One-Hundred Magic Words
20. Zebra
(Rock star time!)
Draco Malfoy wanted nothing to do with his family. The Pureblood crap was honestly taking a toll on his mentality and he simply wanted to push it away. Thus he found himself moving in by himself and not caring about being a part of the Wizarding world anymore. The one problem was he was still relying on his parents money but they didn't throw a fit when he started taking a liking to Muggle things. Perhaps they honestly thought of this as a phase he would grow out of.
He spent his days alone, not answering owls from his friends from Slytherin housemates. He didn't even open Pansy's letters as she had shown her true colors their last year at school. No, Draco couldn't even go back for the final year of school simply because he couldn't face anyone. The name of Malfoy which he had thought to be so wonderful was utter crap and he didn't care if anyone thought that, but he did care about the fact he wouldn't be allowed a chance to become someone not attached to the name.
It wasn't as if he wasn't studying for the tests though. Professor McGonagal had been kind enough to arrange for homework and lessons to be owled to him and it was the one kind of correspondence he did respond to. He was passing relatively well, which also kept his parents off his case. Maybe that was the real reason the new Headmistress had sent him correspondence.
Every so often he would get up and leave the house. Mostly it was to go drink at a bar or club. The winter break was going on at school and he honestly didn't want to see what the other students were doing. Getting drunk was an easier way to deal with things and he simply found himself knocking off a few days before getting into school mode again, and then he would crash until the next assignments came along.
He leaned back for a bit, letting the liquor take him away. Glancing up suddenly though at someone who approached him, he saw a girl wearing a zebra striped top. "Great... someone is going to try and hit on me again. I wonder how long it will take me to drive this girl away. I mean, there is nothing wrong with Muggle girls, but I'm honestly the mud here."
"Are you all right?" The female suddenly sat down as he sat full up. There was an honest look of worry on her face. "You look like you've drunk too much."
The girl was wearing some sort of wig over her head and she wore some pretty kinky makeup which completely contradicted the personality she was showing him. "I'm fine, thank you very much."
"No you aren't. Do you want to talk or just have company? Usually when people drink like this they are hiding from something." The female let out a deep sigh.
"I might as well try the most sure way to drive a girl away, make them think I am crazy." Draco suddenly grinned. "What if I were to tell you that magic existed and I was a wizard?"
"If there was such a thing as magic, I am quite sure you would be sworn to secrecy, because you know... it is obviously a secret." The girl stated, folding her arms across her chest. "How many girls have you told this stuff too."
"A lot. It drives them away rather quickly." The boy looked her straight in the face, his silver eyes turning dark. "I guess I'll be frank with you that I want you to go away. I don't want any company and really want to be left alone. Didn't know that would drive people away when I first tried driving them off."
"I'm not going to leave simply because you are throwing a drunk tantrum. I've dealt with worse from my ex-boyfriend. He keeps getting drunk because he can't deal with a family members death rather then talking his problems out. You're the same you know. Actually, I think the two of you are very similar to each other."
"His problems are not my problems. Sure, I don't have a family member whose died." Draco paused though, remembering his aunt and cousin. "Wait... there were two family members who died but it is honestly no skin off my back when I don't even, didn't even know them well. No, my problem has to do with the fact my family is complete dirt."
He found himself letting out a deep laugh. "Purebloods are the Mudbloods. My blood is so soiled and filthy I can't face the person I've called filthy all the years I went to school. It is a laughing matter you know."
"No it isn't. And who is this person, might I ask?"
"Potter's friend... not the red head... the girl." Draco swirled his drink around. "The only thing ever wrong with her, according to my parents views on life, was her stinking blood status. To hell with blood status. She was pretty, smart, kind. All the Pureblood girls... well, they're pretty, but they lack intelligence and they only think of themselves. Rather serves me right because I've only ever thought of myself."
"So that is why you are getting drunk? Isn't this selfish too, rather then facing the people you've wronged."
"I'm just doing what the people I've wronged likely wish, that I would just disappear and it be as if I never existed." Draco said this, tilting over slightly.
"If she was a kind person, do you really think she would wish that kind of thing?" The girl let out a deep sigh. "I'll be right back."
"Finally... she's gone. For good." His blond head of hair hit the table, relaxing suddenly.
However, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Glancing up he saw the girl grab his shoulder. "I'm getting you home, wherever that is."
At that, he shrugged away. "You don't get it, do you? I was a bully to the girl I had a crush on since I don't know when, simply because I was scared of making friends with her or Potter. Couldn't care about Weasel though." There was a period of silence and then he glanced up and saw the look on her face. "I don't need your pity, you know."
"This isn't about pity. This is about doing the right thing. Doing the right thing doesn't matter how much in the gutter a person is. What matters is someone needs help. I've already told my friends I don't see except outside of school that I am taking you home."
"What was your excuse?" The male let out a deep sigh.
"I told them I saw a classmate in need Malfoy." The female reached down to suddenly grab his arm.
His eyes suddenly went wide with fear, but he simply let her help him up. As they headed to the door, him supported by her side, he spoke up. "I never mentioned my name."
"Which should tell you I really am a classmate from school." The girl stated, calling a taxi over. "Give them your address."
Draco reluctantly did as she said. "This is an awkward situation. I guess you're going to tell everyone at school what kind of mess I am? I wouldn't blame anyone."
"No. That's not me. I might tell your mother though, but I also don't think you want your father knowing." The female stated.
They arrived at his apartment and suddenly Draco found himself heading to the toilet to vomit. He glanced up. "Please... don't tell Granger that I have a crush on her." It was then the girl came around the corner, a frown on her face and the wig removed. He found himself suddenly paling as his cheeks flushed up from embarrassment. He turned to vomit again. "Oh, bloody hell!"
As he threw up, he suddenly felt comforting arms wrap around his chest area and support him as he threw up. "Why? I was cruel to you, wasn't I?"
"I honestly don't care about the past. A lot of people are worried about you. Stop hiding your real self from people." Hermione stated, only to suddenly have Draco burst into tears before passing out. When he woke up, he found himself in his bed and saw that Hermione was wearing some of his clothes. "Apologies for borrowing some of your clothes, but I really don't like the clothes I borrowed from my friends."
"What are you doing Granger?" The boy let out a deep sigh.
"I'm cleaning up this place. It is seriously in need of it. At least it doesn't stink like Ron's room. I'm also going to fix you some breakfast and some good strong coffee to chase that hangover away."
"I don't need your help."
"It is pretty bad, Draco, when you weigh less then I do."
"You're just fat. So go away." The boy spoke through a head ache.
Hermione stomped over. "You really need to break this bad habit of being mean to people simply because you don't want to get close to them. I'm not leaving your place until I know you can take care of yourself and I'll drag you back for this next term if I have to."
"Mind your own buisness." The boy buried his head in the pillow.
"Keep in mind Draco, no matter what charms you put up to keep me out, I'll be able to bring them down and if you were to call someone to arrest me, you'd likely end up in Mungos. I do have that option you know."
"You are probably the only person who cares." Draco's head his his pillow.
"You're aunt and mother care. Blaize is actually freaked out because you haven't been replying to any of his letters. He also says Pansy thinks your on her side because you boycotted going back to school, but everyone knows you've been doing your course work via correspondence. Mrs. Weasly is also worried as is her husband. Harry is worried too. Other then that, you really haven't made any connections to make people worried about. Oh wait... there is Neville, but Neville has always put others first no matter what he goes through."
"There are also a lot of people who think I shouldn't show up at Hogwarts at all, so I am likely doing them a favor."
"You'll be taking your final tests come this spring." Hermione let out a deep sigh. "And it honestly isn't their right to say anything because they don't know you. In some ways you're a lot like Ron..."
"Don't compare us! We're nothing alike!"
"Would you let me actually finish?" Hermione let out a deep sigh. "Unlike Ron, when you are actually acting like your real self you are actually enjoyable to be around."
"You call this enjoyable?"
"You haven't called me Mudblood. Actually, you only called me fat because you were trying to push people away again. Just stop it." The female let out a deep sigh. "It is clean. Do you want me to write a letter to Blaize confirming that you haven't been opening any of his letters like he is worried about, or are you going to write him in response?"
"He should have given up by now. I'm surprised he's still owling me weekly."
"I told him not to give up. That said, he told me a lot of his letters are about how pissed he is with you for not writing back, for making him worry. He is also mad because he has the feeling something like this has been going on. How do you make the grades you do getting drunk like you do?"
"I'm not stupid Granger."
"That isn't what I meant. You've been drinking daily and alcohol can inhibit ones ability to think. Makes me wonder what your grades would be like if you actually put your mind to it. I'm actually wondering if the person who could actually stand a chance of challenging me when it came to school work just gave up."
"There is no point in me making good grades Granger when my father is pissed off that you, who isn't a Pureblood, is making the top grades."
"You just need to stop living up to your father's expectations. Your mother is really nice and I've had some sweet conversations with her when she's been visiting Teddy. She also doesn't seem the type to stand up for herself. You're not your father's child, you take after her you know. That isn't a bad thing either." Hermione then went about fixing the food, while Draco let out a deep sigh and tried to doze off, his head hurting badly.