Fortune's Fool

Fortune's Fool

Chapter Three

After a rather peaceful flight, mostly because Draco had fallen asleep as soon as the plane reached it's maximum altitude, Harry, Draco and Dumbledore arrived in New Jersey. Harry was very glad that the flight was over, as he had never been so sick in his life, and he stumbled after Draco, who was yawning and looking completely unfazed, as Dumbledore escorted them down to the lower level of the airport. Draco and Harry went to collect their bags as Dumbledore called for a cab, they would spend the night in a motel, as their plane to Georgia didn't leave until the next night. They came to a Motel 8 just a few miles down the road and Dumbledore checked in. They only got one room, so they ended up in a bit of a dilemma. Either someone was going to sleep in the same bed as someone else, or someone ended up on the floor. Draco quickly voted that Harry sleep on the floor, and Harry, albeit reluctantly, agreed, not wanting a fight.

And so, that is the way the ship sailed. Dumbledore asked for an extra pillow and some blankets at the front desk, the lady there being only too happy to help, and they slipped into a very simple, but clean, room. Harry set up his bed on the floor and Draco climbed into his own. Dumbledore settled back in a chair and pulled large, leather bound book from a bag and began reading. Harry switched on the TV, which startled Draco. Harry giggled to himself as Draco looked at the TV curiously before he started flipping through the channels, landing on one called Comedy Central, which was playing a cartoon about four little boys. "What's that?" Draco asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I dunno," Harry said, shrugging as he watched the kids curse and one, a boy whose face was hidden behind an orange hood and spoke with a muffled voice, was blown up. He laughed in a confused sort of way at the crude humor and Draco looked just plain confused. When it was over, Harry began flipping through the channels again, eventually landing on AMC, or American Movie Classics, at the beginning of a movie called The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Draco found this one incredibly funny, though Harry didn't quite get it. After that was over, Dumbledore, who had been silently amused by the cult hit, declared lights out.

Draco lied awake for a while, even after Dumbledore and Harry were asleep, just staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Mandolin told him right before he left her. He voice still rang sweet and comforting in his ears, and it was that that finally sang him to sleep.

"Are you sure you can do this?" the cold voice of Lucius drifted through the heavy oak doors that lay between Draco and his father. Draco was pressed up against them, intent on knowing what was going on.

"Of course I can," another voice answered. This one was quite nervous yet still harsh. "Under my defense, my good sir, I promise you, you will look as innocent as a child."

"I was never an innocent child, mind you," Lucius said. The other man chuckled. "How much do you ask?"

The other voice stuttered for a second, before saying nervously, "I assure you, my services are the best--"

"How much?" Lucius repeated slowly, anger dripping from the sharp edges in his voice.

The man muttered something that Draco couldn't make out before finally answering in a voice so low Draco had to strain to hear. "900 million."

"I hope that's in Knuts, for your sake," Lucius said coldly, though Draco could hear a hint of panic and desperation in his voice.

"My services do not come cheap, sir," the other man replied. "Of course, if you cannot pay, I guess I'll be visiting you in Azkaban. I know that your prosecutors would pay--"

"I'll make you a deal!" Lucius nearly shouted, the desperation in his voice evident now.

"A deal?" the other man said gleefully, having achieved what he wanted, and he didn't bother to cover up his interest, either. "What sort of deal?"

Lucius spoke very quietly, so only this stranger could hear him. When he was finished, Draco heard the other man gasp and stutter, "You would--but you c-can't--why?"

Lucius cleared his throat. "My son needs me hear, does he not?" Lucius asked, the tone in his voice causing Draco to cringe. "A small sacrifice on his part should be a minute price to pay to keep his father out of jail, don't you agree?"

"He's only ten!"

Lucius sighed, growing wearing of explaining himself. "Let me put it this way. Have you ever had a virgin?"

"Lucius, I don't think--"

"All the money you ask for will never find you another opportunity such as this." Lucius said slowly, as if he were making sure that even the slowest of persons would be able to understand him. "I am sure there are others that could help me just as well and would not be stupid enough to pass up this and 500 grand, don't you agree?"

"Well, now that is quite tempting, but still--"

"I guess I will just have to begin searching..." Lucius' voice trailed off. Draco was confused now. What were they talking about? What sacrifice was he expected to make? Tired of eavesdropping, Draco sat back down in a chair by the door, like he was originally instructed to do, and it wasn't long, either, before his father opened the door and called him inside.

Draco obediently followed his father into the room, trying to hide behind him, but Lucius kept a firm grip on his arm and lead him in front of him and softly pushed him into a seat across from a tall, lean man in his med-thirties wearing a gray suit. He smiled at Draco, but the seemingly kind gesture did nothing to calm the boy's unruly nerves. No matter how finely dressed or how kind he tried to appear, the man gave Draco that odd tingly feeling one gets when they feel that something just is not right.

"Daddy," Draco whispered nervously, his voice trembling slightly with a fear that he could not comprehend. Lucius had a look on his face that Draco remembered, yet couldn't quite place. All he knew was the last time he had seen that look, something terrible had happened.

"Do not fret, Draco," Lucius said with a gentleness that did not become him. "I just wish for you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Mr. Lloyd Henderson." Draco looked at the man, who smiled again and nodded so as to agree with Lucius. There was a silence that chilled Draco to the bone and was broken, finally, when Lucius cleared his throat to get Draco's attention. The boy snapped his head up to look at his father. "How do we greet guests, Draco?"

Draco jumped up, blushing slightly with embarrassment. He bowed his head to Mr. Lloyd Henderson and said in a tone that made it evident that these words had been drilled into him, "Good day, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Draco Malfoy." After he was finished reciting his greeting, he stepped back and slid behind his father quickly before Lucius could seat him again.

"Draco, there is no need to be frightened. I think, once you get to know him, you will like Mr. Lloyd very much. I am positive that he will like you." Lucius gently pulled his son out from behind him and pushed him back into his seat and then walked over to Lloyd. Lloyd said something quietly, so only Lucius could hear him. Lucius smiled and whispered something back. When he was finished, he straitened himself and glanced at Draco. "I'll leave you alone with Lloyd. I really would like for you to get to know him." And with that, he left, pausing at the door to say, "You'll never get another opportunity like this in the rest of your life, Lloyd."

When Lucius was gone, Lloyd got up and closed the gap between himself and the 10-year-old boy in front of him. He sat on the arm of Draco's chair and Draco scooted to the opposite side of it, staring nervously up at the man as if he were the undertaker. Lloyd did not look as nervous as he did before. He placed a hand on Draco's knee and slowly moved his hand up the boy's thigh. Draco gasped and jumped out the chair.

Lloyd was soon off of his own seat and had pinned Draco to the ground. Draco fought him, but it was in vain. Lloyd was bigger and stronger than him. He tried to cry out, but no sound would escape his lips. Hot tears filled with fear and anger rolled down his cheeks and the pain from the pressure of Lloyd on top of him made him want to scream. He tried again, but Lloyd was pressing so hard against his chest that he could hardly breath...

Draco woke with a start, bolting upright and nearly screaming, a cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He didn't scream, but instead was thrown into a fit of coughing. It didn't last long, but he still couldn't breath afterward. He lay back hard, trying his hardest to suck air into his lungs. He felt as if someone were pushing all the air out of his lungs and then not allowing access to anything else. Finally, after that long while, air found its way into Draco and he could breath again. After that trauma was over, Draco noticed that there was something warm and wet on his hand. Curious, he clambered out of bed and gingerly made his way to the bathroom, careful not to touch anything with his hand. He quietly closed the door and his hand groped for the light switch, his other kept a bit in front of him. The light switched on. Draco looked down at his hand and backed up in horror. This time he nearly did scream.

The sound of coughing woke Harry. Groggily, Harry sat up, rubbing his eyes. He glanced around the now silent room, noticing the light seeping from the crack at the bottom of the bathroom door and that Malfoy's bed was empty. He laid back down, intent on going back to sleep when he heard a gasp and a muffled sob come from the bathroom. He got up and knocked on the door. "Malfoy, are you in there?" he asked tiredly.

He heard the sink turn on, a quick slosh of water and the sound of the water draining as the faucet was shut back off before the light turned off and Draco stepped out into the dark room. "Yes?" he asked, irritation lacing his voice.

"What were you doing in there?" Harry asked, watching Draco nonchalantly dry his hands on a baggy white shirt.

"What guy's do in the bath," he said lightly.

Harry's eyes grew wide. "What?" he croaked in a hoarse voice.

Draco scoffed. "Of course not, you remedial git! I was washing my hands."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I am not remedial. Was that you coughing a little while ago?"

"What's it to you?"

"I was just asking! Don't get all offensive!"

"It's none of your business. Now get out of my way, I want to go back to bed."

"I'm making it my business."

"Do you always have to be so annoying?"

"Do you always have to beat around the bush?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Just tell me!"

"Will you move if I do?"

"Yeah."

Draco sighed. "Yes, it was. Now move." Harry nodded and moved. Draco glared at him and slipped past him.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, the image of Draco fainting in Dumbledore's office and the bloody handkerchief gleaming in the back of his mind.

"What?" Draco asked, spinning around and not bothering to hide his surprise at the concern in the other boy's voice.

"I said," Harry repeated slowly, "are you alright?"

Draco said nothing, only stared at Harry in surprise. Slowly, Draco moved his head in a nod, and after the shock had passed said, "Yes, I'm fine," and turned around and walked back to his bed in a daze. Harry watched him as he lay down and turned his back to him, and then he turned towards the bathroom and curiously entered it. The door squeaked a little bit as it closed and then the room went pitch black. Harry grumbled and searched blindly around for the light switch. His hand found it at the same time that his other hand brushed across something soft on the counter. The light blinked on and Harry picked up the towel his hand had brushed against. He examined it for a second, and then dropped it with a gasp when he was the blood on it. What's going on?

Dumbledore woke the two boys early the next morning. After a quick shower each and a clean change of clothes, they were back on their way to the airport to catch their next flight. When they reached the airport, they found themselves waiting, again, in security checks. Draco, who was so bored that twiddling his thumbs sounded as fun as Quidditch, watched a tall lanky man with shoulder-length blonde hair under a black beanie with the word 'snoogins' written across the top and a shorter stout man with a beard, a backwards baseball cap and a cigarette in his mouth as they slowly moved through the line. The two men walked over to the staircase where Draco and Harry were waiting with the other eager travelers and leaned against it. Draco could hear them talking, or at least, he could hear the taller one talking, and he was very vulgar to say the least. Many people around him scrunched up their noses in disapproval. Draco watched in amusement as people turned to their traveling buddies or family members and whispered things about the two men below, but he could only make out what the man below was saying.

"I'm tellin' ya, Lunchbox, people are just fuckin' weird. D'ya hear that fat bitch back there? 'You're so fuckin' skinny', she said, and I'm like 'Maybe I wouldn't be so fuckin' skinny if you put those fuckin' rolls of yours to better use and lost some fuckin' weight!' Right, Silent Bob?" the blonde said quickly. The other man, called 'Silent Bob', nodded his head in agreement. With confusion, Draco averted his attention and followed the line up the stairs.

A fire roared in the grate in Hagrid's small hut, not for warmth, but rather for the homely feeling that a fire brings. The smell of tea brewing wafted through the air and the hooded man on the coach, who was softly petting Fang, closes his eyes and breathed in the welcoming aroma. "That smells really good," he said soulfully to Hagrid, who had removed the kettle from its hook and was pouring it into cups.

"From 'ow you are talkin', sounds like ya 'aven't smelt tea in a decade," Hagrid laughed, passing the man a cup.

"You have no idea," the man said somberly. "I've missed a lot."

Hagrid nodded. "So, Professor Dumbledore's sendin' ya on a assignment, I 'ear." The man gave a quick nod, gulped down the tea and sighed. "Anymore?" he asked. Hagrid laughed. "Take it easy!"

The man put the cup down. "That was good. I've had only bad spring water and whatever I could dig up to eat for the last six months!" He poured himself some more tea and grabbed a stale biscuit out of his bag next to the couch and started munching on it. "I think this is the most nutrition I've had in about twice that long, too!" he laughed, taking another bite of the biscuit.

"Wan' me ta make ya anything ta eat?" Hagrid asked.

The man shook his head. "No. Dumbledore's stocked me up on food for the journey."

"O' course 'e did!" Hagrid said with a laugh. "So, where ya goin'?"

"Georgia," the man said.

Hagrid choked. "All tha' way? Fer wha'?"

"I'm Dumbledore's eyes," the man said. "He can't afford to be so far from here for even a few weeks. It'll bring a threat to Hogwarts. The Dark Lord may try to take over. It's too risky."

Hagrid nodded in agreement.

"Well, I must be going. I was supposed to leave an hour ago." He stood up, as did Hagrid. "I'll see you later, my friend. Good-bye." He shook Hagrid's hand and smiled softly. Hagrid said good-bye and watched as the man left and disappeared in the shadows near the edge of the forest.