The young woman sitting at the bar yawned.
"Long day?" The bartender asked.
"The worst." She looked around and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Don't you think you could fix this place up a bit?"
The bartender shrugged. "As long as people keep coming in here, I could care less how it looks. You waiting for someone?"
She nodded. "He was supposed to meet me an hour ago. I just hope nothing happened to him…"
The bartender smiled. "How much trouble could he get into? He probably just ran into a little traffic. Rush hour's gotten worse every year."
The girl smirked. "Rush hour's the least of my worries."
A sudden cold breeze rushed by her, and she looked around. A tall young man entered the smoke filled room, sitting on a barstool near hers.
"Give me a pint." His voice was harsh and commanding. The woman pricked up her ears at the familiar sound, but couldn't place it. She glanced at him, but he was sitting in the shadow, and she couldn't make out any features.
"Long day?" The bartender asked him as he gave him his pint. The man chose to ignore the bartender's attempt at conversation and sipped his drink broodingly.
The woman was curious. Something about him seemed familiar. She surveyed him out of the corner of her eye and drew in her breath sharply as she saw the tip of a wooden stick in his belt.
A wizard in a Muggle bar? What's up with that? She frowned. Anyone from their side would have recognized her.
"I'll take another." She said to the bartender, pushing a few coins across the bar. The man beside her froze at the sound of her voice. Then he began to chuckle.
"Just my luck," he said softly. "Of all the muggle bars in all the muggle towns, I happen to walk into the one Hermione Granger's sitting in."
She turned her head sharply at her name. "Who are you?"
He laughed. "I'm surprised you don't remember. After all, we had so much." His sarcastic tone sounded so familiar.
"I don't have the faintest idea who you are, so you wanna just cut the crap and look at me?" She snapped.
He laughed again. "Tsk, tsk, I would expect even a…mudblood like you to remember me." He turned so that his face was in the light.
She drew in her breath quickly as she saw the familiar features. His face was just as haughty as ever, his eyes just like steel; cold and impenetrable. "Draco."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it's Draco now, is it? Last time I saw you I was pretty sure I was Malfoy." He set some money on the counter and swept out.
Hermione's heart was beating furiously.