The next day, Victor stood in the living room in a sharp business suit and glasses, a confident smile on his face. Behind him was a wide table covered with a thick cloth to hide it from prying eyes, along with a pair of whiteboards. Abigail, also dressed in a sharp business outfit, stood beside the table, smiling just as broadly.
Perenelle, Nicolas, and Adele sat quietly on the sofa in front of them.
— Boss, I think everyone's already here, no one else is coming, — Abigail whispered softly.
— You think we can begin? — Victor asked back, looking dead serious.
— Yes! The main investors are already here, and that's what matters most.
Perenelle, Nicolas, and Adele merely shook their heads in unison at their little game. What did she mean "no one else is coming"?! Literally every single inhabitant of the house was gathered in the living room — well, except for Missy the house-elf, perhaps!
Victor nodded and whispered to Abigail:
— How do I look?
Abigail enthusiastically gave two thumbs up:
— A full hundred percent! The main thing is not to worry and remember: be confident, talk a lot, don't let them ask questions, and repeat the word "RETURN ON INVESTMENT" as often as possible. It works like hypnosis on investors!
Victor paused for a second and nodded knowingly:
— Got it: confidence, avoid questions, and say "ROI" often...
Taking the instructions to heart, Victor took a deep breath.
— You do realize we can hear everything, right? — Nicolas inquired wearily.
But Victor ignored him completely. He turned to the "investors" and plastered on the most confident business smile he could muster.
— Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming to my presentation of a colossal, highly profitable project with incredible returns! — Victor took another deep breath: — Allow me to present... "Victor-Land"!
At his signal, Abigail whipped off the cloth with a dramatic flourish. On and beneath the table, a detailed model of a small yet meticulously planned city was revealed.
— Ta-da-a-am! — Abigail gracefully threw her hands up, showcasing the model.
Complete silence fell over the living room.
Seeing that no wild reaction followed, Victor turned nervously to Abigail. She quickly and discreetly pointed a finger at his pocket.
— Oh, right! — Victor hurriedly pulled out index cards with notes and began reading off the paper: — "Victor-Land" is a large-scale city project that will completely replace Diagon Alley in the future! — He dropped the first card onto the floor and continued reading: — This city will be able to house around a thousand witches and wizards, providing them with jobs and housing! For it will be famous not only for its wide variety of shops selling everything from school supplies to magical artifacts used by wizards in everyday life, but also for its entertainment venues! — Victor dropped the next card: — I realize that a project of this scale cannot be implemented in a month or two. Therefore, we will first focus on the industrial zone, where wizards will work to produce clothing, potions, and other essential items, as well as on the commercial zone where all of it will be sold. — Dropping yet another card, he concluded: — Next, we plan to expand the city by adding a residential sector and, of course, the most important part — the entertainment zone! — Victor swept away the last card and stared at Perenelle hopefully: — So, what do you think?
Nicolas merely shook his head in silence:
— Nonsense.
Perenelle backed him completely:
— Victor, dear... If that's all, then I'm afraid I'm forced to agree with my husband.
Victor nodded with confidence:
— Of course that's not all! The most important thing is who exactly will live and work in this city. Abigail, if you please!
Abigail nodded and pulled the cover off the whiteboard. Written on it in large letters was a single word: "MUGGLE-BORNS".
Another pause hung in the living room.
— So what? — Flamel shrugged.
— What do you mean "so what"?! I will gather the most talented Muggle-borns who couldn't find their place in the wizarding world and give them great jobs!
Perenelle smiled sympathetically and shook her head:
— Victor, Nicolas reacted that way simply because in France, for example, Muggle-borns aren't oppressed nearly as heavily as in England. Yes, there are countries where they are despised, but England firmly holds first place in that regard. I believe it all stems from Voldemort and his aggressive promotion of blood purity. Because he and his Death Eaters spent over ten years attacking places where Muggle-borns worked, people simply stopped hiring them out of fear for their businesses. And even though discrimination based on blood status is officially banned in England, and Voldemort himself has vanished, wizards are still afraid to hire them. Furthermore, England is still completely controlled by pure-blood families, most of whom supported the Dark Lord's ideology in one way or another, — Perenelle explained patiently.
Victor was genuinely surprised by what he heard:
— So... it's not like that all over the world?!
— Not at all. Only in a few countries. But as I said, England takes top spot among them.
— Well, let me rephrase that a bit: I will gather the most talented mudbloods in England to work in my city!
— I still don't understand why you need to build an entire city, — Nicolas frowned. — Better yet, buy a couple of shops in Diagon Alley and give them jobs there, if you've firmly decided to help them.
— But I understand completely! — Perenelle smiled with a predatory glint in her eyes. — You will gather desperate Muggle-borns, give them jobs and a safe home in the wizarding world — an entire city where they will no longer fear discrimination. And in return, you'll receive their boundless gratitude and absolute loyalty.
Victor smiled triumphantly: Perenelle had seen right through his plan.
— Let me guess, — she continued, — wizards who are strong in combat magic but useless in manufacturing will also find a place in your city? And you, just like Voldemort, will promote your own ideology — something along the lines of "Mudbloods have a place in the wizarding world too!", thereby building yourself a loyal private army?
— I told you she'd get it! — Victor looked smugly at Abigail.
— So this isn't being done out of selfless charity at all, but to recruit loyal subordinates?! — Nicolas finally fully grasped the essence of the project.
— How do you plan to track down these most talented Muggle-borns? — Adele piped up.
Victor nodded confidently, walked quickly to the board, stuck his head under the cover, erased the previous writing, and wrote something new. Then he stood before his audience again:
— Abigail, if you please!
Abigail nodded and pulled off the cover, then read what was written with curiosity and asked:
— Who is Albus Dumbledore?..
— The headmaster of my school, — Victor replied impassively.
Perenelle pondered for a moment and nodded approvingly:
— Yes, Hogwarts ought to keep records of absolutely every student. And as long as they haven't left the country, you'll find them easily.
— So, what do you say? — Victor stared at the sponsors expectantly.
Perenelle and Nicolas exchanged looks, then looked back at him.
— It's a very ambitious plan, Victor. But I'm afraid you haven't thought it through at all, — Nicolas sighed.
— The simpler, the better! — Victor chuckled lightheartedly.
— Listen, — Nicolas said instructively. — It's not enough to just build a city and naively assume wizards will instantly flood in to settle it. But let's say... let's say by some miracle you manage to do that. What makes you think all those wizards will actually be loyal to you? What about spies sent by competitors or the Ministry? Who is going to handle the logistics for the entire city, inspect the quality of work, calculate wages, manage resources? You won't be able to stay there constantly. Even if you could — would you really have time to keep track of absolutely everything?!
— Well... Grandmother could assign me a dozen reliable people to help, — Victor shrugged.
— Exactly! — Nicolas caught on. — The construction money is ours. The infrastructure and staff are also ours. If the entire city relies on the Flamels' resources, why on earth should they remain loyal to you, a child? It's not enough to just hand people housing and declare: "This is my city, kiss my hands!". And that's not even touching on whether the Muggle-borns will even come. What makes you think they'll abandon their current lives and run at your call? Most have long since grown accustomed to living among Muggles. To them, a sudden invitation to some city for mudbloods will look like cheese in a mousetrap. They'll simply be afraid to come.
As Nicolas patiently explained all of this, Victor's face scowled more and more. He really... hadn't thought that far ahead!
— Ugh... That sucks! Why does everything have to be so complicated, argh?! — Victor ruffled his neatly styled hair in total frustration.
— It's actually not all that complicated; you're just trying to bite off more than you can chew, — Perenelle said softly and soothingly. — First of all, forget about an entire city for now. We can certainly start construction — I even have a suitable plot of land in England — but let's leave that for later. First, try to find at least fifty Muggle-borns and give them jobs. Let them be ordinary shops in Diagon Alley. And don't try to lure them into your ideology against pure-bloods right from the start — you'll only scare them off! I highly doubt they'd agree to follow you right away. Yes, you're smart and incredibly strong, we know that, but to them, you're still just a child. Let them simply work for you first and gain complete trust. When recruiting them, play on their longing for magic; I think it's hard for any wizard to give up magic forever.
Perenelle paused briefly and, deep in thought, continued:
— Furthermore: it really will be difficult for you. Don't take offense, but as Nicolas quite rightly pointed out, you're a pretty poor manager for now — with your habit of diving headfirst into something and ignoring everything else around you. You need a competent administrator. Someone well-versed in management, and at the same time someone you trust one hundred percent who is completely devoted to you.
Perenelle smiled at Victor:
— Over time, as those fifty wizards return to the magical world for good thanks to you, they'll start spreading the word themselves. Muggle-borns bound to cross paths in the Muggle world from time to time just to reminisce. Gradually, rumors about you will spread, and new candidates won't have any reservations left — after all, their own friends will be working successfully for you.
— Next: when the number of Muggle-borns grows, choose the most grateful and skilled wizards from those initial fifty. Make them into manager-types — they will oversee their people and report directly to you and your main assistant. And as the organization grows even larger, those managers will select deputies from among the most capable and loyal. That way, a stable pyramid of authority will build itself, with you standing at the very top.
Perenelle paused, letting Victor digest the thought, and continued:
— Only then, when you have hundreds of loyal people under your command, should you begin slowly integrating them into your city! Move their workplaces to the new location and, as an incentive, start selling them housing there for dirt cheap. And once you've established an impeccable reputation in Diagon Alley, begin actively advertising your city and gradually transfer all the retail outlets there. You said you'd have an entertainment zone? Advertise that.
Then a subtle, predatory smirk appeared on Perenelle's lips:
— And all this time, your discreet propaganda agents should be working inside your city through ordinary rumors and casual conversations. Have your people offhandedly strike up conversations in public or in workplaces. In one conversation, someone casually drops a thought: "You know, Muggle-borns aren't any worse than pure-bloods!". In another, someone backs the idea up. When wizards hear this from regular passersby, they'll start discussing it themselves and think it's their own organic public opinion. And then your people will start carefully starting rumors specifically about you: "Look at Victor! He's a Muggle-born too, yet he was able to reach such heights and protect us!".
In the end, simple psychology will kick in: you will give them a home and restore their pride as wizards. They will genuinely come to respect and admire you. And at some point, they won't even notice how they turned from simple grateful workers into loyal followers ready to go to war for you.
When Perenelle finished, dead silence descended upon the living room. Everyone present stared at her in utter shock, their eyes wide.