— And what difference does it make whose money they use to open a business?! — a cheerful voice suddenly echoed from the back of the hall. — Does it really matter if you're being offered a real job in the wizarding world?!
Cassian spun around abruptly and looked at the young man who had just spoken those words:
— And who the hell are you?! Another one of our new bosses? — Cassian sneered venomously.
The boy chuckled softly and, pushing off from the wall, walked slowly straight toward him:
— You almost guessed right. But I'm not just a boss.
— Ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to present the person who gathered all of you here today, — Hermione announced loudly from the stage. — The owner of the new trading company "Hydra" — Victor Moss!
— What? That's Victor Moss?!
— He's so young...
Victor, who had unhurriedly approached Cassian, merely offered a genuine smile:
— Yes, I am Victor Moss. I am young, and I indeed started my business using galleons from my adoptive grandparents. Do you have a problem with that?
Cassian scowled gloomily:
— Yes, I have a problem! Because you're a group of kids pulling the wool over our eyes, tearing us away from important matters, and promising us pie in the sky!
Victor swept a keen glance over him and smirked:
— From important matters? You mean working on a construction site?
— Why, you arrogant little... — Cassian flared up and was about to step forward, but stopped just in time when Maeve gripped his hand tightly and recoiled.
Victor simply ignored his outburst. He walked past him and, jumping up, casually sat on the edge of the stage:
— I am not promising you pie in the sky. I can't even guarantee that my business idea will last for decades. But what I can promise you for sure: no matter how things go for the company, I will provide every single one of you with a stable, paid job for at least ten years ahead, followed by a decent pension. Believe me, my beloved grandfather, Nicolas Flamel, has more than enough funds for that.
— Who's Nicolas Flamel? — someone in the back rows asked quietly.
— Have you completely lost your mind?! — someone whispered back. — He's the greatest alchemist in history! He's over six hundred years old, and he's the richest wizard in the world!
Meanwhile, Victor continued, his voice sounding soft yet persuasive:
— You need to understand the main point: I am offering you a chance to return to magical society. So that you can once again proudly call yourselves true wizards. I'm almost certain that many of you have already forgotten what your wands look like and what it feels like to cast magic. But there are things you will never forget: the day you first received your letter from Hogwarts; the day you first set foot on the cobblestones of Diagon Alley, full of wonders; the feeling when you cast a successful spell for the very first time in your life...
He paused and scanned the room. Some in the hall slumped guiltily, some smiled warmly at the memories, and others were lost in deep thought. Then Victor settled his gaze on Cassian:
— I understand your feelings completely. I understand what you felt when you graduated from school and faced the harsh reality of this world. That is precisely why I gathered all of you here. Do you think it wouldn't have been easier for me to put an ad in the newspaper and hire a ready-made staff? It would have been. But as Daphne already mentioned, I am Muggle-born too. And I am sincerely opposed to the discrimination we have to face. I hope that with your help, "Hydra" will grow, and we will be able to give a chance and a job to hundreds of wizards just like us.
Hope flared in people's eyes. A wave of animated whispering rippled through the hall, and they began looking at each other with renewed enthusiasm.
— These are all just pretty words! — Cassian interrupted harshly. — How could a child like you know what we felt?! Did you tremble with fear when Death Eaters walked literally two steps away from you?! Did you ever hide among Muggles, sitting by the window for days on end, terrified that You-Know-Who would come at any moment and slaughter your entire family?!
Victor's words hadn't touched Cassian at all.
Victor merely offered a restrained smirk. Hide from Death Eaters?.. He had literally grown up and lived among them.
— So it's all about fear? You're afraid? — Victor looked him straight in the eye. — And what now? Because of your fear, are you going to give up on your own future forever? — He briefly shifted his gaze to Maeve. — Are you going to force her to give up on her dream? And when you have a child and they turn out to be a wizard — what then? Will you lock them inside the house and forbid them from doing magic?
Noticing Cassian's cheek twitch at those words, Victor smiled subtly:
— Oho... So I hit right on the mark! And are you really prepared to rob your own child of those wonderful moments when the magical world opens up to them for the first time?
Cassian clenched his fists until his knuckles popped:
— Yes! Because it will be better for her that way! The magical world only seems like a fairytale in the very beginning, but what comes after?! I'd rather hide her own magic from her for the rest of my life, but give her a chance to build a quiet, normal life among normal people! Anyway, we shouldn't have come here. Let's go, Maeve!
He turned to his wife, but she remained seated, completely ignoring his call.
— Maeve?!
— We'll talk at home, Cassian. Go ahead. When the meeting is over, I'll return on my own, — she replied firmly. Maeve didn't want to be angry with her husband, as she understood where his fears came from, but this was crossing all boundaries. The way he intended to treat their daughter Astrid was something she categorically refused to accept.
Cassian stared into his wife's face for a long time, but ultimately didn't leave. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed back onto the bench helplessly.
— Well... I understand your desire to protect your family, — Victor spoke softly, yet loud enough for the entire hall to hear. — But I don't think past fears should stop you from protecting a child from her true nature. Your daughter is a witch. And that cannot be changed or hidden, no matter how much you might want to. Besides... what makes you think she will be completely safe among Muggles? Here, at least, she'll learn to defend herself with a wand in hand. But there? — Victor made a meaningful pause. — Are dangerous people so rare among Muggles? Murderers, rapists, lunatics? I believe it's better for her to become a trained witch capable of standing up for herself than a defenseless young girl.
Victor turned his head slightly toward Daphne:
— You may continue.
Daphne nodded composedly and addressed the hall:
— Does anyone else have any questions?
A few hours later, all the guests who had arrived for the meeting dispersed. Everyone was given two days to think everything over thoroughly and make a decision.
Hermione walked over to the edge of the stage and sat down next to Victor, dangling her legs:
— Everything became so much easier when you stepped in and talked to them... Why didn't you come out right away? — she asked, nudging his shoulder.
Victor chuckled softly, pulled her into his arms by her shoulders, and hugged her tightly. Flustered by the sudden gesture, Hermione blushed slightly, but stayed in his embrace, looking up at his handsome face.
— I just wanted to see how you two would handle it, — he answered with a light smile. — After all, very soon they'll become your subordinates.
Daphne, who had been chatting quietly with Abigail, suddenly scowled upon noticing the two of them hugging on stage. Abigail immediately caught the sharp shift in the girl's mood and, following her gaze, smiled faintly. So Victor likes playing on multiple fronts at once... she thought to herself.
Daphne walked up to them, crossed her arms over her chest, and fixed them both with a displeased glare:
— Why did you suddenly change the name of the company? I think "Victor Group" sounded much better.
Victor turned around and, spotting the blatant jealousy on Daphne's face, smirked slyly. Wanting to tease her even more, he pulled the flustered Hermione close to him and began gently caressing her waist, stomach, and legs.
— No particular reason, — he brushed it off. — I just had a dream where I was standing in front of a giant crowd, and they were chanting in unison: "Hail Hydra!". When I woke up, I thought it sounded pretty good. Besides, Hydra is associated with snakes, which I, as a Slytherin, really appreciate. And most importantly — "Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place." I want that to be our official motto.
Daphne fell deep into thought. Setting aside the weird dream part, the rest actually made logical sense.
Abigail, on the other hand, had entirely different associations. She was slightly taken aback and asked cautiously:
— Um... Victor... are you a Nazi?! Why are you dreaming about people greeting you exactly like Hitler?!
Victor listened to her in silence and merely let out a tired sigh. At that moment, he genuinely wished the 21st century would hurry up and arrive — then people would finally start understanding his references! Even if it meant being caught and accused of shameless plagiarism.
— Victor, could you please let go of Hermione?! — Daphne hissed, her voice laced with ringing jealousy.
Victor glanced at Hermione: she was no longer reacting to her surroundings at all. The girl had turned bright red, breathing heavily, her gaze slightly out of focus.
— My, my! I forgot that girls mature faster than boys. Looks like my little Hermione is turning into a mini pervert! — he teased playfully, gently cupping her face and kissing her softly on the lips.
With that, Victor stood up, releasing Hermione from his embrace. Deprived of support, she remained lying helplessly on the stage, breathing heavily from his unexpected affection.
— Victor, remember you promised to fulfill two requests of mine? — Daphne crossed her arms strictly. — You've already fulfilled one, though to be honest, I'm starting to regret it... — She cast a jealous glance at the lying Hermione.
— Yes, of course! And what's your second request? — Victor asked readily.
— I want you to meet my parents.
Victor froze for a second in surprise, and then burst out laughing heartily:
— Ha-ha-ha! And that's all?!
Daphne nodded solemnly. She still didn't fully understand the status of their relationship, but she knew one thing for sure: she liked Victor very much. And considering he had already met Hermione's parents and she was noticeably falling behind in this "race," Daphne categorically refused to accept such a state of affairs.
Victor stepped up to her, gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close:
— Well of course, no problem! Pick a day, let me know, and I'll come. And you know, I won't even count this as your second request. So take your time thinking about it a bit more!
Daphne nodded shyly and happily, burying her face in his shoulder. Victor patted her back gently, then softly pulled away, jumped off the stage, and called out over his shoulder as he walked away:
— I'm off to see Ben. You girls go back to grandmother and tell her how our meeting went.
With those words, he flicked his wand and instantly Disapparated.
— Daphne... — Hermione spoke up after Victor vanished. As she sat up on the stage, she was still burning with embarrassment, her cheeks glowing a deep crimson. — He's changed.
Daphne looked at her friend:
— Well... He seems to have become more mature. In a sense.
Hermione shook her head:
— That's not what I mean. Well, that too, of course... But I mean he's become too... dangerous. If before I was ready to fight for him to be only with me, now... I'm afraid he'll just force me to accept that I'm not the only one. — Toward the end of her sentence, Hermione scowled herself: accepting such a thought went against all her principles and was extremely difficult.
Daphne sank deep into thought, her eyes widening in realization. Indeed! Victor had just caressed Hermione right in front of her eyes, and then openly flirted with her right after. Back at school, he would never have allowed himself to do something like that. Of course, they both knew Victor was dating them simultaneously, but whenever they were near each other, he had always kept his distance.
And now? Now he was completely relaxed, cuddling Hermione right in front of her and clearly enjoying her jealous reaction! But the scariest part was — Daphne hadn't even gotten genuinely angry at him. When had this even become normal for her?!
— It's frightening... — Hermione whispered softly. — Do you think we still have a chance to avoid this?
Daphne shook her head tiredly and replied with a heavy sigh:
— It seems it's already too late. We won't be able to walk away from him ourselves... and he won't let us anyway. I forgot what he's really like. Now it feels like I'm back in our first year, where he masterfully takes whatever he wants and does whatever he sets his mind to.
The girls looked at each other in silence and froze. It seemed both of them really needed to start getting used to sharing Victor.
Abigail watched with a faint smile as both girls sank into deep contemplation. Who would have thought that that tiny, quiet, and sweet little boy would grow up into such a true Casanova!
"Or maybe I should try joining this love triangle too?" a mischievous thought flashed through her mind.
The moment the thought occurred to her, she immediately recoiled in horror at herself: a woman over thirty was actually contemplating meddling in teenage romance games. "Silly Abigail, what on earth are you thinking? He's only twelve, even if he looks almost sixteen, and I look seventeen. No, Abigail, absolutely not."