บท 93: Chapter 93. Money Wars 2
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Leland Blackburn's golden paddle caught the light, the reflection catching the attention of the entire hall if his words hadn't already done so. Even the anchor of the auction was stunned silent.
Juni's eyes widened in shock and Ji-hun finally smashed the glass cup in his hold.
I tsked. "You should have put it down, now you've got glass shards in your palm…"
Ji-hun stared at me with helplessness in his dark eyes, he had left his glasses behind for this trip. "But…" He trailed off, sounding immensely frustrated.
It was clear that he had been confident that spending 50,000 Galleons was the most I would have to do to get Juni back and the weight of my earlier words was starting to tell on him.
"Clean up and sit back, Juni's food will be getting cold, we'll have to return soon." I said casually, returning my gaze to the stage.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" The anchor cheered, the crowd doing the same. "Right off the bat we have a 100,000 Galleon bid from none other than Master Leland Blackburn himself, does anyone want to enter the ring and bid higher?" He encouraged.
There was another stretched silence, it was clear that a lot of people had been ready to bid on Juni but Leland Blackburn blatantly showing his interest in her made a good number of them back off.
A beautiful lady sitting close to the front delicately lifted her metal paddle. "120,000 Galleons." She said confidently.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Anyone else? Going for 120,000 Galleons, Going! Going!..."
I lifted my paddle. "200,000." I lazily announced.
Juni's head whipped around in my direction when she heard my voice, the fire in her eyes dying out the instant she recognized me and her older brother. Her eyes went glassy as she fought to hold back tears. So, it had all been an act…
The hall was plunged into another deafening silence, everyone turning their heads in my direction.
The anchor was a few moments from straight-up hyperventilating. "Wonderful! Splendid! A 200,000 Galleon bid! This is quite unprecedented! Going for 200,000 Galleons! Going! Go…"
Leland Blackburn tipped back his hat to stare at me with depthless dark eyes, lifting his paddle one more time. "300,000." He gritted out, the amusement long gone from his voice.
"Wonderful! Splendid!" The anchor cheered again. "Going for 300,000 Galleons! Goi…"
I lifted my paddle again, an imperceptible smile on my face. "500,000." I had no interest in haggling.
Ji-hun stared at me in disbelief, the rest of the hall doing the same in varying degrees.
"Splendid! Splendid! A half-a-million bid! This is just wonderful, going for 500,000 Galleons! Going! Going! Going!... Gone!" He was yelling at this point, waving his hammer. "Sold! For the staggering price of half a million Galleons!"
Excited whispers filled the auction hall, everyone stealing glances at me, even Madame Dufort, one of the Dark Lords.
Leland didn't bother to hide his open hostility, it was unfortunate for him that I had to be the one battling him for Juni. I was willing to give a lot to get her back.
The cuffs were taken off her wrist and as soon as she was free she came running from the stage to our table. She was barefoot but it didn't bother her.
Ji-hun shot to his feet to get to her, hugging his sister impossibly close when she rocketed into his arms, the soft sound of crying coming from her.
I got to my feet as well, brushing down my overcoat and pretending to not see that Leland Blackburn was striding in my direction with purpose.
"We cross again for the second time, Albeline." He spoke, and his voice held none of the mocking quality it did when he first had a conversation with me.
I stopped brushing off nonexistent dirt from my coat and straightened up to look at Blackburn. "Oh? What a surprise to bump into you again." I smiled politely.
Leland Blackburn didn't return my smile, he turned to look at Juni who was already wearing her brother's coat and hiding behind him. "I wanted her as a little gift for my precious daughter but I suppose you beat me to it."
Juni left Ji-hun's side to hide behind my back, her small hand holding tightly to my coat. I smiled again, it was a dangerous expression, all sharp teeth, and cold threats. "The other three will have to do for her then, and perhaps the next auction will provide more gifts."
It looked like we were having a civil conversation but in reality, it was far from that. Blackburn had come to personally tell me that he now viewed me as a threat and would treat me accordingly.
"You will attend the subsequent auctions, will you not? I hope to see you there." He concluded, patting my shoulder before walking off with his bodyguards in tow.
I narrowed my eyes at this, Leland Blackburn clearly had pronounced me his target, I would have to move with extreme care from now on or I stood to be in real danger.
The special item was a Dragon hybrid egg but no one paid attention to the bid, it was a special item but it didn't even sell for up to 1/10th of what I had paid for Juni. Instead, the entire hall had turned its attention to Leland Blackburn's conversation with me.
Immediately after the last sale, the main doors were opened and people could now leave. No one did though and it was clear that there would be an afterparty that would stretch on for hours.
After Blackburn left, I took my seat once more but Juni refused to let go of me even when Ji-hun urged her to come to sit beside him. I let her be, allowing her to hold on to my coat for however long she wanted.
A waitress scurried to our table to hand me a golden special access card and paddle, which was a waste of time because it would only be on rare occasions that I would bid and it was only if I found something interesting.
The special access card gave the owner permission to bring as many people as they wanted with them and those people weren't required to have cards, there was also a special VIP entrance for guests with special access cards.
"Let's leave." I decided, getting to my feet when the auction was over. There was no need to remain here plus I didn't want Juni's childhood to be shaped by the darkness of the world, although it was a little too late. I glanced at her when we stepped out of the hall, her eyes were dry now and she had a resolute expression on her delicate face.
Outside the hall, there was a crowd of people gathered as they waited for the people inside to slowly exit. They were mostly there for the information, I was sure. The auctions run by Madame Dufort had quickly become a hot topic in Blackmore Alley.
What had happened inside the auction hall would quickly become common knowledge in the Alley before the end of the night. It was not my problem though, I was done here for today.
We left Blackmore Alley through the pub exit, stepping out on Mill Street downtown. Apparating would be the fastest way to get back to the manor house and was currently the only option. Only when we left Blackmore Alley did Juni let go of my overcoat and return to her brother's side, she would come back with him by means of side-along apparation.
I walked past the gates that protected and hid the manor house from the public, walking past the carefully tended gardens. In the background, I could hear the soft rushing of the water fountains and the sounds of the night, the familiar sound of hooting coming from behind the manor.
Echo had returned to the Albeline Manor after my impromptu escape from Hogwarts and remained there till I returned, Wilkins taking care of the bird.
Today had turned out unexpectedly but it wasn't something that I minded, a check of the time showed that it was well past 9 pm. I could probably get some work done in my study before going to bed.
I started up the main stairs with determination, I could hear the familiar footsteps of Ji-hun and Juni crossing the foyer.
"Um…" Juni's voice called out, making me slow down. "Is M-Master A-Albeline not going to join us for dinner?" She asked carefully.
I thought over it for a moment then decided against it. "Thanks for the offer but I'll pass, make sure to go to bed early." I added so that I didn't come off too cold, continuing my journey to my study.
I had a lot of things that needed to be done, things that needed to be put in place. I needed to plan my next steps and mentally arrange all the information that I had gotten, I also needed to do a lot of research. It was time to climb up the ranks of the Wizarding Underworld.
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