This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Word Count: 1141

Title: Try (Almost) Anything

Note: Inspired by the song by Shakira- Try Everything

Warnings: Prejudice, probably OOC Hermione and Draco

Beta: Aya, shy-n-great

The House Cup:

[House]: Slytherin

[Class] Astronomy: Stand in

[Prompts]: [Speech] "I liked my life before you came into it."

[Category]: Standard

"Hermione, just stop!" Draco said, holding her as her arms flailed by her sides. She was in one of her moods, he could smell the firewhiskey on her breath and Draco was almost sure it had something to do with a certain redhead that was her boyfriend once upon a time.

She had just left a dinner at Harry's place, and he knew for a fact that Ron Weasley would have been invited to the event as well. That's why he decided to decline Potter's invite. That, and the fact that the trio reverted back to school state when they were all together in one place.

The relationship between Draco and Hermione had happened so unexpectedly, so quickly, they had started talking in the library during their eighth year, talking about how everything was in the past, and that everyone deserves a second chance. He sure as hell grew up a lot since what happened last year. He knew who he was now, he could stand against his own father and make his own choices.

Once he had accepted the truth that he wasn't a traditional Malfoy, he also accepted the thought that he could love without strings, without contracts, and soon, a bushy haired brunette, Muggle-born, witch. The woman currently sobbing against one of his most expensive shirts he had. This had also forced him to accept many things. Even the fact that Harry Potter wasn't all that bad, but one thing was for sure, when it came to Ron Weasley, the two of them just simply couldn't be in a room together. He would try. For Hermione, he tried almost anything.

"What happened?" he asked when she finally broke down, crying into his shoulder.

"Ron," she said between sniffles. "He keeps giving me a hard time for, well, being with you."

"Of course he is, he is just jealous because he still loves you," Draco replied, stroking her hair gently. She shook her head, which was quite a feat as it was still half buried in his shirt.

"He is over me, he moved on already," she said. Draco couldn't believe it, but he accepted his girlfriend's word for it for now. It wasn't like he was going to go around asking the git.

Once she seemed to have calmed down, he looked at her and simply said, "Explain."

"He is seeing someone," she said.

"Oh, says who?" Draco said, resisting the urge to add a snide comment to the end of that question. Hermione's brown eyes looked right through him, and he suspected she already knew he was showing restraint.

"He did, he brought her with, her name is Bree Tanner."

"The Slytherin girl a couple of years below us?" Draco asked. He remembered the girl. She had been something of a friend to him, especially since she wasn't a typical Slytherin either.

She nodded her bushy head and Draco tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Sit down, lets talk."

"Yeah, it was strange, seeing him with someone like her, someone a bit like you, if I am being honest," she added. "Not that it's a bad thing!"

"Of course it isn't, I'm a catch."

Hermione laughed, and Draco couldn't help but smile back at her. "There's my girl."

"How much did you drink with them?" Draco asked after a while of quiet.

"Nothing," Hermione said. "Went to the bar afterwards."

"I see, now this makes a hell of a lot more sense to me," Draco said. "What drove you that far?"

"He was saying how all you want from me is one thing, and it isn't my mind," she paused. "Among other things."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I also know you are busy getting those merger documents in."

"I would have dropped this for you, it's better to know you are okay," Draco said honestly. Silence fell over the room, and Draco thought about all the ways she had already changed his life so far.

"Did Tanner say anything?" Draco was curious, she wasn't the type to just sit there, despite her personal feelings, she probably would be the type to stand up for Hermione. Well, he presumed, he didn't really keep in touch with her after leaving school.

"I think she felt uncomfortable at Harry's place. I think she still sees him as something of a martyr, but I could see in her eyes that she didn't think Ron was being very nice. She probably spoke to him afterwards when I left, slamming the door behind me."

"I don't think so," Draco said. "Her visual reaction would be the only one he got, and if he missed it, like I suspect he did, then she won't tell him."

"I see," Hermione replied. Although Draco doubted she really understood, she was the furthest thing from Slytherin he had ever known. "Slytherin's are complicated, aren't they?"

"Well, Purebloods in general, I suppose," Draco agreed.

"I liked my life before you came into it," Hermione blurted out. "It used to be so simple. Why do relationships always make things more complicated?"

"Hermione, are you saying you don't want to be with me anymore?" Draco asked. He really didn't like her being so upset. He had long forgotten his life was supposed to be about protecting himself.

"No no, I'm not saying that."

"Then what? Surely you don't believe Carrot-top?"

Hermione's face flushed. Draco suspected it wasn't from Ron's words, but more about her current state of inebriation.

"I'm just saying if I didn't fall in love with Harry's nemesis, it would have been so much simpler."

"Oh, and you think it was easy falling for you?" Draco said, half-annoyed, half-enamoured.

"Of course it was." She grinned.

"Good answer," Draco said. "I taught you well." He leaned over to kiss her, but the alcohol on her breath was a bit of a mood killer, so he went for her cheek instead.

"That bad, huh?" she asked, and he knew what she was referring to despite her sudden change in topic again.

"Sorry, 'Mione, but you smell like a bar," Draco said.

"I'm going to take a shower I think, and gargle with some mouthwash," she said. "Want to join me?" She winked at him.

"Soon, just going to finish this document for work, okay?"

Hermione nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and left him alone in their living room.

Draco stared at the page for a while, knowing he needed to get this document finished. His boss would be on his ass about it if he didn't hand it in tomorrow. It was another motivation for not joining them, but if he had known Hermione would be driven to drunkenness, he probably would have gone with, despite having the un-Slytherin urge to punch the idiot in the face. He hated Hermione being hurt, and he knew that he complicated her life.