Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 19– A Worthwhile Investment.
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"Alright, start from the beginning. Tell me everything you can about Ellerby and Spudmore and how it has dwindled to just a single man." Honestly, I thought I had three big companies that I could possibly take over and direct to become the next best broom company. But one is just a single abandoned factory, the next is a company looking for a fall guy because they messed up on their product and the last one is a single man.
"Okay. Ellerby and Spudmore was first founded in 1940 by Ellerby and Able Spudmore when they produced the Tinderblast, though they were not that successful. The broom had some technical issues, so they were never really popular. However, their brooms were relatively cheap and affordable as training brooms for children. They tried to rectify this in 1952 with a new design, the Swiftstick, however, there were still some technical issues, and it was not a success." I nod along as she talks to show I am listening.
"Since then, they have had no more broomsticks produced, and the company has slowly dwindled down, despite their efforts. They tried their best to keep in business, selling off assets and buildings just to keep trying to develop a better broom, but it was for nothing. The more they sold, the more money they sunk into their development with nothing to show for it, and so they sold more of their assets. A vicious cycle that has now dwindled the company down to just a single man, Randolph Spudmore, the son of Able Spudmore." They wasted so much money and had nothing to show for it? I don't believe that. They already had two eligible brooms as a base, so it shouldn't have been hard to add some minor modifications to it and sell a new version.
"Hm, his son? What about Able Spudmore? And Ellerby?" This company was formed by two people, after all, so how come there is just a single person left. What happened to Able Spudmore and the original Ellerby? How come Ellerby's progeny is not part of the company? They might seem like useless questions, but questioning these things could reveal some significant issues that would make acquiring this company a bad idea.
"Ellerby did not want anything more to do with the company after the failure of the Swiftstick. He was just the money man in the situation with able Spudmore being the broom maker, so Able bought out Ellerby, though he kept the name. As for Able Spudmore, he continued to develop and work on brooms, but he was an old man born in 1910. He died just recently, the stress must have been too much for him, and his son Randolph who was working alongside his father has officially taken over." Interesting. Very interesting.
The Swiftstick failed in 1952, and ever since then, Able Spudmore had been sinking all his money into research and development of new brooms, and he apparently had nothing to show for it after all these years. Even without a desirable conclusion, thirty years' worth of research into brooms is still valuable information, and I would like to get my hands on it. It is worth it, even if this Randolph ends up doing nothing with our investment, since I could use that information and give it to another talented broom maker. Knowing what not to do can be just as helpful as having written instructions.
"Interesting. So, what type of investment is this Randolph looking for? And do you think it is viable?" Depending on the type of investment he is looking for will determine just how interested I am in this guy because it will show just how confident he is in his prospects.
"Randolph Spudmore is looking for a pure cash injection. He wants a loan with no other conditions attached and an agreement to repay the loan plus interest in two years. As for viability, that is a tough call. He has the qualifications, but the history speaks for itself." A pure cash injection? That could mean one of two things. He could just want the loan just for the money with no intention of paying it back and running off with the cash, which wouldn't even work due to the type of contract we would be using. Though I don't think this is the case, given his father worked all his life for this broom. So it means he is very confident in paying back the loan in two years, so his broom is probably on the right track.
"I want a meeting with this Randolph Spudmore. Schedule it for tomorrow. Now, about all these other broom makers looking for an investment? I am assuming that you have already done all of the research to make sure they are legit. Tell me about them." Andromeda really is good at her job, being diligent and gathering all the information. Sorting through all the idiots and getting rid of them before bringing the actual good prospects to my attention.
Though I won't be firmly committing to anything until after meeting with Randolph Spudmore, his situation has intrigued me somewhat, and I want to investigate that before investing elsewhere.
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"Gilderoy, are you ready? Spudmor- OH MY GOD!?" I hear Andromeda scream as she enters my office early in the morning, and it is so sudden that I have no time to react or to try and hide what I have been up to.
"WHY ARE YOU DOING IT IN YOUR OFFICE!? YOU LITERALLY LIVE UPSTAIRS!" Andromeda shouts as I quickly stand up and stop my previous actions, hurriedly pulling my pants up and starting to buckle them.
"T-The atmosphere?.. You know? It is just somehow more fun and tantalising in here." I try to explain myself as I try to find my shirt in the mess around my office.
"W-Whatever, just hurry up and put some clothes on. Your meeting is soo-"
"Mr Lockhart, are we stopping?"
"Ah, yes, Ms Lumley. That will be all for today. I will owl you later so that we can continue this." Andromeda watches in shock as my partner, Ms Lumley (I don't know her first name), rises from her knees, and straightens the glasses on her face. I think it is more shocking for Andi because, unlike the last time I met Ms Lumley, she is not dressed in pink. Instead, she is dressed up very professionally, like a secretary, along with the glasses to seal the deal.
"Oh, but we will continue this? Won't we, Mr Lockhart?" She stays in character as she asks, and I quickly nod my head even though I literally just told her that. Not because I desperately wanted to see her again or anything. She was just some stress relief. I want to see her again tonight so that I can erase her memories of this, which I won't be able to do now that Andromeda is here.
"Andi, can you please escort Ms Lumley to the floo. And I will smarten up in the meantime. And what was that about a meeting?" I asked Andromeda as I pulled my shirt on and started to button it up, not rushing at all. At first, I was pretty panicked when Andi suddenly entered the room, and I didn't know how to react, but now I realise that I can act however I want. We are both under a contract, and she has to keep my secrets according to it. Plus, Andi can't suddenly up and quit, either. I made sure of that. She can leave. I am not an evil man, but I am a selfish one, and the requirements of her quitting are very stringent and dependent on several things.
Honestly, I think it is better this way rather than me trying to keep up a pure and clean image only to have it inevitably torn away a few months down the line since I would not be able to keep up the act that long. That would take a relationship I worked hard to build and absolutely shatter it. This way, she knows what I am about and won't have any misgivings down the line. Humans are the greatest when it comes to desensitising to something, so maybe in a few months, incidents like this will just be the norm, and Andromeda won't blink an eye. I much prefer this to constantly walking on eggshells and watching myself around her, and since she is my only employee, that would be constant.
"It is the meeting you wanted me to set up for today regarding the... Randolph." Andromeda says, not finishing her sentence and instead giving me a name as she eyes Ms Lumley, who is looking at her smugly, probably not wanting to reveal information in front of a random woman.
"Oh right, thank you for the reminder, Andi. I don't know what I would do without you." She gives me a blank look as she leads Ms Lumley out of the room, closing the door behind her to provide me with some privacy. Well, relations may be frosty and a bit awkward for a while, but things will come around, and she will just get used to this.
After all, we already did some illegal things together when we took over this shop, even if she did it with some righteous mindset to get rid of the loansharks praying on vulnerable people. Technically they were not doing anything illegal, and we were when we got rid of them. That crime has bonded us together, and she will probably think twice when questioning her continued employment here.
I quickly began to use various spells to dress myself appropriately and make myself look my best in preparation for my upcoming meeting, which I completely forgot about. Honestly, I should remember things like this, but I am already finding it a bit hard with all my new responsibilities. It wasn't that long ago that I was just a hormonal teenager that would spend all my time watching media and escaping into the internet. So one would think that my coming here and gaining all of Gilderoy's memories would do something for my maturity, and it did, but not as much as you would expect.
Gilderoy was a very immature, selfish man even though he was a successful author, and he was not very responsible, so I, in turn, who used to be just sixteen years old, didn't have much of an increase in maturity. Which is why I have little kerfuffles like this, and it is why I went out and got someone reliable like Andromeda to work for me as an employee and secretary to keep me on track.
I had just finished cleaning up when I heard a knock at the door, which was undoubtedly Andromeda. She must have learnt a lesson about etiquette after bursting in here and getting an eyeful. I stifle a little chuckle at that.
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"Come in." A second later, the door creaks open slowly, and then Andromeda pops her head in to survey the room. And then, seeing that I am fully clothed and presentable, she enters the room daintily, closing the door gently behind her.
"So... I thought you wanted to settle down and raise a family?" She says after a moment, breaking the silence, which was awkward for her, but I was finding it kind of funny. Yes, I do remember saying something like that when stating my reasons for leaving being an author and starting a business. It wasn't true, I just needed a viable explanation for leaving that and starting a business, and I couldn't just say that I was suddenly a shit writer and that it was no longer my passion/only claim to some kind of fame.
"Yes, those are things I want. But I am still a man, and I have needs. I am sure you understand." I do want those things, but very very far in the future. Wizards can live a long time if they are very powerful, and I plan on being a powerful wizard. So yes, a family, somewhere far, far, far down the line. But for now, I want to enjoy my life and sow my oats. And with magic at my disposal, I am going to reach in deep and wrench enjoyment out of the very core of what this world has to offer.
"Just don't do it down here anymore, okay?" She says, giving me a look that I can't quite place, but I know that it isn't anything good, so I quickly nod my head in agreement.
"Haha, I will try not to. But some of the blame is on you as well, you know. Spending all day with a beautiful woman like you, of course, I am going to find it hard like this." I laugh while doing a bit of light flirting and subtly giving her a reason, scratching the back of my head, but I stop when I see her face turn dangerously red. I think it would be better for my health if I just stopped here. Of course, Andromeda might not be able to do anything about my behaviour or quit, but I still don't want to push her too far.
"So, how long until this meeting? Do you want to go out and get a bite to eat first?" I try to quickly move on from that and focus on the more important thing here. The upcoming meeting, and if I have enough time to grab some breakfast since I was a little caught up all morning and last night.
"Technically, we have an hour. However, Mr Spudmore seems to be the kind that would rather arrive early rather than later, and he is waiting in the reception. We are lucky that your office is at the far back, hidden behind various partitions and that the previous owners isolated the sounds from coming out." Right, he is here, and I won't have time to get any food. Why can't people just show up on time, not early, not late, but exactly when they are supposed. Like Dumbledore says, a wizard arrives precisely when he means to. Or is that some other magic, old man?
"Alright... Give it five minutes, and then send him in. You will also be here for the meeting as well, Andi. I will have another chair behind my desk for you to sit at after you escort him in. Pitch in if you think it necessary ." I give her a nod, and she calmly leaves the room, leaving me to my thoughts as I go and sit down behind my desk, straightening out my clothes. I am glad that we took over this building, the loan sharks we took this place from had an emphasis on privacy and keeping things lowkey, which has really worked out for me. I take out my wand and quickly conjure a chair beside me from thin air, which is not even hard, but difficulty scales with the complexity of what you need to conjure and I really need to practice.
Okay, so just get through this meeting. And if this guy actually has something to offer, then take him up on it, but not a loan. If this guy actually has potential, then I will help him start up a broom company and own some of it. Much better in the long run. And when that is done, I can take a backseat and leave things running with Andromeda, and I can focus on my magic again, even try to get some actual experience in the duelling circuits or something. It is all well and good to know how to perform magic, but you also have to understand how to use it as well.
*Knock* *Knock* "Come in." I say once again after quickly checking to make sure my clothes are alright and looking in the mirror across the room to make sure there are no faults, I want to make a strong showing, so this guy will depend on me after all. Andromeda enters once again, though this time, a man is trailing along behind her, who is obviously Randolph Spudmore.
He is a lanky fellow looking like he doesn't eat more than is strictly necessary, quite pale as if he doesn't get to see the sun much as well. Aside from that, his hair is long and frizzy, and he has a scruffy beard, so he doesn't take much care of himself either. Apart from that, though, he is pretty ordinary, with an average face, standard black wizarding robes, nothing fancy and strictly practical. Right now, he is giving me serious reclusive genius vibes, too focused on the work that he doesn't really take good care of himself and devotes all his time to the craft. That is what I am getting strictly from his appearance, and things look hopeful. Let's see if he will live up to my expectations.
"Hello, Mr Spudmore. Please, take a seat. I am Gilderoy Lockhart, and welcome to Unlocking The Heart, where we hope to help make your dreams come true." The man walks in with nervous energy as Andromeda closes the door behind him, and he takes a seat in front of my desk with a nod while Andromeda moves to the seat beside me, though it is slightly behind mine. Hierarchy and standing, my Lockhart memories inform, because that is very important in this society, and I have to observe its customers so that I can thrive in it.
Unlocking The Heart is a name I have come up with for my store, and I just added the slogan now since it seemed to roll off the tongue. The sign in front of my store holds those words in lovely calligraphy, with some elegance and what those words are made out of regular changes. It cost a couple of Galleons to have that done so that it changes into ice, then into fire, and numerous other dozens of things like chains. I could have done something like that myself, but I hired someone whose lifelong craft it is, and you can really tell the difference.
I decided on the name itself because of its relevance to my name, but there were other reasons as well. First of all, because we are, in essence, a loan business, and so when I say unlocking the heart, I mean the customers since I am going to open it and take it for all it's got and all it can give me. It also has a double meaning in that the heart is where dreams reside, and by unlocking it, we are helping the customer's dreams come to fruition. A lovely double meaning that makes me chuckle, and if I ever get bored of the name someday, then I can easily change it. But right now, I don't know what I would change it to.
[AN: Hint, Hint. If you think you can come up with a better name, then try to. If I like it, I might use it.]
"So, Mr Spudmore. It is my understanding that you are looking for a loan. Can I ask what you need this loan for? And how much would you ideally like?" I need to divulge all the information I can out of this guy, so I am going to use my go-to method. Occlumecy. However, unlike when I was a bit too straightforward with Andromeda, this time, I am going to employ caution because I can't afford for this to go wrong. I have started him talking about the subject, and I am going to probe his mind to see if he has any defences, though I doubt it.
"Ah yes, I am wanting this loan so that I can fund my research. I am a broom maker, and I am trying to make a broom, and I also want to make a company and sell them as well, which is what I need the loan for. As for the amount... I need three- Three thousand Galleons." I pause in my probing of his mind and look at his with some shock on my face. Three thousand galleons is a lot to ask for, way too much to set up a business and even do some research and development. I remember in the books that Harry gave the Weasley twins a thousand Galleons, and with that, they set up Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and developed a ton of joke and prank items.
Randolph here is asking for three times that amount, which is way too much. According to the memories of the loan sharks' minds I perused after we knocked them out and the other people that have approached us so far, people usually ask for around a hundred galleons, five hundred at the max. So Randolph is asking for an exorbitant amount, way more than should be needed to set up a business and even develop a product. Magic does most of the work, after all, when it comes to that, which means his loan is going to be used primarily on buying things.
"I am sorry, but that is a lot. You do understand that this loan comes with interest, correct? If I were to actually loan you this amount, and based off of what you have told me, we would be asking for a fifty percent increase after two years. That would be four thousand five hundred Galleons. You would also be asked to put up something valuable and give someone else name as a guarantor. This is the only type of offer we can give you based on the information we have." I tell him, giving him a ridiculous interest fee. I don't just want this to be a loan. After all, I want to invest and have a big hand in this company he makes if it looks to be profitable.
"Yes, I- I have no other choice. This is the only way now. Please give me this loan. I beg of you." He says, face determined, realising the extent of what he is asking for but going ahead with it anyway. He is a desperate man who has lost all other avenues, and when I showed some opposition, he immediately cracked and buckled, revealing his plight.
"You see, Randolph. I feel even more doubt now. You have no other choice? This is the only way? It does not really inspire confidence, and I kind of don't want to lend you anything without knowing more about the situation because your desperation makes it seem like you won't succeed. Please, inform me of your situation, and I will see what I can offer you. We do not just do loans after all, so maybe there is another way I can help you." The man has already cracked, and I take advantage of it to surge into his mind and start scanning, his desperation making it easy. I don't do a complete dive, though, since that would take way too long, I merely check his thoughts, and I will ask the pertinent questions to bring the crucial ideas to the forefront of his mind.
I find the man's defences are nonexistent after a bit of perusing, and so instead of doing that, I manipulate him slightly and influence him to want to tell me about his woes and difficulties. Of course, I will still be scanning for something in case there is anything that is so crucial that he withholds it even with my influence, but he immediately starts to spill.
"I- yes, please. I was raised by my father, Able Spudmore, from young to be a broom maker, and I have worked with him since I was able. My father was a brilliant man, a genius, ahead of his time. The brooms that he made and sold were only at the insistence of Ellerby, who threatened to cut his funding, and my father had to, even though he was disgusted selling something that wasn't to the best of his ability which is why he bought out Ellerby as soon as he could." He immediately starts to pour out words, surprising me with just how much he is doing with only a slight bit of influence from myself. He even seems to have a look of relief as he does so. He has been carrying a bit of a burden, it seems.
"My father, Merlin rest his soul, was a genius, but he did not have a head for business. He refused to put out something he saw as an inferior product, so he kept researching and developing improvements. And he kept selling off the business and other things to fund it, and he died just recently, having not finished the broom he envisioned. The ultimate broom, he had a name for it already picked out." So he spills, not saying anything that I didn't already know. And I highly doubt his father was a genius, given he didn't produce anything in all these years. If anything, his father was obsessed with being the best, a single-minded fixation that squandered everything he had until he died.
"A name? And what would that be?" I humour the man since I want to gain access to all that research. Maybe I can use it to help another talented broom maker I find. Thirty years of research by a mediocre man is still thirty years' worth of information.
"The Firebolt." Ah, yes, the Firebolt. The ultimate broom, the best broom to ever... exist. Wait, isn't this what I have been looking for?