The Wife of the Emperor

On April 25th, in the tenth year of Voldemort's rule, the Dark Lord fell, slain by Harry Potter himself, in an attack that some thought would never come. Since the discovery of the prophecy, many had hoped that the end of the two would follow soon, at the battle that had reduced Hogwarts to ruins. When the smoke settled and the survivors found, both were left standing. This victory of sorts had encouraged Voldemort to take over the Wizarding world as Emperor. For the years following, the slowly diminishing Order of the Phoenix struggled to end his rule with the help of Aurors who had managed to escape the slaughter of the Ministry of Magic.

His death did not mean freedom from a dark ruler. Evil and arrogant he may have been, Voldemort knew there was a small chance of his fall at the hands of the Boy Who Lived, the young wizard having shown great strength in their climatic duel at Hogwarts. Therefore, Voldemore had claimed a successor from his ranks.

Since the age of seventeen, Draco Malfoy had been secretly prepared for the time when Voldemort would die and the young Malfoy would resume rule as Emperor. On the eve before Voldemort's planned attack on the Muggle World, before Voldemort's death, the Emperor revealed a secret to the young man. Harry Potter was not the only one to be born under a prophecy. While in Albania, Voldemort discovered an old volume full of dark magic. In it was the tale of a prophecy that was made, long ago in a small Wizard village in France. The husband to an old seer recorded her gravelling telling of a dark ruler with ice in his eyes and the horrific destruction of the Wizarding world if he did not join in marriage with a pure-blooded witch, wealthy and "a head of fire".

That left only one woman.

Virginia Weasley was the least likely person in any magical person's mind to marry Draco Malfoy. Even he did not believe Voldemort when he retold the prophecy, its description of the witch too convenient. Or inconvenient, as the case was to him. He had even done what most of his followers dared not, argued. He told the Dark Lord he would marry Pansy Parkinson, to hell with the prophecy. Voldemort, uncharacteristically patient, explained that prophecies could not be challenged, and if he wanted to remain living, he would do as he instructed. Voldemort made sure that the youngest Weasely fit the prophecy perfectly, sparing her father's life and giving them a large sum each month to allow their daughter to attend protocol lessons. Voldemort had always admired the courts of medieval England, and had created his in such a fashion. Most young witches and wizards knew nothing of behaving in court, and both his young protégés attended lessons, separately, of course, and in secret. Voldemort had changed the lives of the entire Weasley family to ensure the future marriage seem plausible to the eyes of his followers, not wanting suspicions to rise about his feelings towards the lower class of pure blooded wizards.

Bill Weasley had become the heir to Gringotts after Voldemort destroyed the goblins who greatly opposed his rule. Bill then married Fleur Delacour and they stored their fortune, (along with the rest of the his family) in the best-kept secret vault in the entire bank. So secret, that only Bill was allowed to withdraw Sickles and Knuts from it.

Charlie Weasley was made President and founder of the Norwegian Ridgeback Salvation Foundation, and his wife was the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures before Voldemort's slaughter, though she too was saved, having married Charlie a year before. All of her brothers married wealthy, something Voldemort made sure of.

Percy, after a teary reconciliation, became his father's personal assistant, and the twins owned a large chain of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, their joke shop which had gotten quite successful over the years.

Ron's marriage to Hermione was the most expected, and not without the pile of Galleons. Hermione had become the joint Prime Minister of Britain and Minister of Magic. When Voldemort took over, she remained Prime Minister and made sure with the help of the Order that her work in keeping the Muggles oblivious continued. What they lacked in surprise, they made up with rapid reproduction. They had been married for seven years and baby number five was due in the winter.

Virginia was the school nurse's aid before the battle, but turned down Dumbledore's offer of returning as the school nurse to focus on her failing relationship to Harry Potter, though no one but she realized its crumbling. She had been engaged to Harry since just before the beginning of Voldemort's official rule as Emperor, and before that she was forced into marriage with Colin Creevey at age fifteen. Their parents were afraid the war would kill them all and they weren't dying without grandchildren. The two annulled the marriage secretly, though it became public six months after Harry proposed.

After the end of Ginny's hero-worshiping of Harry, they became close friends. Their friendship grew stronger when Ron and Hermione began to date. The two prefects were disgustingly deep in love and made Harry feel very much like the third wheel. Virginia took him in as her friend, empathizing with his feelings and the two grew as close as they could, though there was one secret she did not reveal to him. One secret she left festering in her heart for ten years. She had hoped that once Voldemort was dead, she could bury that secret with him, but Draco's coronation as the new Emperor made that impossible. She had sick feeling that the lessons she had been taking under the protection of shadows and lies with Voldemort were about to pay off.