Midnight Predator

Chapter Two

The servant led her to the looming manor via a long and winding trail. He was moving so fast that he would quickly get far ahead of Shade, then as he looked back he would trip over his own feet and go sprawling in the dirt. By the time he had regained his balance, she was only a few steps behind him. Like a startled rabbit, he would leap to his feet and begin scurrying again.

She watched with amusement the first time, annoyance the second, and outright irritation the third and fourth time he fell. The next time he stumbled she increased her pace just enough to grab his arm. With a tremendous tug, she pulled him to his feet. "I never curse people behind their backs," she said wearily. "I'll wait until they're looking. Now walk like a proper person unless I decide to break my rule."

The man blanched. Shaking visibly, he slowed his erratic pace to something more manageable. Shade lurked in his shadow, knowing fully well that she was terrifying the poor man.

~~~

They reached the front doors sometime later. Shade noted with professional respect at the level of security that the mistress utilized. The magical creature-shaped topiaries really tried to attack intruders, although a leafy dragon seemed quite surprised when Shade took off its head with a well-aimed Severing Hex. A Bottomless Pit was visible running along the edge of the property and she saw several neat little Muggle attack mechanisms that shot arrows and other painful objects.

All in all, the defense at the manor was very secure. She was impressed. In her mind, a person who would go through that much trouble protecting a castle in the middle of nowhere would be a very interesting boss, female or no.

The front of the manor was no less impressive. Huge archways and pillars framed two gigantic wooden doors, reinforced with iron. A heavy iron knocker in the shape of a dragon's head adorned the left. The servant seemed loath to touch the knocker, instead he rapped on the door with his knuckles.

The right door swung open slowly, causing the man to jump nervously. Pale eyes peered at her through the gloom. "Mistress Shade?" a cool voice prompted.

Shaded nodded slightly, after all, who else could the mistress be expecting this late at night? "I am she."

The door opened wider, revealing a tall, pale man. "Madame wishes to see you now. Please follow me."

The scared little servant jumped ahead and scampered away as fast as his legs could take him. Shade directed one last sneer to his back, glad that she had finally escaped him. The tall man motioned impatiently, causing her to step up a little.

He led her past open rooms and locked doors. Portraits of gaunt faces stared down at her, some making rude comments while others remained silent. One even shouted out as if he knew her, but upon looking back, none of the portraits would meet her eyes.

The house-elves also seemed to know of her. They shrank back when she passed them, seemingly trying to press themselves into the walls. One even was so frightened as to squeak and drop the load of clean linens she was carrying, heedless of the dirty stone floor.

The length of the trip in itself was also a point for thought. By her internal map, Shade reckoned she had climbed down enough stairs to be nearly 100 feet underground...far enough down to connect with the underground cities the European Wizarding community was famous for. This cut down on her list of possible locations. Shade knew that only the old money purebloods would have manors tying in so seamlessly with the underground tunnels--the new had to take precautions such as arches and pillars so they did not have a cave-in during construction. And unless this mistress hired all her servants from out of the country, each person she came into contact with had a British accent. However, this was a possibility as her own grandparents were an example of the silly things the wealthy did.

All in all, her list had been cut down to pureblood families in Britain and the surrounding area. As there were less than twenty all located in about the same region when she last checked, Shade had a pretty good estimate of where she was.

Finally, the man stopped in front of a solid wooden door. He knocked gently and opened it when a soft voice called, "Come in."

Shade's first impression was of a study with the roaring fire, cozy chairs, and large desk. But when the person sitting behind the desk spoke, she quickly narrowed her attention to the speaker.

~~~

The older woman regarded her with piercing blue eyes. "I am Narcissa Malfoy," she finally said. "You are Shade...or rather, Mina Levski, are you not?"

Mina was taken aback. Mina Levski was indeed her birth name, but she hadn't used it since she left school. Obviously there was a cunning mind behind the pretty face. Narcissa noted the younger witch's surprise and smiled. "I have heard of your reputation as a mercenary. You've never failed a job and your previous employers praise you highly. I wish to hire your services."

The young assassin almost sighed with disgust. They always wanted a murder. Sometimes she wondered why she didn't just quit her mercenary career before she got herself killed. "Half the money up front, the other after I present the body. I may also require additional funds if the target is well-known or particularly difficult..." The smile on Narcissa's face grew as Mina rattled out prices for various services.

"That's exactly what I thought," she interrupted smugly. "You've been in the trade long enough to make a reputation for yourself, but you're still young enough to be innocent."

This statement cause Mina to raise an eyebrow. Innocent? She hadn't been innocent since the day Adela died. Dozens of people had met their deaths at her hands. "If I'm so innocent," she said through gritted teeth. "Then you would no doubt find some other assassin to your liking."

Narcissa laughed. It was not a threatening sound, just a laugh of simple amusement. Nevertheless, Mina still placed her hand on the small of her back, covering the hilt of her dagger. "Your innocence is what makes you such a wonderful killer. No one will expect such a pretty girl to start shooting the Killing Curse at people. However interesting that would be to watch, I have a rather...unusual...job for you. People are trying to kill my son and, quite frankly, I don't want to see him dead."

So. Not a killer, a bodyguard. "Madame Malfoy, I am not a baby-sitter. If you want me to protect your son, I can do a far better job by removing those after his blood than by taking care of a little boy."

"My son isn't but two years or so younger than you. You are only twenty one, correct?"

A blink was Mina's only sign of absolute shock. This witch could pose a very big threat if she ever decided Mina was the enemy. All traces of Mina Levski had been destroyed when she became Shade...or so she thought. "Yes," she finally replied.

That seemed to satisfy Narcissa. "And my son is seventeen. You'll just have to take some Youthfulness Potion to bypass the Hogwarts gates--"

"Hogwarts?" Mina was immediately interested. Harry Potter attended Hogwarts...and would be entering his seventh year this fall, if she remembered correctly. That would be interesting--meeting Harry Potter without being under orders to kill him. Not that she could anyway--the boy had a nasty habit of getting rid of those who threatened him, intentionally or not.

"Yes, it's quite ridiculous really; you've got to be under eighteen or a teacher to enter without Dumbledore's permission..."

Mina tuned Narcissa's voice down to a low murmur. It was a trick all assassins learned quickly; retain information while examining the surroundings. And what interesting surroundings they were.

The room looked like a standard man's study: dark wood, lots of dragon hide, and the faint scent of a cigar, even though Narcissa hardly looked like the sort of woman to tolerate a husband's smoking.

She was just starting to wonder exactly where the husband was when something Narcissa said caught her attention.

"Girlfriend?" Mina repeated.

Narcissa nodded simply. "There's no other way around it. You'll have to pose as Draco's girlfriend from another school."

"And what lie am I supposed to feed everyone?" asked Mina brusquely. She would much rather protect the boy hidden than pretend she was his 'lady-friend'.

"I assumed you would be clever enough to think up one. Now, run along and meet Draco while I get your fees together."

Long hours at her job taught Mina to leave when the dismissal was clear, but now she fought her instinct and stood. "Madame Malfoy. I will not pretend I am your son's whore," she snapped, eyes narrowed.

Narcissa narrowed her own eyes in return. "My son does not associate with any prostitutes, Miss Levski." Her features relaxed as she reconsidered her statement. "Or at least, Draco has been wise enough to hide any associations from me." Mina opened her mouth to argue, but Narcissa steamrolled right over her. "And while I pay you, you work for me. I'm not asking you to sleep with him, so you can wipe that charming blush right off your face--" With a start, Mina noticed she was blushing "--so I really don't know why you're so upset. Now please leave."

With a toss of her head, Mina turned on her heel and left like a good little assassin.