To my Roommate, Draco Malfoy

M A D A M R O S M E R T A

Heels hurting, lips chapped, and throat dry. The sun had no remorse for people in this day, neither does the warm wind as it hits the delicate skin.

Looking afar, Annalise hoped that she's nearing Leaky Cauldron. She had been walking for hours on end to the point her knees were weak, and her heels were blistered. She had apparated from the lake in Devon the night after a long period of crying, but her exhaustion and lack of energy, including starvation had cause her to enable from Apparating any longer. She had apparated in the bustling street of London just behind an abandoned coffee shop, having no money left, and no energy, Annalise then decided to walk.

For the past few hours, she had been walking, her mouth was so dry that she felt as though she's gonna collapse from lack of water. Nevertheless, she kept standing upright, and continued walking while dragging her trunk, ignoring that churn in her stomach and the desire to steal food.

She halted for a moment, there was a pedestrian lane in the middle of the street, and across that is Charing Cross Road, Annalise recognized those familiar jumbled buildings and flower shops she passed by. Finally, I'm here, she thought.

Sprinting along the Pedestrian Lane, Annalise hurried, she jostled pass busy people who were walking their dogs in Charing Cross Roads, and at once, she was standing before on what seem like a broken down old shop, grime smoldered along the concrete, and windows broken. Leaky Cauldron.

Annalise entered in a haste, once she shut the door behind her, she finally sigh in relief and smile seeing the dingy small pub, it was still the same as the first time she came inside, Dark and shabby. There were a few witches around the tables in the ground floor near the bar, and Annalise saw a middle age woman, serving drinks in the counter to a Warlock who's dressed in all black, along with a woman wearing a dress that hugged her curvy body.

Heaving her trunk, Annalise rushed to the counter, took a sit next to the Warlock and the curvy woman then stared at the unfamiliar lady serving drinks behind the counter. “Erm.. Excuse me..” Annalise started awkwardly.

The lady gave the curvy woman, whom Annalise recognize was Madam Romserta, a huge tankard, bear head was dripping down from the top of the wooden mug onto the counter, and as the lady clean the mess, she looked up at Annalise and smiled, “Hello, what can I get you?” she asked cheerily.

“Hello, I am looking for Tom, the innkeeper?” she said hesitantly, and shot the lady a warm smile. “He's a friend of mine, and a friend of erm... Harry Potter.. I was hoping if he could do me a favour..”

The bartender stared at her with confusion, Madam Rosmerta leaned back from her seat, and looked at Annalise. “Why are you looking for Tom dear?”

Seeing as Annalise had no reason to be ashame of her intentions, she confessed, “My brother kicked me out, and I had no where else to sleep at the moment, so I was hoping if I could make a deal with Tom, you know, work here in exchange for a room.” her voice faltered, and she looked away from their gazes.

The bartender gave her an apologetic look before taking five galleons from Madam Rosmerta. “Didn't you know?” she asked.

“Know what?”

“Tom died..” The bartender said, she licked her lips, and gulped on her own saliva. “Father died right after the war, from old age..” Now that she said it, Annalise did see some resemblance of Tom the innkeeper from the bartender lady, both have torpic black eyes, pointy nose and patchy skin.

“Oh..” was Annalise's only respond. She sigh quietly, and a painful feeling tug at her stomach. Tom had been a friend of hers, and everyone else in the Order. “I am sorry..”