Donations & Other Business (Elyah & Nero)

It was just another common day for the Hufflepuff girl. Nothing out of the ordinary, as usual. She woke up, got dressed, made sure she looked good, before she headed towards the Great Hall to have her breakfast. It was a bit quiet today, for no reason, but Elyah didn't pay much min dot that since she was never the nosy one. She kept out of people's business just the way she expected, or more like ordered, them to stay out of hers. It was quite simple if you asked her.

Then she was going to attend her lessons. Freddo, as usual, was by her side in no time, which meant Max was going to join them pretty soon as well. She had gotten accustomed to that by now, and she had even learned that monster's name as well. Truth be told, she had gotten so used to it following her, that if it ever stopped, Elyah would actually be worried. They were both part of her life now.

The day went on pretty fast, as she attended her lessons one by one, met with Max, fooled around, before it was time for lunch. The Hufflepuff was practically starving, but she was done with her lessons for the day, which meant she was now allowed to have her lunch and relax until the next day. Well, she still had to do her homework for the next day, but she would manage. I mean, she had nothing serious to do, or to keep her from attending to her homework. No big deal.

Though after she had her lunch, Elyah was heading towards her Common Room, ready to rest for a little bit, maybe take a nap, when she was stopped by none other than her COMC Professor and most certainly, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. But what surprised her the most was that she was told she had a visitor. A visitor? Her mother would never come here, what sort of a visitor did she have?

Incredibly curious to meet the person that wanted to visit her, Elyah followed the Headmaster towards the Entrance Hall, where she was told they would be meeting. Though what she was met with was not something she understood.

A man was standing there, a very handsome man, not too old, but he looked so strong and.. well.. Pureblood, in one word. He was wearing a suit and he looked as if he was able to have anything he wanted. What would a an like him want from her?
She didn't even know this man.

Approaching him, she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know you."
Her voice was strong, leaving no space for him to alter her words. She wasn't going to allow him to have the upper hand in this.
"So, who are you, how do you know me, and what do you want from me."

The reactions from the man to her words made Elyah want to raise her eyebrow even higher. He had an attitude, and a certainty in his every move that made the witch more cautious about him. He had something, something she was not in the state to describe or understand, but he seemed oddly familiar. But not in the way most people would understand.

Elyah had never met this man before, for sure, but it felt as if he was something. Something that made her feel drawn to him in a very weird yet special way. And that was why she wanted to learn more about him, Found out who he was and what he really wanted from her. Why had he come here?

The small 'praise' she received made her snort and as the invitation to join him in a nearby bench came, Elyah smirked and followed him. It might have seemed as if she was easily fooled, but Elyah was far from done asking questions. She was going to find out what was happening here, one way or another.
And she was pretty sure it would be tricky, cause the man put thought to what he was saying just like she did. Soon Elyah would find out they were more alike than she thought.

"My name is Nero Whitehorn, and I own the Nimbus Racing Broom Company - you've probably heard of that, I would wager."

Elyah scowled. He was cheap, wasn't he? Trying to flaunt his money and rich face around. One thing she was right about though, he was a Pureblood. And a very good businessman as well, it seemed.

"Your money is of no worth to me."
Nero would have to find more convincing things to use against her. Because money was not something that could buy her. Maybe that was how his Pureblood world worked, but not here. Not with her.

"How do I know you? Very good question, simple answer. I don't."

Well, thank you, Captain Obvious!, she thought as she simply rolled her eyes at that. He was trying to fool her with his fancy words? Because it was certainly not working.

"What do I want, that depends on what's on offer. But, before any deal can be put in to effect, we need to know facts, don't we? You know my name, and one of the many businesses I run. However, you need to help me with something. Your mother... her name is Moira, right?"

That made Elya's eyes shine, like a predator looking cautiously at its prey. He knew things, things she had never said to anyone, so that meant he had looked for her. He knew who she was just fine, and he was simply trying to put it out in a way it seemed she had been the one to tell him about it all. But Elyah was not that stupid. For an eleven year old, she had learned to protect herself in more than one ways. And even if he was older and quite cunning, Elyah was just as dangerous.

But she decided to wait before giving him an answer, in hoped he had something else to say as well. Something that would make it easier for her. But the words that followed, sadly, made everything way more confusing.

"And... you never knew your father. Until today."

"Hold on," she said raising her hand to stop him. He had said enough and now it was her turn to speak. And it was not going to be good. For him.

"Let's just assume I answered all of your questions. That all these things you were saying were true. As you've said, I do know a few facts about you, but how can I be sure you're not lying? And let's just say that my mother was indeed Moira. What would I get out of this? "

The cool look and the smirk on her lips didn't leave her face, not even for an instant. She was not going to give in. This was a game of chess. You just had to move the right pawn.

"But you did get one thing right. I never met my dad. Though I do not understand what you mean by 'Until today'.
So, tell me. What's in for me, sir Whitehorn? What do I get in return for my answers?"

"If you believe what I'm saying and answer the questions, whatever you want to come out of this will happen."

As tempting as that might have been, Elyah was not going to reveal to Nero what she wanted. Not yet, not before she knew who he really was and what was going on. Because she still didn't know what he wanted and she was kind of scared after all of the things he knew about her and her mother. Though he was trying to persuade her. And she knew he wouldn't give up.

"In return for your answers, you would get the father you never knew. A life you never knew to exist, a fortune beyond your wildest imagination, and a home more suited to you, if you wanted it. If you don't want to answer, you can go back to your mother as if nothing has happened.

"But, I came here... because for the last twelve years... eleven years, whatever it is, to say I'm... ready to take on the responsibility of being a dad. Your dad."

Elyah was listening carefully, noting that he was ready to offer her anything she ever wanted. He wanted to offer her all that, and she was sure he could. And she was mostly persuaded that he meant no harm, but when the words of her going back to her mother followed, Elyah almost instantly went cold and shook her head. No was the answer, and she was sure Nero was able to see that in her eyes. Her mother didn't want her, and Elyah was better of alone that with her mother. That way, at least, she had more chances of surviving.

But he didn't stop there. Instead, he furthermore explained what he was doing here, but Elyah had not been ready for that. She was eleven years old, and way more mature for her age, but this... this was beyond her imagination. She had never met her father and now, now Nero appeared out of nowhere telling her he was her dad?

Moving away from him abruptly, Elyah felt scared. Her eyes went cold, her defense mode in place as she stared at him. Was he lying? He couldn't be serious about this.
"I don't believe you."
The words left her lips faster than she expected, having no time to process what she had just said.
And as much as her heart was telling her he was being honest, she couldn't believe him. Or she just didn't allow herself to believe him,

"You don't believe me."

Elyah simply shook her head no, still shaken from the words she had just heard. Her father was away. He was working far away from home in order for them to survive. That was what her mother had told her. That was the only thing she knew. She had never mentioned a Nero, or that he was a wizard. And she had never mentioned that he would come to her after twelve years to tell her that her mother had been lying to her her whole life, and that he was finally here to take responsibility for his actions, and give her everything she had desperately wanted her whole life.

"What would help you to believe me, then?"

That question went unanswered since the girl simply didn't know. She didn't know how she would be persuaded he wasn't lying and how this was going to work. She was twelve years old and as much as she kept acting as if she was older, she was still a kid. A kid that was face to face with her father. The father she had simply wanted to meet since the day she was born. The father she always needed.

"Your mother and I had... a brief fling twelve years ago, and you're the result of that. I'm sure there is some test that can be taken to prove that much. Unless, of course you're insinuating that I'm the kind of creepy man who would come here to try to lure you in to false pretenses? In which case, I can assure you that I am not that kind of man."

Elyah really doubted he was that type of man, truth be told. And she had a voice in her head that kept telling her it really was him. That he wasn't lying and that he was indeed her father. And she needed no test to prove that. She only needed to look into his eyes. That was all it took for her to understand it was him. And she was already halfway persuaded. She only needed a little push.

"I am your father, Moira and I were drunk when you happened, and I wasn't grown up enough to be your father then."

Ew dad, Elyah though at that sentence, but as she watched him move away, Elyah started to panic. She couldn't just allow him to leave like that, could she? Not after everything that had happened. Not now? He had left twelve years ago and now, she was the one casting him away. And if he didn't return ever again, it would be her fault.

Running towards him without thinking, the tiny little girl pulled him down by the suit, trying to get him face to face with her. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, as her eyes stared deep into his, practically reading every part of his soul. He was telling the truth, and she knew it. She was sure.

Tears appeared in her eyes as a very small smile touched her features. "It's you..," the witch whispered as she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tighter than ever. As tight as a twelve year old could manage, of course.
"It really is you!"
The tears kept running down the girl's face, but she wouldn't let go of the male figure before her.

He might have let go of her twelve years ago. But she wasn't going to do the same mistake.

"I've been dreaming of you for the past twelve years... I needed you dad..."

Throwing herself in his arms was not something the young girl had planned on doing, but even if she seemed cold and very unemotional, Elyah could break at the sight of her father. She loved him even before she had the time to meet him. He was the person in her dreams. The man that was there for her when her mother wasn't. The man who would make her smile, give her hugs and tell her he loves her. Maybe her Prince Charming was her dad, after all.

And now, he was here. He was finally here, and even if it was still hard to understand what was going on, Elyah decided to focus on the fact that he was back, for good. And he had come to make amends. But she also didn't forget that her mother had not only been the worst mom so far, but she had also lied to her. Something Elyah was never going to forgive her for. If she didn't want her, she could have given her away in the first place. Or she could have called her dad. He seemed like he wanted her. Well, now at least.

The way he held her to him proved that much, and Elyah let out a small smile through the tears that kept running down her face. Her dream was finally coming true and the Hufflepuff witch didn't know what to do.

"I'm so sorry."

She simply shook her head, still in his arms, signaling that she didn't want him to apologise, nor make it up to her with money, as he had later said. She didn't want him to buy her anything. She only wanted him to be part of her life, and maybe, take her away from her mother. She didn't know if this was possible, but she was pretty sure that if he asked her to give him the child custody, she would gladly accept.

"But, first I'm going to have to talk to your mum. I'm not legally... well, it's up to you where you want to go from here. You can come to mine at weekends in the holidays, if you want. I don't know what your mum would be happy with, but we can work that out, yeah?"

She bit her lip, buying herself time to think. She really wanted to move away from her mother, but how was it going to be with her dad? As much as she wanted him in her life, a lot, how could she knew he wouldn't be worse?
You know he wont.., the voice in her head kept telling her, and Elyah believed that for the most part. But she could never be sure, unless she started living with him.

"Though only if you promise to stop crying, I can't see you crying like this."

And she was once again pulled into a hug, something Elyah didn't struggle against. She held on to him as much as she could, taking in his scent. She would always remember his scent from now on. This was her dad. And the more she stayed with him, the more she looked at him, she was becoming more sure of that.

"I don't want to stay with mom. I want you to take me from her... I want to.. to live with you, dad."