February 18, 1999

"So we're just gonna cut right through the bar area to the stairwell and oh! Uh-oh! Now, we're just gonna turn right back around and head back to the Floo entrance." Theo said while turning on his heel and guiding his date back where they had just come from.

A young lady wearing a green and silver tie who happened to be accompanying Theo into the Hog's Head bar area asked, "Wait, what? Why?"

"C'mon, let's just go," Theo said as they reached the entrance. "Here's the powder, just go to Professor Snape's office."

"Wait, aren't you coming too?"

"I'm not, my sincerest apologies. I suddenly have something I have to take care of, but I'll be fine." Seeing the terrified look on her face, he suddenly remembered that Snape had never given either one of them permission to use his Floo and would no doubt give his date hell for showing up out of nowhere. "Look, just tell him his nephew said you could use his Floo because it's an emergency. He'll know what it means."

The young woman took just a moment before she asked, "Wait, are you related to Professor Snape?"

"Absolutely not, that's why I said he'll know what it means. You've got to learn to go with the flow or you'll never be that girl who gets asked back to hotel rooms, you know. I'll be sure to tell the other guys how chill you were if you just go."

After the green flames from the Floo had settled down, Theo took a deep breath and walked back to the bar where he ordered himself a firewhiskey as he sat down.

"Was that the Accrington girl?" An older woman asked as she sipped a wine glass that Theo surmised she had brought with her.

"It was."

"Theodore, I don't want that many details of your private life, but you verify their birthdays before you bring them to your bed, correct?"

"I'll have you know she passed her Apparition test last week on her first attempt." Theo waggled his eyebrows. "Can I ask why a lovely lady such as yourself is hanging out here on a weeknight? I know Lucius has left your bed cold, but you can do better than the likes of this place."

"It's time for my son and I to speak face-to-face as he's been leaving my owls unanswered since the new year."

"You know, I have been thinking it'd be nice to have a full family dinner. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" The Malfoy matriarch pursed her lips and gave Theo a look of annoyance before he plundered on, "Oh, come on, I know you aren't gonna take this from me after all the spying I've done for you. Between you, all the favors Uncle Sevvy has me doing and my NEWT work, I've barely touched my legal stash of fun since the Quidditch pitch incident. It's been over a month! I need this."

"Are you referring to your detentions with Severus as 'doing favors for him'? Theodore, this is why you were barely allowed to return to Hogwarts this year."

"Here I thought it was my father being a death eater." Theo pouted quietly as he sipped his newly refilled glass of firewhiskey.

"Theodore Ignatius, I hate when you do that sad orphan thing. Fine, you can come to this dinner, but you will hold your tongue."

Theo perked up immediately. "Of course, Narcissa. Anything for you. Can I ask what your plan is if the love birds Floo directly into their room? I tried to get a room with a direct connection, but Aberforth grumbled about the fire codes only allowing one room to do that and it was already taken."

"You'll be pleased to know that I too was sorted into Slytherin in my time and prepared a plan for just such an occasion. I'm sure my son and his fiance will be down soon. In the meantime, it seems that we should discuss your plans after school. Severus tells me when he last brought it up with you, you said your plans were to 'spend all that dark money any place there's sun, sand and titties.'"

"I don't see what there is to discuss, those are my plans. I feel like I've been very clear."

Just as Narcissa opened her mouth to speak, the door to the stairwell opened up to allow Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger to enter the room.

"Hello there, Mother and Theo," Draco warily greeted the unexpected visitors before he kissed both his mother's cheeks in a way that was too formal for the location.

"Yes, hello there, Mrs. Malfoy and Theo," Hermione said brightly, as she reached out to shake the older woman's hand, "We were informed that we had dinner reservations in the bar tonight which is odd because neither of us had any idea this place serves food. We've actually already eaten at the castle."

"No worries, darling," Narcissa said smoothly, "The food is not the point of this meeting."

"Ooooooooooo…" Theo said in a mock scandalized tone as he brought his hand to his mouth.

"Theodore, we discussed this. If you're going to cause a scene, I'll send a patronus to Severus and let him know where you are. I'm sure he's looking for you after your date randomly showed up in his Floo at your behest."

Theo instantly recognized this threat as genuine and had the good grace to look slightly ashamed of himself, if just for a moment.

As the four of them stood in there in silence, Aberforth Dumbledore appeared from behind the bar and said in a tone that oozed with annoyance, "Your table for four is ready, Mrs. Malfoy."

"I knew I was invited originally," Theo nearly shouted while pumping his hand in the air in celebration.

"Of course you were, but we both know that I can't take you anywhere if I don't lay down the ground rules before we arrive," Narcissa said as the four of them took their places at the table. Theo found himself across from Hermione and between the two Malfoys.

Draco scoffed out loud at this as he looked to place a napkin in his lap but refrained after looking the napkin over and seeing more than one stain, "Yeah, remember that time you got us kicked out of that restaurant in London because they refused to serve you firewhiskey?"

"That place was so rude!" Theo exclaimed as he reached for a breadstick.

"We were thirteen, Theo. I wouldn't have served us, would you?"

"If a thirteen year old enters my bar and orders a firewhiskey with as much confidence as I had that night, I would have."

"I doubt that the owner agreed with that assessment, especially after you pitched a fit and lit part of the kitchen on fire."

Aberforth picked this moment to reappear with firewhiskey for the men and red wine for the women.

Theo kept the tangent going, "That was an accident which you know full-well. The auror report cleared me of all charges."

"I seem to recall that the auror on that case was a relative of yours." Narcissa remarked as she motioned to Aberforth to serve the meal.

"He still let me sit in that cell for a week before he let me go."

"Didn't you yell 'fuck the aurors' at the scene when he arrived?" Draco piped up clearly latching on to this story to waste time.

"I was a lovable, feisty kid, I will not apologize for this."

As the two boys fell into a fit of laughter, Narcissa piped up, "Theodore, you're careful with all the girls you bring back here, right? Surely, you're not gonna curse the world by bringing children of your own into it."

Theo looked down at the food in front of him and just shook his head before he answered.

"Not that it's anyone at this table's concern, but I am a diligent user of the long-term potion. Every year on my birthday, I give myself the gift of not having a girl scream that they're pregnant with my child in the hallway after I've just gotten caught with my pants down and my hand in another girl's…"

Theo dissolved into a fit of giggles at the looks on the faces of his friends as Narcissa smirked to herself.

"Speaking of all of that, Draco, I was happy to hear that you've been released from detentions after that nasty incident with Miss Parkinson." Narcissa said deftly steering the conversation where Draco had known all along that it would. "It would have been nice to hear it from you, son, but Severus' letters are nice too."

"I've been a bit busy with NEWT exams coming up."

"Oh, yes, and I'm sure it's fairly taxing to commute to and from the castle every day. It brutally cuts into your letter writing time each day."

"I'm eighteen, Mother."

"I'm aware of how old you are, Draco. I'm not scolding you for your decisions, yet, merely your lack of informing me. I suppose we should circle back around to your decisions now that we're here now, don't you think?"

Draco sighed deeply and put his fork down, the food was terrible and he was concerned that Aberforth might be poisoning them on purpose to make sure he never had to cook again.

"If we must."

"Oh, we must. Would you believe that I received five different letters earlier this week informing that Hermione Granger is wearing a Malfoy family heirloom on that finger on that hand? One of them was from Miss Parkinson, Draco. She told me before you did."

"She told you what? That she had permanent herpes?"

"No, Draco. She didn't mention that part although other letters did spend a considerable amount of time on the subject. She was more concerned with your engagement. An engagement I knew nothing about."

Draco maintained eye contact with his mother as they sat in silence. Hermione, of all people, finally spoke up and said, "We aren't engaged, Mrs. Malfoy. We just thought it would be fun to mess with Pansy. I apologize, I had no idea you weren't in on the plan. I also thought your son would have been maintaining correspondence with you."

"Yes, this entire affair has been utterly embarrassing for the entire family, Draco," Theo said, in a mock father-like voice that Draco found grating, "Your mother deserves better after all she does for this family."

Everyone at the table glared at Theo who maintained his airy demeanor as he changed the subject, "I will say they did a great job of messing with Pansy. She had such a fit in Uncle Sevvy's office after The Great Hall Incident that he actually told her to shut the fuck up. I can't believe she got him to cuss before Blaise and I could manage it."

"I knew I was gonna win that bet," Draco said while grinning at his oldest friend.

"Fifty galleons wasted. It's a shame."

"Yes, that's the shame in this situation," Narcissa said while putting down her silverware and no longer pretending to eat the food in front of her. "Hermione, if you would be a dear and send an old lady a letter every now and then letting her know what her son is up to, I'd be forever grateful."