The price of debt

By: yours truly, Hellish

Author's Notes: Another fanfiction by me brought to you by pure boredom and elongated vacation days. I did this after I edited the first chapter of PAHMP; editing my thirteen year old work got me really bored so I worked on something new instead. Before I begin, this fanfiction does not really follow what the previous 6 books have been all about but there will be bits and pieces of that and it may contain some spoilers(mainly book 6), I may have altered some events so you would want to be careful with that too. Take it easy with the reviews as I really hate flames, constructive criticism is another thing and is absolutely acceptable. Anyway, "The price of debt" is inspired by a book I read, kudos to the one who can guess. Anyway, here goes nothing…

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing besides this pathetic beat down PC, but thankfully is functional,p teehee! I'm kidding. You probably get my drift now, so again dear guys I do not own Harry Potter, just a few minor characters and of course, this story's plot.

Summary: To escape debts and death threats, Lucius marries his own son to Hermione Jane Callisto, the daughter of the richest man in the wizarding world. A pact was made that neither Draco nor Hermione can breach much less, get a divorce. Will the marriage work? Or will it prove to be a mistake the two senile old men just thought of.

PROLOGUE

Lucius sat in his plush chair, his surroundings appealing only to the money left in his bank account in Gringotts.

The air surrounding the vast and elaborate room was cool and humid but that didn't prevent Lucius Malfoy from sweating profusely as he stared at the piling papers, debts and death threats before him.

For the past fifty years of his life, he had been rich, no… not just plainly affluent and rich, he was handsomely and incredibly rich and he was most sought after by most women including his lovely yet treacherous wife who left him with words saying, "I need to look for a better life than the one you provided me"

She was probably off to her sister Bellatrix Lestrange, but Lucius didn't have any interest in collecting her back, not when all she really wanted from him is the money from his pocket.

She was a gold digger, that was what she was but that didn't stop him from being besotted by her charms, as cold and as unfeeling as he was, he actually found himself ensnared by her beauty no matter how much of a cynic he claimed to be.

He shrugged the thought off; he need not worry about his treacherous wife whilst piling debts were in front of him.

He sighed unhappily, his long hair was a mess, Azkaban has indeed destroyed him and now he was left with nothing more than a son who still thought he was handsomely rich and a manor which would soon be taken away from him if he didn't pay his debts soon.

He once again drifted back into the thoughts wherein he could easily manipulate people into following him. He was once respected and well feared, but after landing in Azkaban, he became a bum, once handsome now ugly, once rich now poor and once young now old.

He hated the life, but with the dark lord gone, he had nothing left except the manor and the things inside it but, he didn't want to sell them as the ministry would discover his other illicit misdoings and charge him exorbitantly again.

He wouldn't have that.

Lucius pondered that if it wasn't for the dark lord's fall, he would have still been rich but no, he had been finally defeated by the mudblood lover and supreme Dumbledore's boy, Harry Potter.

After the dark lord's downfall, the ministry took over Azkaban as the dementors fled and placed a heavy fat bail on Lucius head, wanting the life of freedom, he risked it all and cleaned out most of his money from Gringotts and engaged in debts he knew he couldn't repay.

His enormous fortune didn't suffice for the greedy officials, saying that they needed his gold for the repair of the old ministry office and since he was one of the people involved in defacing it he was charged with a very heavy price.

And with prices too heavy to attain, he engaged himself in risky debts, debts he knew he could never repay.

His freedom certainly was something too extravagant to even hope for, for when he got of Azkaban a pile of death threats and debts greeted him first.

And those were long due.

He wiped the sweat on his forehead as he read another death threat, personally this kind of matter didn't use to trouble him but now with the dark lord gone and with his increasing debts, and he had no alterative.

He thought of reporting to the ministry but as he began to think of it deeply, he personally didn't trust the officials there, most especially if it was spearheaded by a vampire and right handed by a muggle loving fool, Arthur Weasley.

He wouldn't also want to reciprocate death threats with one of his own as he would most probably land in Azkaban again and get his arse in more trouble with no one vouching for him anymore.

No, they probably wouldn't sort this out.

He sighed in resignation and slumped back into the chair. He had never seen himself in a state so hopeless before.

In the vast office of expensive items and dark artifacts, he most certainly looked out of place as his hair was disheveled; his eyes bloodshot and his robes were unchanged.

He contradicted his past affluence merely by his indigent presence.

So there he was, no money, no wife but plenty of debts to risk his life into oblivion.

Draco wasn't helping the situation either, he was still engaging himself in gambling which he rarely won and lavish himself in the presence of expensive harlots and of course, have himself drowned in excessive vices.

Lucius should have told him about the situation, but he didn't have the heart to.

He lighted the furnace with his wand (which cost him a small fortune as the ministry snapped his wand into two before he landed on Azkaban) and buried his face in his hands.

This was hopeless; he had to hope for a miracle to happen in order to get himself out of this mess.

"Why so sad early in the evening, father? Come and have a whiskey with me" came a snide drawl from his doorway.

Leaning on its frame was his son, the epitome of every aristocrat in the wizarding world his stance was full of smug arrogance and his drawl dripped with vanity. He was holding a whiskey bottle on his hands with two snifters on the other.

Dressed in elegant black robes with silver edges, his hair slicked all the way back and a supercilious smirk, Draco Malfoy was very much in contrast to his bum of father

His father stared at him

Draco Malfoy certainly had no idea how poor they were.

Personally, Lucius didn't want him to know for he might end up like his bitch of a mother who ran off when Lucius had confessed, he only had Draco for now and he had every intention of keeping him.

He was after all, everything he has left.

Aside from the manor, the few items in it, his wand and of course his dignity and pride.

Even in the state of confusion and disarray, a Malfoy must not lose his pride.

Draco walked in to his father's study, taking purposeful strides as he went with the whiskey clutched on his hand.

When he finally took a seat, he smirked at his father

"You're looking quite off, father"

As if that wasn't quite obvious, with his father's gray hairs and clear wrinkles, he looked 15 years older than he originally is.

He was getting old after old.

Old and weak…

And poor

Lucius scowled at him, he didn't need to be reminded of that.

Draco poured him a whiskey and handed him a snifter and said, "So mother said she fancied a vacation"

'Vacation my arse, Cissy! What kind of excuse have you schemed up now, you good for nothing son of a bitch!"

Draco laughed sardonically, as if mocking their state.

Lucius cocked an eyebrow at Draco and was slightly thankful to his wife for lying to him, he didn't feel like telling Draco that they were broke.

"Your mother needed to unwind from all the stress she had the past days in getting me out of Azkaban"

Draco shrugged and took a long sip from his snifter, "I watched the men carry out two of our carriages and they said they were for sale, one had the family crest encrusted on it, now father, why would you sell one of our best carriages and of course one for my personal use?"

Lucius eyes rounded and he suddenly sputtered, "They were getting old and I had no use for them besides, I think one carriage is enough to suffice for the both of us"

Draco watched his flustered father with mild interest, he was going to enjoy this.

"Since when did you think about what is enough, father? You always taught me to get everything I want when I want it"

Lucius ignored the question, so Draco tried a new approach

"I also noticed some of the ministry officials getting the last of our house elves"

"I don't need unworthy and insolent servants in my house!" his father said indignantly

Draco inwardly smirked, he never saw his father so flustered, and he enjoyed just watching him about to go off any moment.

"I was thinking of purchasing a new broom, father, one for leisure riding and another for—"

"You will not!" Lucius said plainly

Draco grinned broadly and said, "I already did"

Lucius spat the whiskey on the papers before him and mildly spraying Draco who was patting off the spray his father had directed on him.

He just didn't do that! What little fortune he had left in his bank was cleaned out by his good for nothing spoiled son!

"To hell you did, Draco Malfoy—"

Draco was about to laugh at that moment but he said calmly twirling his wand about in his fingers, "So dear father, when are you going to tell me that we are indeed broke?"

His father stared at him, not believing what his son just said, and without a coherent train of thought he stuttered, "Whha—what!"

Draco smirked, "We're broke, right?"

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"You underestimate your own son, Lucius. Personally, I am not too daft as not to realize what the hell is happening around this manor"

"Since when did you know?"

"Since mother left, I didn't buy that bull about her having a vacation though, seeing as she packed most of her things and she packed your precious dark artifact that looked like a vase by the way"

Lucius ignored Draco's last statement, so his son knew all along and he still engaged himself in all those lavish activities.

Lucius last nerve broke

He went really red and Draco couldn't discern if it was from the whiskey or from his anger, though it was very much undeniable that Draco was enjoying this, hiding his chortles beneath his stony façade

"What the hell were you thinking of? If you knew then---!"

Draco laughed as his father sprayed him with spit, if it were another situation he would certainly not enrage his father like this, but seeing as he was enjoying the situation plus given his father wouldn't exactly think he was mature enough to handle their situation, it was nice to have him flustered over something Draco intentionally did.

"Then if you knew, why engage in lavish exploits!"

Draco merely smirked, "Take it all while it lasts…."

That was it, Lucius felt like strangling his son to his death but he wouldn't that, not just yet. He had to discern where his son got his twisted principles while he was here receiving death threats a day.

"Have another whiskey, father it will help you calm down" Draco said in a snide tone, taking advantage of his father's anger as he poured him more whiskey

Lucius gave him a dark look and was suddenly startled at his son's carefree reaction to their situation.

"You're mighty happy about this" he commented

Draco had to laugh "Shit happens, deal with it"

Lucius scowled again, "You do realize that when this so called "shit" is over, you'll be left with no money, no father and no more lavish and wasteful life"

That seemed to wipe off Draco's grinning face but he fired back with another outrageous comment, "This is just a phase, father we'll come through it"

Lucius personally thought that either his son was too daft to understand or he was just not smart enough to know what broke really meant.

"Do you realize that every morning, I get pelted with owls all bearing the same incentive, for me to pay back or else risk getting killed?"

Draco smirked, "I figured that out when you no longer had any peaceful sleep and when you had that awful façade fit for a bum"

Lucius ignored that, "You do realize what we have to do then?"

"Of course, we just have to sell our stuff"

"And dishonor what our ancestors have rightfully given us? I thought you had more sense, Draco"

Draco shrugged and said, "Then respond with a death threat father, use me instead I have a clean record in the ministry as I have never been involved in…ah…illicit matters"

Lucius rolled his eyes, it was either Draco was not really getting it or he was trying not to.

"You do realize the heavy bail the ministry now imposes, and with your menial tactics it is easy for you to get caught"

Draco sighed, "So? What do you intend to do about it? Personally father, I think this would be all easy, I mean, I am after all an eligible bachelor and or course, half the witches or probably all of them are seeking for my proposal, broke or not"

His son's vanity didn't least perturb him, but the idea did...but so suddenly and so unintentionally, his son gave him a good idea that he considered it.

"Yes well, that might do" Lucius agreed

"I know, brilliant isn't it? Now all you have to do is to find me a very beautiful witch who has plenty of money and we are off to a rich life again, and I think I'm going to bed I have had too much whiskey for tonight"

And without another word, he stood up and left without taking the snifters and his bottle.

Lucius sighed, it was handy having Draco around, he might actually be the one who would save him from this life he was currently living.

He wiped off some of the whiskey that he spat on the papers on his desk and noticed a newspaper that was also sprayed with his whiskey, he held it up when he noticed a familiar name.

The front page was blatantly announcing "Don Gregory Callisto is proud to announce the eighteenth birthday of his only daughter who he was reunited with exactly a year ago (to see full story see page 7)

Lucius stared at the paper, since when did that dear old betraying chap have a daughter?

Unless…

No, it couldn't be…

It's impossible…

Lucius read the story in page 7 and discovered that Don Gregory his rich partner and affiliate before is now reunited with his daughter and he read on…

"….Hermione Jane Callisto formerly known as Hermione Jane Granger is now residing in the manor of his father and is going to celebrate her eighteenth birthday on September 17…"

Lucius reread the paper twice and like a lightning bolt, it struck him.

Here was the answer to all of his problems.

Don Gregory Callisto, his former partner and affiliate is without a doubt the richest man in the wizarding world next to him but after a conflict they both got involved in, they never spoke a word to each other.

This wasn't going to be easy, but with his illicit ways it would and of course, Don Gregory would have to concede for the sake of his daughter.

Lucius was now smirking, his night had a good turnout.

He read the article once more and stopped at the word "Hermione Jane Granger", it had a definite ring, he sure had heard that before.

And now that he thought about it, it was the mudblood best friend of Potter, but she was no longer a mudblood now, she in fact a half blood. And that made all of it fit.

Lucius vaguely remembered Draco hating this girl, but what has to be done has to be done.

So, in fact this little girl would be getting more than a birthday party on September 17, he will be giving her a wedding too.

Lucius smirked once more, everything was suddenly falling into place.

Okay, I hope that was a good start. I know the characters are very much out of character as the one in the books but I wanted to show a different angle of them, I rated this R for later chapters and I sincerely hope you wouldn't berate me for that.

Note: You may have noticed how I altered some details in the story and left some parts of it hanging, but most of it will be answered in the next chapter. ;p That is all! ;p