,,I take it she's still upset with me?" Blaise asked sheepishly, watching Hermione as she left the common room.

He'd come to visit Draco again, this time careful to Apparate in the common room.

,,Mhm" Draco said paying attention only in half.

He was trying to finish a potion and it required most of his concentration not to mess up the measuring of the ingredients."

,,Being the Queen of the Golden Trio one would think she'd be above holding a grudge" Blaise grumbled.

,,She was the only girl in the Golden Trio, Blaise, of course she'd be a Queen. Who else would it be if not her? Potter?" Draco said, frowning in concentration, his tongue sticking slightly out of his mouth.

,,I'd say Weasley was the more prominent candidate for that" Blaise said appearing to think seriously.

Taken by surprise, Draco chuckled and gave Blaise an amused look.

,,You have a point there, Blaise."

,,I know I do", Blaise said smugly.

,,Always the modest" Draco sighed, shaking his head.

,,You're one to talk. For YOU modesty isn't even in the dictionary" Blaise scoffed.

Draco grinned and clapped his hands together.

,,Done!" he said.

He looked proudly at the cauldron. The potion inside was shimmering, sending silvery vapors into the air. It looked as though the moon had been melted inside it.

,,The Draught of Peace" he said with a satisfied smile.

,,Fantastic" Blaise proclaimed, clapping his palms together, in fake excitement. ,,Now do you think we can get out of here and have some fun?"

,,Yes yes" Draco said impatiently. ,,Just give me a moment and we can Apparate away at the bar"

,,Apparate?! No no, I want to walk there. It's been ages since I had walked anywhere" Blaise said mournfully.

,,What is it with you people and walking?" Draco mumbled, while he put the potion into two flasks and cleaned the kitchen and cauldron with a wave of his wand.

,,What was that?" Blaise inquired, not really paying attention to his friend. He was looking out the window.

,,Nothing. Just that you're a prat" Draco snapped scowling at his friend.

,,Right back atcha" Blaise retorted calmly, not looking at Draco.

A few minutes later they were out the door and onto the street that lead to the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly, Draco turned to look back. He had the distinct feeling they were being followed. He stopped dead in the middle of the street, glanced around, carefully registering every detail, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A few people passed them by, but no one stopped to give them a second look.

,,Everything alright?" Blaise said, looking at Draco in mild surprise. He had walked a few feet away before realizing his friend had stopped.

,,Mh, yes, everything alright" Draco replied, frowning slightly, still shooting glances around.

When they reached the Leaky Cauldron, Draco and Blaise both seated themselves at a table far in the back. Being the second time there in two days, Draco had gotten used to the stares and people pointing at him. At least, it wasn't worse than it had been before, he just was able to ignore it better. Being with Blaise also helped.

,,How I missed a good drink" Blaise was saying as the drinks were delivered to their table.

,,What are you talking about, Blaise. I'm sure you drink at home plenty of times" Draco smirked at his friend.

,,It's not the same as drinking with a mate" Blaise grinned. "And what do you mean I drink plenty of times? You make me sound like I'm an alcoholic" Blaise suddenly frowned.

,,That's what Theo told me when you two used to live together. Before you both left."

,,Has he written to you?" Blaise asked, sipping his firewiskey.

,,No, not in ages. I miss him." Draco replied sadly.

,,Me too" Blaise agreed with a sigh. ,,But I am sure France agrees with him" he added in a more cheerful tone, "Just think about all those hot French witches" Blaise wiggled his eyebrows.

Draco chuckled.

,,Now enough about Theo or hot witches. What's been going on with you?" Blaise said, giving Draco an inquiring look.

,,Nothing much" Draco said, shifting slightly into his seat.

,,What about Granger? Anything happened with her?" Blaise asked, even more eagerly.

Draco thought for a moment, considering telling Blaise about the events that had happened two days ago.

,,Well? Something did happen, didn't it?" Blaise insisted as Draco was still silent, avoiding his stare.

,,Yeah... you might say something happened" he started slowly, still avoiding to look up at Blaise. Instead he was playing with his glass, a small frown forming between his eyebrows.

With a sharp intake of air, Draco started telling Blaise all about the day Hermione came home earlier than usual, how he followed her out, their coming to the Leaky Cauldron and eventually finishing with the conversation they had on their way home. He avoided mentioning her nightmare. It felt private and he didn't think it was right to tell someone else about Hermione's private business.

Blaise listened carefully, his eyes widening at certain parts and blowing a loud whistle at the end.

,,That's something alright" Blaise said in true amazement. ,,No wonder she gave you that weird look before she left. And I thought it was directed at me." Blaise shook his head.

,,Don't worry, I am sure she hasn't forgotten your 'mistake' either" Draco said sneering at his friend. ,, But, you're right" he continued, quietly playing with his glass, ,,that look was quite deserved.

,,Did you do something you shouldn't have?" Blaise asked with renewed excitement.

,,I..." Draco hesitated. His thoughts returned to her nightmare and how he tried waking her up.

Had he indeed done something wrong? Sure, he pulverized her protective spells, banged her door open, stunned her cat and, not to mention, the fact that he grabbed her shoulders and shook the bejesus out of her. The image flashed in his head and remembering the way her flesh felt against his fingers sent a tremor to his muscles. His fingers twitched around the glass he was holding.

,,I... I might have used excessive force" Draco finally said in a faint voice.

Blaise expression became quite comical. His eyes widened to the maximum, his mouth opened halfway into a silent 'Oh' and before Draco could say anything else, he started to rant frantically.

,,You didn't! To the Golden Trio Queen?! How could you even think about doing something like that?! Have you gone mad? Potter will have your head if he finds out. Turn you into a... ferret or something."

,,What...in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Draco asked looking dumbstruck.

He stared at Blaise, as his friend was catching his breath. Then, realization dawned upon him. What he said and what Blaise imagined, he now understood perfectly.

,,Are you an idiot?" Draco snapped at Blaise, scrunching up his face in anger, ,,How can you even imagine something like that, you stupid bloke."

,,But you said... you used... force" Blaise mumbled, evidently confused by Draco's strong reaction.

,,I know what I said you bloody idiot, but that's not what I meant."

,,Then what DID you mean?" Blaise asked, now frowning in return at his friend.

Draco took a deep breath and started telling Blaise about his own and Hermione's nightmare. His friend gave him a concerned look and when Draco finished his story Blaise spoke in a quiet voice.

,,Didn't know you still had them, mate. The nightmares... I thought they had stopped."

,,No, no they haven't" Draco said, rubbing his face with his hands. ,,I just quieted them down with potions or muggle substances to help me sleep. But they're always there, in the background."

,,I'm sorry, mate" Blaise said quietly.

Draco looked at his friend for a moment before replying.

,,It's alright, Blaise" he said, attempting a smile. ,,We all have them, I'm sure"

Blaise nodded, looking down at his own glass. He knew Draco was right. They all had nightmares due to the war, but Draco had it worse. He'd been more involved than either him or Theo had been and, therefore, he'd been the most scarred.

They soon changed the subject and spent almost two hours talking and drinking, forgetting the past for a moment and enjoying the present.