Two for One

Chapter 63: Growing Up Bigger

Priya sits at the table of honour during the award ceremony, draped in finery and a mysterious air to keep the rabble away. She sips her drink out of a crystal glass and doesn't bother to pretend to applaud yet another mediocre prize.

There's only one reason she's here and it has to do with Berdine losing contact a month ago.

The next prize is for the contemporary and environmental design of the newest wizarding village -more of a city- that pulled itself from the ground in a gorgeous winter forest south of Argentina.

Already, houses there are going for ridiculous prices and half the value is it being a trading hub with instantaneous -and by some miracle not dizzying- travel through several international portals set up through the village.

Gellert Grindelwald rises gracefully to accept his prize with a smile that gets ever more charming as he grows and the applause is almost deafening. Tom Riddle slow claps looking bored but the creature next to him enthusiastically cheers.

As the table of honour is at the front of the room with the best view, Gellert passes close by. His smile widens when he looks at Priya.

Priya smiles back. Children are so cute. Give it a few more years and they'll realise it wasn't anything personal, then she can swoop in and kick that Unspeakable to the curb.

Honestly, minions are so hard to find, why does that Unspeakable get two just thrown into his lap?

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Priya sees them again at a political conference where Tom stands in the centre of a large cluster and talks down to people while they lap it up and thank him for it.

Tom was a keynote speaker in the morning and has spent much of his time off the stage being followed by people wanting to collaborate with him or ask more about his recent foray into ward crafting.

A lot of his talk was related to how magical-kind caught up in the muggle war are currently faring and what needs to be done to protect them and other historically important magical districts. Like every good leader, he presented a problem and then immediately a solution in the form of data on how Tom's newly invented or redesigned wards -or rather the bomb shelters underneath- held up to muggle warfare.

One particular looping photo was of a green-eyed man grinning proudly at the camera, in the midst of buildings still standing tall and smoke rising in the distance. The man is not looking into the camera, he's looking above it at whoever is taking the picture. There was also no need to include the image; Tom just seemed to want to show people.

Priya doesn't bother to smother the smile that crosses her face.

Loyalty is a dime a dozen with the lesser. Pay enough, by nice enough, and you've earned it for life. It's a cheap trick and Priya doesn't often bother. She expects much from her business partners, and one thing is for them to know how to be professional. Personal feelings should not come into it.

But a strong person, cut down by loyalty, leashed by it, well that is tempting. The boys, teenagers now, they know what she can do for them. Much more than the Unspeakable restrained to western Europe.

Priya makes her way around the gathering of politicians and intellectuals alike, ready to meet Tom just as he manages to peel them off him.

"Ma'am," a servant greets as he steps up to her, a lower plant that she barely recognises. "There's a floo call for you."

Priya stops and purses her lips. "Is that so."

The servant bows his head. "I was told it was urgent."