Disclaimer: Consider it disclaimed.

A/N: I know that England is still technically a monarchy, but they've a representational government, too, unless I'm completely off the mark someone pointed out that my line about the monarchy was less than accurate in the last chapter, so I thought I'd clarify a little where I was coming from.

Arthur, Sirius, and Harry talk about the 'revolution.'

Chapter Twenty-Two: Business Plans

"Hallo, Harry. What can I do for you today?" Arthur asked through the floo.

"Morning, Arthur. Is your day free? I thought we'd get together to further discuss that business venture we were discussing a while back." Harry smiled.

"Just let me tell Molly where I'll be and I'll be over in a tic. Sirius' place, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. See you in a few."

The floo flared green and the connection closed. "Um… Harry?"

"Yeah, Sirius?"

"What 'business venture'?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm thinking about starting a company to see about merging magic and muggle technology. You've seen some of what muggles can do, and I know you know what magic can do. You can't disagree that they'd compliment each other quite well, if only someone figured out how to do so."

"And you think you're that someone?" Sirius asked in disbelief.

Harry chuckled, "Well, not just me. I realize I don't know near enough about the topic to work on it on my own."

Sirius whistled, "Damn, Pup. I never would have believed it, but I think you just might be the only one who could pull something like this off. Especially once you take care of that little issue of You-Know-Who."

Harry smirked. "I know."

Just then the floo flared again and Arthur Weasley stepped out, brushing soot off his cloak. "You need to clean your floo, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, "I know. I was just talking with Harry here, about that little idea of his…"

Arthur smiled, "Brilliant, isn't it?"

Sirius laughed, "Yeah, it is, and I want in."

Harry chuckled, "Well… what are your qualifications?"

Sirius looked insulted. "Pup?"

Harry shrugged, "If I'm going to hire you, I want to know what job you're applying for and why you think you'd be the best candidate."

Arthur snickered, "May it not be said that he doesn't have a head for business."

"Come on, guys, let's to the kitchen. Some coco and biscuits are needed if I'm going to have to justify myself to my own godson."

As Harry and Arthur followed Sirius to the kitchen, Harry commented, "I know it's rather standard to practice nepotism, but I want to make sure that everyone involved in this – 'revolution' is the best word for it, I guess – that everyone involved is really the best person for the job."

Sirius laughed outright and indicated that Harry and Arthur should take a seat at the table. He busied himself making hot chocolate, "Arthur, you'll find some parchment and a quill in that drawer there," he pointed. "Why don't you take notes while Harry here outlines what he's got in mind."

"Sure thing." Arthur gave Sirius a mock-salute and located the parchment and never-out quill. "Go on, Harry."

Harry spent a moment composing his thoughts. "Well, the ultimate goal is to merge both the magical and muggle worlds. However, we have to do this carefully. If it's done to quickly, there will be friction on both sides and everyone will resist the changes."

"Good point. I know most of the pureblood sect won't want to see any merging. I remember back when the wireless sets were first introduced – I was only five or so – but they didn't really take off until some advertisement said that they were taking a muggle idea and making it better for 'the comfort of wizardkind.'"

Arthur laughed, "I remember that, too. My folks didn't want to get one, and they didn't until my younger brother came home with one. Within a month, Mum was singing along to it, and Dad was spending all day Saturdays listening to the quidditch commentary."

Harry nodded, thoughtfully, "Alright, so we will definitely need a good advertiser. The muggle side of things won't be so difficult. As long as it's 'new,' they'll buy just about anything." Harry accepted a cup of coco from Sirius. Sirius turned back to the cupboards and began digging around for some biscuits. "The secondary goal, rather, the more public one should be something along the line of what you said the wireless company said, Sirius. If we market ourselves as trying to promote wizarding comforts, then there will be less friction from that section."

"Hang on a second, Harry." Arthur interrupted. "You said you want to merge the worlds, not just the technology." Harry nodded. "Just how are you going to expose magic to the muggles?"

Harry shrugged, "That I'm not too sure about just yet. It has to be done in a way that won't create another era of witch-hunts. Back right after I met Remus and he was explaining magic to Allen and the rest, he mentioned something about genetics. I know the muggles are mapping out the human genetic code… I'm surprised they've not yet found the genes responsible for magical ability…" He trailed off when he was met by confused stares from his two companions. Harry sighed, "Look it up. I don't really feel like getting into an explanation of biology and genetics right now."

Arthur made a note to do just that. "Okay… I think we have an idea as to exactly what you want to accomplish. Just out of curiosity, though, I think we ought to map out precisely why we're doing this."

"That's easy," Harry said, "there are so many things that magic can do that technology can't, as well as things that technology can achieve that magic is unable; merging the two would benefit everyone, both wizard and muggle."

Arthur nodded, grinning. "Glad to see that we're in complete agreement on that, Harry."

Sirius started laughing loudly. "What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"Just imagining what my mother would have said if she could see me now. Conspiring with – pardon the expressions – a half-blood and a blood-traitor to bring about the downfall of wizarding society!"

Harry frowned at that. "No… I don't want to eradicate wizarding society… Merely bring it into the twentieth century… I know the wizarding world has a rich history, and the absolute last thing I want to do is see that history come to an end."

Sirius sobered, "Well, I don't see how you plan to merge the two societies without losing that history, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Combining the two shouldn't detract from either culture; it should add to both, creating something completely new. Rather like taking the raw ingredients for a potion and making something new out of them. You can still find the original components, if you look, but they've blended together and made something that is so much more than the sum of its parts."

Following a little tingle of intuition, Arthur wrote that down word-for-word. "I think we'll probably need to get involved in politics, as well as education to pull this off, Harry."

"How so?"

"Well… In order to preserve the history of both cultures, it would make sense to re-vamp the Muggle Studies courses currently offered, as well as create something for muggle-born students that educates them on wizarding culture and customs. I recall being in school and having to explain what I thought was common knowledge to a couple of muggle-born students in my year."

Harry nodded, Sirius agreed, "Makes sense. The courses should be mandatory, as well. Now, this is just a little idea I had that we probably won't see used for quite some time, but I was thinking that there should be a class or at least a book or two aimed at explaining magic to muggles…"

"Fantastic idea, Sirius. Did you write that down, Arthur?" Harry asked. Arthur indicated that he had done so. "I can see why we'd need to be a bit politically-minded… Who do we know that could help us out in that arena?"

Sirius shrugged, "Don't look at me, mate. I've been rather out of the loop for the better part of two decades. What about you, Arthur? You work at the Ministry."

Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure just yet, Sirius. I'll ask around a bit, see who we might be able to coerce to our side, so-to-speak. I have a couple of people in mind, but I'll have to tread delicately."

"Why?" Harry asked.

Arthur smiled, "Don't want to get caught making too many waves, do I? Until we get this off the ground, I don't want to lose a steady income. Unlike you two, I've a family."

"Understood," Sirius nodded.

"If you wanted me to, I could hire you right now." Harry supplied. "I mean, even if this doesn't go much further than you and me tinkering in my room… Not to be crass, but what's your current salary?"

Arthur sighed, "About a hundred galleons every two weeks."

Harry quickly computed that to about two thousand pounds a month. "That doesn't seem like much, especially since you've got how many people still at home? Five?"

Arthur sighed, "It's even less after the bills are all taken into consideration."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, Ron's only mentioned Ginny once or twice. I'd forgotten she was in hospital. That would put a bit of a stretch on things, wouldn't it?"

Shrugging, Arthur said, "There's not much to be done about it, though. She needs the care, and – as expensive as Saint Mungo's is – it would have cost more to send her to a hospital on continent, or even in America."

Harry thought for a moment before asking Arthur to hand him the quill and a bit of parchment. He wrote down a generous offer. "If you decide to work for me, this is what your salary will be, per year."

Arthur goggled at the sum. "Harry… This is really too much…"

Harry snorted, "No, it isn't. I trust you, and realize you know a hell of a lot more about what we're trying to do than I do. I actually cut down the offer I had originally wanted to give you."

Arthur shook his head, "No, Harry, I'm really flattered that you think that highly of my abilities, but I won't tolerate you spending your entire inheritance on hiring me."

Harry blinked, then snorted, then snickered. The snickers grew into giggles, which mutated into laughter. Before long, Harry's sides hurt. Arthur was watching Harry like he'd lost his mind. Sirius was simply wondering if he should make popcorn and enjoy the show. Though it took a fair few minutes, Harry finally calmed down. "Arthur, I don't think you quite realize how well-invested the money I inherited was. I could pay you that sum, weekly, for a hundred years before I started to notice a dent in my vault."

Arthur picked up the parchment and calculated what the sum, multiplied over 5200 times, would be. He found himself disbelieving of a number comprised of that many digits. "But…"

"No, Arthur, don't argue with it. Let me put it another way; when I first saw the bank statements, and realized what the conversion of galleons to pounds was, I was in shock. I'd heard of international corporations that dealt in figures that high, but this was all mine. As such, I'm going to put it where I think it will do the most good. And I plan to start by paying you something that echoes your true value – even if only to myself."

While Harry was speaking, Sirius got up and collected the empty mugs. Curiosity got the best of him and he glanced at the parchment slip that Arthur was holding. "You know, Arthur, that's a reasonable offer. It's on a level with the salaries that the upper researchers get at Greer Potions. I also know a couple of people in the ministry that make that per year – correction. I knew people who made that, sixteen years ago. Don't sell yourself short."

Arthur bit his lip. "I still have to discuss it with Molly…"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm sure she'll support you. Even if she's argumentative about it, you could always just pull out all the stops."

Arthur looked up at Sirius, "How's that?"

Sirius grinned, "Introduce her to Harry."

"Pardon? How would that help?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"All you'd have to do is smile that little sheepish grin you've got, Pup." Harry blushed and ducked his head. "Yeah, that one." Sirius laughed and poked Harry in the ribs.

Harry huffed in exasperation and batted Sirius' hand away. "Quit that. And just how much were you expecting, godfather-mine?"

Sirius shrugged, "Nothing. I figure I'd be a business partner. Though the Black fortune wasn't quite so expertly managed in my absence, I've got money to burn and now a cause I can sink my teeth into. However, if you insist that I do something… I can always be the spokesperson." Sirius struck a pose as if for the cover of Witch Weekly. Letting the pose fall away at Harry's incredulous look, he sighed, "Or I could do something with experimental charms and spells. I almost went into that after Hogwarts, but decided to try for the Auror program with your dad. Shocked the hell out of me when I made it through the application process."

Arthur nodded, "I can believe that. I do recall, however, that you did quite well in training. Too bad everything happened before you could really make your mark in the Auror Corp, though. We all could see you were headed for greatness at the time."

Sirius shrugged, "Water under the bridge. What matters now is how I go forward."

"Precisely."

The three of them spent another hour or so comprising a list of people they would need to get into contact with, as well as what sort of material goods they were likely to need in the near-future. Jokingly, they decided on Sirius as President and Arthur as Head of Research and Development. Harry, of course, was the CEO and Director of Human Resources. When they finished, all that remained was to decide upon a name.

When asked, Arthur shook his head, "Leave me out of that part, guys. I'm just an employee. You two are fronting the cash, so you two get to name it."

"You're sure?" Harry asked. Arthur nodded.

"Hmm… How about 'Potter-Black Enterprises?'" Sirius suggested.

Harry shook his head, "I don't think so. As Hermione is constantly reminding me, I'm apparently famous in the wizarding world. I don't want people to get involved with either our potential products or our cause just because of a famous name."

"True… I hadn't thought of that."

"Why not just 'Black Enterprises?'"

"No… I'm not the one whose idea this was. That sends the wrong impression."

Harry sighed. "Maybe we ought to have Hermione name it…"

Arthur snickered and shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea. Ron told me that when she found out about House-elves at Hogwarts, she started a club to try to free them. She called it the 'Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare.' Ron called it 'spew.'"

"House-elves?" Harry asked.

"Tell you later," Sirius replied.

"Well… Maybe not Hermione…"

Sirius thought for a moment. "Would you be opposed to having a part of your name in the company's name?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

"How about 'Black Pot Enterprises?'"

Harry laughed, "That sounds like something you'd find in Amsterdam."

Sirius shrugged, "Hey, I never said I was good at this."

"I think you're on the right track, though." Harry bit his lip for a moment, thinking. "What about 'Black Cauldron Enterprises?'"

Sirius chewed it over in his mind, "Hmm… Perhaps a touch too wizarding."

What's wizarding and muggle… Hmm… Ah-ha! Harry grinned when his gaze landed on Sirius' stove. "Okay, then, how about 'Black Kettle Enterprises?'"

Sirius returned Harry's grin. "I like that. Has a nice ring to it."

Arthur grinned as well, "Sounds like we have a winner!" He wrote it in big, block letters across the top of his notes.

Harry glanced at the clock, "It's only a little past two. We still have time to talk to Andie and go to Gringotts."

"You think we can get all that done yet today?" Arthur asked.

Harry nodded, "If we hurry at Gringotts. Shouldn't take too long to set up a business account… At least, Allen said it didn't take too long to do so at a muggle bank. I'm assuming it isn't too different for the wizarding side of things."

Sirius and Arthur both shrugged, "Don't see how it could be all that different, Pup. Banking is banking, no matter who's the one doing it."

A/N2: And another one's down, and another one's gone, and another one bites the dust.

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