CHAPTER 3
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 3 ~ Draco Takes a Shot
It didn’t take Draco long to sketch out a plan to get his snarky godfather to grant Hermione an audience. Yet, implementing the plan took a bit more time. He visited several Potions Masters for consultations, and several apocathery shops as well.
Apocathery Andreas Mbutu listened carefully to what the blonde wizard wanted, then directed him to an individual who was guaranteed to be what the Potions Master ordered, but the scarred, roughened wizard didn’t come cheap. His name was Hunter…just Hunter. Draco met him at the Hog’s Head inn, the wizard’s lower face wrapped in a bandana. He had the hardest blue eyes Draco had ever seen.
“Give me two months and I’ll deliver what you need,” the wizard growled.
Draco paid him a small fortune in advance. Hunter would receive the other half when he delivered. A month and a half later Draco was contacted by owl and told to come to the Hog’s head inn at nine o’clock on Wednesday with the final payment. Business there was slow mid-week.
Draco arrived there, his wand clamped tightly in his pocket. He was ready to blast anyone who came too close. It could have been a setup. But it wasn’t. He found Hunter seated at the back of the inn. The wizard looked very sick.
“You don’t look too good, Hunter,” Draco observed as he sat down at the table.
“Getting this blasted ingredient took a bit of doing. I got nicked by a tooth. I had a bit of phoenix tear with me…if I hadn’t…well…that would have been it,” Hunter replied tiredly. “But I’m getting old…don’t heal up as fast as I used to.”
Hunter slid a burlap bag over to Draco.
“Don’t take it out,” he said as Draco looked into the bag and paled, swallowing down the bile that threatened to explode from him.
“Pretty, isn’t it? Got a stasis spell on it,” the wizard said, smirking beneath his bandana at the wizard’s face.
Draco took the sack of galleons out of his robes pocket and passed it under the table to Hunter, who hefted it in his hands for a moment.
“Feels about right,” he said, putting the galleons in his pocket. “Good doing business with you my Lord, but next time you need something like that…find some other bloke.”
Hunter rose and left the Hog’s Head inn, leaving Draco with the contents of the burlap sack. He looked in it again and shook his head.
“Damn Hermione, what I don’t do for you and Harry,” he breathed. He exited the inn and disapparated for the Manor.
He’d go visit his godfather tomorrow evening. Maybe he’d be in a good mood after supper.
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Draco walked down the dungeon corridor a bit apprehensively, patting his pocket for reassurance as he did so. Several seventh year Slytherin witches on their way up the dungeon hallway looked at him appreciatively, and the blonde wizard smirked at them, nodding as he passed. They all began to giggle and whisper.
“The trim of tomorrow,” Draco thought as he approached the door to the Potions Office. He stood there a moment, then knocked.
“I’m all in for it now,” he thought as he waited for a response.
When there wasn’t any, he knocked again.
“I have no appointments. Go away or face a week’s detention,” an angry yet smooth voice called out. “How many times do I have to tell you dunderheads to follow protocol? Now get away from my door!”
Draco shook his head. His godfather was as welcoming as ever.
“Godfather, it’s me. Draco,” he called through the door.
There was silence for a moment.
Then, “And that means what? You haven’t made an appointment either,” Severus called back, scowling blackly as he sat at his desk with a pile of parchments in front of him. He had been grading his fifth year Potions class’ work, and so far the marks were as deplorable as usual.
“Oh come now, Godfather…you haven’t seen me in over two years,” Draco cajoled him from the other side of the door. He tried the knob but it was locked. “Let me in.”
“And that is my fortune,” Severus snapped, “Now go away and come back when you’ve made an appointment. I have an opening for non-student visitors next month. Send an owl and I will give you the details.”
Draco frowned at the door.
“Very well then…I’ll take my gift and go,” Draco said evenly.
“Bribery doesn’t work on me Draco,” Severus said, but he rose from his desk and approached the door. If Draco had a gift for him, it wouldn’t be a cheap one, particularly if he were trying to make up for not visiting in two years. Severus cracked the door.
“Not that your gift is probably of any value,” he said, peering out at his godson.
Draco could only see darkness through the crack.
“Well, not to your everyday wizard, but a Potions Master would find it quite valuable,” Draco replied. “But you can wait until next month. I just hope it is as fresh by then.”
The blonde wizard turned and made as if to go.
Fresh? It must be some kind of potion ingredient. Freshness mattered. Draco had said the magic word.
Severus opened the door wider.
“Come in then,” he said bad-temperedly, “And close and lock the door behind you. I don’t need any other unwanted visitors disturbing me.”
The wizard walked back to his desk and sat down frowning as Draco entered his office, closed the door and locked it. The blonde wizard looked at the rickety, uncomfortable seat the Potions Master kept for his visitors.
“You’ve had this chair for ages. Don’t you think its time to spring for a new one?” he asked the Potions Master, whose eyes narrowed.
“You can stand for all I care,” he snapped, “Now what about this gift you say you have for me?”
Draco looked at his godfather. Severus had a single torch burning in his office, and the atmosphere was dark and unwelcoming. He was still very pale, and his hair as greasy-looking as ever. He didn’t seem to have aged much, though his black eyes held more malice than Draco remembered. They only held disdain for all living before. His nose looked bigger too…but that could just be because Draco hadn’t seen him for a while. The wizard sat down in the chair, his buttocks protesting as the uneven wood dug in unevenly.
“As far as the gift goes, Godfather…there is a condition upon you receiving it,” Draco said, meeting the Professor’s eyes, which went dark with anger.
“Condition? Draco…do you wear trousers under your robes?” the Potions Master asked him, his face contorted.
“Of course I do,” Draco replied, wondering why in the world his godfather would ask such a question.
“It’s a wonder they fit with the pair of balls you have,” the wizard said, his lips forming a thin line as he looked at Draco.
He was a good-looking wizard…silver wand in his mouth and all that. Almost his polar opposite…blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tanned, good teeth, all around attractive. Well, he supposed there had to be people in the world like Draco if only to annoy him.
Draco smirked at Severus’ comment. He was a Slytherin. Having big balls was an asset.
“How do I know this gift of yours is worth any kind of concession? You have some nerve appearing here after more than two years absence attempting to blackmail a favor out of me. I could have died and you wouldn’t even have known,” Severus said, attempting to lay a bit of guilt on the wizard.
“If you had died, I certainly would have known because of all the celebrating that would follow your demise, Godfather. You really are an onerous bastard,” Draco replied with a slight grin. He really did like Severus despite his disposition.
“I work hard at it,” Severus said. “Now what is the condition…and I want to see the gift before I give you an answer.”
Draco leaned forward, and the chair creaked dangerously.
“I want you to give Hermione Granger an audience,” he said.
“WHAT?” Severus roared, “No way am I going to let that idiot witch in my presence! She’s a wastrel!”
“What do you mean, ‘idiot witch’ and ‘wastrel?’” Draco asked, defending Hermione, “She’s the brightest witch of the age!”
Severus snorted.
“She is an idiot, Draco. She had all that potential and instead of getting herself a patron and setting herself up to do private research, she goes to the…the ‘Private Sector’ where her talents are wasted on creating fad spells and potions for a fickle public. She has a double degree in both Spells Making and Potions, and she just…just threw them away. All that hard work and brilliance wasted. I certainly will not see anyone as dunderheaded as that witch,” Severus said, his eyes glittering. “She has nothing to say that I want to hear.”
Draco was surprised to see the anger and disappointment in the wizard’s eyes.
“Well, she wasn’t willing to fulfill the duties of a witch under patronage,” Draco said evenly.
“What’s giving up a little pussy for the sake of advancement?” Severus spat. “It’s not like it’s going to go anywhere. The little fool could have come to me for patronage.”
Draco’s eyes widened.
“You, Godfather?” he asked, stunned.
Severus scowled.
“Yes me. Then she wouldn’t have had to worry about being constantly fucked. I’d only need her once in a while to meet my needs. I would have been more interested in her research and development than her spread thighs in any case,” the wizard snarked.
It seemed that reciprocal sex with sponsored witches was an accepted practice in the wizarding world. Possibly it extended to wizards sponsored by witches as well, or any willing combination.
“But Godfather…Hermione Granger is a Gryffindor witch. If she had been in Slytherin most likely she would have been more open to the idea,” Draco said, trying to make Severus understand. “Besides, the way you treated her, she would have never dreamed you would be willing to be her patron.”
Severus ignored the last part of Draco’s comment. It was true after all…but so what?
“She’s supposed to be logical, Draco. It would be logical to get a patron if she was interested in advancing her fields. Sex is meaningless…just a simple physical activity the results of which that can be scourgified away. What she could have accomplished would have been lasting and worthwhile. But no, she reports to the blood-sucking private sector. The thought of what she’s done just disgusts me. I will not give her an audience. I might end up hexing her for her stupidity,” the Potions Master said.
“It is very important to her that she sees you,” Draco said.
“Like I give a damn about that. I cannot suffer fools, Draco. You know that. I spent years grooming her talents and suffering through her chatter, endless sucking up and bout after bout of over-achieving. I spent hours going over her extra credit essays, some five feet long. Then she does NOTHING. I will not see her and that is final!” Severus snarled, slamming his fist on the desk for emphasis. “No gift will change my mind either.”
“I thought you said you’d make your decision after you’ve seen the gift?” Draco said smoothly, drawing the burlap sack out of his robes pocket and scooting the rickety chair forward so he was right against the Potions Master’s desk.
“Considering what you asked of me, I felt compelled to give my answer in advance,” Severus replied, looking at the burlap sack. It was pulsing. “Now what is it? Not that I’ll want it. The price is too high. Hermione Granger. You must be mad.”
In answer, Draco turned the sack so the opening faced Severus.
“Go ahead and look,” he said, smirking a bit.
Severus lifted up the sack and looked in. His eyebrows rose for a moment, then a look of abject lust settled on his face. He looked up at Draco.
“Where did you get this?” he hissed, “They are so rare as to be next to impossible to find…especially in this condition.”
“I commissioned someone to harvest one for me. It has a stasis spell around it,” Draco said. He could see his godfather was clearly impressed.
Carefully, Severus reached his hand into the sack and pulled out a plastic bag. Inside it was what looked like a slimy black hunk of meat, and it was pumping.
“A basilisk heart,” the wizard breathed, “A viable basilisk heart. The best that can be provided when found is a dried heart. This actually has the blood as well. Living blood. This ingredient can be used to make some of the most powerful elixirs known to Potions.”
Draco sat back.
“Yes, so I was told. But put it back in the sack, Godfather. I guess I will go sell it to the highest bidder. It cost me a small fortune to get it for you. At least I will be able to recoup what I spent,” Draco said.
Severus looked at him, going a bit paler.
“Put it back?” he said in a hollow voice, staring at the pulsing heart covetously.
“Yes. You refuse to see Hermione so…” Draco began.
“Fine. I’ll see the foolish little twit then. An hour’s aggravation is worth this,” the wizard conceded. Then he looked at Draco with a glint in his eyes. “I won’t promise you it will be a pleasant meeting. Most likely she will charge out of here in tears when I’m done with her.”
“That’s not my concern,” Draco said, “She only asked me to make the appointment with you. What happens is between you and her.”
Severus grunted and put the heart back in the sack carefully. He looked up at Draco with a scowl.
“All right. You’ve accomplished what you came here to do, blackmail me into meeting someone I do not want to see. Now get out,” Severus said evenly.
“Don’t I even get a thank you for the heart?” Draco asked, rising. He was picking at the Potions Master. Severus would never thank him, particularly since he was forced to see Hermione in order to procure the precious ingredient.
Severus scowled at him.
“A thank you? You’re lucky I don’t hex those big balls of yours right off of you,” the wizard seethed. “Tell the witch to send me an owl and I will give her an appointment. Now get out of my sight Draco. Another two years without seeing you will suit me just fine, you blackguard.”
“And a hearty good-bye to you too, Godfather,” Draco said, bowing smartly to the wizard and turning, a bit apprehensively then letting himself out of the office. He wasn’t sure his godfather would keep his temper and not hex him. But he exited unscathed. Once outside the office, Draco let out a long breath. What an audience that had been.
One thing was for sure though…he didn’t envy Hermione a bit.
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A/N: So Draco managed it. Severus seems really pissed at what Hermione’s done with her life. Man, I can just imagine what this meeting will be like. Please review.