Chapter 3

The next day, Draco stopped by The Garden Gnome, the local convenience store, before heading off to his usual game of Quidditch with the rest of his friends. He had worked all morning at Gringotts, rewriting and owling memos to France, Germany and Spain. He was under constant surveillance of the goblins, and it was often uncomfortable smashing his large body in those tiny desks. The goblins frowned upon witches and wizards doing magic to complete their jobs. Honest, hard work was what they wanted to see, especially from young men completing internships at their bank.

Draco grunted as he swung open the door to the shop. He threw his broom into the corner by the check-out, nodding a greeting to the old wizard behind the counter. He wandered along the aisles, his empty stomach and dry throat leading him in his meanderings. He stopped to get a sandwich made and then headed to the cold drinks along the wall. As he approached the section which held colas, he saw the familiar blue-haired girl.

She had opened a cooler and was bent low, half of her body inside of it. Draco leaned against the cooler right next to her and as she rose, a bottle clutched in her hand, he spoke. "I saw you at the club on Friday night."

She hadn't even flinched. She closed the door and turned to him. "Yes. I was there." She was stoic, her face expressionless. She turned away from Draco and walked into the next aisle.

He followed, shaking his head, wondering about his own behavior. When he found her, she was staring at the selection of sweets displayed in a row.

"Who was the guy with you?" The question popped out before he could stop himself.

She didn't even spare him a glance. "My brother." She reached down to the bottom shelf and selected a Pumpkin Pasty. She turned her back on him and walked to the counter to check out.

"Hey, what's your name?" Draco called to her.

She ignored him and set her items down on the counter. Draco caught up to her as she was handing her knuts over to the older man at the cashier.

"We're going to be playing later if you want to come," he said before he realized that the words were coming out of his mouth. He set his own purchases down on the counter as she picked up hers.

She finally focused her attention on him. Her eyes were a deep, dark, clear blue, Draco realized. She blinked once, turned away, and walked out the door.

Draco looked down at his purchases and realized that he forgot to grab a drink. He looked up at the cashier. "I'll be right back," he said. He grabbed a bottled water and jogged back up the check out.

He handed the old man his money, gathered his food, and stopped to pick up his broom.

"Her name's Honey," the old man called.

"What?" asked Draco, lost in his own thoughts.

"Her name is Honey. Honey Jane." The old man gestured towards the outside, where a flash of blue hair disappeared. "She's been coming in here for years." He winked and then turned back to stocking the shelves behind the counter.

Draco grinned and swung his broom over his shoulder. He'd made progress.

Several hours later, he was in the park, up in the air, on his broom. The game was getting a little rougher as they had enough people for two beaters. He'd had to concentrate more than normal to make sure neither of them slammed into his body.

A flash of blue caught his eye and he grinned. Without even turning in its direction, he knew it was her. Honey Jane. He liked the name. It was different and rolled off of his tongue easily.

With a surge of energy, he raced his broom down the opposite end of the field, completing a Triple Grip Roll in the center of the field. Within moments, he had spotted the Snitch. He zoomed this way and that, dipping and rolling, enjoying the sensation of reckless flying. A minute later, he held the tiny flying ball in his hand.

His teammates, duly impressed with the speed and accuracy of his catching of the Snitch, slapped him on the back, praising his skills. When the subject of another game was brought up, they decided against it, fearing that it might not be over before dark. Slowly, one by one, they took off. Draco stalled.

Honey Jane was still sitting on the stone wall, reading a book. He thought he might try for one more conversation with her that day. Waving a goodbye to the remaining players, he tossed his broom over his shoulder and headed in the direction of the girl.

She pretended not to notice him as he dropped his broom on the ground and swung himself up to sit on the wall next to her. She was sitting sideways on the wall, one leg bent and in front of her, the other leg swinging down the side. She was leaning backwards on one hand, her other holding a small, compact book completely made of paper. He'd never seen such a small book that you could hold in one hand. Most of his textbooks were huge volumes that needed to be put onto a table in front of you.

He was completely silent for a minute. She broke the silence, never looking up from her reading. "So, are you done showing off all of your favorite tricks on that broom of yours?"

"You showed up. I figured I needed to give a performance," he replied blithely.

She snorted, her eyes glancing up at him and a ghost of a smile passing her countenance before returning to her story.

"What are you reading?" he asked, his hand extending to retrieve the volume from her fingers. She was quicker. Before he could grasp it, she had pulled the book out of his reach.

"I don't think so," she said, snatching up a book bag that Draco had not seen lying next to her.

He glimpsed the title, Pride and Prejudice, before she managed to cover it completely. He had never heard of it before and internally shrugged his shoulders. He'd have to look it up when he got back to his flat.

Draco looked out over the field that had recently hosted their Quidditch game. Zabini and Flint were still in close conversation together. He noticed that they kept throwing questioning glances in his direction.

His head swung back to her and he drawled, "So did you like the game, Honey Jane?"

She made an annoyed sound, having finally given him her full attention, her bag behind her once again. She was leaning back on both hands, examining him closely.

"Algie told you, didn't he?" she questioned.

"Algie?" he asked.

"The guy who runs The Garden Gnome," she explained.

Draco nodded his head, keeping silent, but she didn't expand any further. "Do you want to go and get a coffee?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had no idea why this girl was such a fascination for him, but she was. He wanted to learn more about her.

Honey Jane gave him a dubious look. "Do you really think that is a good idea?"

"Why not?" he asked. He leaned closer to her. "Afraid of me?"

This time, she threw back her head and laughed out loud. Recovering after a moment, with a genuine grin still on her face, she said, "No, I'm not."

Despite being on the receiving end of the insult, Draco continued, "Come on. I'll tell you more about Quidditch." He liked seeing her façade break and her emotions surface. It meant she wasn't immune to him.

"All right," she agreed reluctantly. "But only if you promise not to act too arrogant and conceited." She slid off the stone wall and gathered her book bag up in her hands.

Draco paused, a stunned expression on his face. How dare she say that to him?

She started to walk away, calling to him. "Come on, Malfoy, let's go to The Great Espresso and grab a cup of coffee." She didn't look back to see if he was following.

Draco slid off the wall and traced her steps. "How do you know my name?"

She smiled sweetly at him and refused to answer. "Just don't let me catch you calling me 'Honey Jane'. I hate that name. Call me Honey."

"Sure, I'll call you Honey." But she knew from his expression that she had just revealed a weakness, and he was going to use it to his advantage.