Previously on A Tale Of Two Wizards Full Circle: Chapter 87

Sal lifted his glass. "Tell that to Lozier. He's the arse who thought we wouldn't need…."

Seth cut across his partner. "Pay no attention to wizard Maida. We have everything under control. You two lads go do what needs to be done and we'll have staff ready to go when you're finished."

"Theo raised his glass as well. "Sounds good to me. I've heard stories, so I'm hoping you have people other than Hermione and Mrs. Maida in mind."

Sal turned beet red but took Theo's comments in stride. "I just love it when a mate takes the Mickey. We'll be fine."

The four businessmen each raised his glass having no doubt everything would be fine.

/*/

After Hermione and Emilio had put Scorp to bed, it was their time.

Emilio pulled Hermione closer and whispered in her ear. "It's time to discuss."

As she snuggled against Emilio's arm, Hermione assured him it was. "Let's start off with our visit to the Obstetrics Healer next Thursday. Please make yourself available."

Hermione's words riled Emilio bit, but he remained calm. "Make myself available? If the magical world was ending, I would still make myself available. This is about our child love. How could I not? That's settled. Will you need me to accompany you to see Grace on Wednesday?"

"No love. It's simple. Grace can accommodate us or she can't. I'll be fine on my own. I'm hoping she can, however, we'll be ready if she can't. I've researched a few other sources, so I'm sure whether it's Grace or another planner we'll be fine. Onto another subject. Gas and Seana have started setting up their new home. I'm thinking we should be doing the same. If you don't have a problem with it, I'm going to ask Seana, Mila and Hannah to assist me. It will be the perfect time for us witches to discuss what we want to accomplish with Jasmine and Financially Wright. What do you think?"

Spreading his arms wide, Emilio readily agreed with his witch. "Although it seems you have everything under control and I'll only be consulted in case of trouble, I agree with it all. Is everything settled? May I now have some time with my witch?"

Hermione grinned at Emilio. "For sure, everything is settled until it isn't Mr. Lozier. You may now have some time with your witch and she with you."

A Tale Of Two Wizards Full Circle: Chapter 88

Even though it was a bit late after their lovemaking, Emilio took a few minutes to explain Emiliano's request to speak privately. "Father handed me his SSE London application. The idea of securing a position at the next biggest entity in London has definitely caught his interest. We took a few moments to review and discuss next steps."

Hermione gave a sleepy nod. "Emiliano seems set on a position with Seth and Sal. In my opinion, Nonno is exactly the wizard for the position."

Emilio leaned over to kiss Hermione on her ear. "Or, for one of the positions. Sal and Seth want to change things up a bit. Instead of one Head for the entire building, they are thinking about separate Heads for each department. Right now, the hiring process is still up in the air. Like you and my father, I believe he will fit in somewhere which of course will be up to Sal and Seth."

Yawn. "Sorry love. Emiliano will prevail in one way or another. And thank you for taking time with our son tonight. He seems to be a bit skittish lately. You handled it all so well. I hope my pregnancy nerves aren't rubbing off on him."

Pulling Hermione closer, Emilio draped an arm across her stomach while whispering in her ear. "We are a family love. A small bit of nerves can't hurt us. Sleep well."

"Goodnight love."

/**/

At their various homes, hotel suites and flats, all MCC players were up early Tuesday morning looking forward to a productive day.

Instead of rushing to The Luxe, Emilio had showered and dressed at Malfoy Estate. Allowing Hermione to remain sleeping, Emilio went about his business extra quietly. When he was finished, he left a light kiss on Hermione's head before heading to the kitchen to make himself a quick cup of tea and have one of the leftover raspberry muffins. As Emilio sat there enjoying his breakfast, he took a good look around. He would never say it out loud, but Malfoy décor was not to his liking, at all. He would be more than glad when he, Hermione and Scorp were settled in Tudor Place enjoying the Lozier décor. Emilio flicked his wand to clear up before heading to the den to say a quick hello to Louis, who was in a peculiar mood wanting to hold a conversation. However, Emilio had to beg off a conversation stating he needed to get to work. The one thing he did do was assure Louis that he and Hermione would be having a conversation with him very soon. Louis nodded before closing his eyes.

Glancing at his Wonder Wizard Watch, Emilio let out a soft grumble. He had planned to be at his desk before 7:00 but was now running late. However, a quick twist of his wand and his mind on MCC, Emilio was at his desk in under a minute. No harm. No foul.

Matt's door was open but the office was empty. Gas' door was still closed. As early as it was, Emilio could hear voices coming from the small conference room so that was where he headed. A litany of voices greeted him as he stepped through the door.

"Good morning Mr. COO."

"Morning Emilio."

"Morning."

"Your formidable FF is at your service."

Everyone grinned at Ezra's greeting.

"Good day Emilio. We're missing one, but Richard is on his way."

Emilio gave one salute to all. "Thank you all for the lovely greetings. What I want to know is what have you done for the company today?"

The FF minus Richard let out a collective chuckle. It was 7:20 am. They hadn't done anything, but never one to let an opportunity slip by, Ezra had an easy answer.

"Unfortunately Emilio, it's only 7:20. We haven't done anything for the company yet, but give us a minute."

Giving Emilio a soft thump on the arm, Matt chuckled. "And there you have it. Never underestimate what our FF can do by 7:21. Well wizards and witch. It's been nice chatting with you, but it's past time for me to start my day. Caitlin and Nicholas, my office please."

Emilio left the conference room as well. They met Gas coming down the hall.

"Good morning all. Just in case you want to know, moving house is tiresome."

Matt and Emilio greeted Gas but Matt kept walking. Emilio had a response.

"Good morning Gas. Thank for the heads up. Hermione, Scorp and I plan to begin our move shortly as well. Hopefully, it won't be tiresome. See you later."

Gas headed to the conference room to see what was going on and what had gone on.

/*/

When Caitlin and Nicholas appeared at his office door, Matt gestured for them to come in and take a seat before shutting the door with one quick swish of his wand.

"I imagine you both know why you're here."

Nicholas spoke. "We do Matt. Rest assured Caitlin and I have it all under control. We intend to be Half Beasts this afternoon."

Matt nodded, but gave Caitlin a quick glance. Caitlin and Nicholas who expected at least a small smile or chuckle at the Half Beast remark straightened up in their chairs. Caitlin was a bit quicker on the uptake than Nicholas. She hadn't tarted herself up yet. She imagined Matt thought she was going to address an important client group in basic clothes. Looking their CEO directly in the eyes, she gave verbal assurances.

"Nicholas and I are ready Matt. Whitehall will get our best. We won't let you or MCC down. In fact, Nicholas and I will be leaving MCC at 11:30 to give ourselves time enough to step into our uber professional outfits."

This time, Matt did smile. "Uber is it? You are two of the FF. I didn't have any doubts. However, I did wonder about the attire and those bits of flyaway hairs flapping about Caitlin's head. You have addressed the concerns I didn't have with a few words. Thank you. If I'm not in my office when you return, find me. I want to know ….. Never mind that. Just find me so we can discuss. Dazzle them."

Nicholas and Caitlin held in their laughs until they were on the lift. Their CEO was stressing, but there was no need. They intended to wipe the floor with Miss Chloe Knight, metaphorically speaking.

/*/

Hermione stepped out of the bedroom at 8:25 to find Scorp sitting at the table enjoying some cereal, a few strips of bacon and a glass of juice. Leaning over, she left a loud, sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"Stop mum, stop. That kiss was dis…." Scorp didn't finish the word disgusting remembering he was shouted at the last time he used it. Instead, he tried another tack.

"That kiss was loud mum."

Knowing why Scorp had changed tack, Hermione smiled. Her son had a long memory. Disgusting was not a word she wanted to hear come out of his mouth. "Yes love. It was a loud kiss. Mum loves giving loud kisses to her little wizard."

And the whip smart, young wizard with the long memory had more to add. "And to Emilio too. He likes loud kisses."

"Yes Scorp. Emilio like kisses too. Finish your breakfast please. There are a few things I have to tend to. You may watch the telly until I'm through. Later, we might take a walk down to the park."

"Okay mum, okay. I want a walk too unless Aunty Hannah comes for a visit. If she comes, we can't go for a walk because her tummy is too big. Aunty Seana couldn't walk good when she had a big stomach either. Babies in a stomach shouldn't get so big."

Although she shouldn't, Hermione was getting irritated at Scorp's chatter. Flicking her wand to turn on the telly and taking two deep breaths, she told Scorp to go watch cartoons.

"First mum, I have to pee. Emilio is at work so I'll use the bathroom by myself. I'm getting so big."

Taking her son by the hand, Hermione led him to the bathroom. "Mum is here. We can manage on our own when Emilio is at work."

Scorp of course had a rebuttal. "Yes mum. We can manage on our own but Emilio has to do the dad things like take me to pee, wash me up, have a talk…"

With a stomach that wouldn't settle and nerves which felt like they were poking through her skin, Hermione had to restrain herself from sounding cross. "Yes Scorp. Emilio does all that, but right now I want you to have your pee then wash your hands."

Scorp, who was quick on the uptake noticed the small frown lines between Hermione's eyes had his pee and washed his hands in silence. His mum might be having a bad morning. Hermione realized she might have confused Scorp, so she made sure to give him a hug, a kiss and a compliment when he finished in he bathroom.

"Well done young wizard. Well done."

Scorp grinned. His mum wasn't having a bad morning. She was just having a bad minute. "Thanks mum. We can tell Emilio his big boy did well done when he comes home."

"Yes we will love and he'll be glad to hear it. Now go watch some Clifford until I finish up in the study."

Scorp headed to the telly room and plunked himself down on the couch ready for some Clifford or Chuggington until his mum was ready to go on their walk.

/*/

Hermione was on her way to the study when the doorbell rang three times. Two short and one long. Only one person rang the bell in that manner. It was the calling card of Harry Potter. Before Hermione could call out, Harry was through the door greeting her as he came.

"Hello Mrs. Hermione. I hope it wasn't too forward of me to enter without an invitation, but we're friends. No need to stand on ceremony."

"Hello Harry. What brings you here this early in the morning? If you've come for a cozy chat with Emilio, you've just missed him, but he'll be here by 7:00."

Harry walked over to hug Hermione. "You're so funny Mrs. Hermione. Is the young wizard around somewhere, or have I just missed him as well?"

Giving Harry a slight pinch, Hermione pointed to the telly room. "Scorp is watching Chuggington. Go say hello. At least one person will be glad to see you."

Harry laughed. "One person liking me is what I consider a good day."

Harry was to the telly room and back in a few seconds. "I'll have to rephrase as Scorp threw up a random wave without taking his eyes off Clifford. It might not be a good day after all."

Hermione let out a soft chuckle. "Would you like some breakfast and a cup of coffee?"

"No thank you. I just stopped by to give you and Scorp a shout and maybe stop in to see Louis. I've said hello so I'll be on my way. Give my regards to the wizard who wasn't home when I stopped by." He said, hugging Hermione once more.

"Only if you give my regards to my best witch. Time is getting shorter. Fairly soon, the Chosen One will have a baby. Who knew?"

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Tell Mr. COO to get on the job. And please don't rush our blessed event. Baby Potter has several more months before making an appearance. Give a prospective father time to get himself together."

Hermione didn't reply but did turn a nice shade of scarlet which Harry didn't notice because he was on his way to the den to greet Louis. Fanning herself, Hermione gave herself a mental knock. She had almost given her own game away. It was coming up on 10:00 am. Hurrying to the study to jot down a few wedding items and suggestions on what she, Mila and Seana could offer Financially Wright, Hermione was thinking she and Scorp might not get to the swings today.

Two hours later, Hermione entered the telly room to find Scorp wide awake and waiting. "Hi Mum. Clifford and Chuggington are over. Can we go for the walk now?"

Hermione made a choice. "Mum has accidentally spent too much time in the study. It's lunch time now. I think instead of a walk to the park, we'll go to Diagon Alley for an ice cream cone. That way we'll be back home in time for your nap. We'll go to the park another day."

The thought of an ice cream cone excited Scorp. "I really like ice cream cones Mum. We can go to the park another day."

Hermione was smiling as she leaned down to kiss Scorp. A simple ploy had worked. "Alright love. I'll have your lunch ready very shortly."

Hermione was quick, and they were on their way to Diagon Alley by 1:00 pm.

/*/

Theo and Andrew were at The Devlin Group building updating blueprints while waiting for the rest of their respective teams to arrive. Devlin and Nott planned to have a walk through of the SSE building so the workers could get some idea how massive the project was. After that, they would all meet back in the conference room to put together the various parts. The contractors, builders, welders, and carpenters were thrilled to be part of the project. Those wizards whose skills wouldn't be needed until further down the road were thrilled as well. Just before the meeting broke, Theo and Andrew had a few last reminders.

"You are all professionals, however Theo and I would be remiss if we didn't impress upon you the importance of checking in with us at every step. The owners want to be kept in the loop which we will do. No next steps will be taken until the previous step has been authenticated."

Theo also spoke. "There you have it wizards. The plans are before you. All you have to do is your part of the job. I suggest you exercise those wand arms and check your wands as well. No wand power, no progress."

One of the wizards on Theo's team raised his hand and spoke when Theo nodded in his direction. "Not trying to back out already, are you Caleb?"

Shaking his head vigorously, Caleb offered a bit of cheek. "No boss. Just wondering which of the blokes you're addressing with that nonsense rubbish about exercising wand arms and wand strength. The wand power and wand strength are all about the wizard, and as you know from the superlative job we did on the Malfoy project, we are those wizards."

Theo stared at Caleb before breaking into a grin. "Tone it down Mr. Humphreys. We wouldn't want Andrew and the rest of our team to think I take bullshite from anyone. You all have the plans. Go get your supplies together. Either Andrew or myself or both will swing by the site later this evening. Be ready to show us something."

Andrew walked over to stand in front of Caleb. "Anything to add Mr. Humphreys?"

"No sir. Nothing to add. I know Theo can take a bit of rubbish from time to time, but I won't take a chance taking the Mickey out of someone I don't know well. Give me a few days."

The entire team laughed.

Andrew shrugged. "Now that I have the measure of you Caleb, I implore you to remember I'm one of two people who will be reviewing your work and preparing your pay packet. Just so you know, Devlin Nott will be paying by wand strength and wand power. I believe, in this case, Theo and I are those wizards."

As the teams began filing out of the office, with a quick glance at Theo, Caleb stopped in front of Andrew to say a few words.

"I might have come off sounding like a tosser Mr. Devlin, but I'm a hard, dedicated worker when it comes down to it."

Andrew clapped Caleb on the back. "I had no doubts Mr. Humphreys. None at all. Theo and I have put together an exemplary group of professionals. If you weren't that, you wouldn't be here. Theo and I will see you at the site."

Caleb paused in front of Theo was a moment. "Sorry Theo."

Knowing Caleb had been put in his place, Theo gave a short rebuke. "Less talk more action mate. We'll see you at the site."

Andrew extended his hand to Theo. "This should be good. I have a small project I need to check on. I'll see you around 5:30 at the site."

"God man. I'll see you then."

/*/

Sal and Seth were in The Luxe conference room strategizing on setting positions and hiring staff. At 1:10, the two wizards looked up to see Emilio at the door. They stood to shake hands.

"Mr. Lozier as I live and breathe. Did the COO let you off early?" Sal asked.

Holding out his father's application packet, Emilio grinned as he shook hands. "You know better than that Sal. Matt would have me work until midnight if I couldn't take him in a duel."

"Hahaha. Good one Emilio. I'll be putting a word in Matt's ear that you are a boastful sot when out of his earshot." Snickered Seth.

"Boastful yes, sot maybe. How's is everything going?"

Sal offered Matt some lunch which Emilio declined. "Seth and I believe everything on the building end is tidy. We are here setting positions and sorting through the applications which have been turned in so far. Your FF and Receptionist Witch are the best. However, as monumental as our London branch will be, we'll need a ton more."

"Good to hear because what I've just handed you is an application from Emiliano Lozier seeking employment. Neither my father nor myself are asking for any favors. He would just like a fair assessment. No harm, no foul if there isn't any top level position where you think he'll fit in. He's my father, but don't hold that against him."

Both Seth and Sal chuckled before Seth responded. "We'll be as fair and aboveboard as we can be. Not to embarrass you, but I looked Emiliano up when you first mentioned him being interested. Some things were a bit daunting, but other things were impressive. We'll keep him in mind."

"Fair enough wizards. I will now lave you busy fellows to get on with your day. Set up something with Hermione. We'll have dinner and you'll both have a chance to visit Louis. He swears up and down his family has forsaken him."

"We just might do that Emilio. I do miss Elder Malfoy from time to time. It's on our calendar. Our best to everyone."

Before Emilio was all the way out the door, Seth and Sal were back reviewing applications.

/*/

Jasmine Wright, Head and Owner of Financially Wright was having a bit of lunch between clients and couldn't keep the smile off her face. In fact, the last client had complimented Jasmine on her very pleasant disposition. Little did her client know Jasmine was smiling over the piece of good fortune that had basically fallen into her lap. Hermione Malfoy had rung her up to inform her she and several friends were interested in a company geared to the financial health of witches. It wasn't a long conversation, but Jasmine had a tentative invitation to visit Malfoy Estate in the near future to discuss Financially Wright. Just as she hadn't wanted to go simple over attention from MCC, she didn't want to put too much into an offhand call. However, with assistance from several additional, forward thinking witches, she might become a household name and Jasmine could live with that.

After lunch, Jasmine spent thirty five minutes notating where she hoped to take her company and where she could use hands on help. Before Jasmine realized it, her assistant was ringing to inform her the next client had arrived. Jasmine headed out front to greet the client with a very straight back and a winning smile. MCC, Caitlin Mathers and Hermione Granger might help boost her company to the stars...and she could live with that.