Modern No-Magic AU Drarry

Chapter Six

Draco's day hadn't started off well. And it certainly didn't look like it was going to get any better.

He had woken up to the sound of his father cursing in frustration and arguing with his mother. When he went downstairs, unable to find the nice shirt he had picked out for his outfit, his mother had attempted to hush the argument which just made Lucius more angry. Then Draco had tried to find the shirt but some unexpected visitors that Lucius called 'business partners' arrived and Draco was sent upstairs into his room. Like a child. Did his parents know that he was literally a legal adult? That he could legally move out on his own? (Except, Draco wondered why anyone in his position would want to do that when he currently doesn't need to pay rent when living with his parents, so if he put up with the stress of his family then at least he wouldn't need to pay.)

Then, Draco had to go to work at that godforsaken place that he swore will make him lose all of his brain cells. Potter wasn't even there, so there was no one to make fun of and pass the time with. It's surprising how much time passes when you're coming up with creative ways to insult the Golden Boy while washing dishes. After his shift had ended, his parents had texted him saying that he couldn't come home just yet because of the 'very important meeting,' so he couldn't even lie down on his bed and do nothing all day. 

Then, to make it all worse, Draco had stepped in a puddle. So now his feet were wet. Great.

Finally, he got to the building he was looking for and pushed through the door, adjusting his collar as he went up the elevator. There was one person who he could always have a good time with. A good time meaning she was even better at coming up with creative insults than Draco was and was a fantastic listener when it came to ranting.

He knocked on door number 13 and waited.

Within a few seconds, a tall girl with thick, short black hair and bangs that ended just above her deep brown eyes opened the door. "Malfoy, I thought you might have rolled underneath the bus instead of coming, you took so long."

Draco tried to suppress his grin. "Good to see you too, Pansy."

Raising a perfectly arched eyebrow, Pansy opened the door wider and stepped to the side. "Don't just stand there. Come on in, you fool. You've been holed up in your bedroom far too long, you look like you haven't seen a single ray of sunshine in fifty years."

"You look wonderful as well." Draco's tone was flat and he shook his head. It was great to see Pansy again. "It's been dull without you working with me. Now I've had to slave all by my own with the stupid lions." Pansy had come up with that name for them. Lions - their egos are as big as their manes, but their roar far more ferocious than their looks. That Granger girl, she doesn't look like much but never get in an argument with her. Draco learnt from experience that if you attempt to argue, she will decimate you, supported with facts, and is guaranteed to make you look like a foolish infant.

"Coffee, tea?" Pansy asked, gesturing to a set of cushioned chairs and a coffee table next to a window.

"Coffee. Thanks." Draco sat down, crossing his legs, and Pansy left the room to make the drink.

Her voice muffled slightly by the thin wall, Pansy asked, "You like it black, yeah? And why was Potter following you?"

Draco almost choked. "What?" he asked sharply, immediately looking out the window and down at the street.

"You mean to tell me you didn't notice?"

Within a couple of seconds, Draco laid his eyes on Harry. He wasn't difficult to find - just look for a short boy with untameable black hair and glasses and there aren't many other people it could be. He was holding a suitcase. Where was he off to? Still being carted household to household like in high school? "Was it that obv- how long has he- like, was he following me for long?"

Two mugs in her hand, Pansy came into the room with a smirk. "Look at you, getting all flustered over the golden boy. Is there something you want to tell me, Draco?"

His face immediately turning red, Draco furrowed his eyebrows and turned away from the window though he was itching to look back out again. "Clearly you've been spending too much time with your supposed 'other friends' and have started seeing things when they're not actually there." He cleared his throat. Then he cleared it again, just to be sure.

"Right," Pansy said slowly before putting one of the mugs down on the coffee table in front of Draco. "Black... like your soul."

"A thoughtful touch." Draco wrinkled his nose up at Pansy who stuck her tongue out in return. "How did he even get here? Surely he's too poor for a bus pass."

Pansy, enticed by her favourite game of 'Roastin Potter,' took a sip of her coffee. "Maybe someone saw what he was wearing and mistook him for a hobo and gave him some money."

Draco snorted.

"Was he at your shift this morning?"

Enjoying the warmth of the cup, Draco cradled it against his chest. "No, he never works on Wednesdays."

"Was Granger there?"

"No... why?"

Pansy looked down into her cup, swirling it gently. "Paranoid, much?"

"I-" giving up, Draco leant against the windowsill. "Nevermind." He took a long sip of the coffee, trying to think of a conversation starter, ironic as he absolutely hated small talk. Why couldn't people just drink in silence?

Suddenly, Pansy put down her drink and raised her eyebrows, gesturing with her manicured hands. "You know what the idiots at the Leaky Cauldron are trying to do? They're trying to make me come to this stupid party they're throwing for no reason." She rolled her eyes. "Why the fuck would I want to hang out with people from work... outside of work?"

Feeling that on an emotional level, Draco nodded. "Do baristas get paid well?"

Pansy scoffed. "I get paid more than I did when I was a cleaner in a stupid witch-maid costume, that's for sure." When Draco continued to stare at her, she shrugged. "Look, it's enough to pay for this apartment and tell my parents that I can buy vegetables. But it's fun and I get to sass the same hella drunk people every night because they never remember!"

"Fair." Draco nodded, seeing why someone like Pansy would find that type of job attractive. "So what are you going to do? Let them force you into coming?"

"Hell no," Pansy said, her tone indicating that she took offense to the mere thought of it. "They can beg all they like but I'm not moving." She crossed her arms and then jerked her head. "What about you - if the lions invited you to a work party, what would you do?"

"I'd rather be caught dead at one of those parties," Draco said harshly before adding as an afterthought, "Not that they would ever invite me."