Draco didn't understand why he had let Hermione go. He knew he couldn't take anymore of her sadness or pain or concern, it was all too much to bear. Not to mention the memories and reminders. But still, she had known more than he would have liked. She knew about the plan, the lies, the wand. He hadn't lied to her about anything, making him regret letting her go. After all, he wasn't brave enough to make his own choices, he was just a coward that wanted to be feared more than the Dark Lord and get revenge.

It was late in the evening, a whole day already passed, and he had accomplished nothing. He had done nothing, except he let Granger go and had spent the day in his room, pondering over his choices. He was still hurt from the war, and he wondered if he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement. However, Draco didn't run on emotions, and despite Hermione being free and possibly telling everyone the secrets she knew about him, he couldn't understand why he was feeling like this. He should be happy she was gone, she was nothing but a pain.

You idiot, how could you have let her go when she could ruin your entire plan? He thinks to himself, before cursing under his breath and realizing he has to go find her. She has vital information that he couldn't let spill everywhere, and he was hoping she hadn't found Weasley. He was a nuisance enough, one that Draco would find pleasure in ridding from the earth.

The air was even colder, and Draco had no idea where to start searching. Granger was released hours ago, she could be anywhere by now. Not to mention it was pitch black, making it even harder to see.

"Lumos," Draco mutters, as he grips his wand, the point coming to life by light.

He decided he would search around nearby for a bit, before moving to Diagon Alley. After all, he had searched twice already for her there — one time he was drunk, on top of it — so, what was another time going to hurt? At least he was sober this time.

Letting out a long and exhausted sigh, Draco began to look around for Granger.

|||

It had been hours, and Draco didn't have any luck. He was angry and cold and hungry and tired, leaving him almost not caring if she told the entire world about him. Besides, the wizarding world most likely believes she's cheating on Ron, so, why would they believe a cheater?

Just the reminder of Draco admitting to Skeeter's lies, makes him even angrier.

It was early in the morning, and no one had seen her. He asked around all of Diagon Alley, but no on knew where she was. He had no idea where she would be, and finally he decides to just give up. Perhaps, he was supposed to be found out, and perhaps, he wasn't supposed to find her.

However, as he walks into the Leaky Cauldron — deciding to end his search with a drink — his eyes catch sight of messy brown hair in the far corner. Glancing over, he finds himself sighing in relief, as he watches Granger take a long drink from her glass.

"Fancy seeing you here," he tells her, before sitting down in the seat across from her.

"Change your mind?" She asks him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes a bit wild. She was slightly on the drunk side, and Draco wondered how long she had been here.

"I can't let you run off, not with all the information you have. You could literally ruin me," he half laughs, it being a pitiful sound. Just saying those words made him feel a new wave of nervousness, and he found himself tapping his fingers on the table.

"Do you think I'm that kind of a person?" Hermione scoffs. "You're vile and cruel and all things horrible, but I would never ruin you, no matter what you've done." She takes another sip of her drink, before letting out a long sigh. "Besides, I saw Ron and he hates me now," she begins, before sniffling slightly. "Apparently, the whole wizarding world believes I had an affair on him. With people believing that, why would they believe me? After all, cheaters are liars."

There was a new hurt in Hermione's eyes, a hurt that was driven deep, and all Draco could wonder, was what have I done? She was just a girl, she had feelings, she had emotions, for she was a human, and she bled when she fell down.

"He told me — " she pauses, trying to keep herself composed. "He was going to propose." She lets out a weak laugh, before covering her face with her hands.

It seemed as if something had snapped inside of Draco, and he felt guilty and ashamed, for he may have not killed her, but he definitely destroyed her.

"Not anymore, however. He was shouting at me, calling me names. It was pathetic. It was as if he didn't even know who I was, but then again, did he ever? I tell you to make your own choices and be brave, but those are things I can't even do." Hermione didn't care that she was telling Draco Malfoy all of this, for what did she have to lose, now? Everything was already taken from her. Everything, except for Harry.

"Weaselbee's an idiot," Draco almost growls. "I hadn't got time for someone like that. You're supposed to be his bloody girlfriend, and he won't even listen to you?" He shook his head, wondering why he was so angry. He couldn't understand why, he just knew he was. Perhaps, it was a mixture of realizing how much he had tore down Hermione's life, in the span of only a few days.

"Why are you pretending to care?" Hermione mutters, her eyes clouded over with tears. "You hate me, Malfoy, you should be happy this is all happening to me. You're destroying me without killing me, you should be happy."

"You think I'm happy?" Draco laughs. "I told you how I felt, how the hell do you get happy from that? Do you think I want this anger and pain and bitterness inside of me? It's eating me alive. I don't remember who I was before the war, hell, I barely remember anything before the war. I hate myself, Granger," he snarls. "I bloody hate myself. I wanted to be a dark wizard, and all I became was a coward that despised his own self, all because he wasn't brave enough to fulfill his plans and tear down everything and everyone that stood in his way." Draco was angry, but he had nothing to lose. Granger wasn't a tattle tale, it wasn't as if she threatened everyone that she'd tell her father if things didn't go her way.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispers after a moment, feeling genuinely sorry for Draco. After all, villains were once good guys, there was just something that pushed them over the limit.

"Me too," Draco replies, before the two of them sit there in silence, as Hermione finishes her drink.

|||

It had been a few hours, and they were still in the Leaky Cauldron. After Hermione finished her drink, Draco ordered himself one, resulting in Hermione ordering another, and before both of them knew what was going on, they had already lost count of how many they had consumed. In other words, they were drunk.

It happened to be the second time Draco Malfoy got Hermione Granger drunk, only this time, it wasn't as if he ordered her a drink, he just influenced her to drink some more. Besides pain and hurt, this was one thing they had in common, drowning their feelings with alcohol. Even with Hermione's past memory of drinking, it was as if she didn't even care. After all, she already mentioned she lost everything, except for Harry, so what was wrong with having a bit of fun? Especially after everything she had gone through, she needed to let loose.

The thought of Harry, however, causes her to place the cup that was once up at her mouth, down on the table. She may have Harry now, but if Draco succeeds, she won't have him later.

"Are — are you really go — going to kill Harry?" She stutters, before blinking rapidly, Draco's image a bit blurry from the alcohol.

"Of course, Granger, just because I can't bloody kill you, doesn't mean I can't kill him!" He laughs, before holding up his drink. "Cheers!" Malfoy was as drunk as any person could possibly get without passing out, which only made his words seem even more real.

"I — I need to get home," Hermione mutters, before attempting to stand up, only to stumble and fall backwards into her chair.

"You're drunk," Draco slurs. "You can't just get up and walk."

"You're more drunk than I am," she retorts.

"Who cares? That's what people do when they come here, is drink. That's what you used to do when you'd come here," he mutters, before taking another swig.

Even in her drunken state, it bothered Hermione that Draco knew of her drinking habit. It wasn't something she was proud of, and she began to feel ashamed that she was drunk now, sitting with the wizard that wants to kill one of her best friends. All of the sudden, everything seemed to come crashing down upon her, and she begins to realize how wrong this all is. She shouldn't be here, they're people everywhere in the Leaky Cauldron, people that see her and Malfoy together. It only strengthens the lies Skeeter told about their affair, and it strengthens the thoughts the wizarding world most likely has of her. The thoughts of her being a cheater and a liar. She hasn't just lost Ron and Ginny and her parents and the loved ones from the war, she's also lost the faith people used to have in her. She was Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake, people knew her name. They knew of her intelligence, but that all crumbled when she promised Narcissa she would help Draco. Her life was ruined even further, all because she promised to do something good.

"I — I need to go," she mutters, before stumbling outside into the cold. Her balance was terrible, but she needed to get out of there. She needed to get home and get a hot shower, for it had been days since she had a shower. She just needed to get away from Draco, for Merlin knows how he has ruined her.

With cloudy vision and wobbly legs, she tries her best and stumbles all the way back to her flat, the cold sobering her up slightly.

***
chapter 16 already, wow!
this chapter is a little shorter too, and I apologize, but I hope you all still enjoy it! Vote and comment, please :)