It's easy to drown pain with a drink, so easy, that Hermione found herself drunk,= before fifteen minutes had passed of them being there. Draco — on the other hand — was still sipping his first drink. He had no intentions of getting drunk, he just knew Hermione needed something. She was full of so much hurt and broken pain, he couldn't handle her. He didn't know how to deal with her emotions, and he hated how they affected him. He knew she would drown herself in alcohol to forget, so, he thought that maybe that's what she needed again. Not, of course, that he cared. He still despised her, he just wanted her tears to stop. Also, he had to take her out at least once, just to keep up the appearance.

"Do you remember," Hermione begins, before patting the table a few times. "The time you — oh," she stops, just as she looks over at the door.

Draco turns his head to see what she was looking at, but freezes when he sees Ron Weasley walking in. Ron had not yet seen the couple, and Draco knew he had to do something, before Hermione's drunken state could blow everything.

Before Ron could even look in their direction, they were back at the manor.

"I saw Ronald!" Hermione almost shouts, as she looks over at Draco with wide eyes. "I should have talked to him! He is my boyfriend, and I feel rather rude, now." Despite her slurring words, Draco could understand her plain as day.

"Calm down, Granger, you'll get to talk to him soon enough," Draco lies, just wanting her to stop shouting.

"No, I won't. You'll kill me, before — before I get the chance." Hermione was now stumbling, and Draco found himself catching her a few times as they walked up the stairs, until he eventually picks her up, and just carries her. "Set me down, Malfoy. Enemies don't carry enemies."

"Would you rather I let you fall on your face?" He snaps. "Because, I'd gladly let you down."

"No," she whispers.

"Then, for Merlin's sake, Granger, shut it." He wasn't angry with her, he was just highly annoyed. After all, half of the day was already over with, and what had he accomplished? Getting Granger drunk? It wasn't even as if she were a funny drunk, either.

"Where are you taking me? To the dungeon?" She asks, a slight shake of worry in her voice.

"No, you're going to bed," he grumbles. "I should not have gotten you drunk," he mutters to himself.

"Too late, now," she smiles at him, and he wonders why she was so happy all of the sudden. Drinking had never made him happy, it only increased his anger. No wonder she drank so much.

What made him happy, was setting her down on the bed, his arm half asleep from carrying her. "Are you going in your chair?" She asks as he covers her with the blanket.

"No, I have things I need to do. Go to sleep," he tells her, before swiftly leaving the room. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her happiness, nor her drunken state, nor her pain, nor anything else to do with her. He may have not killed her yet, but he had other things he needed to plan out. Other things to attend to. Her time was coming soon, but he wasn't ready. He needed to be driven to carry out the action of actually killing her, that he decided to visit an old friend that used to hate Granger just as much as he did. Actually, she hated Granger more, but that was beside the point.

Making sure he not only had the Elder Wand, but his own wand, he apparated out of the manor, before appearing in front of Parkinson's flat.

|||

"Well, well, well," Pansy smirks as she opens the door, only to find herself face to face with an old favorite of hers. "Draco Malfoy, what do I owe the pleasure?"

Pansy Parkinson was, in no way, Draco's favorite person. He could hardly stand her, but he knew she was a valuable aid to help him in whatever he needed. Draco may be the only wizard not locked up in Azkaban that wanted to kill Harry Potter, but he sure wasn't the only free wizard to hate Harry Potter. Nott and Parkinson were good examples.

"I need your help," he admits, before pushing past her and letting himself in.

"Can't your mudblood lover help you?" She playfully asks. She was merely teasing him, but Draco had taken a strong dislike to that word, and he was tired of hearing it.

"She has a name," he growls. "And I didn't come here to discuss my affairs with you."

"You didn't? What a shame, I imagine we could have affairs of our own," she smiles at him, only to cause his annoyance to rise.

"Cut the shit, Parkinson, I'm not here to talk about Granger or affairs. You want that? Visit Nott, I'm sure he'll give you plenty, if, he hasn't already."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pansy snaps.

"Whatever you want it to," Draco smirks. "Now, you hate Granger, right?"

"You already know this," she rolls her eyes.

"Why do you hate her?"

"You tell me you're not here to discuss Granger, yet, here you are. Are you really that whipped?" Pansy sighs, before sitting down on the nearest chair, wondering what Draco was getting to.

"Answer the damned question," he demands.

"Fine, fine," she holds her hands up in defense. "She's a know it all. She's a mudblood. She is a goody goody. The list goes on. Why are you so curious?"

"Why wouldn't I be? If I'm going to have her in my life, I need to know what my friends think of her." The reminder of going along with what Skeeter wrote, makes Draco want to hurl. It wasn't that Granger was repulsive, it was the fact she was a memory, a memory from the war and from the past, and he'd just like to forget about her. However, the only way to forget about her, was to get rid of her. He hadn't done a very good job of that, and Parkinson was supposed to be inspiring him to murder Granger, not annoy him.

"You are whipped. Malfoy, the pretty boy is whipped by the least likely witch ever," Pansy half laughs. "Never thought I'd see the day. I even had my doubts, till Nott confirmed it."

"Shut up, Parkinson," Draco growls, before walking over to the door and leaving, only to slam it shut. He wasn't whipped, he wasn't even having an affair, he was just trying to keep one giant secret a secret, and nothing could make him talk.

Parkinson didn't even help him at all, and he wonders why he even went there. Of course, Pansy wouldn't have any legitimate reasons as to why she hated Hermione. He didn't get reasons, he got the feeling of jealousy, and he was tempted to walk back into Parkinson's flat and embarrass her. However, there was already too much to do, and he didn't want to spend anymore time with Parkinson. A few minutes were quite enough for him. He almost shivers at the thought of being in her presence.

It was still early in the afternoon, and Draco wondered what he would do now. Granger was still at the manor sobering up, and he had plenty of time to get a few things worked out, however, where would he start? Granger needed to go, and soon, but it was as if every time he pointed a wand at her, he couldn't bring himself to whisper the terrible curse that had killed so many in the battle. He can still see her in his head, asking him what she had done to deserve this. Nothing, he thinks to himself as he walks down the street. She did nothing.

So many people that had died during the battle, did nothing, too, but it was war and it made sense. The wizarding war may be over, but Draco knew he had to battle his own wars, and that's why killing Granger had made sense. Killing her, would leave Potter weak, and leaving Potter weak, would make him vulnerable. Everything could go smoothly and perfectly, if Draco would just kill off Granger already.

Time was running out, and he promised himself he'd do it soon, for if she actually ended up fixing him, he may not do it at all. He couldn't kill Albus Dumbledore — who he couldn't stand — so, what would make him think he could kill Hermione Granger easily, especially since at one time, he remembers fancying her? He can still recall the day in potions class, when she told everyone what she could smell in the love potion. He had wished she could have smelled him, but she smelled Weasley, and that's when a few strings broke apart.

He shakes his head, hoping to free his thoughts of such memories. After all, he was no longer a boy. He was a man, now, and he needed to put away all childish memories, good and bad. All memories do, is drag you down, and he was already too far on the floor, not needing anything else to weigh him down. Besides, he no longer fancied Granger, he despised her, so, why should it be hard? Why should he have trouble killing her? There was no reason as to why he was having an inner battle. No reason at all.

Except, that he was a coward.

***
this is so short and I'm sorry. please vote and comment, tho! it would mean so much! :D