Everyone had expected Draco to be back at the tower before dinner but it got to 7 o'clock and he wasn't in the hall or in the tower. No-one had seen him since transfiguration and they were all starting to get a little worried. They all ate dinner in the tower and tried to find him on the Marauders map. They had found his dot but it kept flickering and the name kept changing from 'Malfoy' to 'Draco Malfoy' to just 'Draco' and he seemed to be wondering around in a place that wasn't marked on the map because he kept walked off the edge, so he was either in a unmapped place in the castle or outside. But everyone doubted he'd be outside because it was snowing.
"Why do you think his names blinking?"
"No idea."
"I have a vague idea." Blaise said sipping his drink. "It might be something to do with him doubting who he is. Like he doesn't want to be who he is anymore, or maybe, maybe he doesn't want to be a Malfoy?"
"Why wouldn't he want to be a Malfoy?" Ron asked yawning. "I mean, Malfoy's have got it made."
"That might be the problem." Blaise whispered, playing with the ring he'd picked up off the side and staring at his empty finger. It was that time already, he was sure. And this ring wasn't his.
It got to 11pm and everyone had fallen asleep on the couches waiting for him. Unknown to them, Draco had spent the last half an hour outside the portrait trying to gain access because in his current state he couldn't pronounce Slytherdor. Eventually, he had woken the lazy dragon in the portrait and it had let him in, if he promised not to wake him up again; otherwise it had threatened to change the password without him knowing.
Draco stumbled through the portrait and fell flat on his face, he groaned. The bang was enough to wake everyone up, sharply. They all untangled themselves and ran to him. "What the hell are you playing at?"
Draco was laying face down in the floor soaking wet and covered in snow. He was shaking slightly and his skin was a shiny red from the cold. And, much to the surprise of everyone, he absolutely stunk of fire whisky.
"I miss you! I miss you so bad..." he sang drunkenly, pausing slightly and looking like he was going to throw up. "I don't forget you!" He exclaimed to everyone trying to stand up, but he just collapsed back onto the floor. "Oh it's so sad." He said rather than sang into the floor.
Everyone gathered around him concerned. Pansy looked infuriated, Blaise disappointed, Crabbe looked confused, Goyle looked sympathetic, Ron had grabbed Hermione's phone and was recording him and Harry looked like he was about to cry.
"I hope you can hear me! I remember it clearly! The day, you slipped away! Was the day, I found it won't be the same! Ohhhhh…" Well, Draco could certainly sing when he was sober but after that much alcohol he sounded like a dying cat. "Oh I don't feel so good." Draco clamped a hand over his mouth and gripped his stomach.
"Malfoy? Are you drunk?" Pansy scolded him, just finding her voice.
"Definitely, it feels like I've been raped by the knight bus." Draco confirmed before bending over and puking on the floor. Pansy shuddered and turned away and Blaise immediately vanished it and then used a cleansing spell on the floor. Harry pushed away those horrifying images of the knight bus and Draco being sick and pulled him to his feet with Goyle.
"Draco, mate, what's the matter then? Come talk to us?" Ron looked questionly at Blaise.
"He gets drunk when he's really upset." Blaise whispered, still looking really disappointed in his friend.
"Ouch, don't shout." Draco said trying to bat Harry and Goyle away. They both let go as he bolted for the bathroom emptying the rest of the whiskey out the system. Pansy cringed and scratched her head exasperated, her blonde hair sticking up everywhere and her eyes still half closed from sleep.
"I can't believe him, I really can't." Blaise muttered, still looking really unhappy with his best friend. He walked into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub beside Draco, closing his eyes every time he heard the boy heave.
Blaise brushed Draco's hair out of his face and kissed him on top of the head. "What am I going to do with you Dray? You broke your promise." He mumbled into his hair.
"You better have a real good reason, or I'm not speaking to you."
"Oh Blaise, don't leave me! You're my best friend! I love you!" Draco started sobbing over the toilet, Blaise just shook his head, he looked so pathetic. Blaise went to walk out the room and let someone else look after him, but as he did he dropped something on the floor and it sounded like a falling knut. He turned around to see Draco's ring on the floor, he picked it up examining it. He'd been playing with it earlier. He slipped it back in his pocket and bent down to Draco's eye level. He was still sobbing.
"I'll forgive you this once." Draco looked up. "But only this time, okay?" Draco nodded sniffling.
"I'm cold." He whispered looking up to his friend as if he didn't understand why he would be. Blaise smiled sadly and took off Draco's travelling cloak.
"Come on Dray; let's get you to bed okay?" Blaise tried to pick Draco up but he just collapsed back against the toilet. "Goyle! Or Crabbe, anyone, come pick Draco up!" He yelled out the bathroom. Draco smacked him.
"You fucker, headache." Draco scowled.
Goyle picked his friend up easily and sat him on the bed. Draco fumbled with his tie, but Goyle batted his hands away and took it off, then started to unbutton his shirt.
"You know fucking what Goyle?"
"What's that Draco?"
"I'm not just saying this because I'm pissed, but I fucking love you."
"Yeah, I know mate."
"And I love Hermione too." Draco then burst out crying. "AND FUCKING VOLDEMORT!" he screeched picking up a book and throwing it against the wall. "Who is it? Who is doing it? I don't get it Goyle. I was so sure it was Voldemort."
"What is You-Know-Who?" Goyle pulled Draco's pyjama top on over his head.
"But it isn't Goyle. We were wrong. It's all LIES!" Everyone gathered around Draco, it was painfully obvious that he had found something out.
"What didn't Voldemort do, Draco?" Harry sat down next to him and Draco flopped his head onto his shoulder.
Goyle tried to unclasp Draco's belt but he jumped. "What ya doin'? I don't like boys' thanks." Ron would have laughed but seeing Draco Malfoy in a state like this just wasn't very nice.
"Draco I'm putting on your night clothes."
"Oh."
Silence.
"Goyle, what you doing? I just said I'm not gay; I can't have sex with you! I'm Hermione's." Here he started crying again. "I lied, married, in the 10 week holiday. Married at my birthday, what a bastard." He muttered. "Oh and Hermione! Her parents, they're wonderful." He sobbed quietly to himself, his shoulders shaking. Harry put an arm around him.
"What's he talking about?" Ron said.
"The Grangers were here today, they wanted to speak to him. That's why I blasted him with another charm. And it seemed Lucius has started talking about his marriage already." Pansy looked like she was dead on her feet but she was determined to stay awake.
"Marriage?" Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's ignorance.
"Arranged marriages, we all have them stupid."
"Oh, yeah."
"So, what do we do now then?" Harry asked as Draco groaned then fell asleep almost falling off the bed but Goyle and Harry caught him just in time.
"Not really much we can do." Pansy muttered climbing into bed. "I mean, just let him sleep that off and we'll have to sort it another day." She yawned. "He'll tell us about the Voldy thing in the morning. So we should sleep." Everyone nodded, most still half asleep and they all walked to their beds. Leaving Harry sat on Draco's bed. He smiled sadly down at him and picked up the teddy bear that was inside the box on the floor, placing under Draco's arm he felt better as he got into bed and watched the boy snuggle into it a moment later.
"Slipped Away" is by once again Avril Lavigne.
Fanfiction is by Faith Valconbridge . This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.