Muggle Vices

Hermione stared at the blinking light on the answering machine. She knew before checking that it was from Harry. After she told him that it was pointless to hold out hope from someone who didn't want to change, he'd called everyday. Sometimes just to let her know that he had no hard feelings; other times to ask her opinion on what he should do. In the beginning she'd been his shoulder to lean on but now it was getting a little tiresome. Every time he called it was the same complaint or worry about the same blond. It had gotten to the point where once she'd washed her hands of the whole predicament she'd be become more involve, so she stopped taking the calls opting to let the machine pick them up instead.

She understood that kicking addiction was a hard road but after the fourth failed program she'd grown tired of the excuses and promises. It wasn't that she didn't care but she had a life to live too and giving up her time to help someone who didn't appreciate it had never been in her plans. Draco could speak a pretty game but it was one she didn't want to play. She supported them in their endeavors. She'd had even gone to meetings with them, hearing one sob story after the other. Draco had never gotten up or offered to share what got him started drinking in the first place but she new it was there.

She'd cut her loses and told Harry to do the same but he just didn't know when he was fighting a losing battle. Hermione remembered the fiasco that had separated them. She ignored a lot of the things that had gone missing from her house and pretended not to notice when Harry replaced others but she'd drawn the line when it came to family heirlooms. Those could not be replaced, no matter where Harry traveled or looked. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She'd been getting ready for her weekly dinner date with the pair when she noticed it and as tempted as she'd been to call and confront him right then and there she'd thought it best to wait.

"Harry, you can stay but Draco has to go. He's no longer welcomed in my home." Her voice had been collected and calm even though her body contradicted the composure. She stood ramrod straight, feet at shoulder width apart.

He looked back and forth between his two friends. Hermione looked fit to maim while Draco looked at no one in particular. "Hermione if something needs replacing I-" Harry looked as if he'd lose it at any second. This wasn't how he'd pictured the evening.

"No! You can't replace it. You can't even find out who he sold it to because as we both know he'll not admit to taking it." Her voice and body language complimented each other. "I've ignored a lot of things on this journey but this is the last straw. Draco, I want you gone now!"

"But Hermione, we are all he has."

Draco had just stood there, not offering one word. She hadn't expected him to but she also didn't expect him to stand there like he wasn't in the room. His silence spoke for itself.

"Correction, y you are all he has. I'm through with him. He's not going to change and the sooner you realize that the sooner you can move on." Hermione turned and headed back to her bedroom where she first noticed the jewelry box missing. Closing the door behind her she leaned against it, closing her eyes and waited for the tell-tale signs that she was once again alone.

She hadn't seen nor spoken to the blond since. It hurt her to look at him when he'd thrown all her help out the window. She'd stuck with him long enough and even though she'd wanted to stick with him through the end, there wasn't an end in sight. She'd thought about offering her help again but decided that if he really wanted help he would call her. She had to stick her ground or he would never see err in his ways.

As she no longer wanted him in her life, he'd decided she wasn't good enough for her either. It reminded her of their childhood at Hogwarts. She'd never once thought that he wasn't good enough, she'd just tired of his ways. The blond had always been too uppity in her opinion; no one was ever good enough for him. He'd chosen to surround himself in idiots who could not, would not think for themselves. He'd wanted to be king and when they'd decided on a democracy he was no longer needed. That's was one of his problems, although not big enough to cause him to drink but big no the less.

She'd fought a battle with herself during the time Draco spent in the hospital. She'd wanted to make sure he was fine but her will wouldn't let her. He'd done it to himself and if that wasn't a wake up call she didn't know what was. Her conscience seemed to be split in two halves, the side that wanted to stand ground obviously being the bigger half. Harry called her everyday, leaving messages letting her know how he was doing and that made her feel a tad better about her decision. It wasn't as if he'd expected to see her anyway. If he really valued her friendship, he'd come see her.

"Draco, how could you? She'd done nothing but be supportive and you go and do this?" He was on the verge of tears. From frustration, anger or just plan sadness he didn't know but his end was coming close.

"I didn't take anything from her, let alone an heirloom. If she doesn't want to see me I can remedy that right now."

"No! You need to tell me where you took it. We need to get it back and you need to apologize."

"There's nothing to apologize for and if you want to help her retrieve her heirloom, I suggest you start looking for it. She missed placed it and I'm just her scapegoat.

Hermione heard her front door slam. She sagged with relief while wiping the tears from her eyes. Walking toward the bed she heard a few choice curses and a muttered apology before she heard her door open and close again.

She didn't want to speak to either of them until there was a turn around. She wasn't talking another program but a permanent solution. She was surprised that with all the magic they processed nothing could be done. Draco's will for self destruction was just too strong for magic to have any effect.

She was in one of her foul moods as she'd gone to put away a pair of pear earrings just to remember that her jewelry box was gone. Yes, it would have been simple to just buy another but she wanted it as a reminder why she had washed her hands of Draco. He'd reached a point of no return, as far as she was concerned, before they had reacquainted. When she heard the beaconing sound of the door chime she contemplated not answering it, but the person on the other side was persistent. Hermione broke down and opened the door when she saw that it was Draco and Harry on the other side. They seemed excited and she could use a little excitement in her life. It'd been rather lonely without them.

They'd told her about the new plan and it sounded simple. Too simple in fact, the solution seemed to have presented itself as clear as day. Hermione was at a lost of words, they seemed to have it all planned out. As they chatted away she began to feel like an outsider, a third wheel, in her own home. Temporarily forgetting who her guests were she got up and offered drinks. She felt ashamed when she realized what she'd done but the pair was so hung on the words the other said it was as if they hadn't heard her. And perhaps they hadn't, they seemed so enthralled. In that moment, she thought to herself. 'Maybe this can work.'

Hermione was waiting for them to pick her up for they're weekly dinner date, although there were times when she felt like the third wheel. And while she sometimes felt like they were too absorbed in themselves to notice her, at this point, she'd have it no other way.

"Hermione, we have a surprise. We wanted you to be the first to know."

Draco smiled that dazzling smile of his, his excitement shining in his eyes. He'd changed in the last three months, for the better. Hermione was proud of the change, she was proud of him. They'd become a family, which incidentally was all the blond needed. Yes the support of friends was nice but the support of loved ones made change easier. She was glad that she was able to provide the support he needed.

"Okay. So what is this surprise?"