Chapter 28

Hesitantly, Lupin answered, „Headmaster Dumbledore really gave me the tip, but..."

„What?! Dumbledore sent you here to spy?!" Narcissa was incensed, but not really that surprised.

Andromeda and Ted could hardly believe it.

„Don't misunderstand. Headmaster Dumbledore didn't send me here to spy on you. Professor Dumbledore would never do that. I didn't even tell him that I would be coming here; he just mentioned the interview and your plan to let werewolves participate in passing." Lupin explained, looking sincere.

Andromeda and Ted nodded understandingly.

Narcissa let out a lady-like snort to express her disbelief in Lupin's truthfulness.

"That's Albus Dumbledore for you. He is a master. No one is as subtle as him." Draco nodded admiringly.

Dumbledore probably wouldn't even have to ask Lupin; at some point, Lupin would inform him about everything on his own initiative during one of their conversations, just because the topic wasn't uninteresting and Dumbledore had brought it up before.

Hearing his comment, Andromeda and Ted looked at Draco with a mix of disbelief and worry.

Narcissa was glowing with pride; she couldn't agree with him more.

Lupin sighed and looked at him with disappointment. "It's really not because of Dumbledore that I'm here. I actually hoped I could get work here. I hope you will give the other werewolves a fair chance and won't think Dumbledore sent them to spy on you, too."

That last part, Lupin said sarcastically as he rose from his chair, staying longer wouldn't help.

"Take one of the Magic Mirrors on your way out, Mr. Lupin. We will see each other for the second part of the interview later." Draco informed Lupin.

For a second, Lupin thought he had misheard, then he smiled relieved. „Thank you, you won't regret it."

When Lupin had left, Narcissa questioned Draco, „Didn't you say he would pass on information to Dumbledore? Why are you letting him pass?"

"Yes, but Dumbledore will get his information anyway, one way or another. This way, I also gain a competent employee. And although Lupin is Dumbledore's man at the moment, that doesn't have to mean it will stay that way forever..." Draco winked conspiratorially.

Narcissa was almost bursting with pride; her son was a real Lord.

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Andromeda and Ted looked a little uncomfortable.

But the interviews continued on, and their uncomfortableness was soon forgotten.

Lupin was definitely the most educated and civil of all the werewolves applying today.

Some of the werewolves were even aggressive and got rowdy.

They didn't want to be questioned, they just wanted a paying job.

Misbehaving applicants were immediately banished with a flick from Draco's wand.

When they still tried to get back inside afterwards, Kreacher, the gatekeeper, let them experience the might of a house elf.

A strong human without a wand, because that's what these werewolves were without a full moon, stood no chance against quick house elf magic.

But most of the werewolves were just quiet and subdued, desperate and depressed, not even thinking about making trouble.

Sadly, Draco couldn't let anyone pass who had no chance to prove useful for the business.

The only exception was that squip Draco wanted to keep an eye on out of suspicion.

Draco couldn't even let those werewolves pass the preliminaries, since many of them looked so poor and hungry that they would just blindly sell the Magic Mirrors for an apple and an egg right away.

Draco could sympathize with the werewolves.

He had experienced what it was like to be persecuted; muggles could be really relentless...

Draco had also experienced what it was like to go hungry; the apocalypse hadn't been called Apocalypse for its abundant and nutritious food supply.

So even if Draco couldn't hire them at this moment, he still wanted to do something for them.

That's why he let Kreacher open a tab for him in the Hogshead, sponsoring a meal for every poor and hungry werewolf that had applied today.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

When the preliminary interviews were finally concluded, Rebecca Abbot and her photographer entered the tower and approached the interview table.

„Lord Black, it's so nice to see you again. My article about you, including the interview we did last time, was a great hit and really helped me with my career. I wanted to thank you again, and I hope you won't mind me writing another article about you. If you could answer a few questions or give me some comments again, I would be eternally grateful." Rebecca implored him, smiling prettily.

Draco liked Rebecca, but this wasn't enough to get Draco to talk to the press.

But lucky for her, there was something he wanted to have announced.

Draco wanted to give all those poor werewolves some hope.

Seeing all those poor werewolves, with one looking more wretched than the other, a nice idea had come to him, one that Draco wanted to inform Rebecca and subsequently the magical community about.

His plan was to build some magic herb farms and employ the werewolves to take care of them.

It should be a good fit.

Werewolves had some affinity with nature.

They had strong bodies.

And the shit of their wolf forms was excellent fertilizer for some magical plants.

Of course, this plan came as quite a surprise for Rebecca and her colleague; Narcissa, Andromeda and Ted were becoming quite numb to Draco's surprises and outlandish ideas.

Narcissa didn't even object; she only let out a sigh.

Narcissa comforted herself with the thought that the Dark Lord, too, had subjugated and made use of the werewolves in his time.

Only that the Dark Lord had used force, and Draco used charity and employment.

She wished her son didn't suffer from a bleeding heart, and that he was just building his forces underhandedly instead.

But when she asked him, Draco played the softie too convincingly.

She had to wonder where Draco had picked up this softheartedness.

Was maybe Andromeda behind all this?

Narcissa narrowed her eyes and glanced at her sister.

Narcissa couldn't see it.

Then who else or what else was responsible?

By Salazar, she was starting to sound like Lucius.