Hi Readers!

To the guest poster who commented about my lack of update schedule and the fact that I have two other fics going concurrently with this one...just an FYI...First, I have never started a fic that wasn't either outlined completely or already finished (but not beta'd) before posting. This fic is already outlined for 85 chapters total...my Year in the Life has eleven total chapters and is completely written and the A Dish Best Served Cold is outlined for 20-25 chapters and is nearly done.

I will not update everyday, that being said...I try and update at least twice a week...sometimes more if I am able to. I apologize if this schedule doesn't work for those hoping for more frequent updates. I do work full time and am in Graduate School too.

New Years Eve had finally arrived and Theo was standing in front of his mirror, putting his cufflinks on as he gazed down and then back at his reflection.

The last week or so had been the best Yule he could ever remember having. He'd spent almost every day with Hermione and Harry and by extension...the Weasley's too. Fred and George were hysterical, and fairly easy to tell apart once you knew what to look for. Ron was polite, but still seemed to be a bit unsure whether or not he considered Theo a part of his circle and Ginny Weasley was more interested in Quidditch, wizards and who was coming to the New Years Party at the Rosier estate.

Theo had spent the better part of the past week wondering just how he was going to tell Hermione the truth of what he'd learned that day on the ride home from Hogwarts—but there was another part of him that wasn't sure he believed it either.

And the truth was he didn't know how to bring it up to his cousin, or if he even should.

Draco had indicated his desire to pursue Hermione, and Theo knew he'd meant it. Whatever Draco's faults were, and there were many—he wasn't one to kid around when it came to courting.

Which meant his fellow Slytherin fully intended to have Hermione as the next Lady Malfoy.

Theo shook his head at that thought.

If Draco and Lucius were correct, and Draco was destined to be Hermione's chosen bond-mate and ancillary...not only would their children be formidable but the combined wealth of the Malfoy, Prewett and McKinnon vaults?

Theo shivered just thinking about it.

They'd be unstoppable.

Sighting softly, Theo didn't hear the knock on his door until his Father was standing in the open archway, with his knuckle tapping on the pane.

"Theodore?"

The young wizard turned around and blushed as he nodded to his Father.

"Sir?"

"Are you alright?" Thoros asked as he came into the room. "I knocked several times."

"Sorry, I was just caught up in my own thoughts."

Thoros walked over to the hearth and picked up a photograph that his son had of their family when Theo was a small boy.

He felt a pang of loneliness sweep over him as he stared at the picture of his lovely Esme, who had died when Theo was five.

"About?" Thoros inquired as he set the picture back down on the mantle.

"Just wondering how Hermione is going to fair tonight is all."

"Ah, because of her breaking things off with Mr. Pucey?"

Theo nodded.

"She misses him, and I know it's been hard for her to admit it...but I really think she had hoped that things would've worked out with she and Adrian."

Thoros just smirked at his son. He wasn't a fool, and he'd wondered how long it would be before Theo figured out just whom Hermione's likely bonded would be. It had taken Thoros about a month after his talk with Lucius over the summer to come to that conclusion.

It was the only thing that made sense.

It would've been the only reason that Dumbledore would've spared the Malfoy Family from losing its Patriarch to Azkaban before Draco turned seventeen.

The boys magic wouldn't have been stable nor strong enough to bond as an ancillary prior to his seventeenth birthday—but with Lucius going to Azkaban, the Family magic would've had no choice but to revert to the Heir.

And the young Malfoy lad, would've been thrust into the unenviable position of being the Head of his House prior to turning of age.

The only wizard Thoros knew that had suffered such a burden was Dolohov, and Thoros had often wondered if that was the reason the man had been so unhinged and without feeling. He had understood even from an early age according to his own Father, that the Dark Lord was not capable of emotion as such—growing up as he did without a Mother or a Father and the Gaunts had been notoriously known in all manners of insanity. But Dolohov? He'd been a thoughtful wizard—smart even, well-spoken and friendly until his Father had died when he'd been fifteen. There were no other male heirs to the Dolohov name...no other wizard's to share the burden of the family magic. And Thoros had seen the slow descent into depravity over the course of time until the wizard had started lusting after a young witch not even of age.

Marlene McKinnon was a beautiful witch. Fiercely intelligent, brave, beautiful and fiery. There had been many a wizard that had been interested in the witch and rumor had it that Dolohov had noticed her at a soirée the summer before her fifth year, but had inquired of her status the following summer.

When Marlene's Father had refused to even entertain the idea of a match between Dolohov and his daughter, the Russian wizard had been incensed. Thoros had heard rumors that he'd even gone so far as to confide his wishes to the Dark Lord once the war was won.

Then Marlene had started to date Sirius Black and while Walburga had been less than pleased, Orion had welcomed the match. The McKinnon family was wealthy, and rumors had run rampant in Pureblood circles for years that the family Manor held all kinds of hidden magic.

There were even rumors of the line hailing from the greatest Sorceress of legend...Lady Morgana herself.

But no one knew for certain, but it hadn't stopped Dolohov in his relentless pursuit.

"Father?"

Thoros started slightly as he glanced at his son, who was watching him with concern and a hint of worry.

"What is it, Son?"

Theo wrought his hands together a bit, before he spoke up hesitantly. "Well, uhm...I've come into some information recently that I am trying to decide what to do with."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

Dark blue eyes locked onto those of his son, who seemed rather skittish.

Which was odd, for Theo to feel thusly...

"This information?" Thoros inquired calmly, "whom does it pertain to?"

"Hermione."

Sighing, Thoros sat down on the edge of his son's bed, as his gaze pierced that of his only child. He could see Theo's tension, and his uncertainty too.

"Is this in regards to her ending things with Adrian Pucey?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Theodore," Thoros drawled indulgently, "please forego the subtext and speak plainly. We are on a time constraint after all."

"Sorry, Father."

Thoros waved his hand with a motioning as if to say, 'get on with it.'

"I came into some information the day I returned home on the Hogwarts Express."

"Which was?"

Theo bit his lips slightly, but decided to forge ahead anyway...hopeful that his Father could give him some much needed insight.

"I think I know who Hermione's future bonded will be."

"Oh?" Thoros inwardly smirked, wondering if his son had discovered the probable truth.

"Yes," Theo demurred, "Draco."

Thoros didn't reply immediately, as he had to wonder just how his son had discovered the likely truth. Thoros had independently come to this conclusion, but the fact his own son had discovered it, wasn't surprising, just curious.

Theo stared at his Father for several minutes and then sighed again, heavier this time as he took a seat next to his Dad.

"You know, don't you?"

Thoros nodded. "I suspected something of this vein, as the fact that Dumbledore spared Lucius from the debacle at the Ministry earlier this year could've only meant a few specific possibilities."

"And you think this is the likely scenario?"

"Indeed," Thoros hummed, "I do believe that Dumbledore was aware of the particulars of the Prophecies surrounding both Mr. Potter and Hermione. He has held no love for Lucius over the years but especially not since the incident your second year."

Theo's face tightened, not wishing to be reminded of what happened to his cousin that year.

"So what do I do, Father?"

"You mean, should you tell your cousin of what you suspect to be true?"

"Of course."

Thoros stood and walked back over to the hearth, staring at the old family photo for a few moments of contemplation.

Salazar only knew that he hadn't been the best Father to his only son and Heir. He'd been distant, reclusive and often dismissive of his son's needs but now Theo had a chance at family. A family that loved and accepted him and had given his son a new lease on life. The Slytherin in Thoros demanded that his flesh and blood use this situation to his best advantage, but the Father in him knew that he couldn't ruin his only child's need for connection.

Not again.

"I do believe that it might behoove you to discuss this with Mr. Potter first and get his take on this. If he deigns to keeps the matter confidential from Hermione, you can always claim plausible deniability in the end and my supposition would be that your cousin would never hold it against a boy she loves as a sibling. However," Thoros turned and faced his son, "if you feel it necessary to be the one to share this piece of information with Hermione, I would make certain you try and suss out her own feelings in regards to the Malfoy Heir. She may very well suspect as she is a clever witch after all."

Thinking over his Father's words, Theo realized that the advice was sound. Regardless of how he went about it, he needed to figure out a way to share this with Hermione and soon.

There was no telling how she'd take it if she found out some other way and then discovered he'd suspected all along.

She might never trust him again and that simply wasn't an option.

"Thank you, Father."

"Of course," Thoros replied easily. "We should make haste. We are already tardy and it wouldn't do to keep our hosts waiting any longer than is strictly proper."

Theo grabbed his waistcoat and robes, following his Father to the floo room.

Somehow, he needed to figure out how in Merlin's name he was going to drop that shocking tidbit on his cousin.

But perhaps his Father had a point. Maybe Hermione did know deep down who her ancillary truly was going to be, and in her Gryffindor stubbornness just refused to acknowledge it.

He really didn't want to be the one to disabuse her of her reasonable denial and like before, he hated to be the bearer of bad news.

Tonight was going to be interesting. Hopefully he would be able to get through it relatively unscathed.