Tver looked at the British Prime Minister, who had fallen into deep thought, and stopped trying to persuade him further.
He could tell that the Prime Minister was already tempted. If he kept pressing now, he would only come across as too aggressive.
So the office fell silent. Only the fading evening light beyond the window reminded them that time was passing second by second.
After a long while...
"You're not like Fudge."
"What?" Tver froze for a moment, with no trace of pretense. He genuinely wondered whether he had heard wrong.
"You had that portrait make an appointment in advance. You openly admitted that you needed our help. You're even willing to show me matters of magic..."
"You're very different from Fudge, Tver Fawley." The Prime Minister repeated himself patiently.
"Although I haven't dealt with other wizards, I imagine most of the wizarding world is more like Fudge, isn't it?"
Tver could not quite read what this old politician was thinking, so he simply followed his lead.
"I won't deny that many wizards treat people like you badly, but when the Joint Operations Office is formed, the wizards sent over definitely won't carry that kind of arrogance."
The Prime Minister chuckled softly. Tver's mature manner had made him unconsciously overlook his age until now. Only at this moment did he properly realize that the man before him was not yet even thirty.
In politics, a man of thirty could only be said to be at the very start of his career.
"Don't worry. As you said, the Joint Office is also in my interest, so why would I refuse?"
"And on our side, I will appoint a cabinet member I trust deeply. He will be able to stay in constant communication with me, mobilize the police, and even call upon certain military units."
"Does that satisfy you?"
Tver had assumed the Prime Minister would appoint some kind of assistant, who would report to him before action was taken.
He had not expected him to cut out the middle step entirely. It could only be called an enormous show of trust toward Tver.
"You trust us that much?"
"I'm simply returning your sincerity." The Prime Minister smiled easily. "The whole point of joint operations is to save time, isn't it? I'm just choosing the most convenient arrangement for you under special circumstances."
"Besides, you've hidden yourselves for all these years, and now you're coming to me to ask for help. I doubt you've suddenly decided you want to conquer the world."
Tver immediately understood.
Trust was not something built in a single evening's conversation. The real reason was that, for so many years, wizards had concealed themselves and lived quietly. That fact had made the Prime Minister feel that Tver was someone he could trust.
At least, before he learned more about magic...
"Thank you very much for your trust. But in truth, we can be used for more than just dealing with Voldemort." A meaningful smile tugged at Tver's lips.
This time it was the Prime Minister who looked surprised. "Oh? Such as?"
"For example, in natural disasters, or emergencies like fires. Now that we're friends, surely we wouldn't just stand by and do nothing."
Tver tapped the desktop meaningfully. Less than a foot from his fingers lay a document that had been giving the Prime Minister an enormous headache.
The Prime Minister caught the implication in Tver's words. He lowered his head and looked at the report on the desk for a moment, then raised his eyes again with an intrigued expression.
"Tell me. Would mad cow disease count as an emergency?"
"Of course." Tver grinned. "But I think you may have misunderstood one thing. Magic is not all-powerful. Before I understand mad cow disease, I can't give you a definite answer..."
The Prime Minister was suddenly displeased. Bringing up something uncertain like that made it sound as if Tver was stringing him along.
"But I heard that the EU is planning to stop importing British cattle, and any beef products as well?"
"That's right."
At the thought of that problem, the Prime Minister could not help sighing.
"You see, I may not be able to solve mad cow disease itself, but Prime Minister, Britain has tens of millions of beef cattle. However many are infected, the number still won't exceed a million."
Tver lifted his chin confidently, carrying the air of someone used to standing above others.
"So. Would you rather cure one million sick cattle, or guarantee the sale of the other nine million plus?"
"You mean you can use magic to change the minds of those people in the EU?" The Prime Minister was instantly tempted, and his earlier displeasure vanished without a trace.
What gave him the biggest headache was never the several hundred thousand infected cattle. It was the blockade from other countries, which threatened to devastate Britain's cattle industry and the billions in economic activity connected to it.
"It would be more accurate to say that my people would step in and persuade Europe, and even the rest of the world." Tver chose a more cautious way of putting it.
The Prime Minister sensed something different in that answer, and his attention immediately shifted from mad cow disease back to Tver himself.
"As far as I know, you're not supposed to use magic freely, especially not on us..."
"But we're friends, aren't we? Besides, would you really tell anyone about this?" Tver looked at the Prime Minister with a pure, open expression. Combined with his age, he really did resemble a young man who knew no fear.
But the Prime Minister knew very well that this shrewd young man was repaying his trust.
For politicians, building a certain level of mutual trust was actually quite simple. Both sides just needed to hold leverage over the other.
And the matter of mad cow disease was the leverage Tver had voluntarily handed over.
For the sake of the political achievement of preventing an EU blockade, the Prime Minister naturally would not lightly expose the existence of magic.
But if Tver ever used magic to harm him, then he would also have a way to strike back.
That gave the two of them a foundation for cooperation...
"I'm curious. Why are you willing to take a risk just to help me?" the Prime Minister asked.
As far as he was concerned, the matter of the office had already been settled. There was no need for Tver to take on unnecessary risk just to lend him a hand.
Unless...
Tver knew that if he did not give a reason, this Prime Minister would never be willing to owe him a favor.
"I have a friend, the kind who can't use magic. He feels that his business in Britain, and even across Europe, has reached a bottleneck. He wants to get to know more powerful partners like you."
"I wonder whether, for the sake of the friendly relationship between us, you would be willing to accept him?"
The Prime Minister immediately let out a laugh of understanding, convinced he had grasped Tver's true intentions.
A businessman's trade always had its limits. If he wanted to become a capitalist who could foresee, or even influence, national policy, then simply doing business obediently would never be enough.
Seen that way, although he had no idea what kind of relationship Tver had with this so-called friend, there were surely plenty of private motives behind it...
The Prime Minister suddenly thought of that marvelous magic.
If, and this was only if, he could make Tver work for him, then perhaps his political career could become even more glorious.
The thought made him smile uncontrollably.
"I would be very happy to have a talk with your friend..." The Prime Minister extended his hand in a friendly manner. "After all, we are..."
As Tver clasped his hand, the Prime Minister softly finished:
"Friends."
"Yes. Friends."