Heeding

A HariPo drabble

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. This pairing is a Mew and Mor's Weird Pairing, which you may find in the M&MWP forum (see my profile for details). Check out and join the forum FUN! Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

"I thought you were a lover

Now I see a hunter's eye"

—Clazziquai, "Snatcher"

Tracey Davis fought the shiver that ran up her spine. She felt like…like…

Prey, her conscience told her.

She had known what taking over Borgin and Burkes would mean. There was only one kind of clientele such a store brought with it. And it would be the only clientele Tracey would ever see as long as she owned the store.

She just hadn't expected Lucius Malfoy to walk through her door so soon.

He'd been surprised, she was sure, when he found her behind the counter and not his former, wizard compatriot. But Lucius was talented at hiding his emotions. He didn't let on what he really thought of her the first time he walked in and discovered she'd become the proprietor.

The first time, he'd strutted in, spotted her, milled about for a little while, and then left without a word. Only days later did he return and approach her.

"Where is Borgin?" Lucius asked.

"He retired," Tracey responded. "He's…" She licked her lips, finding the right words. "He's in good hands."

Lucius studied her for a moment. "You are…"

"Tracey Davis," she answered. She turned behind the counter, hoping that not facing his piercing eyes would help her to regain control of her tongue. She'd heard about Lucius Malfoy's gaze from—

"Oh. One of Daphne Greengrass' friends from school."

Tracey pushed a lock of wavy brown hair behind her ear. Yes, she knew not only of Lucius Malfoy but about him. "One of Daphne Greengrass' friends," he'd said. Hardly. Tracey and Daphne had remained good friends well after their time at Hogwarts. Tracey was the one friend to whom Daphne could talk openly. Whether it be to complain of her family, to fret over her sister, or to ponder aloud about the intricacies of Lucius' mind, Daphne was always open with Tracey. It was the reason why Tracey knew Daphne was Lucius' lover.

"Do you still…?"

"Handle the kinds of transactions Borgin did? Only if I might benefit," Tracey stated. She chanced a look at him and found she couldn't look away again as his gray eyes caught her brown ones.

It was such a mistake to say.

Tracey liked handling her wares—antiques and their history were her forte. But nothing could've prepared her for all the business Lucius ended up doing with her. There were so many things she hadn't seen, so many things she'd had to research, so…so many things she hadn't even wanted to touch.

But Lucius was Lucius and determined to get a good deal on whatever he pleased. Daphne inquired about Lucius' visits, and Tracey told her mate that he was fine and an admiral businessman. Daphne nodded, understanding…

Yet it was shortly after Tracey had given him a good word to his lover that Lucius was…well, Lucius.

It was when Lucius withdrew from his cloak one evening a mirror. At first it appeared to be just that, a looking glass with a carved knot design in the hilt. He placed it on the counter with a glance up at her face. "Just another transaction, Miss Davis."

She raised an eyebrow and moved to touch it. "It always is with you, Mr. Malfoy."

The corners of his mouth turned upward slightly. "Why, Miss Davis, I thought you would've learned a thing or two from Borgin. No questions asked, my dear."

Her stomach churned, jumping at hearing such a phrase—"my dear"—from him and flopping at the proximity of him. He was both a scary man and Daphne's. Besides, Tracey had had little interest in men and their manipulative ways.

"Miss Davis…"

His drawl brought her mind back to the present, and her breath hitched as he drew a finger down the mirror's handle, over her fingers. She moved to snatch her hand away, but he caught it. She looked at him, wondering if he saw her fear, curiosity, or both.

"I think you ought to learn that the customer's interests come first."

Tracey bit her lip. As she fell into Lucius' trap—of sorts—the thought ran through her mind that Daphne could never tame this man…but, truly, no one could. The best a witch could do was prepare herself for her own downfall at his hands…and, oh, what a downfall it was.

- ^-^3

Hmmm… Kinda yummy at the end… A little vague to let your mind run wild… And, now that I've written this, I get to go do another weird pairing! Yay! XD (Or two. We'll see.) Delightfully murky, no?

Thanks for reading, and please review!

-mew-tsubaki B)

2017 note: *lol* I love the idea of Tracey taking over B&B's, which made it into my overall headcanon. :P But I also recall this fic was purely prequel material for another interesting fic I wrote later on, "Coveted." Gods, that's a good fic. -w- *loves her snakes*