Nowhere Man

Astoria arched her back, taking a moment to stretch as she stood in front of an endless sea of empty tables filled with dirty glasses. The dinner rush at the Blind Prophet's pub had just died down, and with one of the waitresses out sick and the other out well she had to take all of the tables herself. She was already exhausted, but she had to get everything cleaned and orderly before the regulars came for their nightly binge.

She cringed as she heard the door swing open, announcing a customer had just walked in. The bartender had left to find his own dinner, refusing to eat "the fucking slop they serve in this piss poor place". Astoria didn't blame him at the time, but now she was the only one left to tend to the newcomer and she had far more important things to do than serve someone firewhiskey as they stared at her ass.

"Firewhiskey on the rocks," the young man ordered in a gruff voice as she walked behind the bar. Rolling her eyes at her correct premonition she fitfully poured the drink and prayed he would leave soon enough. She turned to face him to hand him his beverage and almost dropped it when she did.

"Draco?" she exclaimed, not believing her eyes. Draco stared up at her and squinted, his own recognition taking a bit longer.

"Greengrass," he replied in a soft chuckle.

Astoria couldn't help but stare at him in wonder. It had been four years since she had last seen him during the Battle of Hogwarts, and over five since she had really talked to him. They never conversed again after that oddly intimate moment they had shared at the Christmas party. He of course had heavier things on his mind than the attentions of a fourteen or fifteen year old girl as the Dark Lord pressed on his family's spine. She never confronted him again either, even though that memory often replayed itself in her sleep and she still had the silver case packed with stale cigarettes in her bottom drawer. While they were both still at school she used to wonder if he ever thought about her too. He never alluded to such, but Astoria would often feel a gaze upon her in the Common Room and always looked up to see him turning his head away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in excitement. "I thought you dropped off the end of the world."

"I tried to," he admitted, "but it turns out the damn thing is round."

Astoria laughed and rushed across the bar to get a better look at him. She cursed the absurdly short skirt and tight white top she was required to wear with her waitressing gig, but as Draco's eyes fell down her body it was clear that he didn't seem to mind.

"And just what the hell are you doing working in a place like this?" he inquired, his gaze slowly rising to her face.

"You sound just like my mother," she retorted. "Or at least how I imagine she would sound if she knew I was working here."

"I was wondering about how on earth Empress Greengrass and Queenie let their little princess spend her time in such dismal surroundings," he mused. "Exactly what is it they think you are doing?"

"Pottery class," she explained with a grin. "It's how I justify the smells. Every now and then I go to the market and bring home some ceramic junk. Anything to keep them away from knowing I'm saving up to move out."

"Impressive," he granted, taking a sip from his drink. "And what is it that you plan to do when you're all grown up and moved out?"

"I'm studying to be an Obliviator," she explained, grinning at the soft look of disdain he gave her.

"Why?" he scoffed with knitted eyebrows.

"Because it's a perfectly legal way to fuck with Muggles," she responded coyly. "Plus I've always loved messing with people's heads."

Draco let out another begrudging laugh, shaking his head at her in spite of himself.

"And what does your family think you're doing when you're off doing that?" he inquired lightly.

"Book club," she responded without missing a beat.

"You sure are something else, Greengrass," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll give you that much."

"And what about you?" she asked in excitement. "Where have you been? What are you doing back?"

"I've been working," he replied simply. "It's actually been pretty lucrative and I seem to have a decent knack for it. The hardest part is getting clients to get over…me, I suppose."

"Have you been back long?" she inquired cheerfully. "I hadn't heard from anyone that you'd returned."

"I'm not really on the 'social summoning charm' list anymore," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. "I don't get invited to a lot of balls."

"Oh, right," she replied softly. She had been so excited to see him she had forgotten why he had left. There had been no place for him amongst the winners of the war, and those Dark Lord supporters who managed to escape prison saw him as a traitor. He had had no place in England.

"It's alright," he ensured. "It's actually been nice. There is a certain sense of freedom when you're socially despised. I can do or not do pretty much anything I want."

"Sounds wonderful," she replied dreamily, causing him to look at her as though she were mad.

"I mean the freedom, not the whole being despised thing," she finished quickly. Draco merely smirked quietly as he nursed his drink. Astoria returned to clearing off the tables, her mind buzzing with his continued presence. Her heart beat swiftly and her wand nearly slipped out of her hand because her palm kept sweating. She didn't ever remember feeling like this around a boy before, nor did she quite understand why his sudden return had placed her into such sorts, especially as they had never been close.

Still, something about him made her feel…exhilarated, and she didn't want to let that go.

"So what kind of company are you working for?" she inquired kindly, trying to get him to jump back into the conversation. Instead of being inviting, the question seemed to almost startle him. There was a profound moment of hesitation before he spoke, and when he did his single word answer was garnished with a hint of guilt.

"Insurance," he replied, staring straight ahead as he downed the rest of his drink.

Astoria gazed at him, an ominous feeling washing over her at the response. She began to struggle with something to say, debating on whether she wanted to try to divulge deeper into his specific business or try and bring back the enjoyable atmosphere from before, when she was interrupted as a large group of hassled looking tourists entered the pub. They all demanded food and drinks, and between taking their orders and tracking down the bartender her conversation with Draco was left behind. When she finally had a moment to herself to look down the bar he was gone, probably to disappear for another five years.

With the pub door locked securely behind her Astoria made her way down the dark pavement. It had been the shift from hell and she couldn't wait to climb into bed. She didn't know what kind of excuse she would give her mother to explain her late arrival and she prayed she wouldn't have to talk to her until morning. Right now all she wanted to do was to be alone and reflect over the odd night.

Draco's reappearance had come out of nowhere. She didn't know why it had her so flustered and distracted. She was suddenly acutely aware of a strange emptiness inside of her, one which seemed to have been there all along, only ever filled when he was around.

How silly of me, she thought to herself sadly. Why would you go and let someone like him make you feel that way, especially when you know he's just going to leave?

She continued to chastise herself as she turned down a back road, letting her feet carry her aimlessly as she walked to no place in particular. She couldn't stop thinking of him, and was therefore taken under complete unawares when a pair of arms grabbed her and pulled her into an alley.

Her first instinct was to scream; which she did but to no avail as her captor placed one of his large hands over her mouth. Her second reaction was to hit and kick, which she was able to do more successfully. She was able to punch him in the cheek, causing him to curse gruffly and cradle his face, giving her room to escape.

"Astoria, wait!" a gasped breath demanded. Astoria immediately quit her mad dash as she turned to face him.

"Draco?" she inquired for the second time that day. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Trying to get you off the street," he spat, still clutching his face. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out here?"

Astoria couldn't help but laugh ridiculously at the irony.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to grab a girl who's survived war and pull her down a back alley?" she inquired, stepping forward to take a closer look at his face. "Lumos."

"But I wasn't trying to attack you," he muttered defensively, justifying how she was able to get in a blow against him. She shook her head as she inspected his check, touching the area gingerly with her hand. He looked so different than he had five years ago. His skin had regained its color and his face had filled out. He no longer looked skeletal; in fact his travels had turned him rather trim. His grey eyes still sunk into his face slightly and they carried a perpetual look of burden in them. But there was something else about them, a glowing intensity that she could not escape and she stood fixated by them. She barely registered his hands sliding across her hips, pulling her in closer, and it was only a moment before his lips crashed into hers that she realized what was happening.

She felt her body come alive as he pulled her in tighter, and she dropped her wand to the ground so she could wrap her arms around his neck. Draco's hands continued to slide on her hips, flirting with the space were her skirt and top met so he could feel a flash of her warm skin. The contact caused her to moan involuntarily. Seemingly fueled by the sound, he pushed her against the alley wall and broke from her lips, kissing her neck greedily as his hands slowly moved up her body. She found her hips canting against his, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her legs around his waist and feel him inside her.

Astoria quickly pushed him away, panting as she pried herself off the alley wall and went in search for her wand. Draco looked a little flushed but unsurprised at her quick change in position. She felt the heat burn in her cheeks, half from shame for almost fucking, for all intents and purposes, a perfect stranger in a back alley, and half from how badly she wanted to throw herself back on him. Her hand shook slightly as she tucked her wand back in her skirt.

"Go out with me," Draco demanded suddenly.

"What?" Astoria inquired, taken aback by the question. Draco exhaled and released a small sneer at himself.

"Go out with me," he repeated, with a softer inflection indicating a request instead of demand.

Astoria's lips parted as her mind raced with the question. Merlin how every inch of her from her brain down screamed for her to say yes (her heart and libido most specifically), but her ever sensible mind shot up red sparks. He was dangerous, a criminal. Who knows what he had been up to in the past four years? She had a very bad feeling about this "insurance" company he worked for. She may not have known him very well, but she knew that he wasn't about to tell her. He was a private person by nature, and if he wanted her he wasn't about to tell her things that would turn her away. At least not until she was so far in that she wouldn't turn back, which she got the feeling that if she said yes she easily could be.

"I…I can't," she muttered weakly, casting her gaze to the side.

"Yes you can," he deflected simply. "You're the most capable person I've ever met. You can do anything you want."

Astoria felt herself be fueled by the personal compliment, and her eyes finally met his again.

"Why?" she asked, returning the prompt to the original question.

"Because you want to, and I want to, and we are people used to getting what we want," he replied, smirking lightly. "Besides, think how mental it will drive your mother if she finds out."

Astoria laughed at the comment and couldn't help but think. He had already managed to get under her skin and hit all of her desires after one meeting. It seemed like she no longer had a choice in the matter and she simply smiled at him, relenting.

"I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at seven," he stated promptly, casually placing his hands into his pockets and smirking in victory.

"Seven-thirty," she argued arbitrarily, determined to get some form of control in the situation. Draco smiled fully and nodded his head.

"Seven-thirty it is."