The Painting

The Painting

Chapter One

"Can I take your order?"

Draco was skimming through the menu as the barista in Starbucks disturbed his thoughts.

"Uhm, how's the Cappuccino today?" he asked.

"It's been good in a way. Most of the folks here order it, even in the summer."

"Let me get a Grande then, and could you put a lot of foam in it?"

"Sure. Would it be decaf or regular?"

"Regular."

"Okay Sir. That will be three dollars and forty eight cents."

As soon as Draco paid the barista, he went to the little bar where drinks were usually placed. He was checking his palm pilot for his appointments for the day as he heard his order.

"Grande Regular Cappuccino with a lot of foam?" yelled the other barista.

Draco looked up and noticed the accent on her voice. She's British and she's serving coffee? What madness is this? Draco surveyed the barista who was busy preparing other drinks for other customer. She looks familiar. I wonder where I've met her.

"Hey Cho, looks like you have another admirer!" shouted the barista who helped Draco with his drinks.

Cho? Where did I hear that...Cho Chang? The Ravenclaw house Seeker? What is she doing here? Does she work here?

The girl looked up and saw Draco. There was a quizzical look on her face because Draco was staring at her intensely. She was trying to think if she knew the person looking at her.

"Is your Cappuccino okay, Sir?" the girl asked with a tone on her voice that Draco didn't like, but he shrugged it off.

"Cho? Cho Chang? Are you Cho from Hog... uhm, I mean, from school?" Draco asked.

The girl looked at him, surveyed his face. Suddenly, it lit and she exclaimed, "Malfoy?"

"Yes. Draco for short," he smiled at her, extending his hand.

Cho smiled bashfully and shook his hand. "How are you? You live here? Where do you work? Oh my god, I can't believe this. It's so nice to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you too, Cho. I'm okay, I guess. I just moved here a week ago and they said I should try this particular Starbucks," he chuckled. "Now I know what my colleagues are talking about."

Before Cho could reply, she was interrupted by the other barista.

"Hey Cho, would you mind not flirting and get back to work?" the barista teased.

"I wasn't flirting Stan," Cho looked at him with a stern face. "He's an old friend, er, of some sort," Cho looked at Draco sheepishly.

Draco laughed. "Well, since we don't have time to talk now, mind if I meet you after work?"

"No, that would be nice. I get off at two." Cho said as she laid two coffees on the high table.

Draco looked at his watch, "That early?" People, who were waiting for their coffees were glaring at Draco while others were mesmerized by Draco's looks and build.

"I just work here part time, it's not my real job," she leaned closer to Draco so no one would hear, "I'm just here for the free coffee."

Draco laughed again, "Okay. Two it is. I'll come back then and we can have lunch, if that's fine with you."

"Of course. Er, it was nice seeing you again, Malf - - er, I mean, Draco. I'll see you later, all right?" she quickly ended it because Stan was about to snap at her again.

Draco waved goodbye as he left Starbucks. He completely forgot about his foamy Cappuccino. But he only realized it when he was back at his office.

His mind wandered off and thought about Cho. Our hard-to-get pretty Seeker's working in Starbucks? I wonder what her real job is. Still, he didn't care what her real job was. The moment he heard her voice he knew he would have a great time living in USA.

Draco had been through a lot from the past years when he was at Law school. Narcissa, his mother, realized that she could no longer bear Lucius ordering her around and found out that Lucius was trying to gather the Death Eaters to continue Voldemort's plans. Voldemort died when Draco was still at Hogwarts and Lucius was his most faithful servant. Of course, Narcissa told the Ministry about it and when Lucius was locked up in Azkaban prison that was the time when Draco came home from a tiring semester. He had, had no idea that his family had broken into pieces.

When Narcissa went back to her old boyfriend from Hogwarts, Draco couldn't take it no more and decided to leave his mother and live his own life in London. He was the only heir to the Malfoy estate and Lucius didn't leave anything to Narcissa. Not that she cared, of course. She was already happy with her new lover.

Draco couldn't accept the humiliation of what his family had given him. At first, he couldn't concentrate on his studies. His family problems were killing him inside. Then he had no friends to talk to because everybody despised him for being an arrogant selfish prick. Even his Hogwarts friends didn't help because he had only Crabbe and Goyle. At least, he considered them friends. When he was on the brig of ending his life, his professor told him to get therapy. He had gone into psychiatry and that helped him a lot. He changed for the better and made a lot of friends and slowly, he gained back his self-confidence and his self-determination. Sooner or later, he had graduated, having the highest honors in the whole lot.

Still, he was empty inside and lonely. He envied his friends for having girlfriends and envied them when they had a family to spend the holidays with. He did try to go out with several girls, both undergraduate and law school, but none of them was the perfect maiden he was looking for. He didn't have any serious relationship. He felt like he was cheating to his girl of his dreams. None of the girls made Draco trembled whenever he was around. None of them made him hold his breath as they smiled at him. None of his so-called girlfriends had placed him in a tongue-tied situation. No one could make him do those things. None of them could ever make his heart beat so fast, make his hands a little sweaty and couldn't produce a single word from his mouth. Only Cho Chang could do that to him and Draco felt alive whenever that happened.

Ever since Draco saw Cho Chang at the Yule Ball dancing with Cedric, he couldn't care less if he was drooling all over his robes for he had never seen such beauty and magnificence. Her soft smile that made his knees weak, those sparkling eyes that made his heart soften and the gracefulness of her actions, like she was royalty.

He had tried to ask her out but she was in a complete distress of Cedric's death in his fifth year. Draco gave her time to recover but he made sure she had noticed his presence. Draco would compliment her on her Quidditch skills and sometimes, asked for further information about Prefect rules since he was a Prefect at Hogwarts. When he saw her gaining back her old self, he did not know that Potter was helping her through it all. It was too late to ask her out because in the beginning of her last year at Hogwarts, Potter and Cho dated and became the most popular couple of all time.

~~~~

Back at his office, he sat down at his chair and carefully reminisced Cho's face. He tried not to be arrogant with her, as he could not help himself to get agitated. He had found Cho Chang. He was looking for her after he left Hogwarts, but he stopped hoping there would be a future for them since he figured that she and Harry Potter were happily married. That image made his stomach sick.

There was a soft knock on the door that interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," Draco replied quickly. He was trying to remember if he saw a wedding ring on Cho's hand as he straighten up and faced the person who knocked.

It was his secretary, Jane. She was somewhat five feet and four inches, same height as Cho. She had a very short red hair, dyed of course, small face and a very comforting smile. She was holding a small notebook, a blue pen and a FedEx envelope.

"Mr. Malfoy, there were a few phone calls for you when you were out. Do you want me to read the messages for you?"

"By all means, Jane," he gestured his hand to continue.

Completely shocked to hear her addressed by her first name, she cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Only three phone calls, Sir. One from a Mr. David and he wanted an update about the Max Flax prosecution case. Second was from a Ms. Remedy and she wanted an update for the Bristol litigation boards case and the last one was from a Ms. Parkinson and she said that she's in town to visit some friends and she wanted you to call her at the Hyatt hotel at room 430. She also left her cell number, just in case she's not at the hotel room."

Draco sighed. Pansy was still following Draco wherever he went and it irritated him.

"What time did Edward call?"

"Uhm, about nine fifteen, sir."

"What about Caitlin?"

"About nine thirty, sir."

"Okay. Anything else?" he pressed the space bar key on his keyboard so the screensaver, which was a snake eating a lion, was wiped out from his monitor.

"No Sir, that is all," said Jane.

"Thank you, Jane," he faced his computer and opened up his e-mails.

Jane didn't leave the room. She was still standing there, looking at Draco in an odd way.

Draco looked at her, surprised that she was still there and staring at him like he had something on his face, "What is it, Jane?" he wondered.

"Sir, no offense, but," Jane shifted her feet awkwardly as a sign of nervousness, "why are you calling me Jane?" She looked at him sheepishly.

"Isn't that your name? Did I get it wrong?" he asked worriedly. How embarrassing if that's not her name. Oh god!

"No Sir, it was right, but you always call me Ms. Summers, if I'm not mistaken."

Draco smiled. "Is it wrong to call you Jane... Jane?"

Jane blushed, "I'm sorry Sir, but I was just surprised, that's all. I'll let myself out," she turned her back, lost in her thoughts for a moment. She was almost at the door when Draco called for her.

"Erm, Jane? Do you know where I could go for a nice lunch? I'm thinking of going Thai today."

Jane looked at Draco and smiled, "Well, sir. Penang is open already and I've been there a few times. Their King Pork Buff was marvelous and their spring rolls are as well. It's also a pleasant place to eat. People don't mind if you eat alone."

"Oh, I'm taking someone for lunch. Where is it?" Draco said in a flat tone.

Jane was shocked to hear that Draco wasn't going alone for lunch but she didn't show this to her boss, "It's on the corner of M and nineteen, Sir." Who is Mr. Malfoy taking to lunch? She wondered.

"Good, good," he said as he picked up the phone and dialed 411. He looked up at Jane and said, "Do you think I need reservations if I'm going to eat there at two o' clock?"

"No Sir. By that time, everybody has eaten lunch." She didn't make it in a sarcastic tone but it was ridiculous to have lunch at two.

"I thought so," he said as he gently placed the receiver back to where it was. "Thank you Jane that will be all."

"Oh Sir, before I forget, here's a letter for you. It came this morning," she handed the FedEx package to Draco and left.

Draco opened the package and saw that it was from the Ministry of Magic in USA.

Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy,

Welcome to United States of America.

This letter is to inform you that, though you are a wizard currently living in a Muggle world, any acts of magic are strictly forbidden. This has been an agreement between the Ministry of Magic and the President of United States of America. A pamphlet is enclosed for that matter.

Your wand is safe in our hands and had it put into a safe place. Enclosed with this letter is a key to your safe box, where your wand is kept currently. You can only use your wand when you leave the country. Notify the ministry if you are going to require your wand so it would be noted.

If you have any questions, please call us at (800) 430-1978.

Sincerely,

Mackenzie Flat

Secretary, Ministry of Magic

Draco carefully folded the letter and put everything inside his briefcase. As if I didn't already know that.

~~~~

To be continued...