Author's Note: Here I am, returning to my favorite pairing. It has to be understood that this pairing is not HBP Compatible. Keep that in mind and we'll be fine. Just so you know, I'm working on the final chapters of Teach Me To Live and I'll try to get them posted soon. I'm glad that y'all appreciate my work, but just so you know, it's kind of aggravating to have someone review one story only to tell me to update another. Thanks. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters.

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Hermione Granger woke up and rapped her hand on something hard when she went to stretch as usual. Her first thought was 'What on earth?' Looking around confused she realized that she was under the table in the Heads' Common Room. Then she felt the weight around her waist and stomach and she realized who she was with. As Hermione looked down she felt her breath catch in panic as she saw Draco Malfoy sprawled out with her under the table, his arm hitched around her waist and his head resting just underneath her breasts. After a few speculative moves she realized that there was no way to move without waking him up. She decided to remain still until he woke up on his own, that way she would have some time to think.

'What in the world happened last night?' She thought hard and slowly things started to come back to her in bits and pieces.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

After dinner Hermione went to the common room to get a book, originally intending to help Ginny with some homework. When she came through the portrait hole, however, all previous thoughts left her mind. Draco Malfoy was sprawled out on their couch with a bottle in both hands. In the few months that Hermione and Draco had been working together, they had established a friendship, more out of necessity that anything else. But in all the time they had been on a first name basis, Hermione had never seen him like this.

"Draco, what are you doing?" she asked. His head turned slowly and his silvery eyes regarded her speculatively.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting plastered Hermione."

Hermione sat down on the edge of the couch and nodded. "Yes, I realize that, but why?"

"I am get getting drunk… because life has gone to shit. My father is dead, Voldemort is gone, I have no idea what to do with my life, everything I've ever known has gone to shit."

"Draco, there's plenty you can do with your life, you're really smart."

"You're only saying that because I'm being pathetic."

She shook her head. "I'm not, I really believe that."

Draco shook his head violently, sending his hair flying. "Nope, you don't. Anyway, it won't stop me from getting completely pissed. Want to join me?"

Hermione was more than a little shocked that Draco Malfoy was asking her to be his drinking buddy. "Draco, I really shouldn't."

"Hmm, should've known you wouldn't. You're a prude."

"I am not a prude!"

"Are too, you don't drink, you dress like a perfect little priss, you don't date. You're a prude."

Fuming, Hermione reached over and grabbed the bottle out of his left hand, taking a swig and coughing as it went down.

"There," she said, feeling very self-satisfied.

"Welcome to the pity party Hermione Granger," Draco said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Back under the table Hermione struggled to remember what had happened after that. She was contemplating intensely when Draco began to stir. He sat up quickly and rapped his head on the table. Swearing viciously under his breath he turned to look at her.

"What the hell happened last night?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've actually been trying to figure that out myself."

"Well maybe if we get out from under the damn table and put together what each of us knows we can put everything together."

Hermione nodded and slid out from under the table, heading for the couch. She grimaced as she felt her head begin to throb. As she sat down something occurred to her and the panic welled up again.

"Draco, we didn't… you know? Did we?"

Draco looked up as he crawled out from under the table. "No, I don't think so. We're both fully dressed and we were too plastered to have gotten naked and managed to get dressed again. Plus I'd remember, trust me.

She nodded as he walked over to the couch and sat down heavily next to her.

"What exactly do you remember?" he asked. She told him what she remembered about coming into the room and getting started on the booze, but that she couldn't remember what had happened after that. "Well, I remember most of that first part, and a healthy chunk of what happened next.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"You know what your problem is Granger? You're too bloody uptight. When you loosen up every now and then you can actually be kind of fun."

Hermione made a noise somewhere between indignation and a hiccough. "Maybe that's true, but girls that loosen up too much end up like Pansy Parkinson, all whorey and whatnot."

Draco snorted. "True, very true. And whorey isn't a word"

She deliberately ignored him. "You know what your problem is Malfoy?"

"No but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

She nodded. "I am. Your problem is that you can't let go of the past. You talk about how everything you've ever known is gone, and that's true. But for the love of God, stop whining about it and move on with your life. I mean, you called me a mudblood for six years and I've gotten over it. Why can't you just let go?"

"You know, you're pretty damn insightful for a cheap drunk," he said. Hermione giggled. Draco looked at the bottle in his hand and groaned. "Damn. I'm out, how about you?"

"I'm out as well. Do you have any more stashed away somewhere?"

"Nope, we'll just have to go get some more. Come on, we're going to the kitchen."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione looked on the verge of tears. "You mean we went down to the kitchens like that? Oh God, how many people saw us? What will everyone think?"

"Calm down Hermione, maybe no one saw us, you never know."

"Okay, you're right. Maybe no one saw us. Okay. Do you remember anything else?"

"Just the tattoos."

"Tattoos! What tattoos?"

Draco pulled up his shirt to show her the artfully crafted tattoo of the Gryffindor crest on his shoulder blade, then reached over and tapped her hip bone. Hermione rolled her pants down a bit and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the Slytherin Crest on her hip bone.

"Those tattoos."

"How on earth did we get tattoos?"

"A spell, from what I remember a really permanent spell, but I could be wrong. I think we dared each other."

"Oh God, I got drunk, and I got a tattoo. I'm going to faint."

He reached over and shook her hard once. "Snap out of it! You're not going to faint. It's fine. We just need to figure out if anyone saw us."

"Okay, okay we can do that." Just then there was a knock at the portrait hole. Hermione felt her head throb in time to the beat of the knocker and whimpered.

"Come in!" Draco called warily. The portrait swung open and Ginny swept into the room.

"Good morning lovebirds!" she said in a singsong voice.

Draco and Hermione sat straight up… "Lovebirds?"

Ginny laughed at the looks on their faces. "Yeah, lovebirds; Don't you remember what you were doing last night?"

"I'm a blank after the tattoos," Draco told her irritably.

"Tattoos! You got tattoos?" Her laughter increased about tenfold.

"Can we please not talk about it Weasley? Can you just tell us what you're talking about?"

"Well sure…."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione and Draco stumbled down to the portrait of the fruit bowl and tickled the pear. Giggling they managed to obtain some booze from one of the dumber elves and headed back towards the Common Room. About halfway there Ginny found them in the thankfully deserted halls. Neither of them noticed her following them.

"Have you ever even kissed a guy Hermione? I bet you haven't"

"I have too kissed a boy, I've kissed lots of boys, well a few, but still."

"Uh huh, I'll just bet you have, sure."

"Why don't you believe me? I have kissed guys."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Hermione frowned. "Fine, I'll prove it to you."

She grabbed hold of Draco's hand and yanked him too her, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips. When she let him go she had a grin on her face.

"See, I kiss boys."

Draco smiled. "Yes, you do kiss boys, but that was kind of bad."

"Oh and I suppose you think you could do better?"

"Oh I know I could do better."

Hermione stepped right up to him and tried her best to look intimidating. That was difficult considering the fact that he had about five inches on her and she was very rumpled and totally plastered. "Prove it."

"Fine." He swept her into his arms and pressed her up against the wall, kissing her long and hard….

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, that's enough. I've heard enough!" Hermione shouted.

"Hey, what gives?" Draco asked. Hermione whacked him upside the head with a pillow before rubbing her face with her hands.

"Boys. How long were we like that.?

Ginny gave them both a wicked smile before answering. "I wasn't exactly counting, but you both looked thoroughly used when you finally headed back to the Common Room. The only reason you went up is because I starting making enough noise for a herd of elephants and you had enough sense to run for it when you heard. I stayed outside for a while and told the portrait what was up. She said she wouldn't let you out of the room until morning."

"So nobody saw us?"

"Nobody but me."

Hermione flopped back against the couch and sighed. "Thank God."

"Thank God? Nice to know you're so relieved that no one saw you with me," he groused.

"Please, you know that's not what I meant. How would it have looked if anybody saw the Head Boy and Girl wandering around drunk and making out up against walls?"

"I personally think it would have been damn funny."

Her eyes flashed fire at him. "How can you be so casual about this? We've only just established a friendship after six years and we got drunk, got tattoos that we probably can't get rid of, and made out in the middle of the halls we probably should have been patrolling. If it hadn't been for Ginny we probably would have had sex up against a wall! We could've gotten in serious trouble Draco!"

"But we didn't! We did get drunk and make out, but the tattoos aren't somewhere anyone will see them unless you make a habit of pulling your pants down and I start taking off my shirt in public. Weasley made sure nothing happened. I'm sure she asked the portrait if she heard anything, right?"

Ginny nodded. "She said she didn't hear a thing. It's okay Hermione, nothing happened."

"Exactly, nothing happened. Don't worry about it."

"I know nothing happened, but I just don't do things like this."

"I know, but you've got to let it go. You told me last night to let go of the past, and that's what you need to do. Just let go of all of this and don't let it bother you."

"He's right Mione, just don't let it bother you."

She sighed and nodded. "Thanks Gin, for everything. You should head to breakfast."

"Lunch actually, but thanks, I will. We'll talk later." She headed out the portrait and Hermione tugged on Draco's hand.

"Come on, we're going to the library."

In the library after somewhere near an hour of research, Draco shared the bad news.

"The tattoos are permanent. There's nothing we can do."

Hermione sighed. "Well, we already pretty much figured that, it's okay. The good news is that I found a hangover cure. I think we should have everything we need. Let's go."

They went back to the Common Room and started mixing up the potion.

"It's funny, you know," Draco said.

"What's funny?"

"That we have the best time together when we're totally intoxicated."

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, I guess that is kind of funny. Maybe we can work on being better friends when we're sober."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Look, it's done." They both ladled up a glassful of the vile looking purple liquid and downed it in one gulp.

"God that's horrid," Hermione gasped.

"Definitely, but my headache is gone. Hey Hermione, are you willing to take part in an experiment?"

"I suppose so. What did you have in mind?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, I'm just wondering what something felt like last night, since I was too inebriated to really experience it."

"Please don't tell me you want another tattoo."

Draco stepped closer to her and shook his head. "No, and you know, for the smartest witch of our age you can be rather daft sometimes."

"What do you…" She was cut off when he gathered her into his arms and kissed her.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise before floating closed. She melted into his arms and couldn't help but return the amazing kiss. When he pulled away she swayed a bit. "Wow."

"I'd have to agree with you there. I was wrong last night. You're not a bad kisser at all."

"I could say the same for you, but I'm not quite sure."

"Well if you insist on further proof…" He kissed her again, softly this time.

"I'm sure now. You pass."

Draco laughed. "Thanks. What are we doing?"

"I don't know."

"Well, we'd certainly have an excuse if we were drunk again."

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Yes we would, and we do have a lot of that hangover remedy leftover."

"Mhmm. So…"

"So, did we go through everything last night?"

Draco rooted around in the couch and came up with a nearly full bottle. "Drink?"

"Yes, thank you," she said with a smile.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. "Welcome to the party."