Chapter 7
Hermione stepped through the Floo, arriving in what appeared to be Malfoy's office. It was unsurprisingly dark, if her previous experience at Malfoy Manor was anything to go by in terms of the Malfoy style. Shocking, however, was the modern touches to his office that looked like he had taken his office out of a muggle magazine. Stainless steel, sharp edges, and minimalist design were nothing like the grandiose decor she had been expecting.
Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. She glanced at her watch impatiently and decided to sit down at one of the chairs facing his desk. As she was maneuvering her way into a chair, she accidentally knocked over one of the files hanging off the edge of his desk in the process. The file's contents spilled out over the floor, but as she picked them up, she stifled a gasp.
No wonder Malfoy had said the engagement was off, Hermione thought as she hurried to shove the photos of Astoria in compromising positions with a bloke who was definitely not Malfoy back into its proper place.
"Snooping around in my personal life, Granger?" Malfoy's voice suddenly rang out behind her. Although startled, she refused to let him know that he had gotten to her. She calmly tucked the rest of the photos in and turned around.
"Hardly," she levelled a look at him. "I accidentally bumped into your file and was trying to correct my mistake. I apologize," she said stiffly, thrusting the file into his chest.
"Apology accepted," he noted before tossing the file underneath a few others and sitting down at his desk.
"I'm sorry about Astoria…" Hermione softened, realizing that he must have felt betrayed in one of the worst ways. She could relate.
"Don't be," he said, his voice stony. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but cleared his throat. "Let's focus on our business. I don't have all day."
"Let's." Hermione agreed. "I think the most relevant laws in regards to the Italian company would be their operation freedoms since they're not a British company."
"If they were to purchase a smaller company here, in Britain, however, would they be considered a British company?" Malfoy asked. "If the file that Blaise gave us is correct, there are already talks of acquiring Chemagic within the next few months."
"That's an interesting question," Hermione frowned as she pulled out a binder and flipped through the various laws the Wizengamot had imposed. "The legal definition of a company is an entity with an approved application under the Corporation Act of 1438, amended in 1873, consisting of a group of wizards and witches that carries certain freedoms to act as an individual - to bring a case to the Wizengamot, claim property, hire employees, and loan or borrow money. Although Chemagic has obviously applied for and approved of, if they were to be acquired by Medici Pharmaceutical, since it would officially be part of Medici Pharmaceutical, unless the Italian company applies and gains approval for becoming a company in Britain, they will not legally be considered a company," Hermione explained.
Malfoy was silent, and Hermione looked up to gauge his reaction. He was concentrated, a crease between his eyebrows as he jotted a few notes down on some parchment. Malfoy cleared his throat. "What are they considered if not a company if they do not file the application or do not gain approval?"
"Liability wise, they'll be acting as individuals. Every single employee of Medici Pharmaceutical will have legal liability for every single action Medici Pharmaceutical makes. That should be enough to persuade them to file for a formalized application," Hermione noted.
"Agreed, but we should have a few additional reasons. Are they allowed to offer stock options if they're all just individuals?"
"Not together, that wouldn't be legal," Hermione smiled. "Especially if they're not Wizarding Britain citizens. They'll have to act as aliens, and each employee of Medici Pharmaceutical will have to apply for a work visa in order to conduct business in Britain."
"Good," Malfoy scribbled a note down. "What about taxation? Would they each be taxed on the income that Medici Pharmaceutical makes?"
Hermione flipped to another section in the binder. "Depends on where the money from their earnings is fed into. If the account is held under a single individual's name, only that person will be held accountable for income tax. If it is held under the Medici Pharmaceutical account, then every single employee will be charged the total taxation amount based on that one account. That's a major ouch."
"Good, we will reserve that as one of our last reasons in case they are pushy. What is preventing them from feeding the money into an offshore account, say their Italian account? Would they avoid taxation if they just feed the money elsewhere?" Malfoy questioned.
Hermione underlined a portion of the text in her binder with her finger. "Here, under the individual taxation law. It doesn't matter. In order for them to legally conduct business in Britain, they'll have to have filed at minimum a work visa, and at most a dual citizenship application. Their income tax is measured by total earnings, regardless of where their bank accounts may be located."
"Excellent, one loophole with which we will not have the misfortune of dealing. Let's take the positive route. If they apply and are approved of by the Ministry, they'll have all the same permissions as a normal British company?"
"Indeed. As well as limitations," Hermione pointed out.
"Interesting that there is a rather large lack of a specialized section for dealing with international corporations," Malfoy noted. "You'd expect Blaise's department to be a little more detailed."
Hermione shrugged. "You heard the last year that they amended the Company Act - 1873. It's a wonder that there's an amendment that recent. Most of the laws I've seen haven't been changed since the fourteenth century."
"Traditionalism," Malfoy noted cynically. "I'm fairly familiar with the legalities of British companies. Is there anything in particular to which I should pay careful attention?"
"I'm sure you're actually more of an expert in the legalities of normal business operation than I am, in that regard," Hermione smiled. "Though you might want to refresh yourself with intellectual property law and licensing issues."
"I was under the impression that there is a spell that automatically detects when a person discovers a unique invention, so there's never any contest. The licensing fee is set by inventor, no?" Malfoy asked.
"The licensing fee is set by the inventor, but there is some regulation and taxation done by the Ministry. In regards to the spell, it is only used in cases where the original inventor comes into question and is contested. If Blaise is correct in how ruthless the Medici family is…" Hermione trailed off.
"Then the original inventors may never contest them," Malfoy nodded. "Right, any solutions?"
"Not that I know of. Unless you involve a criminal investigation, there's no way to legally demand the spell be performed against the original claim. The person with the original claim has to have at least some evidence of their unique invention in order to successfully file the originator claim, or the equivalent of a patent in the wizarding world. This prevents witches and wizards from claiming any random idea," Hermione detailed.
"Patent?" Malfoy asked, confusedly.
"Err, sorry, I'm used to explaining things in muggle terms to Harry. I forgot your background for a second," Hermione said sheepishly.
Malfoy looked at her, with an expression that might have been surprise. It was hard for Hermione to read him. "Well, anyways," Malfoy continued, "stealing an originator claim would be a crime, yes?"
Hermione nodded.
"Then you could always involve the criminal investigation. I hesitate to believe that will be too much of an issue." Malfoy noted it down again in his file. "We can always go over the details if it comes up."
"I think it's important to review the laws on international originator claims, since they'll likely have originator claims filed in Italy," Hermione said. "Essentially, if there is an international originator claim that conflicts with a domestic originator claim, the case will be reviewed by the International Cooperation of Wizards, or ICW for short, with maximum of three representatives from each country with the conflicting originator claims."
"Is this checked every time for which a domestic claim is applied?" Malfoy asked.
"Yes," Hermione answered. "It's part of the process."
"So is each country responsible for checking all other originator claims in every other single country?" Malfoy asked, somewhat disbelievingly.
"Yes, it's remarkably inefficient and as a result takes up more than eighty-seven percent of the meetings of the ICW. Naturally, those litigations can run for extended periods of time, as well as cost millions of galleons in terms of resources. I've been thinking about petitioning our representatives to push for an international originator claim that is filed directly to the ICW so it's entirely centralized, and whoever files the originator claim first at the ICW has international legal rights," Hermione explained.
"I would imagine that that is a dearly needed solution," Malfoy nodded. "What about the licensing part of an international originator claim?"
"As the originator claim is under a foreign law in regards to licensing, each licensing case is reviewed under a board of representatives from the Ministry and the foreign country to come to an agreement about the licensing. Again, it's horrendously inefficient, and the process could take months, even years," Hermione detailed.
Malfoy's mouth twisted slightly. "That could be an issue. What if the person owning the originator claim on foreign soil applies for an originator claim on domestic land? There wouldn't be any contesting from the owner, since it's the same person."
"Right, but there is a whole slew of verification of identity that comes with dual originator claimship in the foreign country and Britain itself. It's much faster, however, than the board of representatives, so it would make sense to pursue this avenue than the other. It's also a separate application form."
"For the licensing, then, if they have dual claimship, that means that they're licensing fee would fall under British licensing regulations and avoid the board of representatives?" Malfoy asked.
"Yes, since it is a legal originator claim filed on British soil, the British Ministry therefore has the right to regulate and tax the licensing. However, if say the claim was filed on Italian land as well, the Italians have additional rights to regulate and tax the licensing because of its dual claimship." Hermione clarified.
Malfoy nodded, tapping his quill on the side of an inkpot as he reviewed his notes. "I think that covers all of my questions. Anything you would like to discuss? You did mention in your owl that you hadn't yet had time to go through the Italian laws."
"Right. I've progressed through a few, but my ability to find documentation of all Italian laws is very limited. Surprisingly, the Ministry library has no records of Italian law, and I will need to go to Italy to get further information."
Malfoy tapped his inkwell thrice before looking at her. "I will owl Blaise and see if he has any access to the Italian law books, but I'll also look into my family's library and Blaise's family library. It's possible we may have something of use."
"I appreciate that," Hermione smiled. "Other than that, I believe we've covered all of the relevant bases as of right now. I'll worry more about the experimental trials and the pharmaceutical side of their business, but I'll summarize in our debrief with Blaise. If that's all, then, I've got some more packing to get back to."
"I as well," Malfoy smiled politely. "Oh, and Blaise wanted me to inform you that our debrief will be delayed until the morning of our portkey departure, if you can make it."
"I have no other plans," Hermione nodded.
"Excellent. Pleasure working with you, Granger," he said as he stood up.
"You as well, Malfoy. I'm surprised," Hermione said honestly. "I'm glad we've matured beyond petty school rivalries."
"You and I know it was a great deal more than just that," Malfoy said seriously, his face stony once again. "But all the same, Granger. I'll see you at Blaise's debrief before we portkey."
"Have a good evening," Hermione smiled, flooing back to her flat.
"I can't believe you're actually leaving," Ginny sighed as she watched Hermione shrink the last of her luggage and place it in her bottomless bag.
"I know," Hermione smiled sadly. "I'm ready for this though. I'm ready to get out of England for a while."
Ginny laughed. "I can relate."
"I'm going to head to the Ministry really quick," Hermione called over her shoulder as she made her way over to the floo.
"For what?" Ginny asked confusedly. "I thought your debrief was moved to the actual day of portkey departure?"
"It was. I'm going to say my goodbyes… to Harry," Hermione said softly. "I know things didn't go well between you two, but he still is my friend. I'm hoping to avoid Ron at his house since your mother mentioned that they've made the house into a bachelor pad. Ron typically goes for dinner now, but Harry usually stays late. Fingers crossed I don't run into Ron."
Ginny nodded in understanding. "Good luck," she said simply.
"Thanks," Hermione smiled gratefully at Ginny. She was going to miss this girl in Italy.
Hermione stepped into the floo, appearing next in the large Atrium. There was a fairly heavy traffic flow towards the outgoing floos, as most employees were headed home for dinner. She made her way to the lift, getting off at the second level and walking down the hallway towards the Auror headquarter cubicles. All down the way, she was silently begging in her head to avoid any possible interaction with her former fiance.
Luckily, she ran into no one, and she navigated her way to Harry's desk with ease. Harry was bent over some paperwork, his hair falling into his eyes as he frustratedly flicked it out of the way.
"It's time to get that cut, don't you think?" Hermione said softly. Harry jumped slightly, grabbing his wand, but relaxed when he saw who it was.
"Merlin, Hermione, you gave me a bit of a start," Harry smiled, standing up to envelop her in a hug. He pulled back, searching her expression as he held her at arms' length. "How are you?"
"Fine," Hermione smiled.
"No really, how are you really?" he asked seriously.
Hermione sighed. "Coping. It's not easy, adjusting to the single life again. But I'm okay."
Harry pressed his lips together, running a hand through his messy jet black hair. He straightened his glasses. "Me too."
"And how are you? Really?" Hermione echoed, a teasing edge to her voice.
"Same as you. Er… how's Gin?" Harry asked awkwardly.
"She's okay," Hermione assured him. "As okay as anyone can be… in all of our situations."
"How did we come to this, Hermione?" Harry sighed heavily, sitting on the edge of his desk. "I thought… you know, when you and Ron got together, that was it. It was destiny, especially when Gin and I joined you two… I thought it was going to be this way for the rest of our lives. We'd all raise our children together, send them off at King's Cross. Grow old in a society free of Dark Lords, political corruption, or ridiculous media attention. And look at where we are now."
Hermione gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's life. We're in a different world now, than when we were in school. And we're different people. We can't expect ourselves to work with the same people we worked with when we were just teenagers. We grew up too fast… maybe losing ourselves in the process. We're finding ourselves now. And sometimes the people we fit with before don't fit with the new selves we've discovered."
"There was a time, you know, when it could've been us," Harry said so softly that she nearly didn't catch it. She understood; Harry was referring to the time they had been abandoned by Ron on the hunt for horcruxes. There were times, too, when she and Ron got into a particularly nasty row, that she wondered too if things might have been different if Harry and she had chosen each other.
"That time passed. And frankly, I'm thankful it did. Or I might not have you, now," Hermione pointed out.
Harry frowned. "That's true."
"I came by to say goodbye, Harry. I'm headed to Italy for the ambassadorial job I took in two days, and I won't be back until Christmas."
Harry looked at her sorrowfully. "I'm going to miss you, Hermione."
"And you, Harry," she bit her lip. "But we'll keep in touch. I'll send you pictures."
"Brilliant," Harry smiled. "I'm looking forward to hearing all about Italy. Except the Italian men. Save the girl talk for Gin or Nessa," Harry teased.
"Since when have I ever come to you with girl talk?" Hermione laughed.
"When you were pining after-" Harry froze. "Er, sorry, 'mione."
Hermione sighed. "It's all right Harry. How is he, anyways?"
"To be honest? Miserable. He's lost all of his motivation and is barely making it through the motions of everyday life," Harry sighed frustratedly, running another hand through his hair. It was a nervous habit of his. "I think you should talk to him… before you go at least. One last time."
"No, Harry, it's too fresh," Hermione shook her head. "I'm still angry with him, and I haven't forgiven him yet. I'll only say more hurtful things, and that's the worst thing I can do to him, right now. Maybe when I come back for Christmas, if I've forgiven him and myself, I'll talk to him and get our final closure."
Harry eyed her, before shrugging. Hermione was surprised he didn't push it further - perhaps Harry had finally learned to stop constantly taking Ron's side in everything. "Anyways, we should get the gang back together one last time to send you off. Are you free tomorrow night?"
"My debrief has been moved, so yes. I should be," Hermione smiled.
"I'll owl everyone - round up the DA again for a few drinks at Madam Rosmerta's? Minus Ron, and plus Vanessa of course."
"All right," Hermione agreed. "Are you sure you'll be okay with Ginny?"
"I think we'll manage," Harry shrugged. "Being your friend is something we've never disagreed on."
Hermione grinned, hugging him. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Can't wait," Harry smiled, hugging her back.
The next day, Ginny was pulling her hair back into a ponytail nervously in the bathroom mirror when Hermione saw her undo it and redo it several times, a sign of her distress.
"Are you sure you're okay with seeing Harry? We don't have to go," Hermione said comfortingly from the doorway.
"No, Hermione, this is your send-off party. And Harry's your friend, too. We're going," Ginny said firmly, though her voice wavered slightly at Harry's name.
"But-" Hermione was cut off by Ginny shaking her head.
"No buts. I'm positive about this. Let's just go," Ginny tied her hair up one last time before dragging Hermione out the door and apparating to the tavern.
As they entered The Three Broomsticks, Hermione was enveloped in hugs and congratulations, a banner displaying Good Luck Hermione! strung from the ceiling above a magically enlarged table to compensate for their large group.
"Let her breathe, would you?" Vanessa laughed as she shoved Dean and Seamus off of Hermione. "Congratulations, Hermione. I'm going to miss you."
"Thanks Vanessa," Hermione grinned, hugging Vanessa tightly.
"Let's get out of the way," Neville suggested, and the group returned to the table, bottles of firewhiskey and mugs of butterbeer scattered across.
Hermione smiled, looking over at everyone who had been able to come. Luna and Neville were grinning across from her, Ginny, and Vanessa, who was next to George and Angelina. Angelina was excitedly talking with Alicia, who appeared to finally have accepted her feelings for Lee, who was bemoaning Oliver Wood's Puddlemere United loss with Harry. Cho, Katie, and Leanne were near the corner, but seemed to be engrossed in conversation with Padma and Parvarti.
"Rumor has it that Padma's now dating Justin Finch-Fletchley," Ginny whispered as she gestured to the two sitting close together.
"About time," Michael Corner laughed from next to Ginny.
"I thought that Justin was dating Hannah?" Hermione asked him, looking at the blonde girl sitting in between Susan Bones and a man Hermione only vaguely remembered.
"Nah, that ended a couple of months ago. Hannah's with Theo, now," Michael gestured to the tall, wiry male on Hannah's left."
"Nott?" Ginny asked disbelievingly. "She went for a Slytherin? Not to mention his family's colorful past."
"Oh him," Hermione frowned. "I couldn't remember him."
Michael Corner shrugged. "People've changed after the war. Once you meet him, you'll understand. He's a fairly nice bloke, treats Hannah well."
"How did that happen?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I think Theo is also a potioneer. They reconnected at some conference, possibly Po-Con 2002? Apparently, they found a certain chemistry," Michael wiggled his eyebrows.
Ginny snorted. "Please," she shook her head.
"By the way, Terry and Ernie told me to send their regards, Hermione," Michael informed her. "They're both sorry they couldn't make tonight, but they're really excited for you and wish you the best of luck in Italy."
"Thanks, I'll owl them before I head out. It's no wonder, with Terry's crazy schedule as a Hit Wizard," Hermione smiled. "Is there anyone actually missing here besides those two?" Hermione asked as she looked around the table again. "I think everyone's here, except for Dennis and Anth-"
"Miss me?" Anthony Goldstein asked humorously from behind her.
"Anthony!" Hermione grinned, turning around to hug him. "It's been ages." Ginny and Vanessa glanced at each other from behind Hermione, both grinning.
"It's been too long. Congratulations on becoming an ambassador to Italy, I hear? That's brilliant, Hermione," Anthony smiled.
"I'm just the legal advisor to the ambassador," Hermione clarified.
"Still, that's spectacular," Anthony straightened his glasses and grinned at her.
"How's the wand-making going? I understand you finished up your apprenticeship with Ollivander and are now working full-time with him?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah - I finished my apprenticeship around fourteen months ago! It's loads of fun. There's something about wandlore that's unlike anything I've ever dealt with before. Learning how to figure out which cores resonate with which wood, how to shape the wood and design it… it's a work of art. You learn to really feel and be connected to the magic that flows within every inch of material you work with. You should come by sometime, when you get back from Italy. I'd be happy to demonstrate. The feeling and listening to wands… it's unreal," Anthony spoke with such passion, and Hermione couldn't be happier to hear it.
"I'm so glad you found your calling. Ollivander couldn't have a better successor," Hermione smiled.
As Hermione and Anthony continued to chat about Ollivander's upcoming retirement plans, Ginny and Vanessa were whispering conspiratorially with each other.
"It's not just me, right? They've got a spark," Ginny nodded towards Hermione and Anthony, so engrossed in their conversation that they hardly seemed to notice anything around them.
"They definitely do," Vanessa affirmed. "Soon as she gets back, we'll set them up. Deal?"
"Absolutely." Ginny offered her hand, and the two witches shook on it.
"So, Ginny, what happened with Ron and Hermione, if you don't mind me asking?" Michael asked her as he sipped from his butterbeer.
Ginny sighed, shrugging. "They're both incredibly stubborn… and they couldn't really find compromise. Ultimately, they just didn't fit well. They each have different desires, different expectations… and neither of them filled the other's wants or needs."
"Bummer. The rest of us always thought it was just a matter of time before they got married, y'know? You and Harry, too…" Michael coughed awkwardly, wondering if he had overstepped the line.
"Well," Ginny said softly, glancing at Harry, who was now speaking to Katie Bell. "I think we all thought that."
Michael looked at her, expecting her to elaborate. Ginny shrugged. "Harry and I had a major disagreement, and I'm not sure it's something we can ever get past. Not for a long while, at least. So we broke it off."
"You doing okay?" Michael asked concernedly.
"As well as I can. He's been such a constant in my life… it's just… weird, not to be with him anymore. It's not necessarily good or bad… it's just.. change," Ginny answered truthfully.
"I know where you're coming from," he said softly, looking over at Susan briefly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ginny laid a hand on his shoulder. "I forgot. It's only been what, two months since?"
"Yeah." Michael shook himself out of his daze and focused on Ginny. "Listen, you and I both know that whichever relationship we have next will be a rebound. If you're interested, I promise you that you will hear lots of wallowing in my being hung up over Susan, and I won't judge if you if you do the same for Harry. But we can have fun with it. What do you say?"
"That's a very interesting proposition… and the worst pick up line I have ever heard," Ginny smiled teasingly.
"What can I say? We're two individuals who've come out of long term relationships. I say we save anyone we're genuinely interested in the misfortunes of being a rebound," Michael continued cheekily.
"Ah, so we're doing society a favor, hmm?" Ginny laughed.
"Absolutely," Michael said seriously.
"What if I'm genuinely interested in you, though? Say I wouldn't want our mutual rebound to be a complete and dismal failure?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Then perhaps our mutual rebound will evolve into something more," Michael smiled. "There are numerous possibilities, but I'd say they all start with me taking you to dinner next Friday?"
"Give me an additional week to wallow in my pajamas and tubs of ice cream," Ginny hedged.
"It's a date, then," Michael smiled.
AN: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for being patient with me, and as always, for the follows, favorites, and thoughtful reviews. Speaking of which, dreamingconstellations, since I can't PM you, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad that you like the different perspective that Narcissa offers, and I'd love to hear from you why you initially had your reservations about reading and what exactly changed your mind.
To everyone else: thoughts on Ginny and Michael Corner? I'm pretty sure that they won't be a permanent couple, but we'll see how it goes and hopefully have some fun with it. Thoughts on the legal lingo? I've been doing some research as well as coming up with things on my own, so I'd like your take on how believable/accurate (if you know anything about British law) the things I've outlined are, and other things that I might want to write them considering as we progress. Please drop a review and let me know below!