NOVEL WEB Chapter 20
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 20– Firebolt.
He definitely just said Firebolt, didn't he? So things can not be working out this perfectly for me, can they? Or is this just some cruel trick of the fates, bringing me someone who coincidentally thought up the same name and is actually a hack. But this is precisely what I was looking for, my first big money-making industry, and from there, I can start to expand, but first, I need a base good money-making business.
With a stable surefire fire industry under my foot, I can start taking risks on things that weren't mentioned in the story. I might have a lot of money to waste, but that is no reason to squander it willy-nilly, so this is an excellent opportunity for me. But just because the name rings a bell doesn't mean it is exactly what I am looking for. So I have to make sure.
"I will be honest with you, Randolph. Can I call you that?" He is caught off guard by my sudden turn when I was the one that asked him for that information, and when he goes to answer, I just carry on in true Gilderoy fashion. Right now, the man is nervous, semi-depressed and very close to despair. I am his last hope. So I will beat him down a bit more and make him more susceptible to the help I will offer him, which he will be very grateful for.
"To be frank, Randolph, I am not going to give you a loan today. Unless Merlin himself were to come back to life and tell me to, or some other spectacular feat occurred. Your business is just not tenable, you are a single man, and you do not show much promise, especially after knowing you have had thirty years of work put in and no results to show for it. No other place is going to give you a loan either, and the ones that might are going to bleed you for all your worth with unfair contracts." I hit him with hard facts, the truth that he needed to hear and the truth I needed him to hear.
None of the loan people would have really even listened to this guy, even if he had a brilliant idea, because that was different from what those people were looking for. Just like the guys that owned this place before me and nearly all other magical loaners, they were looking for suckers to fool and scam. So the only people that had even a chance of loaning you money or investing in your business would be the purebloods. Still, they are a no go unless you are a pureblood yourself or different in a political standing or have a bad image, and if you need a loan, then you are probably not. So this man before me, though pureblooded, will not be saved by the upper echelon. His father made sure of that by him squandering his fortune and his obsession.
"Then... what am I supposed to do? I have nothing left to sell except my father's research, and I will never do that. I need the money to fulfil my and my father's dream, the fastest broom. I need to sell brooms to gather more funds to research and develop more brooms to sell and then keep researching. No. If you don't loan to me, then I will find someone else that will, even if they might try to fool me. I have to take that chance." My words seem to have backfired a little since he stands all of a sudden and makes to leave. Instead of falling helpless, he surprisingly gets some fire in him and the courage to keep trying.
"Sit back down, please, Randolph. I wasn't finished. It is rude to interrupt. Now, while I may not be able to offer you a loan, I am prepared to offer you an alternative option." I quickly raise my phone, scolding him and trying to reel him in. I am constantly monitoring his mind, and that little spark of courage was out of the blue, suddenly rising from nowhere. At my words, however, that spark quickly dims, and he listens to me intently as he sits back in his seat, surprising me.
I suddenly saw a surge of obedience in him when I spoke, and he urgently listened to me and sat back down for some reason. Curios, I look into him a little closer, and I figure out the reason why. It seems like he has a healthy case of reverence towards me, and it isn't actually because of me, not really. People in the wizarding world, the people who aren't filthy rich and who aren't people of good stature, look up to those more powerful and successful than them, like Dumbledore, Grindlewald and Voldemort. And to a lesser state, the minister of magic, wealthy people/donation givers like Lucious Malfoy, seeker stars like Krum and even myself. So the public looks at us with veneration, and I will take advantage of that.
"...Sorry. So, uh, what alternative is this?" Randolph says, nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
"With what you have told me, I can not offer you a loan. The risk versus reward is simply not good enough. I would be risking too much for simply too little. So, the question is, what is in it for me? The option I am offering you is to increase the amount that I would gain. Give me a bigger piece of the pie, and in conjunction, what I can offer will increase. I will invest in you, in this broom. We will be partners, I will front all the costs, and you will focus on the broom and the research. I can get Andromeda here to do all the managerial work for the time being until we can source a proper candidate for the position unless you want to do it yourself." I say, giving him my whole deal, which I think is quite good.
His main goal is not to make money or achieve fame. It is simply to fulfil his father's dream and make the ultimate broom which, according to him, isn't even the Firebolt. He only needs the money and is setting up the company so he can fund the research and development. He cares much less about the profits and the business side of things.
"R-Really? Yes, I accept. When can we get started? I have quite a few experiments to do before we can start selling the brooms. I think I can improve the" Like a man drowning in the middle of the ocean, Randolph Spudmore quickly grabs onto the life raft I had thrown out and is all too happy to climb aboard. He is ecstatic to find a way out of the mire he had found himself in and quickly losses himself in ramblings about brooms and research, so I cut him off before he can get carried away.
"Again, Randolph, you have interrupted me before I could finish. Now, as I was saying, I can offer you this deal where I deal with all costs, and we become partners. However, for that to happen, I have to know about all your current dealings, the current state of your company and the current specifications of the broom you are trying to sell. I can not buy in without having the relevant details, and I will not buy into something that I do not see potential or profit in. So, tell me everything. Convince me." As I said before, I can not be assured that the Firebolt this guy is peddling is the same as the success in the actual books. I need confirmation, and Randolph, in his desperation, will spill everything to me in hopes of gaining my support.
"Ah, uh, okay. Currently, I have no assets or buildings, only the cottage that my father and I lived in and that we did our experiments in. As for current dealings, there is only one, and it isn't really current, more bi-yearly. The deal is with the goblins for goblin silver, which costs a lot, so we could only buy more every six months. My father was certain that goblin silver was the key to advancing our brooms, and he was right. They worked." Randolph reveals, confirming that this is the guy I have been looking for. I remember something about goblins when thFireboltlt came up, so this must be it.
"Goblin silver? That improves the broom, how?" I question because I still want to know everything about it even if I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure this is the one. Just because this became a big thing in canon doesn't mean that it will now. Just because I found it early and became involved, maybe there is something that will be messed up and won't happen becomes of my presence. There is no guarantee, unlike the businesses in the muggle world, I have little to no influence on those after all, but this I will have an overwhelming effect on.
"I-I don't know. All I know is that it improves the broom, not why. My father didn't know either, but he knew more than me. My father believed the key to making the ultimate broom would be to understand why goblin silver improved brooms, and if we understood that, then we could apply that knowledge directly towards the broom. It is why we were bleeding galleons. We kept buying the goblins silver and then ruining it in our experimentations, having to buy even more afterwards." They somehow ruined goblin silver, which was apparently impossible, which was why it was so impressive. Able Spudmore must have been a genius to have done such a thing, and such a feat was done just to make a broom.
"Oh, okay. And that was what all your research was on? The broom you want to make and sell at this current moment. Surely the only innovation can't be the goblin silver. There must be research done on other things these past thirty years." At my words, Randolph nods and continues to speak.
"Yes, we have done multiple other experiments on all sorts of materials and how they, for example, react together. Goblin silver gives the brooms additional stability and power that can withstand adverse weather conditions. The woods that we experimented on are the ones used for wands, and they each interact differently with the silver. We were also trying to combine the strengths of wood, but we need expert herbologists for that." Hmm, alright, it seems like they have put a lot of work into this. Which means I can get a lot of benefits and profit out of it.
"Alright, you have convinced me. I will help you. You will handle the broom design and research, and I will deal with the management, production, advertisement, PR and everything else. I will own fifty-one percent of the company, and you will own the other forty-nine percent. These are my terms. Only if you agree to that, will I be a part of this." I need control over this. It can not be a fifty-fifty thing. I need complete control. I can not have him decide to mess it up all later.
"W-What? N-No, you can't. You are just supposed to be the money man like Ellerby was. This was my father's company, his legacy. I can't just give control of it to someone else." He quickly becomes defensive and confrontational when I make my demands, and it isn't as if he personally cares. He doesn't even think his father cared about that as long as he continued to make the best brooms possible, but it is one of the only things his father left to him, and he doesn't want to give it away.
"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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