*A shorter chapter, but I have longer one's planned. :)
Chapter 3:
She's walking as fast as she can. It's practically 2:30, on a Wednesday. There are no skimpy teenagers running around or old men drinking. It's deadly quiet and all she can hear is the slight crunch the snow makes with her every step. It's snowing, in October, in London. Even in her somber state, she finds this amusing. She had lied, she had absolutely nowhere to go. Dom was visiting her sister Victorie, and her husband Teddy in Southern France. They just had a baby. Her cousin Lily was a heavy sleeper and knocked out by promptly 9:05 every night. Her brother Hugo... who knew what Hugo was doing, or with what girl? She shook her head at the thought of his recklessness. That left… Albus and her parents. She couldn't just run home to her mother and father, could she? She was twenty-two. By wizard standards, that's old enough to take care of yourself. Plus they loved Elliot, how would they react? They'd be hurt probably. Albus, he's… he's not exactly on speaking terms with her. She rolled her eyes, her rocky relationship with her cousin was the last thing she wanted to think about. "I'll rent a room at the leaky cauldron", she says out loud to herself. The wind was strong, and she buried her face deeper into her thick scarf. She was probably barely recognizable under there and the big furry hood of her coat.
Suddenly she heard footsteps. She quickly jumped, wand out and ready to disarm. She was definitely being followed. The streetlights flickered, the leaky cauldron was a little while away and she didn't want to apparate. The Ministry would be alerted and her friends within the department manned the channels. She didn't want her to anyone at work the next day to ask why she was roaming the boroughs of London alone, at this hour, if not for Law Enforcement Assignment. Gossip was heavy within the Ministry, and the last thing she wanted was a rumor to reach Rita Skeeter, she could see the headline now, "ONLY DAUGHTER OF ⅔ OF FAMOUS WIZARDING TRIO BREAKS HEART OF HEAD CAPTAIN OF FALMOUTH FALCONS". It was pretty accurate. She gritted her teeth, the sound was gone, and no one was in sight. She shook her head and heard faint music from a slight distance. She flipped on her heels and headed straight to the sound. She was an Auror and could take care of herself, but tonight she wasn't in the mood for anyone messing with her, being in a public place would probably be a wise decision.
It was a Wizarding pub. She ran in and immediately took a seat in the back, her cold weather gear still snuggled up and covering the majority of her face. The only ones here was the bartender, a waitress, and a wandless busboy who was diligently trying to clean a stain off the floor without magic. It looked like blood. There were two men sitting in the opposite corner but their voices hushed and the dim lights, created solely for ambiance, masked their features. She couldn't tell who they were but doubted that any reasonable person she knew would be out drinking at this hour. Yet, here she was. Being as unreasonable as ever. She pulled off a glove and shoved her wand back into her pocket. The waitress scurried over and Rose ordered a couple drinks. A few would be fine, she needed it after this stressful day. The cups magically refilled themselves after every sip. She pulled up her scarf just enough to fit a drink under there to reach her mouth, her face still kept warm and covered by the rest of the knit. She kept drinking, trying to push her thoughts far far away. She hadn't done this in years, and embarrassingly enough, knew her threshold for intake was very very low. Soon she was flushed and burning up. She hadn't noticed that one of the men had made his way out of the pub and had barely even looked her way. The other man was suspiciously eyeing her in his corner. She didn't care enough to notice. God, she was sweating. It was hot and the drinks kept coming. She felt her tummy growl, okay calm down Rose, she told herself. She hadn't even thought of removing the layers and bundles of clothing over her. Soon enough the man had made his way over to her, as Rose sat back and stared at the enchanted ceiling, digesting and trying not to vomit. She was so uncomfortable and the heat…
Soon the man came closer and closer and finally Rose noticed, the tall figure reached up and Rose's blurry vision from her slight drunkenness got the best of her. The man reached out with two slim fingers, close as ever to her face. Now was the time for the wand, she thought, but Gods this drink was strong and her reaction slowed, who was this? The man finally grasped her...scarf? He pulled it back and out with his hands, releasing her upswept red hair. She forced herself to focus, taking off that blasted scarf helped. She looked up, scarf in hand, at the last person she had expected to run into… Malfoy.
