Chapter 31: Preparing for the First Real Party.
The year had just flown by, and construction on Project Ambrosia would begin in three days, with it hopefully being operational within a year. I had spent the last year trying desperately to get as much of the runic work and testing of individual pieces done as possible. Dumbledore assured me that he had triple-checked the rituals that would need to be done, so it would all rely on my rune work. He was kind enough to deal with all the paperwork in the Ministry and had placed all the various Muggle repellent charms around the area. A fake Nine Ladies Stone Circle had been erected about 25 miles west of the original, ensuring anyone coming to study the area would end up in that location.
With all the bases covered, I just had to finish my disguise so that I would be able to start carving and assembling on-site. Dumbledore had arranged for a Hogwarts house elf to work as an intermediary between me and the various dealers who would be delivering materials, but I would still need to appear as a young adult in case the Ministry decided to make a surprise inspection.
Honestly, the Ministry is a complete disaster. How is it possible for an organization to be so inefficient? They can't even pass a simple regulation without tying it up in a hundred different committees and subcommittees. They have massive issues with record-keeping; you'd think with all the magic at their disposal, they could manage to keep track of a few documents. But no, everything's scattered across a dozen different departments, half of which probably don't even know the other half exists. Corruption is a massive issue in its own right, but at the moment, it is benefiting me, so that should be dealt with later. I think that a major reason why the wizarding world hasn't moved forward is due to the gross incompetence of the Ministry. It has all of the problems of a large, bloated government, but the wizarding world has a percentage of a percentage of the amount of people that countries with these problems have.
My magical disguise had been a slowly created project with way too many pieces. It primarily works based on a cloak that relies on acromantula silk and Demiguise hair, providing both durability and a bit of invisibility properties. The Demiguise hair just somehow fell into my lap, and any illegal meetings that I sent Dobby to accomplish are mere figments of the imagination. The cloak includes activation runes, thousands of individually mapped illusion runes, and so many troubleshooting stability runes that it might be overkill. The hat and mask were much the same, with the hat allowing for a projected hair and the mask changing facial features as well as a voice modulation rune. Thankfully, someone had already gone through all the work to create that project. The gloves were quite simple in comparison; they simply projected a rune and nothing else. I still have to draw 100,000+ runes, after all. There were also boots and pants that were simply just a continuation of the runes on the cloak. I could add more materials to the disguise as time went on, but for a few months, I was more than happy with it.
When the complete ensemble is worn, it provides a comprehensive disguise that can fool both visual and magical detection methods. The user can select a preset appearance, creating just the one that had taken quite a few months, by channeling a small amount of mana into the primary activation rune on the cloak, which then synchronizes the other pieces of the ensemble to project a unified illusion. The disguise is stable, even during movement, but it isn't nearly as strong as a set designed for combat could be. Of course, all of this preparation would have to wait as tomorrow was Draco and I's first public party.
The excitement in Malfoy Manor was palpable as preparations for the event began. This was a significant milestone, marking the moment we would officially start to socialize with other magical children. Narcissa and Lucius were determined to make this event memorable, not just for us, but for the entire wizarding community. Just because we have shown magical abilities doesn't mean every child in the magical world had, but even those who hadn't awakened anything yet had been invited.
The invitations had been sent out weeks in advance, ensuring that all the prominent families in the wizarding community would be in attendance. The guest list included names like the Greengrasses, the Parkinsons, and even the Weasleys, despite my father's usual disdain for them. My mother had tried to avoid inviting them, but now that they were on the list, she wanted to show off even more.
The house elves were bustling about, transforming the grand ballroom into a whimsical wonderland. Streamers in Slytherin green and silver adorned the walls—the majority of the children invited would be in the house, after all—while enchanted balloons floated near the ceiling, occasionally changing colors or shapes. Narcissa had hired a well-known party planner from Diagon Alley to oversee the details, ensuring everything would be perfect.
"Do you like the arrangement of the desserts?" my mother asked Draco and me, her eyes twinkling with pride. "We have chocolate frogs, sugar quills, cauldron cakes, and even a special batch of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I thought it would be fun for the children to try them." Draco answered with, "Why should the other kids matter? It's my birthday; we should at least get another table so I won't have to share with the Weasleys." My mother surprisingly thought that would be an excellent idea to really show off, so Draco had somehow doubled the number of sweets in just a single conversation. My brother may actually have some form of magical power over my mother.
Later that day, Narcissa gathered me and Draco in the drawing room for a final discussion on etiquette and behavior. She wanted to ensure we made a good impression, which was paramount for the Malfoy family. The conversation was mainly pointed at my brother; he wasn't exactly the most tact conversationalist.
"Now, remember to greet each guest politely," she instructed, her tone firm but gentle. "Thank them for coming and making sure everyone feels welcome. Draco, be like your father and also try to include the other children in your games. And Seras, act appropriately for your age and maybe try to make friends with your peers despite them being normal."
We both nodded, trying to take in her words. It was clear how much this event meant to her, and neither of us had the stones to disappoint her. I was so used to being called abnormal at this point that the comment had just rolled off my shoulders.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone