Healing the Heart (Dramione)

03|| 3 AM

A persistent knocking woke Draco from his sleep. Who was bothering him at three in the morning? Fuming, he threw open the door to see a downcast Hermione standing in his entryway. "Granger? Do you have any idea what time it is? I was-" He stopped, noticing her expression. She was still wearing her work scrubs, a jacket had been thrown around her shoulders. Her eyes were puffy, like she'd been crying. "Did you just get off of work?"

The smile she gave didn't reach her eyes. "About an hour ago." Her voice was slightly brittle, as though she was attempting to hold back tears. "Would you fancy a drink?"

Draco blinked, then looked down at his appearance. He had on his sweatpants, and that was about it. "Let me grab a shirt. Come in." It might have been the sorrowful look in her eyes that persuaded Draco to agree, or maybe the fake smile she had plastered to her face, or it could have been morbid curiosity about what possibly could have happened that would possess her into knocking on his door in the middle of the night. Pulling a sweater over his head and grabbing a pair of shoes, he walked back into his living room to find her staring out of the window, into the night. "Alright, let's go. Anywhere in particular? There can't be many bars open at this hour."

She turned towards him. "But there is one." Taking his hand, she pulled him through the door before apparating to the entrance of a small bar. "The owner's a friend. We went to school together before he realized he'd rather own a bar than become a Healer." The inside was cozy with dim lighting and a few simple booths. There were only a handful of people in the bar, the two of them included. The bar itself looked old, like it'd been there for centuries instead of a only a few years. "Hey, Jack." Hermione waved to the man behind the counter, a younger kid with dark brown curly locks down to his shoulders and a friendly smile. The boy vaulted the counter and ran over to the two.

"Hermione, what are you doing here at this hour?" He gave her a tight hug. "Was it a rough day?" He took in her appearance and smiled sympathetically. "Anything you want, on the house, dear."

Draco silently followed Hermione and Jack over to the bar and took a stool next to her. She seemed comfortable around the kid in a sisterly sort of way. He obviously adored and respected her.

"What can I get for you, love?""

"Firewhiskey. A couple shots of it."

Jack nodded and turned to Draco. "And for you?"

"Nothing, I'm only here to ensure she makes it back home tonight."

Hermione frowned. "I ordered us shots though."

"I'm just saving you the hassle of ordering a second drink." He leaned back against his stool and folded his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

"Ron and I had a fight." She downed the first drink followed quickly by the second.

"Woah, you might want to slow down."

"They're shots, it's what you do." She nodded to Jack, and he poured her a third drink.

Draco shot a glare at Jack who shrugged. "Well yes, but usually you breathe between shots." He took the glass away from her. "Granger. What happened tonight?"

She smiled bitterly at her hands. "Ron and I had a fight. We fought. That's it."

"Yeah, but this fight was different. What happened?"

Hermione took in a shaky breath and looked at the ceiling. "I came home around two, just getting off of work. I took an extra shift cause Hannah's mom passed and she needed to prepare for the funeral. When I got home, Ron was still awake, just sitting on the couch, waiting."