Chapter Trigger Warnings:

Chapter 114:

Borrowed Bartering

Greyback snarled. The little bitch was slippery. And it wasn't as if Malfoy was all that willing to share his things. As if Lucius Malfoy was any better than him, fortune aside; never mind his brat. He was doing far more than any Malfoy for the Dark Lord, and yet, he ranked beneath the "esteemed" family.

The fireplace started and he watched as Gyles Avery came through, followed by a familiar stumbling witch. So…Malfoy was lending her out after all. This changed things…

Draco exited Transfiguration. What even was the point anymore of going to classes? Even with professors like McGonagall, knowledgeable and powerful in their own right, it didn't seem like going to classes was accomplishing anything.

"Malfoy."

"Shove off, Avery." He walked quicker.

"Malfoy, wait just a moment."

Draco turned sharply, causing his roommate to almost crash into him. "I said, shove off," he sneered, using the slight height difference to his advantage, before once again turning sharply on his heel and walking even faster.

"It's about your servant." Avery called out, watching with some satisfaction as Malfoy stopped short, even if he didn't turn around. Other students grumbled around them.

"She's safe."

"What would you know?"

"I saw her."

"You what?" he turned around.

"I saw her. Do you want to know or not?"

An alarm sounded, reminding them to clear the halls.

He jerked his head towards the adjacent hallway, towards where a storage closet was cracked open. All they had was History of Magic next. No one would notice; certainly not a old, absent–minded ghost.

Roughly, Draco shoved Avery into the closet, shutting and warding the door.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"My father. He…borrowed her. I – "

" – I wonder where you learned it then. How sick can you and he be?"

" – we aren't. We didn't do anything, Malfoy. Would you – "

The lock tried to turn, the door creaking with the effort. Both boys quieted.

"Malfoy, I saw you enter. Let me in, for Merlin's sake. Preferably before I'm caught."

Draco did as requested, opening the door just enough to allow Nott to slip in, unsurprised to find his friend's wand at the ready. He didn't care if Nott heard this; whatever Avery had to say, it couldn't be that secretive.

"You were saying, Avery?"

"My father borrowed her to help her. He doesn't like how your father treats her."

"So he borrowed her?"

"She's fine, Malfoy. No worse for wear than she usually seems to be."

"How would you know? For that matter, how would your father know how she's treated."

"Malfoy, you aren't that idiotic; we've all seen her a mess in the common room, let alone in classes this year. And since it's your house used as a base, of course my father is going to notice her; see her serving and your father's attitude towards her and the rest of his…staff."

Draco regarded his classmate carefully. "Why?"

"I've told him about her."

He snorted. "So I've gathered. Why bother for either of you to help her?"

"We need to protect our own, yeah?"

"Except she isn't. Certainly not to you. So why bother for either of you to help her?"

Avery rolled his eyes and went to leave, only to be blocked by Malfoy's arm. "Too much of a coward to admit the truth?"

"Last I looked, you have nothing but cowardness to you."

Disgusted, Malfoy took a step forward, crowding his rival against the wall, the shadows forming around him, wand tip resting against Avery's chest. Theodore stood next to the door, wand also raised. "Last chance. Why would an Avery, let alone two, bother to help my servant?"

"She's family."

Draco glanced back at Theo. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? She doesn't have any family. Not alive, at least."

"Wrong. My father was rather close to his cousin, Rebecca; until the first Wizarding War broke out. She had married half–blood who turned sides and fought for the Order of the Phoenix. His name was David Lyons."

"So you hit on your own cousin?" Nott questioned, disgust clear in his voice.

"I didn't know who she was at the time. Rebecca had married in secret. She had written my father about the marriage, but not his name. She didn't want to risk their safety."

"What changed?"

"Don't know the full story. My father wouldn't tell me. I believe he started putting the final pieces together once I – er – told him about Ariella, and even more so once he saw her a few times 'round your place. Finally told me who she was over the winter holidays."

"Why come forward?"

"Family matters. Especially now. Even you should be able to understand that."

Draco pressed his wand into Avery's chest; Theo put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't."

Draco swallowed hard, staying silent for a moment; grateful for the dim light. "Does she know?"

"I doubt my father told her yet. Dunno why."

Draco had his suspicions, but would wait until Avery was gone to voice them.

"You don't get to tell her. It's not your place. Stay away from her."

"You can't order me around, Malfoy."

"Perhaps not; but I can order your so–called family to stay away from you; never to speak to you. And I can have you arrested, even now, for trying to talk with her if I haven't given permission."

"Like you really care about her that much."

Draco crowded him in even closer. "You don't know me, Avery. Try me. You don't want to find out how much…cowardness I actually have. Unlike you, I know how to follow through."

Avery snorted. "Sure you do," he muttered.

"Get out."

"I'll wait, thanks."

"Lucky for us, we aren't giving you an option. Out you go," Nott said, shoving his roommate through the door and quickly shutting it again. He then lit his wand and put it aside, turning to face his friend.

"Think he was telling the truth?"

"Don't know. It is an odd time for Avery to come forward. Either of them. Something isn't lining up about the story he told."

"It is somewhat plausible, though. I mean, I'm close with my own cousin, Kira; I've mentioned her a few times to both you and Ariella, especially with the war. I can't see us not being there for each other or our eventual kids. So that part does hold up; mostly."

"Something isn't holding up about it, though. It's why I'm not going to tell her; not until I can find out the truth, and maybe not even then."

"If it is true, why would Avery wait?"

"Mr. Avery probably knows my father won't give her up easily; perhaps he's biding his time until he can…buy her from my family. Transfer the bond to himself. To keep her at least within the family. Would make sense not to tell my father then; no way he allows her to go with Mr. Avery if they really are family. It would also explain why it would explain why he doesn't agree with his treatment of her; it would explain why he borrowed her for an evening, to give her a brief respite."

"Someone can do that?" Disbelief was clear in Nott's voice.

"Do what?"

"Buy her."

Slowly, Draco nodded. "Yes. The bond can be transferred. I don't know how it works, but for a life–bound servant, it has to be a complicated process, probably painful for the servant during transfer. I'd also hazard a guess there's a waiting period, so that someone can't buy them just to turn around and free them the next day."

"I hadn't realized that was even a possibility. Don't know why I didn't think about it, but – "

" – don't, Nott. There's likely at least two types of life–bonds; one as a servant in general, and one to one family in particular. Obviously, she has the second and so it would be a rare occurrence. Even more so than having a bound servant these days. After all the effort my father put into…securing her in this way, he won't give her up easily."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or scared by that."

The alarm rang, signalling change of single period classes.

"Better go. We might have been able to skip History of Magic, but we certainly can't skip "Muggle Studies" or whatever nonsense that class is."

Carefully, they filtered into the hallway, making sure to blend in best they could and simply head towards next class.

"Greyback, what do you want now?"

"Your servant."

"I know you're low; need you sink lower?"

"I want your servant. You let Avery borrow her, why not me?"

"He's a respectable pureblood man. And you? Well, I hardly need to spell it out."

"You may think you're better than me, Malfoy, but she certainly isn't."

He leaned back in his seat. "True though that may be, that doesn't mean I want your filth all over her."

"You owe me, Malfoy."

"I owe you, nothing."

Greyback laughed harshly. "One night. All I'm asking."

"What's in it for me?"

"What, don't you like to see your little servant squirm?"

"How much?"

"Trust me, Malfoy; she'll be begging you to take her back under your…instruction."