Chapter 25

                                        

                                              
Published: 6/13/2025

"Hey, boy, want to go for a walk?" Malfoy asked the next morning after breakfast.
Woof! Woof! Harry barked happily, running fast circles all over Malfoy's house. 
"Hang on! Stop with the zoomies! I got the lead. No pulling, okay?" 
Harry snorted but decided not to try Malfoy's patience. Harry wanted to run off-leash, but Malfoy wasn't going to do that if he thought Harry wouldn't listen. Malfoy slipped on some comfortable walking shoes and opened the front door. It was nice out... sunny but not hot. Malfoy took him down the road that he went toward work in the morning. At the next street down, he made a left.
At the end of that road, they made another left, making a big circle, essentially walking for over an hour around a couple of farms. Malfoy stopped and conjured a water bowl for Harry and a cup of water for him. 
"Sorry... this is farm country out here. There's a click between each road, but we're coming back to our road, Potter. You, okay?"
Harry licked his hand as an answer. Malfoy was giving him plenty of slack on the lead, and Harry could run around and smell everything. He always came back when called and walked beside Malfoy, earning his praise.
However, when they turned left onto the road home was on and were passing his next-door neighbor, happy feelings went away. Harry smelled a lot of dogs. He growled quietly, unsure of the situation, and stared at their property. It was several hundred meters down the road from Draco's property. As they approached the neighboring lot, Harry could see that the main house was on the road, but there were buildings behind it, mostly hidden from view by trees. He could hear whining, barking and growling, but it was faint.
"Easy, boy... those aren't nice people," Draco said, and sure enough, two burly men came out with a Rottweiler. The dog ran toward them, and Harry went in front of Malfoy, crouched, ready to defend as the massive dog charged. He heard Malfoy yell as Harry snarled in warning, but the dog wasn't deterred.
However, a thick chain yanked the dog back before the dog reached the road. It was anchored to an oak tree in the front of the house. The dog was snapping and laving at the mouth, trying to get to them. Harry straightened up and let off his own growls, trying to get the dog to back off by asserting his dominance. Dog authority comes from eye contact, stance and general aura. Harry had always been an alpha and wanted this dog to submit. 
However, the Rott was beyond such power plays. Harry had never met a more crazed and aggressive dog before, even when he was on the streets. The dog's natural behavior was messed up. It only knew how to attack, and for this dog, it was life or death. He couldn't force him to respond to his commands.
Harry stopped looking at the Rott when the men walked toward them. One was older, with a grey beard and a beer belly. The other was younger, pot-marked and had fucked up teeth. Country boy. 
"Git yer mutt under control!" yelled the older man, who then kicked his own dog to shut up.
Harry had already stopped barking, and his heckles rose as the man approached Draco. Harry growled in warning and backed up to Draco's legs. They would not hurt him.
"It's your animal that's out of control!" Malfoy shot back, gesturing to the Rott, who was still barking despite the abusive kick.
"Yer mutt came onto our property!" the younger one, smelling of sweat and filth.
Harry did not like him. He growled, getting them to stop, but Draco tugged the lead, gently. Harry stopped and sat in front of him, ready to attack if necessary.
Malfoy crossed his arms. "He didn't step a foot onto it. I didn't even have to pull him back when your dog charged us, Hank. You are the one with the out-of-control mutt." 
"We don't have a mutt! Ours is a pureblood Rott," responded "Hank".
Malfoy flinched at the word. "I don't care. It acts like an untrained beast."
"He's worth nearly five thousand pounds! What's yer... say is that a Malinois? Is he a pureblood?" the older one said, looking at Harry appraisingly. 
"I'm done with this conversation," Draco said, turning to leave, and Harry was glad they were getting away from the men and their yapping dog, who was still trying to attack. 
"Wait there, Malfoy... where'd you get him?" the old guy called him back.
"I rescued him, actually. I don't know if he's pure, and I don't care. He's a good dog," Malfoy said, forcefully.
"Rescued?" Hank sneered, undeterred.
"Boy... hold on. Don't he look like Lester's runaway?" the old man said.
Malfoy turned to glare at them. "Jacob...."
"Yeah! He sure is, Pa! Ran away not too long ago!" 
"I know you ain't had no dog til recently, ponce, so he must be Lester's. What shelter you git 'im from?" the old man, Jacob, pressed.
Malfoy tugged Harry in closer. "I don't have to answer to you. I found him, and he needed medical attention. If your friend "Lester" has papers, photos, and proof that he is his, I may consider returning him. Oh... that is after he pays the eight thousand pounds I spent at the vet. Additionally, I also charge 100 pounds a day as a kennel fee."
Hank and Jacob's jaws dropped. Harry looked up at Malfoy. Eight thousand was a lot. He whined in appreciation and rubbed his head on Draco's leg. Draco reached down and petted him.
"Good day, gentlemen, and just so we are clear, I would sue you into the bloody ground if you ever try to take my dog, understand? I've seen how many dogs you go through and, frankly, it's appalling. I'm sure the local Constable would love to know where all your dogs go," Malfoy sneered.
Hank and Jacob cracked their knuckles, but Harry let out a menacingly loud snarl. 
"Git yer mutt and get outta here, townie," Jacob said. "I can loosen the chain if we think he's attackin' us."
Hank stepped aside, and the Rott charged to the limit of his chain. He snarled and barked at them. The Rott was clawing, trying to get at him more than Malfoy. Harry stood up straight, looked that yapping dog directly in the eyes and gave him the stare down. It finally worked a little. That Rott knew he was not to be fucked with. He stopped barking and was only growling slightly and pacing now. Then the Rott turned away and walked back to the pooch. It knew who the Alpha was.
Harry snorted. Damn right, it's me. He enjoyed the astonished looks of the hicks and turned to look up at his "owner".
Malfoy looked at him with some pride. "Good boy. Let's get home."
They started walking and Harry turned back occasionally to ensure that the humans didn't release their dog or anything. The older one, Jacob, was watching him, but when they were almost back, Harry ignored him. After they made it back into the house, Draco knelt down and unclipped Harry's lead. He petted him, and Harry licked his face.
"Eww... enough with the dog slobber. Don't worry, boy. I'll never let them take you, regardless. I already registered you as mine, plus there's no way they bothered with papers," he muttered more to himself. "I'll move before I let that happen. I'll even go back to the hecklers before that."
Harry was again taken aback by Malfoy's loyalty. Harry was glad he decided to stay, as he might actually have a real enemy here. Harry could smell and hear a lot of dogs on that property... and there was something wrong with the Rott that made him that aggressive. Those were bad men. Bad men who hurt dogs. Bad men that could hurt Draco. He would make sure Draco got safely out of his property every day and keep an eye on the bad men.