Guard Dog
"Your friend on the rooftop is going to be late to whatever meeting you have planned."
Swallow the fear .
“You understand what we do to trespassers, don’t you?” The corner of Harvati’s mouth twitched like he was containing a satisfied smile.
Digest the fear.
“I don’t know why you’d send someone so careless to protect you. Aren’t you supposed to have the cream of the crop when it comes to street scum?”
Inhale 1, 2, 3,4 -
“What did you think he was going to do? Smash my windows and come barreling in here? I have nothing of value for the likes of you , which I’m sure you already know.”
Exhale 5, 6, 7, 8.
Draco straightened up in his chair. “Oh but you do Emile. You do.”
Harvati scoffed like Draco’s bravado had ceased to be intimidating to him.
Good.
“And I have something of great value for you,” he nodded towards the flowers strewn across his desk. “Did I not come baring gifts?”
Harvati forced himself to cast his eyes onto the peony-shaped petals.
“Wolfsbane. Hard to come by, but not exactly a revolutionary bargaining chip,” he looked up. “You seriously think you can negotiate…with this ?”
“This is just an appetizer for what I have to offer.” Draco wondered if Harry had completed step two already.
Harvati laughed humorlessly and propped his feet up onto the desk, nudging aside an empty bottle with his leather shoe. “Cut to the chase Malfoy. I’m growing less impressed by the second. What is it?”
Draco paused for dramatic effect. 1, 2, 3-
“A cure.”
Draco watched as Harvati processed this one word. His breathing became deeper and his eyes were awake now.
“There is no cure.”
“That bag holds enough wolfsbane to last three full moons. You’re welcome. It’s potent too, enough to ease her pain with the transformation and lanced with a sleeping drought so she’ll be knocked out through the worst of it. But what happens when it runs out?”
Harvati slowly removed his feet from the table. Draco smiled before continuing.
“The way I see it, you have two options. You keep doing what you’re doing, locking her up in the basement, frothing at the mouth like a starved dog.” Harvati scowled and Draco held up a palm. Hear me out . “She might look like a girl for most of the month, but humans infected with lycanthropy lose their sanity the moment they're bit. As you yourself are not one, I’m assuming that her condition is not genetic.”
Draco leaned forward then, becoming compassionate as he privately lowered his voice. He tried not to worry about what Harry was doing at the moment. “Look at you Emile, you’re exhausted. She’s exhausted. And you’ve exhausted all your options. How much longer can you keep this up? How many more of your house staff have to die?”
Harvati paled. Draco waited for a response, but went on when he wasn’t given one.
“You’re right, there is no complete cure. But I have a potion that will take away her pain, her confusion, her torture.” Draco scooted his chair forward and folded his hands on top of the table. Harvati didn’t flinch back this time. “It would give her back her mind .”
The man was silent for a painfully long time.
“If you’re lying to me, Malfoy, I’ll chop both you and your friend into tiny little pieces. I’ve done it before.”
“Yes, and you’re very famous for it - but there is one condition to this… medicine. ”
Draco heard the faintest shouting in the distance, but he had to trust that Harry could hold his own. He had to finish this conversation. Had to keep his sponsor hooked. “She will have her mind back, but she will be stuck in her wolf form. Permanently.”
“You’ve lost your mind-”
“Consider what an asset she would be. A sentient, loyal, werewolf on your side? You’d still be able to communicate with her - God knows there are plenty of simple spells for that - and she wouldn’t live in a waking nightmare anymore.” Draco glanced at a small family portrait on the desk: Harvati looking twenty years younger with his late wife’s arms wrapped around him and their daughter playing with a puzzle at their feet.
“She wanted to help you, correct? Take on the family business? Protect your legacy?”
“You would have me use my child as a weapon? As a… a guard dog?”
“Every parent uses their children in some way or another. Spare me the righteousness.” He could see that Harvati had already made the decision in his mind.
“She would hate me if I kept her a beast. She…she would rather die than that.”
“My dear,” Draco sighed. “If you cared about what she wanted, you would have put her out of her misery long ago.”
Harvati looked up at him. He looked twenty years younger again. Lost.
“Nothing makes one as crazy as family, isn’t that right?” Draco grinned. Harvati looked up at him with haunted eyes.
“You’re a demon."
Draco spread his hands, “I’m a salesman. Now ask me what my price is.”
The man massaged his temples.
“What’s your price?” he finally whispered.
“I want your name. Your assets. Your stamp. I’d like to speak and move on your behalf. I want the Harvati name backing me up in my future business transactions and I want your pull. Your… glowing letter of recommendation.”
“And what business transactions are you planning on exploiting me with?”
Draco smiled.
“I’m glad you asked.”