"Come on, let's go!" Harry was already jogging down the stairs before the other two had any time to react. He immediately wished he'd been more careful because Mrs.Black's portrait suddenly let loose her trademark shriek.

"Mudbloods in the House of Black! Oh, for shame... for shame!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione covered their ears and moved quickly towards the door, but it was too late. The other portraits had woken and were screaming loudly as well. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley appeared in pajamas and nightgown (respectively), silencing each and every portrait individually.

"And just what do you three think you're doing?" questioned Mrs.Weasley.

"Mum...," began Ron.

"Don't you 'mum' me!" cried Mrs.Weasley indignantly, "Ronald Weasley, you should be in bed."

"How old do you think I am!" Ron's face turned bright red, "I'm seventeen mum! I'm a bloody adult, it's about time you let me live like one."

"You will not speak to your mother in that tone, Ronald," said Mr.Weasley in an uncharacteristically stern tone.

Ron opened his mouth to talk but instead let out a grunt of frustration and stomped out the door. Harry and Hermione looked at each other helplessly. After a series of looks, they both decided that Harry should do the talking.

"We... that is, Hermione just saw Malfoy walk out into the street," he explained, "we were just about to follow him. You never know where he might, you know... go to."

"Or who he's going to meet for that matter," added Hermione, "please let us go, he might be meeting one of the Death Eaters or something... who knows what he could be telling them. I know how you trust him, Mr.Weasley, but still... he might be lying."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked torn, but in the end Mr.Weasley nodded at them and the two were off. At first they couldn't find a trace of Ron anywhere, the dirty and loud street seemed devoid of life, aside, of course, from the stray cats that came and went. Then Harry spotted Ron's head appear from behind a corner, beckoning to Harry and Hermione.

"Malfoy went that way," said Ron when the two caught up with him.

"You didn't have to wait," said Hermione, "I mean, what if we lost him?"

"Nah, he's taking his time," answered Harry for Ron. Hermione searched Harry's face and followed his eyeline. Draco's hair stood out like a light bulb. He seemed to be... whistling?

Huh?

"If he were about to go meet Death Eaters," said Ron, "something tells me he wouldn't be looking that smug."

Hermione suddenly felt disappointed. Was Malfoy really on their side now? It was a weird feeling... On the one hand, she knew the Order of the Phoenix needed as much help as they could possibly get, but on the other... she resented the fact that that help had to come from Malfoy.

"Whoa--- where is he?" Ron turned around in a circle. It seemed Malfoy had disappeared. A door banged around the corner. Hermione, Harry and Ron sprinted towards it, and as they came nearer they realized they were hearing...

"Malfoy goes clubbing?" Harry guffawed at the thought, "We came here for this?"

Hermione shot a ferocious glare at him. Harry stopped laughing.

"Think!" Hermione frowned at him, "Have you noticed he's led us---"

"Correction, we've followed him..."

"Ron!" scolded Hermione furiously, "As I was saying... he's led us into Knockturn Alley. That tells us the type of people who hang out in there."

"Evil strippers, evil bartenders and evil wizards," recited Harry.

"Exactly!" beamed Hermione, "And with all the noise, it's the perfect backdrop for an inconspicuous conversation."

"With strippers?" asked Ron.

"With Death Eaters," answered Hermione.

"Bright girl," said a cold raspy voice emerging from the shadows, "Hard to believe you're a Mudblood."

Draco entered the club Absinthe with the bored look of someone who had been there quite often. He hated the place.

Trashy music.

He wondered how Dolohov was doing with the three outside. Strangely enough he didn't care much, he was more worried about meeting his father tonight.

"Draco..." Lucius Malfoy's icy voice cut through the air. The voice came from behind, but Draco didn't flinch, "VIP room three. I'll be joining you shortly." Father and son then went in separate directions without even glancing at each other. It had been like this all his life. Lucius Malfoy's relationship with the fruit of his loins was nothing but a business contract. Draco was his heir and his offering to the Dark Lord... nothing more.

Up in VIP room three, Draco waited for his father patiently, spreading himself on one of the red, velvet sofas and sipping a cocktail.

I hate red.

When Lucius finally entered, he was not alone. A breath-takingly beautiful girl with silvery hair accompanied him. Draco was suddenly alert. He had been told this was going to be business meeting and frankly, he was sick of his father's attempts as matchmaker, but this girl was different... he could tell.

"It 'as been too long, Draco," said Gabrielle Delacour.

Author's Note: The reviews have been making me very happy, thank you so very much! Please keep them coming. When I see that there's a good response to my fic it makes me want to write more! I've only been getting positive reviews which is fantastic. The little problem with the spelling mistakes has come to my attention, however, and I've decided that I need a BETA. I'm hoping one of the gracious readers of this fanfic will want to take up the post. If so, just tell me in a review.