Chapter 2

A Night to Forget

Ok here's the second chapter. It's not as long as the first one but I thought it was necessary to end it where I did. I'll update with the third chapter asap. It's staring off rather slow and cliche but it'll get better I promise.

Oh and thank so much for the reviews! I'm glad someone is at least reading it.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing...

Hermione stood, staring at the elevator doors for a short while longer. Something about the encounter with Malfoy had been off. "He caught me..." She muttered aloud, obviously confused by her enemy's actions. Not only that he had not used any of his colorful nicknames for her. He had simply called her Granger. No mudblood. Had Draco Malfoy actually grown up?

She was forced to push the thought to the back of her mind when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" Came the voice of Mrs. Peters, the plump witch. "You took rather nasty fall there."

"I'm fine." Hermione answered and hurried off once again, leaving the older witch in her wake with her hands on her hips.

A loud pop followed by a crash broke Harry's concentration. He quickly rose from his desk, scattering papers as he quickly scrambled into his small living room, wand in hand. One of the legs on his coffee table lay snapped in half and Hermione stood next to it grinning sheepishly.

"Hey! Watch where you apparate!" Harry said as he pointed his wand at the broken table.

"Sorry..." Hermione said, obviously embarrassed. "I'm a little out of practice."

"No problem." He muttered and simply flicked his wand at the table, which reassembled before their eyes. "But you might want to use the floo network until you get a little more practice... in open spaces." He added.

Hermione laughed and nodded. She felt better around her old friend. Part of the old Hermione had surfaced and she liked the feeling. If only she could keep it that way.

"So, how'd that interview go?" Harry asked as he walked into his kitchen to put on a pot of tea.

Hermione knew telling Harry that she ran out on an interview would just get her another lecture. So, she decided to lie. "Not so well. Apparently I'm overqualified for the job." Well, maybe it wasn't exactly a lie, just not the entire truth.

"They're right you know. You're too good to being doing desk work. I could put a good word in for you." He said as he motioned for her to have a seat.

Hermione hung her head. Not him too?

"I'm just trying to help you Hermione."

"I know Harry... it's just too hard."

Harry sighed and shook his head. He had tried to be encouraging, but it had been 5 years and she still had not moved on. The world had changed and she couldn't see it."Honestly Hermione! All of us went through the war. We all saw the same things, yet we've all moved on!" He said forcefully. "You've been in seclusion for far to long Hermione! It's time to come back to the present. Dwelling on the past won't make it come back!"

Tears ran slowly down Hermione's cheeks as she looked up at Harry, her eyes full of anger and sadness.

"It won't bring him back..." Harry finished and reached out to wipe a tear off her cheek. She slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me." She said and stood, pushing his out of her way.

"Come on Hermione he wouldn't have wanted to see you like this. Stop punishing yourself..."

Hermione quickly turned around to face her friend. "Then what would he want?" She asked angrily.

"He'd want to see you happy, Hermione. You're not happy."

"I can't be happy without him..." she muttered as she sank down on a nearby couch.

"I know you still love him and you always will, but to loose anymore of your life over this would be a shame." Harry said and took a seat next to her.

Hermione nodded and wiped the remaining tears from her face. "I know all of this Harry. I've heard it over and over. I just don't know how... I'm afraid if I move on I'll forget."

"Draco!" Narcissa Malfoy said excitedly as she rose from her table at the small café and embraced her son.

"Hello mother," Draco said and returned her light embrace. "Sorry I'm late. I literally ran into an old classmate on the way out." He said as he kissed her on the cheek and motioned for her to sit.

"Oh I haven't been waiting long, dear." She said and watched her son take his seat across from her. "Who did you see, was it that lovely Pansy Parkinson?"

"Oh no mother." He said and shook his head emphatically. He would repeat his run in with Granger one hundred times before he'd willing run into Pansy.

"Then who?" She asked, inquisitively.

"Hermione Granger." He responded as he sipped at the coffee the waitress had just brought.

Narcissa's mouth tightened slightly at the name but she quickly put on her sweet facade and managed to ask. "Is she well?"

"I don't think so." He said and shook his head. "She was all out of sorts. She seemed almost weak."

"Well the war obviously took a toll on her." Narcissa said simply and sipped at her tea.

Draco nodded, knowingly. The war had changed everyone in one way or another.

"So how is work?" Narcissa asked, quickly changing the topic to something that was more comfortable territory.

"Hell."

"Draco!" She scolded.

"Oh, mother I'm an adult you must stop scolding me."

"And I'm you're mother." She said with a slight laugh. "I will never stop scolding my little boy."

Draco blushed as his mother reached out and touched his cheek.

"I must be on my way now." Narcissa said and stood. "I'm having tea with the ladies in an hour." She kissed the top of his head and patted his cheek. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, mother."

And with a pop Narcissa Malfoy disappeared.

Draco then reluctantly began shuffling through his paper work. "Merlin, this is going to take half an hour to get back in order." he muttered, his mind floating back to Hermione. She had felt so small in his arms. So weak, yet beautiful, he had never noticed it before. 'I'm only thinking about her because I need a good lay.' He thought simply as she closed the file, took one last drink of his coffee and apparated.

After leaving Harry's apartment Hermione found herself sitting in a dark corner of the leaky cauldron with her hand wrapped around her third mug of firewhisky. By this time she was obviously drunk, but contained herself rather well as she finished off the contents of the mug. "Another!" She demanded loudly, not paying attention to the man who had just entered.

"Well Granger, I never thought I'd see you in a place like this." Draco said as he sat down across from her.

"Hello Malfoy." She said her speech slightly slurred. "Thanks, tom." she muttered as the bartender brought her the fourth mug she'd ordered.

"How many have you had?" Draco asked as he watched her chug down the pint of firewhisky.

"Only a couple...maybe four." she said and slammed the now empty mug down onto the table. "And one more!" she said loud enough for Tom to hear her.

"Make that coffee!" Draco added.

"You're spoiling my fun."

"You call this fun?" He asked.

"Fun...Escape... Whatever." She said and threw her head back laughing.

"Honestly Granger I thought you of all people would have more control." he said and nodded to tom as the coffee was placed on the table. "Here." He said and pushed it in front of her.

"I don need tha..." she argued, her words slurred even more.

"Drink it!" He screamed.

She quickly picked up the cup and began sipping slowly at the liquid inside.

"That's better, right?" he asked with a smile.

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's not attractive for ladies to be drunk in public."

"I'm not attractive anyway." She muttered as she finished the coffee and set the cup down as if to prove to Draco that it was indeed empty.

"Bullocks." He said without thinking

"Don't flatter me. I'm not drunk enough to believe you." She said as she stood and staggered towards the bar.

Draco stifled a laugh.

"Something funny?" Hermione asked while she payed her tab.

"No, not at all." Draco responded with a remarkably straight face.

"Good." She said and attempted to turn around and face him. Instead she ended up on the floor, giggling hysterically.

"Merlin."

"Don't get up. I can handle this." Hermione said, grabbing hold of a barstool in attempt to pull herself up.

"Right. I'm sure you can." Draco said and lifted her to her feet.

"I can."

"Yes." He said, agreeing. With that her threw her arm over his shoulder and led her toward the door.

"Oh no." She muttered. Draco had no warning. He winced slightly as he watched her heave. Draco's own stomach rolled as he pointed his wand at the mess and muttered "Scourgify."

Seeing that his shoes were clean he bent down and picked up the now, unconscious Hermione. "Tonight is going to be a long night."

Well... I think it stinks, i'm going to try and make it better I promise.

Read and Review!

Thanks!

-Elle