Leigh!fic | Your Secret Kiss (My Escape) (2/2) | Zacharias Smith/Astoria Greengrass
Title: Your Secret Kiss (My Escape) (2/2)
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Characters: Zacharias Smith/Astoria Greengrass
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 13,300
Warnings: None
Summary: A simple job turns complicated when the alcoholic, middle-aged bounty hunter and the divorced, spoiled socialite collide.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is JKR’s. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author’s Notes: Written for the 2014 round of interhouse_fest. My love and thanks to carrie_leigh for the beta and feedback, and to baby_k21 for giving me a visual representation of Zach that is beyond perfect. The prompt is my favorite exchange of dialogue from The Musketeers -- I hope you enjoy it! ♥
"Whatever you want, the answer is no."
Zach snickered as he stepped into the small Ministry office. "How do you know I want something, Macmillan? I haven't even said hello yet."
Ernie Macmillan, his old schoolmate and the closest thing Zach could count as a 'friend,' glanced up from his work with a wry expression on his face. "You always want something when you show up, Smith."
Shrugging, he plopped down in the empty visitor's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "True, but I make it worth your while."
"Get your bloody feet off my desk, you tosser." Leaning back, Ernie took a sip of his afternoon tea and sighed. "Alright, what do you have this time?"
Zach's gaze flickered behind Ernie to the file cabinets and bookshelves. They were littered with pictures of little blonde girls and dark haired boys. Zach had to suppress a shudder. He couldn't imagine raising one child, let alone five. Sure, Macmillan's wife was fucking hot, but really, birth control potions had been invented for a reason.
"Tickets for you, the missus, and your army of sprogs to the Puddlemere/Falmouth match next weekend." It was a steep price to pay, but Zach was feeling generous. He was slowly making headway, but time was running out. With half his retainer fee paid upfront, he'd been able to swing a little higher for his usual bribe offering.
Ernie gave a low whistle. "I'm not doing anything illegal, Smith."
"I'm not asking you to, Macmillan."
With a shrug, Ernie said, "Well, with that sort of offering up front, how was I to know? What do you need?"
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the photo he'd snapped two days ago. "This girl. I need a name and anything you might have on her. My usual sources got nothing."
One hand reached for the photo while the other pushed his glasses down onto his nose. Ernie peered at the picture quizzically for a moment before his eyes lit up with recognition. "That's Thea Llewellyn. She's a rising sixth year Hufflepuff. One of Holly's friends."
Finally, he had a name, for all the good that did him. "I don't know any Llewellyns around here."
Ernie passed the photo back to him. "You wouldn't, would you? She's a Muggleborn. Lives in Pembroke, I think. Lisa took Holly to visit her over the winter hols."
There were are. A Muggleborn. It made much more sense with that bit of clarification. That was why he'd been disappearing off to so many days these past months. Scorpius Malfoy was hiding a Muggleborn girlfriend from his parents -- and, presumably, from the Brothers of Cassiopeia. The question was, how did he leverage that? "I need you to ask Holly something about her. Ask her if Thea is seeing someone."
The look of revulsion on Ernie's face was automatic. "Smith, you bloody bastard, she is fifteen fucking years old. That's low, even for you, not to mention illegal."
"Merlin, Macmillan, get your knickers out of a wad!" Zach nearly gagged. "It has to do with a job I'm working. Trust me, I like my birds a bit closer to my own age, thank you very much."
Ernie muttered something about the birds Zach paid for, which he chose to ignore.
"So, you're asking me to gather school gossip about my daughter's best friend with my daughter?"
"Basically?" Zach shrugged. "Look, I don't want any of the randy details -- just if she's seeing someone or not. That's it, I swear."
A knock on the door interrupted them. "I'm sorry, Mr. Macmillan," a familiar voice said from behind him, and Zach felt his heart stop. "...I didn't realize you had a visitor."
Ernie smiled and waved the young woman in. "That's quite alright, Felicity. Zach and I were just talking, you may come in."
"I just need you to sign these papers." The sound of high heels clicking on the cheap linoleum came from behind him, then moved around to the side as the young woman stepped into view. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back in a professional updo, her smile easy as she set the aforementioned papers in front of Ernie. "Then I'll be out of your hair."
"Not a problem." Reaching for his quill, Ernie gestured between Zach and his assistant as he set his name where she'd indicated. "Smith, you remember my assistant, Felicity MacDougal."
You bloody bastard. Ernie Macmillan knew damned good and well Zach knew who his assistant was. He was one of the few people who really did. He inclined his head in a nod and greeted her with a gruff, "Miss MacDougal."
She returned the nod with a bright smile. "Mr. Smith, it's a pleasure to see you again." Not for the first time did Zach note she'd inherited her mother's smile; sweet and easy, without a hint of guile.
"Here you are." Finished with the signing, Ernie pushed the papers back toward the young woman. "Any other paperwork to torture me with?"
"Not this afternoon," she laughed, gathering the folders up in her arms. "Thank you, Mr. Macmillan." She nodded to Zach as she passed. "Mr. Smith."
"Thank you, Felicity," Ernie said as she exited the office.
Zach felt his heart deflate a bit, and he was struck with the urge to reach across the desk and punch his poncy friend. Mercifully, she hadn't mentioned his choice of reading material in front of Ernie. "For that, you get to gossip with your daughter and tell me what she says." He rose from his chair and flicked the other man two fingers. "Have a nice day."
He was almost out the door when he heard Ernie's soft reply. "Are you ever going to tell her, Smith?"
He paused but didn't bother to turn around. Instead, he shook his head. "No. It's better this way."
"For her, or for you?"
Zach didn't bother to reply.
*~*~*~*~*
"That'll be twenty Galleons," the grizzled woman running the counter at the apothecary informed him.
Zach swore under his breath. "Bloody ripoff," he muttered. Twenty bloody Galleons was a lot of gold.
"Ye want yer Polyjuice Potion?" she barked. "Pay up."
He held his left hand up in placation while the other fished through his bag for the required amount of coins. "Fine, fine, harpy," he added under his breath. The look on her face told him he hadn't be quite quiet enough, but she told the gold from him without comment, shoving the beaker of potion toward him.
"And have a nice day." His parting comment dripped with sarcasm as he grabbed the beaker and shoved it in his bag after making sure the seal was locked on tight. Last thing he needed was to spend half a month's office rent on a bloody potion, only to have it all leak out before he could use it. Not for the first time did Zach think that maybe -- just maybe -- he might want to look into brewing his own Polyjuice Potion.
Of course, by the time he reckoned he'd need it, it was already too late for the month required to brew it. So yet again, he was forced into paying some halfwit potions master to brew it for him.
As he pushed out into the dim sunshine the narrow streets of Knockturn Alley provided, Zach could clearly see the rest of the job laid out in front of him. He'd figured out Scorpius Malfoy's secret -- one pretty little blonde Hufflepuff named Thea -- and now had a plan of action. Polyjuice himself into Gallowglass, threaten Scorpius Malfoy's little piece, get him to quit the Brothers, collect the rest of his gold. Problem solved.
Hopefully it would run just as smoothly when executed as it sounded in his brain.
Honestly, Zach had no problems with the goals of the Brotherhood. He was as pro-pureblood as any wizard out there, but he'd learned from past experiences the wisdom of keeping his mouth shut, his head down, and letting the tide flow was it would. When he'd been Scorpius Malfoy's age, he'd not envisioned his life as that of a professional bounty hunter. He'd thought about professional Quidditch, or a nice, cushy job at Gringotts.
Yet here he was, forty-two and single. Living in a tiny garret flat in Hackney, renting an office above a strip club in Diagon Alley, and living contract to contract. Suffice to say, life hadn't turned out the way he'd planned.
The thought of his childhood brought to mind Felicity MacDougal. What kind of childhood had she had? Was working for the Department of Magical Education her dream position? Or had something happened to crush her original dream, so she'd settled for less than she wanted? She seemed a bright girl; pretty and kind -- her mother's doing, of that he was certain. Macmillan talked about her whenever he dropped by. Zach wasn't sure if that was a gift or torture for him. A combination of both, perhaps.
Growing up was a bitch. He hoped she didn't wake up twenty years from now with the same regrets he had. Somehow, he didn't think she'd make his mistakes.
His mind was so caught up in thoughts of the young blonde woman that he wasn't watching where he was going. As he stepped out of Knockturn Alley and into Diagon proper, he barreled into a passing woman.
The force of the collision jolted him from his daydream, and he automatically reached out, grabbing her elbow to stop her from falling to the cobblestones. "Oy, watch it..." he trailed off, and his tone softened when he realized who he'd bumped into. "Er, I mean, apologies, Ms. Greengrass." Bloody small world. Of all the witches in England, of courses he bumped into the one who'd gotten him into this mess to begin with. The one he couldn't stop thinking about when he was in bed, despite distracting himself with a number of other willing women.
Astoria eyed his grip on her elbow. "Mr. Smith." She straightened herself, brown gaze flickering up to meet his. "It's quite alright. My thanks for your assistance."
She stared at him for a long moment. "Oh, right, sorry, dove." He released her arm and took a step back. "I suppose I should, I dunno, buy you coffee or something?"
"I'm meeting my son for lunch. He goes back to Hogwarts soon." Another reminder of the ticking clock, counting down the days until he had to finish his job. Astoria's lips thinned at his pet name, but her reply was civil. "But thank you for the offer. Another time, perhaps."
He nodded. "Another time. I need to… er, I’m due in Hogsmeade anyway." She hadn’t even waited to say goodbye before walking away. Zach groaned quietly. His eyes couldn't help but watch her arse as she walked away. Fuck. The sooner he was done with this job, the better. A woman like that was no good for him.
"No good whatsoever," he muttered to himself.
Too bad the rational part of his brain had decided to take a holiday. Shaking his head in disgust, Zach spun on his heel and headed back into the depths of Knockturn Alley. Looked like an afternoon at The Shady Lady was in order. He could always call in his favor tomorrow.
*~*~*~*~*
It was just a normal night at The Leaky Cauldron. Patrons of various moral ambiguities mingled together, enjoying pints of ale or drams of whiskey, conversing on everything from the latest Ministry regulations on cauldron thickness to the upcoming championship match of the British and Irish Quidditch League. The serving wench, a new face as the regular one had come down with a wicked head cold, deftly maneuvered through patrons as she delivered refills and food to those waiting.
Zach watched from a dark corner. Barnabus Gallowglass was there with a companion -- an Italian wizard by the name of Pietro Cingolani. There wasn't much to know about the foreigner aside from the few things Zach had observed over the past two hours. He spoke little English, was vegetarian, and -- most surprisingly of all -- completely abstained from alcohol. While Gallowglass was into his second pint, Cingolani sipped at a cup of coffee.
From that, Zach drew the conclusion the Italian had a strong stomach. He'd tasted The Leaky's coffee once before. It was, charitably, caffeinated toxic sludge.
He'd also learned Gallowglass was fluent in Italian. For two hours, both men had conversed in low tones, leaning in every so often as not to be overheard. It didn't bother Zach too much; he couldn't give a damn about their topic of conversation. Cingolani was of no importance to the job, so he didn't matter. It was only coincidence that Zach even knew who he was.
Just then, a patron behind them jostled the barmaid as she passed between their tables. Zach could only watch as she went tumbling backwards into Gallowglass, the pints of ale crashing down onto their table as she grasped at the man's head and shoulders to keep from falling to the ground.
"Merlin, you clumsy woman!" he thundered, sputtering as ale dripped down his head. "Watch what you're doing! You nearly ripped my hair out! And look at the state of my robes!"
"A thousand apologies, sir!" she stammered. Her cheeks were stained with red as she righted herself, her hands trembling. She jerked the towel out of her apron and began to pat his shoulders dry, but he waved her off. "I'm so, so sorry. Let me clean this up. I'll have it right in a flash!"
"Don't bother." He whipped out his wand and uttered a quick Cleaning Spell, returning his robes and the table to their previous dryness. "I'll speak with your manager about this."
"Of- of course, sir. My apologies, again. Your supper and drinks are on the house, of course." Zach could see the poor woman was embarrassed. "May I refill your drinks?"
"No." He barked the word, waving her away. "Leave us."
Zach watched her nod and scurry back behind the bar. Her other patrons were at least more sympathetic, and he could hear them murmuring to her that it wasn't her fault, and that accidents happened. The blonde managed a weak smile for them and refilled drinks. "Thank you," he heard her say to an elderly wizard sitting at the bar. "It was terribly clumsy of me. Your meat pie should be about ready. Let me pop into the kitchen to check."
His lips curled. He'd seen and heard enough.
He tossed a few sickles onto the table and rose, pulling the hood of his cloak up as he ducked into the side corridor and slipped out the door. The alley running parallel to pub, a line between the wizarding and Muggle worlds, stank of garbage and piss. It wasn't the most ideal place, but he'd suffered through worse. He was a patient man.
Two minutes later, the buxom woman from the pub slipped out the side door, glancing around until her eyes lit on Zach. Her lips broke out in a smile. "Very cloak and dagger of you, Zach."
Zach grinned at her and bent to press a kiss to her cheek. "You missed your calling, love. You'd have made a fortune on the stage."
Hannah Abbott-Longbottom, proprietress of The Three Broomsticks and the star of the evening's performance, wrinkled her nose. "I'll have you know, you've broken my perfect streak. I've never spilled ale, good or bad, on a customer before."
"It's all for the greater good, Hannah. I promise you that."
She rolled her eyes and reached into her apron pocket for a small vial nestled inside. "I'm going to pretend I don't know what you need this for," she commented as she handed it to him. Zach brought it up to examine it, and his lips curled in satisfaction at the sight of five long, black hairs she'd plucked from Gallowglass's head. "Please tell me this isn't illegal."
He looked at her with a twitch of his lips. "Why do you lot keep thinking that?"
"Because with you, Zacharias Smith, we never know." Going up on tiptoe, Hannah pressed a kiss to his stubbled cheek. "I need to get back inside before Tom misses me. Come out and see me at my pub sometime, yeah?"
Pocketing the vial, he winked at her. "I'm always happy to see you, love. Preferably without your clothes."
She snorted in amusement. "I think my husband might have something to say about that. And I meant come see me sometime when you don't need something from me." She paused and quirked her head in question at him. "Next time, you might try bribing me the way you do Ernie. Who's to say I wouldn't enjoy a Quidditch match, or a day at the spa?"
Merlin. He'd have to whack Macmillan about the head for blabbing about the Puddlemere match tickets to Hannah. "Next time, a deluxe pedicure is all yours," he promised.
"I'll believe that when I see it." With a wave, Hannah slipped back into the pub. Zach's fingers closed around the vial. Something so small, but so important to seeing this job through to the end.
*~*~*~*~*
For a brotherhood of evil miscreants, hellbent on doing a bit of ethnic cleansing, the Brothers of Cassieopeia had alarmingly lax security. Not a single member had questioned him when he'd walked in, Gallowglass's black mask and robes over his Muggle street clothes. Of course, he was also wearing Gallowglass's face, so that might have had something to do with it.
As for the real Gallowglass, he was safely knocked out and tucked away in a side alley courtesy of Hulk and Mountain, two of The Shady Lady's finest doormen. They'd assured Zach -- after gold had changed hands, of course -- that Gallowglass would remain in such a state until Zach returned his robes and mask and had safely disappeared. There was something of a code amongst those who made their living in Knockturn Alley.
They might stab each other in the back, but most of them would at least give you a bit of advance warning.
As he stayed close to the back of the gathering, giving discreet nods to those who greeted him first, he took note of the other men. There were twelve of them, and at least two looked to be gangly teenagers -- faces smooth behind the half-masks that covered their upper faces. One of them was Scorpius Malfoy. The other, from what Zach had learned from watching the little ponce, was Sebastian Montague. A rising seventh year just like the Malfoy boy. His mother was one of Astoria's closest confidantes.
That wasn't his problem, though. Not until another mother paid him an exorbitant amount of gold and made it his problem. Until that time, he didn't give a damn what the Montague kid did.
The clock chimed nine p.m., and a hush fell over the room.
Under the cover of a Disillusionment Charm, Zach had observed the rituals of the Brothers. He took his place -- well, Gallowglass's place -- between two other masked and robed men. Fortunately, he'd noted the man's position within the group was more advisory, and so there was little he would be expected to say during the course of the evening.
"We gather together tonight, Brothers of Cassiopeia, as a community of like-minded men. The changes the past twenty years have wrought are not pleasing to our eye, and so it is our purpose, our ideal, to bring about a new order. An order where those with the purest of blood, the noblest of lineages, take their rightful place at the pinnacle of society. Our cause is noble, our brotherhood ancient --"
Zach closed his eyes to keep from rolling them in disgust. Ancient brotherhood, my arse. He hadn't been the most studious pupil in Hogwarts history, but even he knew that five years hardly qualified as 'ancient.'
"And together we will rid the world of foul filth and those who are not worthy to practice magic."
Amen, he thought sarcastically. At least they weren't holding hands. That was taking things a bit too far, in his less than humble opinion.
As far as meetings went, Zach had suffered through Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that had lasted longer and were more lively. What, exactly, this brotherhood did or was planning to do, they never said. The entire two hours was spent waxing poetic over what You Know Who had done right, and what the Brothers felt should be handled differently. Every forty-five minutes or so, he'd take a sip from his flask and choke a bit more Polyjuice Potion down his throat. Disgusting, vile shite -- but necessary if he didn't wish to be discovered.
Or, more likely, killed and tossed in the Thames.
So he nodded in agreement, shook his head once (which garnered a rush of hushed whispers, and the man who'd spoken hurriedly retracted his idea), and once even hummed to express strong feelings of concurrence. (What he was agreeing to, exactly, he wasn't sure. He'd tuned out the speakers with skills he'd honed as a first year under Professor Binns).
When the clock struck eleven, the ringleader -- Ignatius Mulciber, a distant cousin of the Mulcibers who'd served He Who Must Not Be Named -- looked directly at Zach. "Have you any closing remarks for our brothers, Brother Gallowglass?"
This was it. His entire cockamamie scheme boiled down to this moment. He schooled his expression, deepened the timbre of his voice, and replied, "Ere we depart, I wish to speak with Novitiate Malfoy." He paused a beat, then added ominously, "alone."
Mulciber nodded. "But of course. Novitiate Malfoy, Mr. Borgin will show you and Brother Gallowglass --"
"I know the way," Zach interrupted gruffly.
Scorpius Malfoy, for his part, was white as a sheet -- well, at least the lower half of his face was paler than usual. He could only assume the hidden half was a matching shade of white. He nodded subserviently and fell into place behind Zach as the pair of men left the disbanding brothers and entered Borgin's personal office.
Acting the part of a headmaster, perhaps, or a boardroom executive, Zach settled into Borgin's chair. "Novitiate Malfoy," he began in his best imitation of Gallowglass's voice, "are you devoted to our Brotherhood? To our cause?"
"Of course, Brother Gallowglass." He could hear the tremor in young master Malfoy's voice. "I'm ready and willing to prove my devotion to our brothers."
Zach's lips curled in a satisfied, slightly mocking smile. "So eager to please. So loyal. You are just like your father."
Scorpius's gaze shot up, and his lip snarled distastefully. "I am nothing like my father."
He'd hit a sore spot. Now it was time to open that spot up and drive a Quaffle through it. "Of course you are," he said condescendingly, "and your grandfather. So loyal to our late Lord, they were, but neither were the most exemplary of servants." He rose and slowly crossed around the desk to stand in front of Scorpius. "Do you wish to distinguish yourself from them? Rid the Malfoy name of its stain?"
The teenager nodded frantically. "Yes, Brother Gallowglass, of course. I'll do anything you want."
Perfect. "There is a young girl I seek for our brothers. A witch by the name of Thea Llewellyn, one of your classmates."
He could see Scorpius's eyes widen behind his mask, but the younger man shook his head. "I don't know any girls named Thea."
"Do not lie to me." He put a touch of menace into his voice, the words rolling from his lips in an almost purr-like sound. "I know you fancy her your little girlfriend." For good measure, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the photo he'd snapped of the two of them at the Brighton pier. Two teenagers, smiling and holding hands, occasionally pausing for a kiss.
"You had me followed?" Malfoy retorted, simultaneously sounding frightened and angry. "Why would you --"
Zach held up his hand, and Scorpius quietened. "I will do anything to ensure the security of our brotherhood," he said sternly, "including following young novitiates who think with their cocks."
"What do you want with her?"
"Why do you care?" he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "She is a Mudblood. She is unworthy of your lineage. She is unworthy to practice magic. She is no witch. He could see each barb hit home. Scorpius was visibly flinching by the time he finished. The young man was trembling, but silent, and so Zach continued, "Unless, of course, you are not committed to ridding the world of her kind..."
"Anything else," he whispered, shaking his head, "anything but Thea. She is innocent."
"You have a choice, Novitiate Malfoy." Here was the game-winning shot. Zach lined up on target and released the Quaffle. "You have not yet reached your majority and taken your vows. If you are unwilling to give up this Mudblood, you are unworthy to wear your mask and call yourself a Brother." He held his hand out. "The choice is yours."
The air between the two men was tense as Scorpius stared at Zach. He would see the struggle as Malfoy debated what to do. Give up his future as a minion of evil, or deliver his girlfriend to the Brothers? While Zach was not certain they would kill young Thea, he knew they would not be kind in their treatment of her. Every second that passed, Zach's bluff grew more and more thin. He felt a small knot of anxiety form in his belly. Fuck, kid c'mon...
Finally, Scorpius reached up and jerked the mask from his face. A lock of blonde hair fell over his forehead, and he thrust the mask into Zach's outstretched hand. "I'm not a murderer," he said quietly. "Leave Thea alone."
Zach nodded slowly and pocketed the mask. "You are not worthy to call yourself a brother," he said slowly. "Show yourself out, and do not darken these doors again."
Scorpius all but ran out the door, nearly bowling out two of the men still loitering in the shop. He slowly followed, and when they looked to him in question, he held up the surrendered mask. "Scorpius Malfoy is no longer welcome in the Brotherhood of Cassiopeia."
The two men didn't even argue. They nodded at him in deference, then went back to their conversation.
As he past them, Zach murmured his farewells -- and it wasn't a moment too soon, as he felt his ears start to shrink and reform themselves back to his own body. As soon as the door shut behind him, he picked up speed and started for The Shady Lady.
He had clothes to return and a false memory charm to perform.
*~*~*~*~*
He wasn't sure why he'd gone to Astoria Greengrass's home instead of his own. It was half past midnight. His business with Ms. Greengrass could certainly wait until morning. Yet, when he'd finished up the particularly difficult false memory charm on Gallowglass, he hadn't felt like going home at all. He felt invincible; drugged, almost. Like he was king of the fucking world, and no one could stop him.
It was an adrenaline high, he knew from experience. The rush from successfully finishing another job. Eventually, he'd come crashing down and remember he'd just done his fucking job. But right now, the world was his oyster -- and he wanted to share his news with one Astoria Persephone Greengrass.
There was one teeny tiny flaw in his plan: she wasn't home.
Her disapproving house elf had let him wait in the foyer, though the creature hadn't been able to say when his mistress would return. Only that she was "out" and would likely be very late, and was he not certain he wouldn't rather come back at a proper time? After sending a proper owl and requesting an audience?
Fuck that. He'd sat down in a chair that looked too poncy to hold his weight, but he couldn't sit still. His leg was jittery. He couldn't stop shifting his weight around. Every chime from the ornate clock on the wall was like a gong rather than the tinkling chime it was intended to be. One o'clock in the morning, and no sign of the lady of the house.
Or her son. Merlin, he really hadn't thought this through.
The cynic in him was sure that if Scorpius Malfoy came home to a strange man in his mother's foyer, he wouldn't be that surprised. Zach rebelled against that idea, though. If the little snot was coming home, he'd have been home by now. He wasn't legally of age yet. There was only so much trouble an underage wizard could get into after midnight.
The sudden 'crack!' of Apparition made him jump in his seat.
"Mr. Smith? What on earth are you doing here?"
He stood and smirked at her. "Letting you know you hired a fucking genius, in case you weren't aware already."
Astoria raised a brow at him and set her sparkly clutch down on the side table. "I was not aware. I would hardly call dropping by -- unannounced, I might add -- in the middle of the night wasn't your smartest idea in the world."
Zach opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, his brain registered just what sort of sight was in front of him. Wherever Astoria Greengrass had spent her evening had been a formal affair. Her sapphire blue evening gown clung to her slight curves, and she was sporting a most daring slit that ended at the very top of her thigh. The neckline was plunging, giving him a better glimpse at the cleavage he'd only seen hints of before.
There was a slight sheen to her dark eyes. Whatever party she'd been at, she'd been drinking -- not enough that she was drunk, but enough to bring a pretty pink flush to her cheeks. Her eyes were bright with it.
Blood rushed to his groin. Fuck.
"The --" he cleared his throat and shook his head. "The job's done."
She blinked at him, pink lips parted slightly in surprise. "I beg your pardon? What do you mean, 'done?'"
He took a step closer, lips curling upward in satisfaction. "Just what it sounds like. Our contract is fulfilled to all terms." His voice softened. "You don't have to worry about your son anymore, Ms. Greengrass." At least not where the Brothers of Cassiopeia were concerned, she didn't.
Astoria's jaw dropped. Zach could see the emotion in her eyes, the way her chest rose and fell with each emotional breath. "Truly?" she whispered, a slight sheen in her eyes.
Zach nodded. "I swear it." With the thought that his word might not be good enough for her, he added, "Give him a week or so. Scorpius'll do something. You'll know for certain."
She was still for a moment, staring at him as if she were unsure of what he'd just said. Then she took a step toward him, then another, and suddenly she was throwing her arms around him and surging up to press her lips against him in a heated kiss.
It was instinct for his arms to wrap around her slim waist, holding her tight against him. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, dipping inside to taste her when her lips parted beneath his. He ran one hand to the small of her back and traced over the curve of that delicious arse he'd admired many times over the course of the summer. Astoria was warm and pliant in his arms. His body reacted to hers, and Zach felt the thrill of want running through him as he maneuvered her to press her against the nearest wall.
Astoria gasped and mewled beneath his caress. Her petite breasts pressed against his chest, and she hummed in pleasure when his lips broke from hers to trail nibbling kisses down her neck. "Oh."
He pulled his lips from hers and looked her in her eyes. Both their gazes were hazy; hers with a combination of drink and desire, his with the want that had been boiling beneath the surface since she'd walked into his office on that June morning. Zach's hands were not gentle as his fingertips dug into her hips.
"Tell me no right now," he rasped, chest heaving as he looked down at her. He slid one hand up to cup her breast, palming it through the thin silk that separated her skin from his. Her nipple hardened under his touch, and he groaned. "I'm not a good man, Astoria. Tell me to stop, or I swear, I'm not stopping until you've screamed my name."
Her pupils widened, eyes darkening. Astoria's lips curled in a coy, inviting smile. She ran one hand up the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. Her movements pulled a shudder from him when her nails drug over his sensitive scalp.
"Good men are so boring," she murmured. Her hips canted against his, and she leaned in to press her lips to her pulse point.
Since you asked for it... Hauling her up against him, Zach swept her into his arms. He couldn't ask for a better ending to the evening -- a completed job, and Astoria Greengrass soon to be naked beneath him.
There were some perks to his job.
*~*~*~*~*
One week later
It was a complete surprise to Zach when Astoria Greengrass walked into his office. Since passing the evening in her company after he'd successfully completed the job, he hadn't expected to see her again. The remaining balance of his fee had been transferred into his vault. For all intents and purposes, he was finished with Astoria Greengrass and Scorpius Malfoy.
His mind flickered back to that night, memories of pale skin and wanting kisses in the dark running free. With a shake of his head, he gave her a nod. "Ms. Greengrass, this is a surprise." Politely speaking, what are you doing here?
She hummed in agreement and settled into the seat across his desk without invitation. Zach caught a flash of pale skin when she crossed her legs at the knee, and his gaze was drawn to a shapely calf. "I would imagine so," she replied, amusement in her tone as he slowly looked up to meet her dark brown eyes. "But I believe I've figured you out, Mr. Smith."
Zach blinked slowly. "I'm not entirely sure what you're on about..."
Astoria's lips curled, one corner lifting up in a smirk. "A Muggleborn girlfriend. My son's weakness. Would that be your secret weapon?"
Ah. Leaning back in his chair, Zach shrugged and laced his fingers together behind his hair. "Maybe. Maybe not. I told you, I promised results, not step-by-step directions."
"Of course." She fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you not tell me about her?"
"It wasn't my place." Rolling his shoulders, Zach sighed when he felt the bones pop in and out of place, alleviating a bit of stress between his shoulder blades. "Since you're here, I'm assuming he told you about her, anyway."
"Mmmm. Yes, Scorpius approached me two nights ago about a young friend of his from Wales. Thea, I believe. She and her Muggle parents will be coming in to London next week to catch the train to school, and he hoped they might stay with us instead of at a hotel." Her smile took on an impish touch, and in that moment, Zach could see her how she might have looked twenty years ago; a fresh faced girl straight from school, with the world at her feet. "I am so looking forward to Draco's expression when they're introduced. It'll be something to cherish in my Pensieve."
Zach couldn't help but smile a bit at her amusement. "And you don't care he's dating a Muggleborn?" The Greengrass family had never been as actively outspoken as other purebloods, but there were apples on every old family tree.
Astoria shrugged. "If she makes my son happy, then I don't give a damn about her blood status. Besides, they're sixteen. How many childhood couples make it after school?"
"I guess if I had a kid, that's sort of what I'd think, too." The lie was heavy on Zach's tongue. The years of knowing about Felicity weighed on him. Holding that secret in was tiring. Before his mind could stop his mouth, he added, "Remember when we first met? When you asked if I was a father?"
"Mhmm." She raised an elegant brow at him. "I do. You said you were not."
He shifted in his chair. "That was a lie. Sort of." Once the dam had been opened, the words came out easily. "When I was twenty, I got my girlfriend pregnant. Didn't know about it at the time. She broke up with me, I guess after she found out. Moved to America, and I didn't think anything about her. We'd been having problems for a while -- I wasn't the most faithful bloke she could have found."
When Astoria didn't say anything, he continued, "Anyway. She came back a little over ten years ago with a little girl. I ran into them in Diagon, and I just knew." He'd known from the first moment he'd laid eyes on the little pig tailed blonde that she was his daughter. Coupled with the look of abject horror on Morag's face, it was all the confirmation he'd needed. "Morag had married some Muggle businessman from Shanghai. Convinced him to move to London so her daughter could go to Hogwarts."
"Zach." The tender infliction she put into his name stopped his story. Zach slumped in his chair. He didn't necessarily feel good about spilling his secret to a one-night stand -- admittedly, a very beautiful one-night stand who had plenty of secrets of her own -- but he did feel a bit lighter. Astoria's voice was soft, and she added, "Does she know?"
He shook his head. "I talked to Morag a few weeks later, agreed not to say anything. Her name's Felicity, after Morag's mum. Works in the Department of Magical Education now."
"Why did you agree not to say anything? She's your child, you have a right to be her father."
"Nah. I'm not a father. Fathers are those men who teach a kid to walk, to ride a broomstick. Who's there when you lose your first tooth, when you head off to school. I'm a functioning alcoholic who can barely make ends meet. She's got a good life and family." He shook his head. "I'm not messing that up for her."
Astoria lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. "Perhaps." He watched as she rose from her seat and crossed around his desk. Leaning against the wooden surface, she reached out and cupped his face with her soft hands. "You're not a bad person, Zacharias Smith," she said softly. "You might not be a good man, but you're not a bad one, either."
"I'm recording this conversation for posterity," he joked weakly.
Her lips twitched. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his in a slow, soft kiss. Zach's lips parted beneath hers, deepening the embrace until they both broke apart.
Astoria's smile was wistful. "Given time, I could have loved a man like you." Her gaze flickered to his lips, then back up, and her smile turned wry. "But I've always had terrible taste in men."
He reached up and pulled her hands away from his face, bringing them to his lips for a soft kiss. He'd never expected to actually like Astoria Greengrass. She was far from being mother of the year, and she was still rich, spoiled, and vain. But there was a warm heart beneath her exterior, and the memory of her body beneath his was one he would not soon forget.
"Well," he murmured, "it's a pity neither of us is the marrying type, love."
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Characters: Zacharias Smith/Astoria Greengrass
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 13,300
Warnings: None
Summary: A simple job turns complicated when the alcoholic, middle-aged bounty hunter and the divorced, spoiled socialite collide.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is JKR’s. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author’s Notes: Written for the 2014 round of interhouse_fest. My love and thanks to carrie_leigh for the beta and feedback, and to baby_k21 for giving me a visual representation of Zach that is beyond perfect. The prompt is my favorite exchange of dialogue from The Musketeers -- I hope you enjoy it! ♥
"Whatever you want, the answer is no."
Zach snickered as he stepped into the small Ministry office. "How do you know I want something, Macmillan? I haven't even said hello yet."
Ernie Macmillan, his old schoolmate and the closest thing Zach could count as a 'friend,' glanced up from his work with a wry expression on his face. "You always want something when you show up, Smith."
Shrugging, he plopped down in the empty visitor's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "True, but I make it worth your while."
"Get your bloody feet off my desk, you tosser." Leaning back, Ernie took a sip of his afternoon tea and sighed. "Alright, what do you have this time?"
Zach's gaze flickered behind Ernie to the file cabinets and bookshelves. They were littered with pictures of little blonde girls and dark haired boys. Zach had to suppress a shudder. He couldn't imagine raising one child, let alone five. Sure, Macmillan's wife was fucking hot, but really, birth control potions had been invented for a reason.
"Tickets for you, the missus, and your army of sprogs to the Puddlemere/Falmouth match next weekend." It was a steep price to pay, but Zach was feeling generous. He was slowly making headway, but time was running out. With half his retainer fee paid upfront, he'd been able to swing a little higher for his usual bribe offering.
Ernie gave a low whistle. "I'm not doing anything illegal, Smith."
"I'm not asking you to, Macmillan."
With a shrug, Ernie said, "Well, with that sort of offering up front, how was I to know? What do you need?"
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the photo he'd snapped two days ago. "This girl. I need a name and anything you might have on her. My usual sources got nothing."
One hand reached for the photo while the other pushed his glasses down onto his nose. Ernie peered at the picture quizzically for a moment before his eyes lit up with recognition. "That's Thea Llewellyn. She's a rising sixth year Hufflepuff. One of Holly's friends."
Finally, he had a name, for all the good that did him. "I don't know any Llewellyns around here."
Ernie passed the photo back to him. "You wouldn't, would you? She's a Muggleborn. Lives in Pembroke, I think. Lisa took Holly to visit her over the winter hols."
There were are. A Muggleborn. It made much more sense with that bit of clarification. That was why he'd been disappearing off to so many days these past months. Scorpius Malfoy was hiding a Muggleborn girlfriend from his parents -- and, presumably, from the Brothers of Cassiopeia. The question was, how did he leverage that? "I need you to ask Holly something about her. Ask her if Thea is seeing someone."
The look of revulsion on Ernie's face was automatic. "Smith, you bloody bastard, she is fifteen fucking years old. That's low, even for you, not to mention illegal."
"Merlin, Macmillan, get your knickers out of a wad!" Zach nearly gagged. "It has to do with a job I'm working. Trust me, I like my birds a bit closer to my own age, thank you very much."
Ernie muttered something about the birds Zach paid for, which he chose to ignore.
"So, you're asking me to gather school gossip about my daughter's best friend with my daughter?"
"Basically?" Zach shrugged. "Look, I don't want any of the randy details -- just if she's seeing someone or not. That's it, I swear."
A knock on the door interrupted them. "I'm sorry, Mr. Macmillan," a familiar voice said from behind him, and Zach felt his heart stop. "...I didn't realize you had a visitor."
Ernie smiled and waved the young woman in. "That's quite alright, Felicity. Zach and I were just talking, you may come in."
"I just need you to sign these papers." The sound of high heels clicking on the cheap linoleum came from behind him, then moved around to the side as the young woman stepped into view. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back in a professional updo, her smile easy as she set the aforementioned papers in front of Ernie. "Then I'll be out of your hair."
"Not a problem." Reaching for his quill, Ernie gestured between Zach and his assistant as he set his name where she'd indicated. "Smith, you remember my assistant, Felicity MacDougal."
You bloody bastard. Ernie Macmillan knew damned good and well Zach knew who his assistant was. He was one of the few people who really did. He inclined his head in a nod and greeted her with a gruff, "Miss MacDougal."
She returned the nod with a bright smile. "Mr. Smith, it's a pleasure to see you again." Not for the first time did Zach note she'd inherited her mother's smile; sweet and easy, without a hint of guile.
"Here you are." Finished with the signing, Ernie pushed the papers back toward the young woman. "Any other paperwork to torture me with?"
"Not this afternoon," she laughed, gathering the folders up in her arms. "Thank you, Mr. Macmillan." She nodded to Zach as she passed. "Mr. Smith."
"Thank you, Felicity," Ernie said as she exited the office.
Zach felt his heart deflate a bit, and he was struck with the urge to reach across the desk and punch his poncy friend. Mercifully, she hadn't mentioned his choice of reading material in front of Ernie. "For that, you get to gossip with your daughter and tell me what she says." He rose from his chair and flicked the other man two fingers. "Have a nice day."
He was almost out the door when he heard Ernie's soft reply. "Are you ever going to tell her, Smith?"
He paused but didn't bother to turn around. Instead, he shook his head. "No. It's better this way."
"For her, or for you?"
Zach didn't bother to reply.
*~*~*~*~*
"That'll be twenty Galleons," the grizzled woman running the counter at the apothecary informed him.
Zach swore under his breath. "Bloody ripoff," he muttered. Twenty bloody Galleons was a lot of gold.
"Ye want yer Polyjuice Potion?" she barked. "Pay up."
He held his left hand up in placation while the other fished through his bag for the required amount of coins. "Fine, fine, harpy," he added under his breath. The look on her face told him he hadn't be quite quiet enough, but she told the gold from him without comment, shoving the beaker of potion toward him.
"And have a nice day." His parting comment dripped with sarcasm as he grabbed the beaker and shoved it in his bag after making sure the seal was locked on tight. Last thing he needed was to spend half a month's office rent on a bloody potion, only to have it all leak out before he could use it. Not for the first time did Zach think that maybe -- just maybe -- he might want to look into brewing his own Polyjuice Potion.
Of course, by the time he reckoned he'd need it, it was already too late for the month required to brew it. So yet again, he was forced into paying some halfwit potions master to brew it for him.
As he pushed out into the dim sunshine the narrow streets of Knockturn Alley provided, Zach could clearly see the rest of the job laid out in front of him. He'd figured out Scorpius Malfoy's secret -- one pretty little blonde Hufflepuff named Thea -- and now had a plan of action. Polyjuice himself into Gallowglass, threaten Scorpius Malfoy's little piece, get him to quit the Brothers, collect the rest of his gold. Problem solved.
Hopefully it would run just as smoothly when executed as it sounded in his brain.
Honestly, Zach had no problems with the goals of the Brotherhood. He was as pro-pureblood as any wizard out there, but he'd learned from past experiences the wisdom of keeping his mouth shut, his head down, and letting the tide flow was it would. When he'd been Scorpius Malfoy's age, he'd not envisioned his life as that of a professional bounty hunter. He'd thought about professional Quidditch, or a nice, cushy job at Gringotts.
Yet here he was, forty-two and single. Living in a tiny garret flat in Hackney, renting an office above a strip club in Diagon Alley, and living contract to contract. Suffice to say, life hadn't turned out the way he'd planned.
The thought of his childhood brought to mind Felicity MacDougal. What kind of childhood had she had? Was working for the Department of Magical Education her dream position? Or had something happened to crush her original dream, so she'd settled for less than she wanted? She seemed a bright girl; pretty and kind -- her mother's doing, of that he was certain. Macmillan talked about her whenever he dropped by. Zach wasn't sure if that was a gift or torture for him. A combination of both, perhaps.
Growing up was a bitch. He hoped she didn't wake up twenty years from now with the same regrets he had. Somehow, he didn't think she'd make his mistakes.
His mind was so caught up in thoughts of the young blonde woman that he wasn't watching where he was going. As he stepped out of Knockturn Alley and into Diagon proper, he barreled into a passing woman.
The force of the collision jolted him from his daydream, and he automatically reached out, grabbing her elbow to stop her from falling to the cobblestones. "Oy, watch it..." he trailed off, and his tone softened when he realized who he'd bumped into. "Er, I mean, apologies, Ms. Greengrass." Bloody small world. Of all the witches in England, of courses he bumped into the one who'd gotten him into this mess to begin with. The one he couldn't stop thinking about when he was in bed, despite distracting himself with a number of other willing women.
Astoria eyed his grip on her elbow. "Mr. Smith." She straightened herself, brown gaze flickering up to meet his. "It's quite alright. My thanks for your assistance."
She stared at him for a long moment. "Oh, right, sorry, dove." He released her arm and took a step back. "I suppose I should, I dunno, buy you coffee or something?"
"I'm meeting my son for lunch. He goes back to Hogwarts soon." Another reminder of the ticking clock, counting down the days until he had to finish his job. Astoria's lips thinned at his pet name, but her reply was civil. "But thank you for the offer. Another time, perhaps."
He nodded. "Another time. I need to… er, I’m due in Hogsmeade anyway." She hadn’t even waited to say goodbye before walking away. Zach groaned quietly. His eyes couldn't help but watch her arse as she walked away. Fuck. The sooner he was done with this job, the better. A woman like that was no good for him.
"No good whatsoever," he muttered to himself.
Too bad the rational part of his brain had decided to take a holiday. Shaking his head in disgust, Zach spun on his heel and headed back into the depths of Knockturn Alley. Looked like an afternoon at The Shady Lady was in order. He could always call in his favor tomorrow.
*~*~*~*~*
It was just a normal night at The Leaky Cauldron. Patrons of various moral ambiguities mingled together, enjoying pints of ale or drams of whiskey, conversing on everything from the latest Ministry regulations on cauldron thickness to the upcoming championship match of the British and Irish Quidditch League. The serving wench, a new face as the regular one had come down with a wicked head cold, deftly maneuvered through patrons as she delivered refills and food to those waiting.
Zach watched from a dark corner. Barnabus Gallowglass was there with a companion -- an Italian wizard by the name of Pietro Cingolani. There wasn't much to know about the foreigner aside from the few things Zach had observed over the past two hours. He spoke little English, was vegetarian, and -- most surprisingly of all -- completely abstained from alcohol. While Gallowglass was into his second pint, Cingolani sipped at a cup of coffee.
From that, Zach drew the conclusion the Italian had a strong stomach. He'd tasted The Leaky's coffee once before. It was, charitably, caffeinated toxic sludge.
He'd also learned Gallowglass was fluent in Italian. For two hours, both men had conversed in low tones, leaning in every so often as not to be overheard. It didn't bother Zach too much; he couldn't give a damn about their topic of conversation. Cingolani was of no importance to the job, so he didn't matter. It was only coincidence that Zach even knew who he was.
Just then, a patron behind them jostled the barmaid as she passed between their tables. Zach could only watch as she went tumbling backwards into Gallowglass, the pints of ale crashing down onto their table as she grasped at the man's head and shoulders to keep from falling to the ground.
"Merlin, you clumsy woman!" he thundered, sputtering as ale dripped down his head. "Watch what you're doing! You nearly ripped my hair out! And look at the state of my robes!"
"A thousand apologies, sir!" she stammered. Her cheeks were stained with red as she righted herself, her hands trembling. She jerked the towel out of her apron and began to pat his shoulders dry, but he waved her off. "I'm so, so sorry. Let me clean this up. I'll have it right in a flash!"
"Don't bother." He whipped out his wand and uttered a quick Cleaning Spell, returning his robes and the table to their previous dryness. "I'll speak with your manager about this."
"Of- of course, sir. My apologies, again. Your supper and drinks are on the house, of course." Zach could see the poor woman was embarrassed. "May I refill your drinks?"
"No." He barked the word, waving her away. "Leave us."
Zach watched her nod and scurry back behind the bar. Her other patrons were at least more sympathetic, and he could hear them murmuring to her that it wasn't her fault, and that accidents happened. The blonde managed a weak smile for them and refilled drinks. "Thank you," he heard her say to an elderly wizard sitting at the bar. "It was terribly clumsy of me. Your meat pie should be about ready. Let me pop into the kitchen to check."
His lips curled. He'd seen and heard enough.
He tossed a few sickles onto the table and rose, pulling the hood of his cloak up as he ducked into the side corridor and slipped out the door. The alley running parallel to pub, a line between the wizarding and Muggle worlds, stank of garbage and piss. It wasn't the most ideal place, but he'd suffered through worse. He was a patient man.
Two minutes later, the buxom woman from the pub slipped out the side door, glancing around until her eyes lit on Zach. Her lips broke out in a smile. "Very cloak and dagger of you, Zach."
Zach grinned at her and bent to press a kiss to her cheek. "You missed your calling, love. You'd have made a fortune on the stage."
Hannah Abbott-Longbottom, proprietress of The Three Broomsticks and the star of the evening's performance, wrinkled her nose. "I'll have you know, you've broken my perfect streak. I've never spilled ale, good or bad, on a customer before."
"It's all for the greater good, Hannah. I promise you that."
She rolled her eyes and reached into her apron pocket for a small vial nestled inside. "I'm going to pretend I don't know what you need this for," she commented as she handed it to him. Zach brought it up to examine it, and his lips curled in satisfaction at the sight of five long, black hairs she'd plucked from Gallowglass's head. "Please tell me this isn't illegal."
He looked at her with a twitch of his lips. "Why do you lot keep thinking that?"
"Because with you, Zacharias Smith, we never know." Going up on tiptoe, Hannah pressed a kiss to his stubbled cheek. "I need to get back inside before Tom misses me. Come out and see me at my pub sometime, yeah?"
Pocketing the vial, he winked at her. "I'm always happy to see you, love. Preferably without your clothes."
She snorted in amusement. "I think my husband might have something to say about that. And I meant come see me sometime when you don't need something from me." She paused and quirked her head in question at him. "Next time, you might try bribing me the way you do Ernie. Who's to say I wouldn't enjoy a Quidditch match, or a day at the spa?"
Merlin. He'd have to whack Macmillan about the head for blabbing about the Puddlemere match tickets to Hannah. "Next time, a deluxe pedicure is all yours," he promised.
"I'll believe that when I see it." With a wave, Hannah slipped back into the pub. Zach's fingers closed around the vial. Something so small, but so important to seeing this job through to the end.
*~*~*~*~*
For a brotherhood of evil miscreants, hellbent on doing a bit of ethnic cleansing, the Brothers of Cassieopeia had alarmingly lax security. Not a single member had questioned him when he'd walked in, Gallowglass's black mask and robes over his Muggle street clothes. Of course, he was also wearing Gallowglass's face, so that might have had something to do with it.
As for the real Gallowglass, he was safely knocked out and tucked away in a side alley courtesy of Hulk and Mountain, two of The Shady Lady's finest doormen. They'd assured Zach -- after gold had changed hands, of course -- that Gallowglass would remain in such a state until Zach returned his robes and mask and had safely disappeared. There was something of a code amongst those who made their living in Knockturn Alley.
They might stab each other in the back, but most of them would at least give you a bit of advance warning.
As he stayed close to the back of the gathering, giving discreet nods to those who greeted him first, he took note of the other men. There were twelve of them, and at least two looked to be gangly teenagers -- faces smooth behind the half-masks that covered their upper faces. One of them was Scorpius Malfoy. The other, from what Zach had learned from watching the little ponce, was Sebastian Montague. A rising seventh year just like the Malfoy boy. His mother was one of Astoria's closest confidantes.
That wasn't his problem, though. Not until another mother paid him an exorbitant amount of gold and made it his problem. Until that time, he didn't give a damn what the Montague kid did.
The clock chimed nine p.m., and a hush fell over the room.
Under the cover of a Disillusionment Charm, Zach had observed the rituals of the Brothers. He took his place -- well, Gallowglass's place -- between two other masked and robed men. Fortunately, he'd noted the man's position within the group was more advisory, and so there was little he would be expected to say during the course of the evening.
"We gather together tonight, Brothers of Cassiopeia, as a community of like-minded men. The changes the past twenty years have wrought are not pleasing to our eye, and so it is our purpose, our ideal, to bring about a new order. An order where those with the purest of blood, the noblest of lineages, take their rightful place at the pinnacle of society. Our cause is noble, our brotherhood ancient --"
Zach closed his eyes to keep from rolling them in disgust. Ancient brotherhood, my arse. He hadn't been the most studious pupil in Hogwarts history, but even he knew that five years hardly qualified as 'ancient.'
"And together we will rid the world of foul filth and those who are not worthy to practice magic."
Amen, he thought sarcastically. At least they weren't holding hands. That was taking things a bit too far, in his less than humble opinion.
As far as meetings went, Zach had suffered through Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that had lasted longer and were more lively. What, exactly, this brotherhood did or was planning to do, they never said. The entire two hours was spent waxing poetic over what You Know Who had done right, and what the Brothers felt should be handled differently. Every forty-five minutes or so, he'd take a sip from his flask and choke a bit more Polyjuice Potion down his throat. Disgusting, vile shite -- but necessary if he didn't wish to be discovered.
Or, more likely, killed and tossed in the Thames.
So he nodded in agreement, shook his head once (which garnered a rush of hushed whispers, and the man who'd spoken hurriedly retracted his idea), and once even hummed to express strong feelings of concurrence. (What he was agreeing to, exactly, he wasn't sure. He'd tuned out the speakers with skills he'd honed as a first year under Professor Binns).
When the clock struck eleven, the ringleader -- Ignatius Mulciber, a distant cousin of the Mulcibers who'd served He Who Must Not Be Named -- looked directly at Zach. "Have you any closing remarks for our brothers, Brother Gallowglass?"
This was it. His entire cockamamie scheme boiled down to this moment. He schooled his expression, deepened the timbre of his voice, and replied, "Ere we depart, I wish to speak with Novitiate Malfoy." He paused a beat, then added ominously, "alone."
Mulciber nodded. "But of course. Novitiate Malfoy, Mr. Borgin will show you and Brother Gallowglass --"
"I know the way," Zach interrupted gruffly.
Scorpius Malfoy, for his part, was white as a sheet -- well, at least the lower half of his face was paler than usual. He could only assume the hidden half was a matching shade of white. He nodded subserviently and fell into place behind Zach as the pair of men left the disbanding brothers and entered Borgin's personal office.
Acting the part of a headmaster, perhaps, or a boardroom executive, Zach settled into Borgin's chair. "Novitiate Malfoy," he began in his best imitation of Gallowglass's voice, "are you devoted to our Brotherhood? To our cause?"
"Of course, Brother Gallowglass." He could hear the tremor in young master Malfoy's voice. "I'm ready and willing to prove my devotion to our brothers."
Zach's lips curled in a satisfied, slightly mocking smile. "So eager to please. So loyal. You are just like your father."
Scorpius's gaze shot up, and his lip snarled distastefully. "I am nothing like my father."
He'd hit a sore spot. Now it was time to open that spot up and drive a Quaffle through it. "Of course you are," he said condescendingly, "and your grandfather. So loyal to our late Lord, they were, but neither were the most exemplary of servants." He rose and slowly crossed around the desk to stand in front of Scorpius. "Do you wish to distinguish yourself from them? Rid the Malfoy name of its stain?"
The teenager nodded frantically. "Yes, Brother Gallowglass, of course. I'll do anything you want."
Perfect. "There is a young girl I seek for our brothers. A witch by the name of Thea Llewellyn, one of your classmates."
He could see Scorpius's eyes widen behind his mask, but the younger man shook his head. "I don't know any girls named Thea."
"Do not lie to me." He put a touch of menace into his voice, the words rolling from his lips in an almost purr-like sound. "I know you fancy her your little girlfriend." For good measure, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the photo he'd snapped of the two of them at the Brighton pier. Two teenagers, smiling and holding hands, occasionally pausing for a kiss.
"You had me followed?" Malfoy retorted, simultaneously sounding frightened and angry. "Why would you --"
Zach held up his hand, and Scorpius quietened. "I will do anything to ensure the security of our brotherhood," he said sternly, "including following young novitiates who think with their cocks."
"What do you want with her?"
"Why do you care?" he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "She is a Mudblood. She is unworthy of your lineage. She is unworthy to practice magic. She is no witch. He could see each barb hit home. Scorpius was visibly flinching by the time he finished. The young man was trembling, but silent, and so Zach continued, "Unless, of course, you are not committed to ridding the world of her kind..."
"Anything else," he whispered, shaking his head, "anything but Thea. She is innocent."
"You have a choice, Novitiate Malfoy." Here was the game-winning shot. Zach lined up on target and released the Quaffle. "You have not yet reached your majority and taken your vows. If you are unwilling to give up this Mudblood, you are unworthy to wear your mask and call yourself a Brother." He held his hand out. "The choice is yours."
The air between the two men was tense as Scorpius stared at Zach. He would see the struggle as Malfoy debated what to do. Give up his future as a minion of evil, or deliver his girlfriend to the Brothers? While Zach was not certain they would kill young Thea, he knew they would not be kind in their treatment of her. Every second that passed, Zach's bluff grew more and more thin. He felt a small knot of anxiety form in his belly. Fuck, kid c'mon...
Finally, Scorpius reached up and jerked the mask from his face. A lock of blonde hair fell over his forehead, and he thrust the mask into Zach's outstretched hand. "I'm not a murderer," he said quietly. "Leave Thea alone."
Zach nodded slowly and pocketed the mask. "You are not worthy to call yourself a brother," he said slowly. "Show yourself out, and do not darken these doors again."
Scorpius all but ran out the door, nearly bowling out two of the men still loitering in the shop. He slowly followed, and when they looked to him in question, he held up the surrendered mask. "Scorpius Malfoy is no longer welcome in the Brotherhood of Cassiopeia."
The two men didn't even argue. They nodded at him in deference, then went back to their conversation.
As he past them, Zach murmured his farewells -- and it wasn't a moment too soon, as he felt his ears start to shrink and reform themselves back to his own body. As soon as the door shut behind him, he picked up speed and started for The Shady Lady.
He had clothes to return and a false memory charm to perform.
*~*~*~*~*
He wasn't sure why he'd gone to Astoria Greengrass's home instead of his own. It was half past midnight. His business with Ms. Greengrass could certainly wait until morning. Yet, when he'd finished up the particularly difficult false memory charm on Gallowglass, he hadn't felt like going home at all. He felt invincible; drugged, almost. Like he was king of the fucking world, and no one could stop him.
It was an adrenaline high, he knew from experience. The rush from successfully finishing another job. Eventually, he'd come crashing down and remember he'd just done his fucking job. But right now, the world was his oyster -- and he wanted to share his news with one Astoria Persephone Greengrass.
There was one teeny tiny flaw in his plan: she wasn't home.
Her disapproving house elf had let him wait in the foyer, though the creature hadn't been able to say when his mistress would return. Only that she was "out" and would likely be very late, and was he not certain he wouldn't rather come back at a proper time? After sending a proper owl and requesting an audience?
Fuck that. He'd sat down in a chair that looked too poncy to hold his weight, but he couldn't sit still. His leg was jittery. He couldn't stop shifting his weight around. Every chime from the ornate clock on the wall was like a gong rather than the tinkling chime it was intended to be. One o'clock in the morning, and no sign of the lady of the house.
Or her son. Merlin, he really hadn't thought this through.
The cynic in him was sure that if Scorpius Malfoy came home to a strange man in his mother's foyer, he wouldn't be that surprised. Zach rebelled against that idea, though. If the little snot was coming home, he'd have been home by now. He wasn't legally of age yet. There was only so much trouble an underage wizard could get into after midnight.
The sudden 'crack!' of Apparition made him jump in his seat.
"Mr. Smith? What on earth are you doing here?"
He stood and smirked at her. "Letting you know you hired a fucking genius, in case you weren't aware already."
Astoria raised a brow at him and set her sparkly clutch down on the side table. "I was not aware. I would hardly call dropping by -- unannounced, I might add -- in the middle of the night wasn't your smartest idea in the world."
Zach opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, his brain registered just what sort of sight was in front of him. Wherever Astoria Greengrass had spent her evening had been a formal affair. Her sapphire blue evening gown clung to her slight curves, and she was sporting a most daring slit that ended at the very top of her thigh. The neckline was plunging, giving him a better glimpse at the cleavage he'd only seen hints of before.
There was a slight sheen to her dark eyes. Whatever party she'd been at, she'd been drinking -- not enough that she was drunk, but enough to bring a pretty pink flush to her cheeks. Her eyes were bright with it.
Blood rushed to his groin. Fuck.
"The --" he cleared his throat and shook his head. "The job's done."
She blinked at him, pink lips parted slightly in surprise. "I beg your pardon? What do you mean, 'done?'"
He took a step closer, lips curling upward in satisfaction. "Just what it sounds like. Our contract is fulfilled to all terms." His voice softened. "You don't have to worry about your son anymore, Ms. Greengrass." At least not where the Brothers of Cassiopeia were concerned, she didn't.
Astoria's jaw dropped. Zach could see the emotion in her eyes, the way her chest rose and fell with each emotional breath. "Truly?" she whispered, a slight sheen in her eyes.
Zach nodded. "I swear it." With the thought that his word might not be good enough for her, he added, "Give him a week or so. Scorpius'll do something. You'll know for certain."
She was still for a moment, staring at him as if she were unsure of what he'd just said. Then she took a step toward him, then another, and suddenly she was throwing her arms around him and surging up to press her lips against him in a heated kiss.
It was instinct for his arms to wrap around her slim waist, holding her tight against him. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, dipping inside to taste her when her lips parted beneath his. He ran one hand to the small of her back and traced over the curve of that delicious arse he'd admired many times over the course of the summer. Astoria was warm and pliant in his arms. His body reacted to hers, and Zach felt the thrill of want running through him as he maneuvered her to press her against the nearest wall.
Astoria gasped and mewled beneath his caress. Her petite breasts pressed against his chest, and she hummed in pleasure when his lips broke from hers to trail nibbling kisses down her neck. "Oh."
He pulled his lips from hers and looked her in her eyes. Both their gazes were hazy; hers with a combination of drink and desire, his with the want that had been boiling beneath the surface since she'd walked into his office on that June morning. Zach's hands were not gentle as his fingertips dug into her hips.
"Tell me no right now," he rasped, chest heaving as he looked down at her. He slid one hand up to cup her breast, palming it through the thin silk that separated her skin from his. Her nipple hardened under his touch, and he groaned. "I'm not a good man, Astoria. Tell me to stop, or I swear, I'm not stopping until you've screamed my name."
Her pupils widened, eyes darkening. Astoria's lips curled in a coy, inviting smile. She ran one hand up the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. Her movements pulled a shudder from him when her nails drug over his sensitive scalp.
"Good men are so boring," she murmured. Her hips canted against his, and she leaned in to press her lips to her pulse point.
Since you asked for it... Hauling her up against him, Zach swept her into his arms. He couldn't ask for a better ending to the evening -- a completed job, and Astoria Greengrass soon to be naked beneath him.
There were some perks to his job.
*~*~*~*~*
One week later
It was a complete surprise to Zach when Astoria Greengrass walked into his office. Since passing the evening in her company after he'd successfully completed the job, he hadn't expected to see her again. The remaining balance of his fee had been transferred into his vault. For all intents and purposes, he was finished with Astoria Greengrass and Scorpius Malfoy.
His mind flickered back to that night, memories of pale skin and wanting kisses in the dark running free. With a shake of his head, he gave her a nod. "Ms. Greengrass, this is a surprise." Politely speaking, what are you doing here?
She hummed in agreement and settled into the seat across his desk without invitation. Zach caught a flash of pale skin when she crossed her legs at the knee, and his gaze was drawn to a shapely calf. "I would imagine so," she replied, amusement in her tone as he slowly looked up to meet her dark brown eyes. "But I believe I've figured you out, Mr. Smith."
Zach blinked slowly. "I'm not entirely sure what you're on about..."
Astoria's lips curled, one corner lifting up in a smirk. "A Muggleborn girlfriend. My son's weakness. Would that be your secret weapon?"
Ah. Leaning back in his chair, Zach shrugged and laced his fingers together behind his hair. "Maybe. Maybe not. I told you, I promised results, not step-by-step directions."
"Of course." She fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you not tell me about her?"
"It wasn't my place." Rolling his shoulders, Zach sighed when he felt the bones pop in and out of place, alleviating a bit of stress between his shoulder blades. "Since you're here, I'm assuming he told you about her, anyway."
"Mmmm. Yes, Scorpius approached me two nights ago about a young friend of his from Wales. Thea, I believe. She and her Muggle parents will be coming in to London next week to catch the train to school, and he hoped they might stay with us instead of at a hotel." Her smile took on an impish touch, and in that moment, Zach could see her how she might have looked twenty years ago; a fresh faced girl straight from school, with the world at her feet. "I am so looking forward to Draco's expression when they're introduced. It'll be something to cherish in my Pensieve."
Zach couldn't help but smile a bit at her amusement. "And you don't care he's dating a Muggleborn?" The Greengrass family had never been as actively outspoken as other purebloods, but there were apples on every old family tree.
Astoria shrugged. "If she makes my son happy, then I don't give a damn about her blood status. Besides, they're sixteen. How many childhood couples make it after school?"
"I guess if I had a kid, that's sort of what I'd think, too." The lie was heavy on Zach's tongue. The years of knowing about Felicity weighed on him. Holding that secret in was tiring. Before his mind could stop his mouth, he added, "Remember when we first met? When you asked if I was a father?"
"Mhmm." She raised an elegant brow at him. "I do. You said you were not."
He shifted in his chair. "That was a lie. Sort of." Once the dam had been opened, the words came out easily. "When I was twenty, I got my girlfriend pregnant. Didn't know about it at the time. She broke up with me, I guess after she found out. Moved to America, and I didn't think anything about her. We'd been having problems for a while -- I wasn't the most faithful bloke she could have found."
When Astoria didn't say anything, he continued, "Anyway. She came back a little over ten years ago with a little girl. I ran into them in Diagon, and I just knew." He'd known from the first moment he'd laid eyes on the little pig tailed blonde that she was his daughter. Coupled with the look of abject horror on Morag's face, it was all the confirmation he'd needed. "Morag had married some Muggle businessman from Shanghai. Convinced him to move to London so her daughter could go to Hogwarts."
"Zach." The tender infliction she put into his name stopped his story. Zach slumped in his chair. He didn't necessarily feel good about spilling his secret to a one-night stand -- admittedly, a very beautiful one-night stand who had plenty of secrets of her own -- but he did feel a bit lighter. Astoria's voice was soft, and she added, "Does she know?"
He shook his head. "I talked to Morag a few weeks later, agreed not to say anything. Her name's Felicity, after Morag's mum. Works in the Department of Magical Education now."
"Why did you agree not to say anything? She's your child, you have a right to be her father."
"Nah. I'm not a father. Fathers are those men who teach a kid to walk, to ride a broomstick. Who's there when you lose your first tooth, when you head off to school. I'm a functioning alcoholic who can barely make ends meet. She's got a good life and family." He shook his head. "I'm not messing that up for her."
Astoria lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. "Perhaps." He watched as she rose from her seat and crossed around his desk. Leaning against the wooden surface, she reached out and cupped his face with her soft hands. "You're not a bad person, Zacharias Smith," she said softly. "You might not be a good man, but you're not a bad one, either."
"I'm recording this conversation for posterity," he joked weakly.
Her lips twitched. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his in a slow, soft kiss. Zach's lips parted beneath hers, deepening the embrace until they both broke apart.
Astoria's smile was wistful. "Given time, I could have loved a man like you." Her gaze flickered to his lips, then back up, and her smile turned wry. "But I've always had terrible taste in men."
He reached up and pulled her hands away from his face, bringing them to his lips for a soft kiss. He'd never expected to actually like Astoria Greengrass. She was far from being mother of the year, and she was still rich, spoiled, and vain. But there was a warm heart beneath her exterior, and the memory of her body beneath his was one he would not soon forget.
"Well," he murmured, "it's a pity neither of us is the marrying type, love."