Draco left the headmaster's office feeling…Well, he wasn't quite sure how he felt given the circumstances, but talking with his parents made him feel stronger…At the same time, however, he felt really uneasy. His parents had not said much, which was unusual.
Draco tried not to dwell on it now that it had been decided he would compete and the severity of the circumstances for the evening. The best way to investigate a plot was to sink into it, or, at least, that was what was decided.
The last thing he wanted was a party, even one in his honor, but there was no way to get out of it without looking like a wanker to his housemates. After all, he was their champion now.
Draco stopped outside the common room door to take in a deep breath and push down the wave of nausea threatening to make a public announcement at how he really felt. He was a Malfoy and he was damn well going to act like it. With one last slow exhale, Draco muttered the password.
The common room was quiet when he entered, to the point Draco was second-guessing his house's support but the moment he stepped foot into the open area the party regained life. Like a surprise party with a delayed reaction to the host's arrival, new life was breathed into the glazed-over faces.
A drink was in his hand and then he was thrust into the center of the crowd. Everyone speaking at once and not making any sense whatsoever.
Crabbe grabbed Draco's shoulder, sloshing his drink before tightening his grip. Draco had no bloody idea what he was saying other than it was foul and Draco made no attempt to have him clarify.
"Share" and "Slags" sufficed as far as communication with Crabbe was concerned. Goyle falling over himself in laughter nearby only further confirmed Draco's suspicions.
Draco eventually extricated himself and moved through the crowd. He allowed himself to enjoy this moment for there might now be many more chances for this if what he and his parents discussed were true. Tonight he did not need to worry anymore about who or why his name ended up in the goblet.
Draco worked his way to the outskirts and spotted his friends. Theo was laughing into his drink, Pansy had her head thrown back and Baise looked scandalized. Draco wanted to remember this moment. Pansy was actually laughing, he never thought he would see it again. Theo and Blaise had provided a molding embrace when Draco and Pansy metaphorically darkened the doorway of their friendship after essentially being dropped once the four of them arrived at Hogwarts. Draco found himself in a seat of power when in the company of Crabbe and Goyle. Whereas Pansy… In his list of regrets, he regretted their subsequent fallout. And he greatly regretted what happened to her… He should have been there.
The tide of guilt and regret began rising. A combination of everything accelerated by the alcohol hitting his system. He was not a happy drunk. Why he thought tonight would be an exception was beyond him. He was about to gravitate away from the direction of his friends, ready to self isolate and brood, but just as he turned away his arm was once again grabbed. This time it was not a drunken clench entrapping him in conversation, but a soft tug.
"Ah ah mate," Blaise tisked. "You're not going to leave me alone with them." Blaise left no room for argument as he lightly pulled Draco their way. Had Draco really wanted to, he could have easily broken away in the gentleness of Blaise's hand. There was a space there, a request.
"I brought reinforcement, " Balise announced to the other two.
"Reinforcement for whom exactly?" Theo questioned.
"Draco and I are on the same team," Blaise said as though Theo were incredibly slow.
"Whatever team you're on Blaise, I don't think Draco is… Especially not after—" Draco tuned out their argument or discussion. A few drinks in and the two would inevitably end up like this. Usually, Draco would participate, never one to back down, or at the very least, keep up, yet Draco stared at the ground as if the secrets of the universe were woven within the fibers of the carpet.
A foot tapped him, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked up to Pansy's inquisitive face tilted sideways. She reached out and took his drink and downed the rest of its contents before brandishing her wand and filled the glass with water. "Stop being a sad drunk and have some fun with us." She squeezed his other hand and pulled him closer.
The second wind did not last long given that the participants were utterly sloshed by the time he returned. The hangovers the following day would be brutal. Draco wondered if the supply of hangover potion would be enough but decided that it was a simple enough potion that he could make more. He kept the house in high supply with an assortment of potions, mostly of the healing variety.
Draco sat on the velvet green sofa by the window, with an aged sigh. He laid his head all the way back and stared at the stone ceiling. His mind whirled, alternating between fuck, how could he manage this, and devoid of any thought. He was just shifting from mindless staring when he was overcome with the sense that he was being watched. Perhaps he was paranoid following the brief conversation with his parents or the accusations thrown around earlier, but nonetheless, the feeling grew. He turned his head toward the rest of the room being careful to school his expression and slow his movement, putting on a show of confidence lest anyone think he was feeling anything else, only to see a common room peppered with passed-out students and a fire-long since dead evident only by the lingering smoke. No movement. Draco let out a self-mocking laugh at this newfound paranoia, but the feelings did not leave. The only other place could be from the lake, a thought which made Draco turn his head quickly, but he saw nothing in the pitch-black waters.