Draco strolled into the Leaky Cauldron and was surprised, but pleased, that it had not changed a bit. He unconsciously rubbed the sleeve over his left arm before smoothing back his hair. If anything, the hair was what got the notice. No one did blond like a Malfoy. He found the only open seat at the bar.

"Might I have a firewhiskey please?"

Tom the barkeep nodded and brought him his drink. Draco was about to partake when he looked at the person sitting RIGHT next to him. His jaw dropped. Bloody hell! What were the odds? Seriously.

"Well, hullo... you," he said, then cursed himself for being awkward. He'd couldn't help it though. They knew one another on sight, obviously, but they'd never been formally introduced.

Tonks jumped in her seat, sloshing her butterbeer down the front of her robes and onto the bar. She turned at his voice, and instantly colored.

"Cousin," she said, glad she managed to keep the threatening squeak away. She muttered a drying spell on her robes and sat up a bit straighter. "Draco Malfoy. You're... here. In the Leaky. With a drink," she stuttered. "Well, obviously you have a drink, it's a pub." Stop talking. "How are you?" she asked, hiding her face in her mug.

Draco grinned. He actually grinned. Awkward must run in the family. And she'd never met him before, not officially, but she called him Cousin, said it like they talked every day. Strangely, he'd liked that.

"Not too terribly bad, and yourself?" What did one say to their cousin who they were meeting officially for the first time? The last time he'd seen her, it had been from across a battlefield... on the opposing side. That certainly didn't make this easy.

"I'm doing well, not too much to complain about," she replied absently. She turned fully in her stool and offered her hand, "Nymphadora Tonks. Tonks preferably, if you'd like to keep all your parts. We've not been introduced properly, seeing as our families have a fundamental difference in beliefs."

Draco took her hand. "Had, not have. Well, I don't know about Mother, but it's had for me. Not here to stir up trouble. Tonks? Really? You know, should you meet her, Mother will insist upon calling you Nymphadora. She has a knack for sniffing out annoyances and wielding them against people. I am finding I do not prefer Tonks for you. Might make you want to call me Malfoy, and we certainly wouldn't want to be shouting that across a crowded room. One of us might get hexed. So... a nickname perhaps? I could think one for you. I'm terribly clever at that and will probably do so anyhow."

Tonks couldn't believe he wanted to give her a nickname. Granted, he was family, and she had precious little of that left, but they'd been speaking for all of five minutes. And his mother? Aunt Narcissa? The one Mum had called Ice Princess Prissy Pants? She knew that stopping in for a drink before coming home hadn't been a sound plan.

Her eyebrow quirked up, and she was torn between grinning and grimacing, "Well, I suppose I can't be answering to 'oi! you!'." She took her hand back and clasped them around her drink, thinking. "I'm sure we can come to some kind of consensus, as long as the name isn't too horrid." Her hair changed to pink at the roots, clashing horribly with the current neon green.

"Wicked," Draco breathed in fascination as her hair started changing colors. "Not as a nickname," he added at her look. "I was watching your hair. That's a nifty gift. Knew you could do it, but hearing and thing and seeing a thing are two vastly different experiences. Tonks aside, what do others call you? Might give me some idea of what I'm after."

He didn't know why he was doing this. Probably something in the way that she'd spoken to him. Not getting treated like a pariah often had that effect on him.

She snorted. This was horribly civil. There had been no hexes, or name calling, and general hysteria had not broken out. She changed her hair to orange, and then Malfoy blonde shot out of the roots and down to her hair, which she shortened to her shoulders. "I could get used to Wicked. It has a certain ring to it. Inspires fear into evil doers."

She changed the subject. "My parents called me Dora," she finally said.

"I assure you the word wicked does not inspire fear into evil doers. I'm speaking from past experience, of course. Dora's nice. I like Dora. I could go with that, I suppose. It's horribly unoriginal for me, but my more original nicknames for people tend to not be fit for the general public. Today we're looking for something I could shout across the park and not have all the mother's covering their children's ears and glaring at me."

Draco smirked at her.

"I don't think I ever properly introduced myself, and you were so polite earlier. Apologies. I'm Draco Malfoy, but of course you knew that. I prefer Draco. When you meet Mother, and I'm sorry to say, you shall have to meet Mother, please do not call her whatever dreadful nickname I am certain your mother gave her. It was fit for Lucius Malfoy's wife, not Narcissa. Do you follow?"

Tonks signaled Tom for another drink. "I'm sure that I can curb my impulse to blurt out the charming name Mum called Aunt." She had no idea what to say next. She had already gotten her babbles out, and wasn't sure what was next in the etiquette book for what one said to one's cousin at a first meeting in a bar.

"Is your mother doing well?" That was better than nothing.

"According to her, and she must be in a good mood because she didn't hex me when I just turned up after over four years. I was seriously expecting it." Was it so easy to talk to her because he was different now or because he knew they shared blood? He would never have spoken to her before, but that had been Lucius' idea. Draco had his own ideas now, and these days he would pretty much talk to anybody. People could be fascinating if you let them be.

"You still an Auror?"

She nodded as she undid the clasp on her robes and turned the inside to flash her badge. She slipped them off and let them fall on the back of her chair. "Eight years now. I've just been promoted. I only have to turn in two copies with every report now," she said wryly. "What're you planning to do with yourself now that you're back in Britain?"

"Dunno," Draco said honestly. "My last travelling companion tried to set me on fire... literally, so I decided enough of that. Haven't given the rest much thought. Suppose I should think on it. I'll let you know if I come up with anything." Draco paused. "That is... provided you are actually interested and not just making small talk."

Tonks smiled in return. "Well, we haven't lit each other on fire. That's got to be some kind of record." She paused. "I've almost no family left, so yes, I'm interested." Her hair started getting darker, and her face rounded out a bit.

"Does that always happen," Draco asked, gesturing to her head. "Or am I special?"

"Am I morphing all over the place? Damn," her hands flew to her hair and she inspected a lock. Her face scrunched up in concentration, and her hair and face stayed put. She opened one eye to look at the lock still in her hand. "That should fix it. It's been a long day. That normally doesn't happen as much."

He finished his firewhiskey and plunked some coins down on the bar, more than enough for his drink. Tom looked at him oddly.

"It's for hers too."

He got off of his stool and looked at his cousin. "Malfoy Manor is still in Wiltshire. You are welcome there. After I get settled in, I'll have you round for supper. You can meet Mother. After all, we do happen to be family. I think you got the raw end of the deal on that one though, Dora."

He had just tried out his nickname for her. It suited. Draco grinned.

"Thank you for the invitation, and for the drink. I'll owl, Draco," she replied, still feeling a bit at loss at the whole conversation. She was going to need something harder to drink.

He nodded at her in a formal bowing sort of way. Sometimes his manners just overtook him, other times not. This really wasn't the place for it. Likely why he was doing so. Draco smirked at her.

"Please do." Then he smirked at her. "Perhaps, being all jobless, I'll get bored one day soon and bring you lunch at the Ministry. Won't that be fun?"

Or awkward, but awkward seemed to be his watchword since returning home.

She raised her eyebrow and smirked, "Hardly. Good evening, cousin." This had to be the oddest thing that happened to her lately. She couldn't wait to get home to a cuppa and the book Katie had owled. Antonio looked promising.


{SUMMARY} Draco and Tonks actually meet. On accident, of course, but pleasantries, nicknames, and invitations to Malfoy Manor are exchanged.