InsaneJournal

Who: Padma Patil and Hallam Selwyn
What: Padma asks for a favor
Where: Twilfitt and Tattings
When: Tuesday, April 7, 1998
Status: Log. Complete.


Padma paused on the street and took a deep breath. Mr. Selwyn had written her in the journals and said she should stop by Twilfitt and Tattings if she needed anything, but it still felt odd thinking about pushing open the door. The dress she’d gotten from the photoshoot was probably the only Twilfitt and Tattings dress she’d own for, well, a long time, at least. She dreamed of one day making enough money to shop there, but for now everything Mr. Selwyn sold was definitely out of her price range.

He did know the owners of Arsenic and Old Lace, though. At least, she assumed he did, and an introduction would go a long way in her chances of getting an internship… or even a job. But in order to get him to make that introduction, she had to go inside. And talk to him like the almost-adult she was.

With one last quick mental pep-talk, Padma pushed open the door to Twilfitt and Tattings and stepped inside. She felt the wards tingle on her skin, but they let her into the shop where she paused,and looked around in awe. She knew that it catered to people who regularly spent more on one outfit than she did in a year, but to see the things on display, even after the photoshoot, was breathtaking. “Mr. Selwyn?” she called out, unsure of the proper protocol for entering a shop like this, particularly when she had no intention (or ability) to purchase anything.

The wards at the entrances of the doors had a few intentions beyond the typical protective element. It told the Selwyns what kind of person was entering their shop and if someone was known well enough, the sigils that the wards lit up in the office would read as a who instead of a what. It was how Hallam knew when the Malfoys came in or any ex-deatheaters that might stop by. Three sigils sparkled announcing the presence of a young, newcomer, who was a half-blood, though the wards unfortunately did not give nuisances on heritage. Muggleborns would immediately feel unwelcome and more muggle than not half-bloods were likely to feel that same discomfort.

Hallam ignored the wards, knowing his tailors and salesmen would tend to the customer. A stout older gentleman hurried into the main room of the store, looked the girl over and immediately left at her calling. He was there and gone, and likely only seen from the corner of the girl’s eye. “A young girl asking for you,” the man said as he was let into the office with a nod.

Setting down his quill, Hallam stood from his desk slowly. His body still ached from resonant pain that came with his tattoos and having not been in a proper duel in some time. Hallam was still a young man, but taking a log to the lower back would leave aches on anyone. As he entered the shop, a subtle smile tinged his lips. “Miss Patil, what brings you to Twilfitt?” Hallam was very aware that she was not a customer.

Padma jumped a little as Mr. Selwyn spoke. She’d been so caught up in looking at the intricate beadwork on one of the display dresses that she hadn’t noticed him enter the room. “Mr. Selwyn! I uh.” She paused and took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to appear like an inarticulate teenager, even though seeing Mr. Selwyn in the shop was vastly different from seeing him in Hogsmeade. There he’d been approachable, almost friendly with the girls, even Padma and Parvati and Lavender, but here she was very much aware that this was his business and that she was intruding, maybe even taking him away from important customers.

“I wanted to thank you again for the dress and the photo for my parents,” she said after gathering herself. The words came out easier as she straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. “I was also hoping I could ask a favor of you. You had written and said I should stop by over the holiday if I needed anything and, well, I wanted you to introduce me to someone.” She was certain it wasn’t the sort of request he usually received, or even the sort of thing he’d been expecting when he’d written her in the journals, but it was what Padma needed, so she kept her posture straight and her gaze unwavering.

Hallam nodded to her thanks, accepting it silently at first. His deep blue eyes watching her, taking in her little bits of body language that revealed her thoughts. “You are very welcome, Miss Patil.” There was no way to tell one twin from another, until they talked afterall. He had made notes during the photoshoot on each so that he may tell them apart easier. This was obviously Padma, which brought a smirk to his lips as she straightened herself and came about the real reason she had stopped in.

Moving with his trademark elegance, Hallam stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He lowered his head to match her eye level as best he could. “Why don’t we take this discussion into my office, dear.” He gestured with his other hand toward the back.

Padma nodded, outwardly calm, though butterflies were doing loop-de-loops in her stomach. She didn’t know if Mr. Selwyn’s expression was good or bad, just that it was a little unnerving. She wasn’t going to let nerves put off her future, though, so she ignored the trickle of doubt about his intentions. “Of course. Thank you, sir.”

As they walked, Padma kept pace, though it required her to take two steps for every one of his. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important. I should have owled ahead, but I didn’t know I was going to Diagon Alley today until Mum asked me to stop at Gringotts and get money for the Casino Night event on Friday.”

With his father in the front office, Hallam took Padma where he had been working in the back. The hallway, as in each room, had the feel of expense with its rich mahogany woods and amber lighting. Beaded dresses, silver or gold trimmed robes, bounced the light in such a way to catch the eye. Several framed photos of the new seasons’ outfits hung along the hallway, a few of them the male models he had shot and the rest the published photos of the girls.

The door at the end of the hall swung open on its own accord, allowing Hallam to walk in without pause. “An owl is always best as any given time I might out of the country, but it is fine that you stopped by, since I did offer.” The notes of his voice were deep and penetrating. Hallam had had a looser persona on for the girls in Hogsmeade, it helped them relax so he could get the shots he wanted and also made him seem like the kind of pureblood father any one of them would want. Much like Ginnifer, who was both sweet and sadistic when she needed to be, Hallam enjoyed having a face for each situation. In Twilfitt, for a non-customer, he could be intimidating amongst the riches.

“Please, have a seat,” he offered with a genuine smile. On his desk there were more photos from the shoot, particularly the ones of his own daughter, as well as photos of his son, wife (neither of which had Delilah in them) and an odd smaller photo of a young girl of 6 and him in costumes with masks. The softness in his expression in any of the photos was a glimpse beneath the facade he held up for everyone but his family.

Padma felt self-conscious amongst all the finery at Twilfitt and Tattings. She was dressed nicely, but nothing she owned (except the dress from the shoot) was at all like the things that were sold in the store. Was this how rich people dressed all the time? She couldn't imagine. It had been fun to do the photoshoot and she was thrilled to have a fancy dress for the Casino Night event, but she would destroy clothes like this if she wore them every day. Of course, rich people could afford to do that, she supposed.

Mr. Selwyn's genuine smile and the pictures on his desk helped Padma relax once they got to his office. With anyone else, she would have looked at each one closely, commenting on something in it, but she was here on business, and she was pretty sure that wasn't appropriate.

"Thank you," she said as she sat. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

Abiding by etiquette was top of the list in Hallam’s judgement of people. The photos were there for others to see, yes, but while in the office or at work, he preferred being on top rather than flounce about subjects by using distraction techniques. The only person allowed to use distraction in discussion was Hallam, himself, as it was his office.

Porcelain clanked together as the teapot poured two cups of tea out and floated them to the desk. Simple charms could be very useful when other things were more important to focus on. Hallam’s gaze kept on Padma, as strong and constant as it had been when she had found her own confidence to dare as a favour. He owed her nothing, and knew such, but then he enjoyed having students on his side, gave more resilience to his character if it ever came up to question.

“I am available to speak for this instance, but as I said, an owl before hand would be greatly appreciated.” The underlying meaning that Hallam would willingly let such a faux pas pass for the first instance, but any further would not be regarded as such. He believed that the only way to teach those of non-pureblood heritage the proper etiquette was to let them have one misstep and then not react to any further that happen afterward.

“So you would like a favour from me?” He asked rhetorically. A smirk made his lips thin slightly. “And what is it that you are offering me in return? I know a great many people that I could introduce you to, though, so you will need to elaborate on who and why.”

Padma barely refrained from rolling her eyes at the second mention of sending an owl. It was clear Mr. Selwyn intended to impress on her how important he was, or how important manners were, but all he accomplished was impressing on her his own inflated sense of self-importance. It was hardly the epitome of rudeness to visit a shop without owling ahead first, even when the visit was to speak to the proprietor rather than purchase anything. No wonder Delilah and the rest of the Slytherins had the attitudes they did.

Padma nodded to the comment about the owl, then smiled when Mr. Selwyn asked what she could offer him in return. The aura of wealth that permeated the shop was overwhelming, but this was what she had come prepared for. "I'd like an introduction at Arsenic and Old Lace. I hope to get an internship there, though I don't want anything from you beyond an introduction. My skills will speak for themselves if given the opportunity."

She took a sip of her tea, though her gaze never left Mr. Selwyn's. "As for what I can offer you..." She paused just long enough he was sure to notice it. "Information."

“Information?” He asked with a slight inflection. “And what information might you have that i would want, my little Ravenclaw?” A smirk pulled on his lips at her offer. It was amusing that she would offer information for an introduction, but she was a very smart young woman. An introduction to Master Snape would be nothing at all for him to do, but as with any true Slytherin it was about making the best of a simple request.

Hallam sipped his tea and rest it on his desk. His long, lean body reclined against the edge of his desk. The silver embroidered robes flowing over him and reflecting the flicker of the lamps in the office. Pulling the subject ever so slightly off topic, he crossed his hands in his lap and looked her over. “By the way, how are you liking the jewelry?” Those he met with were not allowed to be off topic in a meeting, but Hallam never followed that rule himself.

“That’s my point,” Padma said when he called her little Ravenclaw. “I overheard you asking people about stuff at school during the photo shoot. More than just being polite stuff. But Delilah and her friends are all Slytherin, and the other three houses don’t really talk to them very much. I’m a Ravenclaw. I can go places she can’t. Talk to people who won’t have anything to do with her.” She shrugged as she sat back in her chair. “I don’t know what information you’re looking for from Hogwarts, but if it’s something a Ravenclaw--or a Gryffindor--would have an easier time getting, I can get it for you.”

She smiled at the mention of the necklace and earrings she’d gotten. “I love it. I’m going to wear it to the Casino Night on Friday.”

“I am glad. My wife and I are going to the Casino Night also, so I will get to see everything put together.” He smiled again. “A walking advertisement of Intellect and Beauty.”

Hallam stood up, placing his hands behind his back. His pace was slow and methodical as he circled from the desk around her. “I was asking questions about my daughter and how she has been doing lately, that was all. She had not been herself lately and it was important for me to get information from her friends. They are all very close to my heart and I trust their assessments, though I can also tell when they are keeping something from me.” A shrug followed the statement as he paused beside her chair.

“Information is a great bartering tool. Many people enjoy such a tool when placed in front of them.” He sighed. “I do not need information about Hogwarts that I cannot get from my daughter, but I will do you your favour if you promise to do me a favour in the future, without question, along with being an information bug for me. Of course, it will be nothing nefarious since I am merely a fashion businessman.” Hallam had his eyes set on the potion professor after the fight with the Order. She was also the head of house for Ravenclaw. But school was coming to an end quickly and that use would be too rash so soon.

“Do we have a deal?”

“I’ll be an information bug or do you a favour in the future.” She didn’t believe for a moment that all he was interested in was how Delilah was doing, but it was entirely possible he wouldn’t need anything from Hogwarts in the short months that she had left there. And houses ceased to matter as much after graduation--or so she’d been told. “That way if there’s nothing I can get you from Hogwarts, you still get something. But I’m just asking for an introduction.”

She looked up at Mr. Selwyn, doing her best not to be intimidated by the way he was looming over her. His height combined with the fact that she was sitting and he was standing made that difficult, and she swallowed hard as she looked up at him. “Quid pro quo, nothing more.”

"Information or favour," he nodded his head in agreement. The subtle curl of the corners of his mouth held a charming and amused smile. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he tilted his head to the side as he looked down at her. “You are a very intelligent young woman. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to meet both you and your sister.” He stepped back to his desk to sip from his tea cup.

“I am about to go to the pub for lunch. Would you care to join me? We will happen to be passing Arsenic and Old Lace and I would be happy to introduce you to Master Snape.” What Hallam referred to as the pub was actually a high end restaurant, but Padma did not need to know that.

Padma preened under the praise as she sipped at her tea. If nothing else, Mr. Selwyn knew how to compliment a Ravenclaw. She hoped he continued to think so highly of her. “Thank you.”

She wasn’t sure that joining Mr. Selwyn for lunch was a good idea, but she couldn’t think of a polite way to decline, and she didn’t want to pass up the chance for an introduction. She stood and took a deep breath as she smoothed down her robe. “That would be wonderful.”