Anne nodded and recited the family motto.
"Very good. Do you remember the password from earlier?" Diana asked.
"I remember it… but who is Johnny Depp-Roland?" Anne asked, puzzled.
"He was your great-great-grandfather and the founder of the Roland family," Diana replied, leading Anne into the room.
It was a square room with two walls lined from floor to ceiling with wooden shelves filled with all kinds of strange items. Another wall was made of transparent crystal bricks, glowing faintly white. Some of the bricks were engraved with names, Anne guessed it was the family tree. In the center of the room stood a stone basin, beside it a tall, rotating tower-like wooden stand.
On the stand were rows of small glass bottles, each filled with a swirling, silver substance. The top tier had four or five bottles, and the lower tiers had dozens.
"This is the family genealogy," Diana said as she brought Anne to the glowing wall. From it, Anne could see that the Roland family was quite small, with most generations having only one child.
Diana pointed to the topmost name: Johnny Roland, beside a woman's name, Janet Roland.
"The Depp-Roland family was an ancient wizarding family from Britain. Over three hundred years ago, during an age of great exploration, some of our ancestors boarded ships to sail across the oceans, joining Muggles seeking fortune and spreading religion. They arrived in India. There, on the Far East continent, they discovered magical plants and creatures unlike anything seen before. Delighted, they stayed to study the local magical flora and fauna. They also sought out children with innate magical abilities and taught them how to properly use magic…"
"Much like the Muggle governments that established rule there, the Depp-Roland family created the foundations of a magical system in India and became leaders. But that prosperity didn't last. The younger generations, born and raised in India, began to develop views different from their elders. In 1873, dissatisfied with how the family was treating the land and its people, Johnny Depp-Roland dropped part of his surname and separated from the main family."
"He gave up his inheritance and led a small faction of supporters away. He later built this estate, after expanding his international magical trade business."
"The Roland family rose through commerce and respects the rules of trade."
Anne recalled the sixth rule of the Roland family: 'There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.' A classic business mindset.
"Keith Roland and Camilla Roland-Trivedi were your great-grandparents," Diana continued. "Your great-grandmother came from an Indian noble family and had strong magical talent. She added the fourth family rule."
"She added it?" Anne asked, surprised.
Diana smiled. "Yes, the family motto has been added to by each successive head of the family. It started with just two rules and grew over generations. Of course, if you don't want to add anything, you don't have to, like me. The Roland family values freedom. So, Anne, at the meeting later, even though everyone there is your elder, you don't need to be too formal or stiff. Just relax."
"Now then, next come your grandparents. The sixth and seventh rules were added by your grandfather, and the eighth by your grandmother," Diana said with a laugh. She picked up a framed photo from the shelf. In it, a handsome young man with amber eyes had an arm around a smiling young woman with brilliant golden hair.
"These are your grandparents," Diana said. "Dad's always been like that, strong and capable. A big reason the Roland family has grown so much is thanks to him. Mom was a prefect in Ravenclaw. They argued often, but they were very much in love."
Anne looked at the young couple in the photo.
"What happened to them?" she asked.
"They encountered the Dark wizard Grindelwald while traveling in continental Europe," Diana said.
"Hmm… Diana, I've actually had a question for a while now."
"Yes?"
"My parents… what happened to them?"
"Anne…"
"I want to know. I should know." Anne raised her head.
Diana took a slow breath and said, "Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Bellatrix Black, those three."
Anne silently repeated the names to herself and nodded.
Diana clearly didn't want to dwell on the subject. She changed the topic and began explaining the current business focus of the Roland family and how the International Magical Goods Trade Standards Association operated.
By around nine o'clock, the two of them arrived at the second-floor meeting room. Several people were already seated, each dressed in distinct styles suggesting they were from different parts of the world.
Diana introduced them to Anne one by one. There were six in total, each overseeing the Roland family's international magical trade affairs in different continents. One was a wizard from the U.S., another from Brazil, one from Egypt, one from France, and two from Asia, since most of the family's trade routes focused on the Far East.
One representative was from India, and the other from China.
The meeting lasted two hours. Each person gave a brief overview of their continent's main magical goods, trade volume, direction, and future growth. Most importantly, Anne had to choose one representative, whose responsibilities would gradually be handed over to her.
Anne chose the Chinese witch, Li Qing, English name Margaret, a middle-aged woman who spoke with a perfect London accent.
After the meeting, Li Qing stayed behind. She will be staying in London for two months.
"Don't be surprised. Relax, Margaret," Diana said with a smile. "Anne choosing you isn't surprising at all. She's always had a fascination with China, the mystery, the culture. She's smart and eager to learn. In these two months, feel free to teach her in your own way."
"I'll do my best to learn," Anne said in Chinese, though a bit rusty.
They chatted briefly, and by 11:30, Anne said goodnight to Diana and headed to bed. Her understanding of the magical world had deepened once again.
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The Next Day
Anne didn't sleep in. She woke up early, today was the first day of her new responsibilities. It felt like the first day at a new job, and in a way, it was: from today on, she was officially an adult in the wizarding world.
And adulthood meant many things.
She dressed, came downstairs, had breakfast, and entered the meeting room, where Li Qing was already waiting, arms full of parchment.
When she saw Anne, she smiled. "Ready to begin?"
"Ready anytime," Anne replied with a bright smile.
The morning flew by. Around eleven, Anne finally put down her quill, exhaled, and looked at the parchment full of data and figures.
Li Qing, standing behind her, nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, Anne. Diana was right, you really do have a knack for this, and you're very sharp."
"Thank you. Should I come back this afternoon?" Anne asked.
"No need. I know you still have a lot of summer homework, and next year is your O.W.L. exams, those are very important. I suggest we study weekday mornings, sometimes add a practical session in the afternoon, and keep weekends free. How does that sound?"
"That sounds like a great balance," Anne said, relieved. She had feared two months of non-stop study.
That afternoon, after lunch, Anne used the fireplace to return to the Aaron household. Aaron was at work, so the house was quiet. She greeted Orbie, the housekeeper, then hurried upstairs to the third floor to work on her homework. She also wrote a few letters and made a phone call to Laird, her Muggle friend and financial advisor, to discuss the latest market trends.
Anne had now accumulated about £45,000 in wealth. By the end of summer, she was confident she could double it.
After the call, her eyes fell on the CD player Hermione had gifted her for her birthday. She took a CD off the shelf, popped it in, put on her headphones, and listened.
Four beautiful songs later, Anne removed the headphones.
Drumming her fingers on the desk, she hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. She would invite Hermione to a movie and a meal, as a thank-you gift.
Determined, she picked up the phone and dialed without hesitation.
After a few rings, a middle-aged man's voice answered. "Hello? This is the Granger residence."
"Hello, Mr. Granger. I'm Anne Roland-Reeve, a friend of Hermione's from school. May I speak with her?"
"Oh! A school friend? Of course, I'll go get her, just for a moment!" Mr. Granger sounded cheerful.
"Hermione! A girl named Anne Roland-Reeve is calling! She says she's your school friend!"
There was the sound of a door flinging open, and Hermione's voice faintly came through the phone. "What? Anne?!"
"Careful down the stairs, dear!" Mrs. Granger's voice called out.
"Hello? Anne?" Hermione finally picked up the phone, slightly out of breath.
"No need to rush, I wasn't going anywhere," Anne teased.
"Hah… I was just reading, and then I heard your name," Hermione said, still catching her breath. "I didn't expect you to call. Is something wrong?"
Anne froze a little. Was this too forward? Too sudden?
"Anne?" Hermione asked gently.
"Ah, yes. I'm here." Anne took a breath. No backing out now.
"Do you have time this weekend? I'd like to invite you to a movie," Anne blurted, heart pounding.
There was a surprised gasp on the other end. "This weekend? Anne, are you… asking me out to a movie?"
"Um… if you're busy, we can, "
"No, no, I'm free!" Hermione quickly said, her voice brimming with excitement. "Saturday or Sunday, either works!"
"Great. Let's do Saturday, then. I'll take a cab to your place around 11 a.m., and then we can have lunch at a Chinese restaurant, stroll around a bit, see a movie, and have dinner. I'll get you home by 7 or 8, nothing too late," Anne said, planning carefully.
Hermione listened seriously, then answered with a happy, "Okay."
Anne scratched her head, smiling. "That's all I called about. I'll see you Saturday, go back to your book."
"Okay. I'll get back to it," Hermione said, but didn't hang up.
"Ah, wait," Anne added quickly.
"Yes?" Hermione's voice was still right by the phone.
"I just wanted to say… thank you for the birthday gift. I really like it," Anne said, eyes drifting to the CD player.
"Really? I'm glad."
"Yeah, I love it. Okay then, hanging up now. See you Saturday!"
"See you Saturday!"
Anne gently hung up the phone, sat in silence for a moment, then carefully set the receiver down.
She put her headphones back on, hit play, and let the music fill the room.
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A/N: Anne and Hermione's first "date," hehe.
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