Chapter 26: Signing a Magic Contract
Solicitor's Office of Edward Tonks
Ronald Bilius Weasley
July 15, 1989, Saturday
"Non-Disclosure Agreement?" Mr. Tonks asked, surprised. He then added, "If our clients request it, we draw up a magic contract for confidentiality. However, there's no standard name or terms for this contract. But I can't resist asking, Mr. Ronald Weasley, where do you get all this information about the Muggle business world?"
"Oh. My father brings home a lot of Muggle magazines and newspapers. I read them often. I've also had the chance to browse some Muggle Studies books on the Muggle business at Flourish and Blotts," Ron said.
And what he said wasn't entirely untrue. His father, Arthur Weasley, did indeed bring home many Muggle newspapers and magazines. Although old Ron didn't read them very often, he had glanced at them from time to time when he was bored.
In addition, he had indeed browsed some Muggle Studies books on the Muggle business system at Flourish and Blotts, although this browsing generally involved examining the index section.
"Your father brings home Muggle magazines and newspapers? If I remember correctly, your father worked at the Ministry of Magic, didn't he? I wouldn't have thought he'd be so interested in Muggles. Don't get me wrong, but most purebloods don't have that kind of interest," Mr. Tonks said.
"Oh, my father, Arthur Weasley, is the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic. He probably has to keep a close eye on the Muggle world as part of his job," Ron said.
He didn't want his father's image to be tarnished at the Ministry of Magic if what was being said here reached others' ears. At least not worse than it already was.
What Mr. Tonks didn't say was that most purebloods, besides having no interest in the Muggle world, also looked down on Muggles, things related to them, and those who interacted with them.
And the Ministry of Magic was full of those kinds of purebloods.
"I see. Now I think some pieces are falling into place. Thank you for answering my personal question. Now, what kind of confidentiality agreement would you like to draw up? We have some with different scopes. But I should mention that this agreement is subject to an additional fee, and prices vary depending on the scope of the agreement," Mr. Tonks said.
"Could I get the price for the most comprehensive agreement? If possible, I would like everything discussed here today, the parties and their information, all ideas, requests, strategies, products, and any information not mentioned but understandable, to remain confidential. It's also important that it covers future meetings," Ron said.
"Hmm. What you're requesting will indeed require a rather comprehensive contract, but I think our most comprehensive magic contract will meet your requirements. Our price for this contract is 1 galleon," Mr. Tonks said.
"The price is acceptable to us. Could I see and read the contract, if possible?" Ron said.
"Sure," said Mr. Tonks, then opened one of the drawers on his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, gilded light gold with a red stripe around the edges, and handed it to Ron.
Apparently, Mr. Tonks already understood that Ron was the main recipient of this meeting.
"This paper is a special paper prepared by goblins at Gringotts for magic contracts. And this contract needs to be signed by a blood quill. I hope you have no problem with that," Mr. Tonks said.
"Blood quill? Isn't their use forbidden?" Bill asked, surprised.
"If it's used for signing magic contracts, its use doesn't pose a problem. And don't worry, blood quill is not dangerous unless used excessively. A single use will only cause an itching sensation on the back of your hand," said Mr. Tonks.
"Hmm. I've read about them. Special paper for the contract, with signatures made with a blood quill. No wonder you're asking for a galleon for this contract," Ron said while reading the contract Mr. Tonks handed him without looking up.
At that moment, the office door opened, and Clerk Foster entered with a tray floating in the air. On the tray were three cups and a teapot with steaming hot water.
With a flick of Clerk Foster's wand, the tray landed on the table between Ron and Bill, the teapot floated up, and poured tea into the three cups one by one.
Then the cups floated in front of Mr. Tonks, Ron, and Bill.
"Reginald, please sit down. It'll be good to have you here, too," said Mr. Tonks.
Clerk Foster conjured a chair and sat down. He then conjured a cup for himself and poured himself some tea.
Meanwhile, Ron continued reading the contract, occasionally sipping his tea without breaking focus. The others also quietly continued sipping their tea without disturbing him.
After reading the contract three times and finding no problems, Ron placed it on the table.
Frankly, the contract covered all of Ron's requests, but also contained many clauses he didn't need. But Ron thought this was probably due to Mr. Tonks having prepared a general contract that was as comprehensive as possible.
And considering the clauses in the contract that would safeguard the Wizarding House's secrets, it seemed like a contract made with the special privacy of pureblood nobles in mind.
"There's nothing wrong with the contract terms," Ron said.
"Excellent," said Mr. Tonks. Then he added. "If you don't mind, I'd like to make my clerk, Reginald Foster, a party to the contract and a witness. Otherwise, it can be difficult to comply with the terms of the contract while working in the same office, especially considering that some paperwork needs to be handled by Reginald."
"That's fine as long as the terms of the contract include Mr. Foster," said Ron. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he asked, "But is it possible for me to sign this contract? I mean, is there an age limit for signing contracts?"
"Hmm? Like the 18-year-old age limit in the Muggle world? It's a bit complicated in the wizarding world. While it's not necessarily invalid for a minor wizard or witch to sign a document, in many cases it requires the approval of the minor's guardian. But in our world, there's something called a magic contract, and these contracts are protected by magic itself. And magic doesn't care whether the person is an adult or not as long as they can use magic." Mr. Tonks said.
"But wouldn't that lead to the exploitation of minors?" Ron asked.
"That's a possibility. But we have a law that protects minors from that. If someone tricks or forces a minor into signing a magic contract, the punishment is quite severe. However, even if that person is punished, because the magic contract is directly under the protection of magic, the terms of the signed contract may still have to be fulfilled, depending on the situation. That's why you should carefully check what you sign, Mr. Ronald Weasley." Mr. Tonks explained.
"So, will this magic contract cause you any problems?" Ron asked.
"Haha. Not to worry about. There's an exception that allows a minor wizard or witch to sign a contract, including magic contracts, validly," Mr. Tonks said.
"Oh. May I know what that exception is?" Ron asked.
"If the contract doesn't impose any obligation on the minor and the contract benefits them without causing any harm, then the validity of the signature is not a problem," Mr. Tonks said.
"I see. Since the only obligated parties in this confidentiality agreement are Mr. Tonks and Mr. Foster, and the agreement only benefits me, there's no problem with me signing it," Ron said.
"Exactly. Shall we proceed to the signing then? To be honest, I'm a little curious about this confidential matter you're about to discuss," Mr. Tonks said.
"Of course. But would it be alright if my brother, William Waesley, also signed the agreement as the requesting party?" Ron asked.
"Oh. I see you're trying to play it safe," Mr. Tonks said.
"Exactly. I've heard you're someone who pays attention to details. So, I think you'll understand this," Ron said.
"Hahaha. Not just I understand, I like it too. Then let's do it," Mr. Tonks said.
Then Mr. Tonks and Clerk Foster signed the magic contract and handed it to them to sign.
Bill took the magic contract first, read it, signed it, waited a while to see that the blood quill's effect wasn't excessive, and then handed the agreement and the blood quill to Ron.
After Ron signed the agreement, he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his hand, but that was the extent of the quill's effect. This quill was definitely not one of the Blood Quills that Dolores Umbridge used for torture.
After Ron signed the agreement, Mr. Tonks took the magic contract, placed it on the table, and then touched it with his wand. The agreement then glowed, duplicating itself.
"This is a characteristic of magic contract papers made by goblins. Neither of these is a duplicate; both are originals. You can take whichever copy you wish," Mr. Tonks said.
Ron took the copy closest to him and placed it on the table in front of him.
It was important to pay attention to the details, but he couldn't doubt every move of the other party. Otherwise, this meeting would never conclude, and he would offend the other side.
Seeing Ron confidently take the closest copy, Mr. Tonks smiled and said, "Now, can we get to the main point?"
"Okay. As we said, our main goal is to enter the business and sell our own products. Initially, we plan to sell games and toys, and we currently have four products ready for sale, but we'll only be releasing the first three in the first phase," Ron said.
"Is it possible for me to see the products you want to sell? Having direct knowledge of the products will allow me to inform you about the regulations and permits they are subject to," Mr. Tonks said.
"I'll show you those shortly. After all, I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you about them. But first, I want to address something else," Ron said.
"Go ahead."
"The situation is that I'm the person who crafts these products and wants to enter the business world. But as a minor wizard, I don't know if it's possible. Can I open a Gringotts vault for business? Can I sign business agreements? Can I buy real estate? Can I register the products I produce in my own name? Things like that," Ron said.
Mr. Tonks was a little surprised to hear that Ron was the one wanting to enter the business world. Still, he quickly composed himself, regained his professional persona, smiled, and said, "Frankly, this is quite an unprecedented situation. As a wizard who is not an adult, you will need your guardians' approval for many things, no, nearly for everything."
"So, it's not impossible, but is it very difficult to implement in practice?" Ron asked.
"You could say so. But I have a method that would make the practical part easier. Would you prefer a long explanation or just a brief description of the method?" Mr. Tonks asked.
"Please tell me directly about the method. If there's anything I need details about, I'll ask you to explain it." Ron said.
"This method involves your guardians giving you written approval from the beginning, covering all your business-related actions, instead of you having to get approval from them for each action you take. Plus assigning you an Approver Regent." Mr. Tonks explained.
"Approver Regent? What is that?" Ron asked.
End of Chapter 26.
[Author's Note: I'm not sure if you enjoy these kinds of legal topics and details. But I ask that you bear with me. The information Ron gains here will determine many things about the path he will follow.]
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.27: You're Good at This
Ch.28: Signing a Magic Contract
Ch.29: There Is No Such Patent Here