Chapter 126: Topic: The West Family
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Quinn stood in the hotel lobby of the hotel with his suitcase in his hands. He tapped his foot against the floor as he absentmindedly gazed around the hotel lobby to pass the time. The hall was silent because it was just before seven in the morning. The lobby would regain its activity when the breakfast time down in the hotel restaurant would start, and people would start their day.
He retrieved his trusty pocket watch from its pocket and checked on the time. There were only a few seconds till the minute-hand struck twelve, and the hour-hand arrived at seven on the watch dial. Quinn watched the second hand smoothly travel clockwise and arrive at number twelve, marking the time seven in the morning.
The clock's interface shifted as the dial background shifted from the indigo shade of the sixth hour to the gold of the seventh hour. A faint yet visible outline of the number six also changed to seven, and some other changes magically appeared on the watch front to signify the change of hours.
When the clock turned seven, Quinn looked up, and like clockwork, the man he was waiting for walked into the lobby and walked towards Quinn with a steady stride and semi-brisk pace. Aksel Thorn, his Danish bodyguard/guide who he had evaded many a time in his stay.
"Good morning, Mr. Thorn," greeted Quinn. "I hope my portkey is ready to be deployed?"
Aksel nodded and took out a small wooden cube with blunt edges which rested on his palm. Quinn picked up the dark wood cube from Aksel's palm and observed it. The wooden cube was larger than a cuboidal die, but it wasn't big enough to cover the entire palm. Quinn could comfortably close his first around the cube, and it would be completely enveloped.
"It will activate at five past seven. The portkey will trigger on its own; there is no activation phrase," answered Aksel.
Quinn nodded in response and wrapped his fist around the cube. As there was no activation phrase, Quinn needed to hold the cube because, at five past seven, the portkey would trigger and take him to the destination with no delay.
"It was a fun week, Mr. Thorn. Thank you for your services; you were an excellent guide," praised Quinn.
"... And yet you sneaked away without me," commented Aksel. The fact that a teen could sneak away from him under his nose was embarrassing for someone from his line of occupation and his position, and Aksel wasn't taking it lightly. His partners and subordinates were having fun at his expense. And from what he knew about his company, they weren't going to let it go anytime soon.
"Now, now, don't beat yourself up that much up. It happens to the best of people," chuckled Quinn. He could see that it bothered Aksel, so he tried to soothe the wound before returning home. "It was simply a little too motivated to go out on my own, so it's not your fault that you missed out on my escapes. I'm good at magic, after all."
Quinn took out a card from his pockets and handed it to Aksel. "This is my personal contact details. If you ever come to England, do contact me, and I will be your guide just as you were mine."
Aksel looked at the deep royal blue card. On the royal blue background was a monogram logo in the shape of QW, and beside the logo was Quinn's name full name, also written in gold. He turned the card to see a WMF-id printed on the back.
"That's my personal WMF-id. Not many people have that number, so please don't share it. I like this id I have and don't want to change it," pointed Quinn.
This card differed from his AID cards, which were for promotion and availability, as the cards changed when Quinn or Luna was inside the office for a consultation. This card held his very personal WMF-id, which not a lot of people were aware of. Other than his family, only Luna knew of his WMF-id because her father had purchased an office version MagiFax and put it in his home as Xenophilius Lovegood worked as a reporter/writer from his own.
Quinn hoped he could give a few others his contact details as the MagiFax personal home models were launched just before Quinn left for Denmark. Quinn was sure that as the year passed, his friends would have a MagiFax unit at their respective homes.
"Do you have a personal WMF-id?" asked Quinn.
Aksel shook his head in reply. "I don't have a personal machine, but our office has one." Saying that, Aksel took out a white business card with black text reading contact information of the Limax group, such as their WMF-ids, address, and Aksel's name in the top-left corner on the card.
Every West business subsidiary had made MagiFax a part of their office culture. And because the West business empire spanned across continents, the MagiFax had bridged the gaps in communication that existed before the invention of MagiFax. Quinn's invention had transformed the way communication was handled between and within different organizations.
Quinn pocketed the card, and as he did, the cube started to faintly glow. Within ten seconds, the portkey would trigger, and he would be whisked away.
"It seems time's up," noted Quinn and then said the last words to Aksel. "Once again, Mr. Thorn. It was a nice week. Thank you for keeping it time; let's meet someday. Maybe it will be you coming to England, or I return here to Denmark. Until then, it's a farewell."
Quinn made a small wave before the portkey glowed up, and he was gone.
But Quinn missed the look that came over Aksel's face when he left with the portkey.
"... Quinn West, huh. I wonder what they would say if I told them about him," muttered Aksel as he stared at the card in his hand.
Quinn's time in Denmark had come to an end.
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"We got a reply to the invitation."
The rest of the Potter family, who were sitting in the living room of the Potter home, looked up at their mother/wife. They saw the lady of the house waving a letter in her hand with a smile on her face.
"West family sent back a reply to our invitation," announced Lily.
James, Ivy, and Harry Potter all became attentive for different reasons. James Potter wanted to know if George West would be visiting because then he would need to prepare. And the twins wondered what reply their one year senior, the mysterious Ravenclaw Quinn West, had sent.
"Only one member, Quinn, would be coming for dinner," revealed Lily and passed the letter written in Quinn's handwriting down to her family. "The rest of the family, unfortunately, is busy or unavailable, and he would be visiting this Saturday."
James Potter read the reply twice before breathing a relieved sigh that George West wasn't visiting. Sitting with George West for an evening was something he wasn't prepared to do, not after what had transpired.
Ivy and Harry received the letter from their father and read the reply together. They both noticed the handwriting and recognized that it was Quinn who had written the letter. They had seen Quinn's writing, and even though the lettering on the reply was fancier, they could tell that it was Quinn who wrote it.
"Alright, everybody. Sit down," said James.
The twins glanced at each other, wondering what their father wanted to talk about. They communicated with their eyes if they knew what this was about. But none of the two had any idea what this was about. Lily also sat down beside her children to listen to what her husband wanted to say.
"Ivy, Harry, what can you tell me about Quinn West," asked James. "I've only talked to him for a few minutes, so I don't know how he is? Can you tell me about him? I know you aren't in the same year, but words travel; how is he seen in the school?"
Ivy and Harry exchanged glances once more, again initiating a round of twin-eye-talk discussing what to reveal and hide. In the end, they decided to tell what they thought about Quinn without revealing their interactions with him.
"Well, he is smart: scores at the top of his class. Runs a... club? Yeah, let's go with a club. He runs a club to help out students," started Ivy to sum up how others who didn't have much interaction with Quinn saw the Ravenclaw.
"He is pretty popular," continued Harry. "I think almost everyone likes him. No matter what the house or year, he's friendly with everyone. I think even professors like him, especially professor Flitwick. He likes him a lot."
"That's true," nodded Lily in agreement. "Except for the fact that he's known for breaking curfew, Quinn West is the perfect student."
"What about his personality?"
"A diligent and hard-working child," answered Lily with an earnest smile. From the times she had interacted with Quinn, she had a great impression of Quinn and genuinely thought that he was a charming child. "He's also so kind. Not only he helped me out with the Monopoly game, but his notes are also always on discount. I think he made it so everyone could buy his notes."
Ivy's brows twitched when she heard her mother's impression of Quinn. On the outside, Quinn did seem like Lily's description. But then she thought about her first few interactions with Quinn.
"Likes to act all mysterious," shared Ivy. When they were looking for the Philosopher's Stone, Quinn had acted all cryptic and had shut the door in their face after giving them a sudden warning.
Harry thought about his experience with Quinn, and him going to Quinn was the only time he could draw upon him.
"A know-it-all, but not in an annoying way. It's more like a guy who has answers to your every question," spoke Harry, nodding as he felt satisfied with his answer.
"Control freak," added Ivy, reaching deep into her bag of adjectives for Quinn.
"You don't want to play tag with the guy," said Harry, looking very serious. "One of the Hufflepuffs said that it took five guys ten minutes to chase him down and trap him into being tagged."
Ivy gave Harry a look like she was looking at an idiot.
"He's very good with magic," continued Ivy, commenting about Quinn's magical ability. From the time he trapped her into a wall to the time he conjured an elephant-sized Patronus towards a horde of hundred Dementors, Ivy had plenty of experience with Quinn's magical abilities.
"I can beat him," commented Harry with his arms crossed, the pride of the Auror's son coming out.
"He went sixty-nine to zero in the dueling club. Most of his opponents were older students," reasoned Ivy, eying her brother and then humphed. "You lost to me two out of four times and once to Hermione."
Harry grumbled but didn't try to debate with Ivy because what she said had indeed been correct.
Quinn's accomplishment in Lockhart's (Flitwick) dueling club was legendary. Not once was Quinn hit with a spell in his entire sixty-nine fights, and more often than not, he defeated his opponent with a single, swift spell. And just when students thought Quinn would cross into the higher double digits, he stopped at sixty-nine duels and didn't step on to the dueling stage anymore.
When asked why he stopped, Quinn would grin while saying the words to everyone: "Sixty-nine, nice." And didn't explain what it meant.
"... So, he is a reasonable person, right?" asked James. While Quinn had been a massive help to them, James didn't have a hang of Quinn's personality in that short period.
Ivy opened her mouth but then closed it without speaking. Quinn was a reasonable person, but he had called himself a hypocrite of a high order. And from what Ivy saw, Quinn was a tad bit prideful, had hidden greed, plagued with paranoia that supported his controlative nature, and finally was a manipulative person who seemed to be always operating in the background.
Ivy had been cautious of Quinn ever since she met him, and that cautiousness had increased as time had passed. After Ivy deduced that Quinn was her and Harry's savior in the Chamber of Secrets and heard about the recent event of him saving Harry from terrorist abductors, her wariness had almost vanished.
She still felt a little wary of Quinn because her debt was still unpaid, but there was a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness towards Quinn.
"What are you talking about? Of course, he is a reasonable person," said Lily. The muggle studies professor from the very first conversation with Quinn had nothing but praises for him. "Why are you asking these questions?"
James thought about his reasons for worries. If this was any other kid, he wouldn't have been worried, but Quinn West wasn't any other kid.
"It's nothing," sighed James and semi-explained. "I was just worried about the West family, that's all."
"What do you mean worried about the West family?" asked Ivy, and the same question floated up in Harry's mind while Lily somewhat understood what James was talking about.
"West family is an influential family here in Britain," started James to explain the significance of the West family. "They have their hands in almost every major sector here in Britain and many minor profitable businesses. From agriculture, mining, forestry, fishing, potions, textile, metalworking to transport, hospitality, consulting, legal practice, healthcare, tourism, they do it all. And every single business they open gets support from their resources, so more often than not, their business quickly grows and becomes one of the top contenders for major market share."
James looked up noticed that while his family understood what he said, they weren't where he was coming from. So he simplified it for them so they would realize what he actually meant.
"They are rich," he said, and that was understood by the three, but then he gave them a comparison of wealth to get his point across. "To compare if we combine the wealth of say... Malfoys and Greengrasses, even that amount would lose out to West family's wealth in Britain. If we were to add on the Black family's wealth when they were at their peak, then that amount would beat West family's wealth in Britain."
"So, they are filthy rich," summarized Harry in concise words.
"Yes, son. They are filthy rich."
Lily furrowed her brows because even though she understood what James was saying, but one thing from James's words bugged her.
"Why do you keep saying West family's wealth in Britain?"
James turned to his wife and nodded as if he was expecting this question. "That's the real reason that sets West family apart from any other wealthy families. The West family business isn't concentrated in Britain; it goes way beyond that."
He paused before telling them what he had heard from his father and found from his job. "... West family's business spans across continents and has such reach that the amount of money and influence they have is more than any family in Britain and probably more than any group or organization that exists in the wizarding society. That makes Malfoy's wealth look like they are a bunch of poor chaps."
"Then why aren't they more famous?" asked Ivy because before she met, Ivy didn't have any idea about the West family.
"There are a few reasons for that," answered James. "First, they aren't involved in politics, so they aren't in the center of attention. If they want to get something done, they do it behind the doors, away from people's eyes."
"Second, the newspapers don't report on them because none of the family members appear in public," continued James and then revealed the size of the West family. "The West family only has three people; George West and his two grandchildren, Quinn and Lia West."
"People don't see George West any other place other than official events; he doesn't speak to newspapers, so most people don't know about it. Lia West, whom I researched, has been working outside of the country. She was only featured a couple of times since she entered the business, but that's because she spends a lot of time out of the country. She does get plenty of media attention, but because she moves a lot, no one country gets too much of news about Lia West."
"Lastly, there is Quinn West, who is still in Hogwarts. He spends most of his time in the castle, outside of the eyes of the media," spoke James before picking up on one of the tangents. "George West went to Hogwarts, and then after him, Quinn went to Hogwarts, but between those two, none of the other members went to Hogwarts. Lia West studied in France. Quinn's father also studied in France, and his mother studied in Italy. Lastly, George West's wife also came from France."
All three Potter audience noticed that James mentioned Quinn's parents. But previously, he had said there were only three West members in the family. Which meant that they were no longer alive. Ivy recalled how Lia was the one who came to pick up Quinn from the King's Cross Station. She hadn't given it a thought, but now she realized that Quinn's parents didn't come because they weren't alive.
"So the West family hasn't personally been active in Britain for some time, and that's the reason why most people don't know about them," spoke James, taking a sip of water from the glass of water on the table to quench his parched his throat.
No one cared about rich people if they weren't involved in some sort of scandal, and the members of the West family remained out of trouble.
"The members of Wizengamot know about them, most of the ministry bigwigs know about them, but from below that level, not a lot of people know about them. For some reason, their businesses aren't named after their family name, so the family isn't a household name," explained James, and he was done explaining to his family why the West family was such a big deal.
"The same day Harry was kidnapped, George West walked into the ministry and made his way straight to the minister's office," retold James the tale that he had heard from his peers in the Auror's office. "From what I heard, he walked to the minister's office and had his secretary announce that he was here to meet the minister. In under a minute, Fudge came running out with panic on his face. Fudge walked George West into his office, and when he left, Fudge issued an internal memo that essentially was a gag order to not let Quinn's name come in any of the forthcoming proceedings."
Such was the power of the West family. George West could walk into the ministry, and his wants would be entertained by the Minister of Magic himself.
"Voldemort had tried to recruit George West to his inner circle, no question asked, but he refused and fled the country, taking his family with him. They returned only after the war," brought up James. "This was the power of West family. Voldemort wanted West's financial support so much that Dumbledore had to go beg George just to make sure that he didn't support Voldemort. Forget about getting the West's supports for our side. If George West had decided to support any one side, the war could've gone very differently."
"So, I was just wondering if he is a type of person who gets offended easily because then I would step around him carefully," finished James. He didn't want to invite trouble just because he said something that offended Quinn, and that went to George West because that would be a huge trouble for him.
Ivy and Harry thought about Quinn and then compared him to Draco but didn't see many parallels between them. Draco liked to brag about his family, money, and the new things his dad had brought him. But Quinn didn't do anything of that; students didn't even know or thought that he was rich even though they paid him for multitudes of things.
Ivy thought back to the day she asked Quinn for the information about Nicholas Flamel, and that day he had asked her to pay upfront before she could even pick up the envelope that the information came in. She had to borrow money from Hermione to pay for that information.
'Ah... now with hindsight, Quinn did say that he would've mail-ordered the ingredients instead of picking them from Snape's inventory,' thought Ivy, picking up on things that showed he was from a wealthy family.
That day the Potters continued to talk about Quinn and the West family just because Quinn was coming to their home later that week.
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Quinn West - MC - I know
Aksel Thorn - Founder (Limax Group) - How is he connected?
James Potter - Soar throat - I haven't spoken so much in a while.
Ivy Potter - Some hindsight - Opinions in transition.
Harry Potter - Boy-Who-Lived - "... What? Tag is important."
Lily Potter - Professor - Has a really good impression of Quinn.
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