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Harry gulped as he tried to process everything. He was getting married to a beautiful woman. He was free of the Dursleys. The Dursleys were going to jail! It was almost like Fate was, in her own twisted sort of way, trying to compensate him for his lot in life. It was all too good too be true!
"What's the catch?" he asked in raspy voice, unable to believe that much good fortune so easily, even if it did come with an arranged marriage. "There's always a catch."
Sebastian sighed. "There is no catch in the way you mean, 'Arry," he said reassuringly. "You are free of them, and will remain so. Either we will take you in, which I would 'onestly prefer, or I will transfer your guardianship to whomever you choose. It really is that simple. There are issues we will 'ave to deal with regarding why you were sent there in the first place, but it is my 'ope that you will not need to be involved."
"Why?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion. "Why are you doing this, I mean?"
"What you would you do?" retorted Sebastian. "Would you leave a child in those conditions if you could do something about it? My daughters think very 'ighly of you, as do I, and my wife will adore you. You deserve to 'ave a family, and if you will let us, we would like to be that family. I can promise you that you will never again be treated in such a despicable manner." Smiling slightly, he added, "And besides, if you do not change your mind, you will soon be family in any event."
Harry shook slightly under the gale of emotions he was experiencing. He'd always wanted a family, always wondered what it would be like to have one. He had imagined many times what it would feel like to have someone there for him, to see him off to school, and to welcome him home. To have someone to turn to for advice when things got rough.
To have someone love him.
He felt compelled to answer before he lost his nerve, but it was difficult to do. How could he possibly express his gratitude? The man had taken him in, sight unseen! How could he ever possibly repay that? But he nevertheless forced the words out, desperately afraid of losing the opportunity.
"I– I think I'd like that," he said gruffly.
Sebastian smiled gently at him and pushed up from the table, only to come around and pull him into a surprisingly warm hug. Harry stiffened under his touch – he'd only ever been hugged by Mrs. Weasley and Hermione before – but he could feel the genuine emotion behind it. His mind was in turmoil, and his emotions were so powerful that he could not keep them inside no matter how hard he tried, and he let out an audible sob for the first time that he could recall.
"Welcome to the family, 'Arry," he heard whispered in his ear.
With his head still spinning, Harry returned to the castle just before lunch and plopped himself down in the Great Hall. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that he didn't know which way was up. He felt like all of his anchors in life had summarily been uprooted, and now he was drifting.
Their conversation continued for quite some time after he got himself under control, mostly about what Sebastian had uncovered in Harry's records. He was surprised to realize that he had never considered asking about his parents' Will; he knew such things existed, but it never even occurred to him that they might have one. The fact that it was sealed was bothersome to say the least: he would really like to read it, if only to see their words.
That Dumbledore was his financial guardian was also bothersome, especially when Sebastian explained that he probably had a lot more money than he thought. The man was shocked to learn that Harry only knew of his trust vault when apparently there were others. He didn't have the specifics, but it was enough to make Harry even angrier with Dumbledore than he already was.
And then there was the Prophecy, which likely explained it all in some way.
Sebastian had no idea what was in it or what it was about, but recommended that they not bother with it until things settled down. Prophecy was perilous, he'd said, and sometimes just knowing one could change the outcome in negative ways. They would worry about it at some indeterminate point in the future, and he advised Harry to simply go on with his life.
For Harry, who had heard a true Prophecy once before, the result was indecision. Had he listened more closely to Trelawney last year, then perhaps Sirius would be free! Then again, how could he have known? He hadn't even known about Pettigrew at the time, so he might have done something foolish to his own innocent godfather! It drove home the idea that it was dangerous.
Beyond those things, not much was discussed other than an invitation to a family meeting so he could properly be introduced.
The idea of having Sebastian as his guardian was growing on him, but it also made him feel guilty when he thought about the Weasleys. On one hand, they'd been there for him for three plus years now, and he had the odd sense that they should have the right to take him in. But on the other, Sebastian had done one thing that the Weasleys never even tried to do: he got him away from the Dursleys.
That was a huge deal, and the main reason why he agreed so readily. The Weasleys would just have to live with it. It didn't hurt that, to his own considerable surprise, he felt more comfortable with Sebastian than he did with Molly and Arthur. He couldn't yet explain why, but there it was.
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