Monday, 14 January, 8:45 GMT, present day
Phillip had been pacing for the past ten minutes in his living room, straightening his blue necktie and fidgeting with the buttons of his grey single-breasted suit. He had awoken nearly three hours earlier. He put in a half-hour on his exercise bike before getting ready for the day.
He chose to wear a grey suit, all along Junior's words played through his head, 'You know, you don't have to impress them, right?' He rolled his eyes as he looked in the mirror. He made his way to the kitchen for breakfast where he had two cups of coffee and some toast with clotted cream.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 8:50 GMT, present day
Phillip turned suddenly as he heard a crack. The tall platinum blonde nodded at him.
"Alright, Phillip?" Mr. Draco Malfoy asked as he looked Phillip up and down, "Ready to go?"
"Uh, yeah," Phillip nodded, "Thanks for doing this, Mr. Malfoy."
"Hey, no problem, Phillip," Mr. Malfoy said as he ran his hand on the mantle of the fireplace. He tapped the box that held the Schield wand. He clapped his hands of the dust that had collected on the box which obviously had not been touched since he had placed it there almost nine months ago.
"So how do we get to where we want to go?" Phillip asked.
"Take my arm, Phillip," Mr. Malfoy offered his left elbow. He held his wand in his right arm as Phillip took hold of the older man's forearm.
The wizard waved his wand. The pair Apparated with a crack.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 9:00 GMT, present day
The pair ended up on Charing Cross Road. Phillip wobbled for a moment as he got his bearings. The platinum blonde wizard nodded for him to follow him. They joined the crowd as they entered the crosswalk.
Mr. Malfoy walked past several shops before he slowed down in front of a book shop. He nodded at Phillip as they stood in front of the record shop right next door. The wizard allowed the few remaining pedestrians on the street to pass them.
"Wait for it," Mr. Malfoy said as Phillip looked at him questioningly. Phillip took in a quick breath as he saw the buildings part. Phillip looked up at the sign above the door of the establishment that appeared, The Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Malfoy nodded for them to enter.
Phillip looked around the pub. It was fairly empty, obviously, at 9 am in the morning. Only a few patrons sat at tables eating breakfast. Mr. Malfoy nodded for Phillip to follow him to the back exit of the building where they entered a small courtyard.
Phillip watched as the blonde wizard used his wand to tap several bricks on the wall. The young man took a step back as the wall opened up.
"Shall we?" Mr. Malfoy said as he took a step through the portal. Phillip followed him through. The portal closed behind them.
"What is this place?" Phillip asked.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Mr. Malfoy said as he led them down the cobbled road. "Home to many a Wizarding shop. Montague's office is a long walk down the way, but we can window shop as we get there."
Phillip looked in wonder as they passed the flying broom showcase window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and then the lively bookstore Flourish & Blott's. He looked at the humongous marble building that housed Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Mr. Malfoy paused for a moment.
"Knockturn Alley," Mr. Malfoy pointed at a seedy looking road. "You wouldn't want to get caught dead down that road. Come on, we're almost there."
Phillip followed the older man as they continued their walk. Mr. Malfoy stopped in front of a small shop. He smiled to himself as looked up at the sign.
"Is this Mr. Montague's office, Sir?" Phillip asked.
"Uh, no," he said as he looked at the young man. "It's Ollivander's Wand Shop. Every eleven-year-old Wizarding candidate has come through these doors to get his or her first wand.
"Brings back memories," Mr. Malfoy said as he smiled at the young man. "Anyways, Montague is a couple of shops down."
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 9:20 GMT, present day
The pair stood in front of the modest looking office. Phillip looked at the engraved glass door, Montague and Sons.
"Let's go talk to Montague," Mr. Malfoy said as he opened the glass door.
Phillip looked around the busy office as many of the associates spoke with Wizarding clients. Mr. Malfoy noticed his contemporary approaching the two. The platinum blonde was a bit on guard as he saw a smile on the attorney's face.
The older grey haired former Slytherin extended his hand to the new arrivals. "Malfoy," Graham Montague said as he shook Draco's hand and then extended it to the younger man, "Mr. Martinez, what brings you both by?"
Mr. Malfoy canted an eyebrow at his old housemate. "Phillip here had some financial inquiries about his inheritance. Perhaps, we could talk somewhere more private."
"Of course," the blue-eyed attorney nodded for them to follow him into his enclosed office.
Phillip and Mr. Malfoy entered the glass-windowed office at the rear of the establishment. Mr. Montague shut the door behind them.
"Please have a seat," Mr. Montague said as he pointed to the chairs surrounding the coffee table as he sat in of them. "Coffee or tea, Draco, Mr. Martinez?"
"Uh coffee, Sir," Phillip said.
"Tea for me, Graham," Mr. Malfoy said.
The older wizard nodded as he waved his wand. Liquid from the carafe of coffee was poured into a white mug as the teapot poured Earl Grey tea into two mugs. The drinking vessels were placed onto a platter along with some sugar and cream. The platter levitated its way to the where the men sat before settling in the center of the coffee table.
Phillip watched the whole thing in awe, still getting used to the Wizarding World and its ways. He had to shake himself out of his daze as Mr. Montague handed him his coffee mug.
"So, what questions do you have, Mr. Martinez," Mr. Montague asked before taking a sip of his tea.
"Uh, well," Phillip began, "I visited Wellesley on Friday and I spoke with Director Timson. He said the ten million British Pounds was much appreciated. They're enhancing the Athletic Complex."
"I'm glad the donation has helped," Mr. Montague said as he took another sip from his tea.
Mr. Malfoy hid a smile as Phillip began, "I thought I had earmarked 90 million to Wellesley?"
"That begs the question, Graham," Mr. Malfoy began, "Were all of the other donations shortchanged?"
"Montague & Sons has had a long-standing legacy to ensure that we work in the best interests of our clients, Draco," the wizard said and then turned to the younger man, "Mr. Martinez, I can assure you all of the Schield inheritance can be accounted for."
The attorney waved his wand and the bottom drawer of the four-drawer cabinet opened. A file levitated out of the drawer and flew into Mr. Montague's hands. He opened up the file and placed it in front of the two men.
"Our law practice has been in operation for the past eight generations," the attorney said. He looked at both of the men, "We've served the oldest Wizarding families since the beginning.
"Your grandfather and his family have been a part of that legacy," Mr. Montague said as Phillip took in a deep breath. "Like you, I'm the sole heir of the Montague holdings; my brothers have passed and their families never were interested in the family business anyway.
"My father, his father, and his father before him served the Schield family exclusively," the former Slytherin's blue eyes glossed over a little. "Your family has had mine under its thumb for quite a while.
"No offense, Mr. Martinez," Mr. Montague shrugged, "Your grandfather wasn't the nicest of characters."
"None taken, Mr. Montague," Phillip said as he took another sip of his coffee. "So, what does the ill-manners of my biological grandfather have to do with the Schield financial disbursements?"
Mr. Montague smiled as Mr. Malfoy took a sip from his teacup. The former blue-eyed Quidditch player chuckled, "Our firm has lost quite a bit of business from the Wizarding Pure-blood elite since your grandfather passed almost nine months ago.
"To tell you the truth," he paused, "I don't think it bothers me as much as many thought it should have. My associates, three of whom are my daughters, tell me that our workplace climate has changed, in a positive way.
"And like I said earlier, our firm has only the best interests of our clients' at heart, Mr. Martinez," he pulled several papers and handed them to the young man. "We have thank you letters from each of the establishments for which we set up annual endowment funds."
"The remaining monies, Mr. Montague?" Phillip asked as he looked through the parchment papers embossed with the different letterheads.
"Of course," Mr. Montague nodded. He looked through the folder and pulled the financial statements. "If you take a look at the records, all of the accounts have been making profits, which in turn will add to the endowments in the long run."
Phillip looked at the first statement, the endowment account for Saint Augustine's Hospital. Two million galleons were deducted from the eighteen million earmarked for the fund at the onset seven months ago in May. Since then, the account had earned a little over one million galleons in interest.
Phillip blew out a breath as he skimmed the other account statements. All of them showed similar results. He looked up at his grandfather's attorney.
"So what's the plan, then, Mr. Montague?" the young athlete said looking at the older man.
"Well, we just sent a second disbursement for the college endowments for the second school semester last month," Mr. Montague nodded. "We'll send out the year two disbursements at the end of July."
"Well, looks like Phillip shouldn't worry about the donations anymore, right, Graham," Mr. Malfoy nodded at his old schoolmate.
"Of course," Mr. Montague nodded at the young man, "we're not as bad as you might have thought we were. Your grandfather's death, sorry to say, turned over a new leaf for us, Mr. Martinez."
"Please call me Phillip," Phillip said as he stood up. Mr. Malfoy did the same. The young man extended his hand as Mr. Montague stood up as well. He accepted the young man's handshake.
"This cleared a lot of things up," Mr. Malfoy said as he, too, shook Mr. Montague's hand. "I think we've taken too much of your company time already."
"Nonsense, Draco," his old housemate assured them. "It's good to have clarity of the situation."
"Thanks, Mr. Montague," Phillip said.
"We'll take our leave, Graham. Thank you again for seeing us," Draco nodded as the older wizard led the two visitors out of his office.
"Call on us anytime, Phillip," Mr. Montague said as they reached the reception area. "We're here to serve you."
Both Mr. Malfoy and Phillip nodded as they exited the establishment. Phillip followed Mr. Malfoy back up the street.
"Come on," Mr. Malfoy said to Phillip as he looked at his watch, 10:30 am. "Let me buy you an early lunch."
Phillip canted his head at the wizard. He nodded and then followed the platinum blonde down the street to a Wizarding eatery.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 10:45 GMT, present day
The pair was seated at a table. Phillip looked at the Wizarding menu. 'They eat the same things we do,' he thought to himself.
"Hey, Phillip," Mr. Malfoy said as he stood up. "Order me whatever you're having. I have to step out for a moment, alright."
"Sure, Sir," Phillip nodded as he watched the platinum blonde step out of the eatery. The waitress approached.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 11:30 GMT, present day
Phillip had ordered the steak and egg platter for both of them with a glass of iced tea. Mr. Malfoy took a bite of over medium eggs as Phillip took a sip of his iced tea.
"Well, today was interesting," Mr. Malfoy said.
"How so, Sir?"
"I've never seen this side of Graham before," Mr. Malfoy said as he took a sip of his iced tea. "He was a right git back at Hogwarts. Didn't think he had a softer side."
"I guess people have the potential to change, for good or for bad," Phillip said as he took a bite of his eggs.
Mr. Malfoy nodded and then canted his head at him. Phillip took a gulp. "So, I heard you had lunch with Junior and his family on Saturday."
"Yes, Sir," Phillip said as he took a sip of his iced tea. "I was looking for you, actually. And then they invited me in for lunch. They're a great bunch. Junior invited me for lunch this Saturday as well.
"Sir," Phillip paused, "I can cancel the lunch date if you'd like."
Mr. Malfoy chuckled, "Phil, why would you do that?"
"I just figured," Phillip looked down at his plate and then looked into the same grey irises as his friend's, "What I did to Drew."
"Phillip," Mr. Malfoy interrupted, "Drew and you have had a long history. You're practically a part of our family, already. The boys get the same feeling."
Phillip nodded. "How is Drew, Sir?"
Mr. Malfoy smiled, "She's doing fine, Phillip. Work keeps her busy."
Phillip nodded at the similar answer with which Junior had responded. He wouldn't push the conversation.
"I think today went well," Phillip said as he took a bite of his steak.
"Yes it did," Mr. Malfoy agreed as they enjoyed their lunch.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 12:00 GMT, present day
The pair walked up the street where they had begun the Wizarding day almost two and a half hours ago. Mr. Malfoy had tapped the bricks to arrive at the rear of the Wizarding pub. They stepped into the courtyard. Phillip turned back to see the portal close.
"Alright, Phil?" Mr. Malfoy asked.
"Yeah, Mr. Malfoy," Phillip nodded.
"Let's get home, shall we?" Draco said as he nodded for them to enter the Leaky Cauldron.
Mr. Malfoy led them to the bank of Flooing fireplaces. Phillip was keen to head to the exit but paused as Mr. Malfoy nodded at him.
"We'll use a fireplace to get to your house," Mr. Malfoy said.
"Doesn't it have to be connected to the network?" Phillip asked.
"That's why I stepped out at the restaurant," Mr. Malfoy said. He nodded for them to enter the fireplace in front of them. "Shall we? You know your address more than I do. Be clear about it and enunciate."
Phillip nodded. He said his full address and the flames turned green. The pair disappeared.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 19:30 PDT, present day
Drew knocked on the front door of the shuttered pub in the Los Angeles business district. She had called Aston five minutes earlier to bend his ear. He had told her that he was in town checking in on the progress of the renovation of the interior of the new pub in partnership with his father's new bakery location adjacent to it.
"Hey," the dark-haired restaurateur kissed her on both cheeks as he held the door open. She wheeled the young lad in his stroller as Aston closed and locked the door behind him. "Have you eaten yet?"
She shook her head. He smiled. "Steak and chips?"
"Sounds good," she said as he led her to one of the tables. He nodded at her before exiting to the kitchen.
He reentered carrying two plates of food. She looked up at him and smiled.
"How do you do that?" she laughed as he placed the plate of steak and fries in front of her.
"Soft drink or iced tea?" he said, smiling, as he went behind the bar.
"Iced tea is fine."
"Coming right up," he said as he brought a can of Aloha Maid Iced Tea for her and a green bottle of Heineken for him. They began to tuck in.
o-o-o
Monday, 14 January, 20:00 PDT, present day
"So what's new?" Aston asked as he ate one of his Frenched fries.
She shrugged as she took a bite of her steak. She looked up. "Phillip showed up at the Chiswick house on Saturday. He thought Mum and Dad were still living there."
Aston nodded as he took a bite of his steak. "What did Junior do?"
Drew rolled her eyes. "He invited him in for lunch."
"So, Phillip needed to talk to your parents?"
"Yeah," Drew said. "Apparently he needed to get in touch with Mr. Montague.
"Dad actually took Phillip to see him this morning," Drew looked up at Aston.
Aston squeezed her hand to comfort her. "Did the meeting go well?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I'm afraid to ask."
"Are you upset that Phil's trying to infiltrate your family?" he said as he took another sip of his beer.
She gulped. She looked up at him and then added softly, "No."
"Are you afraid they'll let the cat out of the bag about Andy?"
"No," she shook her head.
"So, what are you so anxious about?"
She blew out a breath. "I've resigned myself to the fact that Phillip would never consider me to be his type; I've known every woman he's dated since we were at Wellesley.
"I just," she began as he canted an eyebrow at her. She continued, softly, "I'm scared he wouldn't want anything to do with Andy."
"I don't think Phillip would ever turn his back, Drew," her old friend looked her in the eye. "He was adopted. He of all people would know the value of family."
Drew whimpered. Aston patted her hand again. He nodded at her reassuringly. Drew nodded back. They continued to finish their dinner.