He took them to a remote place he knew. He was friendly with the innkeeper, in fact, he was among the few who knew him as both Scorpius and Lehrer the Death Eater. His father had long patronaged this place, and he knew that loyalty to Malfoys would pay off, especially now that Scorpius had such close ties to the Ministry and the Potters. Scorpius bad the Crickey's sit down and left them to talk amongst themselves while he ordered drinks. However, Extendable Ears allowed him to hear them both perfectly well.
"What have you done, getting mixed up with people like him? What did he mean that you owe him?"
"I didn't do anything! He was arrested when he brought Potter home to his family or something, and blames me because of what we did last night, because I did it whilst the Ministry was looking for me. He says it's my fault and that now I owe him for getting him on the Ministry's radar."
"That's silly. You didn't do anything to make him get arrested. We don't owe him anything."
"You don't understand. Don't you know who he is?! We can't afford to offend him!"
"I know who he is. Why on earth did you start talking to him anyway?"
"He was literally thrown into the same interrogation room as me by Potter jr. He was angry and thought I had snitched on him. I may have panicked, but I never, ever want that man angry at me. He got out of his restraints like it was nothing, then pinned me to the wall when I accidentally said his name.
Anyway, it's your turn. How on earth did you meet Rose MALFOY? I almost wet myself when she stood there next to you, smiling."
"It is a rather long story, but suffice to say, the two people I became friends with in Azkaban a few years ago were not who I thought they were. Or, one of them wasn't. Apparently, she was pretending to be a boy, and felt bad about deceiving me. I called her up again when I heard you had been arrested and she was surprisingly accommodating. I had no idea she worked there though, or I may not have dared to ask such a favour."
"What does she know about you?"
"Very little. And I plan on making sure it stays that way. She has no idea what I have been doing the last three years. I need to think of a cover story before Saturday. Anyway, let's try to placate this man first. We can't afford to get mixed up with him right now."
Scorpius' eyes narrowed. So, he was up to something. He needed to get into this group of theirs, if at all possible. He returned to the booth with three glasses of mead, which they accepted hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I haven't poisoned them," he said with a small smile. That didn't really seem to make the two feel any better, but they each took a sip of mead after he had taken one. It was of far better quality than the watered-down slosh they had in Knockturn Alley. Both of them had wide eyes as they tasted it.
"So," he said. "Tell me, how do two young men such as yourself manage to score a favour from a high-ranking Ministry official such as Rose Malfoy?"
Sam looked uncomfortable.
"I…" he began. "I was a guard in Azkaban about four years ago. Only briefly!" he added. He clearly knew who Lehrer was and who he claimed to have been associated with. Scorpius decided to use that.
"I see. Did you perchance meet my… brothers… there?"
"No, or at least, not personally. But I got two friends while working there, and they both managed to get promoted to working top-security. It was the Minister that gave them that job."
"The Minister herself? That must have been about the time some of them escaped and almost managed to get away with it." Scorpius said. His tone was neither angry nor sad, leaving Sam even more nervous.
"I didn't start until after all that. I came on the same boat as her, and they had just been… recaptured. I had nothing to do with that, I swear!"
"Don't worry, I know exactly who was to blame for that fiasco. But what does this have to do with you meeting Rose Malfoy?"
"I didn't know it until recently, but she was also there, but in disguise. She posed as a new guard. I don't know what her goal for being there was, but she definitely wanted to be with the Death Eaters."
"That is strange. You know, I presume, that it was Rose Malfoy that made sure that they were all taken again?"
"Wh-what?"
"Oh yes, the idiots, after managing a perfect escape, had to start their revenge. They kidnapped the younger Potter boy, and then went after Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. They severely underestimated Rose Malfoy, she managed to escape and lead the Ministry right back to them. Or so the story goes anyway. Luckily, I hadn't met up with them yet. I had only just heard about their escape when I heard about the recapture. I was disappointed."
"Disappointed?"
"They let themselves be so carried away with a need for revenge that they forgot to stay hidden. Thanks to them, we now don't have a way out of Azkaban, don't have a clear leader, and all the plans they worked on are in shambles. No, I am better off without most of those idiots. But continue your story. How did you discover who Rose Malfoy was, even though she was in disguise?"
"I didn't. One day, I was called into Barnsby's office. Next thing I remember is a sharp pain and several Aurors swarming around me. They ask all sorts of questions, about Thomas and Kevin and where they are. From what I was able to gather, they thought Kevin, that was the name Mrs. Malfoy used, had killed Thomas and then released the Death Eaters. I was naïve and thought that there was no way that could have happened, and I said so to the Aurors. Next thing I know, Barnsby was dragged away, Stunned and we were all sent to St. Mungo's for a check-up. He had most of us under the Imperius Curse, though I have no idea how they found that out. But in the end, my two friends there, whom I thought I knew, were no longer there, so I quit. Thomas was dead, and Kevin had disappeared with the Death Eaters. That was all I knew about it. Until yesterday."
Tom had also listened to this with awe. It was obvious that he hadn't heard this whole tale either.
"Then, out of the blue, a few nights ago, Kevin stood at my front door. I have no idea how she found me. I hadn't even been back at that house for over three years. But she came and explained who she really was and apologised for having deceived me. She said she felt bad about it and said I could call on her if I needed help. We agreed to meet over dinner to catch up, though her husband didn't seem to like that idea."
"Her husband? Scorpius Malfoy was there as well?"
"Yes. That is actually what persuaded me that she wasn't just taking the mickey out of me. I recognised him; he hangs around the Alley occasionally. He seems to be the suspicious type though. Anyway, today when I heard that my brother had been arrested, I sent an owl to Malfoy, asking if she could help me with a loan to free him. If I had known just how involved in everything she is, I may not have done it, but here we are anyway."