The Abercrombies were an undeniably great family. Possessed of considerable wealth and influence, they had held not-insignificant power in Britain over the preceding centuries. Against the tide of change they maintained a pure and unsullied line, which was no small feat in itself. Halvard had his doubts about the quality of many of the supposed ‘Pureblood’ families in present society but not the Abercrombies. There was little chance they could have ever rivalled the Selwyns in their heyday, however, Hal could hardly take that as a point of pride since his family was on the verge of extinction. He had great respect for the Abercrombies and the connections spanning between their families over preceding generations.
Whilst Halvard – and his father before him – had been well-acquainted with many of her relatives, youth had previously been a barrier to building a personal relationship with
@Farren Abercrombie. During the war she had been little more than a girl and not worth his attention, but Hal had been observed her progression since with increasing admiration. Exhibiting grace and maturity beyond her age, Farren had fought to protect her family property and their rights against the fallout from the war – a success which he greatly envied since he only been six-years-old and in a foreign country at the time the Ministry had robbed and crippled his own family following the first war. The feisty socialite had since continued to advocate on behalf of the old wizarding families as the spearhead of a society for the preservation of traditional values and by opposing tax increases and laws which sought give the Ministry control over their ancestral estates. When Farren had spoken up at the clandestine meeting of Death Eater’s some months prior, Halvard had realised he was remiss for not having approached her directly about his goals.
Fortunately, there were sufficient ties between them that it was not untoward for Halvard to make contact, requesting a meeting with the Abercrombie heiress. Still, it came as a pleasant surprise when she replied with an invitation to call upon her at her family estate: Dalemain. Ideally Hal would have preferred a neutral location, rather than somewhere were Farren would have such significant advantage, however, he recognised what an honour it was to be allowed to visit the very private Abercrombie residence. Besides, he could hardly invite her to his ancestral home – which was one of the very matters he wished to discuss with Farren.
It was a rather complicated process being granted access to the estate, which was heavily warded and guarded by protective charms. Once approved by their mistress, the staff had made all of the necessary arrangements so that when Halvard arrived at the gatehouse on the edge of the property they were prepared to conduct him through the barriers and all the way on to the manor house which was rather far away. The experience was surely meant to humble him but the Diplomat cooperated in the process with patience and serenity. He graciously accepted a carriage ride in lieu of side-along apparition since there was no particular urgency to his visit and he looked forward to seeing Dalemain in all its glory.
The manor and the surrounding grounds were very impressive, yet the sight of same only served to stoke Halvard’s burning desire to restore the Selwyn castle and the lands which were his birthright. It reaffirmed his decision to take steps to accelerate his plans. A butler greeted Hal at the door and escorted him to a lavishly decorated parlour where he could await Ms Abercrombie’s convenience. Despite the fact he had arrived promptly at the designated date and time, she was apparently otherwise occupied. Halvard was amused but unfazed by the petty power play. Coming to her as a petitioner like he was, it caused him no distress to acknowledge that Farren’s time was valuable. Hal was happy to allow her whatever social concessions as made her comfortable. However, he was also a Selwyn and she would do well not to forget that. Although his family had fallen low in recent times, they had helped build wizarding Britain.
Halvard purposely selected a chair angled towards a window and without hesitation took a seat on the rich upholstery. The view was of little consequence to his choice; more satisfaction was gained from being able to have his back turned partially on the door. When Farren deigned to attend, she would not find him desperate for her attention. Hal reclined with his legs crossed at the ankles and stretched out in front of him, his chin rested idly on one hand; the dark-haired wizard was a picture of relaxed indifference (and unashamed arrogance). A small book appeared from the folds of his robes – the gilt-lettered title along the spine was in German, as were the collection of poems within. He casually flicked through to the desired page and began to read.
