Draco didn't show up to work for the next week and Hermione was starting to worry. He'd owled her personally each day and told her he was still sick and couldn't come in. She couldn't imagine what kind of illness he had that would keep him away for four days but she went about her research as she had before Malfoy had come to work there. She spent hours in the Archives, searching for more information about the Cruciatus curse. She spent a whole afternoon organizing the potions ingredients room after Draco's massive shipment had arrived that afternoon. She had enough to last her for months so she set about brewing the potions she would need. But it wasn't the same. She missed him, she realized. It was nice to have someone to talk to and to work with who was her intellectual equal. With a sigh, she set to work on a new batch of potions, hoping Draco would show up to work the following day.

Draco however had no intention of ever going back to work. It had taken him an hour to get up off the floor where Blaise had left him and when he did, the first thing he did was grab a glass of Whiskey and he'd been drunk since. His mother tried to talk to him, tried to get him to sober up, but he merely ignored her and kept drinking. Even Jake the house elf had tried to get him to stop but he threatened to take away Jake's orange dress and Jake caved and gave Draco more alcohol. As long as he was drunk, everything was numb he thought. And that was exactly how he wanted to be. Completely numb. He stumbled to the liquor cabinet to pour himself another drink when the door to his bedroom swung open. He turned to see who it was and he nearly dropped his glass when he saw who it was.

"You look like hell," Pansy Parkinson said.

"People keep telling me that," Draco said pouring himself another drink.

"Perhaps you should take the hint," Pansy said, walking over to him and taking the glass from him. She set it down and grasped his shoulders. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Pans," he replied and submitted when she enveloped him in a hug.

"Now," she said, pulling away and looking at him with a critical eye. "Tell me what's wrong with you."

"Is that why you're here?" he asked bitterly, shoving her away and picking the glass back up. "Come to fix me?"

"If you need fixing, absolutely." Pansy said brightly. "If you need another drink, absolutely not." She took the cup from him and tossed it out of reach. "What's going on Draco?" she asked, teasing voice gone. "Your mother is worried about you, I'm worried about you."

"Tell me about you Pans," Draco replied, knowing he could easily distract Pansy by getting her to talk about herself and shopping.

"I've been working and spending time with my boyfriend," Pansy told him. "I think we're going to move in together."

Draco's jaw hit the floor. "What?"

"Oh haven't you heard?" she said with a laugh as she walked across the room and sat down on the edge of his bed. "I'm reformed."

"Yeah," Draco said with a laugh, sitting down next to her. "I am too."

"I really am, Draco," she said quietly. "We were so wrong. What we were taught-"

"If that's why you're here, I don't want to hear it," he replied, cutting her off.

"So I'll tell you about me instead," Pansy said, smoothly transitioning away from it. "I've been working as a photographer. I work independently and I sell my photographs to galleries and private collectors, both muggle and wizard."

"That's, -er, great," Draco answered. "Really great, I'm glad you've found a hobby."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Pansy huffed. "I said it's my job, it's how I afford everything. I pay for my things, no one else."

"Surely the bloke you're dating pays for something," Draco said.

"He pays for our dates, that's it," Pansy said. "I don't need him to pay for anything."

Draco was surprised. The Pansy he'd been friends with in school and during the war had always relied on other people, usually men, to do everything for her. "Tell me about the bloke you're seeing then," he said.

"He's a wonderful man," Pansy replied with a smile. "He treats me very well, he makes me laugh, and he's the first one to tell me when I'm being a bitch."

"He sounds perfect for you," Draco admitted. "When do I get to meet him?"

"Actually, you already know him," Pansy told him.

"Who is it?" Draco asked, facing her.

Pansy looked him dead in the eye and said, "Ron Weasley."

Draco burst out laughing for the first time in a long time. He laughed until he had tears streaming down his face. Pansy sat in silence, waiting for him to finish.

"That's great Pansy," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I needed a laugh. Now tell me, seriously, who are you dating?"

"I'm not joking," Pansy told him, completely straight faced. "We've been dating for about a year and I'm in love with him. He's in love with me. We're going to get a flat together. Maybe a dog too, I've always wanted one."

Draco stared at her. "You've changed," he said resigned, after several minutes of silence.

"Yes, I have," Pansy replied. "I like who I've become. I hope you can too."

At her words, Draco's face softened. "I've always liked who you were Pansy," he told her, taking her hand in his. "I have a feeling I'll like the new you even better."

A smile bloomed across Pansy's face and she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot. Now, what's wrong with you?"

Draco immediately became sullen again. "Nothing is wrong, Pansy."

"You're lying to me," she said, poking him in the chest. "Don't lie to me, Draco Malfoy."

"Nothing is wrong," he told her. "Absolutely nothing."

"Fine," she said. "Don't tell me. But you can tell me or you can go to work tomorrow."

He looked up at her, surprised. "What?"

"You heard me," she said. "Tell me what's wrong or go to work tomorrow. Those are your two choices. Pick one."

"I'll go to work tomorrow," he lied. "Satisfied?"

"Yes," Pansy said with a smile. She got up from the bed and crouched in front of him. "I'll see you tomorrow at noon. We'll have lunch with your mother before we go." Behind her the liquor cabinet shifted slightly.

"Sounds good," Draco said, lying through his teeth, curiously eyeing the liquor cabinet. "See you then."

"See you tomorrow," Pansy replied with a smile and walked out of his room, shutting his bedroom door behind her with a loud bang. The sound of the door shutting was so loud, Draco couldn't hear the click of the lock.

Bloody fool, he thought. Some things would never change. Draco walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. He knocked it back and it went down like water. He must have been drunker than he realized, he thought. He poured another drink and drank it down just as quickly. It went down like water as well. Too much like water. Draco poured another drink and stared in horror as the warm brown of the whiskey turned into crystal clear water. "What the hell?" he said out loud. He grabbed the bottle and tried to chug that but sure enough the minute the bottle hit his lips he could taste the water. The clever witch had charmed his liquor. Well that was just fine, he thought angrily, the good thing about being a Malfoy was that drinking ran in the family. There was alcohol in nearly every room of the house. He walked to his door and grabbed the door knob but it didn't budge.

"No, no, no, PANSY!" he screamed. "PANSY LET ME OUT!"

An envelope slid into the room under the door. Draco grabbed it and ripped it open.

This is for your own good.

Wear something nice for lunch.

xoxo Pansy

"I'm going to kill you tomorrow during lunch," Draco shouted through the door. He stomped to the liquor cabinet but then remembered his alcohol was all water and he roared in frustration. Then he remembered that, while he couldn't use magic, he still had people who could.

"Jake!" he called. But Jake didn't appear. "Jake, come here right now." But still no Jake. Draco rushed back to the door and shouted, "JAKE I AM YOUR MASTER, YOU COME IN TO THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW."

"That's quite enough," came his mother's voice from the other side of the door. Draco leaned back against the wall and put his hands over his face.

"You're behaving like a child, Draco," his mother continued. "Honestly I expect better from you."

"Mother," Draco said through his hands. "Where is Jake?"

"Jake was ordered to leave the Manor until tomorrow at 11:30am and ignore all requests from you," Narcissa told him. "Did you really think Pansy wouldn't think of that?"

Draco groaned and slid to the floor. "What am I supposed to do until then Mother?"

"Sober up," Narcissa said. "Act like the man that you are, not the drunk snivelling asshole you've become."

Draco dropped his hands from his face when he heard his mother swear. He could remember one other time Narcissa had sworn at him and the memory sent a shiver down his spine. "Yes, mother."

"Good," Narcissa replied. "See you for lunch."

Draco listened as her footsteps echoed down the hall away from his room. He moved away from the door and laid down on the floor. He stayed there for a long time, sometimes thinking, other times just staring blankly at the ceiling. At some point during the night he moved from the floor to his bed where he fell asleep, his thoughts jumbled in his head.

A/N: Procrastination = chapter upload! Law school is rough guys. Anyway, I received my first real, negative review yesterday and I have to say, I took it a little bit to heart. That being said, after that one I received several positive reviews that perked me right up. Good or bad, I appreciate people who take the time to write so thank you, thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot!