Chapter 28

"I-I just don't understand," he hiccuped. "How could he've been mad at me? I-I was right, wasn't I?"

Three hours and two bottles of wine later, Draco, couldn't shut up about Harry. He babbled non-stop. Jenni sat and listened intently to him for as long as he could talk.

"I thought you weren't mad," she said.

"Well, I-I'm not," Draco sighed. "I-I just don't understand." He paused. "I-I shouldn't 'ave let 'im go."

"You both needed time to cool down. If you had stopped him, you just would've gotten in another fight. This way you both get some time to think."

"But… but what if he starts thinking I can't trust him? I-I can, I honestly can. W-what if h-he wants to get a divorce?"

She sighed. "Draco, think of who you're talking about. It's Harry! He knows how much you love him."

There was silence for a while as Draco poured himself another glass of wine. It was a very cheap wine, which tasted of cherry candies and peach schnops.

"Jenni," he whispered, "why did I do it?"

"Because you were confused," she reassured him.

"No, no, not that. I know w-why I let him leave." He took a long swig from the fresh glass. "I m-mean…. Why did I-I marry 'im?"

Jenni bit her lip. This was strange. Yes, this was what she wanted – no, needed – to get her mother back, but it just didn't seem right. Draco and Harry weren't supposed to fight. They weren't supposed to break up. And Draco sure as hell wasn't supposed to have second thoughts about marrying Harry. They were meant to be together.

"Why so early? Why couldn't we h-have waited a y-year or so? M-maybe none of this w-would've happened i-if we waited. Maybe w-we weren't supposed t' get married at all."

"Draco…." She stopped herself. She wanted so badly to comfort him and tell him that him and Harry were meant for each other. But she bit down hard on her tongue, and remained silent.

"Y-yes?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Forget about him. If your relationship is so complicated, then it isn't worth it."

She wanted to hang herself. She hated seeing Draco like this. Pathetic and alone. Why did that bastard Lucius have to get his way? Why did he have to do this? Why did he want to hurt his only son so badly? What kind of a father was he?

"The worst thing is, I-I know you're right. B-but that doesn't m-make he love 'im any less. I-I think I love him m-more."

"That doesn't mean you can't move on," Jenni pointed out. "It would be healthy for you to move on, Draco. If you don't you two might end up strangling each other to death. You'll be in love with him forever if you don't get a new life."

"I will be. No question." He sighed heavily and leaned his head back on the couch. "B-but I don' want 'Arry to leave me. I-I want us t' work it out, l-like we always d-do."

I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!

"Harry?"

The raven-haired man was laying on his back, staring unblinkingly at the cracking ceiling. He didn't respond.

"Harry… are you okay?"

It was a few minutes after midnight, and Hermione hadn't heard anything from her depressed friend for hours. He hadn't come out of his room all night, but she knew he wouldn't be asleep.

She climbed up on the bed and sat next to him, stroking his hair. He looked at her for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to the ceiling.

Seeing him like that scared her. Harry had been through so much, and he'd found ways to deal with all of it before. But he looked so helpless, so lost and scared. She new he couldn't get through this alone, but she also knew that he wouldn't let her help him. He was so stubborn.

"C'mon, Harry," Hermione whispered pleadingly. "It's not that bad. You two've been in fights before. You two can handle this."

"That's just the thing, Hermione," he sighed finally. "We've been in fights before. I just don't know what's gonna happen to us. Is my marriage falling apart?"

"No, Harry, it isn't. Your marriage isn't a trainwreck just because of a stupid kiss – a kiss that you didn't even want! Draco should know that you didn't want it to happen, and if he doesn't, then you'll make him." Harry nodded solemnly. "It'll be okay. You'll get through this."

"I'm not completely sure we will."

Hermione sighed, hopping off the bed. "Tomorrow you'll go down to the Leaky Cauldron and work it out with him, and neither of you are leaving until you figure something out. Now come on." She pulled him out of bed. "Ginny's downstairs making the three of us some hot chocolate. You obviously aren't going to get much sleep tonight, so come hang out with us downstairs." She grinned slyly. "We can have a girl's night."

"Oh, ha, ha," Harry grumbled, trying not to smile as he pulled a pair of pants over his boxers. "And I thought you were supposed to be the mature one…."

"Well, maturity can only go so far," she chuckled.

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"Draco…. Do you ever think about getting even with Harry?"

"Yes," he admitted, taking a sip from his now third bottle of wine. "But… just couldn't do it to 'im… jus' not right."

"Well, why not?" Jenni asked matter-of-factly. "He kissed someone else! Why shouldn't you? It would only be fair."

"But…." He was having trouble getting his words out. He sighed, then hiccuped again, leaning back in the couch. "I-I love him… too much," he sputtered. "M-Merlin…. I'm g-going to bed."

He stood up, swayed, and fell back down onto the couch. Sighing helplessly, he closed his eyes. His head was spinning. It was a dumb idea to drink so much – he couldn't think straight, when he had so much to think about.

"I have an idea," Jenni smiled. She scooted over so she was sitting right next to him and put her hand on his leg. "Why don't we just sleep in here tonight? That way you won't have to walk."

"W-we?" he asked weakly.

She nodded slowly. She straddled his lap. He opened his eyes in shock, but that was about all he could do. He was practically immobilized.

Jenni kissed him softly, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to do this, didn't want to hurt two of her best friends. But she had no choice. There was no going back now.

Draco sat limply beneath her, praying she would stop. Everything in him screamed to stop this madness, to get out of there before she took it any further; but he was stuck there, resigned to tightening his lips, hoping she would get off of him.

I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!

A/N: Okay, I'm VERY sorry about this chapter. This is the worst shit I've ever written. Waaaaay too much dialogue, and I'm not good at writing drunk characters unless they're stripping or fighting or something more active than that. But I have a goo excuse, I honestly do. This story has caused me a LOT of grief, so I just crashed this chapter.

I'll explain. My friend printed the story off the internet at school so she could read it at home a while ago, and when she was done with it she just stuck it in a drawer in her room. Well, he nosey and WAY over-protective mom found it a few weekends ago, so they got into this whole fight about it. Luckily, she didn't rat me out, but her mom was gonna take it to the principle and all of the teachers in school until she found out who wrote it. Then I would've gotten suspended, and grounded for being suspended, and my grades would've dropped and it really would've sucked. But luckily, she talked her mom out of taking it to the principle. So the next chapter should be a lot better!

TTFN, Deathdragon4