For the first time, Ian felt his brain wasn't enough. If they weren't after profits, then why go through all these convoluted lengths to violate the Ministry of Magic's laws? Why not just stay put in that wizarding world?!
"I don't understand."
"In business, profit sharing is all about courting forces that benefit you, then scaling up the operation."
"But the thing is, we have ample strength. We don't need to do this at all. We could easily sell our face masks worldwide!"
If it were other, more important products, he would indeed need to share some profits to win over forces for mutually beneficial cooperation. But face masks? Honestly, even with their high profit margins, they weren't worth those powerful forces with connections reaching to the heavens targeting him.
However...
"So your alliance wasn't formed to boost mask sales, but purely to recruit more people?" he guessed, stunned.
Talking to a smart person was refreshingly straightforward. Tver confirmed his understanding.
"Exactly. But it's not about simple sharing—it's about bringing in more people who benefit the business."
"As profits grow, we want as many people as possible to share in that growth."
"And you will be the driving force behind this alliance."
He raised his glass—though if it contained wine instead of pumpkin juice, the effect might have been slightly better...
Marvolio rolled his eyes in disgust.
Not bad, Ian mused inwardly. Though it still felt odd, having him lead meant his profits were secured. As long as they weren't taking his share, who cared what they thought!
So he raised his glass too, leaning forward to clink it lightly against Tver's.
"To a fruitful partnership."
...
By the time Tver and the others returned to the estate, evening had fallen. Before they could even steady themselves, Cynthia blurted out impatiently,
"I could handle the face mask business alone. Why hand it over to Ian Russell?"
Before Tver could answer, Marvolio transformed while snapping back irritably,
"Honestly, if I were Tver, I wouldn't want someone as capable as you wasting your time on such trivial matters!"
Tver patted Cynthia's head reassuringly.
"The Ministry of Magic is where you belong."
"Besides, Ian is a shrewd businessman himself—far more suited to handling business matters than any of us."
Cynthia nodded in understanding. Marvolio had now transformed back into Dawlish's form.
"But aren't you worried he'll attract the Ministry's attention? Even with his memory protected."
Tver watched the slowly opening doors.
"He managed to hide for a year and a half simply out of fear of memory erasure."
"After my threats, he'll be even more cautious."
Truthfully, Tver was quite satisfied with his gains from this trip. Especially Ian Russell's boldness and meticulousness perfectly matched his expectations for an agent. So even if Ian harbored a few ulterior motives, he didn't mind in the slightest.
Cynthia, however, did mind.
"I sensed he was trying to analyze those potions scientifically, even seeking out other wizards he could control more easily to replace us."
"We just need to knock his hands off what they shouldn't be touching, but his actions are understandable, aren't they?" Tver said casually.
"For someone like him, I'd be surprised if he didn't harbor such thoughts deep down, as long as there's any chance of gaining complete control over a business."
"But the question is, where in the wizarding world would he find wizards to replace us?"
He snorted derisively, leading both of them into the estate.
For the remainder of the Christmas break, they stayed at the estate, refining their plans. Primarily, it was Marvolio's resurrection scheme. He'd agreed to postpone the resurrection for a year and a half, but the problem was, he needed to collect the remaining Horcruxes before then!
"Why did you destroy those two Horcruxes back then? If you hadn't, things would be so much easier now, and we wouldn't be in this mess!" Marvolio grumbled incessantly.
According to Tver's "prophecy" and his own knowledge, one remaining Horcrux lay in Gringotts' Vault, another in the Black family's ancestral home. And the third was still alive and kicking at Hogwarts! The first two were manageable. The first could be retrieved by entering under the Ministry's authority for an investigation, or simply by capturing a goblin to assist. The second one didn't even require waiting. Though the Black family manor was protected, as long as it wasn't a Fidelius Charm, he could slip inside easily. But the last one—how could he possibly extract his own soul fragment from Harry's body under Dumbledore's watchful eye?!
Bathed in the morning sunlight, Tver stretched out comfortably in his chair.
"Don't fret. Worst case, when Voldemort creates his seventh Horcrux, I'll fuse it for you first. It'll definitely surpass Voldemort."
Marvolio curled his lip. He knew this, but he just wanted to nag Tver into action. Before he could speak again, Cynthia entered carrying a newspaper.
"The consequences of Professor Burbage's promotion of muggle technology have emerged. The papers are in an uproar." She sat beside Tver and handed the paper toward him.
But Tver didn't take it. Instead, he stretched lazily.
"What are they arguing about?"
Cynthia didn't seem to mind. She took the paper back, unfolded it on her lap, and scanned it quickly.
"Opinions are split into three factions now."
"One side supports Professor Burbage. They believe in the rapid progress of muggle technology and are considering how wizards can share it with muggles."
"But the other, larger faction doesn't believe muggle technology can achieve anything truly remarkable."
"Their reasoning is that current muggle technology still lags far behind magic."
"Both sides are arguing fiercely."
"But honestly, most remain optimistic—none truly believe muggle technology poses a threat to wizards."
"Of course, it's possible those with differing views simply didn't publish in the paper. After all, wizards willing to study muggles remain a minority."
"But what about the third faction? You mentioned three sides—could it be a neutral group?" Marvolio craned his neck in confusion, glancing at the newspaper.
"It's actually Rita. She summarized both sides' views in a vivid article."
"Then, following Tver's orders, she used seemingly neutral but actually biased writing to support Burbage's ideas."
"And it seems to be working well—quite a few neutral people have been swayed."
Marvolio slumped back into his seat, bored.
"Looks like your plan backfired," he remarked, watching Tver with a smirk.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Tver replied, maintaining his lazy demeanor.
"The paper's purpose isn't to fuel their quarrel, but to awaken the silent majority in the magical world to this issue."
"To stir the dormant convictions of those who agree with us, and gradually win over those who don't."
"When that happens, with these people behind us, we'll become the prevailing force in the magical world!"
"So I even hope the quarrel in the paper gets more heated—best if it becomes common knowledge throughout the magical world!"
...
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