Destinies Collide

The Price of Profit

A/N: Would you look at that, another chapter! You guys can thank my friend Tam for it.

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November 15th, 1988

Tuesdays aren't exactly the best day of the week to initiate a new routine, but that's exactly what Michael had to do once the owl carrying the eye potion he'd ordered arrived, a medium glass vial containing a bright yellow liquid in iridescent tones. It came with a dropper in order to facilitate applying three drops of the potion into Harry's eyes, three times a day, for thirty days, and completely convinced Michael that the reason some wixes might choose not to fix their eyesight is because of the sheer inconvenience of it. Still, for his son, he'll handle another change in his schedule.

He'd mistakenly thought there would have been some sort of change after the ritual, an indication from the universe that he was now a single parent of an eight-year-old, maybe a change in Harry's behaviour if anything, but had been pleasantly surprised that, other than now being addressed more as Dad than Mr Wright - as if Harry is taking advantage of the novelty of it -, nothing else had changed in their life.

Of course, being the boy's father through magic was all well and good, but it held little sway over the non-magical court and so he'd proceeded to forward the paperwork for adoption on the next available work day after the ritual and is currently waiting to hear from the judge. Only once his claim is ironclad - in the wixen world and out - will he risk starting to look into Harry's parents' will and his properties.

The second delivery of the day, which had arrived sometime after the potion, was a letter that reminded him of the need to appoint a magical guardian soon. Andromeda Tonks saw fit to remind him that they were due for a meeting about Harry, and her assumption that he owed her some sort of satisfaction about his son only served to cement the decision that she would be an unsuitable magical guardian. If she couldn't respect his authority, especially due to prejudice, he wasn't about to let her influence the child in his care.

It doesn't take long for him to pen a letter in response, equally verbose and empty paragraphs saying much but nothing at all regarding what she truly wants to know and informing her of his very busy schedule and that maybe they can have this meeting at the end of the month, as he is bound to have more free time then. Another fifteen days should surely be enough to appoint a suitable magical guardian and be ready to inform Tonks that her services will not be needed after all. Of course, he won't keep her from visiting Harry if his son agrees to it - they are family after all - but she had lost her chance to have any influence in his upbringing through her unyielding opinions and discourteous letters.

The letter does serve to remind him to look into the tutors' responses to his request, a good dozen envelopes have been waiting for his perusal for a few days and he figures it's as good a time as any to finalize a selection. From the wording in their letters alone, he discards a Yaxley and an Alderton, followed by Travers, Dowson, Bellchant and Miller after a look at their prices since Narcissa had sent him an estimate of the adequate price to keep him from being ripped off for it. Lupin - recommended by Tonks - seems promising but only covers Hogwarts subjects, which is of little use for someone hoping to introduce their child to customs and traditions instead, and a couple of other tutors in the same vein are quickly discarded. In the end, he chooses to schedule evaluation meetings with Farley, Montgomery, Prewett and Edgecombe, near the end of the month but with enough time before Christmas - or Yule as he's learned the wixes call it - to plan something that includes Harry's wixen heritage.