"Stupid apes," Dodge Landon mumbled as he slopped the disgusting corn meal-like crap into each cage. He hated this job, he hated animals, and he hated his dad for roping him into it. He tossed the bucket aside and banged his fist on the nearest cage. The monkey inside cowered back and tried to hide, "Probably trying to escape the hose." Dodge laughed at his own joke. He really hated animals.

The door opened at the front of the room and two regal figures entered. Dodge rolled his eyes, "You're not supposed to be in here." He strode over to the two strangers. One of them couldn't have been much older than 9 years old and he had a short crop of white-blond hair, pointed features, and ash-grey eyes. Dodge squinted down at the kid; he didn't like this child.

"Your father sent us back." The 9 year old's dad said with an obviously British accent. Great, foreign people. Just what Dodge needed. The dad had long blond hair and was dressed like a wealthy man. He gripped the silver snake head cane in his hand tighter and Dodge made a mental note to keep one eye on the cane in case it came at his head, "I'm Lucius Malfoy and this is my son, Draco." Dodge snorted. What stupid names, "We're here to purchase one of these… erm… primates." Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Dodge said, "Go pick one out." The kid walked towards the cages with an air of power and importance and Dodge yelled after him, "But don't touch the cages!" He didn't need the father of a 9 year-old with missing fingers suing him and his family, no matter how funny the events leading up to the lawsuit would be.

"He's been pestering me non-stop about getting one. Heaven knows why." The aristocrat said, and then mumbled something about banning muggle TV, whatever that was.

Dodge just nodded and turned back to check on where the kid was. Draco was touching the cages, "Hey! Kid! I said don't touch the cages!"

Dodge stormed forward and the kid turned to glare at him. He was sneering in a pompous way as he said, "You're not the boss of me."

Dodge sneered back, "You spoiled brat."

Draco stepped forward and intensified his glare, "Bloody git."

The two just stared at each other, daring the other to make the first move. Dodge's messy dirty blond hair was falling in his face, but he didn't dare break the eye contact. His hand twitched towards his tazer; he really wanted to taze this kid until his pompous swagger turned into a pitiful limp. The two sneered at each other for a little while longer, until Dodge's sneer turned into a smirk, "You're alright kid." He said. Draco reminded Dodge of him when he was that age.

Draco smirked back and said, "You too."

The two blonds just nodded at each other and Draco went back to looking at monkeys. After he'd picked one, Dodge unlatched the cage and put a harness on the ape. It thrashed about and tried to attack the kid. If Dodge hadn't identified with the kid a few moments ago, he would've let the ape get the kid, but instead he pulled out a tranquilizer dart and stuck it into the ape's neck. The monkey collapsed and Dodge gestured to it while he said to Lucius, "He's all yours."

Lucius just looked at the ape, disgusted, "No, Draco. We're not bringing that thing home. It's too dangerous and dirty. Your mother will have a fit."

"But-" Draco started, but his dad gave him a look that silenced him immediately.

"Come, Draco, we're leaving." Lucius said and he practically dragged his son out the door.

Dodge rolled his eyes and pulled the ape back into his cage, "Damn dirty ape." He said as he slammed the door shut again and started lifting the levers that would release the apes out to the arena. Did he mention that he hated this job?