#[9] the coin explosives being held in a customer room

[caffeiiine]

i would like to see either nikolai or sigma's sentences please :3 /nf

THANK YOU!!! YOU ARE FUELING MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS!!!

under the cut bc length. [it got REALLY long]

anyways, nikolai and sigmas prison sentences as they would be in michigan.

note: i’m not using the wiki for this. i doubt it covers everything, so im going back through the manga and analyzing everything from there. aside from finding out manga appearances, everything else is research and pre-memorized info.

note 2: i may have made a few mistakes with the sentencing but it should be accurate enough give or take 10 years.

note 3: there’s no minimum sentence since majority of research i’m doing leads to me picking the minimum years since it usually states “punishable by life imprisonment or any number of years” which is unspecific and sucks so i just dropped the category

nikolai!!! - crimes - sentence - reference state - references/citations

Crimes :

first degree murder [7 accounts]

second degree murder [1 account]

domestic terrorism [16]

mutilation of a corpse [1 account]

shoplifting [implied, counted as 1 general account/misdemeanor]

assault with/using a deadly weapon [1 account]

impersonation [2 accounts]

[1]

disturbing the peace

theft of public property [2][3] [1 account]

verbal assault/threat [4] [1 account]

aiding and abetting

aiding in prison break

drugging [1 account]

attempted poisoning [5] [2 accounts]

fleeing arrest [1 account]

[6]

robbery/general larceny [4 accounts]

unlawful possession of explosives

attempted first degree murder [implied] [7]

kidnapping [4 accounts]

aiding a convict

breaking and entering [1 account]

sentence :

at maximum = 14 life sentences + 61 years + 186 days and/or up to 7,063,000$ in fines; no parole

reference state : michigan

references via michigan legislature : [first degree murder] Section 750.316 Act 328 of 1931 + [second degree murder] Section 750.317 Act 328 of 1931 + [domestic terrorism not counted, i can’t find definitive punishments and it'd probably be with the supreme court] + [mutilation of a corpse] Section 750.160 Act 328 of 1931 + [shoplifting] Section 750.356 Act 328 of 1931 + [impersonation] Section 750.217 Act 328 of 1931 + [felony assault] Section 750.82 Act 328 of 1931 + [disturbing the peace] Section 750.170(?) + [theft of public property] section 750.356 act 328 of 1931 + [terrorizing/verbal assault/harrassment] section 750.411h act 328 of 1931 + [aidinh and abetting] section 750.450 act 328 of 1931 + [aiding in a prisoners escape/aiding a convict] section 750.183 act 328 of 1931 + [attempted poisoning] section 750.91 act 328 of 1931 + [fleeing arrest] section 760.479a act 328 of 1931 + [robbery] section 750.529 act 328 of 1931 + [unlawful possession of explosives] section 750.200 act 328 of 1931 + [attempted first degree murder] section 750.91 act 328 of 1931 + [kidnapping] section 750.349 act 328 of 1931 + [breaking and entering (with explosives)] section 750.112 act 328 of 1931.

Sigma!!! - crimes - sentence - reference state - references/citations

[8]

threatening an officer [2 accounts]

domestic terrorism [16]

unlawful possession of explosives

attempted first degree murder [1 account]

criminal negligence [9]

aiding and abetting

negligent attempted mass murder [10]

attempted first degree murder by proxy [several accounts] [11]

felony assault by proxy [12] [3 accounts]

[13]

attempted manslaughter [14] [2 accounts]

attempted second degree murder [15] [1 account]

aiding in a prison break

aiding a convict [1 account]

breaking and entering [1 account]

felony assault [3 accounts]

sentence :

at maximum: 5 life sentences + 45 years 93 days and/or up to 8,000$ in fines; possibility of parole

reference state : michigan

references via michigan legislature: [aiding and abetting] section 750.450 act 328 of 1931 + [felony assault] section 750.82 act 328 of 1932 + [aiding in prisoner escape/aiding a convict] section 750.183 act 328 of 1932 + [unlawful possession of an explosive] section 750.200 act 328 of 1932 + [attempted (any type of) murder/manslaughter] section 750.91 act 328 of 1932 + [breaking and entering (with explosives)] section 750.112 act 328 of 1932 + [threatening an officer] section 750.478a act 328 of 1932 + [criminal/gross negligence] section 8.9 michigan legislature

[blankdblank]

Anaticula Pt 47

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 - Pt 11 - Pt 12 - Pt 13 - Pt 14 - Pt 15 - Pt 16 - Pt 17 - Pt 18 - Pt 19 - Pt 20 - Pt 21 - Pt 21b - Pt 22 - Pt 23 - Pt 24 - Pt 25 - Pt 26 -  Pt 27 - Pt 28 - Pt 29 - Pt 30 - Pt 31 - Pt 33 - Pt 34 - Pt 35 - Pt 36 - Pt 37 - Pt 38 - Pt 39 - Pt 40 - Pt 41 - Pt 42 - Pt 43 - Pt 44 - Pt 45 - Pt 46 -

Signage hung and walls painted the furniture left behind was next, a few pieces being painted or like the remaining cabinets you would remove the doors to fill them with extra shelves for the displays. The biggest change being the Phoenix you built around a trio of them joined together along the wall on the first floor for your healing candies along with the pink flower display shelf for the Valentines prank products you had tested in school.

Glitter bombs complete with toffees to shift the glitter to smoke birds, swarms of paper birds that would keep flying around the heads of those opening the fake gift boxes, Pixie Petals, fake flower pins given to students who then smell flowers nonstop with hourly petal flurries and puffs of pollen while their hair and eyes turn bright pink remaining so even after removing the pins. All those joined with the typical enamoring potions complete with repulsion potions and Pygmy puff habitats for the corner letting the little fluff balls bounce around to their hearts delights to greet the future customers on opening day.

In total the first floor held the sweets, game sets you offered along with your health, Wonderwitch and other potion sections that would go alongside your future book selection on the third floor for rare and believed to have been destroyed books copied from your enchanted library already set to house copies of Dumbledore’s yet to be published notes on Tales of the Beetle Bard.

.

Proudly in your bustling trips through your enchanted door with trunks of your prepped goods to form the displays your fathers continued to set up the hidden safes and log books kept in the shelves behind the register counter they added pens and other various possibly needed supplies to. Soon enough you had the first floor packed with spares up in the store room to move onto the second floor you knew to possibly be the biggest draw.

The full selection would be your supplies of Communication - Dummies, Toy Persons - Attacking Toys, Items - Defense Objects – Accessories - Enchanted Clothes section – Explosions. One or two were set up in each section to get a gauge for the proper spacing with more to be added later to fill them out.

By the end of the day the shop had seemed to come to life before you, nearly ready to give it your first soft opening to see how it would fare. A full list of goods you were compiled and mailed off to Hogwarts in a sort of poll to see what they might be interested in trying for themselves, a first sign that you weren’t just sitting around.

*

In the bustle of the students headed off for the new imposed earlier curfew two hours before dinner to help reign in the students still upset after you had left, upon entering the common rooms grins spread at the floating notes in a joined trio of W’s that burst into a flurry of listed products for each of the students they eagerly accepted.

‘On behalf of Weasley Wizard Wheezes if you would not mind participating in this survey on interest in our possible list of goods, Please and Thank you. This is to gauge what might possibly be the most popular of our products so we can prepare accordingly for future orders. If you find a product on the list of interest to you kindly circle the name and write an estimate of how many you might be tempted to buy at a time.’

Sweets

Candy In A Can         "This product contains candy"

Custard Pies  

Ton-Tongue Toffee    when eaten, they cause the tongue to rapidly swell and turn purple.

Canary Creams          temporarily transfigures the user into a canary.

Edible Dark Marks    "They'll make anyone sick!"

Patented Daydream Candy Charms virtually undetectable highly realistic thirty-minute daydreams. (side-effects can be: slight drooling and a dazed expression, Not for sale for wizards under 16.)

Skiving Snackbox      Range of sweets to make the user ill. The user develops strange symptoms depending on the type of snack eaten. To make a student appear unable to stay in class. Most came in two colour-coded parts: one that would cause the malady, and one that would heal

U-No-Poo       a causative product with a name meant to parody "You-Know-Who" (causes constipation).

Shimmering Silver Salt Drops          

Lucky/Unlucky Dip Box        Box with candies that change your luck -- "Slip someone the Best or Worst day of their life, or keep them all for yourself!!"

Miraphorus Magic Set          Box with candies that change your hair, eye, skin color/hair length, texture - each candy wears off after 4 hours.

Everlast Jawbreakers            Jawbreakers that change colors and flavors and never get any smaller

Chocolate Midas Bars           "No Honey it tastes amazing! Could I have seconds?" One bite of this bar will have you tasting chocolate at every meal -- Lasts 24 hours

Flaming Cinnamon Toffees  Eating these causes eyes to water and cinnamon flavored smoke come out of their nose and mouth -- Burns for 5 minutes -- Drinking water makes it worse -- Sold with Muting Gummies

When Life Gives You Lemons          A Bag of Lemon seeds and a pot of soil. Seed grows overnight into miniature Lemon tree -- Each bite of the Lemon tastes like a different fruit.

I Smell A Rat Candies that you give to people who gossip. The more secrets they tell the more they turn into a rat.

White Chocolate Webs, Black Cherry Licorice Spiders      White Chocolate Webs that you can enchant to fall from the ceiling, then they morph into Black Cherry Licorice flavoured Spiders that chase you around until you eat them - like Chocolate frogs

Health Disappearing Burn    1-3 drops once a day put on burns for about 2-4 days - really burns at first, makes skin impossibly soft

Disappearing Scar     put on scars once a day for about 2-4 days - really cold at first, makes skin impossibly soft

..

Game Sets      

Reusable Hangman   "Spell It Or He'll Swing."

Miniature Quidditch Pitch    Miniature Dummies that fly around a medium sized quidditch pitch - Pitch/Players shrink when done into a small bag resembling a metal coinpurse - Players morph into anyone and their brooms turn into any type of broom using enchanted playing cards with player's stats and broom info that are placed square trays on each side of the pitch ---- Can be used to broadcast or view any previous Quidditch Match by purchasing enchanted coins with Match info enchanted in them, place them in the round slot in the center of the Pitch

Quidditch Player Cards         Enchanted Playing Cards with player's stats and broom info that are placed square trays on each side of the pitch

Quidditch Match Coins         Enchanted Coins with Match info enchanted in them - Enchanted with exact details from memories of matches, play-by-play references, stats, videos and pictures taken during matches --- place them in the round slot in the center of the Pitch, Players, Brooms and Pitch will change to fit the Match details and then the match will start shortly

Death Eaters vs. Aurors        Wizards chess sets with pieces that resemble actual Death Eaters and Aurors.

Knights and Soldiers             2 armies of toy soldiers and knights on horses; enchanted to fight in small battles whenever you take them out. Stand still around muggles

Dueling Sets   Witches, Wizards and other creatures duel each other - Characters range from generic stats of races to specific legendary characters. Duel on a playing board that resembles a chess board that can morph into any environment - comes set with five basic locations, Card and coins can be purchased to modify the locations. Cards are placed in tray in the center of each side, enchanted coins can be placed in round slots for locations, weapons, armour, and enchanted items to be given to any chosen character.

Dueling Sets Cards    Cards can be used to choose Characters and locations. Characters range from generic stats of races to specific legendary characters. Card and coins can be purchased to modify the locations. Cards are placed in tray in the center of each side, enchanted coins can be placed in round slots for locations, weapons, armour, and enchanted items to be given to any chosen character.

Dueling Sets Coins    Coins can be used to choose items, powers for Characters and locations. Cards are placed in tray in the center of each side, enchanted coins can be placed in round slots for locations, weapons, armour, and enchanted items to be given to any chosen character.

..

Acessories      

Anti Gravity Hats      "Ruin a gentleman's day by making his hat fly away!"

           Headless Hats make the wearer's head invisible (along with the hat itself).

Out to Lunch Fake Moustache         Disguise you can wear to hide from your boss when you sneak out for lunch

Singing Parrot Pendant        A Pendant shaped like a parrot that repeats everything it hears through songs -- Parrots range from Soprano to Barritone and come in genres Opera to Rock 'N' Roll

Befuddling Bags        Bags that are enchanted so you can put anything in them and they won't get larger or heavier

Confusing Coinpurse Coinpurses that are enchanted so you can put thousands of Galleons, Sickles or Knutts in them and they won't get larger or heavier

..

Communication          

Quills  Smart Answer, Self Inking and Spell Checking varieties.

Extendable Ears        used to hear voices at the other end of the ear.

For the Owls  A set of enchanted diary sized books - letters written in one appears in the other - book turns blue when there is a new message - Only the owners can read the letters

Diary   The pages go blank when anyone but the owner tries to read it - If revealing charms are used on it the book starts to scream loudly and bite the person who charmed it.

Little Birdie Told Me Miniature Birds that fly around, spread gossip and eavesdrops - hides behind something near a crowd and repeats the message it is given or listens in on conversations

Dummies, Toy Persons          

Jumping Snakes        Fake snakes that jump at people that you don't like

Rubby O' Chicken      

Relax House-Elf, Come Here Dear Enemy of Mine           "Fetch my Shoes! Clean my House!" Dummies that can morph into whoever you want, usually people you hate - They follow simple tasks, They cannot think or say no - They shrink and store easily

Who is Guiding Me? Miniature Thestrals that help guide you to your destinations - Only people who have witnessed death can see them

Follow the Tiny Dragon        Miniature Dragons that help guide you to your destinations - Not real dragons, enchanted dummies - They can glow in the Dark, and stay within 5 feet of owner.

Tickle Me, Hug Me, Love Me -- Voldemort, Death Eaters laughs and shakes when tickled - programmed to say certain phrases and walk around and hug people - the size of a person's hand

Tickle Me, Hug Me, Love Me -- Umbridge  laughs and shakes when tickled - programmed to say certain phrases and walk around and hug people - the size of a person's hand

…

Enchanted Toys          

Aviatomobile  a flying toy car.

Weasleys Wonderous Wands - Trick wands turn into a variety of unexpected things when waved.

Screaming Yo-yos      

Fanged Frisbees        

Ever-Bashing Boomerangs  

..

Attacking Toys, Items

Punching telescopes  when squeezed, gives the user a black eye which is almost impossible to remove.

Pandora's Box           Open the box and tiny demons fly out and attack the person who oppened it.

Cotton Candy Birthday          The person that opens the can gets covered with pink powder that tastes like Cotton Candy and "Birthday Girl/Boy" written on forehead - wears off in 24 hours or comes off if you lick it

Spectrum Pestrum    

Sticky Trainers          

..

Misc.  

Muggle magic tricks/pranks for "freaks like dad", not a real money spinner.

Portable Swamp         creates a swamp when used.

Magical Moustache Miracle Stubble Grow Makes facial hair grow in minutes.

Frame of Desire         Shows a picture of the person you love the most

..

Defence Objects        

Decoy Detonators      when dropped they run away and explode out of sight, giving the person a diversion if necessary.

Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder  When thrown into the air, this powder covers everything around it in darkness, which cannot be penetrated by spells like Lumos or Incendio, although the Hand of Glory can be used to see through it.

Shield Hats, Cloaks and Gloves        used by the Ministry of Magic for defence against enemy forces, using a Shield Charm.

Soldiers On Parade    Fake soldiers used for diversions and create crowds to vanish into

Fire-proof Clothes     Hats/Helmets, Gloves, Shirts/Coats, Pants, Shoes -- Mostly shipped to people working with Dragons -- Hat looks like a beanie, with mask that covers the head when flames fly at it

Fire-proof Spray        Spray onto clothes, skin, hair, objects and they become fireproof -- Lasts up to 24 hours -- Water-Proof and Sweat-Proof

Water-proof Clothes  Clothes that will protect the wearer from getting wet -- used mostly for Quidditch in the rain

..

Explosions      

Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs        unstoppable fireworks that violently explode when hit by a stunning spell and multiply by ten at any attempt to vanish them. These include a shocking pink-wheel, fire-breathing dragons, sparklers that spell out profanity, rockets with long tails of silver

Box 'O' Rockets        

Wet Starting Sparklers          Don't start with a match, just one drop of water starts this batch.

..

Wonderwitch products          

Love Potions  When drunk, will give the drinker an obsession with the one who bought the drink (love being impossible to manufacture). Works for up to 24 hours at a time, depending on the weight of the boy and attractiveness of the girl. Like all love potions the effects are temporary

Glitter bombs             Coat everyone within 30 yards or enclosed space with bright pink glitter, complete with toffees to shift the glitter to smoke birds

Pocket Love Birds      swarms of paper birds that would keep flying around the heads singing to the opener of those opening the boxes

Pixie Petals,   Fake pixie bops out of the box throwing petals down at you for four hours

fake flower pins         given to students who then smell flowers nonstop with hourly petal flurries and puffs of pollen while their hair and eyes turn bright pink remaining so even after removing the pins.

Pygmy Puffs   miniature puffskeins with pink or purple fur. They have small, beady eyes.

Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher           excellent on everything from boils to blackheads.

Health

Phoenix Phables        a supply of Pheonix based healing candies of various effect and strength

Bruise Creams

Energy Boost potions

Weight Boosters         potions to restore lost weight and help you healthily restore your body after draining health issues, also enriches bone strength, skin, muscle and organ health

..

Together all through the enforced enclosure in their dorms each product was discussed with varying reviews leading to each student writing out several pages of comments and detailed lists of what they would want with several more asking if there would be a catalog sent out to the school to order by mail. All the items giving them a burst of hope for distraction when all trips to Hogsmeade had been canceled for the rest of the year knowing fully you’d get them their goods no matter what Umbridge or Fudge said.

Harry especially needing his link to you as after sneaking a peek into Snape’s Pensieve to get a good look at his father’s true behavior his lessons had been cancelled, and even without any bad dreams of late he could sense something big was coming. Something he needed his big sister for.

**

December began and with it came a cool chill in the air, your store had grown and after a few mail orders to the school you opened your doors for the few browsing adults curious as to what you were offering. Surprisingly your supply of Quidditch pitches were the fastest to go along with a wide selection of famous matches, lists of pre orders for copies of specific games were offered to be sent to their homes instead of keeping the supplies in store to save space and keep traffic down.

Enchanted clothes were next with a great deal of your health products too. All the Death Eater related products were greatly whispered over with a few asking for mail order catalogs for more timid buyers you had anticipated. Overall it was a success and took off rather quickly and for once it seemed you were getting a decent amount of sleep without the pressures from Umbridge, at least for a short time.

.

Mid pant you shot up in bed, your hair pitch black after seeing your father being tortured in the Department of Mysteries for one of the Prophecies inside. Panting at the sight you knew to be false at Riddle having accepted your terms of guarding your father and Neville from attack to be his spy.

Under your trembling breath you whispered, “Harry…” On your feet you sprinted across your bed to your closet shoving your shorts down to tug on jeans black socks and your boots, ignoring a sweater to cover your mostly sheer elephant coated tank top you raced out to the hall rushing into the twins’ rooms finding them dressing after your mental warning in a stumbling path to the door you left.

Turning away you rushed for Percy’s room finding him shoot up at the door swinging open and your landing on your knees at his side. A firm grip on his shirt had you saying, “I need you to watch Dad.”

His lips parted and he nodded, “For what?”

“He cannot leave this house! Riddle’s luring Harry to the Ministry. Do not let him leave!”

Percy nodded as you turned and leapt off his bed to hurry into the hall and he jumped up to get dressed and keep watch for Sirius in the hall. Regulus already was fumbling into his clothes at the burning of his mark and mental order to await further orders. At the commotion of the twins collapsing in the hall he peeked out asking, “Jaqi? You felt it too? He wouldn’t have called you.”

In a defeated exhale you said, “He’s luring Harry to the Ministry.”

At that his mouth fell open seeing the worry in your eyes, “I’m coming with you.” Tugging on his coat that flew to him he joined you out to the sitting room where you grabbed your pouch for your pocket beside your wand sheath you clipped onto your waistband. In a rush out the Grimmauld door through the muggle streets into the cold you hastened to head for the subway for the Ministry guest entrance. “How is he luring him?”

Your eyes met his and you answered in a weak tone, “A vision where he’s torturing Dad.” In the darkening of his eyes and deep inhale you said, “I put Percy on watch, to keep him at home.”

Regulus nodded, “That should do it.”

A swipe of your cards later and through the gates you hurried to the arriving train for the quickest path. Across from a band of muggles you strolled inside as calmly as you could and took up a row of seating folding your hands on your lap in your relaxing exhale at the whisper in your ear that Neville, still up and studying, had gotten your warning to keep an eye on the now soundly sleeping Harry in the bed across him. Another short message on a slip of paper appeared in your palms read that he’d send word if Harry did anything more unusual that normal.

Pocketing the note the twins both stole a glance at beforehand and you all inhaled ready to stand at your approach to your stop. Fidgeting your fingers over your wrist you folded a finger under your hair tie you called from home and pulled it over your lowest knuckles and lifted your arms to pull back your hair into a ponytail you released halfway through in a looped dangling bun. Up on your feet you sprung and led the others in a hurried trot feeling the cold air making you wish you had remembered a sweater or something more forgiving.

The emptying streets freed you to a smooth path for the red phone box Fred opened you all squeezed into with Regulus reaching over to hit the right buttons and lift the receiver. A simple drop and you held tightly together to keep from falling out of the box when the door opened.

Tentatively you stepped out of the doorway and made your way through the empty entrance hall sending a gust of air making the giant banner of Fudge block the view of the tower of offices still holding people working inside to enter unnoticed. A raised finger to your lips had the heads of the golden statues in the fountain glancing away to miss your path past them to avoid sounding any alarms.

The closer you grew the worse your nerves did feeling something creeping up on you. Turn by turn you avoided passing guards and hidden trackers charmed to shift or lose focus for a few moments to allow you past. Until you found it. A black door from your dreams was opened by Regulus marked as the one you needed and through a series of supposedly distracting pathways you led the true path ending in a near endless hall of mist filled orbs. The twins muttered, “Wicked.”

In what should have been a move forward a whisper turned your head drawing their eyes to you in your silver eyed stare, every curl tied back shifted to the same shade gradually in the silent force luring you off to your left. Around you they inspected the room slowly following after.

Up to the end nearly you strolled then turned blinking out of your trance before looking upwards as the row began to sink into the ground until orb number 48 was in front of you, the label on the stand reading ‘JSAPB, ERU’ softly you read the initials, “E, R, U? Who could that be?” Glancing between the guys that shrugged you reached out taking the orb you pocketed into your pouch saying, “I can listen to it later.”

Back into the main aisle you hurried and Regulus said, “Row 95, that’s the one we want.”

Quickly at the sound of another entering the hall you found the aisle and followed the numbers until you froze in front of the orb marked with Harry’s name and Riddle’s. George reached for it only to bite back a hiss at the shock he got before you drew your wand to circle it over your head for a mirroring bubble to reflect the space behind you for the Auror to pass by none the wiser.

Wetting your lips when he was gone you whispered, “So I suppose we just wait then?”

Regulus nodded and you all lowered to the ground crossing your legs in a circle to keep watch out in each direction with wands drawn resting in your palms on your laps.

**

Riddle, “I need that prophecy.”

Sirius writhing on the floor growled out, “You'll have to kill me.”

Riddle, “Oh, I will. But first, you will fetch it for me.” A flick of his wand was seen, “Crucio.” Then another after Sirius panted in a gasp from being released, “Crucio.”

Shooting up from his seat in Professor Binns’ class Harry whispered, “Sirius.” Professor Binns turned and Harry dropped his book off the side feigning a need to walk around his desk to fetch it flashing a grin at the Professor continuing his lesson with a nod to him at his move to sit again. Until the class was over he tried not to doze off again, though with his racing heart that was no trouble at all.

Quietly behind him Neville pulled out a pocket journal he opened and warned you about Harry’s possible dream catching the eye of Draco and even Hermione in her reach for another jar of ink when hers was nearly empty. With parted lips she glanced between Neville and Harry then caught on to the clear signs something was wrong with Harry taking it that possibly Neville had been warned of something.

*

Out of bed Sirius entered the hall finding Percy standing there with a flash of a grin, “Morning.”

Sirius nodded, “Morning Percy. Any specific reason why you were staring at my door?”

Percy wet his lips, “Can’t tell you.”

Sirius nodded then asked as Remus joined them in the hall walking to your open door to peer inside, “Any specific reason why you can’t tell me?” His eyes turning to Remus in his turn to inspect the Twins’ room also sitting open.

Percy, “Can’t tell you.”

Remus moved a door over looking in Regulus’ door asking, “Where is everyone?” He turned and they both eyed Percy shifting on his feet, “Can’t tell us?”

Sirius, “Percy,” inching closer he said, “We can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.” Percy shook his head and they both nodded.

Remus sighed, “We best eat then and head off to work.”

In their step away Percy drew his wand saying, “You can’t!” They both looked from him to his raised wand shifting between them stopping on Sirius, “You specifically cannot go to the Ministry!”

Sirius softly asked, “Me? I can’t go?” Percy nodded wetting his lips and he nodded, “Jaqi had a vision then, about me, another attack?”

Percy nodded, “He’s going to use you, to lure Harry there.”

Remus nodded and reached out slowly, “Percy, you can lower your wand.” Gently tapping the stem of it seeing Percy working himself up, “We understand.”

Sirius, “Did Jaqi and the boys go, with Regulus?” Percy nodded and they nodded, “You do realize this could be a trap.”

Percy, “I gave her my word.”

Remus and Sirius said, “I know.”

Sirius, “Ghouls,” glancing at Remus he said, “We send ghouls of ourselves, we need to go protect them, and you will have kept your word in protecting us. We send the Ghouls and sound the alarm for the Order. Just in case.”

Percy nodded, “Alright.”

Sirius nodded and said, “Up a few floors, we still have those Ghouls up there in the silver room.” Guiding the others to find them and cut their hands to send their doubles off to the Ministry.

Pt 48

[alexjosephalex-blog]

Why Unicorns Are Ruling The Roost In The Start-up Ecosystem

‘Be a unicorn in a field of horses.’

We are in an era where the start-up ecosystem is inundated with unicorns, with horses left behind far enough in the fields to graze! A unicorn is a privately-held start-up/company which is valued at over $1Bn. As the valuation of these unicorns rises, so do their names – a pentacorn is valued at over $5Bn, a decacorn is a company with valuation over $10Bn, and a hectacorn is valued at over $100Bn. Interestingly, unlike an established company’s valuation which is based on past years’ performances, a start-up’s valuation is arrived at through its growth opportunities and expected long term development for its potential market.

While the term was coined in 2013 by Aileen Lee comparing these rare companies to the mythical creature, unicorns have only multiplied exponentially, especially in the past 5 years. As of January 2019, the number of unicorns stands at a whopping 335, with a total cumulative valuation of ~$1090Bn, according to CBInsights.

The Unicorn Landscape

In the last 5 years, the Unicorn club in the startup ecosystem has seen exponential growth, with a hockey stick rise, in terms of the number of companies formed. Verticals such as TravelTech, Enterprise Software, and eCommerce/Marketplace are home to a large number of unicorns. When it comes to capital, unicorns have leveraged a diverse group of non-traditional investors such as public market funds, along with micro-investors like angels and accelerators across growth stages to reach the hallowed halls of the Unicorn club.

Historical data suggests that technological innovations have given birth to unicorns, a phenomenon that has reached its peak in recent years. However, as more technological innovations come to the fore, more unicorns are being birthed. But, in the recent past, being part of the Unicorn club hasn’t been all that rare, because of the sheer number currently in existence. While the US housed the most number of unicorns till about 2015, geographies such as China, India, and the UK are homes to unicorns today. In fact, 63% of unicorns established from 2012 to 2017 are outside of the US.

Unicorns and Traditional Industries

Unicorns have disrupted several traditional industries, as a direct consequence of global user base, optimizations in technology product development, and a change in customer mindset to adapt to new products. A few prominent examples include Uber disrupting the traditional taxi industry, Airbnb disrupting the lodging industry, and with a lean team of 50 engineers, WhatsApp disrupting the telecom industry in less than 4 years.

Verticals such as automotive, telecom, media & entertainment, retail, enterprise software, and healthcare & pharma are leading the pack with a large number of unicorns. From sharing economy to OTT to personalization to immersive experience, unicorns have caused disruptions and put customer experience and expectation at the core.

All that glitters is not gold

One of the primary aspects fueling the growth of unicorns is the investment that is being pumped into these companies. A varied set of investors, ranging from angel investors to public market funds – mutual funds and hedge funds, to venture capital firms to corporate venture arms have invested in unicorns. While these investments are propelling these companies to taste stratospheric growth in a compressed time frame, there have been some serious concerns as well.

One example is Square, which priced its IPO at $9 a share in November 2016, well under the $15+ that private investors paid the year before. Though the share price did rise during the IPO, the firm’s valuation leveled off at around $4Bn, just two-thirds of the $6Bn that Square was valued at.

Theranos is another exalted unicorn which fell flat early on. Started in 2003, by a then-19-year-old Stanford dropout, Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos was the blood testing start-up that had everyone hankering to get a piece of. Theranos, once valued at a whopping $9Bn, came under repeated fire for vaunted core technology, unreliable results, questionable methodology, and inadequately trained staff. Following a furor over the false claims of the breakthrough technology used as well as the very small amounts of blood required for the tests, the company was shut and its assets subsequently liquidated.

The large investments being made in unicorns are eerily similar to the infamous tech bubble era of the mid-nineties. Many unicorns, though valued in excess of $1+Bn, are operating at low revenues and fewer customers. Additionally, some of the unicorns that have gone public, have posted poor post IPO performance which further cement the comparison to the dot com bubble era.

Despite these missteps by some unicorns, these high valuation companies are real, much bigger, and different than the failures of pre-2000 era. Three key factors are shaping the stratospheric growth of these unicorns –

a) Larger addressable markets: Since inception, unicorns are targeting global markets. Additionally, 3.9Bn people who have access to the Internet and are spending close to $3Tn online, the world has truly become flat.  b) Higher revenues before IPO: Today, unicorns are posting higher revenue growths before filing for IPOs than the younger companies of the Internet bubble era. In the pre-2000 era, 65% of investments were funneled into companies that were less than 3 years old, while in 2016, 80+% of current investments were made in 3+ year-old companies. c) Born global: Unicorns and other start-ups are accessing global markets and targeting multiple industries in the early growth stages itself, thus casting a wider net to gain customer access. They are leveraging a much larger customer base across global markets, across verticals such as TravelTech, Food delivery, AutoTech, and Aerospace.

Key Enablers and Growth Drivers of Unicorns

Besides the broad level factors outlined above, three key enablers are further fueling the seemingly sudden explosion of unicorns, thus making it easier for young companies to scale up in a short time frame –

a) Digital Disruption: Digital technologies have impacted businesses, irrespective of verticals. In fact, every business is transforming into a digital business. Companies leveraging digital technologies to disrupt key industry verticals has been the modus operandi of most members of the hallowed Unicorn club. Digital technologies have also enabled companies to provide personalized experiences to customers (through mobile), develop products through agile processes (cloud), and take data-driven decisions in real-time (big data and social).  The impact of digital is far-reaching and is being felt by large organizations as well. They are establishing new age business units that are focused on digital platforms. General Electric (GE) set up a digital business unit, GE Digital, to compete in the IoT market with IBM and other large analytics players. Walmart established Walmart Labs to develop technologies and solutions for its global eCommerce business.  b) Open Innovation Ecosystem: In the wake of start-ups – especially unicorns – disrupting the way traditional organizations across verticals operate, these organizations have realized the potential of working with unicorns. Hence, large organizations are creating a viable ecosystem for start-ups to prosper and grow through multiple avenues such as venture arms, accelerators, mentorship support, etc. Further, the democratization of computing through cloud computing and open-source platforms have enabled organizations to scale rapidly with limited capital budgets.  Large R&D spenders are building the core infrastructure and platforms across emerging technologies to enable newer companies to invest in vertical use cases. Additionally, these large spenders are also creating an open innovation ecosystem through multiple avenues such as accelerators and venture arms, which provide specific support in areas such as product GTM, customer and investor connect, business and technology mentorship, ecosystem partnerships, to name a few. c) Favorable Funding Environment: Several reasons have laid the ground for creating a favorable funding environment for the exponential growth of start-ups.  (i) The lower interest rates set by the Federal Reserve since 2009 have pushed a large number of investors into the private market. This has propelled the rise in participation from micro-investors like angels and accelerators, who are investing in numerous start-ups, which promise higher returns than conventional investment channels.  (ii) Late-stage investment valuations have been fueled by the interest of mutual funds and hedge funds in the private market. Also, the private market is yielding higher returns to investors than the public stock market. (iii) Near-zero interest rates are driving investments away from bonds and fixed-income securities into start-ups that promise higher returns.

In a time when unicorns and start-ups are rewriting the rules of the game and are bigger, faster, and better than ever before, traditional organizations have their work cut out for them. It’s a game of do or die, with very little room for the in-betweeners – those that are barely in the game, playing safe. Unicorns are here to stay, and their ilk will only grow and expand in the years to come. With the average age of an S&P company bottoming out at a mere 20 years, traditional companies need to gear up and build a moat around their business – stat!