Outside Hermione's house, Mr. and Mrs. Granger stood at the door, watching expectantly.
Anne parked steadily at the curb. Hermione stepped out of the car and embraced her parents warmly. Anne walked around to the trunk and carefully lifted out both Hermione's suitcase and Crookshanks' cage, placing them beside her.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Anne said politely. "I'm so sorry to have worried you…"
"Oh, it's quite all right," Mr. Granger said quickly. "It's fine for Hermione to spend a bit more time at a friend's house. But thank you for bringing her back so late, why don't you come in for a cup of tea?"
Anne smiled and happily accepted the invitation.
It was her first time inside Hermione's home. Mrs. Granger accompanied Hermione upstairs while Anne stayed in the living room with Mr. Granger, sipping tea. The room featured a set of Indian-style teaware as well as a Japanese-inspired collection.
"Mr. Granger, do you enjoy tea culture?" Anne asked. "Have you ever explored Chinese tea traditions?"
Mr. Granger paused mid-pour, then looked up with curiosity. "Reeve, you know about Chinese tea culture?"
Anne nodded. "My family is in international trade, so I've always had an interest in the Far East, so yes, I've learned a bit."
By the time Hermione and Mrs. Granger came back downstairs, Mr. Granger and Anne were deep in a lively discussion. He had even started calling her simply "Anne."
When Hermione walked her to the door, Mr. Granger cheerfully called out, "Come visit us again sometime, Anne!"
"My dad doesn't usually find someone to chat about tea with…" Hermione said softly.
"Well, knowing people's interests always helps," Anne replied with a sly smile. Before Hermione could react, Anne leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Beneath the dim glow of the streetlamp, only the two of them stood there. Their shadows briefly overlapped, then gently pulled apart.
Anne, triumphant, darted back into the car and waved goodbye through the window. "Have a great summer, Hermione! Call me whenever you've talked to your parents! Goodnight! "
When she got home, Anne hummed a cheerful tune as she made her way down to the basement, where Aaron was tending to his magical creature companions.
Without being asked, Anne picked up a bucket of flobberworms and helped Aaron feed the Murtlap rats.
"Did Miss Granger get home safely?" Aaron asked. "No trouble along the way?"
"She's safe," Anne replied, glancing at the food container in his hand. "Aaron, have you been really busy lately?"
A flicker of discomfort crossed Aaron's face, but he soon smiled. "You know how it is, the Ministry's been a mess since the break-in by You-Know-Who. It's been quite chaotic."
Anne nodded. The Ministry had indeed been overwhelmed by the incident, countless Howlers had flooded in.
"Now that Fudge is out, who's taking over as the new Minister for Magic?"
"Rufus Scrimgeour, former Head of the Auror Office," Aaron said. "He's known for being decisive and tough. Most of his career has been focused on hunting down dark wizards, so he's not likely to underestimate the Dark Lord…"
"When will the official announcement be out? Tomorrow?"
"Probably. The Daily Prophet has been under heavy pressure lately too."
Before heading upstairs to bed, Anne gave Aaron a big, sincere hug. "Uncle Aaron, I'm grown up now, I can take care of myself. If there's something you want to do, even if Aunt Diana doesn't approve, I'll support you."
Aaron was taken aback, then smiled gently and ruffled her hair. "All right…"
"Who knows, maybe I can even help you out with it someday." Anne grinned. "Goodnight, Aaron. Don't stay up too late, you've got work in the morning."
"Goodnight, Anne."
He watched her disappear up the stairs. Then, as if resolving something, Aaron didn't go to his bedroom, he turned around and went back downstairs to the living room.
The fireplace flared green, and with a whoosh of Floo Powder, Aaron vanished. Two hours later, he returned, visibly exhausted, but his eyes sparkled with a kind of restless excitement as he quietly climbed the stairs to his room.
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The summer sun cast golden rays across the green lawns. In the greenhouse of the Roland Manor, Anne waved her wand, sending rows of potted magical plants floating neatly out the door and onto wooden racks outside.
As soon as they were settled on the paulownia racks, the Stinging Vines stretched luxuriously, each finding the most comfortable spot to soak up the sun.
With another flick of her wand, a folded canvas unfurled and drifted up to cover part of the greenhouse roof, shading a third of the area. The shade-loving magical plants responded visibly, leaves perked up, tendrils swayed cheerfully.
Anne placed different plants at varying heights and positions, adjusting for their specific needs. She cast a freezing charm on two buckets of water near a particular rack, instantly cooling that section of the greenhouse.
She walked over to a small wooden basket hanging on the rack and retrieved a plant journal from inside. Flipping it open, she began inspecting each plant, jotting down notes on their growth one by one.
She had only gotten through half the racks when it was lunchtime. After a quick meal at the manor, Anne returned to the greenhouse to continue organizing. She harvested a good number of potion ingredients and isolated sickly or underdeveloped plants in a separate nursery.
As she stepped out of the greenhouse, the sun had begun to set. Brilliant hues painted the western sky, and the sun hovered low between the mountains.
Anne stretched, then made her way to the lakeside. A wooden dock extended from the cabin to the water's edge. She walked to the end of the dock, kicked off her canvas shoes, rolled up her pants, and sat down. The lake's cool touch was refreshing in the summer heat. Leaning back on her hands, she watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon.
Behind her, a soft pop sounded, Gooka had Apparated.
"Mistress, the master has returned. Dinner is ready," Gooka announced respectfully.
"Thank you, Gooka." Anne stood, barefoot, picked up her shoes in one hand, and strolled toward the castle.
She avoided the stone path, walking instead through the grass, feeling the earth beneath her feet as she climbed back up the slope.
At the castle door, Gooka snapped his fingers, gray cloth slippers appeared on the stone steps, along with a towel.
"You're always so thoughtful, Gooka…"
In the dining room, Diana sat at the head of the table, sipping coffee and reading the day's paper and several reports.
"Good evening, Diana." Anne greeted her cheerfully, taking a seat beside her.
"Good evening, Anne."
The documents vanished, replaced by a hearty dinner.
"Was the Ministry less busy today?" Anne asked as she cut her steak.
"The new Minister was sworn in today, so everything was on pause. Several international events were canceled too. Big changes are likely coming."
Diana, now past the initial panic of the break-in news, had been deeply shaken by the revelation of the Dark Lord's infiltration.
"Your internship in China is set, it starts August 1st," Diana continued. "Besides learning the Chinese market, I want to get you involved in our Indian ventures as well."
Anne paused mid-cut and gave Diana a puzzled look.
"There may be major movements in the Roland family's UK assets soon," Diana explained. "So I'll be focusing most of my energy on that here."
Anne nodded in understanding and agreed.
Over dinner, they discussed the Ministry's next steps and the family's trade realignment. The meal lasted about an hour.
"Oh, right, Diana, I have a new business proposal," Anne said, nodding at Gooka. A few sheets of paper appeared on the table.
"What's this?" Diana asked, picking them up.
"Something I drafted yesterday afternoon. I think it has a lot of potential."
Diana frowned slightly at the first page, but her eyes lit up as she read the next two.
"Anne, do you realize what this proposal means?"
So is it viable? Anne straightened up. She hadn't expected Diana to consider it seriously, after all, the Roland family had never dealt in this kind of trade before.
"I do," Anne replied. "As far as I know, we've never done this line of business. But if it works, the Roland family could make a fortune, war profits, actually. And not a small one."
"But the risks are significant," Diana said. "Especially at a time like this…"
"No risk, no reward," Anne said calmly. "And from what I can tell, the risks are manageable…"
Diana tapped the table thoughtfully, her fingers drumming. She looked at Anne, then back at the proposal, and finally shook her head. "Anne, your safety matters more. Aaron was right, we should play it safe right now…"
"…Okay." Anne withdrew the papers.
"Well, maybe we can't go that deep, but some gray area might still be workable…" Diana glanced at her watch. "There's a 9 p.m. meeting with our European reps and agents in the conference room. You should come. We'll discuss this then."
There was still a chance? Even just brushing against the edge was a start.
"Of course, I'd love to."