Firewhisky Dreams

Prompt : lost

Word count : 570 (a little over a drabble, but who really cares?)

It was night, and the light in the corridor came in patches and clumps, spilling from the torches mounted on the walls but not spreading far. Nearby, the sound of two singing voices could be heard, and behind a portrait more were laughing and shouting loudly.

Abruptly, the two singing voices rounded the corner, staggering towards a painting half-way down the corridor. Their cheeks were tinged pink with the unmistakable mark of liqueur, and the dark-haired young man had his arm slung around the shoulders of his redheaded girlfriend, pulling her close to his side.

Finally, after somewhat of a circuitous route, they reached their destination and the boy shouted an almost incoherent word at the large female inhabitant of the picture. As the portrait swung away from the wall, the couple smashed their lips together in another kiss.

A cough sounded. Once, twice, and finally louder. The teenagers broke apart and looked around in surprise. Ginny was first to catch sight of the other boy lurking in the shadows. Her eyes widened and she hiccupped in surprise, before managing, "Losht?"

"Yes, I'm lost."

"Second," began Harry, before dissolving into rather unheroic giggles. "Second staircase … right. Bottom to down, down to bottom, ha ha ha, bottom, Ginny, bottom! Yours is the mouldy dungbombs."

"Dungeons," his girlfriend corrected.

Draco didn't seem to have noticed their inebriated state. Instead, he continued as if they hadn't spoken.

"Hermione left me. Five days ago. I'm lost, and I don't know what to do."

"Left oo where?"

"Broke up with me."

"Can't break up with shomeone not going out with, Drakie-poo," Harry laughed.

"We were going out, we just hadn't told you. For six months yesterday."

"You were going out with Her … Her … Herm … -"

"Hermione, yes."

"Malfloy dating Her … -" Ginny tried to clarify.

"Call 'er Sally," Harry said.

"Why Sally?"

"Had a dog named Sally once …"

"No, you didn't," Ginny replied, forehead crinkled.

"Heh, no, I didn't. What you're supposed to shay though, isn it?"

Draco broke into their conversation, and they both looked slightly surprised, once more, to see him standing there.

"Lovely as this is, I would like you to tell Hermione that I desire to talk with her, and if she could please come out of your common room, that would be wonderful."

*****

Harry growled at the offending beam of sunlight and rolled over, burying his head under his duvet. In between pounds, his brain seemed to be trying to tell him something. Vague, dimly-lit memories were swimming in and out of focus. There seemed to be someone in his head, who looked awfully like Hermione, telling him that she wouldn't speak to "Draco" if her life depended on it. And then someone who looked suspiciously like Malfoy saying he couldn't live without "Hermione". And then they were out in the corridor, and the room was spinning, and he thought it looked like the imaginary Hermione and the imaginary Malfoy were kissing. And then Ginny threw up over him.

'Strange dreams, firewhisky gives you,' Harry thought as he pulled on some trousers, and then took them off and pulled them on again when he realised they were back to front.

Over breakfast, he dimly registered that Hermione looked very happy. And, as he tried not to vomit into his teacup, he realised that she was eating for the first time in five days.

A/N : I hope you liked it! Of course, reviews are very much appreciated, and take a look at the forum that I have set up, The Butterbeer Club - it is a place to chat about Harry Potter fan fiction, as well as to leave plot bunnies, find inspiration, and try some challenges. Oh, and it's great for shameless self-publicity, too :D