Shawn's words made Lucius pause briefly before breaking into a broad smile. The stance they conveyed could hardly have been clearer.
"No problem, Mr. Black. Rest assured, the Malfoy family will take care of everything for you."
Then Lucius took a bronze key from his pocket.
"Oh, and this is a Gringotts key. Please keep it safe. It holds the profits from the Black family's businesses over the past ten years."
Shawn accepted without ceremony, taking the key and putting it into his ring.
Though money no longer interested him much,
some of his plans still depended on it.
With the tension eased, host and guest naturally enjoyed themselves.
A little later, dinner began.
All manner of lavish dishes were brought to the table.
"Chief, this is my mother's specialty, meat sauce apple pie. Try some."
Draco enthusiastically recommended his mother's signature dish.
Shawn looked down at the pie on his plate, baked red and shaped like an apple.
Whatever it tasted like, it certainly looked good. But it was actually made with meat sauce.
Shawn cut off a piece with his knife and fork, revealing a filling of apple mixed with some kind of minced meat beneath the thin crust.
Bracing himself for a culinary monstrosity, he tried a bite.
How could he describe the taste? It melted in his mouth, with a flavor resembling sweet-and-sour ribs, only lighter. It was neither as greasy nor as strange as he had expected.
By British culinary standards, it was quite good, probably thanks to Narcissa's skillful adjustments.
Shawn thought Purple Shadow might like it, so he offered some to the bird perched on the stand beside him.
Purple Shadow had arrived with a full stomach, but since Shawn was offering, the bird reluctantly pecked at it once, then refused any more.