In that moment, Harry badly wished that he had Hermione there to watch his back. He wasn't afraid of being attacked or anything, but she would have a better idea of what was going on! Should he have told her what happened in spite of Fleur's request to keep it quiet? He had thought it was because she was embarrassed, but now he had to wonder!
"May I call you 'Arry?" asked Sebastian suddenly.
"That's fine, sir," he shrugged nervously.
"Thank you," nodded Sebastian. "I do 'ope you will forgive me, 'Arry. As Fleur's father, this is very difficult for me to talk about. I want to first assure you that we will not force you to do anything that you do not wish to do, regardless of the consequences. Your life is yours alone to live."
Harry's heart began to race as he registered just how wrong things were! One did not start a conversation that way unless it was going to turn out badly! He had to forcibly squash an urge to bolt, and ended up squirming in his seat instead.
"Er, okay," he frowned. "What's going on, sir?"
"Are you familiar with the concept of a life debt?"
Harry nodded. "I found out about them last year because someone owes me one, but Professor Dumbledore didn't say much, so I don't know a lot about them."
Sebastian blinked. "You mean to tell me that you acquired a life debt and Albus did not explain them to you?" he asked incredulously.
"He just said I might be glad it was there some day, whatever that means," shrugged Harry.
And it was a good point now that he thought about it! Why hadn't Dumbledore told him how it would come in handy? He was increasingly tired of the way the man liked to dole out information in tiny little bits, when he could save so much trouble by just telling him what he needed to know! And now it looked like he was about to be blindsided because of it – again!
"I see," scowled Sebastian. Then there was a tense silence before– "I would suggest that we discuss that later," he decided. "It is important for you to know, but not for this discussion. Right now, what you need to know is 'ow they interact with veela magic."
Harry's brow furrowed in concern as an ugly suspicion popped into his head. "Did something happen to Fleur?" he asked suddenly. "Is she okay?"
Sebastian smiled a genuine smile at him for the question. "She is fine," he nodded. Only, then the smile fell. "But she will not be if the situation is not resolved. You see, 'Arry, veela magic is a strange thing, and among other things, it cannot peacefully coexist with a life debt. Simply put, it will call the debt due within thirty days, which will result in the loss of 'er magic, and because she is veela, 'er very life."
Harry paled at the revelation, and unable to sit still, he pushed up from his chair and paced in front of the fire, his gaze fixed on the floor in front of him. He did not like the sound of that! Why had Dumbledore never explained these things to him? Not that he could have changed what happened, but maybe he could have done something differently!
Budding anger at the Headmaster bubbled beneath the surface of his thoughts. It had been ignited with his entry into the Tournament, but how much more was going to go wrong? Wasn't the man supposed to be protecting him?
Shaking off those thoughts and focusing in on what was important, Harry lifted his eyes to meet Sebastian's surprisingly calm gaze. The man hadn't moved a muscle, but even through his calm façade, Harry could see the turmoil behind his eyes, and couldn't blame him in the slightest. How would he feel if hisdaughter were in this situation?
There was only one thing for it.
"What do I need to do?" he asked flatly. "She doesn't owe me anything, sir. If there's a way I can help, tell me and I'll do it."
Sebastian fixed him with a sad look. "If only it were that simple," he sighed heavily. "You 'ad better sit down, 'Arry. You are not going to like this, and I would rather you did not crack your 'ead on the 'earth."
Harry couldn't suppress a snort at the dry humor. He followed the instruction, but his insides were twisting themselves into knots as he waited for the axe to fall. Never did someone preemptively tell him that he wasn't going to like something, so that meant he probably really wasn't going to like it!
There was another tense silence as Sebastian ordered his thoughts, a deep hesitancy having come over him. It was an odd contradiction: he was a confident man, and yet he seemed so troubled! That could not be a good sign! And when he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet, and faintly pained.
"There is no way to simply forgive a life debt, 'Arry," he said, "and only two known ways of satisfying them. I think we can both agree that the likelihood of Fleur saving your life this month is nonexistent?"
Harry winced and nodded.
The man then took a deep, steadying breath, and Harry knew the end was nigh. He was desperate to hear the verdict – Fleur's life apparently depended on it – but he also dreaded it. It was surely going to end up being something horrifically costly from the way he was acting, and sure enough–
"The only other way," he said slowly, "is for you to take 'er 'and in marriage, 'Arry. The matrimonial bond would cancel out the life debt. As 'er father, I do not like this for obvious reasons, but I also cannot avoid making the request, because I would rather this than 'ave 'er perish."
The floor abruptly fell out from under Harry as he went over Sebastian's words in his mind, trying to make sure that he'd heard correctly. Did the man just say that he had to marry Fleur? No matter how hard he tried to twist the words, he could not make the statement go away! It was bloody insane!
He stared blankly back at the man for a solid twenty seconds, and then–
"Is this a joke?" he asked tonelessly.
"It is no joke," was the simple reply.
The silence that fell in its wake was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and for a long while Harry could not think at all. He was stunned! He had imagined some crazy ritual would have to be performed, perhaps with the risk of death, but this? This was– it was– He didn't know what it was!
"Bugger," he breathed. Then he looked sharply up at Sebastian and asked, "Does Fleur know about this?"
Sebastian nodded. "She is aware," he admitted, "but she did not realize it at the time, I assure you. It was my duty as 'er father to approach you."