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The Repercussions of a Contract
Harry found out about the betrothal contract Albus and Molly put together and signed during his sixth year. And not from the adults involved, but from his so-called betrothed right before the spring break. When Ginny Weasley announced it in the great hall.
They were to get married that year on her own sixteenth birthday and she demanded a family betrothal ring to show for it. An old expensive one. From his own family vaults. And he was to get it for her during the break while she looked for clothes he was supposed to pay for.
Ron was insisting on a new broom as well while he was out, and so, to avoid THAT heated discussion, he flooed to Gringotts in Diagon the evening right after the feast.
What he found was the Contract was set; he HAD to marry her on her sixteenth birthday. BUT the adults had made a mistake in that it was right AFTER his seventeenth birthday. Which rendered him adult by magical law. AND in accordance with the Potter Family Tradition, he would take over the Headship on that day. Giving him the right to make changes to the marriage clauses even if he was not able to terminate the marriage itself. And except for not being able to change the date of the wedding, he could change a lot of the rest.
In the meantime, he was liable for a SET monetary bridal gift amount to go into both his betrothed’s vault, and her family. But, through a loophole they had set no upper limit or minimum amount due to them.
Getting a very nasty grin from Harry. Who, instead of a vault for Ginny, chose to pay for her last year at school along with full books and REASONABLE supplies. In which she would need to provide receipts to the Potter Account Manager for approval. If the Potter Account Manager deems the supplies unreasonable or outside the mandate of school supplies, she would have to reimburse the account back. And the same for Ron’s last year being reimbursed and the last year of schooling.
In the case of Molly and Arthur, Harry paid the remainder of their mortgage with no further money set aside for them. As the money that would have been in their vault went into paying that off. And THEY would be responsible for their own taxes as well. And only a small bride’s vault for the wedding is too boot, for things like her dress and accessories. Say one hundred galleons and anything over they have to pay for as it is usually the bride’s family that pays for things like that and the wedding. While the groom sets up the house.
All that was in the letter, but not spirit, of the contract. And obeyed Tradition so the Traditionalists would fight the Weasley’s tooth and nail if they fought against it now.
Add one expensive Traditionalist Diary for his betrothed as that fell in with the tradition of all of his peers in the Ancient and Nobel houses. The future husband and wife were to keep journals and diaries from the moment of betrothal till their deaths, which would be later added to the family library for their history. Bringing up the betrothal ring that was NOT enchanted for her, and was as gaudy as all hell, as that fit her style. While he would wear his Uncle Charlus’ simple betrothal ring. After it had been fully re-enchanted with full protection spells against harm and potions/poisons.
For the house and property, he ordered the clear out of the older Potter properties and to sell them after taking out all magic except where his Potter grandparents had lived. Just clear that out and take it down and rebuild it to a muti-generational house…. House… Not manor, or castle/keep. No Pitch but a large grassy play area with a playground set up to train the young’s imagination and bodies. And greenhouses for their own food supplies. And the ward stone ready for his use.
And with that, and his rings, his newly enchanted, he left to get the diary and a journal for himself, then to head back to school. His manager would see to it everyone who needed to be, would be told what had been put in place. And the way the contract was already signed into being by those outside his family, they could no longer change things to close the loopholes he had found.
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It was close to the wedding date now, and Harry had weathered Hurricane Molly and Cyclone Ginny over his minor interpretations pre-his birthday well. Though the Weasley family did not come out unscathed from it as they were lambasted up and down the country over the whole thing.
And, really, he had only added two little pre-wedding changes to the betrothal, and one change to the marriage itself. The first was to be a surprise today before the reporters of the Daily Prophet and WWN Live News.
The twins had shut down their shop for a very long experimental session in advance to what was going on within their family over this. Percy was trying to take credit for the writing of the betrothal in the ministry’s favor before the press, and Ron, Ginny, and Molly, were parading before the press about the fact that she was soon to be wed to “The-Boy-Who-Lived”.
Harry arrived with the Head of the International Healer’s Guild Representative in the Country. And, after introductions before everyone, he pulled the changed betrothal out and read the passage that got changed to the one more in line with the Potter’s thinking. That, that both bride and groom had to be virgins and chaste before they went to their marriage beds.
A screech and thump were heard and everyone looked over at Molly fanning a passed-out daughter. Lamenting that it wasn’t so. To Harry’s dignified nod that there had NEVER been a bastard child born in the family lineage because of that fact. Any heir or child who was not raped but not chaste and a virgin was cast out as being a “disappointment” to the family. And to be mind controlled or potioned in anyway such as the date rape potions of those so-called “love-potions” was for the family to go full out WAR on those that did so on their family members.
So, in accordance with the Potter Family Tradition, both Groom AND Bride would be publicly checked for this so nothing could be said to imply on the delicate matter against one of them if it wasn’t so. Or a Blood-Feud could be called if there was coercion to be found.
As he was the Heir to the family, and to prove the point, he went first. Clearing it easily with the statement he had not even snogged his betrothed or another of either sex yet.
Ginny passed out again and was magically tested as six weeks pregnant which answered that statement right there as not his child as he had magically proven to be chaste and still a virgin.
And, in front of everyone, including the live broadcast, he tore up the betrothal as his bride-to-be was not acceptable to the Potter standards as she was not chaste or a virgin.
All funds given over to the family they felt due them because of the agreement was now due back to his family vaults by the end of the year or he would see them before the international debtors’ courts at the ICW. And ended the broadcast by bowing to the reporters and walking off.