A/N - Here's my second chapter, trying to get these out as fast as I can! Thankyou to everyone that has already followed and favourited. Also, a big thankyou to 'Tihira' for my first ever review!
Got a really good idea where I want this to go now, enjoy!
Hermione woke with a start, she had been having more nightmares than usual since she had returned to England. In her own opinion, they weren't nightmares, they were just memories replaying in her head while she slept. She had been living with the Potter's for just over a week now, the ministry had given her a large amount of time off to settle back into England so she had spent most her week with Ginny, who had quit playing Quidditch upon finding she was pregnant. Groaning as she rolled over to check the alarm clock, she noted it was just past 8 AM before she bolted upright at the sound of her door being flung open.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Hermione, happy birthday to you!" Harry, Ginny and Teddy all chimed in unison. Hermione was confronted with a large chocolate cake with 23 candles blazing; a look of happiness and surprise had covered her face. After she had blown out all of her candles, Teddy climbed onto the bed with 2 brightly wrapped presents and an envelope.
"Aunt Hermione, open this one first please, it's from me!" he said forcing a rectangle parcel into her hands. She tore the paper away, revealing a wizard picture of her and Teddy hugging at his 3rd birthday party. Embracing Teddy in a big hug and pulling him into her lap, she released him to proudly place the picture on the bedside table.
"Thankyou so much Teddy, would you like to help me open Harry and Ginny's present?" She asked before Teddy's eyes grew larger and he helped her unwrap the present. Ginny was already grinning down at Hermione when she shot her a curious glance. Laying with shards of torn wrapping paper was a little black dress, it was strapless, fitted and looked like it would show just the right amount of skin for Hermione's liking.
Hermione was just about to speak when she was interrupted by Ginny, "Open the card Hermione." Hermione shut her slightly ajar mouth and reach over Teddy for the envelope. Before she could read the card, a ticket slipped out, as she read it her eyes grew wide in a happy shock. Harry and Ginny had booked her a VIP booth at London's hottest nightclub.
"Thankyou so much you two!" She squeaked, as she leapt out of bed, careful not to knock Teddy over, and pulled them into a hug. "You are coming with me, right?" She looked at the pair with questioning eyes.
"I'm not coming 'Mione, you are going to have a night out with all the girls, I don't think I'd fit in." Harry smiled. "Luna, Hannah and Cho will meet you here at 8, and the Patil twins will be waiting at the club by 9, and Ange will meet you at the club if she feels up to it, but Roxanne has been keeping her up most nights." Harry now picked up Teddy and smiled as her left the room, despite Teddy's protests.
Hermione could tell that Harry had left her and Ginny alone together for a reason. Since she had arrived Ginny had been trying to set her up with Malfoy or any wizard she would even mention. Before she could even finish her thoughts, Ginny had interrupted her, "Is there any else I could get you for your birthday? Some earrings? Another cake? A date with a certain blonde wizard?" She said the last part of her sentence as quick as possible, trying to hold her smirk in.
"I've only seen him once since I've come back, and it's not like Malfoy would want to anyway!" Hermione quickly retorted.
"That's not what I heard." Ginny smirked.
"Pardon?" The work had come so fast out of Hermione's mouth, it seemed like a reflex.
"Well, my husband and Draco have at least one thing in common, Quidditch. They both go to all the Chudley Cannons games together, a couple of butterbeers and few questions later Harry had managed to find out Draco is actually quite attracted to you." Ginny's smirk grew wider at Hermione's blush. This is the thing about Ginny, she knew everything, if she didn't know something it wasn't worth knowing. She played cupid and quite often gave her girls good matches, Hermione remembered Ginny had managed to get 3 of her Quidditch team mates married in 2 years. Hermione was speechless.
"Just think about it" Ginny winked as she left Hermione to her own thoughts.
Her birthday had travelled by quickly, after the mornings events, she had gotten ready and spent a large portion of her day visiting her parents. She had missed them but figured that if she had moved back in with them, it would have drove her mad after 3 years of total freedom. Ginny had obviously to her parents about the nights celebration as her parents had gotten her a black bag which perfectly matched the dress she had received earlier. Her second present was a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings that she would definitely wear later.
She had returned to the Potter residence just before 8, being a witch meant it never took long to get ready. Less than 5 minutes after returning, she was out of the shower and sifting through her underwear drawer for her best pair of black underwear to go under her dress. It was her birthday and her first girls night out in years, if she attracted some male attention she wanted the chance to peruse it. Quickly, she cast a spell on her hair which left it dry and in neat curls with one side clipped back. She slipped into her dress before finding her favourite black heels and putting her wand in her clutch bag. Turning around, she checked herself over in the floor length mirror, this was the first time she had gotten properly dressed up since she first left England, she looked better than she had expected.
Caught out of her trance by the sound of heels against the laminate floors downstairs, she slipped in her pearl earrings and departed from her room. Walking down the stairs, she could hear her girls muffled gossip as she almost bubbled over in happiness. The only thing that made her regret taking her job was the separation from her friends, but now they were all together, like she had never been away.
"You girls all look gorgeous!" She spoke as she entered the living room. Ginny, Cho, Luna and Hannah all turned to face Hermione before squeaking and pulling her into a massive group hug. They all wished her happy birthday and commented on how 'stunning' she looked as they passed her presents and Ginny pulled out a bottle of fire whiskey for pre drinks. Ginny being pregnant was in charge of alcohol for the evening so no one would drink too much, and be sick.
"Ange apologises for not being able to come tonight but we are going shopping with her on Monday, if that's okay?" Ginny said while pouring for all the girls.
"That sounds wonderful, I hope a day will be enough to recover me from the hangover I will get from tonight!" Hermione joked, sipping from her glass and then wincing a little. A couple of glasses later and the girls were getting ready to apparate to an alley behind the club where the twins would be waiting.
A second later, Hermione was embraced by Padma and Pavarti, both giggling as they wished her a happy birthday while being joined by the rest of the girls. The group of girls, all gossiping and laughing walked to the front of the queue, VIP tickets in hand, and after moderate flirting with the bouncers were inside the packed club.
"This is amazing!" Hannah shrieked, being landlady of the leaky cauldron, she never really had an opportunity to be on the other side of the bar. Although, Hermione completely agreed with her, the music was pulsating through her body and all she wanted to do was dance. A good looking barman showed them too their booth and brought in a free round of drinks, Hermione suggested vodka and coke for all the girls as she was unsure if they had ever been to a muggle club before. The drinks arrived and the gossip began.
After 4 drinks, Hermione was filled in on everything that had happened in the wizarding world over the past 3 years, and the alcohol was starting to go to her head. She had been drinking at a much faster pace than all of the other girls. She wanted to dance.
"Come on girls, lets get on the dance floor!" Hermione shouted over the music, she had grabbed Luna's arm and dragged her in the middle of the dance floor and they started dancing.
"Hermione, are you sure you aren't a bit drunk to dance?" Luna asked, in her usual dreamy voice.
"No, I don't think I've drunk enough!" Hermione half screamed, "I want this to be a night I will never forget!" At this thought, Hermione went to the bar and ordered 5 shots, and in a matter of seconds they were all gone, she wanted to be happy. Trying to convince herself, she walked as soberly as possible back towards her friends as they all danced. Hermione danced for what felt like hours, but it could have been minutes. In these moments she felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders, like she was a normal 23 year old.
She was stopped by Ginny's tired voice, "Hermione, I think it's time to get you home." She said in a stern tone as she pulled Hermione away from the dance floor.
"But it's too early!" Hermione drunkenly protested, now she had stopped dancing, she had realised how drunk she truly was, she could barely stand up.
"It's 3 in the morning you idiot, we've been here for hours!" Parvati laughed at a confused Hermione, "My sister and Luna have gone gallivanting off with men and poor Ginny here is half asleep!" They pulled Hermione to the doorway, Cho and Hannah not far behind. Hermione tried to recall how much she had drunk when she fell down the front steps of the club and landed with a crack and a sharp pain in her leg.
"Fuck, that hurts!" She shouted as the sound around her seemed muffled and distant.
"Shit!" Ginny gasped, "We need to go to St. Mungo's, you guys follow along" Hermione heard Hannah's muffled voice and then felt the horrible sickly feeling of side along apparation.
Hermione was in a dazed trance. 5 minutes later, when her mind had gotten over the shock of her fall, she was sat up in a hospital bed surrounded by her laughing friends, she was staring down at her shin bone, which had punctured her skin and was sticking about an inch out of her left leg.
"This would only happen to me!" She groaned, much to the amusement of her friends.
"You still look beautiful from the knees up!" Cho laughed, setting off Parvati, Hannah, and Ginny off into hysterics. Hermione's still drunken mind made her laugh with them, they were all laughing so much, that they didn't notice the door swing open or the man who had walked in.
"Ginny, I'm not sure that much laughing can be good for the baby." Draco spoke, smiling, as the girls finished off their laughs, "What would you five girls be doing here at half three in the morning?" He asked smiling still.
"It's Hermione's birthday, she is so drunk, and she fell down the stairs, and she broke her leg!" Hannah said in between laughs, almost running out of air.
"But it's okay, because I still look good from the knees up!" Hermione finished, sending all the girls into hysterics again, she even got a chuckle from Malfoy.
"Alright girls, can I ask you to take it outside so I can sort Hermione out?" He asked as the laugher died down.
"Oh, you can sort her out." Ginny winked as she and the rest of the girls left the room. Hermione blushed, and she swore Draco did too. An awkward silence hung in the air as she remembered how attractive he was, her heart skipped a beat as he touched her afflicted leg.
"I never knew you were a healer." Hermione slurred, trying to break the silence.
"I never knew you drank alcohol." Draco replied, smiling at her, and she couldn't help but smile back as her heart fluttered. "I'll be able to fix this, you'll be able to go home tonight, but uh.. Hermione, I just want to take this chance to apologise to you for everything that happened at Hogwarts. I've apologised to everyone else, but how I treated muggle borns, and you in particular is what I most regret." He was looking down to the floor, ashamed. She took a minute to reply, still in shock at how good her name sounded coming from his mouth.
"I accept your apology, and I'm sorry for breaking your nose." She smirked at him, as his face lit up.
"That really hurt!" he laughed, "I'll fix up your leg now, I think this might hurt, so you should hold onto something." Bending back down to her leg, he muttered a spell as the bone slotted back into place and Hermione moaned. He ignored the chill sent down his spine at her moan and stood up. He went to the door and motioned the girls to come back inside.
"Ginny, can I speak to you for a moment?" he said, pulling her aside. "She can go home tonight, but keep the leg elevated for the rest of the weekend then she'll be fine"
Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted but Hermione's loud slur coming from inside the room, "Cho, he's so hot and I'm a drunken mess, I'm so embarrassing." Hermione groaned, "Why is he so nice? I wouldn't even like him if he wasn't nice."
Ginny smirked at the total look of shock on Draco's face, "I told you she likes you, I'm not blind when it comes to these things." His features softened at her words.
"I'll think about it Gin, I don't think she'll like me after a date, but I'll think about it" He smiled, "You can take her home now." With that, he turned away to work on his next patient.
Ginny apparated Hermione home after they both wished goodnight to the other girls. Hermione thought her birthday could have gone worse, as she drifted into a deep sleep.