A/N: And now we see how the aftermath, pt 2

TWENTY-SIX

Relapse

Draco walked into the Ministry with a purpose. By the time he got off the lift into the Auror department, it was getting harder to control his anger. He hadn't shared Weaslette's visit with Hermione; not yet. He wanted to stop in and speak to Potter first. If he let the Golden Boy leave his office alive, he would tell Hermione when he saw her next.

"Oi, fancy seeing you here again," Weasley said as he stepped out of Potter's office.

"I need a word with Potter."

The ginger haired wizard's eyes widened at the clipped tone of his voice. "Is Hermione alright?"

"She's fine. It's about her Christmas gift." The lie slipped from his tongue too easily.

Weasley cracked a grin. "Then you should come to me, mate. I'm the one that dated her."

"Yes, she told me how it took you six years to realize her crush, another year to make a move, and then spent the majority of your relationship chasing the bottom of a bottle." Draco realized he had taken it a bit far as Weasley's smile disappeared and his shoulder's hunched. His eyes dropped to the floor, unable to meet Draco's any longer. "Sorry, it's been a day."

He shrugged and his lips lifted into a fake smile that didn't last long. "It's fine. It's all true." He cleared his throat slightly and jerked his head towards Harry's office. "He's finishing up a meeting. Should be seeing them out in a minute."

"Thanks," he mumbled and watched Weasley walk away. He cursed himself for being rude. For once, his anger was not directed at Ronald Weasley. He sighed and rested against the nearest desk. Sure enough, a moment later, a man came out of the office shaking hands with Potter. When Potter saw him, he did a double take around the office, said goodbye to the man, and then beckoned Draco in with a tilt of his head.

Potter closed the door behind them and they both glanced at the couch by the door before exchanging an awkward glance between the two of them. Potter cleared his throat and gestured to one of the chairs at the desk before walking behind it for his own.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I believe I told you to keep your wife in check."

"It's been a little-"

"I know that she confronted you about everything. It was clear she was going to when she made that little comment at the party." He took a deep breath. "And she told me when she showed up to my office last night before close."

Potter's eyes widened significantly and he froze for a moment. "What did she go to see you for?"

"To tell me that she wants Hermione to know what it feels like to be her. That instead of a foursome, she would like a go at me while the two of you watch. If we refuse, she's going to Skeeter for a tell-all scandal."

Potter groaned and leaned back in his chair, his hand running through his untamable hair. "Fuck."

"It's your fault for mentioning her in a threesome with the two of you in the first place."

"She already knew by then. She would have asked me about it regardless."

"She wasn't kidding, Potter. When she realizes I meant no, she'll go straight to Skeeter. Hermione-" He couldn't even finish his thought at the speculation of what she would do. He didn't want to think about it. It would be one thing if he was worried about her leaving him. He could handle that. It was the other thing she might do that he couldn't handle.

Potter grimaced. "I told her to either go have an affair. Merlin, I even offered divorce." He held up his hands as Draco's jaw dropped. "Not for Hermione, just… Something I should have done a long time ago for me."

Draco's lips were pressed into a tight, thin line as he stared at Potter. "I don't care what you have to do, Potter, but as I told your wife, it was supposed to be a one time thing. Saturday was a mistake we will never repeat. And if Hermione-"

"Yeah, I get it," Potter said, scrubbing his face with his hand.

Draco inclined his head and got to his feet. "Your wife was very upset at my refusal, Potter. Whatever it is you have to do to smooth this over, do it now. I know I can't keep Hermione from the fallout as it was her mistake too, but if you care about her at all, you'll lessen the blow."

He didn't wait for Potter to respond as he took his leave of the office.

Tuesday, while Draco was at work, Hermione found herself too restless to stay inside. She had forced herself to not think about Harry and Ginny; about what could have been discussed after her comment at the party. She tried her best not to think about the party at all. She knew she should hate herself for it, but she didn't. The part she didn't want to listen to was the little voice that told her it felt good to be desired so intensely by more than one wizard. The only thing that appealed to her sanity was the knowledge that if it happened again, which wasn't likely now, was that it would end disastrously. And she didn't want to risk what she had with Draco. Not for something as trivial as a threesome. She was more than happy with Draco alone; emotionally and physically.

Too many thoughts rolled around in her head. The cold air, the snow, and a walk with no clear destination had always been something that helped Hermione clear her head. She had always imagined the frigid temperatures would freeze her thoughts so that she could grip them easily and shove them back to the recesses of her mind where they belonged.

It was when she found herself in Theo's neighborhood that she realized the knot in her stomach was from her cravings, not her thoughts. She hesitated on the corner of his street, staring up at his building. She knew she could walk away; go back to the flat, down another craving's potion, and try to sleep. But she also knew she could throw caution to the wind and step forward.

It would be the only thing to quiet all the voices inside her head.

With a sigh, she pushed forward and quickened her pace. Before she knew it, she was knocking on Theo's door. He opened it halfway and stared at her in disbelief. He looked over her shoulder and then stepped back to let her in.

"Draco know you're here?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

She shook her head and grabbed the bottle of beer from his hand, chugging until it was empty. She wiped her lips and looked around. "I'm surprised to see this place devoid of a party."

He turned towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. When he came back, he handed her another beer and they sat on the couch. "It's the Tuesday. And it's not even noon yet." He tipped his new bottle to his lips. "What are you doing here?"

Despite just having taken another sip, her mouth had gone dry. She licked her lips repeatedly, but they still dried and cracked the moment she stopped. "The usual."

"Garold hasn't really been by since you stopped showing up."

"It doesn't have to be Garold," she muttered. "Do you have anything on hand?"

He stared at her, eyes narrowed as if he were having trouble believing her. He was considering telling her no; weighing the thought of whether or not Draco might cause him bodily harm. She could see it in his eyes, plain as day. It made her wonder if Draco hadn't already threatened him at some point or if he just knew his friend that well.

"Please, Theo." Her voice cracked as she considered begging. Her body was jonesing for something, anything to shut her mind off.

"Draco can never know-"

"I won't tell him anything," she promised.

He considered it another moment and then got to his feet, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "Wait here," he instructed.

Hermione was nearly bouncing in her seat with anticipation as he disappeared down the hall. When he returned, he had a satchel in hand and held it out for her. She reached for it and he snatched it back quickly.

"Draco will kill me if he finds out."

"He won't," she assured him, fingers drumming in her lap. "I promise, Theo. He won't even know I'm on them."

"I'm not giving you anything more after this."

"I know."

He sighed and then handed her the bag. She took it as though it were made of glass and any amount of pressure was sure to break it the moment she touched it. "You have to go."

She shot to her feet, finished her beer, and then nearly ran for the door. She heard Theo cursing himself as she left. The moment she was outside and back in the snow, she leaned against the side of the building and picked out a vial. Tonight being no exception, she downed the contents without reading the label. She closed her eyes and let her head tilt back as the potion flowed through her system. She hadn't felt the sensation of floating in such a long time.

Had she been able, she might have felt a twinge of guilt for betraying Draco. As it was, she didn't even feel her feet as they carried her away from Theo's and through the streets of London. She wandered aimlessly; losing track of time and place as the high hit her like a tidal wave.

When she was aware of herself again, the moon was high in the sky. She had a brown paper bag in her hand with a bottle of dark liquid that was nearly empty. Only one foot had a shoe; the other lost somewhere she would never find it again. She was glad her warming charm was still in effect otherwise she might have to worry about frostbite later.

She stumbled and fell onto the sidewalk, her bottle shattering on the pavement beside her. She stared at it and then laughed. She tried to get up, but her legs refused to cooperate. She considered Apparating, but had enough sense of mind to know she would splinch herself in two if she did. Instead, the laughter bubbled past her lips until she was lying on her back on a small pile of snow on a public sidewalk in the middle of the night. Soon, the laughter turned to full on sobs, stopping only when there was nothing left in her system to cry out. Tears froze in tracks on her cheeks.

"Miss?" came a soft voice from somewhere close to her.

She turned to see who it was, but the movement was too fast and her vision spun. Her stomach churned in response. Somehow she was able to roll onto her side before she emptied the contents of her stomach over the curb and into the pile of broken glass.

"I-is there someone you'd like me to call?" she asked, sounding a little closer.

She shook her head at first and then reached for her wand in her coat. The woman gasped and Hermione saw her stumble away. She barely felt her arm move. The spells lit the area around them and Hermione watched as if they were fireworks in the distance. She never even heard the woman scream. She just continued waving her wand and watching the spells until her vision turned black and her head hit the pavement.

Draco paced the living room. He had arrived home shortly after five; he hadn't needed to stay late that day. Even if he had, his talk with Potter earlier that afternoon hadn't left him in the best mood. Hermione hadn't been there, but she hadn't left a note either. He wanted to contact everyone he knew to hunt her down, but he wanted to trust her. Perhaps she had gone out for a walk. Maybe met up with an old friend. Maybe…

He shook his head and reminded himself that she would be home when she was ready. That if he pushed, she would pull away. He wasn't too keen on what he had to tell her anyway. Each minute that ticked by made his anxiety worse and the desire to just get it over with intensified.

But now it was well after midnight and he still hadn't heard from her.

Just as he considered throwing caution to the wind and Apparating to Grimmauld, there was a sharp rap on the window. He turned to see an owl with a Ministry emblem around it's neck. He hurried to it and took the scroll. He read it twice before cursing and then Apparating on the spot.