Part One:

Hermione wasn't one for bars. She wasn't usually one for drinking alcohol, especially alone, and definitely not in public places. But this particular night seemed to be full of surprises.

The man who just slid into the seat beside her seemed awfully familiar. Maybe the heat was making Hermione a little uncomfortable, or maybe her subconscious had registered who it was before she did. Draco Malfoy.

But he didn't seem to recognise who he was sitting next to, for he ignored her and ordered a gin and tonic (pretentious prat). He gulped it down easily, Hermione watching him very obviously.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Draco said at last. Hermione blushed; Draco still hadn't looked at her nor made any sign he was aware of her existence.
"It's polite for the man to make the first move," Hermione sniffed in reply. This remark earned her a bitter grin and a flash of eye contact.
"I'm not very polite, Granger," he said.
Hermione couldn't stop herself from adding, "I'm very much aware, Malfoy."
Draco nodded to himself as if this confirmed something. "So you do remember me."

Ah, that's what it was.

"You're not easy to forget," Hermione grumbled, turning her half empty margarita glass around on the table.
"Tell me, is it my dashing good looks or my stunning personality?" Draco asked sarcastically.
"Your modesty, to be sure," Hermione replied, crossing her legs over the knees. Draco slyly glanced down at her legs which had now been revealed. He looked away.

"So what brings you here?" Draco asked after a few minutes of people watching (and insulting, which Hermione occasionally joined in on).
"I love this bar," Hermione bluffed. "I always come here. Lovely atmosphere."
"I frequent this bar more often than you go outside," Draco snorted. "So don't say that you drink here often."

Hermione ordered a glass of vodka to buy herself some time to think. Did she really want to tell Draco the truth? Should she lie? Would he even care?

"I had a fallout with Harry and the Weasley's," Hermione had admitted hesitantly. "We were…"
"I don't want to know," Draco interrupted immediately. Well, that answered all Hermione's questions. "That's your business. Right now, I'm here to get drunk."
Hermione had held up her glass. "Cheers to that."

They clinked glasses and took large mouthfuls, placing their glasses down on the bar in sync. Smacking his lips in satisfaction, Draco leaned back in his stool comfortably. "How's the job?" he asked sincerely. Hermione balked.

"Um, what? I mean, it's going well, actually…"
"Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, right?" Draco clarified. Hermione shook her head.
"I've just been transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she said. Draco's eyebrows raised into his hairline.
"Are you an auror, then?"
Hermione threw her head back and laughed. "Merlin, no. Improper use of magic, for now. What about you?"
"It's kind of difficult to get a job when everyone knows you were a death eater," Draco murmured with a slight frown. "But, I managed to sneak my way into the Accidents and Catastrophes department."
"Obliviator?" Hermione guessed. Draco nodded.
"How'd you know?"
"That department is always looking for people. Sometimes wands backfire and wizards lose their memories instead…" Hermione trailed off suggestively.

With a snort, Draco turned his whole body so he was precisely opposite Hermione. He had a smirk on his face. A little nervous at his sudden change in demeanour, Hermione hunched her shoulders a little.

"Let's play a game," Draco said. "Whoever can say the cruellest thing about someone in this bar, wins. The loser has to go and say that insult to the intended recipient. Understand?"

Hermione did. Draco, gesturing for her to start, was interested to see what she could come up with. Surely the Gryffindor queen would be too nice to say anything too atrocious…

"Monobrow," Hermione said, nodding to her right. A dark skinned man was fiddling with a cigarette nervously, his dark eyebrow drawing more attention than he probably liked. Draco chuckled.
"Thunder thighs," he said. A woman a few feet away from them was by no means overweight, but even Hermione had to admit that all of her weight obviously went to her thighs.
"Body odour."
"Bad breath."
"Unshaven."
"Bad coloured dress with her skin colour."
"Black regrowth. Stupid blonde."
"Lice."

Draco pointed to a man with shoulder length hair sitting in the back corner of the room, surreptitiously scratching the back of his head. Hermione smacked Draco on the arm.

"Besides the fact that he's probably homeless, that man is obviously single and clearly hasn't showered in about a week. The poor guy doesn't have time to worry about pests in his hair when he has to try and live on the streets with no food!"

Draco ordered a shot of vodka. "Granger, that was quite a cruel assumption," he purred, leaning in close to her ear. Feeling bold, Hermione leaned in a little closer. "Try to top me," she challenged softly. A bitter grin graced Draco's face.

"There's a man in this room whose reputation precedes him. He's done some pretty dark things; lied to more people than he remember, threatened the helpless, taunted the weak. He's stolen and sinned, tortured and captured. The worst part is, at the beginning, he liked it. That's kind of sick, don't you think?" Draco asked rhetorically. He took yet another shot (how drunk was he, anyway?) while Hermione thought. She knew he was talking about himself – it didn't take a genius to work that out.

"But that was only the beginning. That's okay, because people change. I know a girl who broke too many school rules to be healthy. Nearly got people killed by a three-headed dog, led her two best friends towards a basilisk, almost killed herself of exhaustion from trying to do too much work… This girl has lied and sinned. She's been petty and manipulative, especially when it came to boys, and self-sacrificing – which is also kind of sick, isn't it?"

Embarrassed and somewhat enlightened, Hermione shrugged. Gathering her courage, she looked Draco in the eyes (which were slightly glazed over, making Hermione wonder if he'd listened to a word she said). "People make mistakes sometimes and that allows us to change, to improve, and all of that shit. Other times, it's best just to get wasted and forget about everything, right?"

With a half grin, Hermione lifted her empty glass. Draco clinked it in cheers.

"Now that we've broken the ice so much we've reached a new depth, shall I accept defeat and tell that homeless guy he's single and smells awful?" he teased. Smiling but ignoring him, Hermione made to stand.

"You're not an awful person all the time, Malfoy," Hermione said, hovering over her seat hesitantly. "You're actually quite interesting. So, thanks for distracting me from my own dilemmas."
Draco tilted his head in recognition. "Sufficient company knows how to distract and entertain. 'Night, Granger."
"Goodnight, Malfoy."