Draco awoke that morning to discover the previous nights events via the front page of the Daily Prophet and thus spent the entire day isolated in his Aviary, tending to the birds and working on the new desert section for his newest addition. All the while, he kept his mind honed on happier thoughts as it were quite easy for Draco to slip into a negative mindset in which caused the young man to drink, usually in excess.
The long, lonely day had Draco in a contemplative mood come nightfall and he tucked his journal in it’s secret compartment within his library and filled his flask with firewhiskey before he slipped it into his robes and without a word to his parents, glided out of the Manor unseen. He had no real destination in mind, though he knew it would be best to stay low on the radar if possible which meant Diagon Alley were out of the question. In a low, apathetic voice, Draco mumbled to himself that he’d go to the Hogs Head, as usually, there weren’t as many patrons as other pubs. With a long drink from his flask, Draco apparated to the Hogs Head and stepped inside.
He found a table in the back and was pleased to discover that aside from the bartender and an old witch who was a pub regular, he was alone. After about an hour and a half of drinking alone, Draco stood and wobbled slightly before he put a handful of gold on the bar counter, uncounted but clearly well enough to cover his evenings drinks, Draco stepped outside the bar and glanced upwards at the moon as if trying to discover the time. According to the moontime, Draco assumed it was early enough and after a deep breath inwards, he headed out for a walk.
Under more sober circumstances, Draco would not have taken the risk of a night walk; especially after the events of the previous night. However, the amount of alcohol in his system was enough to skew his judgment of such things without necessarily skewing his gait, and as such, Draco headed out into the cold night air, his mood wavering between heavy, thoughtful contemplation and the bright, warming thoughts of Pansy. So deep was Draco in his own mind that he didn’t notice in the shadows behind him that he was being followed.