Drug of Choice

Chapter 1

A Typical Day

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.

- Francis Bacon

This has been a long day, Draco Malfoy thought as he sunk into his oversized, overstuffed leather couch. Once he thought about it, all his days had been long recently.

Since the war had his plate had been full. His mother was in St. Mungo's at least once a month because she was lonely, his business was growing like mad and it seemed people were always asking things of him.

Draco sighed and reached for an abandoned cup that lay on the end table. It made him cringe.

He had been warned that it was not wise to live with a roommate if you didn't need one. He was starting to understand why.

At the end of the war Draco and Blaise Zabini moved in with each other for the simple reason that the flat was one of the few flats available at the time. Plus, the location couldn't be better.

Draco had seen an ad in the newspaper for a three bedroom, two bathroom flat and promptly set out to see it. When he got to the address that the newspaper had listed, he found Blaise Zabini just a step in front of him. They ended up touring the flat together and both liked it. They were informed that the rest of the building was full and that particular flat was the only one available. Draco and Blaise talked it over and decided they could live together for a while. They had shared a dorm at Hogwarts, why would a flat be any different?

The flat was located in a section of London that was populated by both Muggles and Wizards alike. The location was perfect. There was an Apparation point just outside the door of the building and Draco's business was only a few blocks away.

Draco walked into the large kitchen and placed the tainted cup in the sink. He rolled up the sliding door of a cabinet and pulled out the coffee machine. He bustled about the kitchen for water and a filter, the entire time wondering why he didn't just use magic.

Since moving into the flat, flipping a light switch when he entered a room had become second nature to him. He had started to understand why some wizards preferred the Muggle way of doing things. It was much easier to pick up the telephone to call a friend, and much more comfortable than kneeling in front of a fire place and yelling until someone entered the room and found you.

Once Draco thought about it, Muggles did have a good deal of useful things. Cigarettes for instance; Draco did not think he would still be alive if it were not for them.

Since the fall of Voldemort seven years ago, the wizarding world had changed almost completely. Robes were only worn for fancy occasions and cloaks were becoming much rarer. Electricity was in use in almost all wizarding homes and telephones had been installed in nearly every room. Autos were thought to be the best means of travel for a young family that had small children. It was thought to be safer and held less of a chance that people would become separated from family or limbs.

Draco, being head of his own real estate business, jumped on that train in a heartbeat. His sales sky rocketed as soon as he found what his buyers wanted. Soon enough, he realized that he was quite good at developing land, as well, and took on the title of contractor, and from time to time dabbled in architecture.

It was quite apparent that he was the best all three businesses. He had sold and built for many big names and the popularity of his business continued to soar. He had never had any trouble in finding customers or employees. From day one, everyone had seemed interested.

However, no one seemed to understand that running ones own business was indeed a difficult job.

He had an interview with Witch Weekly. The only reason he did it was to promote his business. After all, there was no such thing as bad publicity. Even if it was coming from a magazine full of trash.

Draco never had a high opinion of reporters. Not since his experiences with the foul Skeeter woman his father had forced him to help. She was a filthy, meddling woman in her time and Draco was happy to see her go.

Draco watched the last of his coffee drip into the pot just as the front door creaked open.

"Honey, I'm home!" Blaise called out to him.

Draco smiled slightly as he wondered whether his friend was secretly gay or just eccentric.

He poured his freshly brewed coffee into his mug and sat it on the counter before moving to the refrigerator to retrieve the cream. When he turned around, Blaise was leaning against the counter drinking Draco's coffee. Draco glared at Blaise through hard gray eyes for a moment before selecting a new mug and adding coffee to it. As he reached for the cream, Blaise sat it down.

"Not much left," Blaise muttered.

Draco held the container above his mug and watched two thin drops fall. He sighed and tossed the empty container in the waste bin.

"Have plans tonight?" Blaise asked.

Draco removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, selected a thin stick and lit it before answering. "No. And no, I do not care if she has a sister. I don't want to go."

"She's hot. You'll like her."

"No, I will not like her. You always say that. I never like them, Blaise. You date stupid bints!"

"What do you mean you never like them? If you don't like any of the women that I introduce to you, why do you bring them home?"

"There is a difference between bringing them home and actually liking them. Most of the girls that you date have a vocabulary of less than fifty words! Did you know that?"

"Are you telling me that you don't want a good shag tonight?"

"In so many words, yes."

"Suit yourself, she's hot," Blaise muttered as he walked out of the kitchen.

Draco shook his head. It was true that the women that Blaise introduced him to were extremely good looking, but the fact that they were completely ignorant tended to deter him from going out with Blaise much anymore.

Draco recalled it being said once that he was a man-whore. Whoever said it had apparently never known Blaise Zabini.

Blaise was never with the same woman for more than a day. Draco was surprised to learn that Blaise was absolutely fantastic with names. He could put a face to a name like no one Draco had ever seen before. Draco himself had never been particularly good at remembering names, but he could do faces. When he wanted to that is.

Draco stepped out on to the balcony that branched off the spacious dining room. He had promised Blaise that he would not smoke in the house and though he didn't always stick to it, he did try.

It was a hot night for late May. The sun was setting and it was Draco's custom to watch it go down every chance he got.

The clouds were smeared around the sky, bits of pink and purple fighting for a place amongst the fading blue. The sight gave the illusion that the edges of the earth were outlined in a blissful glowing yellow. It all seemed surreal. The coming night was a sight that Draco had come accustomed to over the years. Each sunset looked the same, but each also held its own beauty.

He sat down in a cheap plastic chair in the corner of the balcony, occasionally taking a drag from his cigarette and flicking his ashes onto the ground. This had become his routine. Come home from work, make coffee, have a smoke, watch the sun set, order out, and get drunk of his arse. On occasion the pattern would be broken by a long day at the office or a night out.

When Draco was younger his mother would always take him out to the garden and they would watch the sun set every night. It was something Lucius could never keep her from doing. No matter how much he forbade it, no matter how much trouble Draco was in, and no matter how long he was to be locked in his room, Narcissa would take him outside every night just to see the colors.

"Telephone," Blaise interrupted his thoughts, his wet head sticking out the sliding glass door. "I think it's your date."

Draco put out his cigarette and walked inside, where the phone rested in the large leather chair Blaise had left it in.

"Hello?"

"Malfoy! This is Rease. The wife wanted me to tell you that she is reconsidering the archways that were supposed to go in today. Have they been put in?"

"Yes! Each and every last, bloody one! Thirteen archways went up today!"

"Well, they need to be taken down. She wants the square ones now, not the rounded ones."

"Do you know how bloody long it is going to take to get them down and reinstalled?"

"No. How long?"

Oh, for the love of the gods, this man was daft. Draco wanted to kill him that very second.

"Too long. That is going to push the project back at least two day. It is also going to raise the cost a hell of a lot."

"Well, you better get to it then. Have a nice night."

Draco pushed the off button with as much fierceness as with a button could be pushed with. Phil Rease was a fumbling idiot!

Even if he was one of Draco biggest customers he was still a nuisance in Draco's book.

Rease never informed anyone of anything until the last possible minute. Draco would be surprised if he was even capable of writing his own name. He was a pitiful excuse for a person.

"So was that your date?" Blaise asked from the hallway, still wet from his shower. He held a light blue button up shirt in his hands and wore a comfortable looking pair of black trousers.

"You did notice that it was a man's voice on the other line didn't you?"

"Yes. Was that your date?"

"Actually, I believe that he wanted to talk with you. Something about last night being good for him..."

"Fuck you Malfoy!"

"You would, Zabini."

"You know you can't resist me!"

"How did you ever know?"

Blaise rushed at Draco and tried to plant fake kisses on him. Draco shoved him backward in a playful manner, possibly being a little too harsh.

"Get off me, you fag!"

"You liked it."

"No half as much as you did," Draco drawled out, giving his friend a rare smile.

"Really though," Blaise started, "what ever happened with you and Sandy? I thought you actually saw something in her cold, shriveled heart."

Sandy was Draco's demented ex-girlfriend. She was a cold-blooded bitch who wanted Draco for no other reason than his money. She had a thick head and a temper that rivaled the Dark Lord.

"It was just about the sex. I would gladly kill myself before looking at her again. Bloody bitch if you ask me."

"I realized that the first night. You must have been too blinded by the sex to see it," Blaise joked with him. Draco gave him a sarcastic smile with a mocking noise following.

"She did look good though," Blaise felt the need to remind him.

"She looked nice nothing special though."

"Whatever you say. I am out of here; I'll see you in the morning." Blaise said and closed the door.

"Have fun," Draco told the door. Blaise always had fun and nine times out of ten he brought fun home with him.

Draco decided to make it a short night. After all, there just was not that much to do in a deserted house. Plus, he had a long day tomorrow.

He looked through the kitchen in hopes of finding something halfway decent to eat and had no luck. He didn't quite feel like ordering out because it always took so long and he just wanted to eat. Finally settling on half of a sandwich and a few pickles, he found in the back of the fridge, he took a seat on the couch and unwillingly switched on the television.

The television had never really interested him. He had always thought of it as an electronic book that left nothing up to the imagination. There was never anything on no matter how many channels he bought. Something about twins being separated at birth caught his attention for a second before he found another station showing cartoons. He stuck with the cartoons, even though he found it oddly childish of him. Soon enough he found the cartoons themselves to be boring and accidentally drifted off to sleep.

The door opened slowly followed by a woman's laugher. Draco opened his eyes just enough to peer through his eyelashes.

"Lights on," Blaise commented as he walked in.

"Who's that?" a woman's voice giggled from the doorway.

"Not important."

"He's cute," the woman giggled drunkenly.

"Only when he is sleeping."

Draco waited for the noise of their voices died down and then got up and made his way to his room. He flipped on the light and squinted against the brightness.

The room was an assortment of green and black, mixed with masculine colors and straight lines. Bookshelves lined the far wall and a large mahogany desk sat opposite the emperor-sized bed. The bed was neatly made with back and green sheets. The Slytherin in Draco certainly came out in his room.

He headed toward his bathroom. On the way to the door he noticed that the clock read 2:17. He groaned dreading what was to come in the morning.

He flipped on the light switch in the bathroom, the light now cascading off the shiny surfaces. The room was quite spacious as far as bathrooms go. A large sunken tub lay at the back of the room, beside it a sat a glass enclosed shower. Dark wood and marble counter tops lined the room and one long mirror rested above the sink.

As tempting as it sounded to take a bath, Draco decided on a shower. It had been a long time since he had the chance to rest in a calming bath, but at the moment he just wanted to be clean.

Steam rose out of the shower as Draco let the hot water run before getting in. He left all his clothes pile in the floor and glanced in the mirror at his worn looking face. If it were not for the bags under his eyes no one would ever know Draco was an over worked insomniac.

His body was finely toned and, surprisingly, ever so slightly tanned, thanks to Blaise making him run with him on the days he had off. His abs could be seen from a distance as well as his lightly muscled arms. Draco was by no means buff, but he was not the scrawny child he had been before the hideous mark had been burned into his left forearm eight years ago.

He shuddered remembering the night Lucius had told him that Voldemort wanted Draco in his ranks.

Narcissa had objected before Lucius had even finished speaking and Lucius had promptly seen to it that she was silenced. Draco hated to see his mother in pain so he stayed quiet, hoping she would not come to his defense again, only to be slapped or cursed.

Narcissa was a powerful woman. Few knew that she was a seer, and even fewer knew her temper. She would stand up for her son and fight for his wellbeing but she was never to question a word Lucius had said. That was where she often found herself in trouble.

If Lucius so much as created a breeze strong enough to ruffle Draco's hair Narcissa was on him in a heartbeat. Under no circumstances was Lucius to lay a hand on her son. She could strike fear into Voldemort himself, but Lucius always struck her first. There were only a hand full of times Draco remembered his mother ever fighting back and they had been bloody, ghastly times.

Draco brought himself back to the present and stepped into the shower letting the hot water wash away the madness of the day.

As he dried himself off he could hear the telephone ringing in the living room, and quickly grabbed his thick black robe that hung on the back of the door and made his way down the hall.

"Hello?" he heard Blaise answer, followed by footsteps heading toward him.

"Here," Blaise said, thrusting the phone into Draco's hand, a disgusted look on his face.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell have you been?" asked an irate woman's voice.

"Sandy?"

"Who else would be calling you?"

"It is three in the bloody morning! Why the hell are you calling me?"

"You have not talked to me in over a week, Draco Malfoy!"

"Gods!" Draco said under his breath. This woman was off in the head. "What is wrong with you? I have not talked to you because we are over!"

"Why are you telling me this over the phone? Some man you are!"

"What are you on about woman? I broke up with you a week ago! Don't you recall hitting me? Attempting to beat the life out of me with your handbag full of bricks?"

"I didn't think you meant it. I thought you were just speaking in anger," she started crying into the phone most likely thinking her tears would get her what she wanted.

"Sandy, how do I put this nicely? Oh, yes! You are a mental case!" he told her bluntly. "You are a control freak and frankly you are a bitch."

"Dray, how can you say that? I thought you understood I was doing my best to keep you in line! You bought me a ring!" she said the last part with a growl.

"You asked for it, you whined, and pleaded, and bitched, and slapped, and kicked, and screamed, and so I bought it for you. It is not like I proposed to you. Sandy, I don't like you. I don't want to be with you and I do not want you calling me at three in the morning!" Draco now spoke as if she were a small child, incapable of comprehending much at one time. He found the tone to be appropriate.

"Draco, I thought you understood my desire to keep you in line? You need to learn how to be a gentleman. I am sorry if you don't understand. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please?" she cooed.

Draco shook his head. She was thick. "No, goodbye," He pushed the off button before walking over to the phone jack and unplugging it from the wall.

When he turned around Blaise was standing in the hall leaning against the wall. "What happened there?" He asked, actually sounding interested.

"That woman is off her rocker!" Draco declared.

"Sometimes that happens. What did she say?"

"Nothing actually important. 'I'm sorry' and 'give me another chance' and 'I'm going to kill you in your sleep.' The same old shit you always hear."

"That's what happens when dealing with muggle women; they can't hex you so they nag."

"All woman nag, magical or not"

"Seems to be that way."

"Who did you bring home tonight?" Draco asked, doing his best to change the subject.

"Elizabeth. You would like her sister."

"If she is anything like her I don't think I would. She is loud and giggly. Sorry, but she just strikes me as dim. I was awake, by the way."

Blaise smiled. "Just because you think she is 'dim' does not mean she is not a nice person."

"I never said that she wasn't. I'm just saying that she is not the brightest crayon in the box. Nothing rude, just letting you know."

"Anyway, I was just checking on what was going on."

"Elizabeth told you to, didn't she?"

"Yes," Blaise gave a dazzling smile before dashing back to his room.

Draco did the same with the thought of changing his number or simply getting a mobile and not having a land line at all. He would talk about it with Blaise in the morning.