7 December, 1996

I had enacted every bit of preparation for this moment. I had put out all the old decorations from the wedding reception I hosted for Jack and Lucina after their sham of a wedding in the form of an elopement in America. The same table clothes, the same sculptures in the same places, beautiful stone statues that an Ainsley ancestor had carved two hundred years ago of a dancing couple and entwined swans that I would never sell no matter how badly Thornell needed the funds. I used the dozens of pictures I had taken of the reception for my niece as references to jog my memory. I had to play nice with Jack's parents then. Atticus Graves was a friendly, but clearly stern man who talked too much about his Auror work and Ophelia had a stoic expression and quick mind that she shared with her eldest son. At that time, I had managed to tolerate Jack in the comfort of my own home. I could do the same again.

The freshly minted president of MACUSA was a tall, imposing figure. I still remembered the young man who had followed Lucina up the road to the house like a puppy. Jack was a handsome young man then, dark hair, hazel eyes and a warm smile that I saw often in Audrey. Age had matured his features and gave him an air of gravitas that he did not have as a young man of twenty-two.

"Jack."

"Lucinda."

I had never trusted a person who made themselves easy to like with pretty words and what people referred to as pretty manners. Jack was naturally intelligent, brave, and friendly enough to get by and perhaps that was what Lucina had liked, Jack seemed to know who he was and his place in the world. That could be very appealing to a girl who was a bit spacey, uncertain about what she wanted in life and a young man who wanted to be seen as steady and reliable.

But he was still a numpty.

"It's been a long time, Jack, how have you been?"

"Where's my daughter?"

Ah, there's the American stereotype I know, all business, time is money and straight to the point.

I shrugged, "I do not know, she could be anywhere." I ignored his quiet glare. "Really, Jack, I've been very busy all night."

"I can't believe you encouraged this."

"Encouraged what? Her staying here was her own choice, I told her to leave months ago."

Numpty. What kind of person did he think I was?

"I need to talk to her."

"You can manage that arrangement on your own, because I don't believe she wishes to speak with you."

Jack gave me a thunderous look that would have frightened anyone who did not have the decades of history we had. I ignored the aghast look of the Auror behind Jack who had the misfortune of being his bodyguard tonight.

I always appreciated that Jack was easy to annoy, but also too thick to understand why I kept sending him ugly vases. Generally it was because I wanted them out of my house, and his idiot second wife was so invested in appearing classy she would display them for people to see. I must admit I was very entertained by that tidbit Alex had told me, he was too much like his father, but he had a sense for withering subtle insults in gift giving that came purely from my side of the family.

"How's your wife?" It was best to get off the Audrey topic for something with more… well, more dislike on my side. I adore Audrey, I'll never tell her that, I'm not affectionate that way, but she knows I love her even if I never tell her openly.

"Vanessa's at home, it doesn't seem safe to travel with them while things are so unstable." Jack gave the party a judgmental look, we seemed to be on the same page about this event's existence. Meaning it was a pointless exercise when there were real problems to deal with.

But Merlin forbid Jack and I ever agree on any small matter of political substance and procedure.

Jack looked around, "I always thought you were too proud to politic like this?"

"Well, we all can't cultivate influence on a family name, can we?"

I had put a lot of thought into this. If Audrey found someone with enough funds and family backing to keep Thornell for the next generation, I would be thrilled. I could cut the Averys out entirely, Lucina having a son enacted a clause to put Thornell in Alex's care, even without the direct father son line. I had been able to do that much, but I needed Alex to sign some papers and he did not want it. I had been able to begin a secondary clause after he disappeared to put Thornell in trust to Audrey, between the two of us, we were politically savvy enough to find a way to ensure it could stay with her descendants even if she never had a son, though that would be a lot harder to due if she had no connections through marriage. This government was a bureaucratic nightmare and old laws favored sons over daughters. More specifically old families with money that generally went to the first born son. I kept Thornell after my brother died through a loophole and trust for Lucina's children, Alex being born allowed me to hold it until he took ownership or I died.

Ainsleys were always good at marriage and making connections, it was part of the reason I chose to focus on Magical Law after graduating from Hogwarts. If I was not interested in the marriage competition, I would at least make business connections for the family. While the Ainsleys were not a sacred twenty-eight family, which had deeply offended my father upon the publication of the document - that Cantankerus Nott said that Ainsley was a muggle name and my father came close to dueling him over the slight.

Ainsley sons tended to marry daughters from those so esteemed families, it gave us connections to the old money that flowed through the Ministry while we had little to sway laws and papers to our advantage or full control. The dowries of those daughters helped us hold Thornell for generations, but upkeep on this house is expensive and hosting events for the Ministry or weddings for well off business owners' children was not enough to keep everything going the way I wanted it to. I have high hopes for Audrey to marry well, someone with money who is dumb enough for me to pull any hopes he has for control of the house out from under him before the ink dries on the marriage contract. A stupid first born son would have more resources, I could tolerate a stupid second son with an inheritance.

The boy just needed to have money and be dumb enough to hand over his financial control to Audrey while he pursued whatever hobbies belonged to the idle, listless rich. Audrey's pretty enough to find a socially useless man and smart enough to handle the important affairs and raise children who would follow her example.

Jack peered over the crowd, his gray white hair catching the candlelight in a manner that made him look closer to my age than he really should. "Who's that young man my daughter's with?"

I glanced over at the dance floor, trying not to be obvious.

Hecate's knickers! That's a Weasley. She was dancing with a Weasley. A family famous for having no money and far too many sons to promise any sizable inheritance to any of them!

"Her coworker." My tone was clipped and all I could do was hope this was a friendly meeting and not one of romantic overtures from a young man hoping to move up in the world.

"President Graves!"

I turned to see the Minister walking towards us with a young dark haired man in glasses who was smiling in a way that was all teeth and smugness.

"Minister Scrimgeour, I presume," Jack smiled warmly and shook the Minister's hand before looking over at the dark haired man. His smile faltering for just a moment. "Ah, I see you have met Elihu Weathers." Jack looked back at me, all politeness and presidential conversation as he gestured between myself and Elihu Weathers. "Lucinda, this is the MACUSA Embassy representative."

"Ah, Audrey's friend." I reached out and shook Weathers' offered hand. "She speaks very well of you, she says you're one of the finest politicians that MACUSA has produced and there was talk of you running for president someday."

Weathers laughed, he had a rather boyish face when he did so. "That's kind of her to say, and if that's her opinion I can't say it doesn't have merit."

Jack's face was priceless. The slight knit of his brow, the set of his jaw as he glanced away from Scrimgeour for a moment to take in the words escaping Weathers mouth. I could see why Audrey spoke so well of Weathers, I had other hosting duties to attend too, I could trust Weathers to pick at Jack in my stead.

I bid a quick farewell to Weathers and Scrimgeour individually, reminding Scrimgeour that my house elf had a special plate for him in the kitchen per his dietary requests. "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure, but I'm afraid my duties call me elsewhere. Should you require anything, please do not hesitate to ask." I made eye contact with Jack who had glanced at me during my proclamation. "Jack, I've told your team that I have my old office on the second floor set aside for your use. I feel it is appropriately quiet and presidential."

Jack gave me a solemn nod and I knew the conversation was at an end. I walked into the crowd to be greeted by more well wishers and old acquaintances.

I hoped that he would appreciate the painting of my dear Lucina I had put in there. I knew I did.

Oo0Oo0

Author's Note: It was fun to get inside Lucinda's head for a while.