The Problem with Veela
(A/N: I'm alive! Sorry for the lack of content recently, I have no valid excuse. But here we are, chapter 6. Enjoy!)
Chapter Six: Sebastian's Search
Sebastian sighed, and slammed his desk drawer shut. He was worried. And his worry was caused by a certain teenager. Naturally he often worried about his daughters, however the subject of his concern was Harry Potter. Sebastian had scoured through numerous documents, trying to find anything that was linked to the boy. Nothing. Other than a birth certificate, and a few Gringotts documents, there was nothing about him. No school reports, medical forms, not even a train ticket. He was extremely stumped. It was as if the boy didn't exist. Obviously, he had not checked every document. There were many more that he could not access, not without permission from the British Ministry. He intended to go to London tomorrow and talk to an old friend. With their help, Sebastian hoped he would be able to dig into Harry's past. He looked out the window of his carriage's room and saw his daughter, along with the boy he had just been thinking about. His eyes followed the pair as they approached the door. He saw Harry say something, Fleur giggle and then watched as she pressed her lips to his. Sebastian stifled a laugh as the younger boy's eyes widened. The older wizard looked away swiftly as Fleur opened the door and marched into the carriage. Sebastian sat behind his desk and waited for her to come into his office. He didn't have to wait very long as his eldest daughter entered his quarters. He raised an eyebrow at her, with a smirk on his face. Fleur giggled before rolling her eyes and going to her room to be with her sister. Sebastian's smirk faded as he saw the boy walk back to the castle. He had suddenly noticed the paternal feeling he had for the boy. It was odd, considering he hadn't known him for very long at all, and the last time they had spoken Harry had stormed off.
"Maybe I should reach out to him." Thought the French wizard. He reopened his drawer, pulling out a scroll of parchment and a quill. He dipped the tip into an ink pot and leaned over the page. No words came to him. A singular drop of ink fell onto the paper, leaving a dark blot. Sebastian sighed, and put away the parchment. He was too tired to think. The French wizard slipped into a light slumber as darkness descended over the grounds.
"Ah, Monsieur Delacour. What can I do for you?" Came the booming voice of Amelia Bones. Sebastian stepped out of the fireplace and brushed a small amount of soot from his shoulder. He bowed slightly at Madam Bones, before smiling at her, which she returned. Ever since their escapade in Calais which involved two wizards trying to smuggle French Bowtruckles into Britain, Sebastian and Amelia had become good friends.
"Come on now Amelia, you know how I hate these formalities."
Madam Bones surveyed him over her desk. She chuckled softly.
"Very well, Sebastian," She said, emphasising his name, "What do you want?"
Sebastian's grin slipped off of his face.
"Harry Potter." He replied.
Madam Bones blinked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I want to see everything you have on the boy." Explained Sebastian.
"May I ask why?" Inquired Amelia.
Sebastian launched into how Harry had saved Fleur and this had initiated a life debt. Amelia scoffed at that, she had always hated the concept of a life debt. Sebastian agreed, shaking his head softly.
"I concur entirely, however if it is necessary for my daughter to survive, I will gladly accept the boy into my family. I simply want to see his earlier records. You have access to them, correct?" He said, getting back to the manner at hand. Madam Bones nodded, and stood up.
"Follow me." She commanded. Sebastian obeyed.
The pair walked through the Ministry, passing hundreds of wizards and witches. Sebastian suppressed a grin at a bearded wizard who was trying to control a fire breathing teacup. Flames and long hair did not often mix well. A tall red headed wizard rushed over to the bearded man as he had set his facial hair alight again. Amelia caught his eye and the two of them laughed subtly. They carried on through the vast corridors until they reached the records department. Madam Bones pushed open the door and stepped inside, Sebastian close behind. His jaw fell open as he looked at the sheer size of the room. There were millions of cabinets running all along the walls, which went on for a huge distance thanks to size compression enchantments. Hundreds of house elfs ran to and from various drawers, popping out to deliver the requested files. Madam Bones beckoned to one. It hurried over, large green eyes looking up at the witch.
"Could you please get us everything you have about Harry Potter?" She asked.
"Of course, one moment please!" Squeaked the elf enthusiastically before disappearing. She popped back with a small file.
"Here it is Madam. Have a good day now." And with that the elf hurried off. Sebastian looked at the thin folder in Amelia's hand.
"Surely this cannot be it? He's only the most famous wizard in magical Britain."
Amelia nodded, her face grim. She passed the documents to Sebastian who took them gratefully.
"Merci Amelia, I will get these back to you as quickly as I can." Said the French wizard. Madame Bones nodded.
"I think that there is something fishy about all this." She said, "Let me know if you find anything."
"I will."
Sebastian turned on his heel, and hurried out the door. His mind was racing. He needed to get back and look through all the papers. Maybe then he would be able to pull all the pieces together.
Sebastian sat at his desk, his weary head resting on one of his hands propped up on the table. He had spent the last hour and a half reading through all of Potter's documents twice. Yet his search had yielded nothing except a few medical records of vaccinations and a birth certificate. He groaned and leaned back in his chair. Why couldn't this be simple? Why did Fleur have to be forced to marry him by some bizarre ancient magic. Occasionally, Sebastian wondered what the world would be like without old magic dictating how modern wizard society acts. No more blood wars and prejudice towards Muggle-borns, fewer arranged marriages through magic, less worry about Unbreakable Vows and swearing people to things.
"I should take a holiday." The wizard said to himself. However, he turned back to the sheets of paper that lay in front of him. Picking up one and examining it closely, he saw something that could assist him in his quest for knowledge about the boy who would become his son in law. A simple letter to 4 Privet Drive from no other than Albus Dumbledore. Sebastian scanned it, noting that it mentioned Harry, he saved the address into his memory to use later. For now, it was too late to go out adventuring. The French wizard glanced at his watch, which read: 11:45 PM. Getting up, he lazily flicked his wand at the sofa in his room which turned into a bed. Sebastian flopped down onto the mattress and closed his eyes. Yet he tossed and turned and could not sleep. His mind kept wandering between Fleur and Harry, about who he is, where he's come from, all his history. Sebastian began to fret slightly, what if Harry had a long history of violence?
'No, that's ridiculous' he thought, 'you're being paranoid.'
Now satisfied with his own thoughts, he rolled over and fell asleep, his watch now reading 12:37.
Sebastian was woken the next day by golden sunshine slipping through a crack in the curtains. He blinked and groggily stood up. Crossing over to his desk, the Frenchman straightened out all of his clothe and dry cleaned them with a simply spell before he put them on.
'Right,' he thought, 'to Privet Drive.' And he marched to the door and strode out of the powder blue carriage. As Sebastian crossed the dew-soaked lawns, he looked up at Gryffindor Tower to see Harry Potter standing in the window. The teenager waved at him hesitantly. Sebastian smiled and waved back, before turning and continuing on his way. 'He's a good boy.' He thought, 'let's find out what's happened to him.' Reaching the gate, Sebastian tried to open it. But he could not. Suddenly, with a loud crack, Professor Dumbledore and a house-elf were standing next to him.
"Oh, it's only you Sebastian." Dumbledore said.
"Yes. It's only me. Could you unlock the gate please?" Replied the French wizard. Albus nodded and raised his wand, muttered something, and lowered it again. The gate shimmered slightly before returning to its usual dull grey colour.
"Merci." Said Sebastian, and pulled the gate open with a creak.
"Where are you off to? If you don't mind me asking." Said the older wizard.
Sebastian sighed in his head, he knew the old goat would ask.
"I'm just returning to France for a few days. Only so much you can write in a letter." He lied quickly.
Dumbledore seemed satisfied with his answer and his grandfatherly smile returned to his face.
"Well then, give my regards to Apolline." Said the headmaster. Sebastian nodded at him with a small smile, before apparating away. Dumbledore looked down at the house elf to his left.
"Follow him."
Harry Potter was rudely awoken by Dean Thomas swearing loudly at his chess pieces. Ron was sitting opposite Dean, grinning, evidently pleased with himself having won the game.
"Hey.. shut it." Said Harry groggily. The other two boys laughed, as did Neville who was getting dressed. Harry responded by chucking one of his pillows at Ron, sending him sprawling off his chair. He hit the floor with a thud, which knocked the wind out of him. The boys laughed harder. Harry grabbed his glasses and shoved them onto his face. He threw off the covers and got out of bed.
"Do any of you know how to properly draw curtains?" The black haired boy asked, gesturing towards the red and gold drapes around the window frame. They were half open, flooding the room in golden light and making it difficult for Harry's eyes to focus.
"Hey, it's not our fault." Protested Dean, "It's 9 o'clock, of course the suns gonna come out." Harry rolled his eyes and crossed over to the window. He pulled the curtains open fully and stared out the window. Looking down, he saw Sebastian Delacour striding across the lawns. Harry waved at him, which the older wizard returned. The teenager watched him walk to the gates until Ron grabbed his attention with the offer of breakfast.
The pair of them made their way out of their dormitory a couple of minutes later, Harry now dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans. They ran into Hermione in the common room and the three of them headed down to the Great Hall for a bite to eat. The trio sat down at the Gryffindor table next to the Weasley twins and Ron and Harry quickly helped themselves to stacks of toast and bacon. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes slightly, before turning back to her book.
"What? I'm hungry." Said both boys at the same time. Their bushy haired friend smiled at them both and kept reading.
A few minutes later, while Harry, Ron and the twins were in a heated debate about whether a certain play should be allowed in Quidditch, many male heads turned to the door, as Fleur Delacour had walked into the hall. She took her seat at the usual table, with the Ravenclaws, only to sit looking towards the Gryffindors, rather than away from them. She glanced over only to see Harry still arguing. Fleur moved her gaze to Hermione, who smiled at her, which the French witch returned. Harry hadn't clocked her yet, and Hermione decided to give him a hint, with a sharp jab to the ribs.
"Ow! What?" Exclaimed the boy. Hermione gestured with her spoon. "Ah." Said Harry. The pair of them flicked glances at each other all through breakfast, but neither looking at the same time. Finally, the pair locked eyes. Harry grinned and blushed pink slightly. Fleur stuck her tongue out at him in a joking way. The 14 year olds smile got wider, showing off his pearly whites. Harry grinned down at his bowl. Across the room Fleur blushed slightly. Seeing the effect she had on Harry without needing any allure warmed her heart slightly. Throughout the remainder of breakfast, the pair exchanged various looks at each other until Fleur had to go back to the Beauxbatons carriage. She waved at Harry as she left, which he returned. He watched her leave and then sighed. Hermione laughed right next to him.
"What now?" Asked the boy indignantly.
"You're so smitten!" replied Hermione.
Harry scoffed.
"No I'm not."
Hermione crossed her arms and looked at him. She could tell he was lying. Harry could also tell that she knew he was lying.
"Alright fine! Whatever." He admitted.
Hermione grinned and whacked him on the arm. Harry glanced around quickly, making sure that no one was around to hear.
"I'm going to tell her that I'll marry her today."
"WHAT?!" Shrieked Hermione.
"Sh sh sh sh!"
Hermione apologised profusely. Harry stood up and gestured to her to follow him. Ron was otherwise occupied with a large portion of eggs. They left him and walked out the Great Hall. Harry turned into an empty classroom and shut the door behind him.
"Harry! You're 14! You- but what?" Spluttered Hermione. Harry sat down and put his head in his hands. Hermione continued speaking and making noise.
"I know!" Snapped Harry. "I know. I know I'm young, I know it's unfair. But I can't let her die Herms! In a way I'm glad that this has made us talk. She's really funny and knows what it's like being stared at, and just- I can't."
Hermione looked at him, before sitting down next to her friend. Harry leaned on her shoulder as Hermione put her arm around him.
"It'll be okay Harry. It'll be okay."
Harry sniffed softly.
"Yeah I know."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both deep in thought. Harry's were mainly about Fleur, while Hermione's were about logistics and planning things.
"Well." Began Hermione, "If you're planning on proposing properly, it better be special. It can't just be "uh yeah I'm gonna marry you by the way." It has to be sincere."
Harry looked up, he hadn't thought about that.
"Ok then, where do you suggest?"
Hermione thought for a moment and then came up with a simple and straightforward answer.
"Astronomy tower, sunset."
"Sunset? Why so late?" Asked Harry, clearly out of his depth with this situation. Hermione sighed. Boys were so clueless sometimes.
"It's romantic? Plus if it goes well, you can look at the stars."
Harry whacked himself in the forehead. God he was stupid sometimes. He stood up, a plan beginning to form in his head. Yet he hit a small snag.
"I don't have a ring! Oh no! What am I gonna do?" He exclaimed to himself. "Wait, Hogsmeade has a jewellery store right?"
Hermione nodded. "Yup it's next to Zonkos. Obviously you wouldn't notice it."
"Well yeah, I go to Hogsmeade for Dungbombs not necklaces." Replied Harry snarkily. Hermione groaned and grabbed his arm.
"Come on then."
"Wait, now?"
"Yes now!" Replied his friend. Harry followed her out of the room and they went back to Gryffindor tower. After giving the password to the Fat Lady, Harry slipped upstairs to grab the Invisibility Cloak. He ran back downstairs with the cloak stuffed underneath a sweater. Just for good measure, he had grabbed the Marauders' Map as well. Harry didn't fancy explaining to Filch why he was sneaking into Hogsmeade for a ring. The two of them made their way to the statue of the one eyed witch and into the tunnel that led to Honeydukes' cellar. It was slightly damp in the tunnel and it was quite cramped but they got to Hogsmeade with no major problems.
Harry pushed the loose floorboard up slowly and quietly. He glanced around the room. No one was there. The two teens hauled themselves out of the tunnel, Hermione shaking off a few spiders and Harry removing some dirt from his trousers. They huddled under the Invisibility Cloak and continued on their way, careful to not make too much noise. Honeydukes was empty, as it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, so they had to be as silent as possible. Hermione shot a cracking curse at a nearby sweet jar, sending gobstoppers rolling around the shop, which provided an easy opportunity for the two of them to sneak out the door without being noticed.
"Right, this way." Whispered Hermione. Harry grinned.
"There's no one around, we can speak normally." He replied with a boyish smile. Hermione sighed loudly.
"It's called caution Harry, not something you'd know much about."
Harry laughed at that and they walked over towards Zonko's, as the jewellery store was right next to it. Someone was coming out of the door which Harry took as their cue. He sprinted forwards, almost ripping the cloak of Hermione who reacted fast enough to avoid it. Harry, with his lightning fast quidditch reactions, grabbed the door before it shut behind the person leaving. The pair of them slipped inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Harry pointed at a small sign which pointed them towards the ring section of the shop. Harry's eyes widened as he saw both the rings and their prices. From simple gold bands to giant emeralds, they seemed to have everything here. He looked over all the rings. A few caught his eye but none were quite right. Then, in the corner of his eye he spotted the perfect one. A slightly dull silver with a light blue gem in the center. It was the same shade as Fleur's eyes. Harry checked the price tag. He gaped at it.
"500 Galleons!?" He hissed at Hermione. She shrugged.
"That's relatively cheap." She whispered back.
"No it's not!" replied Harry, hotly. He scribbled a note on a bit of parchment and grabbed the ring. Pocketing it, Harry left the note and a few Galleons on the counter. The pair then scrambled their way out of the store and back to the castle. Meanwhile, back in the jewellers, the shopkeeper was reading over the note that had been left on the counter. It read:
Hello, I've taken the ring with the blue jewel. Take 500 Galleons out of this Gringotts account: 687
Thanks.
The manager had also read it and was equally as bewildered. Harry and Hermione hurried back down the tunnel, not wanting to be caught out by Filch or Snape, they checked the Marauders' Map. Snape was in his office while Filch was patrolling the first floor. They were safe. The two of them clambered out of the statue and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Giving the password to the Fat Lady, the portrait swung open and they walked inside to find Ron sitting in an armchair struggling over Herbology homework.
"Oh. There you guys are. I wondered where you'd gone. Glad you're back, you can help me." He said, rather cluelessly. Harry and Hermione caught each other's eye and laughed quietly,
"Alright Ron, I'll be right down. Just need to take a shower." Replied Harry. It was true, he was rather grimy after crawling around a damp earthy tunnel. He hopped up the stairs and put the ring box in his bedside drawer. He'd deal with that later. But first, a shower.
Crack!
Sebastian appeared by a small hedgerow in Surrey. He had made his way to Privet Drive and scoured for number 4. He spotted the house with some difficulty, as many of them looked exactly the same, with lawns and hedges pruned to perfection. He made his way over to the correct house, taking note of the large silver car in the driveway. Sebastian transfigured his robes into a black suit with a deep blue tie. He also cast an accent charm to hide his French sound when he spoke. Sebastian approached the door and rapped his knuckles on it rapidly. He watched a large, stout man waddle from the living room to the door. He pulled it open with a grunt. Vernon Dursley was not a pleasant sight to see. His large belly threatened to burst from his button shirt and his greying moustache twitched as he surveyed the man at his doorstep.
"What do you want?" He said, gruffly and rudely.
Sebastian smiled at the bulbous man before introducing himself.
"George Russell, social services." He said pleasantly while holding out a hand, "I'm here about Harry Potter."
Vernon's eyes widened. He pulled "George" inside and slammed the door behind him. Hastily, the Dursley patriarch ran to the window and stared out of it, his beady eyes darting this way and that. Once he was satisfied, Vernon returned to where Sebastian stood in the doorway.
"What's he done now? Am I going to have to pay for some damages?"
Sebastian fake laughed at the man.
"Oh deary me, Mr Dursley no. We simply want to inform you that another family member has taken a liking to the young boy and wants to take custody of him."
Vernon's head nearly exploded at the news.
"Petunia! Petunia come here!" He almost shouted, "please, Mr Russell, in here." Vernon gestured to the lounge door, which Sebastian walked through. He almost shuddered at the horrendous decor. However, he could tell that the Dursleys were incredibly proud people and so complimented them on the beautiful wallpaper. "George" sat down in an uncomfortable armchair across the room from the two Dursleys. Petunia quickly went and busied herself with some tea, which she brought back in a hurry. Sebastian stood up.
"Allow me Mrs Dursley." And he took the tray from her hands. Sneaking his hand into his pocket, the wizard pulled a small vial of Veritiserum and slipped a drop or two into their mugs. He took his own and put it down, he didn't fancy any tea.
"So to business. Tell me everything about Harry Potter." He commanded. Both Petunia and Vernon's eyes had slightly glazed over as they started talking. Sebastian was silent and listened as Vernon told him all about how Harry was treated. His early years in the cupboard, being treated unfairly compared to Dudley, being bullied by Aunt Marge, Dudley's friends and Vernon. Having to do all the chores and being underfed. All about his "freakishness". Being beaten by Vernon and attacked by Marge's bulldogs. Petunia told Sebastian everything about his origins, how his mother and father had died and left an enormous amount of wealth to him that neither she nor Harry had any access to. She told him how Dumbledore had left her a letter that told her to look after him and she hadn't done it and that she was sorry. Sebastian muttered a counter-curse under his breath, he didn't want this meeting to go awry and have the woman opposite him burst into tears. He drew a contract out of his bag.
"So. All you have to do is sign here."
He pushed it over to the Dursley's. Vernon eagerly signed it while Petunia wavered slightly. However, with her husband's eyes boring into her she signed as well. Vernon pushed the parchment back at "George" who rolled it up and slid it into his bag. He stood up, bade the two of them farewell and strode out of the house, leaving Harry's former guardians slightly bewildered. Once outside, Sebastian quickly summoned a small desk to sign his name at the bottom. It was done, he was now Harry's legal guardian. He smiled at his handiwork. Then, straightened up, vanished the table, and apparated away.
Sebastian reappeared in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Immediately turning around, he headed back towards Madame Bones' office. Sebastian passed a few people he recognised but they all seemed too busy to stop and say hello. Reaching his friend's office, Sebastian knocked and waited for the door to be opened. As soon as it creaked forward he stepped inside and put the folder containing Harry's legal documents on Amelia's desk. She didn't look up from her work, instead simply asking:
"What's this?"
Sebastian grinned softly.
"Take a look." He replied, flipping the folder open to the correct piece of paper. Madame Bones scanned it and took in the relevant information. She then re-read it and her eyes widened slightly.
"I see." She said slowly. Sebastian's smile faded.
"What?" He asked, "Do you think I shouldn't have done it?"
Amelia shook her head.
"No it's not that." She replied, "This is what's good for Potter. However, I think you may have to deal with Dumbledore as well."
The Frenchman frowned.
"What's Dumbledore got to do with this?"
Amelia stood up and walked over to a cabinet. Yanking it open, she reached in and pulled out a larger file. It landed on her desk with a thud as she dropped it down.
"So.. we thought it was odd that Potter had so few documents."
Sebastian nodded.
"Well, I did some digging and it turns out there's a lot more about him than we first realised. However, many of these are magically sealed by Dumbledore."
Sebastian put his hand on his chin and sat down, if Albus had sealed these documents, it was obviously for a reason. Yet, he couldn't be sure it was for a good one.
"I'll return to Hogwarts tonight, I'll confront the Headmaster tomorrow. If I find anything out I'll let you know." said Sebastian. Amelia nodded and handed him the thicker folder. She picked up the smaller one and tucked it into her work.
"I'll see to it that this gets filed away."
Sebastian nodded his thanks and left the room, heading back to the atrium. He shook his head slightly and apparated away.
Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs. The house elf he had sent after Sebastian had returned and told him of his adventure to Little Whinging. Albus grimaced slightly. Sebastian was not a threat yet, however he couldn't allow him to find out more. He reached into his desk and pulled out some old parchment. Inscribed on it were the bank details of a one Harry James Potter. Dumbledore knew that when he gave them to Harry on his 17th birthday, he wouldn't know how much he had taken to subsidise himself, if the boy even realised he had taken any. But Sebastian, oh Sebastian would be able to find out. And that would cause some difficulty. Albus sighed and pulled out his quill. Dipping it into his ink, he started a letter to his vault manager at Gringotts. Albus didn't plan on getting caught, not today.
A/N: Booo Albus you old goat. Don't panic, this isn't a Dumbledore basher as I quite like him. However, he does make a few mistakes later on so stay tuned for that. But there's chapter 6. Now, off to Wales where hopefully I'll get some writing done as I imagine the internet connection will be pretty shoddy. Until next time! Stay safe and healthy!
-A Headful of Ideas