The Olario Manor, which had previously been known as the Marius Manor, was now the new home of Antonio Olario. The interior of the house was luxurious. It had a massive hall on the ground floor along with four other rooms. The ground floor also housed the kitchen.
The first floor was equally spacious, and the Lord's room, located there, was very large in size. Costly furniture, decorations, trinkets, and chandeliers worthy of the Marius name adorned the manor.
His previous house, for now, had been abandoned. Its roof was still crumbling and the walls were on the verge of collapsing, especially of the front section.
The attack of the Death Eaters had done massive damage to the house. Antonio was not sure what to do with it. Should he simply sell it off at a cheap price, or should he get it repaired? This was a decision he still had to make.
There was also the issue of his Olario Inn. After inheriting all the wealth and establishments under the Marius family, Antonio did not really need to run the inn to earn a living.
The earnings from the few businesses of the Marius family were enough to support a decent life for him. But the inn was not only about money.
He had found a sense of satisfaction, a quiet contentment, a feeling of relief in running the inn. But he also understood that, right now, he did not really have the time to run it. There were many things he had committed himself to, and the days ahead were going to make his schedule very busy. Maybe he could restart his inn after solving some of these issues.
Antonio had taken to his bed and was lost in his own thoughts. And there was no single focal point to those thoughts. His mind was wandering from the method he had decided to choose to save Aurora, to the upcoming investigation he had been planning to find out more about the Death Eater's attack on Hogsmeade, to Albus Dumbledore's announcement of killing Death Eaters on sight, to the plans he had made along with Edmund Bones, and even to Charlus Potter's response regarding their proposal to get involved in their plans. These were all the issues Antonio was thinking about, and as he thought of them, he realized that he had put his fingers in far too many things.
He was going to be stretched thin, and most probably, the upcoming days were going to be restless.
He was just about to close his eyes and drift back to sleep when he felt something tugging at the wards of Olario Manor, seeking permission to make an entry. It was an owl.
Antonio narrowed his eyes, wondering who might have sent him a letter at this hour. Though still in contemplation, he allowed permission, and the owl fluttered in, landing on the window of his bedroom. It was a grey coloured owl.
Antonio got up from his bed, unfurled the parchment tied around its leg, and picked up two pieces of treats from his side table. The owl nibbled the treats from his hand and then flew back out the window.
Antonio shook his head in slight amusement at the behaviour of the owl and then proceeded to unfurl the parchment.
Lord Olario,
It is with great happiness that I inform you that Miss Lily Evans has regained consciousness and is on her path to recovery. You may come and visit her.
Minerva McGonagall
Vice Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
As Antonio read the letter, he could not help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. Minerva informing him about Lily waking up and almost inviting him to come and meet her was a little strange.
Minerva had told him earlier that he could visit Lily once she awoke, but he had not expected her to send a personal message. And Antonio could not quite place a proper logic to this behaviour of Minerva.
He had an inkling that this was not as simple as it seemed. Minerva was not the kind to flatter, but neither was she one to plot or scheme. Maybe he was simply thinking too much about it. Maybe it was nothing more than what it appeared to be, a simple letter. Perhaps he was turning a bit too paranoid.
Antonio sighed as he lay flat on his bed. He would go to Hogwarts to meet Lily, but in the morning. It was already quite late at night, and it would not be appropriate to go at this hour. With that final thought in his mind, Antonio drifted to sleep.
.
.
.
"Father," Amelia's voice snapped Lord Edmund Bones out of his daze. "What thoughts are you lost in?"
He had been sitting in the main hall of the Bones manor and had been staring in the void for quite some time. Amelia had just come downstairs from her room on the first floor.
As Amelia asked the question, her eyes automatically shifted to the few newspapers placed on the table in front of Lord Edmund Bones. All of them had almost the same image on their front pages. An image of Albus Dumbledore radiating power and authority.
Edmund had not gone to Hogsmeade to attend the funeral, but he had collected all the information he could about what had happened there. This included watching Dumbledore's speech through the memory of another person who had attended the ceremony.
"Nothing," Edmund smiled, but it was a bit stiff. "You should go to bed and sleep."
"It is getting late, Amelia," he added with a faint smile.
Amelia understood that there was something her father was worried about, but she showed restraint. She decided to bring up the matter the next day. Maybe he needed some time to process everything that was happening.
"You should also go to sleep," Amelia replied. "Do not continue sitting here for too long."
Edmund gave a small nod, and after wishing each other good night, Amelia went upstairs.
As Amelia disappeared towards her room, the smile on Edmund's face vanished. At that moment, only one question was ringing in his mind, the same question that had been echoing in his thoughts since he had left the Potter Manor.
If the Death Eaters were courageous enough to attack Hogsmeade, then what was stopping them from attacking Bones Manor again? And what would happen this time, when Antonio Olario would not be present in the manor to save him and Amelia?
There was something he had to do, something to ensure their safety, at least that of his daughter. And the only path he could see at this moment led to a single person. Antonio Olario.
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