17. Drinkin' Dark Whiskey- Steeldrivers
Ginny was suspicious of him, of that Draco was certain. What she suspected however, he didn't know. He would need to nip that in the bud quickly. Though in the meantime it was quite humorous. Her eyes had nearly popped from their sockets when Hermione had asked her to watch Kaida long enough for the two of them to go for a quick drink. She had agreed but as soon as Hermione had turned her back, Ginny had pointed at Draco and narrowed her eyes threateningly.
He had owled Astoria, telling her that he had been held up at work and that he would reschedule his fitting for a time that suited him. He hadn't waited for a reply.
Now he and Hermione were tucked into opposite sides of a booth in The Leaky Cauldron. The pub was quite crowded making the environment loud and stifling hot. A waitress bustled up to take their order.
"Your finest firewhiskey. The bottle please," Draco said without even a glance at the witch.
Hermione let out an exasperated huff as the girl hurried off the retrieve a bottle. "One drink?"
"One drink for you. I don't have the alcohol tolerance of a fetus."
"You haven't the slightest idea what my tolerance for alcohol is, Malfoy." Hermione snapped, a tiny pucker forming between her narrowed eyes.
"Well, I'd imagine that being sober for nearly two years would lower just about any person's." Not that she had much of a tolerance built up to start with. He smirked to himself at the memory of their first night drinking together.
"Wipe that smirk off of your stupid face."
"My face isn't stupid. For your information, I've been told that I have a very intelligent eyes." He waggled his brows at her.
She laughed and leaned against the back of the booth, her posture relaxing slightly. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute until the waitress returned with their bottle and two tumblers.
"Thank you," Hermione said politely.
Draco unstoppered the bottle and poured them each a hearty drink. He slid one over to Hermione and immediately downed his.
"Sot," Hermione murmured and took a tentative sip of her own drink as Draco refilled his own. "So, lately I feel like I've stepped through a portal to an alternate universe where Slytherins are nice to me, I have a child and I'm barely holding my shit together. Definitely not where I thought I would be at 20."
Draco arched a brow. "Are you drunk from that one sip, then, Granger?"
"No," she said, pointedly taking another drink, "I'm fishing for an answer. What gives, Draco?"
"I haven't the slightest what you mean." He ran a finger around the rim of his half full tumbler.
"I mean, why do you suddenly seem to care-" She paused and her brows pulled together. Draco recognised her 'thinking face' from school and he waited. "Why are we having this drink? Why did you bring my kid a birthday gift? Why does it suddenly not seem to matter to you that you're an ex Deat- That you're you and you're sitting directly across from me breathing in my contaminated Mudblood air as if our school years never happened. It doesn't make any sense."
Draco waited for a few moments, collecting his thoughts and mulling over her words before speaking. "Why not?"
Hermione sat before him dumb founded. "That's really all you have to say?"
Draco shrugged, "I'm not sure what else there is to say. I've told you before that I've changed. I want to be your friend. Is that such a bad thing? Is there no way for me to atone for the mistakes I've made in the past?" The most recent one banged around in his head as loud as a cattle bell and he wondered if there really was nothing for him to do other than live with the choices he had made.
Hermione had been chewing her lip and she finally released it and sighed. "You can start by pouring me one more drink. It's been a long day."
"Don't give me that look, Draco Malfoy. I'm an adult."
"Whatever you say, Granger," He said as he poured her another drink. The fact that he only filled the tumbler halfway didn't escape her notice but she shrugged it off. She really should pace herself. She hadn't had any alcohol at all since that night.
Her head was already buzzing a bit and her insides felt extra warm. "I hope Kaida's okay. Maybe I should owl Ginny to check..."
Draco snorted. "I'm sure she's fine. Weaselette seems like a more than adequate sitter."
"She is." Hermione said. "If it weren't for her, I'd have gone crazy for sure by now."
A lock of Draco's hair had come loose and he reached up to brush it away from his face. "Is, uh, her father not around much? Kaida's," he tacked on, to clarify.
Hermione downed the rest of her drink and held the glass out in front of her. He eyed it warily for a moment before pouring another half full drink. Hermione downed it too, reveling in the burn.
"She doesn't have a father." Hermione said, reaching for the bottle herself this time and filling her tumbler to the brim. Draco grabbed the bottle as soon as she had replaced it and scooted it well out of her reach. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"What do you mean? Everyone has a father."
"Well, of course she has one! Had one... Which is to say that, obviously, someone got me pregnant. I... I just don't know who..."
Draco's face gave away nothing as he sipped from his glass. He gave a brief nod of understanding. "Were there a lot of possibilities then?"
Hermione had just taken a sip of her drink and she choked, her eyes widening as she coughed until her lungs were clear and her throat was sore. "You think I'm some sort of back alley slag who gives it up to so many guys that I can't even figure out who my child's father is? You say you're my friend, and that's what you think of me? You don't get to say things like that to me, Draco." Hermione's head had cleared a bit and now anger was pushing away all of the fuzzy feel-good-ness of the alcohol.
"No," Draco back tracked, clearly uncomfortable with his foot wedged firmly in his mouth. "I only meant- I mean, obviously you knew she wasn't Weasley's so I just assumed-"
"I was a virgin!" Hermione hissed. "That's how I knew she wasn't Ron's! Could you imagine, never having sex before and having a healer tell you that you're pregnant?" Hermione's eyes were starting to prickle. She bit her cheek. She didn't want to cry in front of Draco Malfoy.
Draco's features had turned from casual and slightly embarrassed to a mask of indubitable shock. "Yeah, if you think you're shocked, imagine how I felt. Pregnant with a stranger's baby, a chunk of my memory missing. Not knowing if it was consensual or- or... oh, and I lost my boyfriend on top of everything. It was an awful lot to process!"
The tears won out and Hermione hastily wiped at her cheeks, embarassment coloring them even darker than the flush she already had from the alcohol.
"Granger, I-" Draco started and Hermione laughed, shaking her head. She didn't blame him. This was why she avoided the elephant in the room and steered the conversation in a safer direction when people began to get a little too curious. Only her close friends and family knew the truth. And now Draco.
"It's fine. Really," she said, brushing away a few more stray tears. "I would have thought the same thing if I hadn't been through it all myself."
She reached out for her drink but Draco grabbed hold of her hand. She turned shocked brown eyes up to his, molten silver and so intense. She wanted to look away. His gaze was too intimate, the moment too brittle. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that alone." His thumb brushed the back of her hand and sent shivers up her spine. She sat frozen, unable to move, a deer in headlights. A door slammed somewhere in the pub and rational thought returned to her. She jerked her hand away quickly and tucked them both safely away beneath the table.
"It's fine. Really. I got Kaida out of the deal and honestly, I don't care how she came to be, only that she did. And speaking of Kaida, I should get home to her."
"Granger, I didn't mean to offen-"
"I'm not offended," Hermione said quickly, forcing a smile to her lips. "Just tired."
Draco hesitated for a fraction of a second, then tossed back the rest of his drink. "Let's get you home then."
"I can walk myself," Hermione protested, as she stood and wobbled before steadying herself.
Draco pursed his lips, eyes narrowing. "Humor me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and gestured for him to lead the way. He tossed some money onto the table and made his way toward the door, Hermione at his heels.
He stopped suddenly and she smacked into his back, flushing as she took note of how muscular it felt against her body. Stop it, her inner voice hissed at her. Draco turned on his heel so that they were facing each other, Hermione's nose nearly touching his chest. He smelled nice, she thought absently, then took a hasty step backward. She wobbled a bit and Draco's hand clamped around her wrist to steady her. "Let's take the back exit."
Hermione frowned and canted her head to the side. "Why?" She asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.
"I fancy a stroll through muggle London," Draco said, stepping around her, tugging her along by the grip he still held on her wrist. She tried to ignore the tingling sensation she got from his touch.
"And I'm the Queen of England," Hermione hissed, jerking her arm back and breaking his hold on her.
"Is there anything I can say that will get you to bloody cooperate?"
"How about the truth, Draco?"
He pulled a face as if he had smelled something rancid and arched an eyebrow. "Sometimes the truth is worse than witholding a little unnecessary information," Draco murmured, then louder, "Astoria's sister is at the bar. I don't need her running to her and telling her she saw me out with another woman."
Hermione scoffed. "Is that all? Daphne knows me. She would know it wasn't anything like that."
Draco scowled. "You think that would matter to Astoria?"
Hermione cringed and nodded. "Fair point, well made. Let's go." This time she latched onto the sleeve of his silky black robes and dragged him along. She didn't want to give Astoria another bloody reason not to like her. Especially since she wasn't quite sure what she had done to warrant the witch's wrath in the first place.
They stepped out of the back exit of The Leaky and Hermione sucked in a lungful of the cool night air, enjoying the way it seemed to clear her senses a bit. She dropped Malfoy's arm and stepped across the sidewalk to put some distance between the two of them. Her thoughts were taking a dangerous direction and she didn't need the scent of him mucking up her brain. He was a married man. Well, not technically. Yet. But there was a yet.
"You seriously don't have to take me home. I can manage just fine on my own, thanks."
"I'll not have it on my conscience that you splinched your tits off trying to apparate under the influence."
Hermione spluttered indignantly and Draco smirked. "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, Granger, it's just a saying." He paused and looked around, "So where do you want to do this?"
Was it just her, or was he being lewd? "Do... what?"
Draco shot her a wicked grin. "Apparate, Granger. What did you think I was suggesting? I'm assuming the street with all the muggle activity is a no go."
Hermione blushed hard and her stomach twisted with embarrassment. This is why she didn't drink. She stuck her foot in her mouth and embarrassed herself, got sick or there was that one time she got pregnant. She let out a delirious bubble of laughter. "You assume correctly," she confirmed, trying to get a hold on herself.
"Alley, then?"
"'Kay." Hermione agreed, moving around him and starting off toward the closest alley way. She made sure that it was completely empty before she would let Draco apparate them out of there.
"Are you sure there are no muggle rats hiding in the rubbish bin, waiting to attack us the minute we reveal ourselves?" Draco teased as she finished her thorough search. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
"Hey, if you wanna get lynched, be my guest."
Draco shook his head, "You wouldn't let the muggles get me. You'd miss having me around." He grabbed her arm and they disappeared and reappeared with a loud pop in the alley beside Hermione's house, leaving her with no time to dissuade him from that notion.
Draco followed her around the side of the house and up onto the porch. Hermione stood awkwardly in front of the door and murmured, "Thanks for getting me home."
"What was that?" Draco feigned as if he couldn't hear, cupping his hand around his ear.
"You heard me." Hermione snapped.
"I heard something," Draco agreed, "But I know I didn't hear you properly, because I'm pretty sure there was a thank you in there somewhere."
"Oh piss off," Hermione smirked and flicked her hair back out of her face.
The door swung open and Ginny stood in the rectangle of light that illuminated the foyer. "Kaida's asleep," she said by way of greeting, her green eyes narrowed into slits.
"Um, right. Thank you for keeping her Ginny. And thank you for the drink, er drinks, Draco." Hermione stepped through the doorway and made to shut the door behind her but Ginny held it open.
"I'm going out this way. Harry had a late evening at work. We're going to meet up for a few drinks before we head home. I'll see you tomorrow?" Ginny said, a little too cheerily.
"Erm, yeah. Sure. 'Night Gin. Draco." She frowned at the two of them standing on the front porch but she closed the door tightly any way and locked it behind her.
Draco had barely made it off of Granger's porch and into the poorly lit alley when Ginny caught him with a hard elbow to the ribs, knocking him off balance and causing him to trample several of Hermione's flowers. A wand tip pressed to his throat before he had a chance to retaliate or ask her just what the fuck she thought she was doing.
Instead he held up his hands in the typical surrender standard, rolled his eyes and leaned lazily back against the side of the house.
"You better fucking use that wand after sticking it in my face, Red."
"I plan on it," Ginny snapped back, pressing the tip of her wand deeper just under his jawline before taking it away completely. She hissed at him not to move and then cast a quick Muffliato.
"Yes, make sure the flowers can't hear us. Good thinking." Draco sneered.
Ginny's wand returned to his throat and he swallowed. The look in the girl's eyes made him wonder if he really should be afraid of her. "And here I thought we were getting on so well."
"I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to tell me the truth, Malfoy."
Draco snorted. "Sure thing, kid." His neck burned and he hissed, trying to move away from Ginny's red hot wand.
"I fucking mean it," she growled, and the pain stopped.
Draco waited, defensive now and ready to retaliate if necessary. His hand twitched, wanting to reach for the wand tucked away in his pocket.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
Draco rolled his eyes, growing tired of the game he was tolerating. "You'll have to be more specific. I've done a lot of things. Can we hurry this along? I have shite to do."
"You raped her. You raped Hermione and wiped her memory and couldn't even be bothered to stick around long enough to deal with the consequences of your actions, you sick bastard! She was a fucking virgin and you raped her like the twisted little Death Eater that you ar-"
"I didn't fucking rape her!" Draco shouted, stepping forward so that he towered above Ginny who, to her credit, stood her ground, her wand still aimed for Draco's throat. "And I didn't know she was a virgin! She didn't tell me and she didn't seem very virtuous when I fucked her through the night and into the morning. She wanted to have sex with me, she begged for it."
Draco's head snapped to the side as Ginny's hand made contact with his cheek. He was fuming and his face throbbed but he knew he had deserved that.
"You're fucking lying. If she wanted you so much, then why did you wipe her memory?"
"Because I thought she would regret it! I thought she would go crawling back to Weasley. I didn't know! I didn't know.."
"She did go back to my brother." Ginny said quietly. "They were working on their problems when she found out that she was pregnant."
"I tried to do the right thing," Draco gritted out. He wanted Ginny to believe him. He wanted to believe himself. He had thought it had been the right thing to do at the time.
"Well you failed. Miserably." Ginny snapped. Then softer, "Why didn't you reach out to her? When you realised she had a child? Obviously you knew she was yours."
"I bloody well did! As soon as I saw her, I knew. And I've been... around... ever since I realised."
"But you haven't told Hermione." It was said as a statement, but framed like a question. Of course he hadn't, he was still alive wasn't he?
"I'd like to be a part of Kaida's life. I can't do that if Granger kills me. I am going to tell her. I just need a little more time." Almost his exact argument to Theo. He was beginning to sound like a broken record.
Ginny scoffed and shook her head. "You slept with her, got her pregnant, wiped her memory, and have lied about it ever since and you think, what? That if you wait a while longer to admit everything that it's all going to be just peachy? She's not going to forgive you for this, Malfoy, whether you tell her now or ten years from now."
"Are you going to tell her?" Draco asked quietly, his voice like steel and his stomach hard with anxiety.
"No!" Ginny exclaimed, "I'm not your sodding owl. You are going to tell her your bloody self."
"I will," Draco swore, suprised that the witch was going to keep quiet.
"It's really not my business, Malfoy, but that won't stop me from using the Cruciatus on your sorry arse if you hurt her. Tell her the truth before someone else does."
"You just said-" Draco protested, and Ginny cut him off.
"Not me you idiot. You can't keep this a secret forever. I saw through you quickly enough and others will, too. Honestly, I'm suprised that Hermione hasn't figured it out for herself yet."
"I'll tell her," Draco snapped. "Just keep your bloody mouth shut."
Ginny was silent, worrying with her bottom lip for a moment before asking, "Do you love her?"
Draco scoffed and knocked her wand away, convinced she wasn't going to actually hex him at the moment. "For Salazar's sake, Weasley, I spent one bloody night with her. Was it amazing? Yes. Have I thought about her daily since? Also, yes. But love?" He rolled his eyes and picked at some dust on the front of his robes. "It's a child's notion."
Ginny arched an eyebrow and cleared her throat. "I was, ah, talking about the baby..." She smirked and turned quickly on her heel. "Tell her," she snapped, as she spun and was sucked away into oblivion leaving Draco standing in the alley way, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Of course he loved Kaida. What a stupid thing to ask. She'd been in his life for little more than a month and already he knew that he would take an Avada for her without question. His heart felt like it might burst when he thought of her; it was a feeling unlike anything else he had ever felt.
He dusted his robes off and stepped out of the flower bed that Ginny had pinned him into. Fucking Weasels, always sticking their freckled noses in where they didn't belong. He apparated, popping up just outside the Manor gates. Time to face the wrath.
He took his time walking up to the house, detouring through the gardens on the pretense of checking the wards. Finally he sighed, unable to put it off for any longer.
He traipsed in through the front door, pulling off his shoes and tossing them aside. A house elf popped into existence to his right and he barely held in a scream. "Dammit, Tilly, we've fucking talked about this," He snapped, trying to calm his thunderous heart.
The elf stared up at him with wide eyes, wringing her small hands together nervously. "Tilly is most sorry, Master. Tilly only wishes to warn you that the lady of the house is truly displeased with Master, as is the Mistress."
Fuck, Draco internally groaned. "Thank you for telling me, Tilly. Where are they?"
"The drawing room, Master," Tilly said with a bow so deep her nose brushed the stone floor, before she disappeared.
Draco sighed and made his way to the drawing room. He'd expected this, but it didn't make it any easier. He felt like a child going off to be scolded. He was a grown man, and he'd damn well do what he pleased, when he pleased.
He slipped through the doorway soundlessly. Astoria was curled up in an armchair, glaring at the flames dancing in the hearth. His mother was sitting on the chaise lounge, a book in her hands.
"Mother," Draco said by way of greeting. "You're certainly up late."
Astoria's head snapped around and the glacial expression on her face was enough to freeze a hot springs.
"Where have you been, Draco?" She demanded, rising swiftly from her seat and circling him like a vulture. She scrunched her nose up. "You reek of alcohol and... perfume."
"I haven't been off gallavanting with some witch if that's what you're insinutating," Draco gritted out. His patience with Astoria was growing incredibly thin.
"So, you weren't out drinking with that Mudblood, Granger?" She demanded, her chin jutted out, daring him to say no.
"It was a fucking drink. I'm allowed friends." Draco said tiredly.
"My sister was just here and she seems to think it was more than a friendly drink."
"Well, if Daphne says so then it must be bloody true."
"Draco," His mother's sharp voice cut through the tense air. "You're behaving like a child."
"I won't stop having a bloody life just because I'm set to marry the bint-"
Astoria's hand popped against his cheek and he growled. If one more person fucking hit him tonight he was going to Azkaban.
"Don't you dare insult me, Draco Malfoy! I'm going to be your wife!"
"Not if you keep treating me like a dog that you can command at your leisure," Draco snapped, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.
Astoria looked as if she was the one who had been slapped. "Wh-what?"
"I don't have to marry you, Astoria. I don't have to do anything that I don't want to do, understand?"
For a moment, Draco was sure she was going to cry. But then her face smoothed over and she gave him a terse smile. "Let's- We can talk about this tomorrow. When you're sober."
"I think that would be best, Draco." Narcissa said quickly. "You don't want to say anything you might... regret in the morning."
Anything he might regret or anything she might regret, Draco thought drily. "Sure, right." Draco gave the room a sweeping glance and then exited swiftly into the hallway. He wished he was as drunk as they made him out to be. He hadn't said anything he didn't mean. He frowned as he realised that Astoria would be Kaida's stepmother. The thought did nothing for his mood. But what was there to be done? The wedding was five months away, every detail meticulously planned by his mother and his bride to be. He couldn't just call it off... Could he?
He dragged a hand down his face and groaned. He had the sudden fleeting thought that he wished his father were here to give him some manly advice. He shook the notion from his head. His father was in Azkaban where he belonged, in absolutely no condition to be advising anybody on anything.
He stripped off his robes and fell into bed, his last thoughts before drifting into unconsciousness of Kaida. He hoped he would prove to be a better father than Lucius had been.