Harry Potter :The Chronicles of Black

"I've just finalised the contract for you to sign. It has been confirmed by Saint Mungo's that Harry Potter is a gene carrier and he is fully able to fall pregnant, so there are no problems in going ahead with the betrothal. Our Lord is very pleased with this contract, tying Harry Potter to one of his most loyal followers and with the boy actually going through with it too, he's very pleased."

"It's too soon, Grandfather. Rabastan isn't ready for such things…it's too intricate, the fine nuances and political manoeuvres are going to be too much for him, for the both of us, to handle and neither of us wishes to embarrass the Lestrange name through our actions at the bonding meetings, in front of the Malfoys no less." "I'm sure it'll all be fine, Rodolphus. We have some time to prepare, but your brother will be forty years old in just a few more years, it's far past the time for him to marry. You were married at fifteen; thanks in part to your idiot of a father, but still, you are married. All Lestranges have married early, straight out of school or even before that. Rabastan is the only exception."

"This is because I can't have a child with Bellatrix, isn't it?" Rodolphus asked through gritted teeth.

"It certainly doesn't help." Xerxes said sternly. "After you both, there is no heir to the Lestrange line…our family, our heritage, will die with you both if you remain childless. Do you want that?! To be the ones to end our proud, noble lineage because you didn't feel ready to take up your mantles and produce a legitimate child for our line? We are the only ones left! We are down to just four men in the entire line and there are no more out branches of our family tree to rely on, not even any heirs to be had from a female line, they've all died out. I have done my part, your father, as useless as he is, has done his part by having you both. At this moment, we are on the cusp of extinction, it's time for you to have as many children as possible to bulk up the chances of our line surviving another generation and, as you are never going to have a child with Bellatrix, then this pressure will fall solely on Rabastan as the only one left to do so. I will see this betrothal match made and I will see you married and with children."

"Where do I sign?" Rabastan asked hoarsely.

"There." Xerxes pointed out to his younger grandson and watched critically as Rabastan took out the wand he was using in place of the one that was in Ministry control, split the tip of his finger and took the quill that was handed to him, dipped it into the well of blood on the tip of his finger and then signed his name as neatly as he could with his right hand, on the line at the end of the contract. It was still shaky, barely on the edge of being legible, but it was Rabastan's blood, which was the most important aspect of the signature. Harry's signature was already signed neatly on the contract, in blood, which made this betrothal a legally binding, magical contract where the terms outlined in the contract had to be fulfilled.

"I still say that it's too soon for Rabastan to even be thinking of a betrothal contract. We are not even fully healthy, Grandfather!"

"I will hear no more of this." Xerxes said sternly. "You have time to prepare and there is a week before Lucius has scheduled the first meeting, we are to go straight to our Lord afterwards as he wishes to know, from us personally, how the meeting goes with Potter. He is counting on us and we will not let him down."

Xerxes strode away with the signed contract and he immediately sent it back to Lucius. He mourned for the men that his grandsons could have been, but he would not see his line end with them both. There would be a new generation of Lestranges, even if he had to force the issue for it to happen.

Harry bounced his knee against the floor and he shifted his shoulders uncomfortably as Narcissa had dressed him impeccably to the back teeth, not only in his finest, most expensive set of new robes but also in Malfoy family heirlooms, Potter jewels and Black gold and silver. He felt like a fucking packhorse.

"Calm yourself." Lucius insisted. "You are a pureblood, a lord to the Potter and Black families and an adopted son of the Malfoy family. Stay calm, clear, and be concise." "I remember my first conversation with Astoria." Draco told him, his face pulling into a thoughtful faraway look as he stretched his memory all the way back to when he was six years old.

"Was it over which toys you wanted to play with?" Harry chuckled.

Draco snorted. "Funnily enough, it was. She wanted to play with my brand new toy broomstick, which I'd only gotten a few days before if I remember rightly, and I didn't want her to touch it. I think I hit her with it."

"You did." Lucius said. "I was sucking up to Lord Greengrass for the next two years until I finally got him a deal that he couldn't refuse and the power was rightfully switched back to me. The things I went through for you."

Draco huffed. "I was six!" He insisted. "You hit a five-year-old girl over the head with a toy broom because she wanted to play with it."

Harry couldn't hold in his laughter and after a short burble, he had to struggle with himself as he strived to contain his amusement, taking in huge, deep breaths and holding it to regain his composure.

"Laugh it up, Potter."

"Less of that, Draco. You're brothers." Narcissa chastised. "I would not have had any sons of mine refer to each other by anything other than their first names."

"Yes, Mother." Draco acquiesced meekly.

"It's no wonder that you prefer her sister if your first meeting with Astoria was you not willing to share anything and then hitting her." "Less of that too, Harry." Narcissa told him. "Draco's…activitieswill not be shared so loosely with others."

Harry nodded. "I understand." He said before he could get a hex to the head for not using his words.

"Rabastan isn't so bad; you could have been stuck with any other number of hideous and weak wizards." Draco assured him. "Of course, he is my uncle's brother through marriage, so I'm obligated to tell you his good qualities."

"What about his bad qualities?" Harry asked nervously.