"So" started an irate Lily Potter. "Not only marriage contracts exist in the wizarding world, but you actually are thinking about putting our son in one!"
Lily's death stare was quite infamous, normally making James and Sirius quiver within a couple seconds. If the redhaired witch was angry enough, Remus and Peter would also avoid her piercing green gaze. The fact that James not only did not coward but defiantly stood her ground managed to calm her a bit. There weren't many times that forced her husband to be serious, but the ones that managed were usually worth the attention.
"Lils, you know why I did it." James sunk in his chair, the weight of responsibility actively hurting him. "I don't know if I will live this war love, not with the great wanker himself focused in Harry."
Lily inhaled sharply. Her fears were quite similar, but neither she nor James had ever voiced said fears before.
"I want him to live. Even if I don't. Even if you don't my love." James clenched his hands. "He needs a backup in case we miss. In case we fall."
"Sirius" started Lily, before being interrupted by James.
"Sirius is in as much danger as we are, if not more. I have complete trust in him, but he is as reckless as one can get, and if we go with Albus idea he will be our secret keeper. If we fall love, Sirius could have fallen earlier"
The witch remained silent, pondering James words. She was about to continue her interrogation when the floo alarm sounded, and the young wizard quickly went to receive their visitors.
Stepping out of the fire was a true vision of beauty. Tall and blonde, the woman was the epitome of elegance, similar to all the pure-blooded bitches Lily had met before, but unlike those, this woman had a completely different kind of superiority. While some arrogant pureblood snobs believed to be superior, this woman knew she was better than the common witch, both in magic and in beauty. It was unnerving.
Compared to her, the man looked plain. He was objectively handsome, and had powerful shoulders, but compared to his companion he looked unremarkable, clearly not as one imagined the French chief Auror.
A couple minutes passed in polite small talk, before Apolline, as Lily had learned her name was, addressed her directly. "I assume that this whole subject it's a bit…" the woman clicked her tongue a bit, trying to catch the correct word. "Bizarre?" she asked, looking towards James, who nodded. "Oui, bizarre is the word I believe."
The redhead sighed, not really knowing what to apport to the discussion, not with the other three clearly in the same page about the contract. Lily shuddered, deciding that the other mother would probably understand her better. "Why? Why are you denying your own child the right to choose? To fell in love"
Apolline reclined back, not taking her eyes away from Lily. After a moment, the Frenchwoman asked. "What do you know about veelas, Lady Potter?"
Lily cringed a bit, as neither she nor James were used to their technically adequate titles. "Not much. A vast majority of the literature is either vague or contradictory, and being a muggleborn myself I have learned to identify and avoid biased books."
The other woman relaxed slightly, clearly pleased about Lily's answer. However, it took her a couple of minutes before she continued her point. "Being a veela is not easy, my dear. Half of the men will turn into a mess just by your looks, while the other half will be only mildly affected. From those, there are ones who will try to court the veela just to claim her, as if my people were trophies to reinforce their weak sense of self." It was clear that this was a sore spot for Apolline, and neither of the presents wanted to interrupt. "They will try to pretend they are not, of course, saying that they are not like other man." She chuckled. "And when the one who isn't pretending appear, you will try to push him away, tired of the lies and broken hearts."
The know revealed veela looked at the Potters, tears shining in her eyes. "I will protect my flower from that. She will have a friend growing up, knowing that they will marry. They will have time to develop trust and to fall in love with each other." Sobering up, the woman straightened herself. "Just like you, I want to protect my child".
Lily stared at the floor, now understanding to a degree the other motivations to sign this kind of agreement. In normal circumstances, she would have stood her terrain and refuse, knowing that the only thing that prevented the three from signing was her. However, the idea of an orphaned Harry, without her or James, or Sirius for that matter was breaking her heart in more ways that she thought possible.
"I want them to have a way out".
Lily raised her head to see what did the other think about her condition. James looked confused while the Frenchs were looking curious. She expanded. "If they don't love each other, if your strategy doesn't work, they deserve to have a way out of a loveless marriage."
Apolline nodded as Sebastian interjected for the first time in the conversation. "According to French magical tradition the official courting shall began as soon as Fleur turns fifteen, marriage officialised in her eighteenth birthday. If after one year they feel like they don't see each other that way, they could cancel in a time period around her sixteenth birthday."
That was surprisingly acceptable, for the circumstances of the signing at least. Gifts were exchanged as James offered them a couple of silk gloves, charmed with some fitting enchantments to last the growing girl a couple of years. The Delacour's gift however, was less traditional.
"It's an overpowered portkey, sort of speak." explained the auror. "In an emergency, a big outburst of magic, like the remnants of a ritual or the collapsing of some wards can power the collar through any anti-apparition wards, directly to a room in our home." Shifting uneasily he concluded "You just need to decide what exactly are you going to tie the activation, as it requires an specific trigger to work"
James and Lily exchanged looks, before he said in a thin voice. "Lily's life"
The other couple embraced the Potters, saddened of the kind of choices the young couple was forced to make. Lily, however, was calmer than she had been in a while. If she failed to protect her son, he was still going to be safe. That was all that mattered.
October 31st, 1981
A small flute playing the beginning of God Save the Queen was calm enough to not trigger panic, but so out of place in Delacour Manor to avoid confounding it with something else. The collar had worked. Both Apolline and Sebastian rushed to the second room to the left, right next to Fleurs, just to find a slightly confused baby, peering everything with his big eyes. Silently, the Delacours mourned the brave witch they had learned to appreciate, now knowing her fate.
In a cracked voice, Sabastian said. "I will check in the morning with my contacts in England. Maybe James made it."
They both knew that James Potter would have died before letting anyone came even close to hurting Lily, so that hope was as slim as it can get. However, neither of them voiced it. Hope died last, or so they say.
"Is it him?" asked a small voice from the door.
Despite the repeat warning Apolline and her mother had given him, it was still eerie for Sebastian to look at her own daughter. Bird ascendance in veela translated in more that cool fire and powerful wings and sharp beaks. Veelas were skinny at born. Like chicklets, they were incredibly fragile in their early years, with bony arms and legs and weak control over their fire magic. Even at four, Fleur was still slimer that most children, although not as much as a couple of months early.
"Yes, my love." Answered a teary Apolline, carrying Fleur so she could have a look. Blue eyes stared at green; curiosity mirrored in the two. After a minute, the little Fleur smiled. "I like tulips".
Despite everything, her parents laughed. "It's a bit soon for him to know what to gift you my dear" chided Apolline with a smile. "Wait a couple years".
"Can I carry him?"
"Maybe in the morning young lady. Now you have to sleep".
As the females left, Sebastien remained to look the raven-haired boy as he started to drift into sleep, those unnervingly expressive eyes closing.
"We will take care of him" bowed the Frenchman to air. And to magic. And to that brief friendship a madman had severed. He left towards the kitchen, intending to notify the elves about the new requirements breakfast will need. He had a feeling that Dix was going to be over the moon at the prospect of a new baby to raise.
AN1: Hello. Welcome to my frenzy update schedule, in which I publish 5 different things one night and then procrastinate for weeks.
AN2: You can perfectly assume that the French people (and Harry and Fleur for that matter) speak to each other in French.
AN3: I took a page out of Novocaine, by StardustWarrior2991 (/13022013) by having silk gloves being the first courting gift. If it has a deeper origin, its unknown to me. In case its not clear, this counts as a recommendation.