Chapter 4

They found two plush armchairs in the corner of The Great Espresso. Honey plopped inelegantly into one of them, drawing her right foot up underneath herself. She wore loose denim capris today, with black and white striped knee socks. While her position wasn't exactly ladylike, it certainly wasn't inappropriate. She took a sip of her café latte and stared up at her companion. After leaning his broom against the wall, he descended gracefully into the seat next to her. He had ordered a strong black coffee, with nothing in it.

Honey remained silent, aware that her façade had slipped away for a few brief moments on the Quidditch pitch. Her normal expression of complete disinterest had returned. She glanced out the window, determined not to be the one to resume the conversation.

Draco smiled to himself. He had no problem talking. She'd slip again; he would make sure of that. "Why don't you go to Hogwarts?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Family issues. It was thought best that I not go too far away from home."

"So what school do you go to?" he asked, gently prying.

"You've never heard of it. It's small," she answered vaguely.

"Try me." Draco waited patiently, sipping his coffee and leaning back in his chair, as if he had not a care in the world. Two could play this game.

Honey tilted her head, examining him. She seemed to make a decision about something that had been bothering her. "It's called Stowe Academy. It's here in London. I don't go to a boarding school like Hogwarts."

"How many years do you have left?"

"I just finished my N… NEWTS," she said.

Draco nodded. "So did I. I'm working at Gringotts for the summer. I'm interning with them."

Honey's eyebrows rose. "What exactly are you doing over there?" She lifted the cup to her lips and took another sip.

Draco leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Mainly helping with correspondence between the States and England. Their banks are managed mostly by wizards and they prefer to do business with wizards, not goblins. Matchack, my boss, doesn't like it, but he understands the way it goes. The States have a lot of opportunities to invest."

"Yes, they do," said Honey. "In Muggle enterprises as well as Wizarding ones."

Draco's examined her keenly. "Yes, mostly technology, which is a Muggle enterprise."

Honey nodded. "Yes, I know. The wizarding world is filling its coffers with Muggle investments. They've supplied money for research in computer chips with Macintosh computers. They've invested in oil in the Middle East. They've even backed the growth of wind energy in Denmark."

Draco's mouth dropped open. He was speechless. Most of this information was available to the public, but as it was usually in the fifth section of the Daily Prophet, buried deep inside the paper, very few people even realized the depth to which the Wizarding world was involved in the Muggle one. He had only recently found out through his work at the bank.

She was staring at him again, her eyes unblinking. He looked away, trying to conceal his surprise, trying to compose himself.

Honey continued, "Of course, Scrimgeour was the instigator in all of these investments. Fudge had put us into a ton of debt, with all of his cover-ups from You-Know-Who. Scrimgeour, as much as he did not want to get involved with the Muggle world, knew the opportunities far outweighed the risks. He hired several heavily-educated muggle-born wizards from the Ministry to be in charge, and it fell into place from there."

Draco wasn't just surprised. He was shocked. The conversation had evolved into a subject a little too serious for him. He was only just learning about these new developments in the Ministry. How could a witch his age know all of this information? She had to read the Daily Prophet front to back constantly, along with several Muggle newspapers.

"Do you like this song?" Honey's abrupt change of subject brought him back to reality.

Draco nodded. "Do you like the Immortal Phoenixes?" asked Draco. The band wasn't usually a favorite amongst students, but Draco had a fondness for them since the band was originally from the town in which he grew up.

Honey nodded. "I like the lead singer's voice. It's deep, it's sexy, it draws you into the music." She couldn't keep the huskiness out of her voice.

Draco had the uncanny sensation that he couldn't keep up with this girl, despite his intelligence and pureblood background. As the conversation continued, he realized that she jumped from subject to subject. Sometimes she had a definite opinion on the subject, but other times she inquired about his. She was intriguing, knowledgeable, and, behind the heavy eyeliner and dark lipstick, very pretty.

There was a lapse in the conversation, and Honey glanced outside the window. The sun was beginning to set and the moon had risen above the buildings across the street. "I think I need to go home," she announced. She jumped out of her seat, her empty coffee mug forgotten on the floor by her chair.

Draco rose as well, depositing his own mug on the floor. "Let me walk you home."

She stared at him, obviously battling with herself. They both knew that she shouldn't walk home by herself at this time of night in Diagon Alley. But, it was obvious that she did not want Draco to accompany her home.

"I… I … I just live three streets away," she stammered. "I'll be fine."

Draco gave her a pitying look. "I'm not letting you walk home by yourself. Let me take you there." He extended his hand towards her.

She made a decision. Grabbing her bag, she headed out the door of the shop. She heard Draco on her heels. "Fine. Follow me, if your sense of chivalry is too overwhelming." Her heavy-soled shoes clipped along the street at a surprisingly quick rate. Draco struggled to keep up.

They walked in silence, heading straight down one block, turning right on Birch Street, and then a left onto Pygmy Way. Honey stopped abruptly and turned to him.

"Thank you, I can handle it from here," she said, not moving. She stood directly in front of him.

Draco searched her face. He couldn't tell if she had enjoyed her afternoon with him or not. Right now, she was very intent on getting rid of him. He wasn't going to win this battle, and he decided to strategically retreat.

Nodding his head in her direction, he murmured, "I'll see you soon." Gracefully, he pivoted and walked away.

Honey breathed a sigh of relief and began to walk home, turning left one more time, glancing behind her to make sure he wasn't looking. She didn't notice the tiny bright light following her footsteps into her house.