Chapter Text
Five whole minutes before the start of his shift, Draco Malfoy finds himself rushing down the street near his flat in desperate search of a decent coffee shop. Draco doesn't even know how he had managed to sleep through his alarm but now he's almost certainly going to be late. Theoretically, he could stop by the cafeteria in St. Mungo's but lord knows their coffee tastes like piss water and Draco really needs something to help him wake up. He'll need all the energy he can get.
A pale yellow honeycomb logo catches Draco's eye and he breathes a sigh of relief. The shop's front window is painted with a cute little sign reading Honey Bunny Cafe, tiny imperfections in the font suggest that it might have actually been painted by hand. It's a miracle they're open this early in the morning but hopefully, their coffee is better than the mud puddle in a cup they serve at St. Mungo's.
To Draco's luck, there is only one other patron waiting by the counter, the barista is somewhere out of sight. Draco takes a moment to survey the cozy shop and its rather strange layout. A half-wall creates a wide hallway from the door to the counter, separating them from the rest of the cafe. The fact that there is a gate in the wall near the till confuses Draco even more, why is a coffee shop sectioned off in such an odd way? And why does the seating area require a latched gate?
Draco doesn't know what to expect when he peers over the barrier but it's certainly not a bunch of live rabbits hopping around the cafe floor. There are big and small ones, some with drooping ears and others with ears pointing up to the sky. The sight startles Draco quite a bit, he's never seen a rabbit in person before, let alone so many all in one place. It's kind of baffling to realize that this little shop has been right down the street for who knows how long and Draco never even noticed.
"Draco?" The voice sounds downright delighted, Draco hasn't heard anyone say his name like that in a very long time. Draco whirls around to find none other than Harry Potter standing behind the counter in a black apron, the cafe's logo plastered in gold across the front.
It's been quite some time since Draco has seen the Saviour of the Wizarding World. Two years after the war, Potter suddenly quit the Aurors and virtually disappeared from wizarding society, only occasionally spotted with his friends at a pub for a special occasion. Inevitably, his name will be plastered across the Prophet's front page the next morning, Blaise always muses that Potter is more reclusive than a wild yeti.
"Potter?" Draco stutters, crossing the twenty or so feet between the door and the till. Potter has grown quite a bit, packed on plenty of muscle and even his hair has grown longer. It is currently pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, two strands are left loose to frame his face. It looks nice, Draco hates that he notices. "You work in a coffee shop?"
"I own the cafe, yes. I'm surprised to see you," Potter comments with a warm smile. Draco is horribly confused, he and Potter have never been friends but now Potter looks almost... happy to see him. It ignites an odd sort of feeling in the pit of Draco's stomach. "What can I get you?"
"Um... one macchiato please, with as much caffeine as you are legally allowed to give me," Draco answers dumbly, he pulls out his wallet. Living in a muggle neighbourhood, Draco has taken to keeping both muggle and wizarding currencies on his person at all times, he's not quite sure which to use in this situation.
"Sure thing." Potter nods and turns to fix the drink. "So, what brings you into muggle London?"
"I could ask the same thing of you, Potter. I live just around the corner, I just don't come out into the neighbourhood very often." Draco shifts his weight from one foot to the other, taking the paper cup Potter hands him. Draco doesn't know how to properly interact with Potter, it's making him awkward. Despite blowing on his drink to help it cool faster, Draco ends up sipping it too fast anyway. It's hot but it's also very strong, Draco groans into it. "Merlin, Potter, you are a godsend today. Shit, I need to go, will you be open at around eight tonight? I'll need a top-up."
"Yeah, my employee Emily will be here." Potter counts the money Draco hands him and quickly doles out the corresponding change. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Mungo's. I have a thirteen-hour shift that I am so very late four, which is why I needed this so desperately. Thank you so much!" Draco raises his coffee in a sort of wave goodbye and moves to duck out the door but Potter stops him, tossing a white paper to-go bag at him. "What's this?"
"Our signature Honey Buns, on the house." Potter waves him away and begins wiping down the counter with a damp cloth. Draco swallows his own protest and smiles instead, slipping out the door before either of them has the chance to say anything else. Though he probably shouldn't risk using magic around the muggles, it's only quarter past six in the morning and there's only one other person on the street at the moment. Ducking into the thin alleyway beside Potter's shop, Draco disapparates.