"You don't have to do this," Draco said, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "I mean, you've done so much already."
The woman standing before him reached out to touch his shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous, Brian. I can't bear the thought of your little boy suffering like this, not when there's a possibility for treatment."
Draco put a hand over hers and squeezed. "I don't know how I can ever thank you. I could never have found the money to pay for this treatment on my own, not after Lucy--" He clenched his jaw and looked away.
"She would have been so proud of you," the woman said. "How lucky she was to have such a wonderful husband, someone who loved her so very much. And how tragic for you to have lost her, and then for your little boy to catch such a rare disease, just weeks after losing his mother." She had said all of this rather quickly, but she paused now and took a shaky breath. "I just… wish I could do more."
"I wouldn't ask it of you. It's a lot of money."
"My husband will never miss it," she replied, her expression becoming a bit stiff at the thought of her multi-millionaire husband, who was the CEO of a large financial firm in London. "He barely notices me, you know. Your Lucy was lucky to have someone who loved her so very much. If only my husband was a fraction as passionate as you are..." She trailed off and stared at him for a moment. Draco stared back at her and smiled. She hesitated a moment more and then lunged forward and kissed him.
Draco allowed it for a few seconds before backing away and holding up a hand. "I'm… I'm sorry, Carolyn. I'm just not ready -- it's only been a few months."
Carolyn looked stricken. "Oh, I don't know why I did that! I'm so sorry! What you must think of me, a married woman --"
"It's all right," Draco told her, smiling. "I know you care about me and my son, and I wish I could return it. But right now… right now I have to be there for him. I don't have time to think of myself. And after the treatment, he'll need constant care, and I must be ready for that." He looked away and sighed. "I'll have to work two jobs to make ends meet, so I won't be able to spend the time with him I'd like, but--"
"Wait!" she said, rifling through her purse. She pulled out a chequebook and began writing.
"Oh, no," Draco told her, reaching out with one hand in a futile gesture. "Carolyn, you've done so much already!"
She tore the check off and handed it to him, sniffling. "After throwing myself at you so shamelessly, I don't want you to think my concern for you is anything less than honorable. Take this, and if you need more, let me know."
Draco's eyes widened at the figure written on the cheque. "Ten thousand pounds!" He held it out to her, as if trying to give it back. "I can't take this. I couldn't possibly repay you."
"I don't expect you to do," Carolyn replied, smiling through her tears. "It's a gift, Brian. Go take care of your son. He needs you."
Draco glanced at his wrist watch and nodded. "I can't stay much longer. He'll awaken soon, and he gets frightened if I'm not there by his hospital bed." He looked up at her and smiled, letting his expression become one of utter gratitude. "I don't know how to thank you."
She smiled at him, then kissed him on the cheek and walked away.
Draco waited until she was out of sight before tucking the cheque into his pocket and turning in the opposite direction. It was only when he'd walked three streets that he allowed himself a smug grin.
"And then she wrote another cheque," Draco said, gesturing with his glass of brandy. "I couldn't believe how easy it was."
Pierre smiled at him from his seat across the room and swirled his own glass. "Well done, Draco. It's quite a lot of money."
Draco grinned. "Sometimes I even impress myself." He ignored Pierre's amused chuckle and glanced around the drawing room. He hadn't been to Pierre's Kensington flat in months, and it had been redecorated in the meantime. "You seem to be doing well for yourself," he remarked, raising an eyebrow at his mentor.
Pierre smiled in that way that meant he had no intention of explaining. "Of course I am, as always." He waved a hand and the carafe of brandy sailed across the room to refill his glass. He sent it towards Draco with another gesture. "But I didn't ask you here to talk about me, my boy. I'm very proud of what you've accomplished, you know. When I first met you five years ago, I'll admit I thought you'd be better off looking for some wealthy old fool to take care of you. I had my doubts that you'd be able to play the game so very well."
Draco smirked. "But even you must admit that I'm very good. I've mastered everything you've taught me, and I've completed every job I've taken." He thought back to the day he'd been introduced to Pierre at a party, back when he was struggling to make ends meet after the War. With his family's estate seized and his own reputation tarnished, he'd had few options. Pierre had impressed him from the first moment -- he carried himself with an air of nobility, and he was very rich and distinguished, just as a pureblood from the continent ought to be. It was a few weeks before Draco had learned what Pierre did for a living, but he'd already become enamored of the idea of living that lifestyle. He had decided the only way out of his unpleasant existence was to become Pierre's protégé.
And he'd been successful, of course.
"Good with Muggles, yes," Pierre said. His eyes narrowed and he looked thoughtful. "Tell me, why do you choose not to use magic in these situations?"
"Using magic against Muggles is dangerous these days," Draco replied, tracing the rim of his brandy glass with one finger. "I could have imperiused Carolyn into giving me 25,000 pounds weeks ago, but it's not worth the time I'd get in Azkaban for casting an Unforgiveable." He shrugged. "Besides, where's the challenge in that? It takes a particular talent to manipulate a person into doing one's bidding."
"A talent you seem so certain you possess," Pierre remarked. His smile was a bit too smug for Draco's liking.
"Yes," Draco replied. "And I have a rather large stack of gold at Gringotts to prove it."
Pierre stood and crossed to the desk. He had a slight limp that he'd never explained to Draco's satisfaction, and it drew Draco's attention even now. "I think," Pierre began, picking up an envelope from the desk and turning to face Draco, "that you are ready for a true challenge. Something that will stretch your horizons and put your abilities to the test."
"Oh?" Draco replied. He'd been hoping to take a month off, actually. Maybe go to Greece, spend his days between the beach and the bar, and just relax -- the thought of starting another con job right away was a bit exhausting.
"Something that will require you to use magic," Pierre said, raising an eyebrow.
"Con a wizard?" Draco asked. He paused, uncertain. He'd started doing this because it enabled him to avoid certain parts of the Wizarding world. He had been hoping to rebuild his fortune and return at some point an undeniable success, a person who couldn't be ignored or dismissed. He could avoid being caught by the Muggle authorities without much effort, but Aurors were another problem altogether.
Pierre nodded and crossed back to his chair. "I was approached by someone recently -- a wizard who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being -- who requested you for a particular job."
"Someone requested me?" Draco asked. He sat a little taller in the chair before he could stop himself, then forced his expression to remain neutral. "That's odd. Very few people know what I do for a living these days."
"Perhaps," Pierre said, "but regardless, you have earned quite a reputation in certain circles -- a reputation for being able to convince people to give you what you want."
Draco smiled. "Go on."
"And this individual would like to hire you to do just that." He held up the envelope. "This contains the name of a person and something they possess that your new benefactor wants. You will have two weeks to acquire it. Should you succeed, you are to be paid half a million galleons."
"Half a million?" Draco repeated, sloshing his brandy in surprise. It was nearly more money than he could imagine, and that was saying quite a lot. It was enough money to last a long time, maybe even to allow him to start a new life. He was 30 after all -- he couldn't pull cons forever.
"I'll assume that you're interested," Pierre said, eyeing Draco's spilled brandy with amusement.
"Possibly," Draco replied. He spelled away the mess and tried to regain his composure. "It depends on precisely what this job is, of course. Who is the target, and what am I supposed to acquire from them?"
Pierre's smile was enigmatic. "That is part of the deal, Draco. You must agree to take the job before I give you this envelope. Even I do not know what it contains."
"I have to agree without knowing what I am to do?" Draco snorted and looked away. It was quite a lot of money, but what if it was something very dangerous? Or nearly impossible? It was only two weeks, though -- if he failed, he'd just go to Greece for a while and forget all about it.
And he could use a challenge. He had to admit he was intensely curious.
"All right," he said at last. He downed the rest of his brandy. "I'll do it."
Pierre smiled and held out the envelope. "Very well. I'll see you back here in two weeks."
Draco stood and took the envelope. He stared at it for a moment before tucking it into his pocket. "See you in two weeks," he said. He flashed Pierre a cocky grin and disapparated.
Story Notes:
Originally posted: January 8, 2006
Art by Sherant
Author's Chapter Notes:
The first part was written by me. See the other chapters here for endings written by Janice Chess, Wildegirl_05, Allyson Sedai, and Dark0feenix.
Chapter End Notes:
Art by KKR.