Chapter 34: Malfoys, and Dancing (2/2)
”Right...”
”There is he, father.” Quinn turned to see Draco dragging Lucius Malfoy with him.
'Draco, what are you doing, man. You are really hurting my impression of you.' was Quinn's thoughts before Draco and Lucius Malfoy arrived near him.
”So, you are the one who is insulting him,” sneered Lucius as he looked down at Quinn. Quinn looked confused, ”You seem to be misinformed; I said nothing of sorts to your son.”
”He lies; he made fun of me at the Hogwarts Express and just before,” screamed Draco as he pointed at Quinn.
Lucius looked at Quinn and noticed that the child was just smiling, not looking nervous at all. So, he decided to inform the ignorant child who he was dealing with.
”Child, what is your name, and where are your parents? Call them so I can have a talk with them and teach them how to raise a child,” sneered Lucius.
Quinn nodded and replied, ”Okay, wait a moment. I will bring my parents.” Then Quinn ran off to follow Lucius' orders.
Draco sneered and announced, ”He will finally get what was coming for him.”
After a minute, Quinn back and called out to Lucius, ”I brought him.”
Lucius smirked as he thought about ripping into some chump, but when he turned back, Lucius froze. The person he saw shocked him out of his mind.
”What is this I hear, Lucius. You are taking part in children's squabble,” said George West as he stared at Lucius with a seemingly bored expression.
Lucius stared wordlessly at one of the people he feared. If Lucius Malfoy considered Jacob Greengrass his rival, then George West was another level than him. George West was a sleeping threat to his political and financial authority in Britain.
When he was young, his father, Abraxas Malfoy, had told him that when it came to money, West family outclassed every other family in Britain, including the Blacks, when they were at their highest point. He had told Lucius that, unlike the other British families, the West family business spanned across continents; If they deployed all their resources, they could take over magical Britain's economy.
After that, Lucius Malfoy had firsthand seen George West's viciousness in business. George West had left the country before the war got worse. When it ended, there were opportunities to make money, and Lucius wanted to use this chance to recover the wealth he had lost in the war. But by the time he was done with his trials at the ministry, George West had nonchalantly returned to Britain and took advantage of the aftermath of the war before Lucius could even start. Even Jacob Greengrass had difficulty competing for resources, even though Greengrass was the first to start.
”Mr. West, I heard you were at the ball. But, why are you following this child?” asked Lucius, praying that it won't be what he was thinking; Alas, it was the thing he was fearing.
”This is my grandson, Quinn West. You asked for him to get his parents, so I came, now what is it you wanted to talk about,” said George.
Lucius looked down towards Quinn and saw the striking similarities between him and George West; both had black hair and stone-grey eyes.
”I didn't know you were his grandfather,” said Lucius, not knowing what to say next.
”Now you know, so what is it you want to talk about,” asked George.
Lucius cursed his luck that bought him face to face against this man, ”It is nothing, I just wanted to solve this children's fight peacefully. You know how children can take things too far.”
”I see, then I proclaim this squabble over,” said George and turned to Quinn. ”Quinn, behave and get along with others,” but he didn't sound serious at all.
”Come now, Lucius, accompany me for a drink. Let's talk business. I have been doing some stuff you would absolutely love to hear about,” said George with a smile that didn't fit well with Lucius at all.
Quinn watched as the two adults walked away, and Lucius was not looking enthusiastic at all. He turned to face Draco and said, ”Ah, Mr. Malfoy, I missed the chance, but I wish you a happy Yuletide.”
Malfoy looked awkward, standing in front of Quinn and Daphne, not knowing what to do. He had called his father to take care of Quinn, but somehow his father had been taken away by another man with his father not being able to refuse.
Listening to Quinn wish him a happy Yuletide was all the 'humiliation' he could take for the day and stomped away.
Daphne turned to Quinn and asked, ”Do you dislike Malfoy?”
Quinn shook his head, answering, ”Not at all. It takes a lot more than that to make me dislike someone. Maybe a couple more years of this on a regular basis would be enough for me to develop a dislike for him. I don't even consider him an annoyance at this point.” Quinn cared little for Draco's attitude and found it not worth his time to care for his silly, spoiled behavior.
He turned to Daphne and asked, ”Do you want to dance?”
Daphne stood still and blinked a couple of times, ”Why?”
”I have been learning to dance for so many years; it would be a waste not to make use of it,” said Quinn while shrugging.
The blonde stared at Quinn for a while before nodding. Quinn smiled and extended his hand to Daphne, who took it and let Quinn lead her onto the floor.
On the floor, both Quinn and Daphne straightened their backs and stepped closer to each other. Quinn took Daphne's raised right hand in his raised left hand, and Quinn placed his right on her shoulder blade while she put her left on his shoulder. Daphne shifted a smidge to her left such that she would be on Quinn's right, so their legs move between each other and knees don't hit.
When they were set, Quinn took the lead, and both began dancing, with Quinn pleasantly smiling as he made conversation, ”Any plans for the vacations?”
”Spend some time with my sister; she felt down when I left for Hogwarts and was quite excited when I returned home for the break,” said Daphne, a soft look in her usually sharp eyes.
She looked at Quinn, expecting him to answer his own question.
”Hmm... I will probably remain at home for the break, doing nothing interesting. Oh, yeah, I am going to learn how to make clothes.”
Daphne tipped her head to the side, ”You mean sewing?”
Quinn nodded enthusiastically, ”Kind of; I found a book list on tailoring charms and how to make all kinds of clothes from different fabrics like cotton, wool, even leather. I skimmed through it, and the books also show how to weave various charms into threads or clothes,” he remembered how Madam Malkin's shop had prepared his clothes in such a short time. Even the robes he was wearing today were made within hours.
”I am most excited to work on the leather of different animals and beasts. Oh, goody!” Quinn finished with a twinkle in his eyes.
”You are weird,” was all Daphne said in reply. She also complimented him, ”You are a good dancer.”
Quinn smiled, ”Only because you are making leading so easy.” Complimenting her in an offhand way.
- (Scene Break) -
”Look dear, Daphne is dancing,” said Sophie Greengrass, getting the attention of her husband.
Jacob Greengrass turned his head to see his eldest daughter dancing on the floor, ”With the West boy,” he looked closer and added, ”And, she is talking with him.”
Sophie rested a hand on her cheek and commented, ”They look cute, maybe, I should ask the person with the camera to snap some photos.”
Jacob hummed, not liking the idea at all. His eyes narrowing as he watched the West boy chuckle, and even though his daughter wasn't, he could tell that she was enjoying herself.
Jacob glanced towards George West, who was talking with a clearly uncomfortable-looking Lucius Malfoy. He turned back to look at the dancing pair.
Sophie Greengrass looped her arm around her husband's arm and asked, ”Would you like to dance?”
Jacob looked at his wife, smiling, ”Of course, my lady. I would love to have this dance with you.” He took her hand and guided her to the floor.
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Quinn West - MC - Want to make himself a whip, ”Heeyah!”
Daphne Greengrass - Dance Partner - Currently enjoying dancing.
Draco Malfoy - Red-faced and angry. - Sulking in a corner.
Lucius Malfoy - Clearly uncomfortable - Not enjoying the ball.
-*-*-*-*-*-
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