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"You look great in this suit," Penelope complimented, standing in front of Dudley's tall frame, fixing his tie.
They were in Dudley's office in the San Francisco building he owned. He had another in Manhattan, but he didn't like spending time there. That place was too depressing, and all the finance guys that worked there reminded him of his old, sour days.
"I guess," Dudley grumbled, looking at the blue-eyed blonde. Penelope had always been pretty, and now she was even more. As she stood so close to him, he looked down at her face. A faint hint of freckles marred the middle of her nose and cheeks, just enough to make it a beauty statement. She was dressed in Witch fashion, a long skirted dress, elegant, tight around the waist.
The very waist where he rested his hands. He'd always tested boundaries with her ever since he started talking to her in Hogwarts. A hand on her thigh in the library, a few squeezing hugs, and each time, he received reciprocated responses.
"But it's a bit silly, isn't it? I mean, my muggle suit's perfectly fine—don't see why I've got to swap it for some old-fashioned thing just 'cause wizards haven't caught up with the times," Dudley muttered, palms spread on her waist, rubbing his thumb around the front side.
Penelope smirked, her pouty lips hiding a tease. She stepped closer to him, her soft, pert swells brushed against his chest. "Lucky me—I get to admire how handsome you look, no matter the style."
"Oh?" A brow raised, Dudley looked into her big eyes. His one hand dragged up her waist, leaving her body for a moment, and softly pinched her chin to tilt her face up. "What is this? Flirting with your boss?"
There had always been sexual tension between them. And they both played that game whenever they met. By now, they both enjoyed it.
Penelope smirked, baring her teeth in a big smile. "Why? Has my boss grown tired of his personal secretary? Am I no longer… charming enough?"
"You're not my personal secretary?"
"Not even for a short while? Then… would you prefer I go back home?"
Taking a pause, Dudley lowered his face to hers until the gap between their lips became extremely unprofessional. He could feel her breath, her scent. But just when Penelope slowly rose on her toes to close that gap, Dudley stood straight again.
"Oh, not at all—you're rather brilliant at this. Honestly, wouldn't mind keeping you on a bit longer… for a more thorough review."
"Heh…" Penelope pursed her lips and stepped back to grab the files. "I'll try my best, Sir."
She really loves this game, doesn't she?
Ever since he offered her a job back in Hogwarts, she'd shown her true personality. Adventurous, intelligent, and now… teasing. Maybe having a high-paying job did wonders in freeing up her academically overloaded brain.
"Come on then, best not keep Madam President waiting." Dudley finally slid his wand under his sleeve and left the building.
The trip to MACUSA's headquarters was simple. They used a Portkey since the headquarters building was in Manhattan. It was a controlled, regulated Portkey, so they appeared directly inside the Woolworth Building.
It was a far more magical sight when compared to the Ministry for Magic. A grand lobby with a cathedral-like ceiling that reached nearly 700 feet awaited him from his first step. And if he was correct, the building went as deep underground as it went up. A true, loud statement of MACUSA's magical prowess.
"Come on then—Percy's likely waiting." Penelope acted as his guide, having been there before. "Madam President's office is on the top floor."
Soon, they entered an elevator that traveled at great speed. In seconds, the chime rang, and the doors opened. The name of the floor was also announced.
"Administration Wing."
Dudley walked out and followed Penelope through the long lobby with doors on each side at an even distance. Eventually, they reached the end of the lobby, which opened into a wide hall. There, multiple cabins made of wooden walls dotted the floor, each with different names but similar designations—President's Assistant.
In the middle of the hall was a round bench where Percy Weasley was seated, standing out as the lone ginger. There were also Aurors standing guard at each corner, tall, mean looking, dressed in long coats and hats that covered their eyes.
"Mr. Dursley." Percy stood up and rushed to shake his hand. "Madam President is ready to see you."
"Already?"
"She knows who enters the building and who leaves," Percy explained and then shook Penelope's hand too, but stiffly. "My advice, Sir, is to remain composed and patient with her. President Aiyana Blackwood is uncompromising. She served as a distinguished Auror for two decades before becoming the Vice-President under the previous administration. She's blunt to a fault and quite disdainful of excessive flattery or dithering speech."
"How do you know all that?" Dudley asked.
"I… I learned it personally, Sir."
"Ah… Thank you for your sacrifice." Dudley patted his shoulder and looked at the double door in the distance, right in the middle of the wall. It was guarded by two Aurors. "By the way, Aiyana isn't a common name."
"She's half native, Sir."
"Makes sense. I'll go then."
"Good luck." Penelope cheered.
Dudley walked to the double doors and waited for the Aurors to search him or take his wand. He reckoned that should be the norm. But the two Aurors didn't even flinch or speak.
Instead, the twin doors gently, silently flung open wide. He walked in without much thought and felt something. The same feeling as going under that waterfall in Gringotts. He ignored it and looked inside. It was a large but modest office. The floor was made of marble with a massive round symbol of MACUSA. On the left and right ends of the room were tall bookshelves.
And right in front of him, far at the edge of the room beside the massive glass windows, was a single table, broad. A lone woman stood behind it, her arms crossed, her body draped in peculiar garbs, colorful but ancient, with a cloak made of some sort of white fur. On her head was a pointed hat with a single feature of an unknown bird.
She's tall and… hot?
It was hard to describe it. The woman was tall, her shoulders were slightly broad. She was definitely well-built under those layers of cloth. And her face, pale brown, with deep blue eyes, marked with a sharp nose, and a defined jawline, beautiful and elegant. Her brown hair was tied in a professional bun behind her head. There were a few thin wrinkles under her eyes, but nothing that ruined her looks.
"Good Morning, Madam President." Dudley approached her table with greetings.
For a moment, the woman remained silent. As if studying him, she sized him up from head to toe. He was just a few inches taller than her.
"Have a seat, Mr. Dursley."
Pretty strong voice. Dudley admired the woman and took the visitor's chair in front of her table.
He looked at her office for a better view. The view outside the windows was also a great sight. The skyline was visible. But it seemed the office sat higher than the height of the building somehow.
"Do you want something to drink?"
He focused back on the MACUSA President and chuckled. "Is that commonly offered to all or a special privilege for a rich wizard?"
President Aiyana remained stoic. "Commonly, you fatten a pig before you slaughter it."
"Pfft—"
He almost laughed out loud. That was the most unexpected response, far from what he was expecting. Somehow, it had the opposite effect on him.
Fuck, she's amazing.
Dudley was only a human, after all. He liked strong-willed women too, especially if they came as beautiful as this one.
"Careful there, Madam President. Some pigs don't go down easy—they've got a nasty bite on 'em before they're through."
At last, the forty-something woman smirked. She put her hands on the table and leaned forward. "What can I do for you?"
"What you were doing before. I hoped to set up a bank branch in America, but the initial permission was revoked. I'd like to continue with it," he bluntly replied, just as Percy had suggested. "Of course, I'd like to hear the reasons for cancelation first."
President Aiyana took out a file from her table drawer. She opened a page and pushed it towards Dudley. "Have a look. You'll understand."
Dudley read it quickly. There were names, numbers, and the names of Gringotts and other businesses beside it. Clearly, this was an investment record of various wizard families. How much wealth they kept in Gringotts, and what businesses they owned.
"They forced you to revoke my permits?" He asked directly.
"Threatened is more accurate, Mr. Dursley. I may dislike them, but I'm no dictator. Politics demands compromise. These families oppose your entry; they see it as a disruption. And MACUSA does not support your involvement in our magical financial sector." President Aiyana explained plainly. "Not unless you can provide absolute guarantees."
Here it fucking comes. Man, I hate politicians no matter how fuckable they may be.
"Such as?"
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