Thanks for the reviews! You guys rule a fanfic author’s world~

This chapter was supposed to be sort of lengthy, but I like cutting up my chapters really short, since it’s not that serious of a fic. Therefore, I’ll be posting the flashback as chapter eight later on…

Disclaimer: me no own. You know better than sue.

~

The walk back to the Café Tombe du Cheval was a quiet one. Or rather, not quiet but so full of Draco’s crackling, silent anger that Wayne was quite muffled no matter what he said.

“…Er, Draco?”

“…[smolder]”

“Draco?”

“[crackle pop]”

“Draco?”

“What?!”

“You, uh, left the tomatoes.”

“I don’t give a flying-”

“I’ll uh, go back to the green market then. Just, uhm-”

“Don’t even think about it. Get your sorry arse back to the restaurant.” Draco tossed in an extra glare for good measure and was innately pleased to see the cowering of his coworker.

“Yes, sir,” Wayne replied, disappointed. You see, there was this pretty girl that worked at the green market. She had long brown hair and green eyes, and when she smiled, all was right in the world…

“Stop smiling, you sorry, simpering fool! Pick up your feet, goddamn,” Draco snapped distempered.

“Sir, are you sure about those-”

“Are you questioning me?!”

“N-No!”

“No SIR!”

“Y-yes, I mean, no sir!”

“…Good. Now, did you take note of what Potter said?”

“Of what, sir?”

“The secret sauce, of course! The secret sauce!”

“Er. That- eh, well, no.”

“Hm. Well, whatever then.”

“Sir…”

“Hm?

“What’s with the sauce?”

“Nothing. I didn’t even know he had a secret sauce till five minutes ago. Wonder if he’d tell me what it is?”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“Hn. That’s what you know.”

Wayne sighed and shook his head as he hurried after his boss’ arrogant stalk.

~

“So, Harry, how have you been?” Cho asked, trying to start stilted conversation. The café was nearly closed, and Ren had already left to escort Sina home. Cho had stayed behind to catch up with her old schoolmates. However, Nat seemed quite busy, and Harry had returned to his unnerving habit of staring at her unblinkingly.

“Good! Good, you know, ah, business…” Harry’s voice cracked as he answered, and his face turned a funny shade of pink. For a moment, Cho could have sworn he was fifteen again. He cleared his throat and tried to look calm. “And-and you?”

“I’m working at Torrey Tail Hospital right now. Just finished med school,” she replied, smiling uncertainly as Harry lapsed back into a dreamy, open-mouthed look. “Er, Harry? You still there?”

A giant soup ladle suddenly slammed atop of Harry’s head, sending his face crashing into the table’s glass surface.

“NAT!” Harry roared, jumping up almost immediately. Cho stared, wide-eyed.

“Sorry, Harry, slip of the hand- you know what a heavy hand I have,” Nat said merrily, slipping into the chair besides him and smiling cheerily at Cho. “Kept you waiting?” she asked, lighting up a cigarette.

“No problem,” Cho said, inwardly wincing at the lighted cig. Nat noticed her stare and grinned.

“Disgusting habit, I know, but funny, can’t seem to get rid of it. Hm,” Nat frowned and smiled, before stabbing the end out and lighting another one. “How’ve you been, Chang? Haven’t seen you since that last bit years ago.”

“Just finished school, actually. I’m doing pretty good,” biting her lip and glaring distastefully at the cigarette, Cho tried to think of a way to put out the smelly thing before she suffocated and died.

Nat’s grin widened and she seemed to wave her cig around more extravagantly than before.

“That’s marvelous! You know, my father wanted me to be a doctor, but I never could make myself take those horrid entrance exams. You must have been so stressed all the time,” Nat said. Cho raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, I suppose so. So er, how did you and Harry come to work here anyways?”

“It’s a long, boring story. You sure you want to know?” Nat asked, a eyebrow raised skeptically. Cho bristled, and replied smoothly,

“Try me.”

Nat shrugged and tossed the fag elsewhere, ignoring Harry’s yelp as he jumped up to stamp it out.

“It was after I graduated from Hogwarts when I’d left my parent’s home. My parents were Muggle-born wizard, witch, and they live in Edinburgh somewhere. My dad had been in Ravenclaw, and he’d gone on to be a Muggle doctor, so he wanted me to be a doctor too, but unfortunately, I had no intention of being one, so I left and headed into London to try my luck. It was in the Flying Dutchman that I met up with Potter here again, and I admit that at the time, I’d no idea we’d be spending over nine hours in each others presence daily…”

~!~

Yeah, so short that even my cousin’s shorts are longer than this [jk]. But, the next chapter will be out in a day or so, I think…

Hey! Still feel absolutely free to leave a comment or so…you know… [wink]