Sebastian was pale and shaking by the time he left for the British Ministry of Magic, and it was all he could do to keep his stomach from rebelling. In all the long years he spent fighting depraved Dark Wizards as a younger man, he had never seen such horrors! He had some serious words for whoever left the boy there, and was bound and determined to get to the bottom of it!
The downside was that all roads led to Albus Dumbledore, and that was a problem.
But that was an issue for another day, however; at the moment he was more concerned about finalizing his plans. Based on the memories of the Dursleys, Harry truly was as good-natured as Fleur believed him to be, and her comments about his age suddenly made horrifying sense. The abuse that those despicable people had heaped upon him was extensive and painful.
Between his anger, his disgust, and the fact that he was sick to his stomach, he was in no mood to put up with bureaucracy today. He completely ignored the wand checker – a privilege few could get away with – and headed straight for the Auror office. When he reached it, he bypassed the spluttering secretary and made his way straight to the back.
He had been here many times as an Auror on foreign exchange, and was quite well acquainted with the current Director. While he himself had moved on to politics, Amelia Bones had risen through the ranks of the male-dominated profession and done quite well for herself. She was a fair-minded woman who was all about protecting the public, which made her the perfect person to go to.
He knocked on her door just as a young, flamboyantly-dressed Auror caught up with him.
"Excuse me sir!" she called. "You can't be in here without an appointment, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave!"
Amused in spite of himself, Sebastian turned to her with a quirked eyebrow. "And you are?"
The girl's hot pink hair practically wilted in confusion at the question, and Sebastian wondered if it was a trick of the light. "Er, Auror Tonks, sir," she frowned. "Really, you'll need to come with me."
Before he could respond, the door behind him opened to reveal Amelia herself. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing him, and then narrowed when they landed on Tonks. Finally, she smirked.
"Do you have to give my Aurors such a hard time, Sebastian?" she asked him with audible amusement.
"That is 'alf the fun, Amelia," he grinned, genuinely pleased to see his old friend. "Though I 'ave to admit, your latest batch is certainly more... colorful." Smirking himself, he added, "I believe she chased me up three floors before she caught me."
Amelia snorted in amusement.
"Erm, you know each other?" asked Tonks hesitantly, and this time Sebastian was certain that her hair wilted! It was now almost flat against her scalp, perfectly mirroring her nervous state!
Amelia nodded and resumed the stern façade that she almost always wore in public. "Auror Tonks," she offered, "Meet Retired French Master Auror Sebastian Delacour." Turning back to Sebastian, she added, "Nymphadora here is our newest graduate from the program."
Tonks went wide-eyed at the introduction, and he caught the edge of a wince at the use of her first name, which he filed away for future reference. It was always good to have a little extra ammunition about people; you never knew when you might run into them on opposite sides of the negotiating table. Outwardly, he just shook her hand.
"Take care of yourself, Auror Tonks," he said seriously. "It's a dangerous world."
"So what brings you here, Sebastian?" asked Amelia. "It's been an awfully long time since you've graced these halls."
The momentary improvement in his mood vanished under the weight of his purpose. "Business I'm afraid," he said, looking her in the eye and allowing her to see just how much he was affected. "Serious business, of a most sensitive nature."
Amelia studied him for a long moment, and then turned back to her underling. "Auror Tonks," she said formally, "Master Auror Delacour is permitted in the building at all times. Please remember that in the future. Dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am," nodded Tonks. "Good luck, Master Auror."
"Sebastian will do, Auror Tonks," he smiled.
Tonks smiled brilliantly back at him, her pink hair perking right back up. He had no idea how she could possibly do that, but had to admit that if he was thirty years younger and unmarried, he would have thought it quite adorable. But then, he married a veela, and really had nothing at all to complain about!
As she turned and flounced off into the bowels of the Auror office, Sebastian followed Amelia inside. He drew his wand and scanned for listening charms as soon as she closed the door, and then cast a privacy bubble around them for good measure. He did not like what was going on.
"That serious, Sebastian?" frowned Amelia.
"Worse," he nodded. Spotting a bowl on the counter, he added, "Is that your Pensieve?"
Amelia nodded and moved to retrieve it while Sebastian gathered his thoughts. They worked closely together in the last war, and she knew when and when not to make small talk, which he genuinely appreciated. Had he stayed in the Auror Corps, he might have tried to lure her to France on a permanent basis; she was very good at what she did.
He extracted the memory of his afternoon at the Dursley home and dropped it in the Pensieve, and then joined her as they viewed it. His disgust returned in full force as he watched the conversation from the altered perspective, noting that he wouldn't even have to admit to using Legilimency prior to the signing! They had verbally provided everything she needed to know!
She was pale by the time she exited the Pensieve, and he waited for the inevitable questions to start. And sure enough–
"Were you lying about your daughter?" she asked first, her concern audible in her voice. "Did someone really save her life?"
"It is true," he nodded. "I suppose you know what that means?"
Amelia shuddered. "It's barbaric!" she spat, "but yes, I know what it means. We really must find a way to counter life debts for veela."
"I do not disagree," he shrugged, "but we do not 'ave that option at the moment."
"I cannot believe those people would sign away a child like that, let alone a blood relation!" she swore. "Who is the child?"
Sebastian leaned back into the couch. He knew his friend well, and she would not be well pleased when she found out! The whole situation was a scandal of the utmost proportions! It could potentially blow their world wide open, and possibly even result in the deaths of far too many Muggles in misplaced retribution!
Sighing, he gave his friend a sad look. "That is where things get sticky, Amelia," he warned, "for the young man in question is none other than 'Arry Potter."
Amelia reeled back as though slapped, completely thrown by his revelation. Her cheeks drained of color: she, too, knew the significance! Life was not going to be fun for them in the near future, and he still had to explain everything to poor Harry on top of it!
"Please tell me you're joking!" she breathed at length.
"Do I look like I'm joking, mon amie?" he asked seriously. And then he drew the paperwork out of his pocket and placed it in front of her. "'Arry Potter is now my ward," he said bluntly. "We will arrange for a different guardian if 'e wishes, but it is my 'ope that 'e will stay with us." Rubbing his face tiredly, he added, "But it gets worse."
"How can it possibly be worse than this?" she yelled incredulously. "They just signed over Harry bloody Potter without a second thought, Sebastian! Do you have any idea what would happen if this got out?"
"That is the least of our worries, Amelia."
The statement brought her up short, and Sebastian reached into a magically expanded pocket in his sport coat to retrieve a certain file folder, which he handed over. "Those are 'is Muggle 'ospital records," he said heavily. "I used Legilimency on those batards and their abuse is the cause of those injuries. 'ow this was not noticed..."
Sebastian left the statement hanging, and Amelia lost more and more color as she flipped through the file. He considered showing her their memories secondhand, but decided against it: they were far too disturbing, and they had work to do. She knew him well enough to know that he would never lie about something like this.
But that left the problem of how to proceed. The Dursleys could not go unpunished – it wouldn't be right – but nor could they let the situation reach the press! And on top of it all, the architect of the whole mess appeared to be a man who was widely considered to be the leader of the Light for the past four decades!
"I doubt that we 'ave even scratched the surface," he mused quietly after a moment. "Albus 'as a 'and in this, and I am afraid to know the truth, Amelia, but we must find out."
Amelia nodded and rose, moving to stand pensively in front of a window overlooking London. Sebastian gave her the time; he could use it himself. The sour taste in his mouth was one he had not experienced in many years. His heart went out to the boy, and he only hoped that they weren't too late to derail whatever the crafty old man was planning.
While it was entirely possible that Albus thought he was working for the Light, it didn't really matter: meddling in Prophecy was a dangerous business, and more often than not had catastrophic consequences. If, as Sebastian suspected, Albus was trying to ensure that the mysterious Prophecy played out a certain way, then he would likely shoppingmode doom them all!
Was the man really so full of himself that he thought he could control Fate?
"What did you do with them?" Amelia's voice intruded on his thoughts.
"Partially obliviated," he admitted. "They will not remember me, but they know what they did."
"Suggestions?"
"Muggle trial," he said bluntly. "We can take a Muggle recording of the conversation with the Pensieve, and enlist the assistance of MI-5 to bring charges. Conspiracy to murder a minor will gain them a long prison sentence, even if we do not press abuse charges. That should keep it out of our papers."
Amelia nodded thoughtfully, still staring out the window, and the silence returned. It really was an elegant solution: they had all but signed a confession, and they would get what they deserved. The oddities in the conversation could be glossed over as mental instability. It was an airtight case.
Amelia's voice drifted back to him again, soft and hushed with regret. "Susan talks about him sometimes," she said quietly. "Says he's the nicest boy she knows. She asked me once why he dresses in rags, and I thought nothing of it at the time."
"Fleur has said that 'e is quite 'onorable," he agreed softly, "and also that the school does not take care of 'im. They allow 'im to be ridiculed, and do not punish the students involved."
Finally turning to face him, her expression hardened, and a fire appeared in her eyes that he hadn't seen since the last war. Many liked to think that she was just an administrator, having conveniently forgotten that she was also a Master Auror! The latter fact shone in her expression just then, and he imagined that she'd probably kept up on her training; it was her way.
"This stops now, Sebastian," she growled. "I'll see to MI-5, and whether or not I can figure out what Albus is up to. You take care of Harry. I do not want him harmed in any way, including in that godforsaken Tournament!"
"I would do it even were Fleur's life not dependent upon 'im, Amelia," he said seriously. "That boy 'as never 'ad a life of any kind, and I fear what will 'appen if we allow whatever Albus is doing to continue. I will meet with 'Arry shortly, and we will see where we go from there."
Amelia nodded sharply. "Let me know if you need anything," she said firmly, "and I mean anything. I'm pulling out the stops on this one."
"Right now the most 'elpful thing would probably be access to the Potter Will," he sighed. "Albus sealed it illegally, and I 'ave no idea how to gain access without 'im knowing. 'E is also 'Arry's financial guardian, which will need to be changed."
Amelia paled at his latest revelation. "He's what?" she hissed.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her. "Is there something I should know about 'is estate?" he asked directly.
Amelia closed her eyes and sighed. "Only that it's one of the largest in Wizarding Britain," she said flatly. "Sebastian, the Potters were exceptionally wealthy, and extremely powerful politically. It's why Voldemort targeted them; he destroyed the entire family except for Harry." She paused to rub her face in her hands before continuing in a softer tone. "If we don't get it away from him," she warned, "then he controls enough that he can overturn just about anything we do."
Sebastian paled at this revelation. He knew the Potters to be wealthy enough, but he hadn't realized they were that powerful! Dumbledore was already politically powerful, but if he had that kind of network behind him? He would be unstoppable!
"I will look into it," he said faintly. "There must be a way."
"See that you do, Sebastian," she said seriously. "I'm reactivating your British exchange commission. I'll slip it into the file when nobody's looking, but you'll have full credentials for your investigation."
Nodding, Sebastian rose to his feet. "Well, then, Director Bones," he said wryly, "I suggest we get to work. I will see 'Arry soon, but I should warn you that I must deal with Fleur's situation first. I do not wish 'im to think that we are trying to force 'im."
"And what if he declines?" she frowned.
"From what I know of 'im, 'e won't," he sighed. "But if 'e does, then we will understand and do our best to move on."