Fleur sat at the dining hall of Malfoy Manor all alone. The House elf, Twinky served her breakfast which was delicious as always.
"Where are Draco and Narcissa?" Fleur asked the little creature
"Master and mistress is sleeping miss flower. Oh look master has awakened." with that said the house-elf popped away
Fleur turned her head and sure enough, she saw Draco and Narcissa approach the table. Narcissa sat down opposite to her while Draco sat at the head of the table. She looked at Narcissa and she could already see the older woman had an enjoyable night. Well, she couldn't complain as she had a fair share of Draco in the last few days.
"Good morning Fleur." Draco greeted her as he began to butter the bread
"Good morning to you as well Draco. So, do you have any plans today." Fleur asked
"Nothing yet. Is there anything interesting to do or should I just look for some trouble." Draco joked
"There is something that might attract your attention. Do you remember that American company that manufactures Crystal Vision Screens?" Fleur asked with a tilt of her head
"You are talking about the company, Fusion." Draco looked curious
"The very same. They have expressed their interest in entering the British market. The only problem is that the British ministry is very much against anything that is new. Then there is also the fact that British wizards and witches are not that interested in entertainment." Fleur pointed out
"This is too good an opportunity to pass up now." Draco said with interest
"A representative of the company will arrive today. If you want we can jointly meet this person." Fleur offered
"What are we waiting for then? Let's finish breakfast and be presentable." Draco said excitedly. The three of them rushed through their activities to get ready fast.
XXXXXX
Peter Ravenbeak didn't know what to expect from the Malfoy family. As a man from the Americas who have lived under relatively progressive Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), he was generally against dealing with the likes of House Malfoy. Still the latest developments in British Wizarding world we're if interest to them as there has been a rapid shift in the politics. Policies that we're hampering American interests we're slowly being changed and the British economy was in the process of slowly opening up to outside investment. This was the reason why he was here so as to assess whether their potential partners are worth investing.
The meeting place itself has been a point of interest for a businessman like him as he has heard about the mall that the Malfoy family have started. It was not a new thing for him as there were such malls in his home country as well but not this much success. The Malfoys do indeed have a lot of influence in the European wizarding nations and that made them very successful in expanding their business in conservative nations like Italy, Germany, Hungary etc. The fact that the Malfoys even showed an interest in the Cristal Vision Screens was a surprise for him as he found the old pureblood families are rather ignorant in using magic beyond their meagre understanding. As far as he was concerned his job was to increase the sales for his company and that is what he was about to do.
He found the mall in Diagon alley which was easily recognizable. The surroundings of the mall we're so different and filled with shabby buildings that would be very much popular in the early 17th century. The mall, on the other hand, looked as modern as possible and perhaps more modern than any muggle styled buildings. This clearly shows the capability of magic to enhance anything far beyond anyone's expectations.
As he entered the Mall the glass doors automatically closed behind him. A silver-haired beauty moved towards him in a sedate pace with a beautiful smile. Everything about this women screamed beauty to him and he became mesmerised by her ungodly beauty.
"Welcome, Mr Ravenbeak. My employers were expecting you. I am Fleur Delacour ." Fleur smiled as she shook hands with the man
"Call me Peter miss Fleur. I think I have seen you somewhere." Peter looked more closely
"I was a Tri-Wizard champion for Beauxbatons." Fleur reminded him
"Ah yes. Now I remember. You work for the Malfoys?" Peter asked in interest
"Yes as a personal assistant for Narcissa Malfoy. Please follow me. They are waiting for us." Fleur turned around and guided him towards the elevator
As the elevator moved up he observed the view of the mall through the glass doors.
"Are there usually this much customers or is it because of the Yule celebration." Peter asked as he observed the large crowd
"Yule celebrations certainly attracts a lot of customers. In regular days the Mall is much less crowded." Fleur replied
They exited the elevator as it reached the top floor. Peter followed Fleur into another room and found the last members of house Malfoy. They exchanged greetings and became comfortable in their seats.
"I have to say this is a surprise. The last time when we contacted the different business establishments in America we faced blind rejection. So, what changed?" Narcissus asked
"Your success in your business ventures may have influenced certain people in high positions. You have to understand that Britain and many European wizarding communities remain isolated in their little bubble of comfort refusing to explore new dimensions of magic. If a culture prefers stagnation over advancement, what can we do?" Peter shrugged his shoulders
"You are correct. Our ministry is not focused on problems that have to be addressed and they don't like to introduce any changes whatsoever into their area of influence." Draco admitted
"But somehow you have managed to break the barriers placed by your government from within. As far as we are concerned you have proved your ability to influence the ministry on a large scale and that means working with you will enable our products to enter the British market." Peter said
"Even if we can manage to let you enter the market there is another problem. Your product is a visual media and right now Britain has no news channels. Only news outlets that function are newspapers and the wireless network. For your product to be popular you need programs to be aired which is nonexistent in Britain." Draco pointed out
"We can always negotiate with American news channels and commercial channels to extend their networks here." Peter suggested
"That is impossible. The ministry will never stand for foreign channels to enter and influence British wizards and witches. It will have to be British channels." Narcissa disagreed
"How will that be possible? At the moment British wizards do not possess the basic magical constructs and knowledge behind the finer details of this new sector." Peter pointed out with exasperation
"That's where mutual cooperation will become beneficial for us. You need our help to enter the British market and we need your help to secure the necessary magical knowledge and magical equipment if any." Draco proposed
"We can't speak for magical advancements made by other companies." Peter said uncomfortably
"I am sure being in a corporate society there are several ways to collect such information. In return for this, we will ensure you will be the only company that sells the CVS in the British Wizarding World. Our offer is fair is it not. We ensure your monopoly while we monopolise visual media in Britain. What do you say?" Draco asked as he leaned forward
Peter looked deep in thought as he went through the pros and cons. He didn't think his superiors would be that much troubled with the agreement. He was virtually presenting them a monopoly on the British market and corporate espionage we're common in his home country. In the end, he shook hands with the Malfoys sealing the deal. With that over, they began to discuss the finer details.
XXXXX
Draco, Fleur and Narcissa were relaxing in the Manor after a lengthy day of work. Twinky popped in and served them three bottles of chilled butterbeer. With a bow, the little creature popped away leaving them to enjoy the peaceful moment.
"It seems we will be needing a fresh batch of recruits who are competent in charms and runes." Draco said breaking the silence
"The HR department is going to have its hands full. Thankfully we can now recruit from other magical nations as well." Fleur mused as she thought about possible recruitment from her own school in France.
"Before any of that, we must first secure the support of the Ministry. Can we do that Narcissa." Draco turned to his mother
"The foreign ministry is in our hands. I can take care of that easily but the tricky part would be Fudge. The only good thing is he does not have that pet toad around him. But still, he keeps close contact with Nott and my fear is alerting Nott of our intentions." Narcissa reminded them
"There is one way we can make sure Nott never knows what we are doing. We simply bribe Fudge with a promise of high payment. Let the fool be strung along to make a binding agreement. Before the year is out Fudge will be kicked out of the office and we will have all that we need without spending a single coin." Draco smirked as he envisioned the coming days
"We will be taking a risk with this action. A single misstep and we will be exposed to our enemies and Draco keep in mind we are playing against the Dark Lord." Narcissa warned
"That's why I have you Narcissa. I have confidence in your skills to play this out smoothly." Draco smiled
"Do we really have to take this risk, Draco?" Fleur asked
"Not necessarily, but I think our influence will spread fast if we can secure this deal." Draco assured them
XXXXX
The rest of the Yule holidays passed by in a blur as they were setting the stage for entering a new business. With the Yule holidays over Draco found himself in the Hogwarts Express with his friends Blaise, Tracy and Daphne.
"It seems the Ministry is putting all blame on Sirius Black. The mass break out in Azkaban, the disturbance in the department of mysteries. How can just one man do all of this?" Tracy asked in wonder
"It's the ministry that is saying all of this, Tracy. Obviously, they are covering up anything and everything related to the Dark Lord and Sirius Black is a convenient scapegoat. It is more believable than admitting the Dark Lord is responsible for most of what is happening." Draco pointed out
"Father says there have been increased sightings of the dark mark. Fudge is actively suppressing all information regarding this." Daphne pitched in
"I wonder what Dumbledore is doing in all this. I mean we have not heard a single response from him other than his speech last year and at the beginning of this academic year. For someone who fought in two wars he seems to lack an edge this time around, don't you think so?" Blaise thought out loud
"Perhaps Dumbledore is preparing secretly to face the Dark Lord with an army of his own." Tracy said
"Enough with all this politics. Let's discuss something else. " Draco said
"Like what?" Tracy asked
"Blaise tell us about your African travels." Draco looked at his friend and he didn't disappoint
XXXXX
The Hogwarts Express arrived at the Hogsmeade station. Draco and Daphne along with the other perfects led the students back into the castle. As always the Castle was majestic to look at and the great hall was slowly being filled up with students. The only problem was the pink toad that sat with a sickly sweet smile at the high table.
After having dinner Draco and Daphne were about to go for their patrol duty and that's when their attention went to the new educational decrees that have been passed by the pink toad.
"Looks like the wall has been filled by her stupidity." Draco murmured to Daphne as they looked at the wall that has been filled with her educational decrees. A few of them could be seen at the opposite wall as well.
"She is not stopping to pull any punches and is going all out against Dumbledore. The right to dismiss any teaching faculty in Hogwarts, auditing the finances of Hogwarts and many more." Daphne looked amused
"She is doing all the work for Dumbledore and is making everyone here hate the ministry two-fold. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if we suddenly find our resident toad in St. Mungo's hospital." Draco laughed lightly
"Let's be done with the rounds and return to our bed." Daphne said as she walked forward
"Eager to go to bed are we?" Draco teased as he squeezed her buttocks making her squeal
The two of them disappeared into the night with their footsteps breaking the silence of night.