Chapter 511: The Mysterious...
Chapter 511: The Mysterious...
Today, Katherine awoke with a singular focus. She spent an unprecedented amount of time in front of her vanity, meticulously preparing herself. Even for the balls at Ilvermorny, she had never been this meticulous.
About half a month ago, Nicholas had informed Katherine that a guest from Britain would be visiting him in the United States, and as his heir, she ought to meet this individual.
Yes, an heir.
Nicholas was exceedingly wealthy, perhaps even more so than the entirety of the rest of his family combined. Strangely, his relatives, friends, and even his immediate family were unaware of the extent of his riches.
All they knew was that Nicholas was a reclusive alchemist.
Alchemists were not exactly a well-regarded profession in American wizarding society. The field was notoriously challenging, and most wizards viewed alchemical experiments as costly endeavors, on par with potion research.
The American Ministry of Magic closely monitored wizards, and even if one managed to produce noteworthy results, there was no guarantee they would be put to use.
As such, American alchemists were few and far between, and most of them struggled financially.
But Nicholas was an exception to this rule; he was affluent.
On one summer day while Katherine was vacationing at Nicholas' farm, he had asked her if she wanted to become his heir.
At the time, Katherine had hesitated.
She was a brilliant young witch with a promising future, and while she enjoyed alchemy, she wasn't willing to gamble with her prospects.
She hadn't forgotten how Nicholas seemed to see through her thoughts that day, assuring her that as his heir, she would never want for galleons again. He had promised her ample time and resources to dedicate to alchemy.
Ultimately, Katherine had made an unbreakable vow with her grandfather, Nicholas, and it was on that day that she learned just how wealthy he truly was.
As the sole wizard in America selling and distributing Floo Powder, this exclusive business venture brought him immense wealth, with only half of the profits needing to be shared.
Not long ago, Katherine, a recent graduate of Ilvermorny, had received her first gift from Nicholas: a house.
And in the future, upon Nicholas' passing, she would inherit the majority of his vast fortune.
To be honest, no one would turn down such a lucrative opportunity.
American wizards were pragmatic; they aspired to amass galleons, often vying for positions in the Ministry of Magic that offered generous salaries.
Perhaps this was due to the high cost of living in the United States.
In truth, Katherine didn't fancy that path.
If she were to join the Ministry, her sole advantage would be her impressive academic record, which might not even be enough to compete with those who had connections. Her talent might not amount to much when it came to securing her future.
In this world, dreams came at a price.
This was why Katherine had been willing to make an unbreakable vow.
She had quickly grown fond of her current position and the financial freedom it afforded her. It meant she would have the galleons to pursue her dreams and showcase her talents, rather than languish at a desk, uninspired.
Her father and the rest of her family had never been afforded this privilege, not only due to a lack of talent but also because of their involvement with Floo Powder, which had to be kept absolutely confidential.
Aside from the heir or assistant, no one else was privy to this information.
Katherine recalled an incident from her childhood that had shaken the wizarding world.
The American Ministry of Magic had been determined to uncover the source of the Floo Powder distribution, as the individual behind it had never registered with the Ministry, leading them to deem it an illegal operation. They had even gone as far as to capture a house-elf from the Floo-Bang Company, hoping to extract information from the creature.
However, the house-elf had perished during their interrogation.
The wizard responsible for the house-elf's death had disappeared shortly afterward, and the Ministry suspected the Floo-Bang Company of orchestrating his demise, but they had no evidence to support their claims, nor could they find any leads.
With no one knowing who manufactured and supplied the Floo Powder, and the loyal house-elves being tight-lipped, the situation was at a stalemate.
Misled by the New York Ghost, wizards stormed the Floo-Bang Company only to find the place already deserted.
Yes, the Floo-Bang Company on Wizarding Street in New York had shut down of its own accord.
And with that, the supply of Floo Powder to the United States ceased.
After this, it became impossible to purchase Floo Powder anywhere in the country.
American wizards were left bewildered and dismayed.
The incident caused quite a stir.
The American Ministry of Magic had no choice but to import Floo Powder from other countries, but the exorbitant prices made it unaffordable for many wizards.
The Ministry's involvement soon came to light, and people realized that their attempt to pry into someone else's wealth had resulted in driving away the Floo-Bang Company.
As a result, the Ministry faced a torrent of criticism and censure.
Eventually, the American Ministry of Magic was forced to bow their heads in apology.
However, it was too little, too late.
The Floo-Bang Company had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
The entire American magical community was furious with the company's actions, yet they were powerless to do anything about it.
In the end, the Chairman of the American Magic Congress resigned in disgrace, and several officials involved in the matter were removed from their positions.
Nevertheless, in the following years, American wizards still found themselves unable to purchase Floo Powder, forcing the Ministry to grudgingly spend large sums on imports.
From then on, magical governments around the world became aware that this extremely mysterious Floo-Bang Company was not to be trifled with.
As far as the company was concerned, if they didn't like how they were being treated, they would simply take their business elsewhere! It was only after several years that people realized the Floo-Bang Company had quietly reopened on Wizarding Street in New York.
Undoubtedly, this was Nicholas's retaliation against the American Ministry of Magic.
The Floo-Bang Company was shrouded in mystery and possessed formidable power.
This was Katherine's first impression upon learning about the incident.
The knowledge that Nicholas was connected to such a company only piqued her curiosity further.
According to Nicholas, he had only met the heir of the Wildsmith family once, several decades ago, when he himself became the official heir.
Now that he had chosen Katherine as his heir, it was only natural that she would meet the new heir of the Wildsmith family and continue this ancient covenant.
Nicholas didn't know much about the Wildsmith family either. All he knew was that they were incredibly wealthy, highly valued knowledge, and that every family member was a genius, though not directly related by blood. Instead, they were carefully selected individuals who shared the Wildsmith bloodline.
Most importantly, very few people in the magical world knew their true identities, just as no one knew Nicholas's true identity.
They were a mysterious, wealthy family, and every member was a genius.
Although this seemed absurd to Katherine, this eccentric family had persisted for over seven centuries and maintained their prosperity.
To be honest, Katherine was eager to meet the legendary heir of the Wildsmith family and see if they truly lived up to their reputation as an extraordinary genius.
After carefully dressing herself, Katherine went downstairs to meet Nicholas.
"Are we going to the Ministry like this?" Katherine asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
Nicholas reached out and took his granddaughter's arm, and with a swish of his wand, they apparated near the Woolworth Building. "They'll be using the international Floo Network from France to get here," he explained.
He checked his pocket watch. "They should be arriving soon!" With that, Nicholas and Katherine entered the American Ministry of Magic.
Along the way, Katherine's beauty attracted the attention of numerous gentlemen, some of whom approached to greet and flirt with her. Among them were several of her admirers from school.
(End of Chapter)
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