cyrus in shock. "Harry Potter!"

"Really? What does it say?"

Cyrus opened the letter and read it out loud. Harry basically said that he wanted to meet them during the Yule holidays to discuss the contract. He also wondered if Daphne knew about it because while they were acquaintances, he didn't want her to be in the dark for long. He also requested them to not contact Albus Dumbledore about the betrothal, since the boy wasn't comfortable with the headmaster knowing about it.

"Well, it looks like we have a new guest for our Yule Ball this year," said Elizabeth. "We can invite him here the day after the holidays start. And he's right; we better inform Daphne soon."

"I'll first send a reply to the boy," grimaced Cyrus. "I don't even want to think of the political ramifications of this betrothal. Daphne is going to be pissed, and she has every right to be!"

"Give her some credit, dear, she'll understand," Elizabeth said softly.

"I sure hope so," muttered Cyrus.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

Harry received a letter from Cyrus Greengrass the next morning, inviting him to Greengrass Manor the day after the start of the Yule holidays. Harry sent a brief reply saying that he would be honoured to accept their invitation. The day continued with Harry's first Transfiguration class with the Slytherins. It proceeded without any issue. He was able to get the spell correctly on the first try. After lunch, he had double Potions with the Hufflepuffs. Harry knew a lot about Severus Snape from reading his parents' journals. It was quite satisfying to see both points of view, from James' angle and from Lily's as well.

The potions master had been best friends with his mother since before Hogwarts. Harry knew that Snape had been abused by his Muggle father and that abuse turned him into a very bitter individual. When he had met James Potter on the train to Hogwarts, he had insulted James' father, with the latter throwing insults back at the former, starting a rivalry between them that never ended, mainly due to both of them, according to James, having affections for Lily. Their hatred for each other had only grown over the years and had become a lot worse when James and Lily began dating in their sixth year. At first, Harry wondered if his father had gone overboard, but there were several instances that were written in both his parents' journals that recounted incidents where Snape had proved himself to be very dangerous. James Potter's attacks on Snape had been humiliating, but nothing dangerous. Snape's attacks on James Potter, on the other hand, were malicious and lethal.