In the Harry Potter Without Harry Potter

Chapter 377: The Price

There was no doubt that the two men who entered were definitely Malfoy father and son.

They had obscured their faces, but at this time of day, there couldn't have been anyone else at the Hog's Head Inn with such a combination.

Once the two men entered, they quickly found an empty table and sat down, Jon didn't approach them first, but instead locked eyes with Aberforth who was walking towards the father and son with a tray.

"Can I get you anything?"

Aberforth's manner wasn't exactly great, it could even be called bad by the standards of the service staff, but this wasn't some personal target against the Malfoy father and son, but it was the way he had always served since he had opened the establishment, and it wasn't the quality of service that was supposed to attract customers to a place like the Hog's Head Inn.

"A whiskey."

The taller man spoke up.

His voice was gruff and one could tell it was obviously altered by using a potion.

Aberforth glanced at the black-robed man who was a little shorter in stature.

"What about this one?"

"Just one drink, he doesn't drink."

"All right, as you wish."

Jon didn't waste any time and got up and went to the Malfoy father and son and sat down opposite them as Aberforth went to get the alcohol for them.

He could distinctly feel the shorter, black-robed man's body tremble slightly after he sat down, and subconsciously shrink towards the other man's position beside him.

Jon raised an eyebrow that was hidden under his hood and spoke.

"Got an appointment?"

He didn't mask his voice, so anyone who spoke to him and knew him well could easily tell who he is.

Lucius looked at Jon and then slightly pulled back the black robe that covered his face to reveal the face that is well-known in the British magical community.

The spot they had chosen was in the far corner of the Inn, the ceiling was dimly lit, the greasy stains around them seemed to absorb the light, and with both Jon and Malfoy dressed in black, no one would even notice them unless they stopped right next to them.

Apart from Jon's table, there were only two drunkards who had been drinking since noon and were bragging to each other about their travels to dangerous places in the middle of the inn.

"You came alone?"

Even if he couldn't see Lucius' face, Jon could imagine from the tone of his voice that he must have been frowning when he asked the question.

Aberforth brought the whisky Lucius had asked for at this time, and he put the goat-smelling mug down heavily on the table as if to express his displeasure at having three people at the table and only ordering one drink.

It was clear that Lucius was only trying to satisfy the owner of the establishment, and had no intention whatsoever of letting any part of his body touch the mug.

Only after Aberforth had left to go back behind the bar and continue polishing the endless glasses did Jon speak up casually to answer Lucius' question.

"Who else would you like me to bring? Tom Riddle?"

At the name, Draco was visibly startled, and his body couldn't help but shake even more violently, Lucius was clearly acting much more composed, except for the fact that his tone could be audibly much grimmer than before it had been.

"This joke isn't funny."

Jon laughed and said nothing more, Draco's reaction had been enough to let him know what he wanted to know.

"Well, let's talk about something funny then. As a hardcore follower of that great gentleman, the head of the Auror office, the noble pureblood wizard, Mr Lucius Malfoy, what do you want from a wanted criminal like me in private?"

Lucius ignored Jon's quip, he had been prepared for Jon's attitude before he arrived, this sort of thing would have been a case for whoever took the initiative to be on the weaker side.

"Do you have the power to make decisions regarding some matters?"

"That would require you, Mr Malfoy, to start by saying exactly what those things are." Jon shrugged, "You know I'm just a normal student."

There was silence in the air for a few seconds, it was clear that Jon's bullshit was not believable to anyone and in the end, Lucius didn't choose to beat around the bush like a regular profit negotiation, instead, he got right to the point.

"I'd like to make a deal with you, Mr Green, with you alone. A deal that has nothing to do with the sides or positions between us, a pure and simple deal." Lucius took a deep breath, "I want you to keep my son alive for the next two tasks."

Draco bowed his head as he glanced aside, of course, he ought to have felt humiliated, similarly a champion in the Triwizard Tournament, the other three were able to shine for their school, and he was the only one who still needed his father to beg his rival to keep him alive.

Jon was not surprised by this request from Lucius, it was just as he and Dumbledore had guessed earlier in the Headmaster's office, the odds were that such a meeting with Lucius would be about his son is high.

"Why do you need my help to ensure that? We are enemies, Mr Malfoy, and isn't Emil Lestrange also very capable? Why don't you ask him to protect your precious son?"

"You know why I didn't ask his help, everyone has seen what he did in the first task." Lucius' voice revealed a rare honesty, "I stated that it was not about camps or positions, your character was more worthy of my trust."

It was a ridiculous statement he made, that his enemies were to be trusted more than his own people, but again, it was true.

They could do nothing more about that, Voldemort had literally gathered a bunch of human scum under his command.

"So, what are the conditions?" Jon asked the question that interested him most, "You can't ask someone to do a job with empty hands, can you?"

Lucius looked at Jon calmly as he lifted his head and the two men locked eyes.

"I know about that ring."

Jon subconsciously froze, but he soon reacted, his original careless expression disappearing instantly in favour of an unreadable gaze.

"Adrian Fawkes, traveller, adventurer, archaeologist, master alchemist, master of charms, he travelled the world but left little fame behind till his death. But I know that ring you're wearing, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Fawkes once at a party, and he was wearing the exact same ring you wore when you entered the Forbidden Forest that day."

"So?"

Jon narrowed his eyes.

Knowing that the ring existed didn't mean he knew exactly what it entailed, and he was curious to know just how much Lucius knew.

----

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