Second Chances [The Dudley Story]

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"I FUCKING LOVE YOU!" Edwin roared and jumped to hug Dudley. "Let me kiss you, my golden boss!"

"Ugh… Fuck off, Edwin!" Dudley pushed the man away from himself. "Focus on the damn work."

"What work? We just made tens of billions! You're a fucking genius!" Edwin almost cried, already thinking about the fat bonus he was going to get. "I think I'll buy a boat."

"Tsk…" Dudley scoffed. "I want one too."

Both men sat down by the large window overlooking the River Thames and drank wine in the daytime. How could they not after the soaring success of the Muggle side of D&D Bank as well? Unlike the magical side, the Muggle side was entirely driven by the fame and established prowess of D&D Holdings.

Right away, the bank issued loans, massive loans. The loans were to help a few companies, mainly in the construction business. He found some debt-ridden, struggling large companies, used every underhanded means possible to ensure they didn't get any relief from anywhere, and once they reached a do-or-die point, he bought them. Then, his bank gave fat loans to clear all the debts, and then further invested more as the government had finally given Dudley the permission to develop Plymouth Town as the UK's own Silicon Valley. Most of Dudley's demands had been agreed to.

Then, Dudley repeated the same thing. He pushed companies to the brink of collapse and appeared like an angel. Batteries, displays, fashion, semiconductors, chips, he jumped into all of them with the sole focus on developing Plymouth as the future hub.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. As soon as the government released the permission given to his company to develop Plymouth Town, massive protests erupted in London and Plymouth itself. Some were natural and some were planned by his competitors who wanted him to lose.

"DOWN WITH DURSLEY!"

"STOP THE OIL!"

"EAT THE RICH!"

"BLA BLA BLA…"

After one point, Dudley just shrugged and decided to be as ruthless as he needed to be. He was trying to give the UK a bright future, while the people wanted the country to get fucked, slowly.

He then gave the order, and underhanded means were utilized. Some of the leaders of the protests were suddenly laid off from their work. Some were suddenly investigated and found to be doing some nasty things in private. Some were found to have been paid and got publicly exposed on TV.

Then Dudley gave his first-ever TV interview. Of course, it was on the BBC, the bastards were fed by him. And Petunia was a star on one of their channels. He no longer hid himself from the world. He no longer hid his intentions. He had the Vanguards to deal with all the madness.

"...Yeah, so what? Do you want to know why the UK's a tech graveyard? It's 'cause every time some poor sod comes up with something half-decent, bureaucracy kicks in with rules and regulations. So they jet off to California, pitch their idea to venture capital, and next thing you know—it's worth billions. And guess who's the biggest venture capital out there? Me!"

Seeing the journalist speechless, he continued.

"And when I am trying to create a Silicon Valley of our own—something that could pump two trillion into our economy in the next two decades—and I get called a capitalist pig? A fascist? Even an eco-terrorist? There were posters with my face on them, calling for me to be murdered! What exactly have I done wrong—wanting to make my own country bloody wealthier? I'm just twenty, I could've sodded off to California and lived easy in a mansion, but I didn't. I stayed here. I live in Surrey. My Mum's here. And you know what? I love this place. That's my crime, is it? Loving my own country?"

Nationalism sells well. Dudley knew that, and he milked it as much as he could. He didn't believe in most of what he said. Yes, he was a capitalist pig. But it was also a fact that he would generate jobs for tens of thousands, and make the UK as a whole richer and much more high-tech. He believed that was enough for a give and take.

It was a heated interview. But he made sure to get his point across. The point was very simple as well. He was just twenty years old and already rich as fuck. Can the UK really afford to piss him off and push him away?

So, as expected, the next day's Muggle papers printed an expected headline.

200 Billion Dollar Empire at Twenty—I Live In Surrey!

"Jesus! Really? Am I worth two hundred billion, Edwin?" Dudley looked at his CFO in pure disbelief. "Wait, doesn't that make me the richest? Steve's only got ninety-something, no?"

Edwin awkwardly rubbed his beard, thinking deeply. "Well, that's just an estimate of your Muggle wealth. If you combine the wizard side, it's probably much higher."

Dudley's jaw dropped in shock. He seriously had no clue how rich he was. And doing an audit was very tough, especially on the wizarding side. But he knew exactly where he needed to use the money he had. If he was that rich, there was no need to hold back anymore.

Let's expand Vanguard Group. Just a thousand members won't do.

Ring! Ring!

Right then, his wired telephone on the table rang. Before Edwin could answer, Dudley grabbed it since it was his office. Also, he didn't want Edwin's greasy hands to rub on the phone, the man just finished eating a burger.

"Dudley here."

"Dudley? Oh! It went through!"

"..."

A cute, sweet, feminine voice came from the other side. He recognized it right away.

"Luna?"

"Yes, Luna Lovegood speaking on this side, Over."

"..."

"You don't need to say 'over,' Luna. That's for walkie-talkies. This is just a regular phone. Also, where exactly are you calling from? And—hang on—how did you even get this number?"

"Daddy gave it to me—Over! I mean, I'm calling from a telephone box. I was wondering if you might be free. At Hogwarts, you mentioned we'd go on a trip, remember? Do you have any plans yet?"

Ah! I nearly forgot. Dudley frowned and looked at his calendar on the table. Nothing much this week.

"Nothing on the calendar just yet, but we can plan something together. I'm free for the next four days, so let's head somewhere nice. Any places you've been thinking about? Could be anywhere, really—wherever takes your fancy."

There was silence for a while, Luna's soft breath was audible, however. Then she chirped. "Switzerland… I saw the pictures—it's enchanting. I wonder what sort of magical beasts might be nesting in the mountains there. Do you suppose we could visit sometime?"

"Why not? Go home and pack your bags. I'll pick you up from the Leaky Cauldron in two hours."

Normally, one would question the suddenness of it. But not Luna Lovegood.

"Then, I'll see you there, Dudley."

That was it, she hung up.

Dudley put the phone down and looked at Edwin to get the bookings made. But the man started stretching his shoulders, as if tired. "What?"

"I could use a holiday as well."

"Bullshit! You just went to Brazil on a family trip last month. Now help me book a nice one for me."

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It was never a hassle traveling when you had a massive private plane hauling you around. And it being Luna's first air travel, she was all excited and in awe of everything, cutely running the entire length of the plane and checking out everything. It was a different thing that she nearly opened the emergency door with an unlocking spell. He reprimanded her a little after that.

The flight to Switzerland wasn't long. As soon as they arrived, they rented a car, which Dudley drove to a secluded parking lot. From there, they put on invisibility cloaks and flew using a broom. That was the best way to enjoy the beauty of Switzerland. And really, it was a beauty.

Since Luna's main wish was to see magical beasts, Dudley took her to the places marked on the map. A map that he'd purchased from the Swiss Ministry of Magic. It was expensive, but listening to Luna laugh and talk nonstop made it worth it.

Unlike most believed, Luna wasn't a stoic, plain-faced girl. Most believed she didn't know how to express herself. Smiling all the time, even when she should frown. But that was merely because of her extremely curious nature. Even in times of crisis, she was more curious than worried. Now, seeing her giggle, talk loudly on the broom, and be more expressive, he saw the real Luna.

"I don't think you'll find any unseen magical beasts, Luna." Dudley flew beside her as they approached an uninhabited mountain. "Most of Europe has similar magical creatures."

"Oh, I know that, of course. But honestly, it's still ever so much fun."

Ah… I guess it is worth it.

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