บท 4: Cutting Cakes, Knotting Alliances
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[[A/N: Raw chapter: Neither proofread nor edited]]
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Ian had been training his magic a lot recently. Growing his magic little by little.
Every time a spell is a success or he makes a breakthrough in his magic, his happiness goes off the charts. From birth, he has been taught that there is nothing greater for a wizard than being a great magic user. Having bigger magic reserves, multiple spells, quick and effortless chanting and knowing the best spell to use considering the situation.
Ian was witty, figuring out spells, quick casting and having knowledge of multiple spells was not a massive achievement for him. But he lacked something that the majority of the Sacred Twenty-Eight had.
He sighed.
"Still not enough magic."
His magic repository was low. He could wield magic but not enough to call himself a prodigy. He was jealous of those that were blessed enough to not worry about their magic quantity.
He had hoped that he would be able to increase his magic as he grows old but currently, it was just a dream.
"Ian."
He heard his uncle knock at his door.
"It's open."
He saw the lord of the house walk in with two maids following him. With them were a few fancy looking clothing.
"We have to leave in two hours, so decide what you want to wear." He pointed at the clothes. "I thought one of these might look good on you."
He wasn't wrong. Ian loved wearing blacks and greys and the clothes his uncle chose were the very colours he loved— black, grey and white.
He was tall for his age, hundred forty-five centimetres at the age of nine. He went through the clothes and while he would have usually picked a black one, he wanted to try white. So, he picked the expensive looking white coat.
"Not bad." Garrick commended his pick. "Get ready and when you are done, meet me in the hallway. I will be there."
"Alright, uncle." He said before remembering something important. "Are we going 'there' after the party?"
He asked in a hopeful tone. Garrick smiled a little before replying.
"Not today, but tomorrow morning." He said. "You will have the whole day to explore."
"Alright."
Ian stood in front of a mirror, tucking his black hair to the back which he knew was growing a bit too long. He was pretty lean but most wizards were as all they did was sit in front of a book or cauldron.
'Maybe I should trim my hair a little.' He wondered as the hair getting on his eyes annoyed him a little. Garrick always complained that his hair covered his pretty blue eyes which were from his mother.
He couldn't deny that his mother had beautiful eyes. The portraits in the manor didn't lie after all.
The maids helped him put on his clothes as he stared at the mirror. He remembered his birthday when Garrick invited the colleagues from his business but he had not invited any of the Sacred Twenty Eight.
But Garrick did say that he would be hosting his tenth birthday on a grand scale which meant there would be a lot of people.
"You are looking quite eloquent, young master."
The maids complemented which he knew were mostly just to please his young ears. However, going with the flow, he smiled.
"Thank you."
He didn't remember most of the maids, but honestly, he didn't need to. Unlike the other families, Ollivanders didn't possess any house elves. His father despised slavery, even if it was of the house elves. And he respected his father for that.
He wore a perfectly white suit with white pants and a grey vest. A white tie was added to the mix to complete the dress along with matching white shoes.
"We should be back before night, right?
…
…
[Parkinson Manor]
Coloured lights decorated the alleyway to the manor while the inside was beautifully lit up using candles and chandelier. The garden was neatly trimmed and magic made the flowers of various colours and aromas bloom.
It was a festive mood in the Parkinson Manor and no one was happier than the seven-year-old Pansy.
Rushing towards a middle aged man, she exclaimed. "Thank you, father. For organising this event."
The man ruffled the little girl's hair while giving out a small smile.
"Anything for you, my little princess."
Her mother watched lovingly as the father daughter pair waited for the guest —which surprisingly didn't take long.
"She sure looks like a princess."
The first to arrive was a middle aged man escorted by a beautiful blonde woman. His age was similar to Cecil however the woman was much younger than him.
"Ah, Samuel." Cecil smiled heartily at the man's entrance.
The man was not a random guest, he was Samuel Greengrass, the current lord of the Greengrass family and one of the greatest allies of the Parkinson family.
"I am glad that you could make it." Cecil said as he turned his vision to Samuel's wife. "You are just as pretty as the day I first saw you, Lady Greengrass."
The Lady of the Greengrass family covered her lips elegantly before smiling.
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Parkinson."
But just as the Lord was about to say something, the little heiress of the Parkinson manor screamed excitedly.
"Daphne!"
The focus of the entire room first fell on Pansy before moving towards a little blonde haired girl, that stood next to the lady of the Greengrass. And what the spectators noticed were the beautiful golden locks of the girl that shone brighter than even her mother. She had a perfect doll like face with no impurities and two azure-blue eyes.
The girl nodded without showing much of a reaction to the crowd, which made Cecil take note of her calmness.
"You have a beautiful daughter, Samuel." He said. "She definitely takes her appearance from her mother rather than you."
The indirect jab made the Greengrass lord laugh and despite that, everyone knew that it was a joke as the man in question was much more handsome than the lord of Parkinson.
"Happy Birthday, Pansy."
Daphne wished before handing out a nicely wrapped present towards the birthday girl.
Pansy didn't wait a second before grabbing it with shining eyes.
"Thank you, Daphne! You are the best!"
Pansy was ecstatic but it was just the beginning as the person that she was waiting for the most just arrived.
"Are we handing out gifts already?"
It was a long haired man with a stern face, escorted by a woman with black and white hair.
"Ah, Lucius." Cecil greeted. "We have been waiting for you."
There were two people in the manor that Cecil was worried about or more precisely at a lookout for and one of them just so happened to be the man standing before him.
Lucius Malfoy, lord of the Malfoy family and a former death eater that was able to escape the council without suffering any repercussions.
A feat that astonished Cecil.
'I wonder if he is planning something today.' Cecil was a little worried about dealing with the man despite knowing him since his schooling days. However, the other man that worried him didn't appear yet.
Alaric Nott.
Another scary man that Cecil was worried about and at times, he seemed even more terrifying than Lucius.
He wondered if the man would make an appearance today.
.
.
.
The event had begun. Guests were still making their visit but as promised, the event started strictly at six. Pansy was beatific at the attention and gifts she was showered with. She was an heiress and that of the Sacred Twenty Eight. While it did put a lot of burden on her, it also came with countless benefits.
Wealth, Power and Influence.
"Ladies and gentlemen." Cecil took the stage as his daughter stood next to him. "I am elated and blessed to be able to organise this party for my daughter and to have you respected lords and ladies grace us with your presence."
He made sure to give the members of the Sacred Twenty Eight a nod, making the hierarchy within the room clear.
"To be able to serve you all as the host, it's an honour." He smiled. "Lord Malfoy, Lord Greengrass, Lady Abbott and their beautiful family." He ensured to give special attention to the mentioned families. "I am grateful that you were able to make this visit despite your busy schedule."
"Unfortunately I believe the other invited guests weren't able to make it on time." He said, patting his daughter's head. "Yet we cannot delay the event any further. They will be part of the event but might not be able to be there for the cake cutting ceremony."
As he spoke, the maids brought in a massive cake that stood bigger than the Parkinson heiress inside the room.
"I request you all to bless my daughter on this occasion." He said, tapping the girl's shoulder. Pansy understood what he wanted and walked towards the cake that the maids placed over an exquisite table. "Please, enjoy the party."
Saying this, he got off the podium and walked toward his daughter alongside his wife. The guests stood at the centre of the room while the orchestra played melodic beats to suit the ambience of the event.
And as the family of three stood in front of the cake, Cecil noticed the entrance of new guests which made him smile.
"Ah, Lord Ollivander. I am glad that you could make it."
…
…
[[Garrick Ollivander]]
The event was much grander than anticipated. He expected it to be an event for the gathering of the Sacred Twenty Eight, however, he realised that Cecil wanted to go all out by inviting merchants, council members and even members of the wizarding board of education.
'Seems like I underestimated his ambitions a little.'
Without letting his thoughts show on his face and properly shielding his mind with Occlumency, he replied to the Parkinson's Lord.
"The honour is ours, Lord Parkinson." Saying this, he lightly tapped on his nephew's shoulder —prompting Ian to walk forward.
And that is what the young heir did.
Cecil noticed the young Ian and smiled.
"Your nephew has grown into a fine lad, Lord Ollivander."
Garrick laughed and agreed. "That he has." He then pointed at the cake. "However, do not worry about us. Your daughter seems to be waiting to cut the cake."
As he said that, the young heiress blushed. It was true that she was eager to cut the cake and even more eager to share it with Daphne and Draco, yet she wasn't certain if she had the courage to do so.
Daphne and Draco were the only two she seemed interested in. The rest for her were just mere spectators and that included Ian and the heiress of Abbott as well.
"Very well." Cecil agreed and smiled at his daughter. "You may cut the cake, dear."
…
…
The party was quite boring. Or at least that's what Ian thought.
Just as his uncle said, it was indeed just a way for the Parkinson family to build connections. The older men seemed to be discussing business and politics while the kids were trying to form groups with kids of similar or higher status.
He wasn't interested in such things, however, he knew it was a necessary step.
The heiress of the Parkinson seemed to be walking around with slices of cake and feeding it to her family and close friends. He noticed her walking towards a certain blonde haired girl that seemed younger than him smiling at the birthday girl as Pansy approached her.
There weren't many children that seemed to be of his age, which made it difficult for him to approach them.
He looked for people his age and the ones he found were children of merchants rather than any important figure.
'It's more difficult than I thought…' He groaned internally.
He couldn't just approach a random children's circle, it was too weird. So, he did what any sane person would do.
He searched for ones that were just as uncomfortable at the party as him. And surprisingly, it was easier than he thought.
It was a blonde girl, younger than him. Maybe the same age as the Parkinson heiress. But that was not important.
What was important was the fact that she seemed just as uncomfortable at the party as him. And that was what he needed to approach her.
He walked towards the girl, fully conscious to not make the interaction weird.
"Hello." He greeted, trying to sound as polite and gentlemanly as possible. However, to the spectators he seemed nothing more than a kid trying to act mature.
Which he was.
And it worked.
The girl turned around to look at him and slightly nodded, acknowledging his presence.
"H-Hello." She stuttered at her greeting and immediately blushed at the blunder. Ian didn't laugh or smile as he knew it was not a big deal. Getting nervous at such an event was normal, after all… he was nervous just as much.
"My name is Ian Ollivander, may I know yours?" He was not used to making public interactions so all he could think of was telling her his name.
The girl looked at him and widened her eyes. She had heard of the name Ollivander, just like her family, the Ollivander was part of the Sacred Twenty Eight which meant the boy in front of her was an important person.
"I-It's Hannah. Hannah Abbott." Her stutter this time around was because of shock. She didn't expect to get approached by someone from an ancient house.
"Abbott?" Ian mumbled, remembering that his uncle told her about the Abbott family being a big part of the Wizarding Council.
"Yes." She was a bit nervous but managed to calm herself to give a proper introduction. "The heiress of the Abbott family."
Hannah was informed by her aunt that the people at the party would try to approach her for her family's power. And for that, she was told to always stay on guard.
Ian was surprised that the girl managed to calm herself so fast and was curious as to what was going on inside her head. Sadly he was not versed in the art of legilimency yet.
"Ah, pardon me." He said before letting his standing in the hierarchy known as well. "Ian Ollivander, heir to the most noble and most ancient house of Ollivander."
Another shock.
Hannah didn't expect the 'heir' of the Ollivander to approach her. She wasn't sure if he knew of her from before or it was just a random encounter.
"Do you like the party?" He was direct.
Hannah was amazed by his straightforwardness but she preferred it over complex talks. She wasn't dumb but she wasn't very good at reading people either. And thus she preferred when people spoke what they meant.
"It's… it's not bad." She said, not being fully honest.
Ian stood next to her looking at Pansy shyly approaching Draco with a piece of the cake.
"It is quite boring." He said, uncaring that someone else might be eavesdropping.
Once again, his straightforwardness surprised Hannah. She wasn't liking the event either, but she was scared of calling it boring. Yet the older boy next to her said it so nonchalantly that she was in awe of his courage.
Yet instead of denying his claim or staying silent. She agreed with him.
"Yeah… it is."
She saw how the adults merely seemed to be interested in politics as all she could hear them talk about was politics. The children had predetermined groups and she wasn't part of those, that made her uncomfortable.
The birthday girl seemed too fixated on the Malfoy heir and the Greengrass heiress to pay attention to the other kids and her parents were busy tending to the Sacred Twenty Eight, which included her aunt.
The two didn't talk much, mostly because they weren't sure what to talk about. Hannah thought of making some small talk but didn't because of the fear of embarrassing herself or saying something controversial.
She was warned by her aunt, after all.
Ian seemed to get a bit annoyed at the fact that they were being ignored by the Parkinson heiress and thus he decided to ask Hannah.
"Do you want some cake?" The maid was serving it to them but Ian didn't take any previously as he expected the birthday girl to give it to them herself, as he was part of the Sacred Twenty Eight as well.
But he seemed mistaken. Not all children were that aware of politics. His uncle did say that he was a bit mature for his age due to what he has been through from an early age.
"Err… okay." Hannah accepted his offer. She loved sweets and was waiting to be able to eat some. And now that another member of the Sacred Twenty Eight offered, she had all the reasons to dig in.
…
…
Garrick smiled as he saw Ian interacting with Hannah.
'Out of all the children he could have picked to talk to, he chose the Abbott heiress.' Garrick was amused. 'You sure have the luck of the devil, Ian.'
He knew it was going to be difficult to build friendship with the Parkinson heiress for Ian, mostly because he wouldn't be able to talk to her for long given that she was the reason for the party.
He was not in favour of him approaching Malfoy heir because of Lucius and the same went for the Nott family who seemed to be surprisingly absent.
And out of the other options he had available, Garrick knew that Ian had undeniably picked one of the best ones.
"Lord Ollivander…"
It was Cecil that called for him.
"As we previously talked about. I am willing to invest in the resource trading firm for you."
Finally, the reason he made the visit was being addressed.
"With my investments, quite a lot of the other families will also make the investment and you will be able to gain control over the supply of wand materials and I with the other investors will gain a share of the profit as stated."
Garrick smiled. "You do not disappoint, Lord Parkinson."
After all, for Garrick money was secondary and those resources were primary.
'This trip was worth it.' He smiled —'For both of us'— as he looked at Ian enjoying the birthday cake with Hannah.
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