It was so surreal, being back at Sonora. Louis felt like he had changed so much, grown up so much, and yet here was everything, just the same as it had been when he’d left for the holidays. He smiled slightly as he looked around, half an ear listening out for the headmaster’s speech, but mainly occupied in trying to stay awake.
He was exhausted. He’d never had a busier holiday. Almost every day since he had made the decision to stay had involved paperwork, tonnes of it, visits to Valois-owned buildings, and so many meetings. He’d re-written almost every single contract his father had signed, re-written so many business practices, regulations, legal documents. The Valois family business had been completely overturned and, by the time Louis stepped onto the Sonora wagon, Louis was fairly confident that what he owned was no longer a self-serving money-making machine, but a business that traded fairly, treated its employees well, didn’t discriminate, and was even responsible in the disposal of its waste fabrics (which were made into clothes for charities). He’d taken a huge pay cut, even though he still earned a large sum of money, but finally he was happy. He’d kept out of the social circle, so had no idea what was being said about him, but Louis cared more about the new muggle line of clothing he was planning than whether or not some spiteful old man called him a blood traitor.
Louis was dressed smartly in chinos and a shirt. He wasn’t going to let his standards of dressing slip just because he was busy – he had a reputation to keep up! His face was still boyishly handsome, but looked perhaps a little more serious than it had a month ago, and the shadows under his eyes were quite obvious. Still, he was back at school now, and that would provide him with a chance to recover from his unusually busy summer.
His grandmother, officially named as head of the business until Louis was old enough, had been very clear with him from the beginning. Whilst still underage, he would be allowed to keep charge of the business so long as it didn’t interfere with his schooling. During the holidays, Louis would attend meetings, plan the direction of the Valois fashion brand, and make the important decisions – whilst still prioritising his holiday work and revision. During term-time, he would just be an ordinary schoolboy, with no other worries. He’d be kept updated on what was going on, with fortnightly summaries being sent to him, but everything would be as normal. There would be no demands on his time, so he would be free to study, run his orchestra, and live his childhood for a couple more years.
With this in mind, he tried to do as his grandmother had asked. Putting thoughts of business aside, he turned to his neighbour. “Happy to be back?” he asked.
OOC: More information on Louis's summer and the dramatic happenings can be found in his latest wts post. Feel free to assume that Laurent Valois's death is generally known in the wizarding world (the Valois family are a large French pureblood family).