The Deal and the Mansion

Uptil now we saw read what Adonis had proposed to Tom, the owner of the tavern called Leaky Cauldron in order to purchase it from him. 

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( MC POV )

After I revealed my offer to Tom, I was trying to gauge his expressions and wanted to see if he was happy with his offer or not. But as I expected, he kept the perfect poker face, like a true businessman, not revealing his intentions till the last moment. He raised his eyebrows a bit and mulled over my words. We sat in silence for a while and finally he let out a sigh and said, "You are correct on all points Heir Lovegood, it is true that this place needs to change with time and the reason that I have not changed it yet is because there are not many talented designers to design and execute their ideas and the people of Wizarding Britain are a bit stickler to the olden times and don't welcome change that easily. It is hard to find someone who can create designs which have the perfect balance of respect for old traditions as well as the innovativeness of modernity."

"But the fact that you have the guts to propose this kind of deal to me at this age with a perfect reasoning shows that you might just have the potential to make this place into a booming and popular enterprise." 

"I have been standing alone for a long time to protect the sanctity and happiness of this place but looks like with time the burden on my shoulders is getting heavier and heavier. The point that you said that yours being the most suitable House to make a pleasant deal with without harming any of my interests is a rare opportunity for me and the protection granted to me by being loyal to the Most Noble House of Lovegood is also a tempting offer."

"That is why I have decided that I will be agreeing to all of your terms and selling this place to you" he finally said. I let out a sigh of relief when I heard that and then let loose a widening smile, genuinely happy to accomplish the first business deal in my life that to at the age of 8 years old.

My father beamed with pride when he watched me closing a deal that many people were not able to accomplish. Tom said, "The price for this establishment will be 500,000 gold galleons without any renovations."

When I heard the price, I immediately agreed to it as it was considerably cheaper, a price that I could bear and bargaining on it would make a bad impression on Tom as a show of insincerity. I asked my dad to get the magical contract ready to seal the deal and invited Tom to our new home to sign the deal and take the oath of loyalty.

We then moved towards the fireplace after bidding farewell to Tom and returned to our home. I looked at Luna and saw that she was feeling drowsy after such a long outing, and decided to call it a day and rested for the night. The next morning, rising at first light, I came downstairs to see Luna ready and having breakfast with father. The expression on her face was enough to show how excited she was as we were going to explore our new house today.

We had our fill and proceeded to the edge of the property where the forest began. I took out the key and it started to glow and levitate as if sensing it's surroundings. It then started moving in a certain direction in the forest and we followed swiftly. It reached a place where we encountered an invisible barrier and as soon as I crossed it, it felt like something passed through my body as if perfoming a security check and scanning for any threats in my body.

Luna and Father both had similar experiences as I could see from their frozen states. It was only after we passed the security that we breathed a sigh of relief. After gaining our bearings, we looked at the place where the key went only to find a beautiful mansion standing there in all its glory, waiting to be explored.

Most likely it was in a stasis charm that is why it had not been damaged after all these years of not being maintained and housed. There was a cobbled path with knee length beautifully carved lamps on both sides of it placed at fixed distances from each other from where we were standing to the main door of the mansion. On either side of the path, were two manicured lawns, the left one had a small but beautiful lake in the middle which was surrounded by cherry blossom or Sakura trees. The lake water itself was very clear and pure and many fish could be scene in it.

The lake was also surrounded by a cobble stoned path that connected it to the main path it alo had those decorative knee length lamps surrounding it. As it was day time, they were not upto their full potential yet but I was excited to see how the scene must be looking at night and I had a feeling that it was going to be mesmerizing.

But still the clear lake water the pink shade of the Sakura trees with the occasional soft falling of the petals ( or leaves idk what to call them ) along with the brilliant blue sky dotted with Tufts of white clouds made it a picturesque scene. I think the reason that all of this was maintained to perfection is because of the fact that the surrounding land was rich in magical density and that magic was used for the maintenance and growth of the flora and fauna around the estate as well as the stasis charm was also powered by the surrounding magic as according to my theory, the magic was being absorbed by the invisible barrier surrounding the estate like an amphibian breathing through their skin ( eg: frog).

Moving on with the description, at the center of the lake, there was a circular space which had a dome made of coloured glass creating a kaleidoscopic effect with white pillars supporting it from all sides and white tile flooring with a beautiful circular pattern of the sundial made on it with gold. It also had bridge connecting it to the cobbled path. There was a waterfall to a side made of stones which had a steady stream of water flowing through it which snaked its way through and finally merged into the lake. It was just peaceful to stand there and listen to the sound of flowing water crashing against stones.

On the right side were multiple trees, placed at a respectable distance from each other. Mostly it was an orchard with various fruit trees which had fresh fruits hanging on them. The sun was shining casting a golden hue on our surroundings. We walked down the path and came to a courtyard with a fountain with a sculpted maiden statue in white with gold and purple highlights in the center holding a pitcher through which water flowed out. Then came a wide set of stairs with lamps on both sides and gold highlights (Phew...). We came in front of a wooden door which of course had gold highlights with a pattern of a tree spreading its branches and roots on it. It had a key hole in it and the key was hovering in the air. 

I inserted the key into the key hole and the door swung open and immediately we heard "pop" sounds with 4 elves with green skin, long pointy ears, big green eyes and purple togas with the coat of arms of House Lovegood stood before us. They were not looking malnourished ( unlike someone "dobby") and had a decent amount of fat in them. All of them bowed to us and one of them came forward, smiled and said excitedly, "Welcome back Master! It has been so long since we have sensed the magic of the Lovegood bloodline. My name is Conpy. I am the head elf of this house and these are Doody, Rommy and Jipsey. We are honoured to serve the scion of House Lovegood." 

I was surprised that how did they know that I was the scion of House Lovegood, when Conpy answered, "We as house elves are able to sense the family magic in you as well as we are able to sense the heir ring on your finger too." he said excitedly. After my curiosity was sated, we moved inside the house and saw a beautiful foyer which had a constellation instead of a chandelier casting an ethereal glow in the whole foyer!! I mean how cool is that. Its name was Semper Invictus. Luna asked me what did it mean to which I said, "It means Always unconquered, to remain free from all burdens, to have a control over your own destiny." She bobbed her head and I was unsure that she understood the true meaning of it or not but I let it be as she will understand in the future. 

We moved ahead into the living room and saw different seating areas with sofas and high chairs with plush cushions exuding a sense of grandeur and opulence. We sat there while the elves got us some refreshments like fresh fruit juices and sandwiches. Conpy then called me and said, "Master, I need to bring you to the warding stone room to key you to the estate's wards and renew the protection and muggle repelling wards." I nodded my head and went with him while asking Father and Luna to enjoy the refreshments. We cross halls and come to the core of the mansion and came in front of a stone door. Conpy prompted me to put my ring head in the slot in the door and I did. The door opened with a groan as if it had not been opened for quite a while. 

We moved forward and found a stone altar in the middle of a circular room which was surrounded by ritual magic circles and complex geometric patterns (for reference look for the Light Actuators in the Genshin Impact game in the "Stormterror Arc"). Conpy gave me a gold knife and asked me to spill 7 drops of blood on the stone. I did as told and the stone started to glow and all the patterns at surrounding it lit up as well and magic started to move towards the stone altar in a vortex. I could feel myself being connected to the core of the estate and I could throw anyone out if I wished. I could also feel the complete extent of the wards and could see the complete estate in my mind. It had a forest that was filled with magical creatures such as unicorns, Fairies, Golden Snidgets, Hippogriffs, Kneazles, Aethonans (a breed of winged horses like pegasai), Thestrals, etc. Deeper inside the lake, there were merefolk colonies living there. This was surreal. It felt as though I was the true lord of this entire domain! I finally came back and took a deep breath. Now the entire property was protected and completely under my control. 

(3rd POV)

The family then regrouped and planned to explore the manor when Adonis asked Conpy to take them to the solar. Upon reaching there, they found a sollar truly befitting a lord. As expected, if you look up, you will be able to see a constellation instead of a chandelier. Made up of nineteen stars, the constellation called Lutra roughly resembles the shape of a scroll. It can be seen most prominently just above the Western horizon in the middle of autumn.

In an ancient society, this constellation was seen as the representation of the god of spring, which is how it received the name still used today. In astrology, this constellation bears the sign of time, and it is believed to make people successful in life. I guess using it in the most important place was a wise decision especially when you see the beauty and splendor around. There was a Mahogany desk which was neatly arranged with a Lord's chair which had purple cushions. On the table, there was a quote written which said, "Per aspera ad astra" which meant "Through hardships to the stars". It suggests that difficulties and challenges are necessary to achieve greatness and personal improvement. 

Looks like the previous generations had taken a lot of care, time and effort to build this place. Everything was arranged with detail and each and everything had its own place. There was a bookshelf just opposite to the table at the left hand side, just beside the door in an 'L' shaped form. Beside it on the right corner were some plants and a sitting area with an L-shaped sofa with wooden legs and purple and gold highlights and a tea table to complete the set as well. There was a French-arched window as well just beside the sitting area which had some potted plants in it. They gave off a soothing and calming aura that made the folks in the solar to experience bliss just by breathing in the fresh air. 

Finally, just beside the window was a portrait of an elegantly dressed man who had stars shining on his robe and glasses on his nose. He had a striking familiarity with Adonis and Luna and he was sitting on a chair, but when his eyes moved to the three, they were wide open in shock! Xenophilius, was looking at him with eyes and mouth wide open as if he had seen a ghost in his life! 

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Who is this old man?

Most of the mansion still has not been explored.

How will be the life of the family in the new estate?

Keep reading to find out!!