Christmas Eve - Darcie's business proposal

Christmas Eve, 24 December 1986

Malfoy Manor

The gloomy darkness of the ancient manor was nowhere to be seen.

Through the windows, one could see brilliant star-like many colored lights. The very air danced across the manor's corridors with the fragrance of roasted turkeys in its bosom. Sweets, snacks, and drinks were lying on the long table in the Great Hall, the children coming and running away around it now and then.

The feast of Christmas Eve was nowhere as grand as other parties and balls held at the manor during major occasions. It had always remained more of a semi-private affair for the Malfoys.

As per traditions, the Malfoys did invite some close friends and their families for the feast. But until this year, such invitations had always remained limited to the closest associates of the head of the family, Mr. Lucius Malfoy.

Today, however, some fresh faces didn't seem overly enthusiastic about their presence in the manor.

Mr. Hillam, the manager of the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts, was drinking a rather large glass of Butterbeer in a corner, trying to hide behind a tap-dancing Christmas tree. Not far away from him, Madam Villanelle (-Darcie's mentor-) and Ms. Crispe (-the owner of Brews and Stews hotel/restaurant-) were giving company to each other as they eyed the hustle and bustle about the other richly dressed guests.

This wasn't a crowd suited to them. Nor were they here for it.

Darcie had invited all of them, and the older generation had been kind enough to not reject the little girl's first invitation.

Suddenly, a crack-like pop echoed outside the Great Hall.

Madam Villanelle's eyes lit up as she saw the person entering the Hall, dressed formerly, but plain.

"Minister!" Lucius was the first one to show his sneer and joy. He hopped towards the lady with his stick in his hand and the pride hanging on his lips. "We have been waiting for you."

"Governor." Ms. Bagnold smiled and nodded.

Lucius Malfoy had been appointed a seat in the Hogwarts' Board of Governors only a few months back. And the man hadn't let go of any chance to remind all of it on all occasions, small or grand.

A brilliant, victorious smile flashed across Lucius' face. "Please," he gestured, welcoming the minister into the Hall. "Have a drink or two. We will start with supper soon."

"That will be good, Lucius," Ms. Bagnold thanked, patting her plain green dress and the brown shawl over it. "I need to go back to the ministry right away after this."

Lucius, though arrogant and selfishly proud, needn't be reminded of the fact that the minister was here at Darcie's request.

So what? He inwardly sneered, perhaps. Wasn't Darcie a Malfoy as well? Heh!

Soon the guests and hosts had found themselves a seat on the long table. Lucius, keeping the minister and other guests in mind, had cunningly given up on seating at the place of the head, and had instead taken the seat with Narcissa on one side of the table.

Speaking of the guests, there were only a few.

There was Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, as their daughter was a close friend of Darcie. Then there were Mr. and Mrs. Crabbe and Mr. and Mrs. Goyle as well, the boys from these families being playmates of Draco.

All these were seated on one side of the table, with Lucius and Narcissa in the middle.

On the other side were the Minister, Ms. Bagnold, Madam Villanelle to her left, and Darcie to her right. Daphne and Astoria were at Darcie's right, followed by Mr. Hillam and Ms. Crispe.

Draco and two other boys were at the far left of Madam Villanelle, already eying the fat roasted turkeys hungrily.

Music took it to the air, and fairies danced. Over a snowy trail in midair, tiny reindeer pulled a shiny sleigh. A fat, little Santa showered candies and gifts on children's heads, and Daphne had to pull Astoria down several times from making a scene.

The minister and Madam Villanelle shared a smile at the sight.

"Let us begin if it pleases you, minister," Narcissa said, beaming.

"Of course."

The sound of slurps and chuckles overtook everything in a matter of seconds. And whatever tension persistently remained between the grownups on the two sides of the table got bridged by the splendid dinner.

The group from the Diagon's Alley shared customary remarks, while the Crabbe and Goyle couple kept sending a meaningful look at Lucius, the minister, and Darcie.

The Greengrasses kept their laughs to themselves, other than Astoria, who had already left the seat, chasing the deers and fairies.

"So," Ms. Bagnold whispered, sipping wine, "how are your studies going, young lady?"

Darcie looked at Madam Villanelle and then leaned toward the minister. "Boring."

Daphne almost smiled, and Ms. Bagnold laughed merrily. "Well," she took another sip, "this news is worthy of the Daily Prophet's front page."

"Milli?"

Ms. Bagnold eyed Darcie as the little girl called her meaningfully. "Oh!" she exclaimed, recalling the letter she had received this evening. "Yeah, I can manage a few minutes after supper. No problem."

Darcie looked pleased enough. "OK, I will bring them to the Meeting Room, then."

None heard the conversation between Darcie and the minister, other than Daphne. But then again, there were scarcely any secrets between the two girls, to begin with.

When the feast was done, Narcissa took away the three couples to the lawn outside, where a bonfire was roaring hot.

Lucius, Ms. Bagnold, Darcie, Daphne, Madam Villanelle, Mr. Hillam, and Ms. Crispe gathered in the meeting room on the ground floor.

"A Chess Tournament?!" Ms. Bagnold repeated the suggestion.

Darcie nodded. "Consider the current situation of the Diagon Alley," she explained calmly, her sweet voice hammering against the crackling of the fire in the hearth. "It is one of its kind in Britain, and yet, the business remains under expectations from mid-December to late January."

The little girl had struck a sore point for many adults with only her few sentences. The Ministry of Magic imposed heavy taxes on all the shops and businesses of Diagon Alley, while the owners had to pay fixed rents for the shops and the Extension Charm cast within the shops and restaurants. Magical or Muggle, this side of the business remained the same in both worlds; ugly and inflexible.

"I think the solution to this problem lies in holding a country-level event," Darcie continued, nodding to Daphne (-she took out sheaves of parchments and distributed them to all-). "By giving sizable rewards, we can attract youths under the age of 11 easily. Let us not forget that this is the time of the Christmas Holidays. So, if lucrative enough, catching the attention of participants above 11 will not be an arduous task. Meanwhile, the various shops can use the tournament as well, by putting winter discounts over their products, turning the entire affair into a New Year Fair."

This girl! Ms. Bagnold eyed Darcie with a complex gaze, her fingers pressing hard on the parchment in her hands. The Minister shared an unseen glance with Madam Villanelle after reading the content.

On her side, both Mr. Hillam and Ms. Crispe's faces were glued to the parchments, their hands trembling and their eyes shining with distinct brightness.

"100 Galleons and 50% discount on all books for the winner's School Curriculum… and this is just for under 11," Mr. Hillam mumbled, not outrightly sharing his difficulty.

It was all nothing but an idea. There was no way the girls alone could have come up with every nook and cranny related to this subject. Once Lucius Malfoy had come to know of this suggestion in morning, he formed a preliminary business plan in to time.

"Haha!" Lucius tapped his stick on the floor. "Malfoys will be honored to sponsor the winning candidates, and in case of losses, I will take responsibility for Darcie's place this time."

Not only Mr. Hillam, but Ms. Bagnold and Madam Villanelle eyes lit up at Lucius' proclamation.

All looked at the minister, because Lucius' words, though magnanimous, were meant for the ministry. None could deny the sheer profits that would arise from this New Year Fair would be tremendous. The prospect was just too grand for it to be not considered.

"It's not like it has never been thought of before," Ms. Bagnold shared, leaning back on the sofa. "But…"

Darcie knew why this would work. "I referred to the past attempts, Mil… I mean Ms. Bagnold," she added, blushing. "However, those attempts were too forceful and less open, in my opinion. Change needs to happen gradually. With the help of the ministry, this time there are significant chances for it to work."

Madam Villanelle giggled. "How old are you again?"

Darcie had the answer ready for this as well. "It's not my idea entirely," she said, refusing to take the claim. "Most of the credit goes to Daphne for this."

Daphne kept quiet as the others looked at her.

She didn't refute Darcie's statement, because unknown to her, Darcie, and all, even the little Greengrass herself believed the idea of New Year Fair and Tournament was hers.

What was the reason for Kai to nudge Darcie to keep Daphne close to her?

This was it. A scapegoat.

The two girls were odd, brilliant, and had great potential. Perhaps they indeed had come up with this idea together. But whatever the case, it was still better than Darcie holding the entire weight of others' suspicions and expectant gazes.

"I will think about it," Ms. Bagnold said after a few moments. "But I don't see why we must not try it. Anyway, what would you want in return for your generosity, Lucius?"

Lucius guffawed, but nobody was fool enough to trust the laugh of this old Malfoy. "All I am doing is for the children and to see the wizarding community grow as a whole," he said, his pale face adorned with a sneering smile. "If it doesn't work out, then so be it. However, if it does, then 40% of the profits during the Fair will go to the Malfoys."

All adults drew a sharp breath.

But none refuted Lucius outright, for the losses in case of this try's failure would indeed be heavy.

After many heated negotiations, the end number came down to 23%.

"Very well," Ms. Bagnold said, standing up. "I must discuss it further with other members of the ministry. Hopefully, by the 26th we will have an answer. And Darcie? Daphne? Good. You two better start practicing your hands at the game, then."

Everyone shared a laugh over the remark.

"We are," Darcie said, looking up at her. "Mr. Ollivander is a superb partner in chess. I've learned a lot from him."

"Oh?" Ms. Bagnold raised an eyebrow, walking out with others. "What did he teach you?"

Darcie looked thoughtful. "Well," she whispered, "I learned it is never too early to prepare for the unseen future."