The air in the study seemed to grow thick, as if the magic of Swann Manor was reacting to the weight of the pact being forged. Percy's heart didn't just stop; it felt like it had been seized by a cold, exhilarating hand. A high-ranking official? Not in twenty years, but in two? It was the kind of offer that felt like a siren song, beautiful and dangerous all at once.
"Professor Swann," Percy began, his voice cracking slightly before he steadied it with a surge of Gryffindor—or perhaps Slytherin—resolve. "I want to hear the terms. I'm not a child who expects something for nothing."
He tried to keep his hands flat on his knees, but the slight tremor in his fingers was unmistakable. He was looking at a door that had been locked to his family for generations, and Sebastian was holding the key.
"The condition is simple in theory, but heavy in practice," Sebastian said, his voice smooth and low. "Once you enter the Ministry, you aren't a servant of the Minister, and you aren't a servant of the public. You are one of my men. You move when I say move, and you stall when I say stall. Is that a price you're willing to pay?"
Is that all? Percy thought, a wave of relief washing over him. To someone like Percy, who had spent his life trying to fit into rigid systems, the idea of having a powerful patron was a comfort, not a burden. In the wizarding world, you always had to pick a side eventually. Why not pick the side that was handing you a golden ladder?
"Professor, I—"
Sebastian raised a hand, cutting him off before he could pledge his soul. "Don't answer yet. Listen to the plan first. If you still have the stomach for it after I'm done, then you can give me your word. This isn't about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Percy. And it's not about International Cooperation."
Percy blinked, his excitement stumbling into confusion. If not those two, where was the power? Those were the titans of the Ministry. Was it the Minister's own office? Was he to be the next Junior Assistant to Cornelius Fudge?
Sebastian saw the gears turning in Percy's head and smiled, a thin, knowing expression. "Don't look for a seat at a table that's already full, Percy. Every chair in the current Ministry is occupied by someone's cousin or a man with a deeper pocket than yours. Why waste years fighting for a scrap of influence when we can simply build a new table?"
"A new... department?" Percy whispered, the sheer audacity of the thought making his head spin.
"Exactly. Why compete in a vicious cycle when you can lead a revolution? The Ministry is ancient, bloated, and financially illiterate. It survives on momentum and old gold. I intend to establish a new pillar of power: The Ministry of Finance."
Percy felt like he'd been struck by a silent Stupefy. The Ministry of Finance? It didn't exist. The wizarding world's economy was a chaotic blend of Gringotts' iron-fisted control and archaic tax laws that no one followed. To create a department that oversaw the actual flow of wealth... that wouldn't just be a new office. It would be the heart of the government.
"A new department means a vacuum of leadership," Sebastian continued, pacing the small space of the study. "No seniority to fight. No old guard to please. With my backing and your—admittedly exceptional—academic record, you wouldn't just be an intern. You'd be a founding architect. You'd leapfrog a decade of 'paying your dues' in a single afternoon."
Percy's pulse was hammering against his ribs. He realized that Sebastian wasn't just offering him a job; he was offering him a throne. The "pie" Sebastian was describing was massive, and Percy was being invited to take the first bite.
"Professor," Percy said, his voice now a low, fierce growl of determination. "From this moment on, my wand points where you tell it to. I don't need to think about it. I've been thinking about this my whole life."
"Really?" Sebastian chuckled, though there was a spark of approval in his eyes. "It won't be easy. The next two years will be a gauntlet. You'll be more exhausted than a fifth-year during O.W.L. week. You'll be living a double life."
"I don't care," Percy said. "Tell me what I have to do."
"Good. Then listen well, for this is a secret that could topple the current administration if it leaked. You cannot tell Ron, you cannot tell your mother, and you certainly cannot tell your father. If Arthur knew, his sense of 'duty' might complicate things."
Sebastian reached into his desk and pulled out a thick, heavy envelope sealed with a wax crest Harry wouldn't have recognized. He handed it to Percy.
"The wizarding world knows nothing of modern finance. We are centuries behind. To lead this department, you cannot rely on Hogwarts. Tomorrow, you will go to the Muggle world. There is an address in that letter—a Mr. White. He will facilitate your entry into a world you've never seen."
"Muggle... universities?" Percy asked, looking at the letter as if it might bite.
"Yes. I've arranged for one-on-one tutoring with some of the finest economic minds in the Muggle world. For the next two years, during your summers and your holidays, you will be learning their systems. Banking, macro-economics, trade leverage, currency manipulation. You will be absorbing four years of Muggle university education in half the time, all while maintaining your 'Outstanding' grades at Hogwarts."
Sebastian leaned forward, his eyes boring into Percy's. "If you fail a single exam, if you fall behind in your Muggle studies, you're out. The Finance Department needs a master, not a student. If your family asks, you are interning at Swann Alchemy. I will cover every expense—tuition, books, travel. You just have to provide the brain."
Percy gripped the letter. It felt heavier than any textbook. He was being asked to master an entirely foreign branch of knowledge while finishing his magical education. It was an impossible task.
And Percy Weasley loved nothing more than an impossible academic challenge.
"I'll do it," Percy said, his jaw set. "I'll master it all. I won't let you down, Professor."
Sebastian smiled—a genuine, satisfied smile. He walked over to a crystal decanter and poured two glasses of deep, ruby-red wine. He handed one to Percy.
"A word of advice, Percy: don't think of this as 'Muggle' knowledge. Think of it as the secret language of the world. The Muggles may not have wands, but they understand the power of the ledger better than any pure-blood in the Wizengamot."
Sebastian raised his glass, his eyes gleaming with the reflected light of the study's candles.
"To the future Minister of Finance," Sebastian toasted. "To the man who will finally make the Galleon work for us."
Percy raised his glass, the red wine shimmering. He took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through his chest. He wasn't just Percy Weasley, the "boring" brother, anymore. He was the secret weapon of Sebastian Swann.
Outside, the birthday cake was being cut, and Harry was laughing at a joke Fred had made. But inside the study, the silent architect of a new era had just found his most loyal lieutenant.