Chapter 120: Greengrasses Visit The West Manor (1/2)
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_L / Alan_Loo]
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George West and Elliot Dalton stood near the fireplace of West Manor, which was in an ornate room that was used to greet guests who arrived at the villa via floo travel.
”Are the floo wards adjusted?” asked George, making sure for the last time.
A floo fireplace could be warded to block its connection to the floo-network, and the West Manor floo fireplace had those wards always active until needed. So until the wards were adjusted, no one could enter the West Manor via the fireplace.
Elliot nodded in reply. ”Yes, the wards were adjusted half an hour ago.”
”Where's my grandson?” asked George, looking at Elliot, who was standing beside him. Ms. Rosey, on the other hand, was behind them, near the door.
”I am afraid I am not sure.” Elliot shook his head.
He looked back at Ms. Rosey to see whether she knew Quinn's whereabouts.
”He is in the rehearsal room,” replied Ms. Rosey.
George glanced back at Ms. Rosey and asked. ”Why isn't he here? Is he not aware of the time of arrival?”
”I don't think he is aware,” replied Elliot after thinking if Quinn had been made aware of today's events. ”It seems we forgot to tell him.”
”They are coming because of him,” sighed George and then looked at Ms. Rosey to ask. ”Is he presentable?”
Ms. Rosey nodded her head in confidence, as though that wasn't even a question.
”Good,” nodded back George, before turning towards the fireplace. At that moment, the fire turned green, which signified the arrival of someone at the West Manor floo-point.
Four figures came out of the fireplace. They gracefully stepped onto the floor of the floo-room of the West Manor. All of them were dressed in smart, semi-casual clothing.
George stepped forward and greeted the new arrivals.
”Welcome to the West Manor.” greeted George.
”Mr. West, it has been a while,” greeted Jacob Greengrass as he stepped forward to shake hands with George.
”It has been, Jacob. It's good to see you after such a long time.”
George turned to the lady beside Jacob and softly smiled.
”Lady Sophie, you're still as beautiful as I saw you the last time,” he took the offered hand and kissed it on the knuckles.
”Thank you for the compliment, Mr. West,” smiled Sophie gracefully. ”You, too, are as charming as ever.”
George turned to the remaining two of the four and greeted them with a friendly and calm smile.
”Daphne and Astoria, right?” greeted George to the two Greengrass sisters. ”It's lovely to meet you two. Quinn has told me a lot about you two.”
The two girls curtsied as practiced and greeted Quinn's grandfather.
”Nice to meet you, Mr. West.”
George looked at the Greengrass parents and said. ”How about we adults move to the lounge...” he turned to glance at Daphne and Astoria. ”... and leave them alone? Let's not bore you with our talks.”
He turned back to face the door and face the door where Ms. Rosey stood.
”Ms. Rosey, would you lead these two ladies to Quinn?” instructed George and then looked at the Greengrass sisters. ”If you two would follow Ms. Rosey, she will lead you to Quinn.”
Both daughters looked at their mother for permission, who nodded in agreement.
Daphne and Astoria followed after Ms. Rosey. The three left the floo fireplace room.
After the three left, George turned to Jacob and Sophie Greengrass.
”Let's talk.”
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- (Scene Break) -
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”How's Quinn when he is at home?”
Ms. Rosey looked to her left at the younger Greengrass sister, who looked at her with starry curiosity in her eyes as she asked the question.
”Could you elaborate?” returned Ms. Rosey, as the three continued to walk to the rehearsal room.
”I mean, is he different at home than when he is outside, in front of others when he has company,” asked Astoria. She wanted to know if Quinn was the same at home as he was at school.
Ms. Rosey briefly glanced at the girl. She thought about the question and how she should answer it before speaking.
”From what I have observed, the young master is the same at home as when he is outside. If there was a difference, then it would be that the young master is much more relaxed at home. He is much more carefree and unrestricted while he is at home.”
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Astoria felt confused because, from what she had seen, Quinn was always carefree and relaxed. And from what she had heard from Daphne and Tracey, Quinn was pretty much the most unrestricted person in Hogwarts.
”So he isn't sloppy or a slob at home,” asked Astoria. She was secretly hoping that Quinn was the total opposite of what he was outside.
Ms. Rosey raised her eyebrow. She had known Quinn since he was born and, from what she remembered, he had never been a slob or sloppy while he was at home.
Astoria seemed to understand the answer from Ms. Rosey's look.
”Has Quinn lived in this manor ever since he was a babe?” This time it was Daphne who asked the question. And while Astoria asked the questions, Daphne looked around. They were walking through the corridors of a really large home.
The mansion at the Greengrass estate was large, but it was way smaller than West Manor.
”Yes, the young master has lived in this villa ever since he was a babe,” replied Ms. Rosey with a smile as she recalled the days before Quinn started school.
”How was Quinn when he was a child?” asked Astoria. Even Daphne seemed thoroughly interested in how Quinn was when he was a child.
”The young master was a lively child. When he wasn't staying still, he would be moving all over the manor,” smiled Ms. Rosey. ”If we didn't keep an eye on him, he would be gone before we knew it. He covered a lot of ground back in those days.”
Daphne and Astoria imagined a baby Quinn with a childish grin on his face as he ran away on his chubby feet while laughing with a baby chortle.
”We are here,” informed Ms. Rosey. She stopped in front of a large double door. ”The young master is inside.”
She stepped forward and opened the door and a faint sound of a piano immediately leaked out.
Ms. Rosey placed a finger on her lips before stepping inside. Daphne and Astoria looked at each other and then stepped inside the room. The sound of the piano became louder, more pronounced and clearer than when they were outside of the room.
The rehearsal room was covered in sound charms that provided great acoustics. Originally, the grand piano inside the West Manor wasn't in this room. Quinn had moved it to this room to help him experiment with sound charms. Hence, he had gradually added charms to the room, so he built up and changed the charm scheme there was in the room.
The result was the room achieved the best acoustics Quinn could accomplish with magic, which were much better than the acoustics there were in the original room.
The three entered the rehearsal room, which opened into a corner of the room.
Daphne and Astoria turned to their right and saw Quinn playing the piano. He had his back facing them.
The music was fast and loud. The piece Quinn was playing didn't seem to have slow moments.
Daphne and Astoria could see Quinn's head moving slightly as his fingers glided over the keys. Because of the pace, Quinn's fingers stuck close to the keys, while not getting a second of rest.
Whereas Ms. Rosey listened to the music with her experienced ear and judged Quinn's playing, Daphne and Astoria became wholly entranced by the music that came out of the piano and was flowing around them.
The music made them feel they needed to move around. It became impossible to stand still doing anything. Daphne softly tapped her foot and Astoria swayed her body.
It took two minutes for Quinn to finish his piece. When the music ended, silence gained a hold on the room.
”Young master, you have guests,” said Ms. Rosey after Quinn had stopped playing the piano.
Quinn turned back, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Daphne and Astoria standing beside Ms. Rosey.
He looked at Ms. Rosey and asked. ”They arrived today? Was I told about this? Did I forget?” He did a shallow and quick dive into his mindscape and sorted memories, but he couldn't recall hearing about the Greengrass Family coming today.
”It seems we forgot to inform you,” replied Ms. Rosey. ”They've just arrived. Jacob and Sophie Greengrass are with your grandfather.” She politely gestured to Daphne and Astoria. ”I was asked to escort these two ladies to you.”
Quinn stood up from his piano stool and walked towards the girls with a smile on his face. He wore a grey crew neck shirt and white shorts that went a little below his knees. On his feet were a pair of slippers that he wore for comfort while inside the house.
”What has it been, two weeks?” smiled Quinn. ”It's good to see you two.” He pointed at the piano at his back and continued. ”Did you like my playing?”
”It was great. I felt I needed to move the entire time,” nodded Astoria enthusiastically.
Quinn looked at the other sister to see whether she had something to say.
”I didn't know that you played the piano,” asked Daphne.
”I do,” he gestured to Ms. Rosey by their side. ”Ms. Rosey has been teaching me since I was young. I can also play the violin.”
Quinn then addressed Ms. Rosey, ”Where's grandfather and his guests?”
”In the lounge.”
”Then we will go to the living room,” told Quinn. ”Please prepare refreshments for us.”
”Yes, young master.”
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- (Scene Break) -
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While the lounge was a sitting area with a more formal vibe, the living room was a sitting area with more of an informal feel. So while the adults did their thing, Quinn brought the Greengrass sisters to unwind in a relaxed setting.