Zeivira: Thanks for the brilliant ideas. I might incorporate some of them later in the story :)

marylopez0812: Don't worry, there will be some great bonding moments between Draco and his mother and Draco and Snape during the Easter holidays :)

I am back from Rome and passed my last exam (well, the last regular exam that is not my diploma exam) so I am quite excited and a little less stressed than before. Now I've just got to finish my diploma thesis and then pass my very last exam in June or July.

Read, enjoy and review :)

Detention, after the massive row in the Great Hall, was a surprisingly uneventful affair. Maybe it had been the teacher present that kept everything calm and relatively friendly. Or perhaps his long overdue apology to the golden trio had caused the detention going smoothly. Or maybe it was the sheer number of students present - the golden trio, Daphne, Neville, Theo, Ginny, Finnigan, Thomas, Crabbe, Goyle, and of course Draco himself - which kept everyone from starting another fight. Draco really didn't know. He savored every moment of respite that he got in his otherwise rather turbulent life.

This relative peace and quiet continued throughout the holidays. People would whisper and glare at him and his friends, but everyone was busy with homework and Draco and his friends often hid in the library or the Room of Requirement, so the other students had little opportunity to bother them too much.

Time passed quickly and soon the last day of a quite eventful year arrived.

Draco did not remember there ever being a Slug Club New Year's party. Then again, he had never been a part of the Slug Club before, which had probably been due to his father being in Azkaban when Slughorn had taught him the first time around. He had also been quite preoccupied with being depressed and trying to find a way to accomplish the impossible - kill the most powerful wizard of their time. Sixth year had been a truly dreadful experience for Draco. Seventh year had been no better... In retrospect, Draco's time at Hogwarts had been a disaster, which was why he appreciated the life he had managed to build since he traveled back in time.

He met one of the reasons why his new life was going so well in front of her dorm. Astoria's brilliant smile already greeted him from afar and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi," he said, kissing her softly. "You look stunning as always." And she did, with her radiant smile, long hair in a braid and wearing a beautiful green dress. "Shall we get going?" He held out his arm for her.

"Oh yes," she said happily. "Where is the party?"

"Slughorn's office," replied Draco, leading her down the marble staircase. "Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?"

"Rufus Scrimgeour?" laughed Astoria.

"I — what?"

Astoria giggled. "Just one of Luna's theories. She has a vivid imagination."

"She's got that from her father, I assume," he muttered, unable to keep the resentment out of his voice.

"Still mad because of that Veela article?" laughed Astoria.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It must be my undeniable handsomeness," he deadpanned. "Being such a dashing young man... makes being part Veela a natural conclusion, I suppose."

"Can't say I disagree on that part," she edged a little closer to him, blushing faintly.

Approaching Slughorn's office, they could hear laughter and music coming from the other side of the door.

Once they entered the office, Draco was stunned. The office appeared much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

"Ah Draco, my boy," boomed Slughorn's loud voice. "Come in, come in." His gaze fell on Astoria. "Ah, Ms. Greengrass, welcome," he turned back to Draco, a look of approval on his face, "did you know your friend is the best Potion's student in her year?"

"Really?" Draco smiled at Astoria proudly. He wasn't surprised at all.

Slughorn soon moved on to greet other new arrivals. Draco looked around the room. He could see a few teachers and several Slytherins - Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Hestia and Flora Carrow and Melinda Bobbin. Daphne was there as well, being the date of Neville. Ever since the first class in which Neville had won the Felix Felicis, he had been one of Slughorn's favorite students.

Draco spotted Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger. There were quite a few students from the other schools. Besides Krum, Draco could make out Johanna and Serge, standing next to Theo. Apparently, Slughorn had seized the opportunity to expand his influence to other countries.

Harry Potter, of course, was there as well. He had brought Ginny, but she was standing a few feet away, as Harry was surrounded by the prominence among the members of the Slug Club.

Draco leaned over to Astoria and whispered, "That's the vampire, over there," and he motioned his head in Potter's direction. Potter was talking to a small, stout, bespectacled man. Next to him was a tall, dark figure which seemed a bit out of place.

"Is that Eldred Worple? I read Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires," Astoria seemed excited, "than the other guy must be Sanguini."

Draco and Astoria approached the famous author.

"Oh, Mr. Worple, I have read all of your books. It's such an honor to meet you. And Mr. Sanguini, of course."

While Astoria chatted happily with Worple, Ginny used the chance to pull Harry away from the crowd. Draco stepped away to get himself and Astoria drinks, when Daphne made her way towards him.

"Lost Neville?" Draco smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny," Daphne rolled her eyes, "he's talking to a Herbology genius. The leading expert in the field. Five minutes into their conversation I couldn't understand a word they were saying anymore," she said, smiling. She did not sound bitter at all. "I seem to be dating a genius."

"Congratulations," chuckled Draco. "Your sister has left me to fawn over other men."

Daphne laughed. "No surprise there, considering all the famous authors running around here."

"I'm not fawning over anyone." Astoria had suddenly appeared behind them and Draco handed her her drink. "I got an autograph, though."

Draco examined the signed photograph. The ink, he noted, was red. "Nice."

"Did you know that Worple is already working on his next book? He's thinking about becoming a vampire himself. Isn't that fascinating?"

"Would definitely boost his sales," said Daphne.

The three chatted about the advantages and disadvantages of eternal damnation until Neville and Theo joined their group.

"I met Mr. Novikov," Theo told them, "he's an Unspeakable. He did not tell me much about his work, obviously, but it seems to have something to do with time. I thought, maybe I could do something similar after Hogwarts. How cool would that be?"

Draco nearly choked on his drink and Neville had to pet him on the back a few times.

"It does sound interesting," said Astoria, "but wouldn't it bother you to never be able to talk about your work with anyone?"

"But that's what makes it so cool," replied Theo, laughing. "And, of course, uncovering the secrets of the universe."

"Well," Neville said smirking, and Draco was immensely grateful to him for changing the subject, "I talked to Selina Sapworthy. She gave me a signed copy of Winogrand's Wonderous Water Plants."

"Wow," said Daphne and Astoria in unison.

"There's so much I still don't know about Herbology and that they don't teach at Hogwarts. Did you know that you can use Herbology in Divination? It's called Xylomancy. Selina told me all about it. I really can't wait to be done with Hogwarts. Selina offered me an internship for when I'm done with my schooling."

"Amazing," Daphne smiled at Neville, but then frowned, "I didn't know we had to decide our whole future today."

Draco laughed. "I think career counseling is scheduled for next year, so you still have some time."

He was still laughing when he felt Astoria nudging him in the side. "I think Professor Snape wants to talk to you."

"Huh?" Draco turned around. Snape was standing next to an older wizard. He was indeed motioning for Draco to join him.

"Oh, he's talking to Professor Spleen. I've seen him at St. Mungo's," said Neville.

"Great," Draco said, "if you already know him you can join me. Ladies - and Theo - we'll be back shortly." Draco inclined his head and dragged Neville towards the two older men.

"Professor," Draco greeted.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Longbottom. May I introduce you to Prof. Spleen. He works as a potioneer at the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo's."

"No need to be so formal," laughed the wizard, "Call me Helbert. It is a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. Your Professor has told me of your endeavor and I must say, I am intrigued."

Draco and Neville looked at each other and beamed.

"We have discussed the specifics of the potion and I think by summer we should be able to test it. It is a shame it takes such a long time to create the aconite concentrate."

"About that," interrupted Neville, "Selina Sapworthy told me she is working on a method to synthesize the effect of the concentrate using plants which are easier to procure."

Snape and Helbert looked at each other. "That sounds highly alchemical," Snape pondered, "but I shall talk to her about this."

"If such a thing is possible, we could test your theory by April...," mused Helbert. "I will arrange for a meeting during the Easter holidays. You two should really consider a career in healing."

They talked some more before Helbert Spleen had to leave.

Draco was beginning to see the benefits of such gatherings. He had always thought that Slughorn just enjoyed being surrounded by the rich and famous, not unlike Draco's parents. But bringing the most brilliant people of their generation together could do so much more than just boost one's reputation. Brilliant people could achieve incredible things on their own, but combining the different fields could lead to truly miraculous outcomes. Golpalott's third law stated that the antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components. Perhaps magic was like that, too. Magic was more than just the sum of the subjects taught at Hogwarts. Maybe dividing magic into unrelated subjects was wrong and they should be taught more interdisciplinary.

Spleen's place was soon occupied by Prof. Slughorn, who had an unhappy looking Harry Potter in tow.

"Severus, my boy," started Slughorn, sounding delighted, "I don't think I have ever seen you so sociable before."

Neither had Draco. He assumed that had it not been for their mission, his godfather would have spent the day sulking in a corner and docking points for any improper behavior he observed. But he was a Slytherin, and if he wanted something, he would get it. Even if it meant he had to be sociable for one evening.

"I was just talking to Harry about Potions. This fourth year Gryffindor and Slytherin class is one of the best I have ever taught. Some credit must, of course, go to you. You have taught them for three years, after all."

Snape scowled in Draco's direction. Draco found the whole thing quite amusing. Neville knew everything he knew about Potions from Draco. Draco had learned everything from Snape. So Slughorn had been quite right in his assessment.

"You should have seen Mr. Longbottom's Shrinking Solution, Severus. I don't think I've ever had a student produce a finer, not even you and Lily."

A sharp intake of breath could be heard, although Draco wasn't sure whether it had been Snape or Harry. Snape had grown tense and Harry's attention was solely on him.

"Snape and... Lily...? As in - my mother? Lily?" asked Harry finally.

Draco looked at Neville in alarm. That was the type of conversation neither Harry nor Snape were quite ready for.

"Of course, who else would I be speaking of?" asked Slughorn. When Harry only gaped at him, he continued, "Ah, so Severus never mentioned this before? Typical."

For a Slytherin, Slughorn had a surprising lack of self-preservation, Draco thought. He looked frantically around the room. He had to stop Slughorn somehow.

"Horace," Snape hissed.

"They were Potions partners," Slughorn started, ignoring Snape. "Severus and your mother."

Draco met the eyes of Astoria and mouthed, "Help."

Astoria's eyes widened but then she nodded her head.

"The best Potions team I have ever had the pleasure to teach. Never a potion they failed to brew to perfection. Quite ingenious, the pair of them-"

"Professor," Astoria interrupted him, appearing next to Draco. "What a wonderful party." She smiled at him and for a moment he seemed distracted. Astoria turned her attention to Potter. "Harry, Ginny's been looking for you."

Harry looked uncertainly from Slughorn to Snape and then to Astoria, before his gaze finally rested on Snape and Draco knew that he would not just let this go.

"It would be rude to leave your date all on her own all night," Draco added. "Right, Professor?"

"Indeed," mumbled Slughorn, "Mustn't keep your enchanting lady friend waiting." Quite solemn now. Maybe his brain had finally caught up with his mouth.

Harry reluctantly left the group, leaving behind an awkward silence.

"Speaking of being rude - I think I still owe my date a dance," announced Draco.

Astoria nodded excitedly and the two of them left the two professors behind, dancing to the sound of the Weird Sisters.

"Thanks," Draco said, once they were out of hearing range.

"You are very welcome," she replied. "What exactly was I interrupting?"

"Slughorn unraveling the deepest, darkest secrets of Severus Snape," said Draco earnestly.

Astoria chuckled. "That bad?"

"For a Slytherin, Slughorn seems rather oblivious to... uhm social cues."

"He seemed rather talkative today. More so than he usually is. But I've seen him drink quite a bit of the elder flower wine."

"Hmmm..." So, alcohol made Slughorn spill all his secrets? Maybe Draco could use this to his advantage. As far as he knew, Harry hadn't been able to coax the real memory out of him so far.

But that didn't matter right now. Right now he wanted to enjoy his date with Astoria and not worry about some ominous mission for Dumbledore.

"What did Snape want from you?" she asked, one hand holding Draco's, the other on his shoulder.

"He wanted me and Neville to meet Prof. Spleen," he replied, moving with the music.

"The guy who sometimes writes for the Prophet?"

"That's the one." That's why Draco had thought he had heard the name before. Prof. Helbert Spleen doubled as an advice columnist for the Daily Prophet, answering questions which related to health.

"Why, though?"

Astoria and Daphne had been quite understanding concerning Draco's and Neville's secretive behavior so far. But he knew they were curious and that they would at some point demand answers.

"That... is Neville's secret. I'm sorry."

"Oh," Astoria said, trying to hide her disappointment. "It's nothing bad though, right? He isn't sick or anything?"

"Don't worry," Draco replied. "It's nothing bad. It is quite the opposite. Something wonderful, if it actually works. But it's still something that he'll need to tell you and I'm not sure if he's ready for that."

Astoria nodded her head. This explanation seemed to be enough. For now.

Soon the tension was forgotten and they danced and laughed and had fun.

At midnight, everyone counted down the seconds. Slughorn had enchanted the ceiling so it looked like they were all outside, and as soon as everyone yelled "Happy New Year" the ceiling erupted in fireworks.

Draco had chosen that moment, to kiss Astoria. A sweet kiss that left him quite woozy.

"Happy New Year," he whispered. If the first seconds of the new year were anything to go by, 1995 would be an amazing year.

Then the whole Slug Club sang Auld Lang Syne.

Draco and Astoria kissed and danced some more, before the party was over.

As they were heading for the door, Draco saw Harry waiting for everyone else to leave.

Astoria followed his eyes. "You think this is about Snape's deepest and darkest secrets?"

"I fear it is," Draco replied. "Do you mind heading back without me?"

Astoria kissed him. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a wonderful time. Now go save your head of house."

Draco smiled and kissed her one more time before she left. Then he headed towards the other boy.

"I know what you want. Let it be," Draco said, once he had reached Harry.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Not now. We have more important things to focus on. Slughorn's quite tipsy. If we play it right, we might be able to get the memory Dumbledore wants."

Harry looked bitter, but nodded eventually. "How do you want to do this?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. But he is drunk, talkative and won't remember anything come morning - I doubt your chances of getting that memory will ever be greater than now."

Harry looked pensive, but then a smile spread across his face. "I think I've got a plan." And a plan he had.

"Professor," Draco said loudly once everyone was gone, filling a glass with Firewhisky and handing it to their teacher, "leave the cleaning to us. You've already done enough, organizing this marvelous party."

"Thanks," hiccuped the Professor, grabbing and downing the drink.

While Draco and Harry cleaned the office, Harry started chatting with Slughorn. "So, you taught my mum?"

Draco glared at him, but Harry ignored him.

"Yes. Fr'm her first t' last year," replied Slughorn.

"How was she?"

"You don't know?" Slughorn asked. "She was wonderful. Best witch her age. Kind, intelligent... brave... you really don't know?"

"Not really. Everyone always tells me about my dad... No one ever talks about her and... she died before I could get to know her. I was only one, you know."

Draco felt a little uncomfortable and busied himself with cleaning the tables.

"You don't remember... do you?" Slughorn asked in a hushed voice.

"No. But I've found out pretty much what happened since. My dad died first. Did you know that?"

"I — I didn't," whispered Slughorn.

"Yeah... Voldemort murdered him and then stepped over his body toward my mum," said Harry.

Draco shuddered. Way to kill the mood, Potter.

"He told her to get out of the way," said Harry remorselessly. "He told me she needn't have died. He only wanted me. She could have run."

"Oh dear," breathed Slughorn. "She could have... she needn't... That's awful..."

"It is, isn't it?" said Harry, in a voice barely more than a whisper.

"But she didn't move. Dad was already dead, but she didn't want me to go too. She tried to plead with Voldemort... but he just laughed..."

"That's enough!" said Slughorn suddenly, raising a shaking hand. "Really, my dear boy, enough... I'm an old man... I don't need to hear... I don't want to hear..."

"You liked her, didn't you?" Harry suddenly asked.

"Liked her?" repeated Slughorn, "don't 'magine anyone who met her wouldn't have liked her... Very brave... Very funny... It was the most horrible thing..."

"But you won't help her son," said Harry. "She gave me her life, but you won't even give me a memory."

"Don't say that," Slughorn whispered. "It isn't a question... If it were to help you, of course... but no purpose can be served..."

"It can," said Harry clearly. "Dumbledore needs information. I need information. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will return. Sooner than you think. And I am the Chosen One. I have to kill him. I need that memory."

Slughorn turned paler than ever; his shiny forehead gleamed with sweat.

"He will return?" gulped Slughorn "But then... my dear boy... you're asking a great deal... you're asking me, in fact, to aid you in your attempt to destroy —"

"You don't want to get rid of the wizard who killed Lily Evans?"

"Harry, Harry, of course I do, but —"

"You're scared they'll find out you helped me?"

Slughorn said nothing; he looked terrified.

Draco had stopped moving. And breathing.

"Be brave like my mother, Professor..."

Slughorn raised a pudgy hand and pressed his shaking fingers to his mouth; he looked for a moment like an enormously overgrown baby.

"I am not proud..." he whispered through his fingers. "I am ashamed of what — of what that memory shows... I think I may have done great damage that day..."

"You'd cancel out anything you did by giving me the memory," said Harry. "It would be a very brave and noble thing to do."

And then, he did. Slughorn gave Harry the memory.

"Thank you very much, Professor."

"You're a good boy," said Professor Slughorn, tears trickling down his fat cheeks into his walrus mustache. "And you've got her eyes... Just don't think too badly of me once you've seen it..." And he too put his head on his arms, gave a deep sigh, and fell asleep.

Draco stared at Harry with an open mouth. Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"I think the hat made a mistake," Draco finally said. "You clearly belong in Slytherin."

Harry smirked. "The hat actually suggested that."

Draco coughed a few times. He had not expected that. At all.

"What a day," Draco finally sighed. Even for a time traveler who had seen it all before, the world was still full of surprises.

"I'll give the memory to Dumbledore after breakfast," Harry said.

"I'll be there."

The cleaned up the rest of the office, threw a blanket over their professor, and went their separate ways.

TBC

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review to let me know what you think.

Some lines are taken from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Recommended work: I drew some inspiration for this chapter from So Much for Secrets by Ariels Lament, a brilliantly awkward oneshot in which good, old Slughorn talks a bit too much at the Christmas party.