Dudley nodded and looked at Narcissa behind with a side eye. "Hand them the result report."
He waited. The IWC clerk came over, took the papers, and then tapped his wand on them. The papers each flew and landed in front of the IWC members.
"Thank you for your kind words, Professor," Dudley said and eyed the members. "If you'll look at the documents in front of you, the figure on the first line represents the number of wizards I currently employ across the globe. It's estimated there are around two million wizards worldwide—though I suspect it's a touch higher. As it stands, my organization employs one hundred and fifty-six thousand. That's approximately seven point eight percent of the global wizarding population.
"Could've hit ten by now, if a few governments hadn't put a stop to it. Shame, really. I do wish more were like MACUSA—thanks to their forward thinking, the majority of my wizard employees, about eighty percent, hail from the U.S."
Dudley looked at the representative from America. The man smiled towards him and gave a deep nod. Clearly, the man was sent by the MACUSA president, and his vote was already decided in his favor.
"Out of two million wizards, almost one and a half million are living just above the poverty line—what Muggles call minimum wage. It's not a term used much in the magical world, but it fits. Last year, one-ninety wizards ended their lives because they couldn't find work. A thousand died of hunger. More than ten thousand Muggleborns gave up on magic altogether and chose to live in the Muggle world, pursue education, and build careers. Only eight thousand wizards control ninety percent of the world's magical wealth. I'm among them, yes—but unlike many, I didn't inherit my share. They did.
"As you can see. The only way to be wealthy in the Wizarding World is to be born in wealth. Or be like me. But not all can be me. It's impractical. But being poor isn't the only alternative. The world runs on buying things. Six billion Muggles all wanting the next best house, car, jacket, or gadget. The pie's massive—so big that every wizard could take a slice and still not finish it.
"That is why I propose a general acceptance that as long as the Statute of Secrecy isn't broken, wizards are allowed to work in Muggle industries. Especially manufacturing and construction, where magic helps the most. Trust me, wizards across the world will thank you for generations for making the right decision today."
Dudley relaxed back then and waited for a second.
"Ah, one more thing. If you turn the page, you'll find the average salary of the wizards working under me."
All the old fossils turned the page. And as expected, their eyes almost fell out of their sockets.
They looked at Dudley, and then at the paper, as if unable to believe it. Some already started nodding, agreeing with Dudley. Some looked annoyed and unmoved.
But Dudley had nothing to worry about. He had already played his cards while they were still setting up the table. He was aware that on that table, not all men and women were like Dumbledore. Some of them came from those eight thousand elite families.
And for members of those families, control meant everything. As long as the wizards didn't have too many options. As long as the wizards remained dependent on the few rich families for survival, the control would remain.
Wizarding World ran on a medieval structure.
Yet, those prestigious, elite wizards were no different from Muggles when it came to vices. Some liked to dominate, some liked to be dominated. Some liked to tie up, and some liked to be tied up. Some liked to be spat on, and some liked… worse.
All sorts of vices existed. And the thing about the Muggle world was that there was someone for everyone. It was only a matter of price.
Madam Rosmerta's new upscale pub in London was built for one thing only. Trap the corrupt wizards. Rosmerta, in return, got herself a free, expensive pub, Dudley's cock, and a lot of entertainment.
Of course, the place was guarded by the Vanguards in secret.
Slowly, not just the ICW, but the Ministry was also falling into the pit. And Dudley was all in for it.
Scummy, yes. But very, very efficient.
"A splendid speech, truly," Dumbledore declared, eyes twinkling. Though he professed neutrality, the quiet pride in his tone betrayed him. It was clear he held Dudley in esteem, even if their philosophies didn't always align. How much he truly knew of Dudley's actions, however, remained unclear. "Since we have a great many other matters to discuss. Let us proceed with a vote. All in favor of passing the World Wizard Employment Act, raise hands."
It was slow. The old wizards and witches raised their hands one by one. A few were absurdly confident, like the British and American members. Some members thought a great deal; their faces appeared sweaty, their eyes glued to Dudley with a hint of fear. They had things to hide, after all. Vices that must never be known.
Out of forty, thirty-six members raised their hands in agreement. The remaining four who didn't raise their hands were truly pure, clean wizards who just didn't agree with Dudley's idea. To them, Dudley did nothing, only extending respect.
"Being the final voice, I too cast my vote," Dumbledore said, lifting his hand with quiet finality. "Thus, the World Wizard Employment Act is hereby passed. Let the respective governing bodies of each nation attend to further regulation, as they see fit."
As the verdict was announced, hundreds, if not thousands, of sealed letters came out from the ground around where Dumbledore was sitting. They flew up like a massive colony of bats. They flew into the sky and disappeared, likely letters to various world jurisdictions, declaring IWC's decision.
With that, Dudley got up from his seat. A lot of the old witches and wizards came up to him and shook hands. Some tried to chat with Narcissa, but only received silence and an icy gaze in return.
Hours later, after finalizing everything, Dudley yawned and came out of the building. It was evening already.
"Good work today, Narcissa," Dudley said. "I guess we'll be seeing each other for days now. A lot of work in the office. Real expansion will start now. Fuck, it's gonna be a pain in the ass to find magic-aware Muggles, Squibs and Muggleborn wizards inside all my Muggle companies."
Narcissa just followed Dudley, listening to him ramble about business. Though her eyes had a hint of respect now. The way those old witches and wizards treated Dudley far exceeded the stature her husband ever enjoyed.
After all, those IWC members were amongst the finest wizards of their nations. Yet, she saw fear in some of their eyes.
Old wizards in their seventies, eighties, fearing a mere twenty-year-old boy. She didn't know if it should scare her or impress her.
She followed him into the luxurious company car and sat down beside him. He continued to speak, chat with the driver, who was a Squib. Somehow, Dudley knew the name of the man she didn't even bother to look at previously. She didn't even bother to ask his name.
Yet, now that same man who looked threatening to her in the morning, smiled like a puppy and sang praises to Dudley. Talking about his grandkids, one of whom just got sorted into Hufflepuff that year.
And then she looked at Dudley. He seemed genuinely interested in the conversation. He, the richest man and perhaps the most powerful in at least the entire country, didn't seem to care about status and class differences. He spoke with all the same way as that Squib.
It baffled her. How does one even build a perspective like that? To not look at another with disdain, no matter the difference in class.
"Narcissa…? Hey, you sleeping already?"
"Oh? Ah, forgive me, Mr. Dursley. I was… thinking." She woke up from that daze when she felt Dudley shake her shoulder.
"Great! I was thinking too. Since it's getting late, let's grab some dinner. I know an Italian spot. Ever tried proper Italian cuisine? Old man, take us to Enzo's, would you? He owes me a lifetime of meals for my help." Dudley ordered and relaxed back, really happy with the IWC result.
"It's a three-Michelin-star restaurant, Narcissa. The owner's an old Italian Squib. Some Italian wizards connected with the Mafia wanted to take over his business. Hah! Moody loved torturing them once we caught them."
Narcissa was speechless. Finding herself falling deeper and deeper into a new world. One marked with bright colors and strange customs. It was still the wizarding world, but entirely different from what she knew.
"Enzo? I know him. He was a regular at the Squib community meetings before I met you, Sir." The old Squib driver talked. "He lets me eat at his place once a month with my family."
"Just once? Man, what a cheapskate. Well, you can rub it in his face that your grandkid got into Hogwarts, not his."
"Oh, that, I will, Sir. 'Till the last day I'm not in my grave."
"Haha!" Dudley laughed and stretched his feet, relaxing. He felt Narcissa's eyes on him and looked at her. "Careful, Narcissa. Can't have you throwing nonverbal curses at me now."
"N-No, I wasn't, Mr. Dursl—"
"It's alright, relax a bit. Office hours are over. Just call me Dudley now, I'm more used to that." Dudley nonchalantly said and tilted his head back, closing his eyes to relax. "I have nothing against you personally."
With that, silence fell between them.
Dudley wasn't bothered that she might attack him. Even as that car moved, there were at least eighty Vanguard Group members protecting him. Some in the sky, some in the cars nearby, some already dotting the route he was taking.
As for Narcissa, she was left a wordless mess. She felt immensely curious about Dudley.
The man she thought she'd hate for years to come.
She found herself not hating him already. Somewhere, in a corner of her mind, she felt his rage and revenge were justified. In fact, she felt it was far more controlled than what Lucius would have done if he were in Dudley's place.
Lucius would have killed Dudley and his mother as well after torturing them.
But Dudley stopped once he'd taken his revenge financially.
Sure, she somewhat knew. She could feel that Lucius' disappearance had something to do with him. But she didn't have the courage to ask him that.
In the end, she copied Dudley and relaxed back, head tilted and eyes closed.
####
At the same time, in Azkaban.
Boom!
Amidst the rough storm, the wall of the magical prison shattered, blasted open. Faces, giggling, smiling, messy hair came out of the darkness, laughing towards the sky, towards the rain.
"Heehee! At last, Rodolphus—we're free! FREE! The Dark Lord awaits! He's been waiting, waiting—for US!"
"Steady yourself, Bellatrix," Rodolphus growled. "We've the waters to cross yet. The Dark Lord holds the Dementors, yes—but the guards remain, and they're not blind."
"Oh, let's kill them! It's nothing—we've got the wands, the power! Move, move! The Dark Lord awaits—we shall not fail him!"
CRACK!
BOOOM!
However, right then, thunder boomed in the sky. And out of nowhere, countless white masked men appeared flying in the sky, just standing in one place with their hands behind their backs.
"W-What… Who are they?!" Antonin Dolohov exclaimed. "D-Did the Dark Lord send them?"
"Hehe, he must have." Bellatrix's eyes flashed with pride. "So many new toys… The Dark Lord cares for us."
However, the number of the dark leather-coat wearing, white masked men multiplied, exceeding five hundred. They covered the entire Azkaban in the sky.
Then one of the masked men moved his hand and tapped his wand on his neck.
"DEATH EATER FILTH! SURRENDER!"
______________________
Check out Dudley X Lily, Dudley X Narcissa Creampie NSFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 6 long chapters of this story on Patreon. That's equal to 18-22 Webnovel chapters.
Old Free Art on Discord: https://discord.gg/W5FdB6WXaP