Gutterflower

"What a Scene"


Granted, Draco hadn't expected his life to turn out like it had. Indeed, he hadn't expected to start a family unintentionally, and with Ginny Weasley, for example. It was just one of those evil things that fate tended to throw at an unwary person… And Draco was, indeed, slightly unwary at times.


He had disapparated off of the Manor grounds to Hogsmeade, where he figured that he could get his mind off of a few things, if only for a little while. The countryside view from Hogsmeade provided Draco with a fresh reminder of how tranquil life could be sometimes - until Draco remembered that he didn't need tranquility, because he was a Malfoy.


Perhaps he should go and talk to Ginny? Get things sorted out, and the like. That's what a real man would do, he decided. A real man would stick by his mistakes and admit that he had done wrong. But, Draco mused, his father had told him that only desperate men stuck by their mistakes, and that men like the Malfoy's could pay their way out of anything that went wrong.


Draco decided that Lucius Malfoy was about as low as a goblin.


The fact that Draco was being selfish made him feel… well, kind of human. What a new experience. Something at the back of his mind was nagging at him, telling him to run off to Ginny and to confess to her that he didn't mean it, it was his fault, and…


No. Not a chance in the world would that ever happen, no matter what. After all, it was Ginny who was pregnant, not him.


He walked into the Three Broomsticks, hoping to get a drink to calm him down a little bit. His exterior never showed his true emotions - unless he was utterly surprised, or incredibly angry - but a drink would definitely relax him. A ting of a bell sent a witch wearing ruby high-heels toward him.


"Can I help you?" she asked. It was the same old Madame Rosmerta, the witch who had served him during his Hogwarts years. He remembered her rather well - she had been one of the women that Draco had once tried to get involved with. However, being as young as he was, at the time…


"Firewhisky."


"Have a seat," Rosmerta announced, shoving him into a chair at a table. "I'll be back in a moment."


Rosmerta came back in mere moments, carrying a tray with a shotglass filled with Odgen's Old Firewhisky. The smell of the drink was rather potent - an easy way to tell if it was the expensive stuff, or the cheap imitations. She set the drink down and Draco tipped the glass.


Though he was no stranger to alcoholic beverages, his throat always burned whenever he took back a shot of Firewhisky. Perhaps that's why it was called Firewhisky, he mused. Rosmerta put a charm on the glass that filled it back up after every consumption Draco took. The money he would owe her would be tallied on a magical pallet at her waist.


After three glasses of the Firewhisky, his throat no longer burned when he took a drink. Instead, a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through his stomach, making him feel all the more relaxed. His muscles eased their tension, and Draco slid further and further into the chair, all the while drinking from the shotglass. Sooner, rather than later, Draco was sloshed to the point that standing wasn't really an option.


The bar-tending witch came up to him and gave him a pat on the back. "You might want to stop, now, hun. You still need to pay, though," she added when he attempted to get out of his chair. Rosmerta squeezed his shoulder. "That'll be two galleons."


Draco glowered and reached into his pocket. He always kept a bit of change on him whenever he went out of the house. His entire pocket was filled with more money than Ginny Weasley had ever seen, he thought to himself. Draco pulled out two large golden coins and shoved them into Rosmerta's hand.


"You know what?" he managed to say, though his voice had a slight slur to it. His eyes were glazed over and slightly unfocused.


"What's that, love?" asked Rosmerta.


"I might be a dad."


"Oh, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"


Draco glared and walked out of the Three Broomsticks. Without really intending to, he apparated.


*****



There was a knock on the front door of the Burrow. Ginny stared at it for a long time, listening to the person who was knocking on it knock harder with each turn. She didn't feel like standing up and getting the door, so she called out, "Is anyone going to get that!?"


No answer came.


With a jolt, Ginny remembered that her parents weren't home. They had gone out for the evening, taking a well-earned vacation that they had needed, due to the amount of stress Ginny had pushed onto them in the last week or so. Whining slightly, the red-headed girl climbed off of the couch and went to the door.


Who would be coming over, now? she wondered. I don't remember mum saying anything about anybody coming over today.


The knocks on the door became louder and the abuse on the door came harder. Ginny ground her teeth to keep herself from yelling at whoever was beating up her house. She pulled open the door.


Draco Malfoy was standing on the other side of the door, eyes unfocused and hazed over, leaning heavily against the doorframe.


"What're you doing here?" asked Ginny, feeling hot, fresh tears prickle at her eyes. Draco didn't answer her. "What's wrong with you? Why do your eyes -"


"You going to invite me in, or not?"


Against her better judgment, Ginny led him into the house. She had to grab onto his arm and lead him inside to keep him from falling flat onto his face. Draco plopped down on the couch rather heavily when Ginny let go of his arm.


"Why are you here, Draco? You made it quite clear the other day that you didn't -"


He laughed rudely. "That I didn't, what? Enlighten me!"


"You're drunk, aren't you, Draco?"


"So what if I am, Ginny? What are you going to do about it, huh?" Draco sank back into the cushions. "I can have a drink if I want to have a drink and nobody can stop me from doing whatever the hell I want to do."


Ginny turned away from him, looking toward the kitchen. She wasn't going to stare at him. Staring at him brought back memories from that night, even though they were incredibly hazed over and blurred. She remembered parts, though… parts, and feelings, and smells… but they were blended together.


"No, nobody can stop you from what you want to do," she said. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "You have no responsibilities whatsoever. It must be nice to be you, Draco. It must be very nice."


Draco laughed a drunk's laugh. "It is nice to be me, what're you talking about?"


She stomped into the kitchen. It was hard to see where she was walking; tears had accumulated in her eyes, making her vision incredibly blurred. Ginny sniffed. "Yeah… must be real nice," she muttered to herself.


A squeak of cushions brought her back into the real world. She turned around and noticed Draco staggering his way into the kitchen. She backed up against the counter. He looked… really odd… with his eyes all red like that…


"You shouldn't've gone and got yourself pregnant. You're making life harder for everyone around you."


"What did you just say?" Ginny clutched a hand to her throat. How dare he? How dare he talk to her like it was all her fault? It always takes two to tango, so it was just as much his fault as it was hers.


"I told you already. Don't make me repeat myself!" Draco moved closer to her. "Get rid of it. I don't want it, it's not mine."


Ginny did the first thing that came to her mind. She slapped Draco. Hard. Hard, and across his perfect face. Her hand stung from the force.


It wasn't a smart thing to do, she realized after she had slapped Draco. The blonde-haired man growled threateningly from deep within his throat, and the handprint on his face throbbed madly. His eyes unglazed. He wasn't in a drunken stupor any longer.


Perhaps Draco hadn't thought about it for a long time, but what came next was surely unexpected. Draco thrust his arm out, hand balled in a fist… and it connected with Ginny's stomach.


Instant pain spread through her entire abdomen. Ginny doubled over, clutching her stomach and blinking out the tears that were forming in her eyes. She couldn't see, couldn't breath… everything was blocked out of her senses. Oh, the pain…


Perhaps Draco seemed to realize what he had done, because the next moment Ginny looked up, he was gone. Ginny was all alone… all alone, in pain, without a sense of what to do.


One thought came to her mind. St. Mungo's.


Ginny disapparated at once.


When you're feeling all wrong in the back of your mind again
How does it feel?
When you drop down everything's all the same
Saccharine caffeine nicotine gum
Yeah it tastes sweet but it's not for long
And I just think you thought it would be
When you're looking for the truth on the cover of a magazine
How does it feel
When you find out what you're not gonna be
They give you your image and the things you believe
Open your eyes, tell me what do you see
And I just think you thought it surreal
How does it feel when you're out on your own
And now it's too late to come home
And it's hard to be free when you're down on your knees
Take it easy till you make it alone
Now you're a supermarket punk rock television comedy
Out on the scene
Yeah I bit down now there's no hand to feed
All the beautiful images lining your walls
Pop radio screamin' down the halls
Now you think you found something real
When it's all about money
And the things that you need
Live a big lie and they all believe
Now I just find that somehow obscene
How does it feel when you're out on your own
And now it's too late to come home
And it's hard to be free when you're down on your knees
Take it easy till you make it alone
Take it easy till you make it alone
What a scene, yeah
It's all been said before
And all been done
Take it easy till you make it alone
Take it easy till you make it alone