He had started showing up nearly every day two weeks ago. He would sit in the corner booth and read the paper or write on old paper or read huge ancient-looking books. One cup of coffee, black, and he could sit there as long as he pleased, as far as my boss was concerned. My bitchy boss Michael didn't care that he spent all day there, because he was the only business the café got. Maybe some little cafes in quaint little towns have regular customers, but we weren't one of them. Working here was horribly dull, especially when it was just Michael and me.

He was a little on the short side, but whatever. He was sort of interesting. Maybe…

I took a deep breath and walked toward him, trying to look casual.

He was reading the paper today, and I squinted at the headline.

Harry Potter's Prophecy

I'd never heard of Harry Potter, or his prophecy. But I've never paid much attention to news anyway.

"Harry Potter? Who's Harry Potter?" I asked. He put the paper down slowly and stared at me for a second, as if he wasn't sure I was speaking to him.

"Oh. No one." He gave me a tentative smile. "Bit of a tosser, really."

I smiled back, then tried to think of something to talk about. Maybe something about the paper? So he would think I paid attention to current events?

"Funny that paper of yours. Couple of nights ago I could swear I saw one of the pictures move." Shit. Now he would think I was mad. Way to fuck that up swiftly and cleanly.

"Really?" He gave a nervous smile. He probably thought I was mad and was wondering how to escape. Michael would be angry at me for scaring away our best customer.

"Thought I'd gone round the twist." I laughed uncomfortably, but he smiled at me again. Okay, maybe he didn't think I was mad. Maybe he thought I'd been joking! Good.

I turned to go.

"Hey!"

I whirled around to look at him in surprise.

"I was wondering…" YES! I could tell what was coming from the way he kept looking at his shoes.

"Eleven." I said, filled with a sudden burst of confidence. "That's when I get off. You can tell me all about that tosser Harry Potter."