40 Chapter 40

"I will not be just a money man. I am a businessman. I will take care of everything to make sure this broom sells and makes us profit, a profit you can use to make even better brooms, the true passion of your father from what you have told me. And not only that, but my fame will also contribute to the sales of your broom. The Gilderoy Lockhart name is a household brand, and people trust it. Which is why I can not put it behind something that I don't believe in or that is going to fail, which is why I need to have fifty-one percent." So I tell him, lying slightly. In actuality, I really will be mostly just a money man and a pretty face, my money and fame bolstering the success of the broom. Andromeda or whoever else I find will handle the managing and other stuff.

"B-but why? Why does you having fifty-one percent mean that the company will not fail?" Randolph tries to make sense of it, which he won't be able to unless I explain it to him. He is not in it for the profit, after all, he just wants to fulfil his and his father's goal.

"You are a broom maker, as was your father. Ellerby, who was probably an adequate businessman, shared half of the company with your father. That is where Ellerby made a mistake, your father was not a businessman, and neither are you. You are more focused on the actual broom-making. If we were to be fifty-fifty partners, you would object to things that would make our company a success. I need full autonomy to make this a success, so you can continue with your research." Maybe, that is true, possibly. I want control since I want to avoid this company eventually getting bought up by the purebloods and losing control of it. This is my cake. Still, even with my explanation, Randolph looks confused and hesitant. He needs another push.

"How about this? In the contract we will sign, I will add a clause. While I will be the majority, neither of us will be able to sell any of our shares to anyone else, and it will be passed down among our progeny. So if one day we wanted to, you could buy me out, or I could buy you out, which will be the only two options for either of us to leave this venture. This way, I will not cut and run like Ellerby, and you won't lose your position working and developing bigger and better brooms." With this, I can control the company. I was also thinking about sneaking in that I would be the complete owner when he died, but I won't do that. The father was a genius, and the son is a good broom maker. Maybe Randolph's kids will also be as talented, so it would be better to keep him around.

"I..." He contemplates it for a second, thinking it over. But really, what is there to think over? This is his only option, the only good one, at least. Even if he refuses today, he will come crawling back at a later date. "I suppose I can't expect everything to go my way. Very well, I accept. Let's get on with signing it so we can get to the actual making of the brooms." Randolph accepts his fate and agrees, making me smile, and I try my very hardest to stop the smile from spreading to cover my entire face.

"Ah, not just yet. Over the next few days, the contract itself will be drawn up by Andromeda here. Just to be thorough, we don't want to make a mistake and forever be burdened by it because of the magic in the contract. Oh, yes, the contract will be ensured through magical means. You are fine with that?" At his nod, I carry on, excited to get this thing underway. " Great, Andromeda, please get started. Soon Lockhart and Spudmore, the broom company, will be made, and we will release brilliant brooms." I reach my hand forwards to shake Randolph, signifying an agreement for the time being. He reaches forward to shake my hand but stalls for some reason.

"Y-You are changing the name?" He stutters out, hand frozen in midair and not connecting with my own, irritating me slightly. However, a quick scan confirms that he still has some useless attachment to the name, and getting sick and tired of all his dithering, I quickly put my skills to use and worked to rectify this.

"Yes. Surely you do not want to still keep the Ellerby and Spudmore name. Need I remind you that the former has long abandoned his post with this company? Why would you want to keep his name on it?" I time my words with my work on his mind, basically severing that connection and feeling associated with the name. Such a thing would usually be noticed, especially when you are talking about the subject and your feelings drastically change with no rhyme or reason. Timing my actions with my words provides a catalyst to blame for the change, my words being thought to have caused the effect and no magic being suspected.

"I..." He sighs, his body relaxing and his arm slightly dropping though still held up, my own having long come back down. "You are right. Ellerby had abandoned my father long ago. He does not deserve to have his name on this, especially when it is about to surpass the nimbus broom company." He nods his head in agreement, lowering his arm to scratch the back of his head, finding his previous thinking ridiculous.

"And if it is the name positioning that is a problem, know that my name being first is essential to the business. As I said before, my name is known, people recognise it. With my name upfront and centre, people will take notice. It will really boost sales when we finally release our broom for sale, and then the quality and exceptionality of our brooms, which they will no doubt have, will keep them afterwards." This is not just me being self-centred, though if I own a company, I will want my name front and centre. My name will actually boost the company a lot.

"No, no. I understand perfectly. I am sorry for the interruption. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited to work with you going forward." He smiles and reaches his hand forward. I look at it for a moment while he awkwardly hangs on, and then I reach my own hand forward to shake it.

"Likewise, let's work our hardest to make Lockhart and Spudmore the premier broom company in the world." I am adamant about that, and I am sure it is possible. This is the Firebolt broom that made such a splash originally in the books, and it was released in 1993 and battered the Nimbus two thousand one.

Imagine if I could release it now, in direct competition with the Nimbus two thousand, we would demolish them and then the Nimbus Broom Racing Company wouldn't even be able to release their next model because the Firebolt would severely outperform it. So I would have a foothold and use it to keep my position at the lead, and I wouldn't even have to do much.

"So, Randolph. When can I expect to release this new broom you are telling me about? Soon I hope." I don't expect him to have it ready straight away, but with thirty years of preparation, I do expect him to have something good soon. He was planning on paying back the loan he wanted within two years, so he must have something that could be put out soon.

"Ah, yes. Well, I have all the research ready. It is just a matter of picking out the right components according to those results and then refining that down to a working model that is also practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. All in all, I should be able to have the model done in three months." Three months is actually quite reasonable given that he produced the actual Firebolt in 1993, meaning that he toiled to find support and funds to get his company going for around two years. Or perhaps this broom will be a lesser version, which I would be fine with as Randolph can make improvements, and we can sell another broom a few years down the line.

"Good, good. Excellent, we should be on schedule to then get the broom out for the children returning from Hogwarts. They will be our target audience. Well, it was great to meet you, Randolph. We will owl you when the contract has been drawn up." I say, standing from my seat, prompting Randolph and Andromeda to do the same. I had honestly forgotten she was next to me. She was so quiet. But looking at her, I can see she has been writing notes. I am sure she would have interjected if there was something crucial, and I am sure she will inform me of anything important after Randolph leaves; she is reliable like that.

"Ah, of course, Mr Lockhart. It was lovely meeting you, you too, Ms Tonks." He says, moving to the door to leave.

"Now, now, Randolph. We are partners now, or we will be as soon as the contract is made and signed. Please, call me Gilderoy. Goodbye, Randolph." I wave, prompting him to awkwardly wave back as he steps out of the room, nodding his head at me as well.

The door closes, and I wait for a moment. Thinking about the various ways things could go right and also how they could go wrong, but all the same, I have to keep moving forward with it.

"Andi, next time, please escort the guest outside once the meeting is over," I say because Randolph had just been given free access to the inside of my building and could even travel upstairs to my home. I flick my wand, causing the blinds to unravel to reveal the windows, through which I can see Randolph heading back towards the reception and the exit.

"Right, I apologise. I will do so next time." Andromeda quickly apologises, to which I nod. to be honest, I didn't even click on it until I just realised it now. Otherwise, I would have asked her to go with him when he left. We are both new to this, so mistakes should be expected, and we will learn from them. We are both capable and responsible people. Well, she is, and she will be in charge of most of the day-to-day operation, so everything should be fine.

"Is there anything you think I should know? Anything I might have missed?" I ask because while I am pretty invasive of the mind, Andromeda is more aware of subtle things and can make connections much better than me.

"No, nothing. The only thing I would say would be to wait until you have all the information before making a decision. There is no guarantee that this man is legitimate or that he is actually capable of producing a broom in three months. All we have is his word. Thankfully, we haven't actually signed anything, so I would suggest that we get a look at his research, check out his brooms and maybe test his skill before fully committing." She makes a good point, and I would listen to her if I didn't have prior knowledge of how successful the Firebolt would be, and I don't want to lose this opportunity due to being slow and cautious.

"Hm. Andi, contact all the other bookmakers. I want you to make some magical deals with them and not straight loans. Tell them that we will fully handle their expenses when it comes to broom crafting for the next few months, only that related to broom making. They need proof. This is contingent on them producing a broom when those three months are up that is just as good as the Nimbus two thousand. If they cannot, then they will work for us, and we can use them should Randolph actually pan out. Having more broom makers can only be good." I need workers and broom makers for Randolph to help him with production and design. Thankfully I have a bunch of prospective employees lining up to see me.

"Okay, I will draw up the contracts and give them to you for review before approaching them." She assents, moving past me to go back to her own workspace to get started.

Things are coming together. I can already envision it like it is true, but I still need to see it.

Lockhart Consolidated will soon come to fruition.

Or maybe Lockhart corporation?

I can decide later.

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