Meeting with Mayfair

[vincere_aut_mor]

Date: Wednesday 30th
Time: Around midday
Location: Jewllian's cottage
Rating: G for now.
Characters Involved: Lucius Malfoy and Jewllian Mayfair

The two wars, amongst other things, had cultivated in Lucius a skill for putting aside emotion. Fear was not beneficial to logical thought, and neither was anger or hatred. It was true, anger could cause him

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[vincere_aut_mor]

A faint smile appeared on his lips as the door was opened. He thought it a little odd that Mayfair kept a human servant, though he supposed this was possibly the man's mother or sister (it was impossible to guess which.)

Lucius smiled a little further as she spoke, "What a delightful accent. My wife and I holiday in Italy quite frequently," he said.

He glanced about the office habitually, eyes pausing on the window for a moment. Old habits die hard. Eyes sliding a little further, he noticed the standing Jewllian.

Lucius offered his hand, shaking that of the other man firmly. He turned back to the women who had offered a drink, "Tea, please. Milk and no sugar," he added a thank you before turning back to Jewllian.

"Mr Mayfair," Lucius said, taking a moment to look at him. A little younger than himself probably, smart enough.

He took a seat at the desk, drawing what appeared to be a small black box from his inner pocket. Lucius tapped it with his wand, watching as it expanded into a briefcase. He withdrew some papers and placed them on the desk.

"Do you conduct all of your business from home?" Lucius asked politely.

[bleedtotouch]

Giada offered him a smile, nodding her head politely before looking to Jewllian. In the look he had been giving his wife, it was quite clear that Lucius was the more congenial one. Her smile faded quickly and she turned, walking through the opposite door into the kitchen. She closed it silently behind her in order to muffle out the sounds of the tea’s perpetration.

Once Lucius had seated himself, Jewllian reclaimed the large chair behind the desk. He waited patiently, neglecting the magical expansion of the briefcase in favor of studying Lucius himself. It had been quite a while since he’d ventured to read the man’s book, but still he found small snippets and phrases floating to the surface of his conscience. Particularly the things he’d admitted to doing as a Death Eater. The man was so proper and clean, Jewllian had a hard time believing that he would have dared to do any of it at the risk of getting soiled.

The thought amused him, but the laugh that begged to be released stayed buried in his chest.

“I sold my practice a fair number of years ago.” Jewllian mentioned, reaching for the papers offered to him. “I’ve found my home to be sufficient for what business I still do.”

[vincere_aut_mor]

Of course he did not enquire about the woman presently making him tea. It was neither his business, nor polite to make such commentary. Jewllian's apparent indifference to her might have suggested that she was a housekeeper, but he'd seen indifferent marriages and family relationships far too many times to make that assumption. Though in his experience, those who outright hated their spouses or family, were in a far better position than those who no longer cared.

Lucius nodded as Jewllian spoke of his practice.

"Unfortunately, my requests are neither the most interesting nor complicated matters you have handled, I am certain. However they are necessary."

He looked at Jewllian a moment. He knew his surname, and had vague recollections of older relatives. Purebloods were nothing but circular in their socialisation, and whether it was distant memories of playing with others his age, or being questioned by 'uncles' who seemed impossibly old, in some way or another he probably had known all of them.

"My previous will was written with a view to my premature death," Lucius said, nodding towards the parchment "it was written when I was almost as young as my son is now. Therefore it is formed in the understanding that Draco is not of age. Now that he is and I have higher likelihood of seeing my old age and grandchildren, there are adjustments I wish to make."

[bleedtotouch]

“Uninteresting as wills may be, it is a wise business move.” As he spoke, Jewllian began flipping through the large stack of parchment. “In my experience, men in your station don’t hire lawyers for the sole purpose of rewriting a will.”

His eyes rose from the parchment for a brief moment to catch Lucius’ gaze. It lasted only a brief moment before his attention turned back to the will, completely unbothered by being watched. He’d grown used to people watching him work, worried clients fussing over their case as he completed the necessary legal documentation. More than that, he had become used to the stares of members of the older, pure families as they sought to place him. After all, pureblood wizards certainly didn’t just appear of their own volition.

It was quite likely, in any case, that Lucius would know of his family name, if he didn’t personally know his grandfather, Leland. His family, beginning from his namesake who had been the cause of his family’s “suspicious” disappearances, had a notion for being scandalous. Dark wizards, all, it seemed that scandal was as inherent as their brown eyes.

“Were you looking to alter it completely, or just make a few alterations to the wording regarding your son?” Jewllian asked after a long pause. Before Lucius could have the opportunity to answer, however, the soft knock on the door leading to the kitchen could be heard. The old brass doorknob clicked as it turned, revealing Giada nudging it open. In her hands a silver tray balanced, dressed with a teapot, matching cups, and a small pitcher of cream. She offered Lucius a soft smile as she set the tray down on the edge of the desk, a safe distance from the paperwork.

“Grazie Giada,” Jewllian said softly. Such a sentiment caused her to pause, looking at her husband as though someone else might have taken his place. Her shock lasted just long enough to draw Jewllian away from his work. His eyes narrowed in the displeasure her continued presence brought. That, of course, she found more comfort in, though she frowned. She offered a brief nod to the two men before disappearing once more, closing the door behind her.

[vincere_aut_mor]

Lucius raised an eyebrow as Jewllian looked up. Men of his station. He allowed the comment to pass. If the will were handled well enough, then would be the time for frank discussion. Still, it was a freshing change to the usual stiffness of his previous lawyer, a man who had gone to great lengths to avoid any acknowledgement that he was even aware of Lucius' personal circumstances.

He was about to answer when the knock came, returning the smile of the woman as she set down the tray. Lucius carefully averted his eyes at the personal scene, again no concern of his.

Once the door was safely closed again, he immediately answered the question.

"The first will was written a week before I married my wife, and left all property, money, and investments to her in the event of my death. It was revised the year Draco was born, to include that, on my death my wife should receive any joint monies or investments as her own, and that she would have legal power of all else until Draco came of age," Lucius could recall all too well that particular revision. Visiting Narcissa's parents to share the news, and her father taking him aside to ask if he'd thought about what would happen if he was killed in the Dark Lord's service. Still a few years from his thirtieth birthday, he was still deluding himself that he would live forever. And now a child to prove to him otherwise.

"As he is of age now, I wish to make the distinction clearer between his own inheritance and my wife's."

Lucius withdrew a piece of parchment, a list of revisions that he intended to make.

"My wife is to continue to receive all investments and monies held in both our names. Draco will receive any vaults, investments and propety held in my name. I wish that Narcissa be allowed to remain in the Manor until her death if she chooses, though also wish to set aside a sum of money for the purchase of property if she does not. I also wish to set aside the same for Draco, in the event that he marries and does not wish to use the Manor as his family home."

[bleedtotouch]

Jewllian surrendered the papers he was currently looking through in favor of the list he was being offered by the man. He didn’t look at it, however, but offered his attention to Lucius. He was quite certain that nearly all of the wanted revisions listed on the parchment were being explained to him.

As the man spoke, Jewllian couldn’t help but wonder just how much money had been allotted to the Malfoy family. By the way Lucius spoke of what he’d like to leave his family, Jewllian guessed that it was quite a bit. To wish to leave both his wife and his son a large enough supplement to the sums already being left to them to buy homes spoke of nothing short of quite extreme. It didn’t help that Lucius had that look to him of a man created solely of money.

His sister had the same look.

“It should all be easy enough to redraft.” Jewllian mentioned, making a few notes on the parchment he had been handed. “Was there a particular amount you were aiming for, in reference to the estate funds? Or perhaps an interest to account for inflation?”