"I want the entire port-town Plymouth. I'll turn it into an industrial city for future tech manufacturing." Dudley plainly stated. "In time, it will eclipse London in economic influence. The window is closing, Prime Minister. Miss it, and we lose the industry. Tech is no different from aircraft development—you build it from the ground up, improving with each generation. You don't simply wake up and decide you're going to craft the world's finest fighter jet overnight."
With a conflicted expression, the man shook his head. "Exciting, but I can't help you. You should speak with the local bodies of Devon. If it's land you want—"
"It's not the land, Prime Minister. It's the government's outlook that's the issue. I doubt you can even begin to grasp what I'm suggesting. Once I establish these industries, each will be worth hundreds of billions—possibly even trillions. Ridiculous, isn't it? But not to me."
"Tax break? Is that what you want?"
"I'd welcome them, of course. But what I truly want is a government-backed policy shift to promote the tech industry. Schools, colleges—every institution should be pushing computer science, coding, anything tech-related. I can fund research, yes, but I can't change the focus of universities alone. That's where the government comes in."
"We're already doing that."
"Not enough. You're aware I own most of Google, aren't you?" Dudley prepared his final weapon. "If you can ensure a policy shift, I might just advise my future investments to register in the UK. Many already do, we're practically an unofficial tax haven, but there's still plenty of room for expansion."
"Hmm…" The Prime Minister silently pondered for a while. "I see where you're coming from. You're proposing a sort of Silicon Valley here. It's a great idea, but I'm just the Prime Minister, not the whole government. And if politics is known for anything, it's the lack of flexibility. There's a saying: 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.' The economy's doing alright, which makes it hard to argue for something as big as this."
"Don't worry about the others. I'll manage them. What I need to know is if you're onboard," Dudley asked directly. "I'm certain you'll secure another term. When you retire, there's always a lucrative advisory role waiting for you at one of my companies."
The Prime Minister scowled. "Are you bribing me?"
"I call it career counseling." Dudley shrugged.
For a moment, silence fell.
But then the man laughed. "Haha! Career counseling, eh? That does sound more appealing. Alright, I'll give it a go, if you're so sure. After all, you're practically the poster child for capitalist success in the country. Let's see how far you can push it."
"Great." Dudley threw away the gold club and shook the Prime Minister's hand. But then Dudley also took off the glove and started walking away to the golf cart with the man.
"Not interested in playing anymore, Mr. Dursley?" The Prime Minister asked.
Dudley shrugged. "I've never played before. Today's the first time I've even held a club."
"Haha!" The Prime Minister laughed heartily. "Me too! That's why I arrived early, just to have a bit of practice. Should've said something earlier, we could've had a proper cup of tea instead."
Dudley chuckled and drove away with the man. He had a feeling their partnership was going to last many years.
####
Easter Holiday was over. Dudley reached King's Cross on time and boarded Hogwarts Express right away. The train was mostly empty since barely any students went home thanks to the Triwizard tournament. The final task was just a few days away, and this time, he had finished all the preparations.
Once the train started moving, Dudley walked out of his empty cabin and started moving across the carriages to find any other student. The journey was many hours long, and alone, it was boring.
"Oh?"
Whistling to himself, just as he was passing by a carriage near the end of the train, he saw a silent figure sitting alone inside a cabin. The rest of the carriage was empty, it was just her, sitting legs crossed, already in her Hogwarts uniform but without the black cloak, blonde hair neatly combed and tied in a ponytail behind, a few locks falling down as she read a book.
"What are you reading?" He startled her with the sudden question, opening the sliding door of the cabin.
She looked up at him, her big, blue eyes icy, but her brows were relaxed, as if pleased to see him. She just raised the book and showed him the cover without saying anything.
"Hmm, Potions Against Curses, that's a new one." Dudley walked in and sat opposite to her, looking at her face above the book's edge. "Didn't know Ms. Greengrass fancied coming home for the holidays. Such a filial daughter."
Daphne chuckled and turned a page, not even looking at him. "There are many things you don't know, Mr. Rich."
What a mysterious girl. Why'd she even ask me to be her Yule Ball partner? Well, she did help me meet Mr. Greengrass.
Just then, he had an idea.
Let's try that.
A bit unethical, but with the intent to just read her surface thoughts, he used Legilimency. But it wasn't easy as she never looked up at him.
"You looked stunning at the Yule Ball, you know." He complimented, and as expected, she glanced up at him for a quick moment. And that was enough for him to hear her thoughts.
Don't look at him. Don't look at him… uh, I'm looking. Why did I have to see that… Uh… I can't get that image out of my head. Let's just read.
Dudley read all those thoughts, but he also saw the image that she was talking about. It shocked him a little. It was him shagging Hannah in the woods from a few months ago during the Hogsmeade visit. And… Daphne had watched him and Hannah all the way till the end.
So, she has a crush on me or what? Hard to believe it. Dudley pondered. While he considered himself pretty handsome and tall, he didn't know if Daphne, a Slytherin, would have an interest in him.
Let's give it a shot.
It didn't feel right to use Legilimency, so he decided to play with her a little.
"Where did you go that night after the dance? I looked for you," he asked. Daphne had left the dance hall as soon as they had stopped dancing.
Suddenly, Daphne's pretty, pale cheeks blushed, and her delicate thin brows creased. She uncrossed her legs and squeezed them together. She quickly hid her face fully behind the book.
"I went to sleep."
Hard to believe with all that.
"Come on, it's boring with nobody to talk to." Dudley abruptly shifted and stepped right in front of Daphne. At his full height, he leaned forward, putting one arm on the cabin's wall, his face staring downwards. Daphne also looked up at him, her eyes shaky.
Then, he grabbed her book and took it away. Still, Daphne stayed seated, as if stunned, eyes locked. Seemingly not realising her book was taken away.
Yeah, she's into me.
Now, there was a dilemma. Did he consider Daphne a kind person? Not at all. Was her family among the good ones? Not at all. Should he date her? Not at all.
But this… he was interested in. Daphne was cold, hard to approach, but she was among the most beautiful girls in the school. Her waist slender, her hips flared out in the skirt, her pantyhose clad legs fleshy and soft to look, her chest full and her face—angelic.
"What do you want to talk about?" Daphne finally voiced. It was visible. She was controlling her tone to not have a shaky voice.
Let's try a little bit of healthy flirting.
"How about…" Dudley suddenly leaned further down, almost 90 degrees. That way, with his one arm still planted on the wall beside her head, his face came closer. Then, with his other hand, he softly pinched her warm chin, "Let's talk about how beautiful you are—What's the secret?"
Daphne visibly gulped. But she didn't swat his hand away. Instead, her eyes constantly looked into the gap of his normal shirt, the top two buttons open, revealing some of his chest. Then her eyes looked down at his pants, a pair of jeans.
No words? Then…
Dudley leaned in close, the scent of her skin drawing him in; clean, soft, and something vaguely floral. His lips hovered beside her ear, his breath warm and thick with intention. Then, he dipped his head, just close enough to sniff her. Slowly, he inhaled the subtle musk of her neck.
"You smell like trouble," he whispered, the words dripping off his tongue like dark honey, meant only to make her squirm.
But just as his lips nearly brushed her ear, Daphne moved, smooth and sudden. Her delicate fingers traced the edge of his jaw, guiding him just that inch closer before she moved forward, lips crashing into his. Her kiss was breathless, like she'd been waiting far too long to let go.
Dudley froze. His eyes wide; caught off guard. He hadn't planned to kiss her. He'd only wanted to tease, rile her up a little, pass time on the train.
Did she think I was going in for a kiss?
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