Closed To Find Them a Fortune

[Celia Vuong]

It had been years since Celia had touched a school broom, so she had been shocked while preparing for tryouts to discover just how terrible those brooms were. They barely flew properly, and she was sure that several of them were older than her. Thankfully, most of the people who had shown up to tryouts had brought their own brooms, but the experience had been eye-opening. As she'd taken notes on each player's performance, she had also noted their broom model. A fair amount of the team flew Streaks, but not all of them. In a game where success was so heavily dependent on one's speed and agility, that was unacceptable.

Celia had little desire to just buy Streaks for everyone who didn't have one — and not just because she suspected her family's financial situation was about to change dramatically. She would rather jump from her broom than spend her own money (or her mom's money) on someone like Ivelisse. Besides, it wasn't sustainable. She needed to start a fund, one supported by donors. It was a common enough idea in the U.S. Her mom was always getting solicitation letters from her alma mater, so Celia had borrowed a couple of those letters to try and craft her own.

The final step was putting together a list of potential donors. After combing through old Quidditch rosters, Celia had settled on Rory Fergusson as her first target. He had been playing professionally for a decade now, which hopefully had given him time to accumulate some wealth. Plus, he was a Fergusson. Even if he no longer felt any personal connection with Slytherin, hopefully he would feel obligated to support the team that his own sister/cousin/niece/whatever Liusaidh was had captained.

Dear Rory,

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Celia Vuong, and I am the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team at Hogwarts New Zealand. It is so nice to be able to connect with you. I am a big fan of the Macaws and have always admired your playing.

I am reaching out because I am starting a fund for the Slytherin team and was hoping you could help me. My goal is to ensure that every member of the team, no matter their economic circumstance, has access to all the resources they need to succeed on the pitch. As a professional, I am sure you can appreciate how vital one's equipment is to one's success. Unfortunately, we have a number of team members who are flying outdated broom models.

Therefore, my first priority will be to ensure that everyone on the team is flying the latest model. Extra funds will then go to a separate set of practice equipment for the Slytherin team's exclusive use. Finally, any leftover funds will be used to sponsor team members who wish to attend Quidditch practice camps or hire private coaches over the school breaks. At all stages, members facing financial hardship will be prioritized.

Would you be willing to make a donation? A gift of 40 galleons would fund a new set of Quidditch balls, and 200 galleons would fund a Streak for a single player. Of course, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Slytherin has the best Quidditch team at Hogwarts. We have won nine of the last 10 championships. With your help, we can keep that streak going.

With gratitude,
Celia

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory had noted things were going pretty well for him. He couldn't help the jealousy he felt towards his young sister, the pangs of it at knowing how successfully she had managed. Just out of school and already engaged. But he knew he was in a good place, he loved his girlfriend and he was more than happy with her and his life was where it should be. He had recovered a lot from the initial banishment and was doing much better financially than ever before. Quidditch once he'd been able to play was a good career, he probably got paid too much for what he did, but he didn't care. He was carefully putting a lot of it away for a rainy day and for any potential children he might have.

It was a surprised to receive a letter to him. he didn't get that many and he was more used to them going via the team but this was directed to him directly. He opened the letter and gave a little frown. The captain of the slytherin team wanted money....He didn't know why this girl was coming to him. Sure he'd been a slytherin and on the team, but to give money. he decided in the first instance to make sure that it was legitimate. He wasn't going to part with his money unless he was sure.

Spoiler

Ms Vuong,

Thank you for your letter, and congratulations on the Slytherin Captaincy. That is an honour. Slytherin team has always been the best at Hogwarts. You got it from my sister, I imagine, and I'm sure if she can lead the team to victory so can you.

Are you considering playing professionally when old enough?

On the donations, of course, I would be happy to help out. To donate at least one broom. However, I'm not sure that two hundred galleons should be sent over via the mail. Though you sound trustworthy, you are asking me for money with a vague assurance of where it'll go and no assurance that I'd get proof.

Because of that, I'd be keen to, rather than send money, to send brooms to the school. To have them go to the students who need them. Provide me names for who requires a broom, who requires quidditch balls, and I would be happy to send provide a couple of them with those.

Thanks
Rory

​

 

[Celia Vuong]

So Rory was Liusaidh's brother. Interesting. Celia tried to remember if Liusaidh had ever mentioned Rory, but the former captain had never said much beyond clipped orders during practices and encouragements of violence during matches. Celia was pleasantly surprised to see that he was open to donating equipment; she was sure this would have been more difficult. Of course, a monetary donation would have been preferable since it offered more flexibility, but she could understand Rory's reluctance. The lack of money transfer apps in the wizarding world made things difficult, and Celia knew her age worked against her.

Rory's letter did make Celia wonder if maybe this might be easier if she got Professor Castillo involved. Then donors could send money and equipment to an actual adult, one who would remain connected to the team long after she was gone. But Celia was a little worried that Castillo would somehow try to stop her efforts or that he would tell the other professors, and then all the house teams would follow suit. The whole point of this was to give Slytherin a leg up. Maybe she would approach him once she was about to graduate so that he could keep her "fund" going (assuming she ever did manage to get it off the ground).

Dear Rory,

Thank you! I did receive the captaincy from your sister. Liusaidh was an excellent captain, one of the best in recent years, and I know I have big shoes to fill.

I haven't yet decided what I'll do after graduation although I am definitely interested in playing professionally. I don't want to make any plans prematurely since I still have two years of school left, and I know I'll need to continue proving myself on the pitch. Do you have any advice for going pro?

I'm so glad to hear you are interested in donating! I completely understand your concerns about a monetary donation and would gladly accept a gift of equipment. Let me talk to the team and see who would require the most assistance in getting a new broom. I'll send you some names shortly, but I do ask that you keep that information confidential to respect those students' privacy. In the meantime, if you would like to donate Quidditch balls, you can send those to me as I am the captain, and they will be kept in the Slytherin locker room for the team's exclusive use.

Best,
Celia