Catch The Snitch

Harmony had been working as a free lance tattoo artist for several year now but it wasn't enough to pay the bills. She had a job as a bartender at a bar in in knockturn alley but decided that was getting too sketchy and she could have sworn she saw her ex there a few weeks ago. So she quit and was now on. The hunt for new job where she felt a little safer.

She was making her way down Diagon alley when fatigue hit her hard. Her eyes settled on a local coffee shop and she walked in. The bell chimed and smiled at the atmosphere she had stumbled upon. The patrons were smiling, talking and laughing. It was a completely different vibe than the bar she had walked out on.

The young woman took a seat near the window and smiled herself. Her eyes grazed the menu, but there were so many good options. After several minutes she pushed herself up and walked to the counter. "Caffeine, I need caffeine." she smiled sweetly at the person taking her order. "What do you recommend? I am on a job hunt and can't afford to fall asleep in interviews."

After a few days of ‘fieldwork’ to gather intelligence on a mark, Mal was glad to be back at the Curious Chimaera. It was hard work, of course, and while he didn’t mind it one bit, he did miss the aroma of freshly baked bread and coffee very much, as well as coming up with new food and drink items. His staff missed him too: the Chimaera had been shorthanded for a while already, and while they had held the fort perfectly in his absence, it would be great to have more hands on deck.

As he pulled a shot of espresso into a cup, he looked up to check on one of the customers who had just walked in not too long ago. She had been perusing the menu for a short while now, though she hadn’t placed any orders yet. Perhaps she was waiting for a friend… or had their menu really grown that much recently? As he pondered over the matter, he sampled the espresso. Hmm… not too bad, but could be better. He’d need to adjust the blend a little more.

He was about to check on the customer to see if she needed any assistance, but she beat him to it by coming over to the bar counter herself. “Caffeine, I need caffeine,” she said with a sweet smile that seemed quite at odds with her request; most people who were in dire need of a pick-me-up weren’t able to muster such a sunny smile.

Her reason for needing a strong brew was pretty interesting too. “If I may, what kind of jobs have you been interviewing for?” he asked, intrigued by the situation she had found herself in. “I apologise in advance if I’ve crossed a line, but if you’re falling asleep during an interview, I’m not too sure if the job is the right fit for you.”

While it wasn’t his place to offer any career advice to his customers, he was definitely qualified to speak about coffee. “As for my drink recommendation, perhaps you’d be interested in a white roast coffee? I don’t mean white coffee, but coffee made from lightly roasted coffee beans that are beige in colour, rather than brown.”

A further elaboration was in order, but a single cup of the beverage would be infinitely more eloquent and convincing than him. Emptying the portafilter of his manual espresso maker, he cleaned it and filled it up with ground white roasted coffee. The grounds were, as he had mentioned earlier, beige in colour, a far cry from the usual dark roasts that most people were familiar with. Replacing the portafilter onto the espresso maker, he retrieved a cup and began to pull a single shot. “Because of the lower roasting temperature, the beans retain more caffeine and have a different flavour profile,” he explained as he went on to prepare some steamed milk in a pitcher. Once that was done, he transferred the milk into a larger pitcher – it was much easier to pour the milk that way. “The resultant coffee has a lighter, nuttier and sweeter taste. It’s also less bitter as compared to regular coffee, and works just as well in espresso-based drinks like a latte.”

After swirling the pitcher, he began to pour the milk into the coffee, and ended off with an elegant rosetta pattern. Placing the cup and a teaspoon onto a saucer, he set the completed latte down before the customer. “We’ll be launching our white roast coffee soon as part of a special promotion, alongside a new dark roast blend, but we’re still working on perfecting the latter at the moment.”

Harmony had to leave to her last job because he had found her there. He was getting increasingly closer and closer to her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and he showed up in her dreams more often than not now. It was terrifying to think that he was this close to her. She was almost ready to seal up her place of residence until the threat was gone but she knew it would never be gone. Running from it was no longer an option, besides she liked it here. So she would find another job and hopefully he would give up his search here.

There was no doubting that Harmony was almost always in good spirits, but lately that had become harder and harder for her. However, it wasn't anyone's fault but her own and she wasn't going to take foul moods out on people that didn't deserve it.

"Hmm? Oh, you know....office jobs and the like. Although they are incredibly boring and most do not appreciate my attire." She shrugged gracefully and shook her head. "No, not at all. No need to apologize, you are entirely correct. Not the type of job I normally go for, but with my last job becoming...dang..." She laughed and waved her hand. "Listen to me, going on about my life when all you want is to serve me coffee." Phew that was close.

Her smile returned quickly when he offered her a white coffee. "You carry that here?? Most places don't even know what white coffee is, and most patrons aren't aware of how coffee beans work. I know a lot of people that think that the darker roasts have more caffeine due to the strong flavor." she let out a soft chuckle. "I would adore a white coffee, best thing is they don't need sweetener, as they are already sweet enough and mild in that bitter flavor."

She grinned widely before picking up the cup and taking a small sip. She licked her lips followed by an "Mmmmmm" sound that let him know she enjoyed the flavor. "Oh? A dark roast you say? What type of beans are you using?" She looked up from her coffee and tilted her head a bit to the side. She didn't know much but tea, coffee and tattoos were a few things that she did know. She knew that dark roast coffees needed to reach at least 465 degrees Fahrenheit in order for them to reach peak roasting. She also knew that most of the time lower beans were used and were roasted that long to roast out the bad quality. Not that she thought this place was doing that! In fact she thought the opposite, obviously they knew what they were doing since be was adding white coffee to the menu.

Mal gave a sympathetic smile when the customer grumbled a little about her job. It resonated with him too, and that was one of the reasons why he was behind a bar counter instead of an office desk. And he let out a chuckle when she said that she had somehow ended up talking about her life. That’s a good thing,” he thought to himself. He wasn’t just looking at it from the point of view of an information broker or the owner of a hybrid bar and café; he was genuinely interested in learning more about people so that he could lend a hand if need be.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise when the customer revealed her knowledge of white coffee. As he watched her savour the brew, he had a sneaking suspicion that she might be just as well-versed as him about coffee. “I think you’re at the wrong side of the bar counter,” he began, and half-jokingly gestured her to join him behind the counter. “Jokes aside, I’m a little short staffed, and I’m looking to hire a barista.” That was technically correct, but the truth was quite a bit more nuanced than that. A handful of the establishment’s staff were also involved in Mal’s information brokering business, and they had all been kept busy with their investigations and stakeouts. In fact, he had just taken over his pastry chef’s shift because the poor kid had barely caught a wink of sleep yesterday. “The name’s Mal,” he said as he offered his hand, “and I’ll be glad to have you on board if you don’t mind a career change.”

“That’s a very good question,” he replied as the customer asked what beans he was using for his dark roast. “And therein lies the problem: a dark roast causes the beans to lose their defining characteristics, which is a terrible shame.” Personally he wasn’t a fan of dark roasts, but as his manager had pointed out, quite a number of customers were requesting for a dark roast option. “Open your mind, and the customers would open their wallets,” she had said, and Mal had agreed reluctantly, if only to please her.

“I definitely don’t want to roast the beans any longer than we need to,” he explained, “so we’re still experimenting with different beans to see how close we can get to a proper dark roast without losing any of their natural flavours. and seeing which flavours work best with the smooth and chocolaty taste of a dark roast.”

Harmony wasn't one to share her problems with other people. Normally she was the one helping people with their problems. Hence the reason she read tea leaves and gave "readings" to select people. Although it was always a she went to them sort of business, as none of her clientele was allowed to know where she lived. In fact, no one knew or was allowed to know where she lived. She had a bit of trust issue with people ever since her ex. So when she started spouting off about herself, it only embarrassed her and made her feel as if she was revealing too much.

She let out a soft chuckle when he mentioned she might be on the wrong side of the bar. "Well, I am very interested in tea as well as coffee. It has always been something of a passion of mine. I also read tea leaves for people. Besides, how is one to know what kind of coffee they really like if they do not try all the coffees there are out there?" Her eyes widened a bit with excitement when he stated he was short-staffed and looking for help. It was as if fate had been on her side. "Are you offering me a job, sir?" It was then he introduced himself as Mal. A large smile spread across her face and she took his hand and shook it eagerly. "My name is Harmony, and I do believe you have yourself a new barista." She couldn't help but feel the joy spread in her chest. She wouldn't have to deal with interviews any longer and it would be doing something she loved. "I wouldn't mind a career change at all. In fact, I welcome it." She looked around the shop and grinned. "I can brew drinks as well, as I do see you are open late. You know, to accommodate the later crowd and appease their drinking pallets as well. If I seem over-eager, I do apologize but when would I be starting?"

She pursed her lips and nodded as he explained what happened to the coffee beans as they were roasted at the high temperatures needed to create the robust flavors of a dark roast. "I completely understand. It is why I find that using dry beans that are light in color is the best. If you are wanting a stronger flavor for the dark roast, which is what I am assuming you'd like, to compare to the white coffee. Then you need to look into the very very dark colored beans with a shiny body. Those will give you the strongest flavor without losing the robust flavor and maintains their acidity level."

"Have you tried coffee beans from Colombia or Ethiopia? Both have wonderful beans and an extensive list of options to choose from, that may prove helpful when trying to find that perfect bean. I could reach out to some of the people I know to see if we could get a couple of samples to brew them and see how they turn out...if you'd like?" She didn't want to overstep her place here at the coffee shop, but she also wanted to prove herself to be useful.

A soft tickle took over the back of her head and her eyes widened slightly. The pain started as a dull ache, and she knew then that the vision was coming. She stepped backward and looked toward the door. "I...I must be...." But she waited too long and the vision took hold. She gripped the front of her forehead and the pain wreaked havoc on her. Her legs went out from under her and she fell to the ground. Drool pooled in the corners of her mouth and as she sat up it dribbled to the floor. She quickly wiped her face and looked at Mal, heat rushing to her face. It was his face she saw in her vision, Mal's face with someone else that she couldn't quite make out but she knew by the voice who it was.

At Mal’s half-joking, half-serious comment that she was on the wrong side of the counter, the customer replied that she had a keen interest in coffee and tea. He noted with interest when she mentioned briefly that she could read tea leaves too – perhaps there was a chance that she was a seer, or at least skilled enough at divination to be able to offer useful insights about the future.

As fate would have it, the customer – who introduced herself as Harmony – was just as keen as he was about the job offer and even asked when she could start work. “I love your enthusiasm, and while I’d like for you to start right now I have to ask you to hold your horses,” he said with a laugh. “Shouldn’t we discuss your compensation package before you agree to this?” There was also the matter of whether she’d be involved in the other half of his business; that was something he’d prefer to get a rough idea of how she might feel about it before deciding if he’d broach the topic. “But we can discuss that later when Sarah, the manager, comes in. I may be the owner of this place and her employer, but she runs a tight ship and she’d chew my head off if I didn’t inform her before hiring you.”

Harmony gave her opinions on the best type of coffee beans for a dark roast, and Mal nodded as he listened and took her words into consideration. “We’ve not tried either yet,” he said, “but we have some beans from Ethiopia that just arrived yesterday.” The arabica beans had a prominent sweet and fruity flavour, and Mal had initially thought that it was a bit of a waste to subject them to a dark roast. “Come to think of it, they might do nicely…” he mused aloud. “We could give it a shot later. As for the beans from Colombia, I’d need to check with my usual supplier, although I’m not too optimistic that he’d have any. Perhaps we should speak to your contacts then?”

Abruptly, a foreign and uncomfortable sensation seized Mal, and rapidly grew in intensity into a throbbing headache. Wincing at the sudden and unexpected pain, he saw that Harmony was similarly afflicted – no, she was the one afflicted by the headache, and he was only sensing what she was going through. A moment later, her legs buckled underneath her. He reached out towards her, but an image of a face – his face – and a muffled sound flashed through his mind. Delayed by the momentary distraction, he failed to catch her in time and she fell to the ground.

“Harmony!” he called, hunkering down and holding her shoulders to steady her. His brow was knitted in concern as he studied her expression to see if she had recovered from the mysterious malady. “What happened? How are you feeling?”

She was in fact a seer but it wasn't something she went around announcing to anyone and everyone. She didn't want people to know that she was, mainly because most people took advantage of those who could see the future and thought that they could see it whenever they wanted, but it didn't really work that way. Harmony got glimpses of the future, or sometimes things that have already happened or are happening now. So she couldn't sell her ability when she couldn't exactly control it at the drop of a hat.

She let out a laugh and nodded holding up her hands in defense. "Alright, alright, fair enough. I can leave you my contact information so you can contact me after you talk to your manager about pay and all of that." While she wasn't exactly comfortable leaving her information with anyone, she knew that in order to get a job she would have to leave something for a way to get a hold of her. "I would greatly appreciate if this information stays under lock and key, do not give my information to anyone. Please and thank you." Then she offered a bright smile.

"I honestly think you will have great success with either bean, but my favorite by far is the Ethiopia beans. They have a very rich, bold, smooth as well as that chocolatey flavor that you are looking for." She nodded to his statement about going with her supplier. "If the beans from Ethiopia don't give you the right flavor then we can contact them and see if we can get some beans." She beamed, feeling good that she was going to be a part of the team. He was already taking her advice and she wasn't even working there yet.

As the feeling subsided, she gripped her head with her hand and let out a soft whimper. "I...I'm okay." She looked up at Mal and nodded, slowly sitting up. She wasn't sure if she could trust Mal. Why was he in her vision, why was he with her ex? She pushed herself back from Mal a little bit. Her eyes wide and when she spoke it came out shakily. "How do you know, Drew?"

Though Harmony was eager to start work and Mal just as keen to hire her on the spot, the threat of Mal getting more than an earful from Sarah, his manager, was too much for him to ignore. Upon hearing this from Mal, Harmony reluctantly agreed to leave behind her contact information… although she didn’t need to. “If you’re really uncomfortable about it, you can drop by anytime after lunch until past midnight, or tomorrow morning,” he offered upon sensing her disinclination. “We’d have drawn up a compensation package for you by then.” Most people were not as careful about their personal information as Harmony rightfully was; he had been able to easily acquire intelligence about the movements of certain individuals thanks to their carelessness and complacency, and it was refreshing to meet someone who actually knew how to protect herself.

Harmony’s opinions about the Ethiopian coffee beans matched his own sentiments and bolstered his confidence that the dark roast would turn out well. “My thoughts exactly,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure we’d be able to get a roast with a good balance of flavours and robustness.”

A sudden wave of illness hit Harmony, accompanied by what seemed like a vision to Mal that he managed to glimpse with his natural Legilimency. As it faded away, she said that she was okay, and managed to sit up slowly. But then she suddenly backed away, and he could tell that she was raising her guard. It must have been something else that she saw or heard in that vision that spooked her, but Mal had no idea what it was until she asked how he knew Drew.

Instinctively he cast the Muffliato Charm wordlessly; this was the start of a potentially dangerous conversation, one that he didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing. Not that he was keen on it anyway: such information was not something he wanted to give away freely. His friendly smile evaporated in an instant, swiftly replaced by an unreadable mask. “Depends on which Drew you’re talking about,” he answered without confirming or denying whether he knew the person Harmony had in mind, but the fact that he had taken precautions before speaking gave him away.

“Fine.” Though it was but one word, it was an implicit admission that he did know that particular Drew. “But as much as I like you, Harmony, business is business. I propose a deal: information for information.” His tone was level and calm, almost bordering on impersonal, but he suddenly offered her a concession by volunteering his information first. “I was investigating something when my trail led to him. He’s a nasty one, I must say.”

“Which brings me to my question,” he continued, and took Harmony’s question and turned it back around to her. “How did you know him?” There was a certain edge to his voice; just as Harmony couldn't decide if she could trust Mal, neither did he know if he could trust her. Not yet anyway, until she divulged how she had crossed paths with such an unsavoury character.

She let out a sigh of relief and nodded her head. "Oh, that would be much better. Sorry, I don't trust a lot of people, I have bad history." It would be much better if she could stop by again tomorrow before she goes to work at the tattoo shop. "That would be wonderful, I can stop in then and we can talk about it all then." She smiled brightly. She had to protect herself and her personal information because of the stalker that she had and didn't want him to find her because it be pretty if he found her again.

Her eyes narrowed at him and her face was white as a sheet. She needed to know how he knew her ex, how he was associated with him, and if he was on his side or no side at all. She shook her head at him and bit into her lip. He knew who he was even though he was deflecting. She could feel there was some sort of connection between the two she just couldn't tell what the feelings were behind it. Mal's face and demeanor completely changed when she brought up Drew, it was why she knew that he knew him or at the very least knew of him. "Bullshit, Mal. I saw your face, you know who he is."

When he finally admitted it and said fine, it didn't change the tension that she held in her body, but she knew she was getting somewhere. "Fine, information for information." She said flatly. She scoffed and nodded at him agreeing with him that he was a nasty one. "Nasty doesn't even begin to cover it." She tried to keep the wave of emotions she was feeling under wraps. She didn't want to break down in the middle of a coffee shop, and perhaps her future place of employment.

She took in a deep breath and shook her head. "Not here...I ca-can't talk about it here." She looked at Mal, fear gripped her and it was showing in her face and her body language. "Please, Mal, I c-c-can't." Her anxiety took hold of her and her body started to shake and she wrapped her arms around her knees.

At Harmony’s initial mention of Drew, the tension in the air became palpable, and Mal’s vague answer only served to escalate the situation when Harmony saw straight through his ruse. They were on the knife’s edge now: there were too many unknowns at this stage, and too many ways in which things could go terribly wrong.

Just as Harmony couldn’t trust Mal, the feeling was mutual. Though his assessment of her up till the abrupt turn of events had been favourable, first impressions could be deceiving. She knew Drew, and that revelation could change everything depending on whether she was with or against that man. Thus far Mal had always erred on the side of caution – it was the only way one could survive in the volatile and dangerous criminal underworld – and niceties be damned if Harmony turned out to be on Drew’s side.

Harmony kept her emotions under control as she expressed her contempt for Drew, implying that she was not his enemy… or at least, that was what she would lead him to believe. Nonetheless, there was something about Harmony that made Mal want to trust her, despite him having no logical reason to.

He had more questions for her, but this was not the place to ask them. “Dan,” he called, barely able to conceal urgency in his voice. Moments later, one of his staff emerged from the kitchen. “I’ll take over from here,” Daniel said, instinctively understanding what was going on and shifting over to take Mal’s place at the counter.

Relieved of his duty, Mal proceeded to ascertain how Harmony knew Drew. Almost immediately he got the information he needed as fear gripped her and threatened to overwhelm him as well, forcing him to raise his own mental shields and partially close off his mind. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Harmony,” he apologised profusely even before she said anything. His gut feeling had been right: it was nigh impossible for anyone to feign the level of distress that Harmony was experiencing, and based on that alone, he deduced that she had been a victim of Drew’s past crimes. Furthermore, since Harmony had the ability to experience visions, her life could be in danger if Drew knew about it and didn’t want to risk her revealing any compromising or incriminating information about him.

They’d need somewhere with more privacy to continue that difficult and painful conversation. While there was a secret basement below the Curious Chimaera built for this exact purpose, Mal wasn’t certain if Harmony would trust him enough to to follow him into what was essentially a confined space, especially after what he had done earlier. The kitchen at the back of the café was an acceptable compromise; Daniel was guarding the only entrance into the kitchen, and it wasn’t as closed off as the basement was. “I know I’ve betrayed your trust, but if you would just trust me just one more time, there’s a basement beneath this café where we can speak in private. Or we could use the kitchen, if you prefer that.” Aware that his words made him sound even more suspicious than before, he briefly filled her in on who he really was. “I apologise for not being upfront about this earlier, but I’m not a mere café owner. I’m an information broker, and I’ve been trying to take down Drew and his associates for a while.”

She no longer trusted the man in front of her, she put up her guard and shut her emotions down. He wasn't going to get close to her until she knew what kind of man he really was. She looked at him, studied his face, his body language, the last thing she needed was another abusive person in her life.

Her eyes stayed on him, and when he called another to the area she pulled her knees tighter to herself. The urgency in his voice made her nervous, even more on edge than she already was, if that were even possible. Her eyes flickered between Mal and Dan. The panic in her eyes was obvious as she looked back at Mal. She didn't know what to do, but she was too scared to just bolt out the door.

She blinked quickly when he spoke to her again and she raised her brow. He was sorry he doubted her, did that mean she believed her about how she knew Drew? However, that didn't clear up how he knew him and that gripped her and took her fear to a whole new level. It was odd though, was her panic and fear enough to show that she did not think of Drew fondly. She shook her head and looked at Mal, fear still holding her. Her words failed her even as she opened her mouth to speak. It was obvious that Drew still had a strong hold on Harmony.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. She didn't like losing who she was, not in front of people and especially not someone she barely knew. He started to speak again and she looked up at him. Trust, had she ever given him her trust? There was a moment when she was going to give her personal information to him. So she supposed she did trust him if even a little bit. An information broker. Is that how he knew Drew then? She nodded and pushed her feet out from under her. "Alright, fine. We can go...wherever. It doesn't matter, but know I'm pretty scrappy, I could have you on the floor in two point five seconds." She groaned and pushed herself to her feet. Her hand instinctively went to her head as it still throbbed from the vision.

"The basement is fine. More secluded I'm guessing?" She wavered on her feet a little and grabbed a nearby table to stabilize herself. "I will tell you what I can about Drew, just get me out of here." She groaned and tried to take a step and fell forward into Mal. "Shit...Sorry." She looked up at him and tried to regain her balance quickly.

The look in Harmony’s eyes when Mal said he was sorry for betraying her trust told him that he still had a long way to go before he could regain it. Her warning that she could take him down swiftly further proved the point. “I don’t doubt that,” he replied, even if he didn’t think she would be able to make good on her threat in her current state. Not that he had any intention to find out.

Whether Harmony realised it or not, many would – seemingly illogically – trust complete strangers more than people they knew, and that was what he would capitalise on to build relationships with his new customers. But with Harmony, he was now deprived of that stable foundation, and it would take a lot more from him to prove to her that he was on her side.

As Harmony attempted to get back on her feet, he lent a helping hand to support her. A throbbing sensation flared up in his own head, mirroring the pain that Harmony was feeling. Dammit... In light of her discomfort, he’d need to get her somewhere comfortable where she could sit down and rest. Surreptitiously he activated some of the Chimaera’s magical wards, an array of minor illusion charms that worked in tandem to subtly divert the attention of the patrons away from them and mask their exit. And he was about to take her to the closer of the two proposed locations when Harmony said that the more secluded basement was fine.

The basement then. “Careful,” he said gently as he brought her to the back of the café, but not before signalling to Daniel that he was taking the shortcut instead – he didn’t know if she was steady enough on her feet to descend the staircase if they went by the proper ‘entrance’. Pressing his hand against the wall, he waited for a few moments for Daniel to unlock the hidden entrance, before muttering an incantation under his breath. And just like that, his hand passed right through as though the wall wasn’t there, almost akin to the entrance to Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station. “Come,” he said as he led Harmony into the secret basement underneath the Curious Chimaera.

Magical lamps hanging from the ceiling flared to life as the duo entered, revealing a lavish and modern drawing room. The decor was somewhat reminiscent of the café, although it was far more luxurious. Near the fireplace, three sofas were arranged on three sides of a square glass-and-metal coffee table, and a small bar counter stood at the far end of the underground chamber. To their left were a trio of closed doors that led to smaller rooms should the need for even more privacy arise.

For today, however, the drawing room was more than secure enough for their purposes; the entrance closed by itself behind them, and several sigils on the door began to glow, indicating that the magical wards were now active. “Have a seat,” Mal invited, while he headed towards the bar counter, which upon closer inspection turned out to be just as well-stocked as its counterpart upstairs. “I’ll get you a drink to—oh, never mind.” Before Mal could finish his sentence, a fine selection of food and drinks materialised on the coffee table, presumably courtesy of Daniel.

Returning to the sofas in the middle of the room, Mal took his seat and looked at Harmony. There were so many things he wanted to know, but what was foremost on his mind was how he could set Harmony at ease after everything that had happened earlier. “Before we talk about that man… you probably have many questions on your mind right now,” he began. “Feel free to ask me anything, and I’ll do my best to answer them.”

Honestly, her threat was empty. She was trying to be scary but in all reality, she was suffereing from PTSD when it came to conflict and confrontation. It wouldn't take much to knock Harmony down a peg or two, to the point of her being a whimpering mess. But at least Mal bought her threat and maybe it would keep him away from her and doing any harm to her. She still didn't know if she could trust Mal at this point in time, considering how he had reacted to her statement after her vision. But perhaps it was something as simple as he was aware of who Drew was and he was trying to put a stop to his tyrant ways. Either way, she was on guard.

Harmony had never been one to really overshare what was going on her life. She kept it a secret mainly for her own safety and she didn't trust easily. She had very few friends and only person she told her life to. This man wasn't them, and she knew now that he had a cold side, a side that could dabble in anger and darkness. It was a side that Harmony wasn't fond of seeing. She didn't want people knowing much about her, if people knew things about her it made it easier to be found, to be tracked. That was something she couldn't risk, her life was at stake.

She held onto his hand, only because she was very unsteady on her feet and she may have fallen again if she hadn't. She still had questions, and concerns about this man swirled about in her head as they walked down to the basement where they could talk freely. She watched as he pressed his hand to the wall and spoke the incantation. When his hand passed through the wall she knew there was much more to this whole thing than he was letting on. She followed him through the wall passage and came to the basement on the other side.

Her eyes widened as she looked around. It wasn't at all what she was expecting. She was thinking, a cellar, dank, dark, and full of cobwebs. This place was classy, beautiful, and elegant. She looked over at Mal and perked a brow. "This is your basement?" She asked with curiosity in her tone.

She jumped a bit as the entrance closed and sealed itself. The glow of the wards glimmered in her eyes as she stared at them for a moment before she heard Mal's voice one more. She took a seat and let her hands fold into her lap. She scooted back away from the coffee table as the food and drink materialized onto it. This was all getting to be too much. She was overwhelmed and still had too many questions weighing down her mind.

"Alright. You said you are in the business of information collection. Do you use this for putting away shitty people or...?" She couldn't the rest of the question out but it was obvious what she was asking. "And why in the bloody hell do you have a basement like this in your cafe?"

Expectedly, Harmony kept her guard up as they moved to the basement. Though she allowed Mal to steady her as they walked, it was plain to him that she still didn’t trust him. And as they arrived at the hidden space underneath the café, there was a noticeable shift in her emotions as she took in the unexpected sight. “Yes,“ Mal replied to her query, slightly amused at the way she had phrased it. “It’s natural to feel surprised; most people would never have guessed that this basement even exists.”

Taking a seat opposite Harmony, Mal helped himself to a cup of coffee and motioned for her to do the same before he spoke. “Au contraire,” he said, subconsciously slipping into French; clearly he had spent too much time around the Reynard brothers. “This room is only for receiving guests. The ‘shitty people’ are… dealt with elsewhere.” Though his tone never changed and his demeanour remained calm and relaxed, there was something ominous about the way he said the last sentence.

The cryptic reply didn’t fully address Harmony’s question, and she directly asked why he even had a basement under the café in the first place. “As you know, I buy and sell information, and the last thing I need is for someone to eavesdrop on my conversations with my clients and colleagues and get a hold of my ‘goods’ for free.” He took another sip of his coffee and gestured to the room they were in. “That’s why I had this basement built when I established the Curious Chimaera. It’s where I conduct my business with people whom I trust… or intend to trust.” As he said those last words, he looked at Harmony in the eye, his gaze firm yet gentle. Whether or not she intended to aid him in his quest to take Drew down, he yet harboured hope that she would still be willing to take up his job offer. There was a chance Drew would come for her, and it would be easier to protect her if she were to be at the Chimaera.

An introduction to why he chose to be an information broker seemed to be in order, and he proceeded to elaborate. “At the risk of stating the obvious, the world we live in isn’t black and white. The authorities aren’t always right, and those who break the laws aren’t always bad. When the law fails to protect the masses, or becomes a tool of oppression for the unjust, one must take matters into their own hands.” With that, he paused to gauge Harmony’s reaction to his words before continuing. “Oh, it’s nothing sinister, I assure you. I merely see to it that the right information is delivered to the right hands. Or the wrong information to the wrong hands. How they see fit to use that information is ultimately up to them.”

She looked at him and nodded. "And why would they? You run a coffee shop and pub, most people don't think that they were is a hidden underground space for chit-chatting." Although chit-chatting was putting it mildly. It was more...information collecting as he had stated. Whatever that meant she knew it was probably a bit on the darker side of things. It wasn't to say that he wasn't a good person, but he would have to deal with people, well, like her ex. Harmony was more curious as to what kind of person Mal really was. Did he use the information he collected to help people or was it more sinister than that? Then again, considering his reaction to her knowing Drew, it probably told her all she needed to know about what kind of person he was.

She took in a deep breath and eyed him for a moment before grabbing a cup of coffee as well. Harmony then leaned back into the couch and watched for him to take a drink before taking a sip of her own. "Dealt with...I see." She said nervously. He had an air about him, something that he wasn't sharing, which made Harmony uncomfortable. But the fact that he was shying away from her questions certainly played in his favor. It would take quite some time for Mal to earn Harmony's trust back, but it would come with time if he was really a good person.

"I see. So you do deal with information, selling and buying it. I guess everyone has to have side jobs to pay the rent." Or was the Chimaera the side job and the information broker was the main. It didn't really matter much. It was all in the fact that he did it, she did need to know more about the situation at hand though. How he knew Drew, what he planned to do with him or about him. What exactly he knew about him and if he had any idea that Harmony was a part of his past. Perhaps just by mention maybe not by name. The fact that Mal knew Drew at all threw up red flags all over the place, but there still could be a good reason he knew of Drew. Investigation perhaps. Trying to bring him down would be a point for Malachi in Harmony's book.

A large sigh of relief could be seen as he spoke of exactly why he was in the business. He explained why he did it and what he did with the information. It was sort of like being a part of law enforcement without getting his hands dirty. "Alright. Fair enough." She set the coffee down and her face got very serious. "But what I want to know, is how you know Drew. What you know about him and what you, if anything, intend to do about it. I can and will share what I know...to an extent. I will not share everything as some of it is....too fresh and still opens deep wounds." She crossed her arms over her chest and slid her leg over the other and leaned in just a bit. The bright and happy Harmony gone now, replaced by one of seriousness and business.

Mal could tell that Harmony wasn’t comfortable with the idea that unsavoury people were ‘dealt with’; perhaps it was the ambiguity that made it sound way worse than what it was. “Would you rather they not be dealt with?” he asked, curious about how she felt about the matter. “Or do you trust that the authorities would deal with them swiftly and fairly?”

To her credit, Harmony seemed to take all the information pretty well. But her suspicions weren’t completely dispelled yet, of course. Not until he told her how he knew Drew.

“Fair enough,” he said, agreeing to her terms. “Some information is too sensitive and personal to be revealed after all.” He didn’t want to pressure her into revealing more than what she was comfortable with, and based on what had happened earlier, he could only guess how much hurt Drew had caused her.

“As for Drew, I must confess, I did not have him on my radar until a few months ago.” Back then Mal had been busy investigating a few high-profile individuals in the wizarding underworld. “Eventually we discovered that he had links to some of the marks we were aiming to take down, and we began to turn our attention to him.” Mal’s brow furrowed and he narrowed his dark eyes. The implications of that revelation were potentially far-reaching, and the crimes they were attempting to uncover could be more extensive than they had first imagined, but thus far they lacked the evidence to prove that conclusively. “He’s a slippery one, that’s for sure,” Mal added. “He’s been hiding his tracks well. But we’ll get him someday.”

She took in a breath and shook her head. It was that she didn't like the idea of them being dealt with, it was the idea that someone who wasn't law was dealing with them. It made her a bit uneasy to think about it. "I never said they shouldn't be dealt with. I just don't know how I feel about the whole idea of someone else dealing with them. It all seems sort of black market type of stuff." It was things that Drew was into but on the more sinister side of things.

Her head bobbed in agreement to the information being too personal to reveal. Besides the fact that she had just met Malachi and he had thrown one hell of a bomb at her upon their meeting. It was a lot to take in and she wasn't entirely sure she trusted him yet. She was warming up to him again, but only time would tell how quickly he could be back in her good graces.

"I'm sorry, but someday isn't good enough for me." She shook her head and gnawed on the inside of her cheek. "Drew has a lot of connections to dark witches and wizards. He has always made it a point to be in the know of the things going on in the black market. His craft is a niche market. However, he is paid well for it and, as you said, covers his tracks well." She takes in a deep breath.

"When he gets sloppy...is when he hunting for me." She cleared her throat and her fingers laced together, gripped together so tightly that the whites of her knuckles started to show. "As much as he loves his job...multiply that times 100 and turn love to obsession, when it comes to me." It was bragging or boasting. It was a fact and a terrifying one at that. "He is the reason I have moved over ten times in the past year, why I have lost or left several jobs. He's like a bloodhound." That was as far as she would go for now. She wanted to know what Mal could offer before she spoke of how he would get sloppy, how he hunted her, and why he wanted her so badly.

Harmony expressed her uneasiness about extrajudicial punishments, a sentiment that many shared, including some of Mal’s own staff. “I admit, not all of us are entirely comfortable with it, and perhaps we never will,” he said. “But every now and then someone slips beyond the reach of the law. It could be someone with friends in high places. Someone who hires others to do their dirty work while keeping their hands clean and free of blood. Or someone who covers their trail well..” He narrowed his eyes as he continued, as though he was trying to remind himself why he did what he did despite the price he had to pay. “When the law fails in its duty, someone must step up and do what must be done.”

Mal’s reassurance that they would get Drew someday wasn’t enough for Harmony, and while he didn’t show it, her words stung nonetheless. He was a bloody information broker, and one of the best ones in the business. Heck, he was amongst the few who had continued double-dealing and sabotaging the Death Eaters even during the height of the Second Wizarding War. And yet he couldn’t catch that one elusive bugger.

It was only when Harmony revealed Drew’s weakness – him dropping his guard when he was pursuing her – that a potential course of action came to mind. “That dogged determination will be his downfall, I promise you,” he said. “I have a plan, but there’s no gentle way to put it, so I’ll be blunt.” Taking a moment to steel himself for Harmony’s reaction, he looked at her in the eye before revealing what he had in mind. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe from Drew, but it’s much easier for us to guarantee your safety if you stay here at the Chimaera. My job offer still stands, if you’re still willing to consider it.” And he took a deep breath before he revealed the contentious part of the deal. “I really, really don’t want to use you as bait, but if Drew’s reckless enough to come knocking on the Curious Chimaera’s door, it could be our best chance to stop him once and for all.”

The ball was now in Harmony’s court, and having said his piece, Mal watched her expression carefully as he waited for her reply.