Muggle Vices

Harry helped Draco with the expenses that the programs created. He accompanied him to the meetings and offered a supporting shoulder. Through it all he stood by the blond, defending him to Hermione when the need arose. He didn't know if he was ready to give up or if he just didn't know when to let go, either way he was determined to stick by Draco. As far as he was concerned he was all that the blond had.

He even went as far as to let Draco spend a night in jail to try and make him see the errors of his ways. He'd felt immensely guilty after but felt it prudent at the time. They'd had long conversations about what it would take to make the ultimate change and Harry had given up his weekly drinks in order to help with the change. Harry began to feel hopeless. Draco was angry about the setbacks and it made him more stubborn, he began pushing away all support.

Harry had trouble remembering anyone who had a worse time getting over an addiction. He remembered when Dudley had gone through a heroine addiction, it wasn't pretty. It was even uglier watching Draco. He'd gone through four long term programs just to go back to drinking. The meetings didn't seem to have any effect but helping the blond find new drinking buddies. He was at his wits end and there looked to be no point of return.

Harry had come home from work one day to find Draco passed out yet again; three feet shy of his bedroom. The worse part of it was that Draco wouldn't respond to any of his prodding. In a panic he'd taken the blond to the emergency room, only to find that it was alcohol poisoning. Draco had spent half a week in the hospital and had been signed into yet another program. His worry for the blonde turned to fear, then anger that he wasn't trying hard enough. He felt that he was failing the blond, when really, he knew, the blond was really failing him.

Draco stuck to the program a little longer, to the delight of Harry. They attended meetings diligently, enjoyed alcohol free outings and enjoyed an alcohol free life. Life seemed good, until Draco decided he had to show others how easy it was. One meeting down at the local community center and he washed three weeks down the toilet. Three weeks of sober bliss were nothing but a memory. All it took was one challenge from a meaningless nobody. A dare of sorts, which Draco had felt was a challenge to his will, his manhood.

After the latest fall back, Hermione had said she'd had enough. She didn't want anything to do with the blond, and while Harry didn't fault her he missed her support. Without her to talk to he felt a little lonely, being that Draco refused to talk about any of his relapses. 'A minor set back. That's all, nothing to worry over.' Draco had assured him countless times. It was infuriating, is what it was. Hermione had even gone as far as to stop taking phone calls because they lead to nothing but more problems among the trio.

Harry could take the set backs, he could even accept that Draco wasn't as strong as he pretended to be, but the lying had to stop. It was taking him to a point where he didn't want to be. Every time he caught the blond in a lie he'd ignore it and just go on to the next problem. Now with everything of any value under lock and key and the kitchen barren of most appliances, Harry knew this wasn't the way he wanted to live. It was time for another talk with and this time it would be Draco doing the listening.

Harry was sitting in the living room when Draco came home, stumbling. To his surprise he wasn't alone; he'd bought one of his 'buddies.' This was just the thing that caused him to believe that he was the only one trying to change. It wasn't acceptable any longer, not if they were going to continue to live together.

"I'm sorry but you have to go. You are no longer welcomed in this house."

Draco looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. He tried to make sense of what he'd heard but his alcohol fuzzed mind made it difficult. Trying to curb the slur in his voice he questioned what he'd heard, failing miserably. "What do you mean I'm no longer welcomed in this house? Are you kicking me out?"

Sighing, he swiped a hand over his face. "I'm sorry. I don't know your name but I'm talking to you. You are hampering any progress we are trying to make. If you choose to spend time with Draco outside of this house, then by all means do. But as of this point, you are no longer an acceptable house guest."

As understanding dawned, he became angry. It was one thing for Harry to tell him that he couldn't stay there but to kick out one of his guest was just unacceptable. "How dare you! How can you kick out my company? I understand that I'm living here on borrowed time but I expected to be treated like an equal while I'm here." Draco fumed; he didn't like the change in him.

"I suggest you leave now, before I forcibly remove you."

"If he goes, I go too."

"You will not leave this house. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. You'll be lucky if you leave within the next century." Harry stood up and faced the blond down, daring him to move.

His haze started to depart as the seriousness of the situation dawned on him. Hearing a door shut he looked up to realize that he'd been left alone with Harry. "What do you mean? Am I no longer a free body?"

"You haven't been a free body since you let an addiction run you life. I'm fed up with watching you fall time and time again. I'm taking over until you can run your own life."

"You can no-"

"I can and I will. You aren't ruining your life alone anymore. You are ruining mine too!"

He stared in shocked disbelief. Was he hearing all this correctly? If that was really how Harry felt then he didn't have to deal with him anymore and he told him exactly this.

"That is not an option at this point. If you didn't want me involved you should have walked away instead of moving in with me. Now your problem is our problem and we will get to the bottom of it, even if it kills us."

"You just don't understand!" He'd become frustrated, irritatingly angry. "What have I got to live for anymore? Who is there for me? Wishing me happiness? Hoping I'm doing well? Who do I have to live for?"

"You don't consider yourself important enough to live for? You aren't enough to live for?"

"I have no one, Harry. When my mother died, she took with her any warmth that was left after my father. I have no one to love."

"Is that what you need, someone to love? Are you telling me you drink to drown your sorrows?" He chuckled. He was astonished that all he had to do was force him to talk to get to the underlying problem. "Do you realize how, human you sound? Nothing like your god-like self. You sound completely human, muggle almost."

This didn't help Draco's mood. "We have already established that I'm suffering from muggle afflictions. You don't have to rub it in."

"I'm not rubbing it in, Draco. I'm just trying to understand. It's because your father died and then you mother leaving you alone?"

He threw himself against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. "No. You don't understand. You never will."

"Then make me understand. Talk to me, Draco. Don't keep shutting me out!" He crossed his arms daring the blond to refuse him his demand.

Sighing, Draco looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "I was alone after mother died but not because my father had died first. Blaise died, leaving me with just mother who was there to share my pain. She understood what it was like to lose someone you loved. When she died there was no one to share my pain with, no one to help ease it."

The revelation left him dumbstruck. He wasn't sure he understood. "You dated Blaise?" He asked the question slowly, carefully.

"Yes, I'm a fucking queer." He spat with contempt and hate. Not because of what he was but because there were those who didn't accept it. "I'm a fucking queer, a liar and an alcoholic. Are you happy now?"

"Draco, I wouldn't treat you any differently because of who you love." He thought about the new problem that presented itself. The solution seemed so simple, as if it'd been there all along but they were both to blind to see it.

"It happened one night when I went out to entertain myself. To make myself forget. I got drunk and realized that the alcohol helped ease the pain. It helped me forget that I was alone." He looked so defeated and for the first time he truly looked alone.

It also wasn't as easy; there were still obstacles to overcome. However, if they were ever going to get pass this bump in the road it was a chance he'd have to take. "Draco, what if you had someone to love you? As more than a friend?"