Life of a Black (Sequel to Life of a Malfoy)

Home Sweet Home

I let out a breath as we swirled from the chaos to a dark alleyway. I put my hand on the wall to catch my breath, and fought the dizziness. After almost a year of disapparating, I would never get used to it. I looked around, as it was nearly pitch black. Hermione was shuffling around in her bag.

"I need some light, Ron?" she quickly asked while rummaging. In an instant I heard "Lumos" and brightness filled the area. There was a terrified expression on her face as she pulled clothing out. She thrusted a shirt and a pair of jeans at me. "Everyone get changed, now. We don't have much time." She lead me around a corner into another alleyway, and started peeling off her clothes. I pulled the jeans on, and unzipped the dress behind my back. I pulled on the shirt and frowned.

"'Mione, this shirt is huge." The shirt hung on me below my ribs, and I felt like it was a curtain. "Did you pack a belt? These jeans don't fit either.." She pulled a belt out of her bag, and handed it to me.

"I got those clothes out of your trunk that was at Hogwarts.." she explained. Her confused expression was soon covered by a worried one as tossed our dresses in the bag. She dragged me back to where Harry and Ron were, and she stuffed their clothes into the bag.

"Do you have a smaller shirt? This one is too big." I repeated. I could feel a draft from the bottom of it as it flowed in the wind. I wrapped my arms across my waist, and looked awkwardly toward the ground. Fumbling in the bag once more, she took out a sweatshirt and tossed it to me.

"That's the smallest top I have. Guess we're just going to have to shrink some clothes for you." I could feel Harry's eyes on me as I zipped the sweatshirt up, and tugged the sleeves to cover my hands.

"Where to now?" Ron asked. Hermione shrugged, and started walking.

"A better question is, where are we?" Harry said.

"Tottenham Court Road." My throat closed up. This was the road where.. where.. "And we're going to a cafe," she said, and picked up her pace. We followed beside her, and came out of the alleyway. I silently obeyed to keep my mouth shut, and not mention anything about the waiter. There were dozens of other cafes open at midnight, right?

Wrong. We stopped short at my worst nightmare, the cafe I had entered almost three weeks ago. We passed a "Have you seen this man?" sign, showing the waiter I had shot in the head, and contact info below. Stupid Muggles, they hadn't even realized that his body was out back in a dumpster. I clenched my mouth shut as Hermione opened the doors.

We were the only ones in the cafe, and there was a peppy waitress standing behind the counter. Hermione lead us to a booth, and we sat down. The waitress swiftly approached us.

"What would you, oh." Her gaze flew over me. She blinked rapidly, and cleared her throat. "What would you like?" she stuttered. I could sense the fear in her. Why? "I- I'm um.. I'm required to pass these out," she said as she threw a flyer on the table. "There's a missing waiter. He mysteriously left in the beginning of July. City hasn't found him, and he disappeared while on his shift. There was an old couple that gave us information on the person they saw walk in, and they said it was a blond girl, resembling a homeless person. Aged around seventeen.." She darted her eyes back at me, and then looked away quickly.

"Four cappuccinos," Hermione said, staring at the table.

"Je voudrais un coffee, s'il te plait," I spoke to Hermione in a flawless French accent. I had to fool the waitress somehow.

She didn't buy into it. She hurried back to the counter and back to our table, with a cellphone in hand.

"I have nine-one-one on speed dial. You look exactly like the girl who walked in after those couples." The waitress said, her phone shaking in hand.