AN: To those who haven't noticed, I redid the first chapter so if you haven't read that, go back and do so before reading this one. I don't get why the website doesn't notify subscribers that a chapter in a story was update but there you go.

The Danger of Forging the Perfect Weapon

Chapter 2

-Daphne-

Looking up, Daphne saw her parents enter the sitting room where she sat with Astoria. "How bad?" she asked, knowing that if her father was upset enough to have a truly thunderous scowl as opposed to his usual calm reserve then something must be dreadfully wrong.

"Albus Dumbledore, it would seem, is playing God and trying to turn the young Heir Potter into a weapon." Her father, Daniel, seethed with rage, snapping his fingers with a specific tone as a house elf appeared with a drink, popping away when her father nodded gratefully to the little creature.

"And I found even more injuries that should have been handled or reported by Poppy Pomphrey." Her mother, Emma, had a matching expression to her husband.

"What are you talking about?" little Astoria asked confused, never having been one to wear the neutral mask like many Greengrasses did.

"You all heard how the young man spoke about his family yes?" her father asked them, "How he described his retaliation and didn't once seem concerned for what the force used? I asked more questions and did more digging. I'm no master legilimencer but I can tell when someone with no occlumency training is lying and the kid was as honest as could be. So, after the Death of Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore took the infant from any rightful magical guardians and dumped him with his maternal Aunt and Uncle who were known to despise magic in any form, including the young heir's mother."

"He disappeared within hours of the deaths of his parents." Emma spoke up, "And Sirius Black wasn't declared guilty until two days later so technically, as godfather, he still had primary custody."

"I don't have solid proof, but I have a strong theory based on what all we found." Daniel scowled into his drink, swirling it around before taking a sip, "It seems that Dumbledore used the Dursleys to deliberately abuse the boy. He wanted the boy to be malleable, to be so desperate for a savior that he would see the school, and by extension the Headmaster, as a figure that can do no wrong. Then we have the past four years the boy went through at Hogwarts. First year, the boy and his 'friends' went through a series of traps and challenges and fought a man possessed by Voldemort over what was supposedly the Philosopher's stone. Harry killed that man, your professor for Defense against the Dark Arts that year Daphne, to do so. This was done by Dumbledore to help break Harry from an aversion to killing when necessary early on. The Challenges were to test his dedication and resourcefulness. And then, of course, Dumbledore swoops in at the last moment to 'save the day', especially after other authority figures hadn't believed the young Heir."

"Was it really the philosopher's stone?" Daphne asked wide eyed.

"Of course not." Daniel snorts derisively, "Nicholas Flamell is French. Why in Merlin's name would the philosopher's stone be kept in a British Gringotts vault? Especially if it was needed to get the elixir or gold? Not to mention Nicholas is still alive according to a colleague of mine in France who knows the Flamells personally. The story Dumbledore told the Heir Potter was nothing but a fabrication to aid his manipulations."

"Is that all?" Astoria asked hopefully.

"Second year there was the Chamber of Secrets fiasco." Daniel continued, "Dumbledore allowed it to happen. There's no way the man couldn't figure out that the creature was a Basilisk. No twelve-year-old, no matter how smart, should be able to figure that out than a genius with over a century of practical knowledge in the field of magic. The man wanted to teach the Heir Potter more investigative scenarios, have him fight his first dangerous creature apart from a troll, and even got phoenix tears and basilisk venom mingled into the young heir's bloodstream."

"Why is that important?" Daphne looked confused.

"Phoenix tears and Basilisk venom are both powerful magical reagents." Her mother explained, "Basilisk venom has enough strength to eat through even Horcruxes," Daphne saw her father look thoughtful at that, but she wasn't sure why or what a Horcrux was "while Phoenix tears can heal almost anything. By having them fuse with the young heir, his healing has increased exponentially while he can access the poison with ease through his blood. Or he could have, had Dumbledore not bound certain parts of his magic."

"Then there was third year when Sirius Black escaped." Her father resumed his story, "Dumbledore wanted to teach the kid vengeance and harden him from fear and trauma using the Dementors. The minister couldn't authorize that many guards leaving the prison without the co-signature and agreement of the Chief Warlock. When Harry learned that his godfather was innocent, I'll explain later," Daniel promised when Daphne shot up in their seats at the mention of Sirius Black actually being innocent "Dumbledore used it as a chance to keep the Heir Potter in his favor."

"And last year?" Daphne was almost afraid to ask.

"Last year was the tri-wizard tournament. There was no way Dumbledore couldn't have used more security than an age line. Sweet Merlin, any younger student could have simply paid an older one to put their name in if they wanted! But that was a series of more tests for the Heir Potter to harden him up more for the upcoming fight."

"Not to mention I found several blocks on his magical power, on various magical abilities, and memories that were clearly inserted into the Heir Potter's mind and then blocked off." Emma frowned, "I would assume that Dumbledore intended to tell the young Heir that there was a ritual to gain power to defeat Voldemort when the old fool felt the war was ready to end. That much power and knowledge, if unsealed at once and without occlumency, would likely burn out the young man's mind and body within a year of doing so. The War ends, and Dumbledore doesn't have to share the spotlight."

"So what are we going to do?" Astoria looked outraged and ready to fight the world even if she was only twelve. Slytherin house she may be, but Daphne's little sister had the boldness of a Gryffindor.

"The lad needs help if he wants to survive this mess. And needs help and support to get past his mental state." Daniel spoke up, "Being raised as a weapon means he needs help learning to think for himself. I'm considering offering him a betrothal contract for you Daphne, and mentioned to him that I was considering such an offer." He glanced at her, making it clear he would want her to think about it and provide her opinion. Daphne nodded. She had always known she would be entered into a marriage contact but knew her father would do his best to find one that was at least acceptable to her while also benefiting the family.

"I will give you my opinion come morning father." Daphne promised, nodding to her family as she retired to her room to think on the matter.

-Harry-

Pacing about the bedroom they had provided to him, feeling safe in the fact that Daniel Greengrass had found and removed the tracking spells, Harry considered the matter regarding the potential marriage contract. "Do I want to marry Daphne?" he asked himself, still unsure about so much of the world.

Did he like her on a physical level? Of bloody course he did, like most every straight male at Hogwarts.

Did he love her? No. He thought she was polite, and they would likely be friends by now were it not for the Gryffindor Slytherin rivalry, but he didn't love her. He nowhere near knew her well enough for that. But still, Daniel's explanation for why the contract was being offered still stuck with him.

The tournament last year was changed to be meant for adults in the wizarding world. With how the ministry had forced him to enter, they had in effect made him a functional adult, according to the Lord Greengrass. It allowed him to drink and sign contracts in his own name but that was it, just enough to allow him to be able to enter and agree to the tournament. But should he get married, accepting a marriage contract with that partial freedom, then as the last of his line he would become fully emancipated and be able to have the freedom to fight back against both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"But I don't love her." He repeated to himself before pausing and going to his trunk, pulling out his potions book and flipping to a specific page. "But maybe I can find a way to." With that, he began reading up on love potions, a new matter to consider having entered his mental debate.