Chapter 451 - Formal Request Ⅲ

Finished dressing, Georgine nodded at her appearance in the full-length mirror as the mirror image of herself roguishly winked back at her. Satisfied, she makes emerges from her quarters to find that dreadful Tadbey waiting for her outside of her personal chambers. Furrowing her brow at the well dressed, neat house elf, she crisply asks, "Well?"

The figure of Tadbey in his crisp blue overalls, and white ironed shirt can be seen narrowing his eyes back behind his spectacles. His large ears are neatly trimmed, but full of hair. His long nose wrinkle in reply, while his hairy tones curl against the carpeted floor as if irritated.

Holding out two carefully written letters with the wax seals of the Prince family Head, Reginald prince, Tadbey says, "Master as requested that Miss Georgine ensure they be delivered to Dorea Potter and Fleamont Potter."

"Thank you," Georgine aloofly said as she took the letters from his grasp.

The two of them glare for just a moment, before Tadbey sniffs, and pops away. Striding away, Georgine with a hum, she marches swiftly to the main hearth, before flooing away. Emerging from the green flames, she dusts off any soot with a wave of her wand and makes her way towards the parlor of her friend.

The ridiculously old house elf named Pookey is pouring tea for the Madam. The old female house elf's ears droop with age, her face sags under the weight of wrinkles and loose skin. Her eyes are too big for her face and seem to just swallow everything up. Her forearms are skinny, but saggy just like the rest of her only held together by a neat tea towel that has a silver rose pin.

Pookey with practiced ease asks, "Two sugars and cream, Lady Georgine?"

"Yes, Pookey," Georgine murmured as she took a seat from her dear old friend, Dorea Potter.

The witch in question is still pale faced as ever with a batch of blue veins running down her neck. Her usual shawl is tightly wrapped around her shoulders despite the warm weather, but her gray eyes are less somber than usual. Showing off one of her rare smiles, Dorea curiously asks, "I must admit, my dear friend, I was most surprised when your house elf appeared this morning with a request for tea. I did not think you were capable of rising at such an early hour of the morning."

Georgine sniffs as if insulted, before haughtily saying, "Well, I had glorious news to share with you, my friend."

"Which is what exactly?" Dorea arched her brow in disbelief. "It must be some gossip to have roused you from your dearly beloved bed."

"I suppose in a manner it is," Georgine murmured as she took a sip of her tea, before letting out a content sigh. Delicately putting her teacup down onto the china platter, she removes an elegant letter from her coat pocket. "Please read it, my dear."

Dorea's gray eyes flicker at the envelope as she furrows her brow at recognizing the seal on the wax as belonging to Reginald Prince, Georgine's elder brother. Breaking the wax seal, she opens the envelope and begins to read. Her brows actually rise in surprise, before she leans back into her seat and puts the letter down onto the side of the table.

"Well, that is indeed gossip," Dorea muttered as she reached for her tea and took a sip, before answering, "And exactly why have the Prince's waited until now to seek godparents for the Prince family children. They are close to being of age, and truly do not warrant the need for such a thing."

"True," Georgine replied as she took a chocolate biscuit and bit into it. Finished chewing, she adds, "However, should the worst occur, we wish for the children to have someone to lean on, advise them in case that Reginald nor I be readily be available."

Dorea slowly nods her silver-gray hair, before saying, "It is not impossible seeing what has occurred. And there are no other Prince's beyond yourself and your brother. It is a wise decision. But are you certain that the Prince family wishes to formally request this of me?"

"Yes," Georgine bluntly said, before glancing away in embarrassment. "And you are my most beloved of friends, Dorea. If there was anyone who would care for the children in our stead and look out for their best interests it would be, you."

A wide smile appears on Dorea's face at the heartfelt statement of her embarrassed friend. "Very well, I will graciously accept the Prince's request. When shall the formal ceremony take place?"

"The Prince family will host a Winter Ball to introduce the children into society, and have Rowan properly debut as a young lady," Georgine replied. "The Godparent ceremony will take place a few days before and shall accompany the children to the Winter Ball."

Pausing as in further embarrassment, Georgine murmurs, "And I was hoping that you would aid me in the preparations, my dear friend. I shall be taking the position of Profession at Hogwarts the upcoming school term for the subject of the Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Dorea let out a gleeful chortle as she clapped her her hands together, before wagging her finger at her friend. "You have been holding out on me, Georgine! Shame on you!" Georgine flushes an even brighter red and hurriedly takes a sip of her tea to cover her utter mortification.

Deciding to cease teasing her friend, Dorea tilts her head in approval and says, "A most excellent choice for the date, and yes, my friend, I will aid you in the planning." Georgine lets out a small sigh of relief at hearing her words.

"-It will permit us more than ample time to send out the invitations and prepare the decorations, catering, and so many other things," Dorea said. "Now then, who is to be the godfather?"

"Oh that," Georgine perked up with devilishly delight. "Fleamont Potter."

"What?!" Dorea choked in disbelief knowing full well that Reginald did not like her husband's distant cousin, Fleamont Potter. "How in Merlin's name did that come to be?!"

Georgine almost purrs with satisfaction as she arrogantly replies, "I managed to convince, brother, that Fleamont Potter will offer the children more benefit's than anyone else."

Dorea purses her lips as she takes a sip of tea, before thoughtfully murmuring, "I can more than amply understand as to why I was chosen. I am a close friend, and I am a Black. And no one in wizarding society could possibly scoff at my position, but Fleamont Potter is a self-made wizard despite having inherited the Potter fortune. Many will find fault with Fleamont despite his pureblood status."

"I am well aware," Georgine answered as she flashed a cool smile. "But Fleamont is not associated to anyone including our enemies. And despite his Gryffindor nature, he is associated to certain persons in power that wouldn't commonly associate with anyone else in wizarding society."

"My, my, you still continue to surprise me, Georgine," Dorea briskly said as her gray eyes took in the calm figure of her friend sipping at her tea. "I did not think that you had thought that far ahead."

"I am many things, dear Dorea, but a fool is not one of them," Georgine flashed her friend a wolfish smile.

Changing the subject, Dorea with an impish smile asks, "And just when will you be visiting the Potter household?"

Teasing her friend back, Georgine arches her brow and loftily counters, "But I am visiting the home of a Potter."

Rolling her eyes at the jest, Dorea says, "Really, Georgine? What are we fourteen?"

"My dear, we are forever young," Georgine arrogantly proclaimed and grinned wickedly at her friend.

Letting out a snort, Dorea just as aloofly says, "Well, I was going to invite you to have lunch with me at the Potter home, but seeing as you are content here, I suppose I will have to decline Euphemia Potter's invitation to lunch tomorrow evening. Next time, I suppose."

"Dorea!" Georgine protested in horror.

Dorea smirks back and says, "It was merely a jest, Georgine, no need to shriek like a fisher mongers' wife."

"I do not sound like a fisher mongers' wife!" Georgine vehemently protested feeling utterly appalled by the stark comparison. Fisher monger's wife indeed! NEVER!

"Manners, Georgine," Dorea hummed as she sipped her tea. "Now let us enjoy the rest of our tea and then I will write to Euphemia accepting her invitation for lunch at their home. And I will include that I will be bringing by a guest."

Dorea narrows her eyes at her friend, and says, "And you best be on your best behavior behave, Georgine. Fleamont Potter is still the cousin of my poor husband, and I will not have you tarnishing his name!"

Georgine purses her lips but acknowledges the request. She obediently sips at her tea, before changing the topic to tantalizing gossip such as who was cheating on who, and who had a new mistress. But the most popular scandal at the moment is that one of the daughters of a pureblood family had run off with a muggle and married him. The sheer scandal and audacity, it was all anyone could talk about!

Though many were laying bets that the girl would return in disgrace to her family as very few pureblood daughters could live with such abrupt change of circ.u.mstances in their daily lives nor much less accustom themselves to living as a muggleborn. Witches like Andromeda Black were far and few in between. And yet the pureblood daughter of one of the greatest families of Britain had managed it. It must have been true love in the end. (And that single grain of paternal care or love of the pureblood parent towards their child is what prevented them from killing their child's spouse. That and it was greatly frowned upon to do so openly in wizarding society rather discretion was key.)