I AM SO SORRYYYYYYYYYY I could give you tons of reasons why this chapter is so super late but I will go with the two most important ones: Christmas (on that note marry christmas or anything else to everyone who celebrates and I hope you had a nice weekend to everyone who doesn't) The second one is a very funny story about a blond tall guy I met through the real life equivalent of the apps Draco and Hermione use in Chapter one. Minus the bdsm group. It's karma guys. I hope you can forgive me. I'll try to post the next chapter next weekend A lot of thanks for your support and to my betas Nantai and chocomieux! Please enjoy and tell me what you think!

Draco stared numbly at the scene in front of him.

Granger was sitting in the campus cafe, talking and laughing with a man. He couldn't see his face, but Draco was sure he was enjoying his time with Granger as much as she did.

It was strange seeing her like that. To see them.

He had seen her together with Weasley but that had been different. He hated them both back then. Looking back, maybe not really hated, but definitely disliked.

But this…

He hadn't been looking for her. Blaise had just suggested they meet there and Draco noticed Granger and couldn't look away.

Everything was numb. His head felt airy, empty, like it was filled with cotton-candy. It was awful.

It didn't make sense.

Draco finally averted his eyes from the scene, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his coat and started walking away.

He needed to go. He needed to put as much distance as he could between himself and that - whatever it was.

"That's a really crazy story," Oliver said, shaking his head in disbelief after Hermione finished her retelling of what she decided to call the "Malfoy-affair".

She knew that she could talk to Oliver about it without being judged. That's just how their relationship was.

They were sitting in the small cafe on campus, catching up with each other. They hadn't really been in contact since Oliver left the country for an exchange semester. They had tried of course, but the time difference had been too exhausting to really talk.

"But I have to admit that I have a story that's not much better."

"Oh really?" Hermione leaned forward, aware that she was beaming. It just felt too good to sit here in the warmth, the delicious aroma of coffee and chocolate in the air, and talk with a friend. Maybe even her best friend - with Ron and Harry so far away and Oliver only two houses down her street, she had spent a lot of time with him since the beginning of her studies.

She really hoped they would go back to what they had, now that he was back in the country.

"Do you remember Marcus Flint?" Oliver asked, a sly smile on his lips.

Hermione cocked her head slightly and studied Oliver for a moment. She remembered the name pretty well - Marcus Flint was Oliver's biggest football rival back in their school days. They had hated each other.

Not that she and Oliver had had much in common back then, but Harry had been on the team as well and he used to bore her to death with all the stories.

She could guess that Oliver had met Flint again back in Australia, but the fact that Oliver seemed happy about it didn't really fit in the picture. Especially not if he was bringing it up in connection to her Malfoy story.

Hermione nodded slightly when she realized that Oliver was still waiting for her confirmation before continuing.

"Well," he ran a hand through his hair, his smile broadening even more, "we finally found out what our issue was."

Hermione stared at him in confusion. She didn't get what he was hinting at. She knew that she didn't always get the references, her mind not being as twisted and perverted as that of certain unnamed individuals - George and Ron after a few pints - but she felt like this was something really obvious. Too obvious perhaps.

"What are you talking about?"

Oliver licked his lips. His smile was unsettling her.

"We fucked in the showers after a match we won. And during the celebration party again."

Hermione was lucky she wasn't drinking anything in that moment or she would have spat it out. She certainly hadn't expected this twist of events. Even though, in retrospect, it had been really obvious what Oliver was hinting at.

And it made so much sense. The same way it would have made sense if Harry had fucked Malfoy in the showers after a match. Or Diggory one of the twins… Or Harry Diggory, Oliver Charlie, Zabini the twins… It really didn't matter. The way the boys at her school had acted, it had been a miracle that they had never ended in one huge bed all together.

Hermione couldn't believe the direction her thoughts were going. Malfoy was certainly a bad influence on her. Malfoy and that group. She needed to get the image of him and Harry out of her mind ASAP.

Oliver scratched his chin when she didn't react, looking at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am just trying to process the picture," Hermione reached for her cup, failing miserably at banning the football orgy from her head. Too many hot guys and she knew for a fact that not all of them were straight.

"Is that all you have to say?" Oliver raised an eyebrow, but one corner of his mouth was curling upwards slightly.

"Honestly, now that it happened I am surprised nobody saw it coming," Hermione said drily. How had they not seen it coming?

"It was not that obvious," Oliver leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and Hermione's eyes flew to his broad shoulders.

She didn't know why, but for some reason she liked looking at them, even though she usually prefered a leaner build, - not Malofy, certainly not Malfoy - like Ron. She wouldn't touch Oliver, even if he was the last man on earth, but she had a thing for his shoulders.

Or she was just underfucked. That was more likely the case.

"How so?"

"I had a thing for Angelina, remember?" Oliver said flatly and Hermione's eyes found his face again.

"How could I forget considering it was going on forever?" she said in a similarly indifferent voice, even though she didn't feel indifferent. How could Oliver choose Flint over Angelina? And it certainly wasn't a gender issue! It was a character issue.

"It's not like she likes me."

Hermione felt like screaming when she saw the weak shrug of Oliver's shoulders. He was so not over her, and Flint in the picture made it even more complicated.

"You won't see him again now that you are back, right?" she asked suddenly.

Oliver shrugged again and Hermione felt her heart break for her friend. It seemed that he had no luck with neither men nor women, despite being one of the sweetest people she knew - if you got past his football obsession.

"What's your problem?" Theo asked, pushing Draco's feet from the TV table with his own foot.

"Nothing," Draco said for the upteenth time and continued to stare at the Tv defiantly. He was sick of his friends' nosiness.

"Yeah, and that's why you are sulking," Blaise said from his other side, managing to spray some crisps crumbless over them.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Pansy and Theo hissed in unison, exchanging a disgusted look, but Draco didn't even bother to wipe them away.

He really didn't care.

"But he has a point," Pansy continued, "what did go wrong with Granger again? I thought she was coming to my party with you?"

Draco closed his eyes, willing his friends to disappear when he opened them again, but they were still there and staring at him with expectant eyes.

Why in hell did he have friends who cared for drama so much? And why the hell did he attract so much drama?

"She is."

"Then what is going on? Have you decided that you don't like her now that you got a shot with her?" Theo asked and Draco suppressed the urge to throw something at him.

He wasn't like that and Theo knew it. It wasn't just about the urge to hunt for Draco. Or just about the sex. His scars made that pretty much impossible.

"For god's sake, spit it out so we can continue watching the film!" Pansy slammed her glass on the table.

Draco flinched. The sound of glass on glass made his ears ring. It summoned memories he would rather forget.

"I saw her with another guy," he said, not missing the glances the others exchanged. "It looked like they were on a date."

"Do you really think Granger would have a thing with two guys at the same time?" Theo asked sceptically.

"It's always the quiet ones," Blaise said and reached out for the crisps again.

"Granger was never quiet," Pansy shoved him slightly and he lost his balance, falling over Draco, who huffed with annoyance.

"Considering she doesn't like me she is technically not having a thing with two men at the same time," he said and sat up straighter when Blaise finally rolled off him.

He grimaced at the collective groan but didn't say anything. He hoped the others wouldn't bother to continue the talk if he let it be, but it was hard to believe. They were always more interested in the developments in his life over the films they watched.

"Can't we instead talk about the love life of one of you?"

Pansy snorted and Blaise elbowed her. Draco wasn't sure if their relationship was more that of siblings or an old couple. It was weird to watch, considering the two of them never had a thing as far as he knew.

"For one, Theo still doesn't have a private life," Pansy said.

Draco glanced at Theo who ignored the comment, pretending to watch the film. It was hard to tell if he was bothered by Pansy's comments about his private life or the lack thereof. It was even harder to tell if he should do something.

"We all know how Blaise's date with Astoria went," Pansy continued, "and not even I can keep up with who I am currently dating."

"You broke up with Justin?" Blaise sat up straighter. "When?"

Draco shook his head and looked at Theo again. His lack of response was concerning.

"You okay?" he asked, ignoring Pansy's and Blaise's banter.

"I am watching the film," Theo said.

It was clear he was bothered. Draco rubbed his forehead. This really wasn't his day.

"You know for a gay best friend you are surprisingly unhelpful in matters of taste and love," Hermione glanced over her shoulder, almost dropping the earring she was trying to put on.

"For somebody who is so much for equality and rights you are surprisingly good with stereotypes," Oliver said, hiding his grin behind his beer, "and I am bi, if anything, not gay."

Hermione sighed. She knew she was acting weird. The thought of the party alone was making her crazy. "I am sorry," she said.

Oliver studied her in the mirror, not saying anything for the longest while while Hermione put on lipstick.

"What do you feel for him?" he asked finally, making Hermione draw a line up to her cheek.

"I don't feel anything for him," she said, wiping away the smudged lipstick furiously. She felt her face heat up and hoped that she could blame it on the make up.

"Look," Oliver stood up from the bed he was sitting on and walked over to where she was standing. "I don't judge you. I've been there. If you think he might have changed, you should try to get to know him. You can dump him at any time. If you wouldn't want to find out, you would not be so rattled by this whole affair."

Hermione blinked. She had certainly not expected that speech. Especially not after how Flint broke Oliver's heart. "Wait," she held up her hand and Oliver raised an eyebrow, "what exactly is your situation with Flint right now?"

Oliver pulled his lip between his teeth and the spark Hermione had seen when he talked about Flint returned, cementing her suspicion that she had misunderstood something. Or that Oliver had misguided her.

"Spill it out," she said, turning around to look at him. "Or I will draw on you!" She held up the lipstick.

Oliver ran a hand over his face. "Fine. I think it will do some good to have somebody I can talk to. We are still a thing."

"But?" Hermione put the lipstick away carefully.

"But we are going to hide it. The captains of rival university teams dating is not something anyone would welcome. And of course, there is the issue that he is not out to his family who would disown him…"

Hermione squeezed his hand, studying the floor as she did her best to ignore the fact that he was on the verge of crying.

"But you should get going," he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand. "I am sure Malfoy is already waiting for you."

Hermione stared at him. "You really think I should give him a chance?"

"If you think he deserves it. And if he breaks your heart, I'll simply beat him up."

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. It was like having an older brother. She had always wished for one, especially during the time she spent with the Weasleys and after her breakup with Ron, when things got weird. Sure, the Weasley boys had been like her siblings for some time, but she hadn't been as close with them as she was with Oliver.

"I will take you up on that offer if that happens," she said and gave him a quick hug.

Draco downed another shot and pulled the bottle closer to himself when Theo tried to take it away.

"The party has not even begun and you are already shitfaced," Theo cried out in distress, turning around to get some support from Pansy, but she wasn't paying him any attention as she argued with Blaise.

"You don't think you will ruin things with Granger if you do something stupid while being drunk?" he continued but Draco ignored him, listening to Pansy and Blaise instead.

"You are not going to start a stripping competition, Zabini!" Pansy stomped her foot.

"It will make your party legendary!"

Pansy groaned. "I will not allow that a party in my place ruins the future of anybody who comes! And if we go through with that it will! Do that in your flat!"

"Hell no! Father would kill me!" Draco said and they both turned to him, finally noticing his state.

"Draco!" Pansy cried out and looked from Blaise to Theo and from him at her watch and back at them.

"Do we agree?" Theo asked and when they all nodded, Draco suddenly found himself hauled to his feet. HIs head spun.

Blaise and Theo dragged him to Pansy's bathroom. He was leaning forward, fighting nausea.

He cried out when cold water hit his head and tried to get away but they held him with iron grip.

"You fine again?" Blaise asked after several seconds.

"Let me go you bastards," Draco hissed.

"He's better," Theo said from his other side and stopped the water.

When they let go, Draco had to concentrate on staying on his feet and barely managed to catch the towel Blaise threw at him.

"Sober up," he said and Draco nodded numbly, still somewhat in shock from the ice cold water.

He followed the others into the living room and sat down again, rubbing his head dry as he watched them run around and make last minute preparations.

He knew that he was being a burden and acting like an idiot. He couldn't help it. He was just a disaster like that. Had always been. It was a miracle he had friends like that. He knew he wouldn't be friends with himself if he had the choice. Especially not after everything that happened..

"Thank you for putting up with me," he whispered and they all froze.

"You are welcome?" Pansy said in an equally quiet voice, searching his face for any clue of what exactly was going on.

Draco tried to smile at her but it was more of a grimace.

"What can I do to help?" he asked, trying to fix the awkwardness he had just created.

Most of the time he was a happy drunk but, sometimes, like today, he was the most depressed of them all. It sucked and he really didn't want to burden anybody. He had to power through it.

It wasn't even thinking about Granger - he could deal with disappointing her. He had done that since they knew each other. What he couldn't deal with was disappointing those few people who actually believed he wasn't a disappointment.