Chapter 7 – The Drink
"Drink?" Tom offered as soon as the very brooding Draco entered his house.
"Anything but rum." Draco muttered and sat down in the armchair by the fire.
"Is gin alright?" Tom asked over his shoulder as he searched his liquor cabinet.
Draco merely waved his hand lazily illustrating his lack of commitment to the issue.
"So Hermione stayed the night. Well, two nights actually, eh?" Tom sat down in the armchair beside Draco and handed him the glass of gin.
"Yeah, then she found her car keys again and left." Draco sighed.
"Is she coming back?" Tom asked.
"Who knows? Doesn't matter." Draco said and stared distantly into his glass.
"What's going on with you two? When you're with her it's obvious you like her companionship. But when she's not around it's like you despise her."
"It's complicated. I'm not entirely sure she's good for me." Draco said.
"How come? Did something happen between you?" Tom asked.
"You could say that. But that's in the past now. We've agreed to let bygones be bygones. The past isn't the concern." Draco said.
"What is then?" Tom asked.
"Honestly?" Draco turned and gave Tom a blank look.
"Yeah, honestly, mate. Tell me." Tom said and leaned forward a little.
"Honesty I'm scared I actually fancy her. And more importantly, I'm scared she feels the same way." Draco said, evenly.
"Why's that a bad thing then?" Tom wondered.
There was a long pause as Draco drank from his glass before he answered.
"I'm scared that she'll wrap me in her arms, tell me I'm a decent bloke and rekindle dreams it's taken me a lifetime to destroy. And that she'll then reach down a deep black hole inside me and heal my shattered soul. 'Cause if she does there'll be nothing I can do and I'll be completely at her mercy. If that then goes sour I know I don't have it in me to start over again. You only get so many chances for a do-over. And if there is some sort of lord out there they certainly know I've already had my fair share." Draco said.
"Wow, that's deep, mate. But what if it doesn't go sour? Sounds like it'd be the best thing that ever happened to you. Let the lass mend your broken soul." Tom suggested.
"Nah, my soul has been broken for so long I don't know if I'd ever like it whole again." Draco shrugged. "Over the years I've taken quite the liking to being a callous cunt."
"How do you know she'll mend your soul in the first place?" Tom asked after a while.
"That's just who she is. That's how she's always been." Draco shrugged.
"Well, you told me yourself you haven't seen her in something like five years. How well do you really still know her?" Tom shrugged.
Draco sat quiet for a moment considering what Tom had just said. What did Draco really know about Hermione? They'd been corresponding for all these years, and they only did so because she felt sorry for him, right? He went through the letters in his mind and tried to recall them. Beside him Tom refilled their glasses.
"Here's to good health." Tom said and raised his glass.
"And to good business. May both be long-lived." Draco said and raised his glass as well.
Hermione was soaking in the bathtub at her hotel room, the bathroom door slightly ajar so she could hear the music playing in the other room, a glass of wine in her left hand and her wand resting on a table to her right as she was trying to wash off the nagging notion in the pit of her stomach. Why was it that she hated this investigation so much? Didn't she care about the creatures anymore? No, that was ridiculous, of course she did. She knew the answer, she just didn't want to admit it; none of this would matter in the end. Whatever her report said it would end up in some desk drawer and collect dust. That would be its only purpose. She closed her eyes and sank deeper into the tub letting her arms hang over the edges. Suddenly a key card lock clicked and she heard the door into her room open.
What fresh hell is this? she thought, annoyed, and pointed her wand at the door opening, waiting.
A minute later Draco appeared.
"That looks nice, Granger. Mind if I join?" he smirked.
"How did you get a key to my room, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, still pointing her wand at him.
"I asked the bloke in the reception for it." he shrugged indifferently. "Can I come in? I just want to chat."
"You're already here, aren't you?" she sighed.
Draco gave her a half-smile and stepped into the bathroom where he sat down on a bench next to the bathtub.
"What are you drinking?" he asked as Hermione took a sip from her glass.
"Wine." she answered flatly.
"I can see that." he observed.
"Do you want a drink?" she asked, annoyed.
"Yes, please."
Hermione waved her wand and conjured another glass before she poured Draco a glass from the bottle sitting beside the tub.
"Thank you." Draco said as he took the glass from her.
"So, now that you're here. Chat away." she said.
"Are you alright?" he asked, a faint wrinkle on his forehead as he inspected her soaking in the tub.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sipped on her wine.
"No." she sighed.
"Why?" he asked.
"I hate my job." she said, peering at him over the edge of the tub.
"You hate the people at your job. You don't hate the creatures you protect, do you? Aren't they worth it?" Draco asked.
"God's honest truth?" Hermione sighed.
Draco nodded, encouraging her to continue.
"I'm not sure anymore. No one but me seems to give a flying fuck. And I'm sick and tired of being talked at instead of talked to." she said and submerged her head under the water.
"Malfoy, can I ask you something?" she said when she resurfaced and dragged her fingers through her wet hair.
"Sure." he said and took a sip of the wine.
"Do you like Tom?" she wondered.
"How do you mean?" he asked.
"It's a simple yes or no question, Malfoy. Do you like Tom or not?" she asked again.
"Then I'll have to say that I do." he answered after a moments thinking.
Hermione nodded slowly.
"I mean, he's a sharp and loyal bloke. 'Course I like him." he continued.
"Do you like me?" she wondered.
Draco watched her for a moment before he answered.
"That's a much harder question to answer, Granger." he finally said.
"Why?" she asked.
The question had Draco sitting quiet for several minutes.
"Because you're here." he finally said. "I didn't feel this resistance while writing the letters."
"The written word is quite different from the spoken, isn't it?" she said.
"It is indeed, Granger." he nodded.
"But you do, don't you? You do like me." she said.
Draco didn't answer but just watched her. He observed her long dark hair, even longer and darker than usual as the water weighed it down. Her flushed cheeks, probably due to the hot temperature of the water. Her lips as they slightly parted when she let out a deep sigh.
"Or else you'd just have said no." She sunk deeper into the tub. "Will you take me into the forest where Mr Connell allegedly saw the unicorn?"
"Sure. When do you wish to go?" Draco asked.
"Thursday?" she suggested.
"Right, come by at noon." he said.
"Great. Now get the fuck out. I'm getting out of the tub." she said.