Padma stepped quickly through the rain carrying her briefcase and a large paper bag filled with delicious Chinese food for herself and Alicia. She was feeling so happy that she had ordered extra food intending to indulge this evening.

The hearing had gone better than Padma had expected, and the Wizengamot had granted her a whole month to work on constructing a defense for her new client, Narcissa Malfoy. With Narcissa's former Death Eater status, and the pervasive ill will towards the name Malfoy, she had expected no more than a week. Though, she supposed, her own war hero status might have had something to do with the Wizengamot's leniency.

Truthfully, she had taken the case because no one else would. Padma knew that Draco had seen three other lawyers before coming to her and they had all politely refused. He had a look of desperation, leaving the case to a Wizengamot appointed defender would surely mean his mother would rot in Azkaban for the rest of her life. She had accepted the case immediately, believing that everyone deserved a fair trial. She knew that the Daily Prophet would have a field day with whomever decided to defend Narcissa in this case, but was hoping her own impeccable record would offer her some protection.

The case was a sensational one. Narcissa Malfoy had been sent to Azkaban for only three years after the war was over and was going to be shortly released. After a public outcry of unfairness in allowing such a prominent Death Eater to go free after so short an imprisonment, the Ministry had worked hard researching her case and come up with a new charge. The Daily Prophet headline had read: NARCISSA MALFOY, PROMINENT DEATH EATER, TO BE CHARGED WITH MURDER OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE.

Padma's outer robe was soaked by the time she stepped up to the sign reading 'SPINNET & PATIL, MAGICAL LAW' outside their office on Diagon Alley. She climbed the stairs quickly and opened the door to their office. Spotting Alicia sitting at her desk across the room, she said "I got a whole month, can you believe it?", as she divested herself of her soaked outer garments. "We have a real chance now. I got us Chinese to celebrate."

"That's great," Alicia said somewhat stiffly. Only then did Padma realize that there was someone else sitting next to Alicia's desk. She was about to apologize when Alicia interrupted, smiling nervously, "I have good news too. I've finally found us a clerk."

Since they had accepted the case, they had found it near impossible to hire any help, and Alicia had just solved that problem. Things were looking better and better, Padma thought as her smile grew. She grabbed the bag of food as she walked over to meet the new clerk. He wasn't as young as she'd expected, more their age. Maybe he's changing careers, she thought to herself. "This is great, I'm Padma Patil," she said holding out her hand. The new clerk looked at it for a second and then reached out and shook it hesitantly. In the dimly lit office, she hadn't gotten a good look at his face until she was only a few feet away shaking his hand. He had pale skin, light brown hair, and somewhat worn chiseled features. He was tall and more muscular than when Padma had last seen him, but their was no mistaking who he was. He wasn't just close to her age, he was exactly her age. Her voice shook a little as she proclaimed, "Theodore Nott."

The new clerk finally spoke. "Yes, that's me."