Adam looked at the list handed to him. It contained the names of the Death Eaters Dumbledore's group had figured out until now. They were currently in a muggle bar in the eastern section of London.
Avery
Rosier
Nott
Malfoy
Lestrange
Travers
Rosier
Mancair
Dolohov
Mulciber
Rowle
Parkinson
Goyle
Crabbe
The list went on.
"Thanks, Langton," Adam said eyeing the list with a cold gleam.
"I don't know what you are going to do with this Conrad. But, I advise you to be cautious. Each and every one of the names there is very dangerous," Langton said seriously.
Adam snorted.
"Don't worry, I am not suicidal," Adam said pocketing the list.
"Whatever Conrad, I only did this to you to repay the favor you did to me in my fifth year. If you want to seek your death, then be my guest," Langton shrugged.
Adam chuckled.
"You know, what I find funny? Everyone out there is acting like headless chickens not knowing who the Death Eaters are, and here you are having a list of most of the influential names in the wizarding world," Adam said eyeing Langton.
"Hey man, relax! I don't know if they are Death Eaters. All I know is to be careful around these men and nothing more. I figured that since I needed to be careful of these men, you should also be," Langton said with a grimace.
"Whatever Langton," Adam said rising from his seat.
"Before you leave, I have one last question for you," Langton said urgently.
"Oh, what is it?" Adam replied.
"Take the seat, I think this would take a while," Langton said motioning towards the seat.
Adam raised an eyebrow but took the seat nonetheless.
"Look, don't take this the wrong way. But, Dumbledore asked me to ask this question to you," Langton said with hesitation.
Adam stiffened for a single second in the seat but recovered immediately.
"Oh, what did the old coot want to ask me?" he asked with a sneer.
"He asked if you have reconsidered your decision. Dumbledore told me that he had a similar discussion with you, like what he had with me, he wanted to know if you have reconsidered your decision."
Eagerness was etched across Langton's face. It made Adam sick to his stomach.
"Tell him that the answer is still the same," Adam said without blinking, but suddenly a small smile played across his lips, "in fact, you can tell him to go fuck off," Adam laughed shaking his head.
Langton's face became a careful mask, the next moment anger replaced the mask. It was so predictable that Adam began guffawing outright.
"Do you think this is funny, Conrad? I had thought better of you. Is that all you are capable of now? Mocking the only man out there who stands up for muggleborns like us?" Langton asked angrily.
"Oh, you misunderstand me, Langton," Adam said reigning in his laughter as much as he could. "It's just that I suddenly realized that the old coot hasn't given up recruiting me into his merry band of self-sacrificing idiots yet. I would have thought he knew me better from our last discussion. Guess, I was wrong," Adam said shaking his head.
"At least we have the courage to fight for our place, unlike you?" Langton sneered.
"And zero ounce of brain," Adam smirked in reply.
Langton looked angrily at him, but Adam didn't mind it.
"You disgust me, Conrad," Langton said at last.
"Oh, why is that?" Adam asked calmly in return.
"All you do is hide. You don't fight for what is yours, and even mock people like me who fight to make the world a better place," Langton said with loathing evident in his voice.
"Make the world a better place, huh?" Adam asked shaking his head. "Is that spiel coming from you or Great Old Dumbledore? Don't answer me that, your answer might just make me vomit. For better or worse you have helped me and I don't want to sour any interactions with you. But, let me tell you this, if you think I didn't join your merry group of self-sacrificers because I am afraid, then you are dead wrong."
"Oh, what is it then? You have a noble reason for running with your tail tucked behind your legs. Let me hear what it is then," Langton sneered.
"Langton, my boy, you know me far better than that. I ain't no coward. The reason I didn't join was that I didn't want to be fodder like Mat," Adam said with utmost seriousness. "You do remember Mat, don't you?"
"What about him?"
"Last year, Dumbledore approached me, Mat, and Jennifer to join his merry band. While Jennifer and I declined, Mat took him up on his offer. And this year, Mat is no more. Make no mistake, Langton, you are nothing but fodder in their war. The sooner you realize this, the larger your chances of living are."
"You don't even know what happened," Langton growled.
"Yeah, true. But, my discussion with Dumbledore let me know my exact place in his group," Adam replied without missing a beat. "You see, the argument between Dumbledore and me is very simple. He wanted me to fight, I was fine with that. I was planning to do that anyway. However, I won't be some idealistic moron trying to capture my attacker without causing him serious harm. If anyone attacks me, I will kill them."
Adam said harshly causing Langton to recoil in shock.
"And dear old Dumbledore wanted me to play with those assholes with kiddie gloves. I am not a moron to do that. It won't change now or ever. My code is simple, if you attack me, be ready to pay for it with your life. Those bastards didn't show any mercy to muggles or muggleborns. And I won't show any mercy to them either. If Dumbledore can't stomach it, then it's no skin off my back."
Langton gaped unable to reply.
"Look," Adam calmed down from his rant to talk normally, "here's the thing. I can and will kill those who attack me. If that made me some kind of dark wizard, then so be it. Anyways, thanks for this info. Now, I know who to hunt down," Adam said with a sharp grin.
Langton sat there stunned.
"I know people like you think the sun shines out of our dear old headmaster's arse," Adam said rising from the seat as Langton scowled at him. "That's fine. But, I am not one of them. When, not if, you realize that your order of flaming chicken is doing nothing but empower those idiots, contact me. Until then, I don't think we will be meeting, Langton."
Adam said before leaving a thoroughly confused Langton in the bar.
(*****)
"Hey Adam, do you have a minute?"
Adam looked up from the cloak he was enchanting to see Jenny peeking into his workshop anxiously.
"Give me a minute, I will be downstairs," he said starting to put away the cloak.
"Sure," Jenny said before returning to the kitchen.
When Adam came down, Jenny had already opened a can of butterbeer and was sipping it anxiously. Adam had never seen her so anxious before this and this intrigued him.
"So Jenny, what's got you all twitchy?" Adam asked taking a seat opposite to her and opening a can of butterbeer for himself.
"It's…. how do I say this? Hmmm…"
"You know, I am still waiting," Adam said cheekily causing Jenny to flush in embarrassment.
"You do know that I won't bite, don't you?" Adam said raising an eyebrow. "Just spit it out Jenny, your fidgeting is making me nervous."
"Doyouthinkwecanhiresomeoneelseasanassistanthere?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh gosh, sorry. Do you think we can take in one more person? I mean like an assistant either to you or to me. I want to know if it is possible," Jenny said hesitantly.
Adam blinked.
"Is your work becoming too much?" he asked.
"No, it's…"
"Then, I don't see the need, Jenny. As of now, both of us are completely occupied with our work. I don't have much burden. If you also don't, then I see no point in hiring someone as an assistant."
"I know! It's just… just that I wanted to ask if we can take someone else? I mean can we afford it?
"Sure, we can. We are not spending much. We can take in one more person comfortably. But, I don't see the need. With the way things are, I prefer to play it safe. Expansion is in my mind, but until all this stuff gets resolved I can't possibly think about expanding."
"I didn't even think in those terms, oh gosh, you are making this too hard," Jenny mumbled.
"Look Jenny, just spit it out," Adam said in exasperation.
"Fine. One of my friends is a muggleborn. She hasn't found any job. I thought that if we can afford it, maybe we can help her out. She's in a tough spot. She owled me to ask if I know any job references."
Adam sat silent for a full minute as he thought it over. Sure, he could afford to take in one or two more people without stretching their funds. But, that is only if they didn't ask for any pay. Neither Jenny nor he was taking any pay for their work since it was them mostly researching in their preferred area. The cost was totally made of ingredients, materials, and occasional books. The only extra cost was foodstuff for two people.
On the other hand, hiring someone when it was needed would dent their money. He wasn't loaded like the purebloods. All his money came from attacking that one gang. While he still had leftovers, it would not be a good idea to stretch it thin by hiring an employee when there was no need.
But, the fact that there will be a muggleborn out on the streets looking for a job at this time didn't sit well with him. Hell, he had lent a helping hand to Jenny for that very reason. She didn't have any other option. Provided, this has helped her a lot, it still boiled down to the same thing.
A muggleborn being on the streets looking for a job.
If there was any need, he could always attack another gang. He wasn't averse to that. He would be doing the country a service in that way by cleaning out unsavory elements. So, without thinking much about it he gave Jenny a location and asked her friend to meet him there.
(*****)
Amanda Walkins was a nervous wreck.
One look at her and Adam knew that the woman was desperate. The way she anxiously waited in her threadbare clothes was a dead giveaway. Not to mention the fact that she kept looking around nervously like she expected to be attacked at any given time.
So, he made his approach as deliberate and loud as possible as he walked toward her. The woman jumped slightly in her seat and her hand reached towards her wand unconsciously before returning to its original position on the table. The moment she saw him though, the tension left her and she sagged in relief.
"Hi, Adam Conrad," Adam introduced himself before taking the seat.
"I know you," she mumbled softly, "Sorry, I am Amanda Walkins."
"I know you too. You were in Gryffindor, right? A year below us. Sorry, I don't know much about you," he said giving her a soft smile causing her to relax completely.
"Yeah," she said enthusiastically.
"So, we both know why you are here. Before we start, let me make this clear. I will help you out as much as I can. Even if we can't come to terms, I will help you in whatever capacity I can," Adam said earnestly causing Amanda's eyes to shine with unshed tears.
He knew how much it meant for someone to care about you. Especially, when you felt that the world has abandoned you. Sam had done that for him. To do such a thing to someone else, gratified him and made him happy.
"So, tell me about yourself," Adam said with a small smile. "I know next to nothing about you apart from you being Jenny's friend."
And she did.
Amanda Walkins was born to a small, working-class family. She was the eldest of two kids. Her father was a construction employee and her mother worked as a waitress in a local diner. They were a happy family content with their lot and hoped that their Amanda and her brother would lead a happy life.
But, their Dad had passed away due to an accident in the working place two years ago. Ever since then, her mother had been trying hard to make ends meet. Considering that Amanda lived in Hogwarts for most of the year and the schooling was sponsored by the ministry, they were able to cope until now. Her mother's salary was enough to provide for their family and her occasional needs like schoolbooks and potion ingredients.
Now that her schooling was done, Amanda needed to find a job to help her family. She couldn't escape from the country like other muggleborns and leave her family behind. However, like all the other muggleborns doors for employment in the wizarding world have been locked shut to her. She had been trying hard to get a job, only to be politely refused by every place she applied to.
At her wit's end, she had started asking her few friends to see if she had missed out on any jobs. Almost all of her pureblood and half-blood friends had replied back telling her to go into hiding or, even better, to leave the country, which was something she wouldn't do. The few muggleborn friends she had were either in a similar situation or planning to leave the country. That's when she had owled Jenny.
"Have your NEWTs arrived?" Adam asked taking a small bite from his food.
"Yeah, I got O in DADA and Charms. Transfiguration and Runes I got EE. Arithmancy and Potions I got Acceptable," Amanda replied taking a bite of her own food.
"Believe me, that's better than half my year," Adam said in surprise, "Two Os and two EEs. Damn it, are they blind to not hire you?"
"Don't know. Maybe they will after all this blows over," Amanda said wistfully.
Adam snorted, "Yeah right."
"Anyways, do you have any preferences? I mean, I do enchanting and Jenny works in potions. It's only two of us in our place, so we make do. I don't know if you would be interested in any of those," Adam mumbled to himself. "Still…"
"I will do anything," Amanda said in a desperate tone. "It doesn't matter what it is. I can learn."
"Calm down, Amanda," Adam placated her looking around. "Well, let me get this straight. It's better this way, you can't come in blind. Look, neither I nor Jenny have any extra work for you to occupy you. Hell, we are in the basic stage. Like you, I didn't have any option when I graduated from Hogwarts. I had saved up some money by working during my free time when I was in Hogwarts and I got a leg up from someone. So, I had planned on just riding this out initially by holing up and tinkering to my heart's content."
"Jenny was looking for a potions research job. So, I helped her out by providing ingredients for her research and that's all. I know next to nothing about what she does. We aren't a business or anything like that. We are just two people tinkering with stuff we like. So, I don't know how I can help you here. If you are good with potions, at least I can hire you as Jenny's assistant. At least, she knows what she is doing. Me, I am jackshit with stuff. I am just doing my own thing."
"Tell you what, answer this, maybe I could figure something out. Do you have any passion like me and Jenny do? If you have a mind for some research or stuff, I can help you get set up. But, the bugger is, you need money for your home, right? Shit, this is all so fucking ludicrous. We have just graduated for god's sake!"
Adam swore causing Amanda to give him a small smile. They stayed in relative silence as they both mulled over what to do. Adam scowled as he realized that this had turned more like two friends brainstorming instead of a job interview. He knew he should have been better than this.
The silence stretched for a while before Adam jumped up excitedly.
"Wait a minute, I got an idea. I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a try," Adam said clapping his hands.
"What?"
"You said your mother was a waitress, right?"
"Yeah,"
"Can she cook?" Adam asked but immediately winced. "Sorry, she's a mother. Of course, she could cook. I mean, how's her cooking?"
"She's good," Amanda said confused at where this was going, "I mean what she cooks at home is great and stuff. But, I am biased anyway."
"Look, what do you think about the idea of opening a diner? Will she be able to manage it?"
"But, what about the money?"
"Forget about the money, will she be able to manage it?"
"I think she can," Amanda said slowly.
"Then, it's great. Look, I will break this to you upfront. You are in danger. Not just you, anyone who hangs around with you is in danger. That's how things are. Those bastards are hunting us like dogs. Sooner or later, they will come calling. Don't look at me like that. It's the truth."
Amanda looked lost after hearing that.
"So, here's what we are going to do. I will fund the money for a new diner in a nice, busy location. Your mom can operate it and take care of your brother until he finds his own footing. Meanwhile, you can come live with me and Jenny. If you figure out what you wanted to do, great, I can help you set up. If not, this will blow over sooner or later and we will know where we all stand. Until then, the main priority is keeping you safe."
"In that case, why can't you hire me?" Amanda asked.
"First, I don't know jack shit about managing employees and giving them work. Second, I don't actually have any extra work to be done in my place and I am hiring someone and paying them for basically doing no work will not sit well with people like you. Third, you are in danger. The more you hang around your family, you put them in danger too. But, if I can set them up somewhere, you can come live with us until you figure out what to do with your life."
"But, isn't setting up a diner for my family a charity act?" Amanda asked in confusion.
"Not exactly, your mom can pay me rent or share the profit. Something like that. We can discuss this with your mom. The important thing is getting you to safety and helping out your family. Anything else can be discussed later. So, what do you say?"
It took a while, but eventually, Amanda accepted the offer. Adam met with Amanda's family that night and they went over the particulars of the plan. Needless to say, after it came out that Amanda's life is in danger, her mother agreed in a heartbeat. Her brother was a little reluctant to move to a new area, but eventually, they convinced him too.
Within a fortnight, a new diner was opened in a central location in London. Amanda's family was staying right above the diner. Meanwhile, Jenny and Adam received a new housemate.
A/N: Hey folks,
For advance chapters of all my fics, you can check out my page. Thanks in advance for all your support.
Ptrn name: /kkephemeral
