Inked Dragons

The Wanted Criminal

And so it was that when Arum Twarmer discovered his home was being watched and there was a warrant out for his arrest, he was able to get in contact with one of his old secretaries, who he remembered as having a particularly lovely mouth, and ask her for a spot of help. She willingly helped. And having a brother-in-law whose nephew was slightly on the wrong side of the law, Arum found himself in a dingy flat above a shop on Knocuous Snicket for the night.

It wasn't really Arum's usual kind of establishment, he was more partial to wood panelling, expensive antiques, and roaring log fires as he supped on his evening cheese and fine port. Still, it would have to do him and he sat at the grimy window looking down at the passersby on the Snicket as they disappeared either into the shadows beneath the overhung buildings or merged into invisibility on Horizont Alley.

Being a Sunday evening, the shops were shut and he idly watched a sign showing a fearsome dragon slowly swing in the evening breeze. He contemplated leaving and making his way down to the Leaky Cauldron for a quick drink but he knew it was unwise. Not the aspect of there being a bounty on his head. He didn't care about that. He had every belief that he would worm his way out of that and the rightful order would be restored where he was at the top of the pecking list again. No, Arum's worries were about branching out on Knocuous Snicket alone at night. For although Arum was relatively tall and his shoulders were still broad from when he had played a lot of rugby while at Cambridge Uni with the Muggles, that was some forty years ago. The bulk that he'd gained in muscle had migrated south somewhat, mostly due to the quantities of fine port and cheese that he like to indulge in late at night. He knew he was no longer as young and fit as he liked to believe. And because he was the sort of person who liked to believe the world revolved around him, and him alone, he didn't comprehend that those who went about their business along the Snicket really didn't give two fucks about another stranger unless he made it apparent that he had a very fat wallet and an expensive watch worth stealing.

Arum wondered what had happened to Gregory Goyle because he needed someone to carry out some dog work for him and definitely find the Malfoy boy and deal with him. Unfortunately, his sources had dried up. All bar one piece of vague information. It was known that Draco Malfoy was trying to sell the family manor and that he no longer lived there but no one knew where he'd disappeared to. The only thing he had managed to find out was that Draco Malfoy occasionally worked at the Inked Dragon, a tattoo parlour whose sign he currently looked down upon. However, it seemed that people in these parts were unwilling to make an overt statement about anything to do with the Inked Dragon. There was a certain amount of respect and loyalty for the owner. Still, loyalty could be bought, as far as Arum was concerned.

Arum thought to himself that he would introduce a new law that essentially banned tattoo parlours when he made it back onto the Wizengamot. He didn't like tattoos.

He itched at his left forearm unconsciously and studied the morning's headlines, wondering how to concoct a story about how he was coerced into this.

It hadn't, in all honesty, been a particularly good weekend when it came to news coverage. In fact, he thought it was fairly disastrous as he re-read the article with actual confessions from Nikau Tohu, Leilani Kahale, and Tashi Bhandari, his rivals for the position of Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizard. He scowled at the image of Harry bloody Potter on the front page next to him and wondered if the cameras possessed some kind of magic that enhanced the young man's looks whilst making Arum look a hideous mess. Oh grief, that bitch was right, there was egg yolk down his robes. He gritted his teeth as he read Barnabas Cuffe's sycophantic account of meeting the new Head Auror. He'd have to get Robards to do something about the boy. Then he remembered that Gawain Robards had resigned and was no longer Head Auror. He cursed Robards for having no backbone in the face of adversity. This was only a little hiccup in the grand scheme of things.