Transaction Terms

The candlelit Christmas had ended, and 1995 was drawing to a close. While wizards prepared to welcome the New Year, a grand ball was being held at Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire.

The brightly lit manor radiated dazzling colors. Every invited guest who entered the hall could not help but marvel at how beautiful it was.

Magical candles floated in midair, while the enormous chandelier suspended from the vaulted ceiling was set with hundreds of prisms, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. The flames' many-colored light was caught and reflected across every object in the hall, and the hard, smooth floor gleamed like glass.

Dozens of portraits of old wizards hung on the walls, watching the guests with warm, welcoming smiles. From time to time, they chatted with those standing nearby, telling amusing stories about some elderly ancestor and displaying the Malfoy family's deep heritage.

As the hour chimed, the well-known musicians stepped onto the platform and began tuning their instruments, their faces glowing with the smiles of men paid handsomely. At some quiet moment, violins, cellos, accordions, banjos, and xylophones began playing together, and a graceful waltz drifted through the hall.

"I made Draco stay in his room. If Mrs. Bosted asks, I'll tell her he stayed at school over Christmas and didn't come back..." Narcissa wore a thin velvet ribbon around her waist, with an embroidered shawl casually draped over her arm. She whispered into her husband's ear, then joined the group of chatting ladies.

Lucius nodded. They had only taken to the floor for a single opening dance as the hosts of the banquet, unwilling to remain under everyone's gaze any longer, and quietly retreated to the edge of the hall.

His gaze swept across the room before settling on Cornelius Fudge nearby. He walked over and greeted him with