####
As he'd expected, President Aiyana Blackwood failed to convince the Wizards' Council to allow the bank to operate. She looked tense and annoyed that day.
Uh, I hate politics.
Dudley listened to her explain until the end before starting. "I anticipated as much, Madam President. In the end, personal interests always take precedence. That's precisely why I've devised an alternative strategy—one that ensures a win for all parties involved. Not just the Wizards' Council, but for you, the Muggle government, and, of course, myself."
"Which is?" The stern woman looked back at his face, as if trying to discern the truth.
Dudley didn't feel any mental probe. It would have been utterly unprofessional and irresponsible of her if she had done that.
"What's the most important thing in life, whether you're a Muggle or a wizard? Magic? Prestige? Food? A grand house? No, it's money. I've gone over some figures, and the current Muggle-born unemployment in America is a staggering sixty-three percent. That's just Muggle-born. Half-Bloods, on the other hand, sit at forty percent. Better, of course, because the old families prefer them for their businesses."
President Aiyana narrowed her gaze. "Get to the point, Mr. Dursley."
"I'll create jobs for everyone! American No-Maj-Born, Half-Bloods, No-Majs. I'm prepared to sign an investment MoU with both MACUSA and the Muggle government, of course. But that's contingent on my ability to establish a bank here. The Muggle branch is already up and running in this city. It's the magical side that's giving me trouble. Even the French and Australians have come on board, but without America's cooperation, the plan remains incomplete."
He originally didn't want to get into manufacturing industries. But after seeing Vanguard Group, he was tempted. Magic was one convenient tool that, if used wisely, could make almost anything easy.
She's tempted.
Noticing the President's curious expressions and calculative gaze, he hoped for good news.
"How much are you willing to invest?"
"Don't ask me that, Madam President. Ask me how many wizards I can employ. And the answer is, the more, the better. You need to grasp the bigger picture. By founding D&D Bank, I'm uniting Muggle and wizard banking, opening up new opportunities for wizards to thrive. Similarly, by integrating Muggle manufacturing with magical skills, I can provide jobs to nearly every unemployed wizard in America—provided, of course, the Muggle government grants me land and the necessary tax breaks."
President Aiyana shook her head. "IWC will never allow you to do that."
"Why not? I'm not violating any laws. Half the workforce will be Muggles, the other half wizards. The facilities will differ, of course, as will their roles. But in the end, what matters is the money—everyone gets their share, doesn't it? And I'll have Professor Dumbledore onboard too. He's involved with D&D Bank, after all. Not to mention, Mr. Nicolas Flamel's also on board."
"What? Why wasn't this mentioned sooner? That could have changed everything with the Wizards' Council!" President Aiyana raised her voice suddenly, a first in front of Dudley. "Uh… You're young, I suppose you don't know. Dumbledore is well respected in America. And Nicolas Flamel is a legend. If they're backing the bank—I'll give you my final answer by tomorrow."
Wait? Really? What the… Why didn't I do that earlier?
Dudley internally frowned, cursing his lapse. He never really thought about using Dumbledore's name in America because the country was simply too far away and big. Knowing how Dumbledore struggled against Voldemort and how nobody came to help, he reckoned the US simply didn't give a damn.
"I'll wait for your response." He stood up to leave.
"Wait! Is that investment proposal real?"
That ship has sailed.
"Of course—I do wish to buy a few American companies and start manufacturing."
"Very well, that makes things easier. I'll see you tomorrow."
Even before Dudley, the MACUSA President left, but not by walking. She simply vanished from her chair in a sudden black mist.
Man… I should learn apparition too.
####
All that happened 2 days ago.
Once interests were tied together, it was easy to convince politicians. With something to gain for everyone, Dudley received his final approval to set up a wizard bank. Behind the scenes, Lucius believed it was because of his connections.
Similarly, President Aiyana connected him with the Governor of Texas as Dudley needed large parcels of land where he could employ Muggles and wizards both, but still separated.
However, the negotiations and money matters were left to Edwin. Dudley returned to London the very next day and headed to the reserved golf course to meet the PM. This was his first time meeting the man, as Edwin dealt with the British side of politics before.
But for what Dudley had in mind, he needed the PM onboard before going any further. If the PM refused, it was better to wait and nurture someone else to rise to the top. The UK was a small country, once rich, now in a slow decline, and Dudley wanted to turn it into his fortress where nothing could happen without his knowledge. Of course, in return he planned to nurture the country's economy and create a relationship where, without Dudley, the economy would collapse.
Straight from the airport, guarded by the Vanguard Group members, he rode to the golf course. The Prime Minister's security was already present there, and from the looks of it, the man was also there.
"Make sure nobody can hear us," Dudley ordered as he got out of the car and walked straight into the clubhouse. Sure, he got searched by the PM's security first. He didn't like it, but he ignored it for now.
The entire golf course was deserted. Even the staff wasn't there, and in the distance, the Prime Minister was playing alone with a golf cart behind him. Dudley also rode to the man after drinking some potions to make his voice deeper. He also sprayed on a potion that helped the other person relax and lower their guard.
"Morning, Prime Minister." Dudley grabbed a golf club too, although he'd never played it in either of his lives before.
The Prime Minister, brown haired, looked back in surprise. "Morning… I… didn't expect you to look so young."
Dudley chuckled and used his altered deep voice. "I hope a man's worth is gauged through actions not age."
Prime Minister, Tony Blair, chuckled and nodded. "My hairline may be thinning, Mr. Dursley, but that's a sign of my improving wisdom, hah! So, what can I do for you?"
"We, Prime Minister. What can we do for each other." Dudley grabbed a few golf balls and started practicing like a rookie. "Word must have reached you. The MoUs I signed in the U.S."
Woosh!
The Prime Minister took a shot as he spoke. "I did. It's all good for international relations, but it's a blow for us. You must have seen the headlines today. Capital's fleeing London, and they're pointing fingers at me, even though this is my first time meeting you."
"That's precisely why I asked to meet with you. The MoU was nothing more than a gesture to calm things over there. This place remains my home, regardless. Yes, you inherited a robust economy, and it's seen steady growth, but I've done my own bit of work to assess where we're heading."
"And what's the evaluation?" The Prime Minister asked.
Dudley stopped playing and took a serious tone. "Should I sugarcoat it or say it bluntly?"
At that, the man also stopped playing and looked at Dudley. "In the matters of economics, sugarcoating never helps. Go ahead, Mr. Dursley, break my heart."
"It's rather grim. The sun may be shining now, but when the new millennium arrives, we're in for a rough ride. The signs are already apparent, and they're only going to worsen. Personal debt is climbing, mostly tied to the housing market. Our manufacturing sector is on its last legs, and China's gearing up to dominate the global market. Our trade deficit will keep expanding. Productivity is sluggish, and the rounds of privatization we've seen have only benefitted a select few.
"The competition on the world stage is intensifying, Mr. Prime Minister. Soon our national debt will eclipse a hundred percent. The economy will stall, real wages will shrink, and living standards will continue to decline. We've become a service-based economy, and global shifts—and crises—don't favour such economies."
"We did well despite the Asian crisis," said the Prime Minister.
"That's because our presence in Asia has been minimal. Our financial sector is solid, but as globalization advances, we'll inevitably lose these advantages," Dudley replied and started playing again.
"That's precisely why I wanted to speak with you. I'm aiming to bring large-scale manufacturing back—focusing on industries of the future: cars, batteries, semiconductors, and tech that demands heavy research and development."
With Wizards, Dudley truly believed that he could push the core industries by a few years. Displays, batteries, semiconductors, computers. Magic could be used to avoid losses during experimentation. If a new developmental battery suddenly exploded, a wizard unit just had to swing a wand and rewind the damage to test that same battery again with different settings. The same could be applied to everything.
Fuck future Samsung and Apple. Dudley thought. He didn't want a piece, he wanted the whole damn pie.
The Prime Minister stared at Dudley's face to see if he was serious. "What's the scale we're talking about?"
______________________
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