Epilogue
Draco’s shop had been open less than a week. Business was by no means brisk, but he had already had a handful of customers. He hoped that word of mouth would improve business. After all, his customers had asked for potions that were generally used less than ethically. If word got out that those types of potions were for sale, it should improve traffic to his shop.
Unfortunately, Phaedra had not ignored him as he had hoped. She had instead insisted on overseeing the opening of the shop. It had been all he could do to keep it from rivaling Madam Puddifoot’s in femininity. He wanted a shop that looked more like Snape’s dungeon; that was the proper look for an apothecary.
In the end he had reached a bit of a compromise with her. It still wasn’t what he had wanted, but it was close enough. And as she turned her attention elsewhere, he could make the subtle changes necessary.
He knew that he had very little time to turn a profit, but he had finally gotten Phaedra to agree to cut costs. Things would be tight, but he had faith that he would succeed.
The bell on the door rang to let him know he had a customer, and he looked up from the books to see the unfortunate sight of Lucius Malfoy. The color drained from his face.
Lucius looked around, disapproval on his face. “How… quaint,” he said condescendingly. “I see you actually decided to work. It must be a first.”
Draco knew that he had been less than attentive as a Malfoy, but his outlook had changed. “So, did you come to ruin my business?”
Lucius clucked in disapproval and replied, “Manners, Draco. I know I taught you better than that. It’s not becoming of a business owner to be rude to a customer.”
He didn’t believe that for a minute since he knew that Lucius had Severus brew all his potions. “You? My customer? I doubt it. What do you want?”
“I merely came to see what you were making of your life. I must say it is more than I expected, though you have chosen a very difficult line of work.” He opened one of the jars and sniffed at the contents. “One with many potential pitfalls.” He smirked as he turned to face Draco.
Once again, Draco was filled with a sense of dread. He knew there were dangers when dealing with some of the controlled ingredients, which is why none of them were displayed. While it was rare for Ministry officials to visit Knockturn Alley, it did happen from time to time. And if Lucius prompted them to conduct a surprise inspection, Draco had no doubt they would. “Is there something I can assist you with?” he asked in what he hoped was a polite tone. He was tired of Lucius and his lectures.
“I don’t think I’m in the market for anything… today. But I will keep your shop in mind when I am.” He grinned slyly, indicating he would be keeping an eye on Draco.
Draco couldn’t take it anymore. “You destroyed me once. Does it hurt your pride that much to see me trying to make something of my life?”
“Not particularly,” he said drolly. Without saying another word, he left the shop.
Draco involuntarily shivered. He could only hope that Lucius really wasn’t concerned. Besides, there was nothing he could do. The majority of their money was invested in the shop. He would just have to wait and see, and be very careful about any of the more questionable activities he was going to engage in. If there was one thing he had learned from Lucius, it was that failure was not an option.
Draco Black was determined to succeed.
~The End~
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you all for reading, and especially to those who left reviews. I hope that you enjoyed this story and the conclusion of the Glory Trilogy. It was quite a challenge for me to tell each episode of the story from a different character's viewpoint, but I like the way they all weave together.
I hope to find time to work on more fic in the future and like this one I expect to finish a story before beginning posting it due to RL concerns. I predominately write fic that would be posted here at Pureblood or at Occlumency as Severus and Lucius are my two favorite characters. If you would like to know what I'm planning on the fiction front, feel free to stop by my Live Journal, information can be found in my profile. :D
Thank you again for being so patient as it took more than a year for this last part to come together. I do intend to find some time to go through all the reviews and respond to them as they are all dear to me.
I hope to find time to work on more fic in the future and like this one I expect to finish a story before beginning posting it due to RL concerns. I predominately write fic that would be posted here at Pureblood or at Occlumency as Severus and Lucius are my two favorite characters. If you would like to know what I'm planning on the fiction front, feel free to stop by my Live Journal, information can be found in my profile. :D
Thank you again for being so patient as it took more than a year for this last part to come together. I do intend to find some time to go through all the reviews and respond to them as they are all dear to me.