Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Arriving in Knockturn Alley, Draco sought out a pub, hoping he might hear some gossip that would give him a clue as to who might be desperate to find a partner or perhaps a buyout altogether. This was an enormous gamble. If he could not find a business, and one that he could succeed at, they would be forced to start in another country with nothing.

Jingling the meager amount of Sickles and Knuts in his pocket, he was glad that Knockturn Alley was cheaper than the better establishments of Diagon Alley. Rather than sitting at a table or booth, he chose to sit at the bar of the Green Dragon. He hoped it would afford him a better opportunity to overhear what others were talking about.

He doubted this evening would turn up any real leads, but he knew that if he spent the next several nights here, he was sure to learn something of value. Hopefully with some research during the day, he would find a suitable enterprise. Now he would just have to recall the lessons that his father had tried to instill in him. He should have paid better attention, but it had not seemed important at the time.

After an hour, he had nursed two drinks, but still had not heard anything of any use. At least here no one was staring at him or whispering behind his back about how he was the disgraced Malfoy heir. The rest of the night progressed much the same. The only ones who approached him were the prostitutes, but he knew better than to sample their wares.

The next two nights were spent much the same way. Phaedra complained each night at how she was being abandoned, but he felt very little sympathy toward her after she had hidden all her money from him. During the day, he slinked through the alley, trying to determine which businesses might be best suited for him. The idea of actually working in Knockturn Alley disgusted him, but he knew there was no longer a choice. Nothing in Diagon Alley would pay enough for him to support his family and it would cost far too much to open a business there. Not to mention the fact it was unlikely he would generate enough traffic to make the business profitable. Of course, there was no guarantee any partnership he entered into here would provide that kind of support either. He hated not being in control. He had been raised as a Malfoy after all. He had been raised a son of privilege and had thrown it all away.

As he sat at a table in the pub, he pondered his fate. He already knew that he wanted nothing to do with one of the drinking or eating establishments. Too much overhead. Besides, every night he had been here, at least three fights had broken out, causing damage or loss of stock. Yes, most of the damage could be magically repaired, but he had no desire to waste his time cleaning up after others.

He had momentarily thought about buying a stake in Borgin & Burkes, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be that involved in their type of merchandise. There was too much opportunity to run afoul of the Ministry, especially with his father against him. Damn that bastard for figuring out a way get back into the Ministry's good graces. Once again he realized he was wallowing in self-pity and that had accomplished nothing over the last year.

Returning his thoughts to his future, he made another mental list of his limited options. There was one small vacant shop, but he had no idea what he would do with it. He needed something that didn't have too high an overhead, which is why he would have preferred either buying into a business or taking one over outright.

Staring into his nearly empty glass, he saw a bug crawling across the bar. He was about to slam his glass down on it when he noticed it was a Billywig, definitely not native to this area, but very valuable in potions making. He threw down the rest of his whisky and trapped the Billywig under his glass. The creature might turn out to be very valuable.

Potions. It suddenly occurred to him that there was no apothecary shop in Knockturn Alley.

Of course, an apothecary shop would require a higher overhead than he had hoped he would need, especially for some of the more rare – and illegal – ingredients, but it was something that suited him. After all, he had excelled in Potions. The only thing that had prevented him from working in that same field in Diagon Alley had been his lack of a NEWT.

He knew that he would not be able to fully stock his store at first, but perhaps he could make enough brewing some of the more common potions that he would be able to expand his inventory as time went on. After all, the denizens of Knockturn Alley were not known for their intelligence, and the sort of potions they would likely be interested in were the sort the Slytherins had brewed in the common room in their spare time.

Of course, he would need a supplier for some of the more exotic ingredients. Carefully looking around the room, he tried to determine who might have brought the Billywig into the pub. Seated at a booth in the corner, he saw a witch who seemed quite travel-worn, her dress not quite British fashion, not that most of the patrons could be said to be fashionable. She seemed to be the best candidate.

With a quick flick of his wand, he sealed the Billywig in the glass and tucked it into his pocket. After placing an order for a couple of drinks, he made his way over to her table.

"Mind if I join you?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "I prefer to drink alone."

He set the two drinks on the table and slid into the booth across from her. Reaching into his pocket, he placed the Billywig's glass on the table. "I have a business proposition for you."

Looking at the glass, a brief flash of surprise crossed her face. "What sort of business?"

"I plan to open an apothecary. While some ingredients are easy to come by, others are of course likely to prove more difficult. I think you just may be the sort of person who might be able to help me... procure some of those ingredients."

"And if I can?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I'd be willing to compensate you quite handsomely."

She arched an eyebrow. "Really? You don't look like it. My services don't come cheap."

"Trust me. You would be well paid."

"Why don't you start by telling me who you are?"

She did not seem at all impressed to learn who he was. They spent the next hour discussing details of a business arrangement. He tried to make it as favorable as possible, but he knew that his options were limited and that she had the upper hand in the negotiations.

In the end, he felt that he had a reasonable deal. It was possible that he could eventually work out something more beneficial to him with someone else, but right now time was of the essence. "I'll draw up some paperwork and we'll finalize this tomorrow."

"Sounds good." She said before downing the rest of her drink and rising to her feet. "Same time tomorrow."

As he watched her leave, his pulse was racing. He had to make this work – and quickly. With her fees and the inventory he would need to purchase, he would be left with precious little once the lease for the first few months was paid. Phaedra wouldn't be happy, but he was sure there would be demand for his potions and that he could bring in some money for them to live off of.

He noticed his hand was shaking as he raised his drink to his mouth. This was it. He was committed now. If he failed, they would have nothing, not even enough to move and start in a new country. And he was sure that Lucius would show him no pity.

*********

By the time he returned home, it was incredibly late. Even as late as it was, Phaedra was waiting up for him, a disapproving scowl on her face. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Working," he answered tersely, not in the mood to get into an argument.

She took one whiff of him and scolded, "You've been drinking. Is that your plan? Throw our last remaining Galleons into booze?"

"Let it go, Phaedra. I'm not in the mood to get into it right now." What he really wanted was to get to sleep and hope the pounding headache he could feel developing would be gone by morning. But the longer she pestered him, the less likely that would happen. And tomorrow would be a busy day. He had to arrange a lease – which he didn't expect to be too difficult since most building owners in Knockturn Alley weren't too particular – and get a contract drawn up. Once all the paperwork was finalized, he would feel somewhat better, but it was still an enormous risk to start a business from scratch, especially one where he was dealing in controlled substances. He would have to be careful that the Ministry did not discover that aspect of his business. After all, he had no intention of getting the permits, mostly because without being a licensed Potions master he was not eligible to deal with controlled substances.

"Draco, I will not be ignored. I demand to know what you have been doing."

"Making business arrangements, okay? I've contracted with a supplier, and I'll be looking into a lease tomorrow." And he would have to look into finding someone to supply him with the more common supplies.

"So what sort of business have you invested my money in?"

It wasn't worth arguing her that the money was as much his as it was hers; it would only prolong the discussion. "An apothecary."

"An apothecary? Are you insane? There are already two in Diagon Alley, and you would never get approval from the Ministry..."

He cut her off. "It's in Knockturn Alley, okay? I know what I'm doing. It's the best chance we have since you don't want to leave the country."

"Knockturn Alley?" She was outraged. "You can't sink any lower than that."

"No, you can't," he snapped. "But it's all we have left to us. The Black name is worthless, less than worthless. I have asked everyone I know, but no one is willing to give me a job. It seems that none of them want to risk Lucius' wrath. I can't even get Snape, who vowed to my mother to protect me, to help. This is it. Our last chance. I told you that before. Now, I'm going to bed since I have a lot to do tomorrow and it's already late." Ignoring her protests, he headed up to bed and locked the door. He didn't want to deal with her tonight. Hopefully in the morning she would realize this was the best they were going to be able to do.

Draco Malfoy was reduced from privileged son and heir to one of the greatest fortunes in the wizarding world to proprietor of a dubious shop in Knockturn Alley. It was a very humbling experience.