Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a peaceful day.
Finally finished with their exams, Violet and her friends headed straight outside and settled themselves under a large tree on the shore of the lake. It was a beautiful day out and they wanted to enjoy the end of their exams and the beginning of their newly freed days before the summer break started officially.
Violet and Hermione were cooling their feet in the lake, though Hermione, who was seated next to her, was busy arguing with Ron about something that'd been on their last exam.
Those two were always arguing. Violet sometimes wondered why they didn't just snog already and get it over with. Even if it didn't lead to a relationship, at least it would get whatever this was out of their systems. Probably.
Luna, meanwhile, was laying in the grass on Violet's other side, watching the clouds passing overhead while she hummed a Christmas carol under her breath. Nevile, pant legs rolled up, had waded into the water so he could poke and prod at a strange-looking weed, his face a mask of concentration.
Yes, it was a nice, peaceful day-the first one they'd had all year thanks to Umbridge. But unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, that simple peace didn't last for very long.
"Hey, Violet!" Ginny called out as she approached. She'd opted to spend her free time with her boyfriend Dean, though she seemed to be alone right now.
"What's up?" asked Violet as Ginny joined them.
"I just ran into McGonagall," said Ginny with a frown. "She said she wanted me to tell you to go to Dumbledore's office right away."
As soon as they heard those words, Ron and Hermione stopped arguing, Luna stopped humming, and Neville looked up from whatever he'd been examining. Violet frowned.
"Did she say why?" she asked curiously. It couldn't be because she'd done something wrong, mostly because she hadn't had time to do anything at all. She'd had exams all day and she'd gone to the lake as soon as her last exam had finished. She hadn't even eaten yet!
"She didn't say," Ginny replied with a shake of her head, "but she looked really serious. Whatever it is, I don't think it's going to be good."
"When is it ever?" said Violet with a sigh. She got to her feet, pulling on her shoes and socks after spelling her feet dry, and with a wave to her friends, she started making her way to the castle. It was better to get this over with.
The corridors were almost deserted, everyone either outside in the sun or holed up in their common rooms, enjoying the end of exams in their preferred way. It was that one rare day of the year where there were little to no altercations between the Houses, most too tired or relieved to bother antagonizing others.
Passing only two students along the way, both of who ignored her, Violet soon found herself standing in front of the gargoyle leading up to the Headmaster's office. She gave it the last password she remembered being told, hoping it would still work and wondering why McGonagall hadn't told Ginny to tell her what the current password was. It seemed like a weird oversight.
Luckily for her, the password was correct and the gargoyle sprang aside, revealing the staircase it'd been guarding. Beginning to feel a little apprehensive now that she'd arrived, Violet climbed up and after taking a breath, knocked on the door, hoping this wasn't going to be too bad.
"Come in!"
Dumbledore's tone was as jovial as always, but Violet still frowned when she heard it. Maybe she was just imagining it, but did the Headmaster sound kind of tense? There was something about his voice that sounded a bit off, but she wasn't able to put her finger on it. She was feeling pretty tense herself, so maybe she was projecting her feelings onto Dumbledore.
The door opened on its own and Violet stepped into the large round office, only to pause in place at the sight that greeted her. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, his expression a little solemn, but he wasn't the only one in the office. Both Snape and McGonagall were here too, along with-
"Remus? P-Padfoot?" Concerned now, Violet took an urgent step forward. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" There was no way nothing was wrong. They wouldn't be risking Sirius' safety for a social call, after all.
"Everything's alright," said Remus quickly, looking like he was trying to reassure her. It wasn't working though.
"All will be explained in a moment, my dear," said Dumbledore with a smile. He flicked his wand, and Violet felt a flicker of magic pass over her shoulder.
The door shut behind her, and as soon as it did, Padfoot turned back into Sirius. Dumbledore must have cast some kind of ward on the door to make sure no one could get in and see her godfather, Violet figured. But when Sirius pulled her into a tight hug, she ended up pulling away, her eyes narrowed. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong. They practically reeked of guilt.
McGonagall stood nearby, her brow pinched in concern as she watched them, and Dumbledore wasn't much better. Only Snape looked as impassive as always, although Violet's attention was quickly drawn to the snake draped over his shoulders. Weird.
The snake seemed to realize it was being observed though, because it lifted its head off Snape's shoulder, revealing red eyes. "Your staring is rude," it said bluntly.
Violet blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said automatically. "I didn't mean to stare at you like that. I just didn't expect to see you here."
The snake raised its (his, Violet guessed) head further, looking at her properly now. "A Speaker?" he said with some surprise. He made a hiss of what Violet could only describe as contemplation. "You may touch me if you wish."
Despite having been given the snake's permission, Violet didn't want to just go ahead and start petting him without making sure Snape was fine with it too. She really didn't want to end the term with detention. "Can I pet him?"
Snape looked down at her expressionlessly. "Did he say you can?" When she nodded, he inclined his head. "Then you may."
Violet was a little surprised. Didn't Snape suspect her of lying? It wasn't like he could understand Parseltongue. Then again, maybe he had enough faith in her to not touch a snake that didn't want to be touched.
Maybe.
But pet the snake she did, enjoying the feel of the smooth scales under her fingertips. She'd never touched a snake before, not properly, at least, and certainly not one that wasn't trying to kill her.
"What's your name?" she asked the snake. "My name's Violet."
"I am called…Thanatos."
Violet wasn't sure if she'd been expecting that or not. She'd come across the name in a book once, so she knew what it meant, but she still didn't know if she should have expected it. Instead, she looked up at Snape with an amused grin. "Thanatos? You named him after death?"
Snape only smirked, amusement flashing through his eyes. He didn't say anything, which wasn't that surprising. Or maybe it was. Had she ever managed to be in a room with Snape for this long without losing House Points or getting detention?
"The old man looks uncomfortable," said Thanatos suddenly.
Violet looked over her shoulder and saw that the snake was right. Dumbledore did look uncomfortable, and he wasn't the only one. McGonagall looked uncomfortable too, and so did Sirius, though he, at least, was trying to hide it, from what she could tell. Only Remus and Snape didn't seem bothered.
Violet nearly rolled her eyes. This was why she was always so hesitant to speak Parseltongue. It was just a foreign language, wasn't it? What did it matter that one unpleasant person could also speak it? Why did that rule apply to Parseltongue but no other language?
Because it was stupid.
"So, what's going on?" asked Violet, finally deciding to question why she'd been called up here. "Does this have something to do with Voldemort?" Even though she asked it, she already knew it was a dumb question. The answer was obvious, wasn't it? They wouldn't have involved her in the situation if it didn't have anything to do with Voldemort. She knew that all too well.
"It does, yes," said Dumbledore with a nod, "but it is not necessarily bad."
Violet's guard went up instantly. It wasn't Dumbledore's words that made her cautious, but rather, the tone of his voice. Although, the words were suspicious too. 'Voldemort' and 'not bad' weren't words she'd ever thought could go together in the same sentence.
"I attended a very interesting meeting at the Ministry earlier today," said Dumbledore. He took off his half-moon spectacles, whispered a spell, and then put them back on. "Cornelius and Tom attended this meeting as well."
Hearing Fudge's name wasn't surprising, considering he was the Minister. It was the second name that caught Violet's attention. "Tom? As in Tom Riddle? As-as in Voldemort?" Because the only other Tom she knew was Tom the innkeeper, and why would he be meeting with Fudge and Dumbledore-why would she be getting told about it too?
"Yes, I do indeed mean Lord Voldemort."
"You had a meeting with Fudge and Voldemort?" Violet questioned incredulously.
"I did, yes, and I can hardly describe how fascinating this meeting was," said Dumbledore with a genial smile.
Violet frowned. He was making it sound like they were talking about something as casual as the weather. "Why? Sir," she added quickly.
"Tom has decided to offer us a peace treaty."
Violet stared, confused. "A peace treaty? But-but why?" Voldemort didn't seem like the type of guy who actually wanted peace. Maybe he would lie about it, sure, but offering one for real? It was too weird to even consider.
"Both sides in this war are in full agreement with this treaty," said Dumbledore, choosing to ignore her question. Violet wasn't surprised.
"There's a catch though, isn't there, sir?" she asked. Wasn't there always? Uncle Vernon was always going on about those kinds of things. Catches and loopholes and things like that. Violet had never paid him much attention, but she was starting to wish she had.
"There is a catch, yes," Dumbledore confirmed, "if that is how you choose to view it. There is one thing Tom is asking for that we must first discuss with you."
Violet was starting to get an awful feeling, dread settling over her like an uncomfortably heavy blanket. It was making her a bit queasy. "Wh-what's he asking for?" she asked hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know.
"He wants you."
When Violet only continued to stare in confusion, McGonagall seemed to take pity on her and said, "He has asked for your hand in-in marriage."
For a second, Violet wondered if she was about to faint. Her mind went blank, her vision went hazy, and her knees went weak. She didn't even notice she was falling until Remus sprang forward and caught her around the waist, hauling her back up against him and helping her into one of the chairs at the Headmaster's desk.
Remus stayed at her side but didn't touch her, likely unsure if she was alright being touched. Sirius moved to stand behind the chair and set his hands on her shoulders. Violet didn't shrug him off, so they took that as a good sign, even if she hadn't said anything yet.
There was a long silence, all eyes on Violet, who was staring at the floor with a pinch in her brow. Eventually, a few long minutes later, she looked back up. "What if I say no?"
"Then the peace treaty will go unsigned and the war will continue," said Dumbledore without preamble or hesitation.
"Which means the war will end if I agree?"
"Yes."
Way to be blunt. Violet wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. Marrying Voldemort would end the war, not marrying him would continue the war. The choice she had to make was already obvious, wasn't it? Am I never going to get to have a normal life…?
"You still have time to decide," said Dumbledore, eyes soft. "Until your birthday, in fact, though I expect you to come to me with your thoughts on the matter after the Parting Feast."
Violet just nodded. She felt like she was in shock, unable to believe the decision that had, ultimately, already been made for her. The two choices she'd been given weren't choices at all. Not really. "If that's all, can I be excused?" she asked after a couple of minutes.
McGonagall answered before Dumbledore could, looking saddened. "Of course you may. Go on and-and enjoy the sunshine."
Violet hurriedly left the round office on shaky legs, ignoring everyone she'd left behind. She wasted no time and quickly made her way back down through the castle and outside to the large tree by the lake where she'd left her friends. To her immense relief, they were all still there, Ginny included.
They gathered closer to the tree when they saw her approaching, but the second she joined them, her knees gave out again and she crumpled to the grass. She tried to tell them what happened, but the words only caught in her throat.
"What happened?" asked Hermione worriedly, checking Violet for a fever.
"I'm not sick," Violet mumbled, shrugging Hermione's hand off of her. "I just…got some really bad news."
"Is everyone okay?" asked Neville, his brow furrowed.
"Everyone's fine. No one's hurt or anything. It's just…" Violet took a deep, slightly shaky breath, trying to figure out how she was supposed to say this. Should she try to sugarcoat it? Or was it better to be blunt? No, knowing her friends, blunt was probably the best way to go.
"Dumbledore said he met with Fudge and Voldemort, and that Voldemort proposed a peace treaty, and that one of the clauses on that treaty is that Voldemort wants me to marry him." She said it all in one breath and then exhaled shakily, glad to have managed to get the words out.
Unsurprisingly, Ron was the first one to react. "What!? Why!?" His eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. He wasn't the only one feeling that way.
Still, Violet only shrugged. "I have no idea, but apparently, if I marry him, the war ends. He won't sign the treaty if I don't."
Hermione released a horrified gasp. "They can't be serious! That's appalling! They can't hinge the end of the war on something like that!"
"But they are."
"There's no way they can agree with this though!" said Ginny angrily.
"They didn't say they didn't."
"I don't understand," said Luna with a frown. "Why would they be okay with this?"
"Everyone wants the war to end," said Violet quietly, tugging at some of the grass under her. "I can't really blame them for that. It's not like we don't want it to end either."
"I know what you're thinking," said Neville abruptly. The confusion had left his face and he was looking at her intently. "We all know what you're going to choose to do, but do you have any time to think about it?"
"He said my birthday, but that he also wants to hear something from me after the Parting Feast, so it won't be much time."
Neville nodded. "If V-Voldemort's serious about this, then have you considered asking to meet him for negotiations?"
"That's right!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "The marriage clause can't possibly be the only thing on the treaty! You need to find out what else they're agreeing on aside from this, and see if you can make any suggestions yourself."
"And there are all sorts of marriage contracts out there," said Ron. "Some of them are definitely better than others, so you can try to find out which one he wants to use. Then we-and by we, I mean Hermione, can look it up and see if it's any good for you."
Ginny nodded in agreement. "There aren't any laws against you proposing a contract yourself," she said. "He might not agree to it, but he shouldn't flat-out ignore it either. I mean, depending on what exactly he's after, I guess."
"I can ask daddy which contract he and mum used," said Luna.
Violet only nodded, unwilling to deny any help being given to her. It didn't seem like any of the adults were particularly willing to help her.
And as the sun started to set around them, the group huddled close together under the large tree and discussed the peace treaty, the marriage contract, what the adults were thinking, and what Voldemort was planning.
Violet had never been more glad to have her friends on her side.