Staring at her as she turned to leave, he knew it was too late. After hearing the door close and lock, making that tiny click, he knew he had fucked up but that's how he was.

He pushed her, he pushed her away, so much that's she could no longer stand to be with him. He pushed her away so far that she didn't bother coming back anymore.

One shot. Second shot. Who knows how many shots? He lost count. Looking to the door, no she wouldn't come back and help his sorry ass back to his house. No, she wouldn't some back at all.

Back when they were younger, when it was all fun and games, before everything had changed, if only he could go back to those times. Before they needed to make decisions, before life punched them in the faces, before they grew up, they were both happy.

I don't care I don't care I don't care

"I don't want to leave you but you keep giving me reasons to"

Her goddamn sweet voice was ringing in his head like a broken record keeping him away from the insanity that he kept slipping into everyday.

"Then why don't you leave?! Ms. Brightest witch of her age my arse!"

And there it was, intoxicated words that lead him to the end of his world.

But how she looked at him made him want to take back all his words, all his sins, all his wrong doings and keep them all away from her, but knowing her, she'd just want to face them all head on and save him herself.

"She would've died for him and she almost did but what was he doing? He was putting himself in danger all over again. Killing himself all over again just for her start from zero.

Staring at the fireplace, watching the flames dance like how they used to at all those balls. Remembering how those small glances would go from a spark to lighting their hearts on fire. He watched the flames turn to smoke, turn to nothing and leave him in the dark and in the cold.

He was always foolish. He never made the right decisions, letting her go was one of the worst ones yet.

He waited but it was useless. No more second chances, no more coming back to what was already shit.

The fireplace lit back up, the green flames this time, something in his heart wished it was her, he wished she had come back in sympathy for him, in concern that he drank to his death but no, he knew she was smarter than that. He knew that's she knew she deserved better.

"Mate?"

"You look like hell mate"

He didn't bother responding. He didn't bother moving anything except the shot glass of Firewhiskey to his lips again.

Theo knew that look. He's seen Draco at his worst and how he looked now wasn't far from that time. There was only one way to get his attention, it may hurt him but he needs to feel something other than the firewhiskey down his throat.

"I talked to Granger a while ago"

Draco froze and Theo smirked.

"Blaise and I ran into her back at Diagon Alley, caught up back at Three Broomsticks"

Draco stood and grabbed a bigger glass from the center table, filling it up to the brim and gulped down half of it. Theo let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

'I might regret this later' Theo thought but also didn't care. His best mate needs to feel something again.

"Blaise and she seemed to be getting along quite well and I felt left out so here I am now," Draco put down the glass and shook his head "Mate, isn't she your lady?"

Draco shook his head more vigorously, this time with tears falling down his cheeks and chin "Not anymore," he choked out in between tears "No way to go back, I can't go back to her".

Theo knelt down to Draco and met his eyes. They both paused for a moment and Theo slapped Draco's face.

The blow was strong, so strong that he fell out of his chair and spilled his firewhiskey all over the carpet.

"Bloody hell mate!"

"She's your woman ain't she?!" Theo yelled, standing and staring Draco down "She fought a bloody war for you, she defeated the Dark Lord, she's the fucking war heroine for fuck's sake"

Theo bent down and grabbed Draco by collar of his shirt "Don't you love her?!" Draco looked down in shame, not wanting to face the truth himself "Then fight for her!"

Draco nodded pushed himself up. He loves her. He goddamn loves her.

He stepped into the floo and held the dust in his shaky hands.

"We're doing this now? Oh okay, I'll just follow you then"

"Hmph..hm.." Draco straightened his posture and shook his head "Diagon Alley!"

In a blink, he was tumbling his way to Three Broomsticks, trying his best to at least keep a straight face but kept tripping over the smallest things.

He slammed the door open, causing almost everyone to turn their heads to him including a very specific bushy haired girl who sat across his fellow Slytherin.

Seeing him, he saw red and stormed to their table.

"Malfoy? What are you-"

Back to surnames he thought bitterly of course

"Granger! Zabini! Watch out!" Theo barged in panting.

"Nott what the fuck did you do?!"

Before Theo could answer, or even formulate words for that matter, Draco lunged at Blaise and grabbed him by the collar. "You keep your bloody hands off of her" he snarled, his breath wreaking of alcohol and legs wiggling from fatigue, all his strength just leaning onto Blaise.

"Malfoy are you pissed right now?!" Hermione-er Granger, looked angry both at him and Theo.

"Stupefy!"

Draco froze, unable to move due to the enchantment but still able to hear and see.

"Theo, what the fuck did you tell him" Hermione pointed his wand at Theo's throat while glaring daggers in between them.

Theo put his hands up in surrender and confessed "I just implied that you and Blaise would hook up".

Hermione pinched her nose bridge and took in a sharp breath "Theo, you said you'd go to the loo, I should've known you'd be up to no good since you were taking too long".

"Granger, he loves you" Theo motioned to Draco "he's been drinking himself away, he could kill himself from all that alcohol. I just needed him to have a reason to again, hear him out now that I've finally dragged his arse out here".

Hermione looked at Theo in the eyes and recognized the sincerity in them. Draco looked on in envy, how he wished he'd be on the receiving end of that gaze again.

Hermione took away the enchantment and Draco fell to the ground.

She didn't help him up nor did she look in his direction. Everything was painful. Everything was too much.

"Gran- oh fuck it all- Hermione," he began, feeling the stares on everyone in the room "I don't know what I became when you walked out, when you realized how shitty I am and realized how much you deserve better".

He paused and pushed himself to stand straight with the support of the table Hermione and Blaise were sat.

"Both of us were so close, but so far away that we couldn't talk, we couldn't understand the other. I know it's too late, too late to unhurt, too late to be there when you needed comfort. What I've done, what I've said, there's no excuse for that, you never deserved that" he looked at Theo and sighed.

"When Theo told me you were with Blaise, it blew up in my face that I lost you, that you had moved on and I couldn't bring myself to accept that. You did everything for me and I gave you nothing but a hard time, I'm sorry because I know I don't deserve it this time but please-"

The words, the words he needs to say at least once, so that she'll know.

"I love you"

Hermione froze and turned to face him, looking directly into his eyes, she was searching for something, something that she one knew, something she once grew to admire.

"I did all those things so you'd know how special you were to me, so you'd know your worth at least to me and you dismissed it" tears were forming in his eyes and he had to restrain himself from reaching out and wiping them away himself "me leaving, was a theory I thought that would wake you up. Malfoy, you don't realize things unless you've lost them. It's been so long since I left that I was beginning to think that I was nothing to you".

"And here you come, barging in out of nowhere, just for you to tell me you love me" she smiled through the tears and looked up at him.

"After so long" she held her hands up to gently cup his cheeks, he leaned into her touch, nothing like the fire in the fireplace "you finally fought for me".

And with that their lips met.

"The people cheered for them and Theo shed a tear.

Blaise leaned over and whispered him "Malfoy knows I'm gay right?" Theo chuckled under his breath "He's intoxicated, of course he doesn't remember".