Sat there, calmly looking through one of the magazines I left out for people to rifle through. She patiently waits there for her turn, which is weird because I looked through the room before. I never saw her there, and she is definitely a woman that stands out in a crowd. I would be able to find her in seconds if she was in a Where's Wally book.
She was a light brown-haired woman, and she looked like a patrician beauty with aristocratic bearing. However, there was none of the arrogance one would expect to come with such a bearing and noble features, her eyes were wide and kind, and she had a slight smile as she perused the magazine, a sight to behold. She had the classic great good looks and bearing common for members of noble wizarding houses. She was a tall woman with long legs; her face had a strong jaw, a thin mouth, and heavily lidded eyes with long eyelashes.
Her beauty was further enhanced by the clothes she wore, which drove me to believe that she wasn't actually a pureblood, even though she definitely looked the part. She wore a black business outfit, a tight white shirt wrapped in a slim black blazer, a knee-length skirt that covered her black pantyhose-clothed legs, with simple black heels.
Paying serious attention to this woman down to the smallest detail, I notice that she has a ring on her finger, but for some reason, that just makes me even more attracted to her, which confuses me greatly. I would offer this woman the position in a heartbeat; her beauty is so great. I don't even care if she is entirely unqualified. I can just hire two people, one for the actual reason I am hiring, and this woman can just be my secretary and assistant. However, I have an undeniable feeling that this woman is as clever as she is beautiful.
"Hm?" Her striking brown eyes flutter up and catch sight of me standing in the doorway, and I feel an immense contradiction in me. Part of me is drawn deep into those eyes, and I never want to look away from them, but the other half desperately wants to turn away from them in embarrassment at being caught staring at her, a remnant from my past life as an antisocial child. In the end, I am caught between the two, and I stare at her blankly, not responding in any way whatsoever.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is it my turn to be interviewed?" She says, seemingly believing that I had called for her and she had been too absorbed in the magazine to hear me, giving me a convenient way to carry on without looking like a total idiot.
"Yes, please follow me, and close the door behind you," I speak, leaving the door open and walking back into my office without waiting for her, rounding my desk and taking a seat in my comfy chair. And I take this moment with her out of my eye line to calm down and recollect myself because I cannot afford to get distracted now as the person that takes this job will be very instrumental in my plans in the future, and I can't afford for those plans to go awry.
"Please, take a seat," I say as she enters the room and gingerly closes the door behind her before she follows my instructions to sit on the slightly uncomfortable chair in front of my desk. I employ the full force of my Occlumeny as she crosses one leg over the other and presses her hands to her knee, the position being very distracting.
"Now, please tell me your name and why you would like the job," I say, asking the very same first question I said to all the previous applicants that sat in that same chair. There is a reason I ask those questions, and it is because it will reveal to me the entirety of who they are. Not the answers they will supply me with using their mouths, but the answers I will take using my Legilimency as the truth will be at the forefront of their mind. So, as she goes to answer my query, I immediately use my Legilimency.
"I am Andr- GET OUT!" I hardly touch upon her mind before I am blasted out, not expecting such resistance. My body is blown back a bit, my chair rolling back on its wheels before I place my feet down firmly to bring it to a halt. I look up at the woman before me, that has rage growing in her eyes, and I can see her reaching for her wand. My mind rushes, trying to find a way to explain what just happened without me having to resort to lethal methods to keep this woman quiet about this and to prevent her from killing me. Surprisingly a simple Gilderoy Lockhart plan comes to fruition, which I implement by starting to clap my hands vigorously.
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
"Congratulations, you are the first to pass the first barrier to getting this job. Might I add, your Occlumency is superb, definitely something that will help you get this position." I say with a happy, charming grin on my face as I nod my head and continuously clap my hands. This was the only thing I could think to do that wouldn't make things worse and might even de-escalate the situation. If anything, I am hoping that my unpredictable move will stun her and keep her from using her wand on me.
"YOU- You, what?" She starts, deflating as she hears what I say, which proves that my plan is working. Thankfully it seems to be working, but it doesn't take away from the fact that I have seriously messed up. I have just been using my mind magic so much lately, and I haven't run into any resistance whatsoever. I was using it all the time out in Muggle London. I used it on all the women I slept with to wipe their memories, I used it on all the applicants today, and without thinking, I used it on this woman.
"Oh, confused, are you? Well, let me explain. I have been testing the defences of all the applicants that came in today. Nothing invasive, just lightly checking their defences, and so far, no one at all had any sort of defences, all except you. But, of course, the position I am offering is contingent on you having good defences. I am trusting you with sensitive information after all, and you will have to guard that information." I explain, watching as the anger slowly bleeds from her face, though her expression is now stone cold without a hint of the warmth or kindness that was there before.
"Why didn't you just simply ask if I or any of the other people had Occlumenccy training? You know, instead of just invading our minds without permission." She says frostily, looking at me with cold eyes though I can only feel grateful that her hands are no longer reaching for her wand, now firmly clenched by her side.
"Well, of course, I could have done that, but I wouldn't have gotten a true answer from them. Most people lie in interviews to get jobs. I do not doubt that nearly all the people I interviewed today would lie about having Occlumency and then rush out to research it. The position you are looking to fulfil is that crucial and important I can't depend on the words of people, not without proper proof, so I decided just to test it myself. I am sorry if you are offended, that was not my intention, and I never intended to actually look into your mind. I was just seeing if you had defences." I say, though her face stays blank. However, her hands do stop clenching together.
"You are offering the position of secretary and financial advisor. What could those jobs possibly involve that would force you to test us in such a way?" She asks, using her logic and acting calmly, which I am excited to see since a levelheaded lady like this is just what I require. Not to mention she has Occlumency. But, of course, I wasn't lying when I said the job would need it, and I was just planning on hiring one of the muggle-borns and teaching them, maybe even getting a training partner out of them.
"That is just what I put in the ad, but the position entails so much more than that. So let's start over, I will tell you the complete details of the job I am offering, and we can start the interview again. Is that alright with you?" I say calmly, feeling that the situation has now calmed, and I am ready to get it back on track. This woman is by far the best candidate I have seen today, and I don't know anything about her except she has learnt Occlumency and she has a calm personality, demonstrated by the fact she didn't immediately blast my head off when I tried to read her mind.
"... Fine." She relents after a moment, and I restrain myself from pumping a fist in victory. She settles back into the position that she was in before, with her legs crossed and her hands over her knees, but this time there is no warmth, only cold in her expression, which is honestly fine. I can't decide which one I like better, the kind and warm look she has earlier or this cold and frosty look she has put on now. I can't pick which one I prefer, both being equally attractive.
"Now, please tell me your name and why you would like the job," I say once again, asking the very same first question I said to all the previous applicants that sat in that same chair, but this time I make no effort to use mind magic on the applicant. I genuinely would like the answer now since this woman is the very first to impress me today, and she was ready to murder me earlier when she was reaching for her wand, literally, and that kind of ruthlessness can be used and pointed in the right direction.
"I am Andromeda Tonks, and I am thirty-seven, and as for why I want this job? Well, as soon as I left Hogwarts, I got married and started a family, and now my child is fully grown and starting a life of her own, and my days are now left quite empty. However, I quite enjoyed your books while I was home alone, they filled the time, so when I saw your ad in the Daily Prophet, I decided to try out for this position, though I am now thinking that may have been a mistake." Oh, shit, Andromeda Tonks, as in the mother of Nymphadora Tonks and the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, one of the Black sisters. I can't believe my luck. I want her even more now, in the employment sense, that is, nothing else, honest.
"Please don't let my earlier actions dissuade you. This is a tremendous opportunity for you, and I am sure you would kick yourself if you missed it. The true details of the job I am offering is very different from what I put in the paper. While there might be hints of secretary and financial advisor work, what you will be doing will be very different. Shall I go on, or do you want to leave? It is up to you." I say because I don't want to waste my time here if she is going to refuse, and I don't want to explain what I want her to do since I don't want that getting around. She is the only one I am offering this information to, since I planned to tell whoever I hired after they were hired.
"Go on, I might as well hear what you have to say, and as long as it's nothing fishy, then I'll consider it. I have nothing else to do anyway. Nymphadora is in her final year and will be moving out at the end of the year, and my husband is constantly working and stressed from his job. So I need something to do." Oh, well, the way she says it does not inspire confidence, but I am willing to take that chance. Plus, it seems like there are some problems at home, which is to be expected after around twenty years, but that just means she will focus her all on the job since she is bored at home with no one about.
"Good. I want to hire you to run a business for me, manage my assets and increase my wealth. Right now, I have a ton of Galleons just stored up in a vault in Gringotts, just rotting away, and I want to use it. You can't take it with you after all. I would be hiring you to use my wealth to make even more. You would be scouring the world and finding and investing in people with worthwhile projects." I also plan to have her manage my interest in the muggle world, but that is for later.
"That is about the gist of it, whaddya say?"
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 16– New Hire.
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"You want me to manage your money and use it to make a business and increase your wealth even further. Why? You are a very successful writer and author, the best one in the entire magical world. You have more than enough Galleons, and if you keep producing your books as you have been, then you will be even richer, approaching the wealth of some of the most ancient and noble houses." Andromeda Tonks asks, confused about why I would be making this move.
And to be honest, she is right. I am currently the most famous writer in the entire magical world. And since Gilderoy Lockhart had graduated from Hogwarts, he had produced eleven books. Eleven books over a period of nine years, and each book did unbelievably well. Not to mention that Gilderoy had built himself a fanatic fanbase with all the events and appearances he made. So relying on that and producing books at the same pace would definitely earn a lot of money, enough to live comfortably for the rest of my days.
However, I am not Gilderoy Lockhart, and I cannot possibly produce well-written works like him at the same pace. It took me quite a while to get Assault On The Abominable Snowman finished, and I was relying heavily on the skills and intuition of the original Gil to do it. Except concepts and inspiration that would come so easily to Gil took way longer to occur to me, even though I had all of his memories and knowledge. I was not a writer, and I could not rely on the profession for my well-being. Thankfully I have the perfect reason to end my writing career, and no one can deny it.
"You see, Ms Tonks, all of my books are based on my adventures. They are factual right to the last detail, except for my more informative pieces like Magical Pests and Magical Me. I went travelling after graduating from Hogwarts, sowed wild oats, had fun and fulfilled my dreams. I used my youth to have funds and follow my dreams like you are supposed to, but I am now closing in on my thirties, and I am thinking about settling down, finding a wife and starting a family, raising a child." So I say, explaining my reasons and hiding the truth that I will not be able to produce books of decent quality at a rate like old Gilderoy.
I see a strange expression on Andromeda's face before she quickly covers it up, and then I realise I could have taken a dig at her when I talked about being young and following my dreams. According to what I remember, Andromeda was a very gifted witch, as to be expected of a young daughter of the Black family. Even though all of them were pretty crazy, they were all geniuses and powerful.
She had high prospects, and she could have been anything, but as soon as she graduated, she got married to a muggle-born, disowned by a family, and immediately became a mother. I don't know how she feels about that, but given the strange expression she made as well as the fact her husband is working all the time and her daughter has mostly been at Hogwarts over the past few years, she might be feeling a little regret since she is stuck at home bored out of her mind with nothing to do.
"Okay, I can understand that. Can you give me a bit more information? I need something more in-depth than you will give me Galleons to make a business and make more Galleons." She asks for more information, which I ponder about giving since I don't want to reveal too much in case she doesn't take this job. But given her background, her ability, her knowledge, and her Occlumency, I really want her, and I have a good feeling she will take the job considering her home life.
"Very well. I will be taking part of my great wealth and storing it in an entirely new Gringotts bank, which I will be calling the company bank. I will give you a key to it, and only you and I will have access. All of the money in there is free for you to access and use to the best of your ability to buy up properties and businesses as well as invest in various businesses as well as people." Before I can get any further in-depth, Andromeda interrupts with a question.
"Invest in people?" Andromeda says, confused about what I exactly mean by that. Though I think I cannot be more precise, I will be wanting to invest in people just as much as properties and businesses.
"Yes, people. For example, a talented and hardworking student at Hogwarts, a struggling inventor or even an interesting person who is stuck in a hard place. Sign a contract with them and provide them with the capital that they need, and the student will grow up with a better education and come to work for us. The inventor could make something which we could sell as a product, and the person that was in a tough spot could free themselves using our money and go on to have an important position or be wealthy. They will all have to pay us back in some way or another." I calmly explain people are just as much of a resource as actual resources.
"But, how would I judge all that? How would I know to sign a contract with a person in a tough spot that obviously has a high risk of failing and we lose our money? The other two examples I can understand, but the last one does not make any sense." I suppose she is correct, but she does not see the bigger picture. The person we will be helping, even if they are in a tough spot, has magic. Even if they don't amount to something, the simple fact they can use magic makes them valuable, and I can just use them to work for me in another position or something due to the stipulations of the magical contracts they will sign.
"Well, that will ultimately be up to you if you should choose to take the position. I will be primarily hands-off and allow you to work with minimal supervision, with only the occasional check-in. You will be the judge if anybody is a worthy investment, I will fully trust your judgement, but of course, I will intercede if I manage to find any good opportunities and investments myself and direct you to them." This way, I will be able to fully relax and enjoy myself as Andromeda toils away to increase my already vast fortune, and naturally, she will be paid well for her troubles.
"Okay, that is fine then. I won't invest like you want in someone who doesn't look like they will be able to pay for it eventually, but how will that even work? Investing and buying properties and businesses, I understand, that is easily manageable given proper documents and deeds. But how would you ensure people you invest in actually pay it back? They could just run away with the Galleons we give them. How can we trust them to stick to the terms of the agreement unless you are planning on using an unbreakable vow or something." Ah, what an intelligent and prude woman.
Before she actually takes on this position, she is making sure that it is tenable and that I have a proper plan that will work. Otherwise, she will not join a failing venture. Thankfully I already know what I am planning to do. When I first came up with this idea for a business, I took a trip to the office of the loan sharks on the south side of Diagon Alley, accurately named Galloloans. I realised that my idea was in some ways similar to their shop methods, apart from the business and property side, and so I took a trip to see how they dealt with it.
I went when the shop was nearing closing time, which was coincidentally very late in the night, and I went under cover of disillusionment to keep unseen. When I entered the store, most of the personnel had already left for the day since it was so close to closing time, leaving only one employee handling the counter and the boss in his office. I quickly stunned the employee and lowered him to the ground with a levitation charm before closing up the front of the shop and locking it down, and then going to the boss's office to stun him as well.
With that done, I looked extensively through both their minds for all the information regarding their work and I was shocked by how blatantly criminal it was and how they were getting away with it. Of course, a shop like this should really be in Knockturn Alley, but then I suppose it would not work as well as it does, the location being just as important as their methods.
Their business works so well since it is based in Diagon Alley. The office is very professional and immaculately clean, and the employees dress up nicely, look charming and act very professionally. And it is all to lure in naive, unsuspecting witches and wizards and trick them into becoming customers. So first, they would use sweet words and dashing smiles and trick them into singing a super intricate contract, and then they would solidify it by making an unbreakable vow to both abide by the agreement they both just signed.
And then they would reveal their trickery to the unsuspecting victim and tell them that they tricked them and explain everything that was just put in the contract, including not telling anyone about the deal or badmouthing the shop. Truthfully a malicious business, draining the customers for all they have until they end up breaking the contract and dying. Thankfully only those truly down on their luck and desperate go to this shop, and also, each employee can only be the witness to one unbreakable vow at a time.
It takes a while for each customer to die and open up a new spot, so they don't do much work, stay in their office, and spend most of their time chasing up their customers and intimidating them to pay back the loan. It is a sad fact that anybody can start up a business since there really isn't a magical department to put laws in place or anything.
If you can buy a shop in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, then you can start selling stuff, and people will trust your shop, depending on its location. So anyway, having got what I wanted and a few other methods, I quickly did a clean-up job, wiped their memories and left. I then had quite a few options for my new business, and I could probably use them all.
"Right you are, Ms Tonks. My plan is for us to draw up a contract stating what we are giving and what the customer is expected to do in turn. Once that is properly drawn up and signed, we would make an unbreakable vow stating that we would both abide by the contract that we had just signed, making a fair and stable deal. Of course, we can't use unbreakable vows for every deal, only the most important ones, ad we can use other methods for the others." I have drawn out a few methods, such as a blood pact and the jink contract that Hermione had made in the fifth year for Dumbledore's army, the one that would cause boils to appear and the word sneak to be written on whoever betrayed the group.
"But even then, the way you are explaining this position, I am assuming that it would only be me and you that are involved in the company. One person can only be witness to one unbreakable vow, meaning that we can, at most have two deals made with them. That is awfully little. How do you plan to get around this?" Again asking the hard questions, well, not to worry.
The black book I read that granted me all of my mind's magical capabilities actually discovered a method for this, a way to mess with the mind so that you can be witness to multiple unbreakable vows. It is all about compartmentalising your mind and each separating each vow, setting it to the side and forgetting about it. Then, even if I do not remember it, I would still be witness, and so the terms between the two vow makers would still be in effect.
"Now, now, Ms Tonks. Did you genuinely think I would be trying to start a business such as this without thinking about all of the details already? I already have a method in mind to make multiple contracts and deals and use a business plan that will make sure my new venture will not suffer any losses. But I cannot tell any of that to you just yet, since you are not yet my employee. I have already stretched as far as I am willing just telling you what I have so far." I say, and in turn, Andromeda falls silent in thought.
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