( Later That Day )
Checking himself over in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, he worked with his outfit some more, still trying to convey the perfect impression, but this was proving far harder than he originally thought. 'Where's Tonks when you need her,' he thought, acknowledging his beautiful cousin's excellent sense of style, even if she was a bit too gothic for his taste.
Normally he wasn't this obsessive about getting the right look, but tonight would be the first time he would meet with the Greengrass family officially, and he wanted to make the right impression for many different reasons. The main reason was that forging a connection with them would help him in the restoration of his own family's influence. Despite his recent successes, he couldn't afford to slack off in his duties. It took time and great patience to gather favors and influence, and it couldn't be achieved without a lot of hard work on his part.
The problem he was facing was that jeans just wouldn't cut it. Normally he would just wear a pair of nice jeans and a matching shirt, but that wouldn't do. This was, first of all, a formal dinner, and second, jeans were a distinctly "muggle" item. Even if the younger generations were slowly starting to wear them more, like most things in the magical world he noticed, the culture was slow to change and even slower to adopt "outside" ideas.
The magical culture within Britain as a whole was resistant to anything muggle-inspired just on principle. Nevertheless, he hoped his newest idea for a business venture would help change that. However, he would need the Greengrass family if he wished to be successful; they were in an ideal position with their strong market interests in the clothing and fashion industry.
Sure, you could buy a pair of jeans from a magical store, but they were few and far between and had very limited selection. After all, most of the well-established fashion brands were run by the old families, who were naturally reluctant to change their tried and tested lineups. Putting on a stylish black robe, he understood the reasons why such individuals were hesitant to change their ways, and it didn't help that blood purity was still a cultural backbone in higher society with house rankings and status. This was also, incidentally, where most of Britain's wealth was held and controlled.
Regardless of the difficulty, it was a market opportunity he was willing to fight for and exploit, as he could see the culture slowly moving in that direction already. It only made sense to be at the forefront and ground floor of this burgeoning industry by giving it a little push and earning the profits to go with it. If others weren't willing to market and sell such goods, it just meant that he would get a stranglehold on that area of the market faster. Frankly, he didn't expect it to take long for modern fashion trends to replace the traditional ones.
After all, you are only going to wear whatever makes you feel better, whether that feeling was sexy or confident, just so long as you weren't overshadowed by another. It was a bit like school—everyone wanted to look their best.
Naturally, he expected that someone powerful would take offense and try to stop his plans in their tracks, probably one of Lucius' associates if he had to guess, another stuck-up pureblood too rich and narrow-minded for their own good. This was one of the reasons why he wanted it to be a joint venture with the Greengrass family.
He didn't want to spread his resources too thin since he had greater plans in motion with the reconstruction of the Potter docks. While this would lessen his long-term profits, bringing a partner in would significantly reduce the upfront capital needed to get it up and running while sharing the inevitable political headaches with a more seasoned and entrenched political operator.
He left his room after deciding that if he stayed any longer he would just pick another outfit. He was feeling very restless; this meeting could help him out a great deal in the future. Heading down the stairs to the front room, he patiently waited for his godfather to arrive. Finally, Sirius turned up wearing long, flowing, traditional wizard robes, the Black family crest proudly visible on his chest as he strolled across the floor. Examining Sirius as he walked over, he noticed that his godfather lacked that joyful bounce in his step that he had gotten used to seeing. "Ready?" his godfather asked dryly, somewhat out of character.
Deciding to figure out what was up with his godfather later, rather than trying to work out what was bothering him now, he answered affirmatively as he rose from his seat. Quickly looking in a nearby mirror hanging above the fireplace, he re-seated his glasses on his nose. He wouldn't ever admit this aloud, but he was privately looking forward to his next medical exam and the hope that very soon he wouldn't need them anymore, even if they did make him look rather smart.
Mentally sighing, he wondered when he had become vain about his appearance. He set this bit of introspection aside for the time being as Sirius activated the floo, before throwing some floo powder into the fire, turning it an eerie green, thus signaling it was ready to be used. "Greengrass Manor," Sirius stated firmly, before walking through the enchanted fireplace.
Following his godfather's lead, he grabbed his own handful before throwing it into the fireplace as well. "Greengrass Manor," he said clearly, before stepping through the green flames. Emerging from the magical flames, he almost tripped on the room's rich rug as he stepped out, but managed to regain his balance. Comically falling out of the fireplace would have done wonders for his dignity, he thought wryly.
"Still getting used to traveling by floo, Harry?" the familiar voice of Lord Greengrass observed, looking down at Harry with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Fighting the urge to blush and the similarly childish urge to blame the rug as an excuse, he answered,
"Indeed, I expect it's like most things in life, you just need practice," he expressed calmly, noticing a small smile appear on the Lord's stern features. He then took a moment to stealthily straighten his robes, making sure that he didn't look ruffled by the near pratfall, as he looked around the entry room for the first time.
Grand and refined were the two words he would use to describe the entrance room, much like the family themselves. His eyes immediately recognized the subtle displays of wealth in the room meant to impress visitors, such as the huge polished black marble fireplace and the richly embroidered carpet.
There were also displays of their family history, with the family crest displayed just above the doorway, a reminder of their position and just how old the family was, with several old enchanted portraits hanging on the walls in silver and gold frames.
But at the same time, it felt empty and cold. It lacked that intangible feeling that said this was a living space. 'This room is purely for show,' he thought, as he examined the portraits along the ivory cream-colored walls, the cream drawing the eye back to the fireplace as the room's defining feature. "I trust that you have had a good holiday so far, Lord Greengrass?" he enquired, using the man's formal title as protocol demanded. When his own lordship became public knowledge, his title would be used in the same way.
"Please feel free to drop the Lord title, you're making me feel awfully old," the middle-aged man stated good-naturedly, whilst Sirius smirked at the reply. "You can call me Nicholas whilst we are in private. In public it will be Lord, as social formalities require. To answer your original question, we have had a rather pleasant Christmas all told," Nicholas answered. "And thank you, Sirius, for your gift; that Icelandic whiskey was most exotic and enjoyable."
"You're welcome," Sirius replied easily with a mischievous grin. "Everyone likes good whiskey, even got Harry here started on what will hopefully be a lifelong affair with fine liquor," he said, whilst slapping Harry suddenly on the back to emphasize the point.
"Well, let's move into the front room and meet with the ladies," Nicholas suggested, leading them out of the room.
...
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