Saturday, 12 January, 12:15 GMT, present day
Phillip pulled the cover flap down on the white pastry box. The New York style cheesecake had been cooling for the last two hours. Phillip had awoken that morning with an idea in his head. He was going to ask Mr. Malfoy how to get in touch with Mr. Montague. He nodded to himself before he walked to the bathroom.
o-o-o
Friday, 11 January, 23:30 GMT, present day
Phillip tossed and turned as his mind was filled with thoughts of what could have possibly happened to his inheritance. It wasn't as if he had actually earned the Schield family fortune. But it was the principle of the matter.
Phil had checked in with his Muggle bank that afternoon. The five million British Pounds was deposited back in April and had been accounted for. He had sat for a good half hour on the edge of his bed after rifling through his desk. He realized that he had left the contract paperwork that Mr. Graham Montague had worked on to divide up the estate of Cecil Schield back in Boston.
"You're an idiot, Phil," he admonished himself as he flopped down on his bed where he would remain for the rest of the evening. He eventually gave way to slumber in the wee hours of the morning.
o-o-o
Saturday, 12 January, 7:30 GMT, present day
Phillip had awoken with a start. He headed straight to the kitchen after using the bathroom and splashing water on his face. He had brought out a springform pan and mixing bowls. He had leftover ingredients; enough for one New York style cheesecake. So he set to baking one to take over to the Malfoys.
o-o-o
Saturday, 12 January, 12:20 GMT, present day
Phillip looked at himself in the mirror as he ran his right palm over his hair, making sure that any loose strands behaved after putting most of his afro into a ponytail. He straightened his dark green necktie and then rebuttoned the cuffs on his long sleeve white dress shirt. He nodded at his reflection before exiting the bathroom.
He pulled his winter coat from the coat rack and put it on before heading to the kitchen. He grabbed the pastry box and his keys and headed for the garage.
o-o-o
Saturday, 12 January, 12:35 GMT, present day
Phillip had parked outside of the Chiswick home. He rehearsed his spiel one more time before exiting the old BMW. He pulled his coat tighter around himself as the cold hit his face.
'Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy,' he said in his head as he walked up to the front door. 'I was in the neighborhood.'
Phil blew out a breath as he pushed the doorbell. He stood up straighter as the door swung open.
"I, uh, um," Phil faltered for a moment as he was surprised to see who answered the door. He had forgotten the spiel he had rehearsed in his head.
"Hey, Phil," the platinum blonde, grey-eyed younger Malfoy nodded at the visitor. "What brings you by?"
"Uh, hey, Junior, is your father home?" Phillip answered after a pause.
Draco, Jr. laughed. "Come on in, Phil," the younger man said as he ushered him into the foyer.
Draco closed the door and nodded at the older man. He helped Phillip remove his coat.
"Yeah, Dad and Mum moved back to Malfoy Manor back in June," Draco, Jr. said. Phillip nodded his head as the rest of the Malfoy family walked into the foyer.
"Uncle Phillip," eight-year-old Trey said as both he and his five-year-old sister hugged the visitor.
"Hey guys," Phillip said, smiling as he hugged the two youngsters.
"You remember Trey and Paige," Junior said as his wife entered the foyer.
"Yeah," Phillip said.
"Look who came in from the cold," Junior said as he nodded at his wife.
Phillip nodded at Junior's wife. "Looks like you've got a new addition.
"Hi Payton," he said as he kissed Junior's wife on the cheek.
"Hi, Phillip," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "This is Denton."
"He's adorable," Phillip said as he smiled down at the youngster.
"Well, let's sit down for lunch," Payton said, smiling at their visitor.
"I couldn't intrude, really," Phillip said. "I just needed to speak with your Dad."
"Nonsense, Phillip," Junior said. "Come on. We can talk about it over some pot roast."
The kids led the young man into the dining room where Junior pulled up an extra place setting. Everyone sat down to eat the lunch that both Payton and Draco prepared.
"I baked a cheesecake," Phillip said as he handed the pastry box to Payton.
"Sounds delicious," she said as she took the New York style cheesecake and placed it onto the table. "Let's tuck in guys."
"Uncle Phillip," Trey said after taking a bite of his pot roast. "How come you're not in Boston playing basketball?"
"I injured myself back in December," Phillip said.
"So you have an owie?" Paige asked as the adults laughed good-naturedly.
"I have two owies," Phillip smiled. "One in my left shoulder and one in my left knee. I'm back in London to get better."
"So you can't play right now?" Trey asked.
"No, not for a bit," Phillip said as he took another bite of his roasted potatoes.
"How long are you out?" Junior asked.
"Uh, well, the dislocated shoulder is getting better," Phillip shrugged. "But the torn ACL is going to set me back nine months to a year. I've got my first PT session on Wednesday."
"That's going to hurt so good," Junior said as he raised his fork to him. Everybody laughed as they continued to eat lunch.
o-o-o
Saturday, 12 January, 13:30 GMT, present day
"Okay, my little people, why don't you kids place your plates in the sink and we'll go to the living room to play chess so Dad and Uncle Phillip can catch up, okay," Payton said as she ate the last of her slice of cheesecake.
"Okay, Mum," Trey said as he took Paige's dessert plate and walked it to the sink while the younger Malfoy ran into the living room to set up the Wizarding chess board.
Payton stood up and nodded at the two men. Her husband nodded at her. She carried the napping baby Denton to the living room as Junior nodded at Phillip to follow him to the backyard.
o-o-o
Saturday, 12 January, 13:35 GMT, present day
Phillip sat down on one of the deck chairs on the patio. He flexed his surgically repaired knee for a moment as he looked at the green of the backyard. The warm temperature made him loosen his tie and roll up his sleeves.
Junior came back with two open green bottles he pulled from the backyard refrigerator. He handed one of the bottles to Phillip and sat down on one of the other deck chairs. Junior pointed at the backyard, "Enchantment spell. I could teach you that, someday."
Phillip nodded and laughed. He looked on at the wooden basketball court. He smiled as he pictured the old one-on-one pickup games he had with Drew.
"So, what's with the semi-formal wear?" Junior asked as he looked Phil up and down.
Phil shrugged as he took a swig of his Heineken. "I thought I was going to be speaking with your Mum and Dad."
Junior laughed. "You know, you don't need to impress them, right?" the young Malfoy took a drink of his beer. He looked at the older man, "You're practically part of the family.
"So, why'd you need to speak with Dad?" Junior asked as Phillip shrugged.
"I needed to ask him to get an appointment with my grandfather's," Phillip paused, "Mr. Schield's estate attorney, Mr. Montague. Financial stuff."
Junior nodded. He canted an eyebrow at Phillip. "I'll tell Dad tomorrow at our biweekly brunch. He should get back to you by the day's end."
"Thanks," Phillip said. He gulped down his beer. He looked at Junior. "So, uh, the whole family is gonna be there?"
Junior nodded, "Uh, yeah."
"So, um, how's Drew doing?" Phil asked looking down at his empty bottle. "I haven't had the chance to speak to her in a while."
"She's doing well," Junior said. "Busy with work and everything else."
"Good," Phillip said. He shrugged, "She seeing anybody new?"
Junior chuckled. He looked at Phil, "Maybe she should be the one to ask?"
Phillip laughed nervously, "I think she's pissed at me. She hasn't returned my texts or voicemails."
Junior nodded as Phillip stood up. The younger man stood up as well. "Give her some time, Phillip. You both went through quite a bit of trauma that night. She'll come around," Junior said. "Eventually."
"Yeah," Phillip said, feeling a little disappointed. "Well, I've taken too much of your time, Junior."
"It was nice company, Phillip," Junior said as he nodded for them to go back into the house.
"So, you'll ask your Dad, then?" Phillip said as he nodded at him.
Junior nodded as he closed the patio door behind them. He turned to his family, "Hey guys, Uncle Phillip's leaving."
The two youngsters looked up from their chess board. They both waved, "Bye Uncle Phillip!"
Payton checked on the napping Denton before walking over to the two gentlemen. Junior helped Phillip with his coat. Payton kissed the taller man on his cheek.
Phillip nodded at the couple. "Thanks for lunch, guys," Phillip said.
"Same time next week, Phillip?" Payton asked as Junior put his arm around her hip.
"Yeah, Phil, 12:30," Junior nodded. "And you don't even have to dress up."
The three laughed good-naturedly. Phillip nodded, "I'll be here."
Junior opened the door for their visitor. Phillip nodded and exited the house.
The Malfoys watched him pull his coat tighter around himself as he slowly made his way to his car at the curb. They waved as he pulled away.
Junior closed the door and then nodded at his wife. "Tomorrow's going to be a fun gathering," he said as he led his wife into the living room, explaining why Phillip wanted to speak to his Dad.
o-o-o
Sunday, 13 January, 2:20 PDT, present day
Drew yawned as she pulled Andy's right arm through the sleeve of his sweater. She had packed a second sweater into the diaper bag for when they would arrive in London. She placed the sleeping infant into his carrier and belted him in. She pulled the diaper bag over her head before grabbing onto the handle of the carrier as carefully as possible. He had just gone down after his 2 a.m. feeding. He would be up in another two hours.
She kindled the fire in the fireplace with the Floo powder. The green flames grew taller. She called out the name of the L.A. eatery where she would use the International Floo fireplaces to get to the Leaky Cauldron.
o-o-o
Sunday, 13 January, 10:30 GMT, present day
She stepped out of one of the Leaky Cauldron's International Floo fireplaces and walked into one that was for local traveling. She called out the residence in Wiltshire as she dropped the Floo powder onto the flames. She peered down at Andy who didn't even stir.
She blew out a breath as she looked at the familiar surroundings. The wards allowed her and Andy in.
"You two made it," the Malfoy matriarch walked into the foyer to greet her daughter.
"Yeah," Drew said as she kissed her mother on the cheek.
"Everybody got here within the last ten minutes," Hermione said as she offered to carry Andy in his carrier. "We're in the dining room."
Drew nodded as she followed her mother. "He should be asleep for another two hours."
Hermione nodded. "The other infants are also napping," she said as they entered the dining room. "Look who made it to brunch."
"Auntie Drew," all of the nieces and nephews came running up to her.
Hermione gently pulled Andy out of his carrier and placed him into the playpen with his three cousins all fast asleep. Draco stood near his wife looking at the sleeping children. He nodded at his wife. They headed to the table to join the other adults.
Everyone kissed Drew on the cheek in greeting before everyone took seats around the large dining table. Draco nodded at everyone as he waved his wand. Food appeared on their plates. "Let's tuck in, shall we?" Draco said as the clan laughed.
o-o-o
Sunday, 13 January, 10:45 GMT, present day
"Well, let's go around the table," Draco began. "Drew, what's new in L.A. since we saw you and Andy last week?"
The group laughed. "Nothing new, really," Drew answered. "Andy is still figuring out his sleeping and eating patterns. I'm hoping he settles into a routine before I start back at San Agustin's in three weeks."
"I'm sure Andy will make the transition," Hermione said as everyone laughed again.
"Guess who showed up for lunch at the house yesterday," Junior said, taking a bite of his ham steak as he took a peek at Drew. His wife blew out an unnoticeable breath.
"Who?" his father asked.
"Phillip Martinez," Junior said as Drew looked at his brother, while it seemed the room full of adults took in a collective breath. "Yeah, he thought Mum and Dad were still living at the Chiswick house."
Drew could feel her ears start to flush. She looked down at her plate of eggs and sausage.
"He, uh, wanted to ask Dad if he could get into contact with Mr. Montague," Junior said shrugging as he ate some of his scrambled eggs. He nodded at his father, "I told Phil to expect a call later on today."
Mr. Malfoy nodded, "Okay, I'll speak with Phil after we eat."
"Alright, then," Mrs. Malfoy said gently and then changed the subject. "Hans, Catey what's new with you guys?"
Drew nodded a thanks to her mother as the other family members updated their status. The rest of the brunch was uneventful. The Malfoy grandkids all took turns sharing with their grandparents the events of the past week. Drew's thoughts were on the context of the lunch date that Phillip had with Junior's family as the rest of the brunch went on.
o-o-o
Sunday, 13 January, 12:45 GMT, present day
Everyone relaxed in the large family room. The menfolk and the older kids sat in front of the large Smart television as they watched Muggle English Premier League Soccer. The women and infants sat at the other end of the room conversing.
Drew noticed her father taking his mobile out and waving it at Junior before standing up. Drew looked at her mother, who nodded at her. Hermione brought Andy into her arms as Drew stood up to follow her father out of the family room.
Drew walked into the empty hallway. She walked towards the library, her sanctuary as a child. She entered the high ceiling room as her father nodded at her. She sat down on one of the couches near the desk, against which her father leaned as he put his ear against his mobile.
"Hi Phillip," her father said as Drew's breath hitched in her chest. "Dr. Malfoy and I doing well, thanks."
Drew's ears pounded as her heart rate increased, anxious about the content of the conversation. She leaned forward.
"Yeah, we moved to Malfoy Manor back in July," her father said. "Junior mentioned you needed to speak with me.
"Uh huh. Yeah, Montague. Okay, I can meet you at your father's house at 9 am tomorrow. We can travel to Wizarding London from there.
"We should be able to get to Montague's office shortly after that," the platinum blonde father nodded. "Okay, I'll see you then. Bye."
Drew looked up at her father as he made his way to sit next to her on the couch. He put his arm around her.
"What did he say?" Drew asked softly.
He smiled and shrugged, "He's in town to rehab his injured shoulder and knee. He needed to speak with Graham Montague about the Schield Estate fortune that he inherited."
Drew whimpered. Mr. Malfoy squeezed her shoulder gently.
"Hey," he said as he looked into her face. "Mum and I said back when you first told us about Andy that we'd support you in keeping him a secret. Family sticks together, Drew."
"Dad's right," Junior said as he plopped himself next to Drew on the couch.
She looked at her younger brother. She smirked at him.
He just smiled. "Your secret's safe, Drew. Payton and the kids would never 'let the cat out of the bag,'" he said as he, too, put his arm around her shoulders. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, we kinda invited him to lunch next week."
"You did what?!" Drew asked incredulously.
"Relax, Drew," the younger platinum blonde Malfoy said as he put his hands up. He smirked at her. "You know the old saying, 'keep your enemies closer.'"
"Phil is not my enemy," she said, exasperatingly.
"Okay, childhood adversary, then," Junior smiled as he stood up. Drew and their father stood up as well. "Phil is a good guy, Drew."
"I know that," she said softly. "I just don't want him to hate me for the rest of my life for not coming clean about Andy."
"Come on, Drew," Junior said as he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward the door. He paused for a moment as he looked into her eyes. "Phillip cares for you."
Her father watched as she blew out a defeated breath. "Everything is going to be just fine, Drew," the older Malfoy said. "You have to trust that."
"Don't worry too much about Phil," Junior said as they walked into the hall. "We'll keep him in line. He's practically one of the family."
The three Malfoys laughed. Drew felt a little more at ease as they made their way back to the large family room.