Severus stopped before a bench near the edge of the garden, far enough from the house that the two of them couldn't be easily monitored from the window, but open enough to the surrounding area that he felt sure that no one could sneak up unnoticed. "Sit," he said. He lifted his wand to give it a casual sort of flick, and the noises from the grounds deadened a little.
"How's your Occlumancy?" he asked, looking Draco straight in the eye and fighting down a bit of last-minute dread. Very, very good, he hoped; or he'd have to hunt out another solution in his very limited time.