Insomnia

Baby Britain.

Baby Britain feels the best floating over a sea of vodka

Separated from the rest

Fights problems with bigger problems

Sees the ocean fall and rise

Counts the waves that somehow didn't hit her

Water pouring from her eyes

Alcoholic and very bitter

For someone half as smart you'd be a work of art

You put yourself apart

And I can't help until you start

We knocked another couple back

The dead soldiers lined up on the table

Still prepared for an attack

They didn't know they'd been disabled

Felt a wave a rush of blood

You won't be happy 'til the bottle's broken

And you're out swimming in the flood

You kept back you kept unspoken

For someone half as smart you'd be a work of art

You put yourself apart

And I can't help until you start

You got a look in your eye

When you're saying goodbye

Like you wanna say hi

The light was on but it was dim

Revolver's been turned over

And now it's ready once again

The radio was playing "crimson and clover"

London Bridge is safe and sound

No matter what you keep repeating

Nothing's gonna drag me down

To a death that's not worth cheating

For someone half as smart you'd be a work of art

You put yourself apart

And I can't help you until you start

For someone half as smart you'd be a work of art

You put yourself apart

Hermione stared up through her booze-soaked haze into the familiar grey eyes.

"Draco?" She repeated in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at her with a kind of pained understanding. "The same thing you are, apparently. Drowning my sorrows."

"I am not drowning anything, thank you very much. I'm merely enjoying a few drinks." She glared defiantly at him.

"Really? Because I've been watching you since you came in an hour ago, and you haven't stopped drinking since." His tone softened. "Please don't lie to me, Hermione. We've known each other far too long for that."

Hermione lowered her face in shame. A sharp feeling of guilt wrenched Draco's stomach.

"Look, it's okay. Hey, I'm not exactly one to preach." He smiled at her, and seated himself on the barstool next to hers. "But please let me sit with you. It's horrible to watch you come in here, night after night and drink yourself stupid."

"You've been spying on me?" Hermione raised her head and stared at him with the fiery indignation that anyone who knew her was familiar with.

He shook his head. "No, I've been watching you. I've been coming here for ages, long before you became a regular."

Hermione nodded in acknowledgment. They sat in silent reflection for a while.

Finally Draco spoke up. "We should get out of here." Hermione raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Why? It's not like there's anywhere else to go."

"Because we're better than this. Come on, we were Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts, and we're sitting in a pub getting drunk. It's kind of pathetic."

Hermione snorted. "Well, we wouldn't want to make the school look bad, would we?" She grinned at Draco, making him laugh. The sudden noise made the heads of the other late-night regulars turn to see what the commotion. Stifling a giggle, Hermione nodded at Draco. "You're right. Let's go for a walk."

Outside, the rain had turned from heavy drops pelting them in the face to a light shower. Most of the pubs along the street had closed, their neon signs turned off for a few hours and their clientele dispersed, and the only lights were the clean white glow of the street lamps.

The two wizards walked side by side, in total silence until Hermione spoke.

"So what are you doing these days?"

Draco sighed. "Let's see. I live in a shoebox, and every morning I go to work at the Ministry, where I teach some of the Auror cadets a course about the psychology of Dark wizards. Then in the afternoons, I work with other Aurors; making sure no wanna-be Death Eaters are rearing their ugly heads. One a week I have dinner with Dumbledore, and sometimes I see Severus for a game of wizard's chess. Every evening I go back to my shoebox, feed my goldfish, open the latest half-hearted death threat from a former schoolmate, make myself an Instant-Meal-For-One, try to go to sleep, and end up at the

Cauldron." He grinned ironically. "How about you, Miss Granger? How's life treating you?"

"Life's slapping me in the face, but thank you for asking." She looked straight ahead. "I've been writing a book on the history of the Death Eaters. So I spend most of the day doing that, or at the British Wizarding Library. McGonagall has promised she's going to set it as the main text for 7th year DADA when I'm done. I live with my cat, I see Ginny for coffee every Thursday, and Harry for dinner every Saturday, and they wince if I mention the other's name around them. I haven't had a full night's sleep in three years, so I go to the Broomsticks to drink myself silly and then the Knight bus takes me home, and nobody talks about it."

Draco expelled a breath. "Well, Granger, you certainly take home the Most Pathetic Life prize." He held his wand to her face like a Muggle microphone. "How do you do it? Our readers want to know."

Hermione grinned at him and assumed her role. "Well, Draco, it's all thanks to Instant-Meals-For-One! One flick of your wand and you've got a meal fit for a sad unloved git!"

"Well, congratulations. One day, weather permitting, we can all be just like you."

The light-hearted mood suddenly vanished and Hermione bit her lip thoughtfully.

"This wasn't how it was meant to be."

Draco nodded. "I know."

They walked in silence a bit longer, until Hermione stopped outside a small flat with a white door. "This is my place."

Draco looked at it appraisingly. "Well, it looks like a lovely door." he said seriously, then grinned as Hermione gave him a look of "Oh my God, you're such an idiot."

Then she sobered. "Would you like to come in? I have coffee, and, um, chocolate. That's possibly it. Maybe a tomato, hiding in the fridge."

"Yeah. That'd be nice. The coffee, I mean. I'm not really in the mood for a tomato."

Hermione opened the door and they went inside.

Soon after, sitting on her tacky green couch that had been a hand-me-down from Charlie, drinking strong coffee, Draco looked at his hostess pensively.

"So, are we going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"How we got here."