He swept his hand over his eyes, blinking blearily into the flickering street-light. He stumbled once, twice, before settling on a jerky trot down the street. A shrill tone jerked his unstable trot to a violent stop. It took him several long moments to recognise the tune. Patting his clothing, he identified the bump that was his phone and fished it out of his back pocket.

All Draco could really say was that he felt a lot lighter than he had when he walked into the pub hours ago. His pockets certainly felt lighter, and that always meant a good night of forgotten troubles.

"Hello?" His voice was slurred, and his brain too fuzzy to glare into the bright screen to identify the caller.

"Draco!" The screech within the device was echoed into the silence of the street, and Draco sighed.

This had become routine. It was the new normal that had grown like a weed out of the ruins that his life had become.

Pansy stood before him, panting and looking furious. Her hair was in unusual disarray, and stranger still, she didn't seem to be bothered by any of it. The self-righteous fury wasn't a cloak she usually wore either. It was a stunning look on her.

Looking between the phone and the woman, Draco decided that continuing to talk through the phone may be the safer option.

"Yes?" he whispered into the phone. He'd never liked being on the wrong side of an angry woman, even his father had avoided angering his mother when he was a child, before his father had gotten arrested and taken a sizeable chunk of the Malfoy estate down with him.

It was all Draco could do to keep the remaining assets from disappearing as well, especially since he had never been trained for it; nor did any of his father's contacts have trust in him. It was all little more than an elaborate disaster, and nights like these were his only escape.

It didn't happen every day, like the alcohol frequently did, but the frequency had increased tenfold with another one of his father's deals falling through a month ago. Even ambition meant little when there was no skill to back it up.

"One more time, Draco, and I will leave. I swear, I will do it. You need to pick yourself up, and move on. You need to stop whining and drowning yourself in your own disappointment, and do something about it! Continue like this, and you will have nothing left!"

"Tomorrow," Draco muttered, eyes glazed. "I'll start properly tomorrow. Tomorrow's a new day. Nice things happen on new days."

"Oh, for the love of..." Pansy took two steps to loom over the drunk blond, and slapped him as hard as she could. "I'm serious, Draco. I will not put up with your alcoholism and gambling any longer. You'll drown in your alcohol soon, and I'd sooner abandon ship than sink with you." A cold sneer was painted on her lips when she stepped away from Draco.

"I'm sure you can find your own way home."

Staring after the woman stalking away from him, Draco wished he had more alcohol so he could drown the heaviness that had settled over his chest, as well as the cold sense of dread that filled him.

He didn't think he would survive losing anything else.

AN:

Hogwarts Assignments: Divination – Write about someone falling down; [Muggle!AU]