"All of you here, who doesn't want to take over the Umbrella? But we all know that's impossible," said the American wizard. "However, the Umbrella Corporation is a multinational enterprise of immense scale. Even if divided into a hundred parts, each part would be enough to satisfy everyone here."
"The reason Murphy is in trouble is that he monopolized the benefits. But I'm not greedy. After we take down Murphy together, I only want my rightful one percent."
The wizards were tempted. In fact, they bore no personal grudge against Murphy and didn't particularly care about the breach of the Secrecy Act. They gathered here mainly because of the immense benefits left in the wake of Murphy's fall.
"But the entire British Ministry of Magic listens to him. What's your plan?" someone asked.
"How many people are in the British Ministry of Magic?" the American wizard countered. "And how many from our countries if we persuade our Ministries to form a task force?"
"You're really planning to start a war?"
"War doesn't mean we have to be on the front lines," said the American wizard. "But war isn't the only way. We can also contact some dissidents within Britain. Surely there are many. I've heard Murphy has nearly filled Azkaban. Perhaps we can even plan a jailbreak. In any case, we can cause him trouble, distracting him from his Muggle enterprises."
"That's when we can make some business arrangements."
"Just like Mr. Gaston is doing," the American wizard continued. "I believe everyone here has their own small industries, small channels."
"Perhaps our scale is nothing compared to the Umbrella, but we can unite. He's just selling potions, right? Can't we do the same? It's just that he's gone solo, drawing envy. But with our numbers, if we stay united, we can make this work more covertly."
After Dumbledore exposed Murphy's relationship with the Umbrella, these international wizards realized just how much money Murphy had made and how vast the Muggle market was.
And in their eyes, what Murphy did wasn't technically challenging; wasn't it just packaging potions unknown to Muggles and selling them to those bumpkins? If Murphy could do it, surely they could too.
Thus, since last year, many astute wizards from various countries had started to make their moves in the shadows.
But since the Umbrella had already captured the market and they weren't familiar with the rules of Muggle society, their efforts weren't very profitable yet. Still, the high profits drove them to invest everything they had.
Murphy had indeed set a very poor precedent, reigniting the greed of wizards with his immense wealth.
---
Elsewhere, Dumbledore visited Grindelwald's hideout after leaving the meeting.
Grindelwald was drinking.
"The French might not excel in many areas, but they do know their wine," Grindelwald pushed a glass across the table. "Is that time-wasting meeting over? I assume you didn't come to any useful conclusions."
Dumbledore took a seat, "You seem to be taking pleasure in my discomfort."
"It's indeed somewhat amusing to see you in a bind," Grindelwald chuckled. "Destroying Murphy's enterprises in the Muggle world is pointless and might even scatter them, allowing for a more covert existence. But if you want to strike at Murphy's influence in the wizarding world, you'll inevitably have to face the British Ministry of Magic. I presume you don't want to start a war?"
"Everything I've done is to avoid the worst outcome of war, whether it's between wizards and Muggles or among wizards," Dumbledore said.
"You're too naive, Albus." Grindelwald took a sip of his wine. "Necessary sacrifices exist. Those unwilling to give up anything can't gain anything."
"Still, I must admit I admire Murphy's methods. In comparison, I was too radical in my youth."
"His influence is legitimate in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, making it necessary to use legitimate means to counter him, else we become the villains."
"Only by considering both worlds together, because of the Secrecy Act, can his activities be seen as illegal."
"But precisely because of the Secrecy Act, we can't cooperate on a large scale with Muggle society. Thus, in the 'cooperation between wizards and Muggles,' his strength far surpasses ours. It's a genius design."
"No, rather, he's exploiting a huge loophole in the rules."
"It sounds like you admire him?" Dumbledore asked.
"Indeed, if I were still twenty, I might even have followed him, because his ideals are more convincing and feasible than mine."
"But alas, I'm old now," Grindelwald said. "So, we've become enemies."
"You can leave, Gellert. You're free now," Dumbledore said. "This is my responsibility, not yours. In fact, I've started to feel that what I'm doing might be in vain."
Grindelwald fell silent for a moment, then said, "Then perhaps it's time to give up."
"Albus, if there's anything I've learned over these fifty years, it's to let go. To accept some things, to face an unstoppable fate. While resistance is commendable, fleeing isn't necessarily shameful. We're not saints. What's wrong with being a bit selfish, taking care of ourselves?"
Dumbledore paused, "I never thought I'd hear such words from you."
"Fifty years, Albus. We've both changed a lot."
"But some things haven't changed," Dumbledore sighed. "Let's return to the topic of Murphy. It seems the only real way to stop him is still to kill him..."
Maybe a war against the British Ministry of Magic could work, but that wasn't the outcome he wished to see. Killing Murphy was the least damaging option for the wizarding world.
Perhaps this was the "necessary sacrifice" Grindelwald spoke of. But killing Murphy was easier said than done. They hadn't managed it before, and the chances seemed even slimmer now.
"If you still wish to stop Murphy, you'd better act quickly." Suddenly, a black-robed priest entered.
"Murphy Darkholme is building an 'antenna,'" the black-robed priest said, ignoring their wary looks and approaching the table. "This is your last chance to stop him. Once his 'antenna' is complete, he'll be able to find the ingredients for making the Philosopher's Stone, completing the final piece that will trigger a magical explosion."
"Then, the collapse of the Secrecy Act becomes inevitable."
"Secrets will be unveiled, oaths broken, and the countdown to the world's destruction begins."
"That's something neither you nor I wish to see."
"Preventing the completion of that antenna is your last chance."
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT