"HEY, WATCH IT BUDDY!!!"

Draco dropped the pencil as he heard the sharp yell from a man who looked rather harassed. He seemed not to notice that he had simply appeared out of nowhere with a pencil in hand. "I beg your pardon..." Draco said, starting to be offended. Slowly everything around him was taking form. And the first thing he noticed was his personal space was being greatly invaded. He could almost feel the dirt rubbing off on him as people shoved past him without a care. Wherever place this was, the people here were extremely rude, and extremely stupid. Well, that much was to be expected. They were muggles.

The man looked at him as if he wanted nothing better to spit at him. Which he soon did, though it was towards his feet. "Stupid brit, take your ass out of here and go have some tea." With that he stalked away, blending back into the rush of the crowd.

Draco had once thought that Diagon Alley was crowded and disgusting, but he had quickly changed his mind. Whatever this place was, it gave it a run for its money. He didn't dare touch anything, and did his best to avoid the flow of people. If water were made of disgusting muggles in business suits then it would flow around him, just like this. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, and a certain smell...like gasoline and burnt toast. It gagged him as he tried to look around. The things on the street…those were cars. He knew that, though he had no idea why there had to be so many of them. Didn't muggles have a more efficient way to travel?

Looking to his hand he dropped the useless pencil, watching it roll and then drop into the grate. Wonderful. So he was here. Disgusting, crowded, Muggleland. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Perhaps find out where he was? Yes. That seemed like a perfectly good plan to him as he moved to shoulder his bag and trot off. There had to be a pub of some sort…He had already gathered that he wasn't in his own county. Not only had the man insulted him, but the people around him had a very twangy accents. Oh joy. Even worse than he imagined. American Muggles. He was sure that they were a class level below British Muggles.

His feet began to grow tired as he traveled, the pavement was hot and he had already trod in two pieces of bubble gum. It was only then that he found a little corner ice cream store. There was a delicious looking treat, just calling his name, and a drink of water sounded like heaven. What sounded even better was a hot bath, complete with bubbles. But Draco had no idea when he was going to see one of those again. He still had the issue of finding a place to stay for the night.

Reaching for his bag, he hoped that the elf who packed for him had had enough sense to make sure that he was well supplied with money. But as he reached he realized his shoulder felt strangely light. His bag was gone! Tuning in a circle he glanced desperately for a sight of it, but it was really gone.

He couldn't believe it, and tears began to well in his eyes. Great. This was exactly what he needed on a day like this. "God damn it!" he bellowed so loud that it made a mother hurry her young children along.

Draco wasn't going to make it. He wasn't going to be able to survive this muggle hell hole. Had it even been an hour? He doubted it. So little time passed and he had already had his bag stolen. How was he to find a place to stay tonight? Food? Clothing? He had no way to take care of himself. This punishment was complete and utter bull shit. It just wasn't...fair. Draco felt the pout coming on, and he struggled to keep his lower lip tucked in instead of poked out. As man as he tried to be, there were times where that spoiled little boy came shining through.

"Hey, don't let this city get you down, it's a lot to see at first, but I'm sure you'll get used to it." A voice shook Draco from his trace as he quickly looked. Although his mask of perfect control had been broken, it was easily put together and back into place. Though he had to admit the somewhat kind voice started him, and contrasted sharply with the harsh shouts and sounds of horns that littered the city now.

Draco pushed his chin out, that sign of defiance coming back, as he saw who was speaking. It was a girl, about his age he would have guessed from her height. Though she looked as if she were several class levels below him. He wouldn't have wasted his time with her earlier, or even pretended that he heard her…but he was alone and moneyless now. Any help that came from anywhere couldn't really be shoved aside too quickly.

"And exactly what city is this?" He asked making sure his words were harsh, but not harsh enough to drive her away. If she was going to help him then he planned to use her for all that she was worth.

To his complete dismay, the girl giggled, sounding truly amused with him. "What city is this? Its New York...what other city could it be?"

Her flippant attitude wasn't what Draco needed at the moment. And she seemed to realize that after a brief pause. "Come on; let me get you something cool to eat. Its horribly hot outside, even for a normal day here."

If Draco wanted to offer her a rejection, he didn't have the time. She was off before he could make a noise. And with the crowd thickening with what seemed to be a five o'clock rush, Draco couldn't hesitate for very long. He almost lost her as he pushed his feet to move again. Weaving in and out of people, he felt as if he were on an obstacle course. Couldn't she have waited for him? It would have been the rational thing to do. Yet, somehow Draco got the feeling that this girl didn't do too much that was rational.

When he reached up to her, he was trying to hide the fact that he was slightly out of breath. The girl, on the other hand, seemed unphased by any of this and was currently looking around a rather rundown apartment building. Draco himself would never be caught dead in such a place, but seeing as this was the only opportunity he had to find shelter, he had little choice but to take it. Pushing his hair back from his face he hoped that this girl wouldn't notice the pink tinge to his cheeks. His skin already felt hot from the sun. He was pale, and had never been exposed to such direct sunlight for so long without any protection. Draco shuddered to think of the wrinkles he was going to get from the exposure.

Just as the silence was stretching too thin for Draco's liking, the girl spun around and looked to him, holding out her hand for him to shake. He didn't take her hand yet, as the words she had spoken earlier had finally sunk in. "New York? I'm in New York?" He hated how breathless his voice sounded. Perhaps she would mistake it for shock, which it clearly was on top of the fact he felt like he had ran a race. You didn't exactly have to be in perfect physical shape to play Qudditch. At least, not endurance and running wise…

The girl nodded, standing still long enough for him to finally get a good look at her. She was rather, wild. Yes, if Draco had to choose a word to describe her it would be wild. None of her clothes seemed to match exactly, yet somehow fit together. Her hair was tied back, yet it still managed to escape the clip and curled around her face with fly away pieces. It was black and extremely boring color. But it matched her eyes, which were green in color and rather bright. That only served to anger him. It was that stupid Potter who had eyes that color. Draco's face must have darkened at the thought, because suddenly she was very close, peering at him.

"You're a long way from home. I'm sorry. But...I know who you are. And I think that I can help you. We'll get you home, don't worry. " she leaned back and held out her hand to him. "I'm Eden; don't worry about your name. I already know."

That was the last thing he expected to hear. How would she know, of all people exactly who he was. Had his luck met up with him? If she was a witch then he would be pretty set. That was, unless she was a witch and on the other side. Suddenly he jerked back as Eden reached for him. She simply laughed at his alarm, and poked his forehead. "If you frown too much you'll get wrinkles. I'm sure your family wont like that too much. Don't worry. I know what's going on, and I'm not getting involved. If you need a place to stay, you're welcome to stay here."

Leaving him without a chance to answer was a habit of hers. Soon she turned and ran off before he had much of a chance to reply. Into the depths of a very rickety building she disappeared, leaving him a little shocked. Yes, Draco, he thought to himself, you are one lucky bastard. He might have just found the silver lining of this cloud.