Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 145: Gathering information

After their dance was over, Harry and Daphne went to Lord Greengrass' table.

Unfortunately, he was accompanied by two other lords he was not familiar with, and he could not just ask to talk in private.

No one was aware of the Potters' connection to the Greengrasses, and it was better for it to remain this way.

So Harry limited himself to exchanging the expected pleasantries and introducing himself to the other lords.

Even after being told their names, he did not recognize them, so there was little chance that they were part of Voldemort's forces in his time.

This didn't mean much. Maybe they weren't important enough to be seen on the battlefield, or they could be simple collaborators who didn't fully join the organization.

It is safe to assume that everyone at this party is either an ally of Lord Parkinson or, at the very least, a potential one.

Even Lord Greengrass himself had to pretend to be on his side but was not yet willing to completely commit.

Harry had already prepared for this likely scenario. He waited for an opportunity and handed a small package to Lord Greengrass.

This package contained a sample of the type of arkstone he required for his artifacts and a note detailing his request plus a long list of ingredients.

Greengrass took it without looking at him or making any gesture and stored it inside his robes.

He would have to wait until returning to Hogwarts to hear his reply, likely delivered by his daughter.

"There you are!" All of the current occupants of the table turned their attention to the source of the noise.

Pansy glanced at Harry with her intense dark eyes.

"I have been looking for you everywhere, Harry."

"I believe the lady wants to dance, Mister Potter," Lord Greengrass said calmly.

"It would be rude to make her ask," he then added.

"Of course." Harry stood up and offered his hand to the girl, who happily took it with a wide grin on her face.

"Daphne, why don't you stay here for a bit? I have some things to discuss," Lord Greengrass said.

Harry realized that he was probably trying to save her the trouble of being asked to dance by a lot of the boys here.

She may not be as popular as Pansy, but there was no shortage of families who would like to get their hands on the Greengrass fortune and business.

Harry guided Pansy to the center of the ballroom, and they started to dance, feeling a bit more confident after the practice with Daphne.

"Are you enjoying the party, Harry?" The girl asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"I am… you have a very nice house. But I assume you don't live here; do you come here often?" He asked.

She nodded.

"We have two other villas that we visit more often. This is just the third time I have been in this one, I think."

'So they have three villas and one main house. Lord Parkinson chose the one they visit less often for this party. It could be a coincidence or… he didn't want to reveal the location of some of his more important homes to one or more of the guests.'

"I noticed that you have a lot of servants but haven't seen any house elves working here," Harry commented.

"My father doesn't like house elves. He says they can't be trusted. Instead, we have those servants. Most of them are squibs, except for the chief butler who is a half-blood."

'No house elves for security and only one actual wizard… noted.'

Harry noticed that she was starting to look bored and realized he could not just perform an interrogation.

"You have a lovely dress," he decided to comment.

Her face immediately changed.

"Really? You like it?" She had recovered her smile now.

He felt a bit guilty for manipulating this young girl. But he had a good reason for doing so at least.

They continued to dance for the full songs while Harry gave her a mixture of compliments and questions, trying to gain as much information as he could.

In the end, all he could find out was that their main home was somewhere in the north of Scotland and the names of the closest lords to her family, the Notts and the Rosiers.

Nothing crucial so far, but it did open the door for more opportunities in the nearby future.

Eventually, they were interrupted by Pansy's mother, who came to scold her daughter for ignoring her other guests in favor of Harry.

"I have to go, Harry." She looked very apologetic when she said that.

"I completely understand; do not worry about me." Harry then noticed that one of the glass doors leading to the balcony was open.

"I think I will go take some fresh air… excuse me."

As he approached the doors, he spotted the alluring figure of Lady Zabini outside.