After the pleasant reunion, Vicente dedicated himself to entertaining the two little girls with childish games. Although it wasn't his favorite activity, he realized it was a way to alleviate his own boredom and provide fun for the two young witch girls.
Meanwhile, Rose and Serafine headed to the office within the orphanage's premises, where their goal was to adopt Vincent. If all the procedures were carried out correctly and with the help of a few spells, Vincent would soon be living in the Greengrass mansion with his sister's family. This prospect excited Rose.
Normally, an adoption process involved a series of tedious bureaucratic procedures, such as a family history check, collecting testimonials, providing proof of income, and establishing stable residence. All these documents were subject to strict evaluation by a judicial officer before the child's custody was transferred to the new family. However, in the case of their sister, who was part of the wizarding society, there were ways to bypass these tedious formalities, as long as it was done subtly.
In the wizarding world, secrecy was a serious matter. As long as their actions weren't overly scandalous, many of the normal procedures could be ignored. Additionally, being part of the wizarding aristocracy afforded them certain legal advantages, even in more complex cases.
Mrs. Gina led the two women to her office. Her tired and stern appearance brought a sense of nostalgia to Rose, as this lady had treated her kindly during her days at the orphanage. However, a part of that memory had been erased from her mind due to the magical secrecy system, which left her a bit resentful of the wizarding society. The authorities simply wiped out all memories of a town as if they had never existed. Rose cursed under her breath as she clenched her fist.
The three entered a small office, disturbed by the loud creaking of the door due to a lack of maintenance. The office was simple, with a shelf containing papers, a desk, and three chairs tucked under a corner table. The floor was made of wood, and the walls were rustic, without any kind of covering, revealing the bricks of the foundation.
Rose and her sister stood, taking in the surroundings until they were interrupted by Mrs. Gina.
"Please, feel free to have a seat," Gina said, pointing to the chairs, as she herself headed to the back of her office. There, a stone structure held a teapot and a bottle of milk over hot coals. She poured herself a cup of tea with milk and asked the young ladies present, "Would you like some tea with milk?"
Rose smiled and replied, "Yes, please, Mrs. Gina." She accepted more out of nostalgia than anything else.
Serafine, however, just shook her head and said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm full, thanks."
After serving herself and Rose with courtesy, Gina finally sat down, taking a sip of her tea with milk. Rose did the same, savoring the sweet and robust drink, leaving a small milk mustache, which elicited a suppressed laugh from her sister.
Serafine pulled out a silk handkerchief embroidered with her house crest from her bag and handed it to Rose, hinting at her sister's mustache. Rose didn't hesitate to smile and thank Serafine.
Gina interrupted the ladies' interaction by asking, "Could you clarify your adoption plans further?"
Rose, returning to a more serious demeanor, began to explain, "Mrs. Gina, we are interested in initiating the adoption process for Vincent Salvatore..."
As Rose explained her intention to the matron, Serafina took a letter and several documents from her bag, handing them to Gina. "We've already initiated the legal process, and the state has determined Vincent Salvatore as a potential child for adoption."
The matron, looking at all the paperwork, felt strange. After all, this should have been the first visit, and everything seemed to be already prepared. "Regarding this, I would like to first get in touch with your lawyer, and..."
Before she could finish, Serafina used a mental spell to make her confused and inclined to accept, with a quick flick of her wand. "Confundus."
The now confused Gina, suddenly affected by Serafina's mental spell, fell silent with a vacant look. Under the influence of magic, she regained 'clarity' in her mind and, with a smile, declared, "Your documents are in order; you may take Vincent whenever it's convenient."
The sisters, who had been expecting this response, displayed a slight joy at their success, considering magic a very convenient solution. They simply smiled and spoke calmly, "That would be perfect; we'll pack up the child's things and take him right away."
Rose, as she got up to leave, remembered her other goal. She took a thick envelope from her pocket, containing 15,000 pounds, and handed it to the matron. She said with a sincere smile, "Mrs. Gina, I would also like to make a donation to the orphanage to improve the living conditions of the orphaned children."
The matron took the envelope containing the money and was embarrassed by the large amount. "This is very generous; we cannot accept such a sum, especially through unofficial means..."
Before she could finish the sentence, Serafina cast another mental spell to make her accept the amount.
Gina finally replied, "The orphanage appreciates the ladies' kindness!"
The sisters finally left the office and headed toward the child who would be adopted. Vincent was playing and entertaining the two girls, Daphne Greengrass and Elise Rigel Malfoy. Vivian closely supervised, sitting at her painting easel and tending to her next work.
After a brief explanation about Vincent's adoption, Vivian felt both happy and sad. He was her model with his exotic albino beauty, and she would miss him since she had taken care of him for so long. Of course, others felt the same, and in the end, many gathered to say goodbye to Vincent.
Vincent whispered something in Rose's ear, making her laugh. Rose approached Vivian and made a surprising proposal, "I would like to hire your services to paint an official portrait of Vincent." The idea had come from Vincent.
"Yes, that would be a pleasure!" she said, excited to finally get a commission as a painter.
The five members - Rose, Sera, Daph, Vinc, and Elise - bid farewell to the orphanage with promises to return later and disappeared to a place out of sight. Finally, they used the most common method of travel for wizards, "Apparition."
Vincent experienced the not-so-smooth wizarding teleportation as he squeezed into the new location, where he would continue the next step of his journey. It was a white, Gothic-style mansion adorned with a beautiful garden. He could already get used to this.
A/N: Hey there, folks! How are you all doing? I hope you're well. This chapter has been written since last week, but I couldn't manage to post it because my job. My profession is killing me, and I think I should consider switching to something with more free time, perhaps...
In the upcoming chapters, we'll delve deeper into Narcissa and Draco's situation.
Tell me, what would you do with the Confundus Charm?