Chapter 541 Diagonal Conference

Chapter 541 Diagonal Conference
February arrives, bringing with it warmer and wetter weather.

Although Penelope had always been in charge of the SHIELD Security Consulting Company, many people in the wizarding world believed that as a young witch of Muggle origin, she had no confidence to openly reject the cooperation invitations from many business tycoons.

The mystery did not last long. Soon, many people thought of the predecessor of S.H.I.E.L.D. Security Consultants - the Malfoy Armor Shop, and Shaylin Malfoy's identity as the real behind-the-scenes boss of S.H.I.E.L.D. was exposed.

The news spread throughout the British wizarding world in just a few days, and even the Daily Prophet had a report specifically digging out the inside story.

But all this was actually part of Schelling's plan.

The next day, Penelope sent a formal letter in Sherin's name to all the merchants in Diagon Alley, and no merchant was left out.

The main content of the letter is:

Shaylin Malfoy, as the big boss of the SHIELD security consulting company, is going to formally convene a Diagon Alley meeting!

His position was clearly stated in the letter:
He believed that the Ministry of Magic was no longer able to protect the safety of many businesses, and had not made any compensation for the losses they had suffered.

He believed that businesses should no longer rely on the Ministry of Magic, but should be self-reliant.

His first proposal was to establish the "Diagon Alley Business Alliance" to bring together all the merchants in Diagon Alley to form a united force. In this way, the merchants could help each other and overcome difficulties, and rely on the strength of the merchants' unity to protect their own business, safety and interests.

At the end of the letter, it was written:

"The conference is scheduled to be held in the Leaky Cauldron in ten days, on February 2th. - Shaylin Malfoy, Order of Merlin, Second Class Order of Merlin, International Magical Merit Award, Wizengamot Youth Representative, Medieval European Wizarding Confederation Youth Representative, Honorary Member of the Extraordinary Apothecary Association."

When the merchants in Diagon Alley received the letter, almost everyone was talking about it.

The Ministry of Magic naturally knew about this, but without Fudge's permission, Umbridge dared not provoke Schelling at will. The Ministry of Magic simply could not do without the support of the pure-blood families. Minister of Magic Fudge did invite his old friend Lucius to meet several times, but did not receive a response from the latter.

……

The time came to Sunday, February 2th.

Today, the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron is not open to the public. Instead, it has been carefully decorated as a serious and grand meeting room.

Bright candles were hanging from the ceiling, and the pale yellow candlelight was projected on the walls, making the whole room shrouded in a warm and mysterious atmosphere. In the center was a long oak conference table, surrounded by various chairs for the participants to sit. In front of the conference table was an exquisitely carved high-back chair, which was obviously prepared for the initiator of the conference.

There was a thick stack of documents on the table, with a copy prepared in front of each person's seat. There were also various teas and snacks on the side, but most people were not in the mood to touch them, and the atmosphere was particularly solemn.

Although the Ministry of Magic tried to stop the conference, businessmen had a keener sense of reality than politicians. Therefore, more than 90% of the merchants chose to ignore the Ministry of Magic's warnings and resolutely attended the conference - they all knew that this conference was related to their future survival and interests.

The flames exploded with a loud bang, and a figure slowly walked out of the fireplace.

Shaylin Malfoy was wearing a well-cut dark black robe, with golden buttons reflecting light in the firelight. He was tall and straight, with steady steps, and every step seemed to control the rhythm of the whole room. He had applied to Dumbledore to leave school in advance, so he could use the fireplace in the headmaster's office and arrive via Floo.

Penelope Clivard had been waiting by the side. She nodded slightly and looked at Sherin for a moment. Although she was used to the ups and downs in the business world, today's scene still made her heart tighten slightly.

The whole room was silent.

The eyes of the businessmen present were all focused on this young man - this boy who was still a Hogwarts student in name, but now actually controlled the most influential company in Diagon Alley, and even initiated such a conference that shook the entire wizarding business community.

"Then let's get started." Xie Ling's voice was calm and powerful. He sat down in the main seat and scanned the entire audience with his sharp eyes like an eagle.

The first item on the agenda of the Diagon Alley Conference was to establish the "Diagon Alley Business Alliance" and elect the first leader of the alliance.

Everyone knew that the actual initiator of this conference was Xie Ling, but at this time, he did not mention his name on his own initiative. Instead, he tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, waiting calmly for the first person to stand up.

The room was silent, everyone's eyes were wandering between each other, no one wanted to be the first to break the deadlock. At this moment, a steady and hoarse voice slowly sounded.

"Since no one wants to speak, let me speak."

Everyone turned their heads and Agatha Timms stood up.

She was a tall witch, wearing an old dark brown cloak, with a weathered face and some silver hair on her temples. Her eyes were sharp, with the calmness and decisiveness accumulated from years of debt collection - she was a woman who had experienced the ups and downs of life, and she would not trust anyone easily, but her choices were always carefully considered.

Agatha slowly looked around the room, her voice low and powerful:

"I've seen too many promises made that turned into nothing."

"The Ministry of Magic said it would protect merchants, but what happened? After the Death Eaters escaped from prison, not even a trace of them was seen."

The corners of her mouth curled up into a sneer, and she continued, "Two years ago, the damn Bagman cheated me of all my savings. The Ministry of Magic refused to intervene and I almost tore up the debt contract and regarded it as my bad luck. However, young Mr. Malfoy couldn't bear to see it, so he helped me make up for all my losses."

Agatha Timms is the owner of Eel Farm in Leicestershire and the leader of the "Debt Collection League". This league is composed of a group of creditors who were defrauded of money by Ludo Bagman in the past, and is promoted by Schelling behind the scenes (for details, please read Chapter 4 of Volume 162). As the largest creditor, Agatha naturally has a very high prestige in the league, but in fact, she has been bribed by Schelling.

She paused, glanced at everyone, and said in a firm tone: "If you are looking for someone to lead the 'Diagon Alley Business Alliance', then I have only one nomination - Shaylin Malfoy."

After these words were spoken, the whole room fell into silence for a short time.

The businessmen looked at each other, with complicated expressions on their faces.

If they had some doubts at the beginning, now this proposal is difficult to refute - Xie Ling not only controls the fastest-growing company in Diagon Alley, but can also truly influence the market structure. More importantly... this conference itself was initiated by him.

At this moment, a gentle female voice broke the silence.

“I support this proposal.”

The speaker was Professor Wilhelmina Grum-Plank, owner of Eeyore Owlery and a close ally of the Greengrass family.

She stood up gracefully, glanced at everyone, and said slowly: "Everyone, I think we are all aware that the situation in Diagon Alley has changed. We are facing Death Eaters who are ready to make a move in the dark, but the Ministry of Magic can't even come up with a decent response plan. In today's turbulent situation, we need someone who can lead everyone to deal with the crisis."

Her words caused a lot of discussion among the crowd, and everyone showed some hesitation and uneasiness on their faces.

"We need a leader, someone who can bring us together." She smiled slightly, her eyes fell on Xie Lin, with a bit of admiration in her eyes, "This young Mr. Malfoy, let alone his influence in international organizations, academia, potion industry, and alchemy, just take the SHIELD Security Consulting Company as an example - in a short period of time, he turned an ordinary armor store into the most influential enterprise in Diagon Alley. This kind of strategic vision and execution skills, who here can compare with it?"

"I am willing to follow his leadership." Her voice was not loud, but it carried a certain unquestionable weight.

After these words were spoken, many people in the field showed a thoughtful look, as if they had begun to be shaken by her words.

Soon, Madam Malkin, the owner of Madam Malkin's robe shop, also expressed her support for Schelling, followed by Ms. Primpenier, the owner of the beauty salon. Mr. Floris and Mr. Blot, the two owners of Flourish and Blott, looked at each other and made a decision, voting in support of Schelling.

These people made their choices based on their own judgment - Diagon Alley has been in disarray for so many years, and this time when faced with a crisis, it was Schelling who stood up alone to convene this meeting. His courage alone is enough to impress everyone.

Garrick Ollivander sighed. Being an old and cunning man, he knew that Shalling's situation was inevitable. Just as he was about to stand up and express his opinion, a heavy sound of footsteps came from the direction of the gate.

The crowd moved slightly, and three figures stepped into the room at the same time.

Griphook of Gringotts, old Borgin of Knockturn Alley, and Nitecat of the Black Rose Society.

"Did we miss some important people at this conference?"

Night Cat of the Black Rose Society narrowed his eyes slightly, with a slightly unfriendly smile on his face, and glanced at the participants in the room.

Old Borgin said in a cold tone: "If even we are not on the list of the 'Diagon Alley Business Alliance'... then this 'Alliance' is not complete."

The air seemed to become tense all of a sudden.

Many people were talking in low voices, with wary and uneasy looks on their faces.

However, Xie Ling chuckled, opened his arms nonchalantly, and said in a generous tone -

"No, no, no, you guys misunderstood."

"How could we possibly miss you?"

"The prosperity of Diagon Alley is inseparable from the efforts of every merchant."

"Everyone from Knockturn Alley, everyone from Gringotts, friends from the Black Rose Society - of course we welcome you to join us."

“I think everyone will agree with this.”

It is of course not difficult for you readers to imagine what will happen next.

Knockturn Alley Chamber of Commerce - supports Schelling.

Knockturn Alley underworld forces - support Sherin.

Gringotts forces - support Xie Ling.

When the three "uninvited guests" nodded in approval, the entire meeting had come to an end.

Shailene Malfoy officially became the first leader of the "Diagon Alley Business Alliance"!
Schelling didn't waste time and quickly moved on to the next topic:

"We must admit that the current Ministry of Magic is no longer able to protect Diagon Alley. We can no longer pin our hopes on them, but must rely on ourselves." After saying that, he took out a document and pushed it in front of everyone.

"In order to ensure the alliance's real security, I am willing to take the lead in investing one thousand Galleons to hire troll security guards and Silver Spear adventurers to form our own self-defense force. This will allow Diagon Alley to have enough power to protect itself, rather than relying solely on the Ministry of Magic."

Sherin went on to say, "But if I am the only one funding, the size of this self-defense force will be limited after all. I hope to gain your support and jointly fund to build a Diagon Alley self-defense force that is truly powerful enough to face the Death Eaters."

The proposal received an enthusiastic response.

The merchants are not stupid. As long as they pay a small amount of money, they can ensure the safety of their lives and property, and restore the economic vitality of Diagon Alley. Everyone can do the math.

Penelope was the first to pick up the quill and sign her name on the document.

Then Agatha Timms signed her name.

Then there was Wilhelmina Grubbish, Ollivander, Madam Malkin...

The sounds of signatures came one after another, and finally, everyone in the conference room signed their names.

Royden Pork, the Ministry representative, sat in the corner, his face as gloomy as if he had just swallowed a whole bottle of slug juice.

He was originally sent to "monitor" this conference. The Ministry of Magic's top brass had hoped that his presence would at least give some deterrent effect on the scene, or even allow the merchants to interject a word at a critical moment to make them aware of the Ministry of Magic's presence.

However, reality slapped the Ministry of Magic hard in the face -

Almost no one in the entire venue looked at him straight in the eye from beginning to end, and everyone's attention was focused on Shaylin Malfoy and his "Business Alliance". What's worse, after listening to Shaylin's speech, those businessmen who originally had some trust in the Ministry of Magic became determined, as if they had finally made up their minds to get rid of their dependence on the Ministry of Magic.

Poker's fingers were clenched tightly around the armrests of the chair, his knuckles turning white.

Of course he wanted to stand up and say a few words of warning, even if it was just a symbolic reminder to everyone that the Ministry of Magic was the real power holder in this country and security issues should be handled by them, not by a so-called "alliance" spontaneously organized by a group of businessmen.

But he couldn't open his mouth at all.

He caught the piercing gaze of Agatha Timms, which seemed to say, "Where was the Ministry of Magic?"

He saw the corners of Wilhelmina Grubbish's mouth slightly raised, a smile but not a smile, with a kind of sneer at the incompetence of the Ministry of Magic.

He even saw the contempt and disdain in Old Tom's cloudy eyes. This old bartender who had run the Leaky Cauldron for most of his life obviously knew better than anyone that the Ministry of Magic had only restricted businessmen, but had never provided any real protection.

Poke's throat moved slightly, but he finally swallowed the word "objection" that was about to come out of his mouth.

He was not a fool, he could see that this was not the Ministry of Magic's territory, and the Ministry of Magic's authority had no weight in this room. If he jumped out to object now, he would only become the target of public criticism, and he might even be kicked out by the businessmen on the spot.

Therefore, he could only maintain a stiff face, suppress all his dissatisfaction deep in his heart, and keep silent.