Chapter 20: Preparation
After I wrote a response letter for Professor McGonagall, I gave the letter to Yeager to be delivered to Hogwarts:
'
Dear Professor McGonagall,
Thank you for the letter.
I am happy to inform you that I will be attending Hogwarts this September.
I look forward to studying at Hogwarts.
Yours sincerely,
Svetlana Vautoure
'
From Hogwarts's list, I already have all the books required for my study. Aside from the books, I need to buy other supplies. Diagon Alley is not busy at this time of year. So, I stroll around some shops to buy the required stuff.
I bought 2 pewter cauldron standard size 2 just in case I will need one later, one set of first-year potion supplies, 2 sets of unbreakable crystal vials, 1 telescope, and 1 set of brass scales.
I also bought 4 sets of work robes made of acromantula silk. At first, I wanted to buy the standard fabric, but Madam Malkin said that the plain fabrics can't hold any enchantment. Therefore, the acromantula silk I bought. They are all enchanted to be self-resizing, self-iron, anti-wrinkles, self-adjusting temperature, and notice-me-not charm. The robes could resize themselves to be 2 times the size of me. So, I should be able to use them until my final Hogwarts year if no major damage occurs. Then I bought a black pointed hat, 2 pairs of self-resizing dragon-hide gloves, one black winter cloak with silver fastening, and one blue winter cloak with silver fastening. Both cloaks are enchanted like the work robes.
After that, I bought my wand in Ollivander's. Contrary to what people believe, I did not find Ollivander to be creepy at all. In fact, he was quite serious and quick. I don't know why some people said he was creepy. With me, he was not. He did not ask me about personal stuff either. Just asking my name and which hand was my wand hand. I guess I did not interest him that much. Well, I'm no Harry Potter after all. OR he was just busy and wished to get it over with.
It only took us 5 minutes top to find my wand. A 9-inch of blackwood wand with dragon-heartstring core, slightly flexible. I also bought a wand holster and a wand kit. Ollivander said that blackwood wand tended to belong to those who were lucky. But he did not say any curious or anything like that. Well, that works fine for me.
Before I go back to my flat, I stop by an enchantment shop near Knockturn Alley. There I requested an enchanted bracelet that would protect me against any attack of legillimency and confoundus, also a strong notice-me-not charm. I also requested a ring that would detect any harmful potions, charms, ill-intent towards me on my drinks/foods/belongings, etc. Both pieces of jewelry should be enchanted to personally recognize me and only ever detach when I will them to, anti-theft, and the likes. I got lucky because the Enchantment Master was very capable. Although it cost me 10,000 G. The stones used for holding the enchantments were very expensive as I wanted some very fine detail. When worn, the bracelet and ring will only be visible to me.
Weeks after that, I busied myself by practicing spells, some potion preparation, reading books, and my muggle studies. I asked Jelly to buy the vanishing cabinet from Borgin & Burkes, and place it inside my flat. Since I've read some books about warding, I have my trunk warded against anything other than myself. Anyone who tries to open it will have their hands electrocuted, and their blood & magical signature drawn. That way I would know who would attempt the breech.
My magical studies were coming along nicely. Since I've basically mastered the theoretical aspects of things, I've succeeded in casting any spells between years 1 – 3. But I still need to practice controlling the power and duration of each spell. I also learn some household charm such scourgify, and some beautifying charms.
In February, I asked Steve (my CSB's manager) to order 850 tons of silver. I read in the muggle newspaper that silver prices have been down lately, and I wanted to gain some profits from it. The cost was 58 pounds per kg of silver. Overall, it cost me around 49.3 million pounds.
Then I take 750 tons and brought them to Gringotts, while the remaining 100-ton silver would be stored in CSB under my name. In Gringotts, I converted the silver into sickles, then into galleons. I gained 441,176,470.58 million galleons that day. The goblins did not mind that I brought such a huge amount of silver. I think they secretly hoard them. Now, my vault content is about 491ish million galleons.
By the way, due to my massive wealth in Gringotts, I'm apparently the second wealthiest person in British Wizarding World after the Black family. But since I do not hold any significance other than being wealthy, I'm not very recognized. Just that people know the Vautoure is rich, second only to the Blacks, and that's it.
Gringotts apparently make a yearly list of the 10 wealthiest families in British Wizarding World in April each year. This year (1991), the list is as follows:
1. The Blacks – 510 million pounds (inactive)
2. The Vautoure – 491 million pounds
3. The Greengrass – 97 million pounds
4. The Selwyn – 90 million pounds
5. The Malfoys – 81 million pounds
6. The Notts – 63 million pounds
7. The Longbottom – 58 million pounds
8. The Lestrange – 45 million pounds (inactive)
9. The Rosier – 39 million pounds
10. The Travers – 21 million pounds
*The Potters is actually number 17, with 4 million galleons.
Out of the 10 family names, the Vautoure is the only one not in the sacred Twenty-Eight who came from a long line of old money. The Vautoure is practically a mudblood (muggle-born) family to them. Meaning others have huge power in the governing bodies of the British Wizarding World.
In that case, I'd need to secure some investments in key businesses in the magical world so that I have some weights to my family name. It's risky as it will expose my family name further, but it's a risk I'm willing to take to prevent other families to step on my name. As of now, the other families thought that the Vautoure was a family with heavy investments in (mostly) the muggle world. Well, I need to change that a bit.
By the way, the wealth difference is apparent though. I guess the previous wars affect the families in big ways. So, they are still recovering. Also, I'm the only one not having any ancient manor or something like that. I don't think it's necessary as I'm like the only one in the family, though with two elves. The Hogsmead house is big enough for 5 people to live in comfort anyway.
Next, I asked BloodFangs to invest in some magical companies like the Daily Prophet (I got 10% shares for 1.5 million G), 15% shares (1 million G) in a wholesale magical grocery owned by the Patil family, 15% shares (500k G) in a potion supply company (the Jiggers & Co), and 15% shares (5 million G) in magical shipping company who is based in the US (Movericcks & Co). I also (already) partially owned two flying broom companies (Nimbus & Firebolt). I am careful to not exceed 15% of each share holdings, so I won't be the director of those companies. Ain't nobody got time for that.
I'm short for 8 million galleons for now, but not for long though. I predict in a year or two, I'll surpass the Blacks. The Blacks are inactive anyway as Sirius Black is still locked away in Azkaban. With my investment, hopefully, I will have some power in the community later on when stuff hits the fan with the impending war, etc. I'm seriously considering ending the wars years before it happened as I have the knowledge for it anyway. I don't want to give up my comfortable lifestyle for some madman with a daddy issue. I'm also considering to reveal the source of the donations to both Hogwarts and St. Mungo's as to give some PR benefit to my name. Well, maybe later.
I also asked Jelly to hide my adoption record (make a copy, and have the original one kept in Gringotts), hide my name in muggle school, and erase my name in the orphanage from the public office so that it won't be used for blackmail material by some madmen later. I'm not worried about my muggle investment, as I go by Alexander Mortiss there. But I asked Steve to start investing in Amazon (20 million pounds) and Walmart (50 million pounds), microsoft (30 millions), and apple (30 millions).
I also request my current muggle high school to allow me to self-study for the remaining years when I stay at Hogwarts. With some confoundus, they readily agree. I will take my final exam during my summer holiday after my first year at Hogwarts.
By the way, I bought an ancestry-revealing potion for fun to see if I have any magical relatives. Turns out, I'm indeed related to the Blacks through one Marius Black. He was a squib who got banished from the family out of embarrassment.
After searching some records, Marius Black changed his name to Marius Lowe. He had a son (Daniel Lowe) and two daughters. The son married a muggle woman named Sophia Kirby and live in Australia. They have 3 children together. But apparently, I'm the bastard daughter of Daniel Lowe with a woman whom I don't know the name of. So yeah, Marius Black is/was my grandfather.
I don't know how I got the name Vautoure honestly. Is it my mother's name? Or just some random name they pick for me? Well, It doesn't matter though, what I don't know won't hurt me or them.
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