But now? I had been completely honest about the current situation in the Wizengamot. Light and Dark were equal in power, with the neutral Grey Faction extremely weak. People who had sat on the sidelines in the previous war were being pressured to make a decision. Malfoy led the Dark Faction, Dumbledore the Light. Both men were very good at 'persuading' people to see things their way, leading to a volatile situation in the Wizarding World.
If Cyrus was smart, he'd be able to see the writing on the wall. His choices just weren't that great. There were the wealthy bigots who wanted to keep Wizarding Britain locked up, ignoring everything that wasn't related to the isles and magic. That meant cutting off trade with the rest of the world, segregating non-humans, werewolves and Muggleborn, and allowing certain spells to be cast and artifacts to be owned without penalty.
The Light Faction wasn't exactly much better. They wanted to push reforms that would ease relations between Muggleborn and Purebloods, but also sought to ban things that leaned too closely to the Dark, and to censor history worse than it already was being censored.
The Grey Faction was dying. It was breaking apart. It had fewer and fewer members, and Cyrus had his hands tied. He had to make a choice sooner or later. Yet here I was, walking in here with a fourth option. A new faction, and a new source of resources and manpower.
I hide a smirk as I left Diagon Alley. I had a feeling that Cyrus would think my offer over, and side with me. It might not be today, tomorrow, or even next year. But as I kept on buying supplies from his greenhouses and farms in quantities unheard of recently, the head of House Greengrass would see that there was another way to move forward. For both his family, and the magical world as a whole.
...
"Oh, you both look so cute!" Delilah gushed, and Mrs. Finch-Fletchley nodded, leaning in for a dreaded cheek pinch.
Harry pouted, not at all liking being called 'cute,' while Justin wore a resigned expression as he accepted the compliments and pinches.
Harry had decided to spend Christmas Break with me this year. I'd offered but hadn't expected him to agree. I was touched he'd accepted. Though he was also going to spend time with all of his friends who lived in the Muggle world this holiday as well. He'd be hanging out with Hermione, Dean, and a few others for a big get together later in the week before heading back to Hogwarts.
I merely stood nearby, smirking in amusement as I watched the scene. We were inside a ballroom with dozens of other people, all wearing suits and dresses worth more than a car. Delilah was here with her parents, though she'd distanced herself from them to stop by and say hello when Harry and I had entered with the Finch-Fletchleys. Harry was here on my invitation, and both Justin and Harry were glad to have somebody they knew at the party.
I was glad to see Justin was fine, too. Harry had somehow changed things at Hogwarts enough in a way that prevented Justin from being petrified. In fact, only Miss Norris, Colin Creevy, and Nearly Headless Nick had suffered from the Basilisk's gaze this time around, according to Harry. That was a relief, and it made it a lot easier to relax and enjoy the evening.
Once again, I was at a Christmas ball, the same one I'd attended last year, but this year, my invitation came from Sir Briar, my 'business partner.'
And speaking of him, the ancient man in the wheelchair who had invested in my business along with Delilah's father, was looking my way. I gave him a polite nod and moved over to him to give him my greetings. Harry shot me an annoyed look as I left him to his fate, but I pretended not to notice.
"Good evening, Sir Briar," I said politely, giving him a bow in greeting.
"Eh, good to see some young ones with proper manners these days," he cackled. "All that rock music is rotting their brains."
"Good thing I don't listen to rock. It's too loud, hurts my eats," I chuckled along with him. "Would it kill them to actually sing instead of shouting everything? It's like they're trying to make us deaf!"
"Indeed, indeed," Sir Briar nodded. "Youngsters don't know what proper music is like."
"Quite. Oh, and thank you for inviting me, Sir. And may I say that your hair looks great tonight," I said, complimenting the full head of hair that wouldn't look out of place of a man half his age.
"It does, doesn't it?" the wealthy businessman said, running a hand through it. "Your products truly work as advertised. Haven't had this much hair in decades."
"The nurses probably can't keep their hands off of you," I said with a wink, and he cackled again at that.
With the ice broken, other people soon began to come up and chat with us. I met quite a few people Sir Briar knew, and made connections with more influential individuals.
...
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