A Subtle Path
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Zacharias Smith was wiping a beerstein on the cloth hanging from his belt when the door to the Leaky was pushed open and a cloaked figure walked in. It was a rainy day, which accounted for the nearly empty bar. Two small groups sat in the back and Tom, the old toothless barman, had his usual booth.
Zacharias looked up as the figure pulled off his hood, revealing an all-too-familiar face. He was obviously waiting for someone, as he looked around a few times before leaving his cloak on the coat rack. Theodore Nott did not look much different from their days at school, though his clothes had grown finer and he had an air about him that would intimidate most people. He was the Lord Nott, after all, though Zacharias, who remembered sitting in the next row over from him while taking OWLS, was not at all intimidated. Zacharias himself looked mostly the same, with the same blonde and slightly-curly hair and his upturned nose. At 35, he wasn't scrawny anymore; instead he was fairly well built.
He stopped wiping the beer stein a moment and stared at him, his eyes following Nott as he approached the bar. Finally he stood up and set the stein aside. Hands leaning on the counter, he looked Nott in the eye and feigned politeness. "And what can I get for you, sir?"
"I'll have the Special," he said, referring to the weekly drinks Zacharias made that were fairly popular among the residents of Diagon Alley.
A very small smile crept up the side of Zacharias' mouth. "I don't think you want that, sir," he replied.
"Pardon?" The threatening tone was obvious in his voice and the richer man's eye told that he wasn't used to not getting his way.
"I said I don't think you'd want that."
"Are you refusing to serve me?"
To this Zacharias shrugged and grabbed a glass. "Suit yourself. One Dean Thomas coming up."
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Author's Notes: This entire story started with an RPG I was at, which after it died turned into a fic (A Captive Path by MaySoFarAway) which turned into another RPG which turned into another fic (Abandoned Paths by MaySoFarAway). This story comes from the timeline during Abandoned Paths, and unless you read those two, you'll likely be a bit confused.
Disclaimer: Zacharias Smith, Theodore Nott, the Leaky Cauldron, Tom the old Bartender and the whole Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing them, but I'll put it back when I'm done, okay?