Rise of a Business Empire
The Diagon Alley Commercial Alliance is operating very smoothly.
Under Skylar's reward and trust, Eagle Eye had become utterly devoted to the orders Skylar gave him, handling all the affairs of the business alliance almost tirelessly. From contract signing to personnel deployment, from balancing the interests among alliance members to the construction of the self-defense force, he personally oversaw everything, leaving no detail unattended.
Under his strict management, the entire business alliance quickly got on track and even formed a more efficient operating mechanism than the Ministry of Magic —no longer a cumbersome and lengthy approval process, but a rapid decision-making process based on interests, with execution power far exceeding the bureaucratic system of the Ministry of Magic.
Meanwhile, Penelope, in the name of Shield Security Consulting Company, continuously provided funding and logistical support to ensure the alliance's financial well-being. In return, the major merchants within the alliance regularly paid "protection fees" in exchange for security and guarantees, which in turn supported the alliance's self-defense forces, enabling them to continuously grow stronger.
Within just a few days, a truly formidable wizarding armed force was formed.
At the lowest level, responsible for guarding and patrolling, are 20 Troll security guards. They are equipped with special Goblin armor and weapons, such as "indestructible helmets" and "malle clubs that amplify destructive power," making them almost impervious to blades and bullets, and possessing extremely high combat capabilities.
The core fighting force consists of warriors assigned by Silver Spear, comprising 10 bronze-battle mages and 10 silver-battle mages. Each is a seasoned veteran with extensive combat experience, skilled in pursuit, protection, and teamwork. But the most formidable is the leader of the entire self-defense force—Madora Doom, a gold-battle mages. This level of battle mage is extremely rare in the wizarding world, comparable to the top elite Auror.
With the Self-Defense Forces becoming operational, Diagon Alley gradually shed its dependence on the Ministry of Magic, and merchants no longer relied on the slow-moving Auror for protection. Instead, the Business Federation maintained its own order—well-equipped Self-Defense Forces patrolled day and night, and the underworld forces of Knockturn Alley began to cooperate with the Business Federation to clean up dangerous elements on the streets, resulting in a significant drop in the crime rate.
As a result, the Ministry of Magic's influence and authority were significantly weakened.
Despite repeated warnings from the Fudge government to Diagon Alley "not to trust unregulated organizations," the reality is that businesses are thriving more than ever before, and customers feel safer than ever before.
Everyone realized that the power structure of the wizarding world was likely about to undergo a major change, and the balance of power in wizarding society was tilting in a new direction.
The restoration of a sense of security has allowed Diagon Alley to regain its former vitality, even surpassing its former prosperity.
The streets were bustling with people again, shops that had been closed for a long time reopened, and even businesses that had moved away due to the unstable situation began to return. The bars were packed, the Owl Post Flourish and Blotts, and pet cages at Eeylops Owl Emporium were almost sold out.
To further solidify the alliance's influence, Skylar rallied merchants to jointly plan a brand-new business festival – "Diagon Shopping Day." On this special day, all merchants would launch large-scale promotions with unprecedented discounts; even Ollivanders would offer limited-time discounts for the first time.
This move quickly ignited the wizards' shopping enthusiasm.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Purchase two robes at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions today and receive a free night hat!"
"Magic Supplies Store: 40% off everything, buy five get one free! Don't miss out, or you'll have to wait another year!"
"The Leaky Cauldron is offering a special Shopping Day package! Enjoy a Butterbeer and a bacon sandwich for just five Silver Sickle!"
The entire Diagon Alley seemed to have transformed into a grand carnival, with laughter, hawking, and cheers mingling together, and every street and alleyway crowded with the excited figures of wizards. Children jumped for joy in the candy stores, while adults returned laden with shopping bags. Even those wizards who had previously held a wait-and-see attitude towards the Commercial Alliance had to admit that this new order was more efficient and prosperous than during the Ministry of Ministry of Magic's era.
Compared to the desolate state of Diagon Alley not long ago, everyone knows that Diagon Alley's current prosperity is all thanks to Skylar's leadership.
From then on, Skylar's reputation in the business world reached its peak, unshakeable by anyone.
Things had progressed to this point that even the Ministry of Magic had to publicly acknowledge Skylar's contributions to Diagon Alley.
Skylar's next plan was then launched.
A secret, encrypted radio station—"Malfoy Watchtower"—has officially begun broadcasting.
This also means that Skylar will officially break ties with the Ministry of Magic and begin a war of words.
This illegal radio station completely bypassed the Ministry of Magic's oversight system, using powerful magical encryption to conceal its signal source and broadcasting the most authentic current situation in the wizarding world daily. The station's core mission was "to spread the truth and expose corruption," broadcasting only illegal content that the Ministry of Magic did not permit, providing the wizarding community with events that were concealed by the "Wizarding Wireless Network" and the Daily Prophet.
The content includes: Grindelwald's prison break, the resurgence of the Death Eaters, and a surge in unexplained disappearances across Britain. The announcer, Latifa, not only narrates the causes and consequences of these events in an extremely sweet voice, but also provides various analyses behind the events. Of course, she also criticizes the Ministry of Magic for its inaction in these matters, for not only failing to take any effective measures, but also for trying to suppress the news.
Between the lines, the broadcaster Latifa also touted the House of Malfoy's contributions, after all, Skylar Malfoy was the one who truly dared to face reality and take action, organizing a self-defense force to solve security problems. The broadcast wasn't just criticism; it was also full of strong implications, guiding the wizarding world to start thinking about a question—if the Ministry of Magic is no longer trustworthy, then who is the true hope of wizarding society? Who is the leader that the wizarding world can rely on and trust in the future?
With the promotion of members of major business alliances, Pure-blood families, underworld forces, the Medieval European Wizards Association, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, these radio programs quickly became popular throughout every corner of Great Britain and even spread to the Europe wizarding world.
The Ministry of Magic, of course, would not stand idly by. Fudge was furious and ordered a ban on all broadcasts about "Malfoy Watchtower," demanding that the Auror Office immediately track the radio signal and completely destroy this illegal broadcast. However, no matter how they tried, they could not pinpoint the source of the signal— Skylar's technology far exceeded the Ministry of Magic's existing intelligence capabilities.
"How did they do that?!" Fudge slammed his fist on the table and roared at Rowdon Burke.
Poker's face was ashen; he dared not make any more promises to Fudge. He knew that the Ministry of Magic was gradually losing control of society, and their enemies were not only the Death Eaters, but also Skylar Malfoy, a mere fifteen-year-old boy who had already built a vast power behind the scenes.
Seeing Fudge and his cronies so angry yet helpless, many employees of the Ministry of Magic, though daring not to say anything, began to harbor strange thoughts deep down.
Skylar's name carries considerable weight within the Ministry of Magic.
Born into a noble Pure-blood families, with the support of many powerful Pure-blood families, the youngest member of Wizengamot possesses extremely strong magical abilities and wields considerable influence and appeal within international wizarding organizations and academia. Most importantly, he also maintains close relationships with many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, such as Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour, and has a significant number of supporters within the Ministry of Magic.
This is simply... even more amazing than Dumbledore in his youth!