London in October was steeped in relentless rain.
In the corridor outside the Wizengamot's full assembly chamber.
"Mr. Black, I must remind you that this is not a personal vendetta against the Marauders Power Company. It is an administrative defense measure the Ministry of Magic has no choice but to take for the safety of every citizen of Great Britain."
With his hair impeccably groomed, Percy stood beside Sirius without making any particular effort to lower his voice.
Sirius leaned lazily against the wall, his legs crossed. He stirred the black coffee in his cup with a silver rod, making it clink.
"Oh, give it a rest, Assistant Weasley." Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Safety regulations? Prior approval? Look at these two things-the 'Magical Energy Product Access Act,' which requires any magical creation powered continuously by magical energy to undergo registration and testing before going on sale;
"and the 'Magical Energy Weapons Control Act,' which simply orders restrictions on all offensive magical energy devices other than wands, making unauthorized manufacture a serious crime.
"You might as well print my company's name on the cover of the legislation. After all, we're the only company in the whole United Kingdom, or even all of Europe, capable of making industrialized magical energy products like these."
"This is for the public safety of the Wizarding World." Percy lifted his chin. "The 'Magical Energy Product Access Act' stipulates that any magical creation powered continuously by magical energy must undergo safety testing and official registration before entering the market. Those that fail are prohibited from sale.
"The focus is on the safety of civilian magical appliances, Mr. Black. Do you think wizards don't deserve a safe dust extractor? Besides, we already had provisional legislation in place. This merely makes it permanent."
"Oh, and the second one? Will