I left the Burrow after dinner with the intention of spending the next few days doing absolutely nothing of importance.
After weeks of hectic schedule I felt that I had earned a little peace. The summer had barely begun, yet I had already managed to create enough work for myself to keep several people occupied for months. With the arrangements with the Weasleys finally settled and the conversation about Sirius still waiting for me to find a way into the Ministry, I had hoped to retreat to Salvius Manor, spend some time with Chromis, perhaps read a few books from the newly assembled library, and enjoy the gardens without someone appearing every few hours with another problem.
Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
The moment I returned to the manor, I was reminded of the one problem I had been deliberately avoiding.
Arclight Beacon still wasn't ready.
The shop itself was progressing well. The renovations had reached the final stages, the display area was being constructed according to my instructions, and the potion shop next door was already moving toward opening under Uncle Snape's supervision. The projector design was complete, the discs could now be manufactured reliably, and the protective measures surrounding the production process had been established.
What I didn't have was a workforce.
More importantly, I didn't have a manager.
The original plan had been considerably more ambitious. I had intended to employ werewolves, providing them with stable work and a respectable source of income while also gaining access to a community that was badly underserved by wizarding society. The idea had seemed practical when I first considered it, particularly because the manufacturing process could be arranged so that much of the work took place away from the public eye.
The problem had never been finding werewolves willing to work.
The problem had been finding someone among them whom I could trust to manage the entire operation.
A business required more than skilled workers. Someone had to organize schedules, handle supplies, maintain discipline, resolve disputes, supervise production, and ensure that every employee followed the procedures that had been established. I could not simply place a group of workers together and assume that everything would function smoothly without a reliable manager.
The alternative was to appoint an ordinary wizard to oversee them.
That possibility was even worse.
I had no desire to place a wizard with little understanding of werewolf society in charge of a workforce that already had every reason to distrust ordinary wizards. One disagreement, one insult, or one careless remark could undo everything I was trying to accomplish. Even if the manager was perfectly reasonable, there was no guarantee that the employees would accept someone they viewed as an outsider being placed above them.
There were ways around the problem, but all of them required more time and thought than I could spare before the shop's opening.
Lupin was the obvious name that came to mind whenever I considered the issue.
I deliberately pushed it aside.
I wasn't ready to involve him yet.
For now, the werewolf employment plan would have to remain on the shelf until I could find a method that didn't put either the workers or the business at unnecessary risk.
That left me with a much simpler solution.
Hire ordinary employees.
And so the following two weeks disappeared into interviews.
Blake and I spent almost every day reviewing applications, conducting interviews, testing practical skills, and trying to determine which candidates could actually be trusted with the responsibilities they would receive. The shop might have been built around a revolutionary product, but that didn't mean I intended to hire people simply because they were enthusiastic about working with something new.
Some candidates were highly skilled but unreliable.
Others were responsible but lacked the technical ability required for production.
A few were intelligent enough to understand the work but far too interested in discovering how the projector itself functioned, which immediately made them unsuitable for obvious reasons.
By the end of the first week, Blake had become remarkably efficient at identifying problematic candidates.
Eventually, after two exhausting weeks, we had assembled the workforce.
We had a manager, several employees for the shop itself, and enough people trained to handle the manufacturing process once production began. The team wasn't perfect, but it was reliable, and that mattered more to me than finding exceptionally talented individuals who might become difficult later.
The following week was devoted almost entirely to training.
The manufacturing process had been broken down into stages so that no single employee possessed the complete knowledge necessary to reproduce the projector independently. Each person was responsible for a specific portion of the process, while the final assembly remained restricted to a smaller group under the manager's supervision.
I had also taken several precautions against theft and reverse engineering.
Every employee involved in manufacturing had signed a magical contract containing strict confidentiality clauses. More importantly, the contracts carried the memory enchantment specifically for this purpose. Once an employee tried to reveal details related to manufacturing, the memories relating directly to the construction process would be erased according to the conditions written into the contract.
It wasn't something I took lightly.
Memory magic was dangerous, and I had no intention of using it casually. However, the projector represented an enormous investment of time and resources, and I had no desire to spend the next several years fighting against knockoffs produced by people who had simply copied the manufacturing process.
I had also incorporated another layer of protection into the devices themselves.
Anyone attempting to dismantle a projector without following the proper procedure would trigger a self-destruct rune embedded within the internal structure. The mechanism would destroy the components necessary to reconstruct the device, making reverse engineering considerably more difficult.
The system wasn't completely foolproof.
Nothing was.
But anyone trying to steal the design would have to overcome several independent protections before getting anywhere useful.
Once the employees had been trained and the first production run had been completed successfully, I finally allowed myself to believe that I might actually have some free time.
That lasted approximately one day.
"Alastair."
Blake's voice came from across the study.
I looked up from the book I had been reading.
"What?"
"We need to finalize the invitation list."
I stared at her.
"Can't that wait?"
"No."
She placed a thick stack of parchment onto the desk.
"We need to send the invitations at least a month in advance."
I looked toward the calendar.
She was right.
We had decided that the inauguration would take place around the time Hogwarts letters were sent out. That would place the opening toward the end of July, meaning we had only a little over a month remaining.
I sighed and closed the book.
"Fine."
Blake smiled in satisfaction before taking the seat opposite me.
"We already have the people you've invited."
She began counting them off.
"Fred, George, Cedric, Nyx, and the others."
I nodded.
"Arcturus will be invited as well."
"Obviously."
Blake looked toward her own list.
"The Tonks family will receive invitations from me. Aunt Andromeda, Ted, and Dora."
"Good."
"The Malfoys as well."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You'll handle that one?"
"Of course."
She gave me an amused look.
Blake continued going through the list.
"We also need representatives from the Ministry."
"Not just representatives."
I leaned back in my chair.
"People who actually matter."
She nodded.
"That means department heads and senior officials."
"Some of them."
I considered the matter carefully.
I didn't want the inauguration to become a political gathering, but I also understood the importance of establishing relationships with influential people early. Arclight Beacon wasn't going to remain a small shop selling a single product. If the company succeeded, it would eventually interact with nearly every major institution in Britain.
The Ministry would be unavoidable.
"The people from the departments most likely to be affected by our products should receive invitations," I said. "But don't invite half the Ministry simply because they have a title."
Blake smiled.
"I'll keep the list selective."
"There are also the heads of the major noble families."
She glanced toward me.
"How many?"
"Enough to make it clear that Arclight Beacon isn't operating within a single family's circle, but not so many that the event looks like a gathering of the Wizengamot."
She laughed softly.
"That's a rather narrow line."
"It is."
We continued sorting through names.
The invitation list gradually expanded.
Several old pureblood families would receive invitations, particularly those with significant commercial or political influence. Some were people I wanted to establish relationships with, while others were simply individuals whose presence would make it clear that Arclight Beacon intended to operate across traditional social boundaries.
Then came the potential clients.
That list was arguably more important than the political one.
Quidditch immediately came to mind.
"If we're going to sell projectors and discs for entertainment, Quidditch is going to be one of our largest markets."
Blake nodded.
"Team managers?"
"Managers, owners where appropriate."
The projector wasn't merely a novelty.
It could fundamentally change how wizarding society experienced entertainment. A match could be recorded and replayed. Important moments could be preserved. Training sessions could potentially be reviewed. Families could watch events they couldn't attend themselves.
If the Ministry and wealthy families wanted the device for prestige, Quidditch organizations would have practical reasons to buy it.
"We should also invite the major businesses in Diagon Alley," Blake added.
"Some from Hogsmeade as well."
"Yes. Anyone who might eventually become a distributor or commercial partner."
Blake leaned over the desk.
I tapped the Arclight Beacon name written at the top of the parchment.
"Eventually, people shouldn't associate this name with one product. They should associate it with innovation."
Blake smiled.
"Exactly."
The list continued growing.
Friends, Family, Nobility, Ministry officials, Business owners, Potential clients.
People whose influence might prove useful in the future.
"You know, when I first imagined opening a shop, I thought the difficult part would be inventing the product."
Blake laughed.
"And now?"
"Now I'm beginning to think the difficult part is the opening."
The opening of Arclight Beacon would be more than the launch of a new shop. It would be our first public statement about what we intended to build.
If the event succeeded, people would leave knowing the name.
If the product impressed them, they would remember it.
And if both succeeded, Arclight Beacon would have taken its first step toward becoming something far larger than either of us had originally imagined.
I looked once more at the name written across the top of the invitation list.
Arclight Beacon.
For now, it was a shop preparing to sell projectors and discs.
But that wouldn't last forever.
One day, the name would be attached to products neither Blake nor I had even imagined yet.
For the moment, however, I still had one immediate problem.
I had wanted a few peaceful days of rest.
Instead, I was sitting in the middle of my study surrounded by invitations, guest lists, contracts, employees, and business plans.
I looked toward Blake.
"After this is done, I'm taking three days off."
She smiled innocently.
"Of course."
She gathered the parchment and stood.
"We'll discuss your three days of rest after we've finished sending the invitations."
I sighed as she walked away.
Apparently, peace and quiet would have to wait a little longer.
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