June 5, 1998
Draco Malfoy drank. Surrounded by empty bottles, he reached for another.
When his hands didn't clasp a full bottle, he cursed and stood up. Wobbly and unsteady, he tried to reach the staircase and fell.
There, on the edge of the staircase, he blacked out.
June 5, 1999
After leaving work, Draco Malfoy decided to wander the streets of Diagon Ally. The well lit shops left Draco feeling content, though he had no reason to.
But as he saw a happy family enter Ollivanders', he wished he could one day be part of a family again.
He shook his head wistfully, as his gazed was pulled to the corner of Weasley Wheezes or whatever the Weasley joke shop was called.
There stood Hermione Granger. She was laughing, with the Weasley twin.
He stiffened, as he remembered that his brother had died. Draco tried to rush past them, remembering they probably wanted nothing to do with him.
Draco fell.
He was mortified. How. The word repeated over and over in his head. How.
Right in front of her. In front of her and a Weasley.
They both rushed over to help him up.
"I'm fine. You can leave me alone now." He stood up, brushed off his robes and briskly walked away.
As he left, he heard the tall Weasley- his muffled sneer, "Don't worry, Hermione. He's a jerk."
He didn't hear Granger's response.
June 5, 2000
"Oi! Potter, can't you just let it go?" Malfoy smirked at Harry who just shook his head.
Harry just laughed and shook his head. "No way, Malfoy."
Malfoy just shook his head and walked away, leaving Harry in the Auror's lunch room.
"Malfoy?"
He didn't hear Harry.
As he apparated into St. Mungos, he crashed into someone.
"Draco?" Her voice was filled with so much hope it seemed impossible, but she was the perfect person with that image. "Harry said.."
"Granger, I don't have time for this." He cut her off curtly, and he could see the hurt look on her face, as he turned to walk away.
June 5, 2001
"Malfoy?" Potter's steady hand touched his shoulder briefly.
"Leave me alone." he brushed off Potter and walked out. He apparated straight to the Leaky Cauldron.
There he sat down at the same stool he'd sat on every year. Tom came up to him.
"The usual?"
He just nodded.
Once his drink came, Draco chugged it. Without even having to order another one, Tom brought another drink.
Along with a full bottle of hard firewhiskey.
He nodded at the old man, and tried to drink his worries away.
As he tried to pour his fourth drink, his vision started to blur.
On his fifthteenth drink, he hallucinated Hermione Granger? But she was actually there?
"No."
"Excuse me?" Her normally cheerful voice was filled with pity at his state.
"You're not real." He jabbed his finger at her, in a jagged motion, before taking another chug.
"I'm afraid I'm quite real, Malfoy," she sternly spoke.
"Can't be." He let out a laugh.
"And why is that?" Hermione sat down next to him.
"You're the Granger," He slurred his words together, "people like you don't accioscate with losers like me."
"Malfoy," She warned, her voice like a teacher.
"You're even perfect now." His head lolled back and he started snoring. Hermione patted his head, and kissed his forehead before apparating away.
June 5, 2002
He woke up, knowing exactly how the mundane Wednesday would go.
Work.
Drink.
Sleep.
He had no birthday plans, and why would he? Wasn't like he had anyone to celebrate with.
While brushing his teeth, he heard the floo in the guests' room. Before he could get there, a brown haired witch ran into his room.
"Granger?" He stared at her.
"Oh," She stuttered and he raised an eyebrow.
"Any chance explaining what you're doing here?"
"How come you never told me June 5th was your birthday?" She tried to avoid his question, but he smirked.
"I recall asking you first, besides, it never came up," He raised his eyebrow again, waiting to see how she would respond.
"I came to…" She faltered, losing her momentum.
"Care to continue?" He prompted her.
"I came because I couldn't believe it when Harry told me that you hadn't celebrated your birthday since the summer before 5th year!" She huffed, and he almost laughed.
"I was a bit preoccupied with the war, if you recall?"
"I think you deserve some time to celebrate." She smiled at him brightly.
"And how do you propose I do that?" He stepped in closer.
"By.. spending time with friends… and having fun," She blushed.
"What if I don't have any friends and just want to drink booze," he challenged her with his voice.
"Well, I guess I'd have to stay and make sure you don't." She jutted her face out confidently, positive she'd win.
Neither of them knew what they were competing for, but both of them wouldn't back down. Until he did.
"Guess I'll just take out an extra glass for you," he smirked and didn't wait for her reply, instead leaving the room to take his finest bottles and returning to Granger.
June 6, 2002
The thudding of his hangover didn't go away as he woke up. It never did, but something was different this day.
He was covered in thick brown curls and a snoring Hermione Granger.
He almost threw up.
How was she here?
Slowly, memories of his birthday came to him, in a haze. He remembered pouring them both cups of firewhiskey, and drinking to the old days.
All he could remember was how she looked. So carefree, and he couldn't stop staring at her sleeping form, as he remembered how energetic she was.
He rememebered their conversations about house elves, and how she waved her hands around, spilling some firewhiskey.
He didn't remember on the other hand, the kiss they shared after the four bottles of firewhiskey lay on the ground, empty.
He didn't remember the taste of her lips. Not the unexpected, harsh taste of firewhiskey that invades his senses.
Nor did he recall them leaning into each other again and again for more and more kisses, until they both got too drowsy.
But when Hermione Granger woke up, in the arms of Draco Malfoy, thats all she remembered.
He felt her yawn against his chest and after she sat up quickly and stiffy, he also sat up.
The two just awkwardly stared at each other, before he spoke up. "Do you remember anything?"
She nodded. "Only a little, though."
"Same here."
The two pieced their night together, piece by piece, and at the end, they simply leaned into each other and started off where they left off last night.
Neither of them went to work that day either.
Finish
I really enjoyed writing this. I had no idea what I was doing though, so like the plot is ?
Disclaimer: anything recognizable isn't mine, and its all JK Rowling's.
Happy Late Birthday to Draco Malfoy(the reason I wrote this)