He wasn't coming. Hermione sat at her desk and stared at the piece of parchment written in Gina's neat script, informing her that he was under the weather. She knew it had to be at least partially true, Gina would never lie to her, especially not for him. She'd get more work done this way, she thought. She would need more potions soon so she rose from her desk and began to walk.
Well he wasn't dead but he certainly felt close. That was Draco's first thought when he opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was sitting in Blaise's office drinking, nothing after that. He slowly opened one eye and saw Gina staring back at him. So he'd ended up at Blaise's, that wasn't so bad.
"Good evening, sunshine!" Gina said loudly and grinned when she saw Draco wince. "Or should I say good evening since you slept away the majority of the day."
"What?" Draco's voice came out hoarse. "What time is it?"
"A little after 7pm," she replied cheerfully. "Can I get you anything?"
"Water," he croaked. "Lots."
With a loud laugh, Gina conjured a glass of water from the kitchen and handed it to Draco. Realizing he'd have to sit up to drink it, Draco gingerly moved himself into a sitting position. He drank the glass of water in one gulp and looked pleadingly at Gina for more.
"Gosh you Slytherins are pathetic when it comes to your hangovers," she told him but she waived her wand and the glass refilled. Draco drank four more glasses of water before he felt he could talk.
"I need to get home," he told her.
"Why?" Gina asked sweetly. "Can't stand being around a muggle born?"
"I told Blaise I'd be nice," he replied. "So I'm not going to answer that."
"Get over yourself," Gina suggested. "Because this muggle born is currently the one taking care of you."
"I need to check on my mother," he said. "She had a busy day."
"Oh, that's right, Blaise said to tell you that your mother had a 'moment' but he took care of it. He also said not to ask you what that meant."
Draco jumped to his feet but nearly vomited and collapsed back on to the couch. "I need to make sure she's okay."
"You need to lay back down," Gina told him, now concerned. "Blaise is with your mother right now, I'm sure she's fine."
"You don't understand," Draco said, closing his eyes and trying to steady his breathing. "She...she has a problem. From the war."
"Well right now you have a problem," Gina replied. "A massive hangover. And while I was going to let you suffer, I'll go get you a potion so you can go home."
"Thank you," Draco said, sinking back into the couch. When he didn't hear movement, he opened one eye and Gina was staring at him.
"What?"
"You said thank you," she said in surprise.
"Why is everyone so bloody surprised when I'm polite?" Draco demanded.
"Probably because you actively hate people like me and don't think we're worthy of our magic," Gina replied. "And don't think I haven't heard the way you treated Hermione when you lot were in school. You're a bully and an ass. At least you used to be."
"Tell me how you really feel," he mumbled under his breath. "Look, I believe what I believe but you're my best friend's wife and I made a promise to him that I'd be nice to you. This is me keeping a promise, nothing more."
"Fine," Gina said turning away from him. "I'll get you that potion."
She returned a minute later and handed Draco the potion. He drank it and instantly felt better.
"What was that?" he asked. "Normal hangover potions take a half hour to work."
"You can thank Hermione when you see her," Gina told him. "She came up with it."
"Of course she did," he muttered. "Comes up with bloody everything else."
"Weren't you going home?" Gina asked with a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Yes, yes, I'm leaving," Draco said. He flooed from Blaise's house to his own, grateful the Ministry had allowed Blaise to set up a floo connection between their homes.
"Jake!" he yelled, calling for his family house elf, realizing he hadn't seen any of the house elves since he'd moved home. The elf appeared in a bright orange dress. "What the? Jake, where are Blaise and my mother?"
"In mistress Narcissa's bedroom sir!" the elf squeaked. "Does master need anything?"
"Make dinner," Draco instructed. "Blaise and I will eat in the small dining room."
"Yes master!" Jake said and disappeared.
Draco walked through the Manor and quickly made his way to his mother's room. He knocked, then walked in. His mother was in bed, sitting up, talking and laughing with Blaise, who had pulled up a chair next to her bed.
"Hello mother," Draco said walking up to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Why does Jake have a dress?"
"I'm perfectly fine, thank you for asking" Narcissa replied. "I freed all of the house elves after the war ended. The ones who are here are the ones who stayed and receive a salary. Honestly, is this the first time you've noticed? Have you seen the rooms darling? I'm sure the renovators did a wonderful job."
"I didn't notice, no," he answered. "As for the manor, I came straight here. Mother why would you free the house elves? Why would you pay them? Are you sure you're okay?"
"Draco I'm fine," she insisted. "Blaise got me into bed and it passed. Go look at the house, please? Make sure everything was done properly. Take Blaise with you. And do forget about the house elves, the matter is finished and not something up for discussion. "
"I'd love to see the renovations, Narcissa," Blaise said. "Come on mate, let's go."
Draco looked at his mother and looked as if he wanted to say something but decided against it and led Blaise out of the room. He'd learned years before not to disobey his mother even though she'd obviously gone a bit crazy for freeing and paying the house elves. Together, the two men wandered through the Manor.
"It doesn't even look like the same place," Blaise said.
"That's what mother wanted," Draco replied. "Cover up the wall paper, cover up the bad memories, cover up the fact that the darkest wizard of our time lived here."
They lapsed into silence as they finished walking through the Manor.
"Were you nice to Gina?" Blaise asked.
"I tried to be," he said. "She certainly didn't make it easy."
"I told her to go easy on you," Blaise said with a sigh. "She ran an orphanage during the war. Death Eaters burned it to the ground. She managed to get all of the kids out before they got there but she's hated them ever since."
"The orphanage in Bristol?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Blaise said surprised but then looked at his friend in horror. "Draco tell me you weren't there."
"I wasn't," Draco replied, trying to quell the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "But I remember the order being given. The Dark Lord got word that a muggle born witch was running a home for kids. The orders were to kill the witch and bring the kids."
"What happened?" Blaise asked, his rage bubbling just below the surface.
"The Carrows decided the kids weren't worth it," Draco told him hollowly. "So they decided everyone should burn. So that's what they did."
Suddenly Blaise shoved Draco and Draco fell to the floor.
"What the hell?" Draco shouted.
"Tell me your side was the right side," Blaise shouted, the anger pulsing from him. "Tell me that fighting for a side that would kill an innocent woman and forty kids had the right ideas about what our world should be like."
Draco said nothing.
"TELL ME," Blaise raved. "TELL ME HOW THE SIDE THAT TRIED TO KILL THE WOMAN WHO BECAME MY WIFE WAS RIGHT JUST BECAUSE SHE WASN'T A PUREBLOOD."
"It was war, Blaise," Draco said heatedly. "You weren't there, you don't know what it was like to serve him."
"I know people DIED rather than serve Voldemort," Blaise said. "I know Severus Snape served as a spy because he would have rather been killed for being a traitor to that side than live in a world where Voldemort could have ruled. Tell me your side was right, tell me that you gave years of your life to the right side, tell me everything you were taught was right. TELL ME."
"It's what I was taught," was all Draco could bring himself to say. "I was taught it was right, I can't change what I was taught, what I think."
"And that's where you're wrong mate," Blaise said running his hand through his hair. "You're changing and you don't even realize it. And I hope to hell you realize it soon."
With that, Blaise turned his heel and walked away, leaving Draco sitting on the floor.
A/N: I start school tomorrow so I may be a little slower with the uploads but the story is DONE, it's just a matter of me uploading it online! Reviews make for an excellent motivator for uploading! :)