October 13th, 1995

The first thing I notice when I walk into the bar is that I am one of three women among a bunch of rich-looking men. The bar is dark and smells of brandy and expensive cologne.

The room is dark, blackout curtains shielding the bar from the sun and from any onlookers. There's various tables and booths scattered throughout, half of which are occupied. The bar itself is almost empty, except for him.

I spotted Regulus, sitting at a table in the corner, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. He watched me closely as I sat down at the bar, right beside the man I'm here for.

Tonks is outside listening in with an enchanted earpiece. All three of us are wearing them, and mine is hidden by my hair.

"Hello," I said, crossing my legs underneath the bar.

His gaze falls down to my legs and I have to remind myself not to punch him in the face right now.

"Hello," He replied, "I haven't seen you around here before."

I faked a smile. "I'm not from around here," I lied. "Business trip."

"Ah, well I'm glad you're here," The man said. "What's your name?"

"Buy me a drink and I'll tell you," I said, a teasing tone in my voice.

I heard Regulus groan through my earpiece. "Do you really have to flirt with him?" He muttered.

He smiled at me and I had to remind myself that I'm here on business. I can't let this fail. I need to get some information from him.

"What're you drinking?"

I thought for a second. "I'll have a gin and tonic."

"Shut up, let her use it to her advantage," Tonks said, her voice muffled in my ear.

I had to fight the urge to laugh as I focused on the man in front of me.

He flagged the bartender over and ordered a gin and tonic and another glass of brandy. He's got a briefcase by his feet, he works at the Ministry, and his hair is dark with flecks of gray, and his eyes are an odd shade of blue.

This is definitely him.

The bartender brought over our drinks and I thanked him.

"I'm Marino Jugson," He said, holding his hand out for me.

I shook his hand, my gaze drifting to the wedding ring on his other hand. I took my ring off for the sake of the mission, and my hand feels bare without it.

"You work at the Ministry?" I asked, gesturing towards his briefcase.

I already know the answer. I also already know that he has a wife and three kids at home, all of whom are unaware of his frequent bar outings after work. Outings where he takes women home to his secret apartment, only to return home the next morning and play the role of a loving husband and father. Men like him disgust me.

He smirked, "I do. Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Well that sounds like an interesting job," I said. "I bet you see and hear a lot of things."

"I do, lots of secrets."

I nodded, looking up into his eyes, while reaching over to grab my drink.

My glass knocks over, spilling the contents onto the bar.

"Oh-, I'm sorry," I exclaimed.

"It's quite alright," Marino Jugson said as he got up to grab some napkins.

While his back was turned, I poured a drop of Veritaserum into his brandy, hiding the vial back in my purse. He returned with napkins, cleaning off the bar counter in front of us. I pretended to help, and when the mess was cleaned, he ordered me another drink, and a new gin and tonic was placed in front of me.

"I'm sorry about that," I said, "I guess I was a bit distracted."

He smirked, "That's okay, you're quite distracting yourself. It's a shame you're not from around her, you make all of these women look like nothing in comparison."

"You flatter me," I teased, bringing my drink to my lips.

Marino followed, taking a sip of his "laced" brandy.

Once again, I have to resist the urge to absolutely deck him in the face. First there's the cheating on your wife, then there's the belittling other women for the sole purpose of trying to get your dick sucked.

I set my drink down, brushing my black heel against his leg.

He glanced down at the contact, his eyes dragging up and down my body before they settled on my face.

"So, tell me more about your job," I said. "It must be pretty busy with all of this war talk."

"Yes, it is," He answered.

"And do you believe it? That he's back?"

Marino leaned in. "Of course, I do. I spoke with him just recently."

"Really? That must be a big honor," I lied, hiding a smile.

"It is. The Dark Lord is so desperate for followers, he's trying to gain more support than last time," He explained, not a hint of hesitation as he spoke. "He's counting on the sons of his inner circle to join soon. The Dark Lord's also got the Dementor's wrapped around his finger. Almost full control over Azkaban."

"That's quite a bit of power to wield," I replied. There was a pit growing in my stomach but it was masked by the feeling of achievement. I got the information I was asked for.

Marino nodded, "Yes-, maybe I shouldn't have told you that."

Some resistance.

The Veritaserum wasn't strong. It was a low dose, just enough to get information out of him.

"It's okay, I can keep a secret," I whispered.

Marino smirked at me. "You want to get out of here?" He asked. "My flat is pretty close/"

"I would love to, but I have to go," I replied. "Business trip."

"Well," He frowned, "It was lovely to meet you-, though I didn't catch your name."

I smiled, "Like I said, I can keep a secret. Thank you for the drink, Marino Jugson."

With that, I got up from my seat and walked out of the bar. My heels clicked against the hardwood floor, and I didn't realize how fast my heart was breathing until I was out on the sidewalk, the autumn air cold against my face.

I glanced around, spotting Regulus and Tonks just around the corner. I walked over until I was standing right in front of them.

Tonks hugged me. "Bloody hell, that was amazing. You barely even had to question him!" She exclaimed, releasing me from her grasp.

"Some people reveal more than others," I said.

Regulus kissed me on the cheek. "It didn't help that he wanted to take you home. He would've sat and shaken like a dog if you asked."

"What can I say? I'm very charming," I joked. I held out my hand. "Ring, please?"

Regulus retrieved my wedding ring from his pocket, and slid the ring back onto my finger. I already felt better with the weight of the ring on my finger.

It was a pretty heavy ring.

I took out my ear piece and handed it to Tonks, who held out her hand to retrieve Regulus's as well. She pocketed all three ear pieces.

"Alright, I'll bring these back to headquarters, catch Remus and Sirius up," Tonks announced. "We can regroup at the meeting later this week."

"Thank you, Tonks," I said.

She smiled, "Anything for you, Meredith."

I watched Tonks walk away, disappearing into an alleyway to apparate back to Grimmauld Place.

Regulus's hand fell against my hip, and I glanced up at him.

"Let's go home, yeah?" He asked.

I pressed a quick kiss against his lips.

"Let's go home," I said.