A/N: I've had this sitting around for a long time, and I finally decided I was happy with it. I don't know why, but I sort of adore this pairing. I hope you like it too. Reviews are always welcome :)

Porcelain

The war had changed so many people, and none so much as Theodore Nott. He had split his ties to his family and his friends, moved to Germany and started a new life amongst new people. There, no one know who he was. There, the prejudice against all those born into Slytherin Pureblood families did not exist. It was a peaceful life. Albeit a poorer one.

He had been stripped of his inheritance once he had called his parents out for being cruel, malicious and power-hungry. But Theodore was smart, if nothing else. Unlike the rest of Draco Malfoy's cronies, Theo's grades at Hogwarts had been exceptional, and he was soon offered a place in the German Ministry, working under the Vice-Minister. His salary was modest, and his apartment humble, but it was a better life than anything he had experienced in England. He was far away from anyone he had associated with at school, and he was glad to be rid of them.

Which was why it caught him by surprise when he ran into her. It was a rainy Friday night, and he decided to get a drink on the way home from work. As he sat at the bar, sipping a pint of German beer, he saw a familiar face standing in the doorway. A sopping, black trench coat reached her knees, buckled at the waist which accentuated her petite figure, and she wore stylish, knee-high boots which gave her an extra two inches. She pulled back her hood to reveal a pair of bright blue eyes framed by sleek black bangs, and a small, upturned nose. Theo almost spat his drink out when he recognised her.

"Pansy?" he spluttered in surprise.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

She looked over at him and her eyebrows knitted together as she processed who he was. She approached him, the heels of her boots clicking loudly against the wooden floors, and took a seat beside him. She was so small that her feet didn't even touch the ground. They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Theo felt uncomfortable underneath her sharp gaze. She looked beautiful, more beautiful than he remembered. Though still tiny, her face looked less squashed. Her cheeks hollowed slightly, emphasising her high, elegant cheekbones. Water clung to her thick eyelashes and her lips were painted a dark red.

"Theodore Nott," she said, more a statement than a greeting. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He smirked at her profanities – she'd always had a filthy mouth, but Theo had secretly liked it, especially when her voice went all husky and sensual. "I could ask you the same question, Pansy Parkinson."

"You first," she insisted.

"I live here," he replied, trying to keep his eyes on hers, instead of how the way she had crossed her legs revealed her smooth, pale thigh. "I moved after the war and am working for the Ministry. You?"

She pursed her lips, and tapped her long, black fingernails against the bar. "Business trip," she told him, brusquely. "I'm a foreign correspondent for the Daily Prophet."

Theo gave her a small smile. "Congratulations." Journalism suited Pansy Parkinson. She had always been the centre of gossip while at Hogwarts; her uncanny ability to weed information out of people had made her dangerous. It was another reason Draco Malfoy had kept her so close.

"Thank you. Are you going to buy me a drink or not?" Her lips quirked into a smirk and Theo couldn't help but smile, despite himself. That was exactly like Pansy.

"Sure, what do you have?"

"Vodka, on the rocks."

One drink soon lead to several as the night wore on. Theo was surprised at how comfortable he felt in her presence. She was self-centred, vain and rude, but that had always excited him. He was certain that under all that vanity and pride, she was actually very vulnerable. Perhaps it was the ferocity of the German beer, but Theodore Nott was determined to unravel her.

"So, I suppose you and Malfoy are still together?" he said casually.

Pansy's eyes grew cold and she pursed her lips into a thin line. Theo sensed he had struck a nerve. "I haven't seen Draco since school."

"Oh." He fingered the rim of his glass awkwardly. "I just assumed that – "

"He's engaged to Astoria Greengrass."

"Daphne's little sister?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded curtly, keeping face. Only the sadness in her blue eyes gave her emotions away. Theodore decided to change the subject quickly.

"So, what business does the Daily Prophet foreign correspondent have in Germany?"

Pansy flipped her hair casually, and Theodore was transfixed by that simple movement. It looked so sleek and contrasted perfectly with her porcelain skin. He had a strange desire to know what it would feel like slipping through his fingers. Would her skin be warm or cold when he brushed it from her neck? It's been too long, he thought to himself as he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. At Hogwarts, Pansy had always been Draco's – though most of the girls had been Draco's. Yet, Theodore had harboured secret affections for her nonetheless. He had seen how Malfoy treated her, and knew that she deserved someone better, someone who appreciated her and would give her anything she wanted. And now, after all these years, those feeling began to resurface and Theodore was unsure of how to respond to them.

"I'm covering the next election of the German Minister. It's not a big story, but someone's got to do it. Besides, I've never been here before. I love travelling."

The toe of her boot brushed his calf and Theo almost leapt off his chair. He swallowed to compose himself, running a hand through his sandy hair.

"Where have you travelled to?"

Her eyes lit up, the way they used to at school when she was talking about her passion for travel. Theo had often watched her as she would gossip with Daphne and Tracey, admired the raw enthusiasm that poured out of her. It made him smile.

"Oh, everywhere!" she began listing the places off on her perfectly manicured fingers. "Paris, Milan, Rome, Venice, Austria, Prague, Amsterdam, Bosnia – oh – there's too many places to count."

"It sounds like you're living a fairly good life."

She shrugged. "I can't complain. It's a hectic life – constantly travelling, I'm never in the same place for more than a month. Makes it difficult to settle down."

"I can imagine. Do you still keep in touch with the others?"

She rolled her eyes. "I try not to," she smiled dryly. "Last I heard Daphne and Blaise were together, and Tracey got herself knocked up by Marcus Flint."

"Fuck," Theo cursed in surprise. "Flint?"

Pansy shrugged and downed her drink in one gulp. Her lipstick left a stain on the glass. "I know. I'm surprised Flint knew where to stick his cock. Not exactly the brightest, that one. But then again, neither is Tracey, so I suppose it's a match made in heaven."

Theo had tuned out when Pansy said the word 'cock'. Suddenly, he was no longer thinking with his brain and he shuffled in his seat, hoping that she wouldn't notice the tightness of his jeans. He cursed himself. It was as though he was fifteen again, having fantasies of Pansy sucking him off, or her naked on his bed as he had his way with her. But he wasn't fifteen. He was twenty-five, and had his share of sexual partners. She should not make me feel like this.

"What about you? Is there a special lady waiting for you at home?" He shook his head. She laughed, showing her perfect teeth. "Good. I'm glad to know I'm not the only depressingly single person left."

The night went quickly and soon, it was half past ten, and they had drunk too much. It had finally stopped raining outside when Theo offered to walk Pansy back to her hotel.

"Why don't I walk you back to your apartment instead," she told him.

They walked in silence side by side. Theo argued with himself about whether he should put his arm around her, or take her hand. But this was Pansy Parkinson, a girl who had always known what she wanted and gone after it. He had no chance.

"Nice place," she whistled in appreciation as he welcomed her inside. It was small, but modern, just enough for Theo. He turned to thank her for the compliment when he froze. She had taken off her coat, leaving her in a tight, black mini-dress, with thin straps. It hugged her petite figure, accentuating her small breasts, her tiny waist, her slender hips. He groaned and choked back a gasp of surprise. She didn't seem to notice his reaction, for her eyes were trained on an abstract painting hung on the wall.

"Is that Kandinsky?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah, I love his work."

He faced him, her eyes rapt. "Same here. He's brilliant."

Theo forced himself to look away before he said something ridiculous, like 'you're beautiful'. Instead, he walked into the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee?" he called.

She suddenly appeared by his side, a bottle of unopened Firewhiskey clutched in her hands. Her lips were quirked into a smirk and her eyes flashed mischievously. "I found something stronger," she replied huskily, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Fuck, I'm going to need to take a very cold shower.

Before he could protest, she unscrewed the top and began to pour the golden liquid into two clean glasses. She raised her and winked, "Cheers," before downing it. He watched her hips sway as she walked back into the living room, glass poised deftly in one hand as she carefully slid her boots off with the other. He had a strange desire to slide them off himself, to feel her smooth calf under his fingertips.

"Do you mind if I take a seat?" she asked, running her fingers along the top of his white leather couch.

"Go ahead."

She poised herself elegantly in the corner, crossing her legs to reveal even more of her pale skin, much to Theo's delight. He joined her, keeping himself positioned away from her so she would not notice the erection straining against his pants. Half a bottle of Firewhiskey later found her sitting mere inches away from him, her hand on his thigh, her bare feet rubbing up and down his calf.

"Theo," she whispered seductively in his ear, taking the lobe between her teeth. "Do you want to fuck me?"

His eyes widened and he stared at her, unsure if he had heard right. Her blue eyes shimmered with lust beneath half-hooded lids. He saw her breasts rising and falling with her heavy breaths and was acutely aware of her hand slowly making its way towards his cock.

He swallowed. "What?"

She squeezed him through his pants, making him close his eyes. She sucked gently on his earlobe making him quiver. Merlin knew he wouldn't last long.

"Do you want to fuck me?"

The sensual, husky whisper of her voice was his undoing, and he pulled at her waist. Within seconds she was on top of him, kissing him frantically as she fumbled with the zipper of his trousers. He began to bunch her dress up around her waist as she pulled him free of his confines, stroking him expertly. She's too familiar with this, he heard a part of himself remind him. She used to shag Draco in the dormitory when she thought I was asleep. He had never been asleep though. He remembered hearing her bare feet padding softly across the floor, the sound of her climbing into Malfoy's bed, her muffled moans, the slapping of skin against skin. More times than he cared to admit he had jerked off to those sounds, imagining it was him doing all those things to her, making her moan and sigh his name. It made him feel disgusting and dirty, but he couldn't help himself.

The feeling of her warm, wet heat suddenly enveloping him brought his head out of the past. She was bouncing on top of him, her head thrown back revealing her pale, slender neck. Theo wrapped his arms around her body, pressing her breasts against his chest and ravished her neck with his lips and teeth. He wanted to mark her; after all these years she was finally his, and he wanted her to remember this night. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his skin through his shirt, but he didn't complain. The sounds escaping her mouth were the most erotic things Theo had ever heard.

"Oh, Theo," she cried as she continued to ride him. He tugged her tight dress up her body and pulled it roughly over her head, revealing her black, lace bra. With surprising aggression, he snapped it in two and took one of her hardened, pink nipples between his lips. She gasped as he suckled on it, and pressed herself further into his mouth. His tongue flicked out and lapped at the hardened peak as his other hand travelled down to where he was inside her. He found her throbbing clit and rubbed it, making her whimper against her. Smirking against her skin, he tugged at her nipple with his teeth.

"Oh, oh, yes. Theo." She came undone around him, arching her back with a sudden cry of pleasure. He was still hard and nowhere near finished. Buried deep inside her, he stood up and carried her into his bedroom. She hooked her legs around his waist and bit his shoulder roughly, making him growl. Throwing her onto the bed, he hurriedly stripped out of his slacks and button down shirt, and crawled on top of her. He nipped his way up her legs, her torso, her chest, her neck, until his mouth found hers again. Nudging apart her legs with his knee, he thrust into her, making her keen in pleasure.

"Yes," she groaned as she dug her heels into his buttocks. "Harder, harder, oh yes." She squeezed her eyes shut as he continued to thrust into her, his aggression causing the bed to slam against the wall.

"Look at me," he growled. Her blue eyes blinked open. He admired how beautiful she was; her eyes clouded with lust, her porcelain skin flushed, her red lips parted. "Don't look away. I want to see you."

He bent to kiss her, biting her bottom lip. Her moans had increased and she dug her nails so hard into his back that it drew blood. He seized her wrists and pinned both of her arms above her head. "You're a fucking minx," he told her, making her laugh huskily. Stretching up her neck, she kissed him roughly, pulling on his bottom lip so hard that it bled. Growling low in his chest, Theo took one of her thighs from underneath and slung it over his shoulder, causing him to reach deeper inside her. He took her relentlessly, holding back none of his pent up lust that had harboured inside him for so many years. He relished in her cries and moans, the feel of her body writhing against his own. With a wail, Pansy found her release, and her fluttering walls soon brought about his release as well. Collapsing on top of her, his head buried between her breasts, he shuddered with the force of his climax. Her chest rose and fell beneath him.

Once he had composed himself, he rolled off of her and put his hands behind his head, trying to control his breaths. Theo was no amateur when it came to sex. He had slept with many women whilst in Munich, and yet, none had ever made him feel even half of what he was feeling at this very moment; utterly and completely spent. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let himself bask in the euphoria.

"Fuck," Pansy whispered beside him. "I never knew you had that in you."

He turned his head to look at her; pale skin shimmering with sweat, pink nipples hardened and pointed, blue eyes trained on the ceiling. Her silky, raven locks were a mess about her head, and her porcelain skin was flushed a pale pink, but she had never looked more beautiful to him. With a grin, he shuffled towards her, wrapping his arm around her torso and burrowing his nose into the side of her neck. As he began to smother her skin with soft, delicate kisses, he felt her seize up.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she demanded, shoving him away from her. He gazed at her in confusion.

"I'm just kissing you," he told her.

She sat up and turned her back on him. "Well don't." Her hair reached just above her shoulders, not as smooth or as shiny as it had been moments ago. Theo admired the line of her spine; the obscure pattern of small, dark moles that stained her porcelain skin. One sat perfectly centred between her shoulder blades and he wanted to kiss her there.

"Why?" He sat up and shuffled closer to her. She jolted at the feel of his breath ghosting over her shoulder. His hand reached out to take hers, but she whipped around to face him, her hair hitting his nose in the process. Blue eyes flashed with something he couldn't quite place; rage, fear, disgust, lust.

"I don't do that shit, alright." She rose aggressively from the bed, and began searching erratically for her dress. "I don't do romance. It's just sex."

Theo frowned. "What's wrong with you?" He knew he was being rude, but he'd never met a girl who didn't want to cuddle after sex. In fact, Theo had thought that was what girls liked the most – his experience had told him that much. Pansy was different to many of the girls he had slept with, that was certain, but her aggression and adamic forcefulness caught him off guard.

She threw him a glare cold as ice; eyes flashing like lightening. "Fuck you, Theodore Nott." She stormed out the bedroom, having remembered that she had discarded her dress in the living room.

Cursing under his breath, Theo got up, pulled on his trousers and proceeded to follow her. "Wait, Pansy!" She didn't seem to hear him, and pulled her dress up her smooth, slender body. Growling, Theo stumbled towards her and grabbed her wrist roughly, forcing her to look at him. "For fuck's sake, stop."

"Leave me alone, Theo."

Keeping a firm grip on her wrist, he stepped closer to her. The difference in height made him tower over her, but Pansy looked far from intimidated.

"No. I shouldn't have said that, and I'm sorry, but don't leave."

Pansy's eyes flickered down to where his fingers were clasped around her bony wrist, before meeting his gaze under hooded lashes. "Why?" It was more a question for herself than for him, but Theo answered anyway.

"Because I want you to stay."

"I don't do that," she repeated firmly. "I told you, it's just sex. That's all."

"I don't believe you," he persisted. "What's the harm in staying?"

She looked away, but not before Theo noticed the sadness in her expression. "It's just easier," she whispered.

Finally, Theo had begun to chip away at the walls of pride that Pansy hid behind. She was vulnerable, and guarded and timid, and that excited Theo. He thrilled at the idea of unravelling her, peeling away each individual layer until she was completely bare before him. Taking her chin between his fingers, he lifted her head to meet his, keeping his gaze locked on hers. The air between them was thick with desire, and lust, and unfamiliarity. He could sense Pansy's uncertainty, could see the fear swimming in the depths of her blue eyes. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Who hurt you, Pansy? It was Malfoy, wasn't it?" Her silence spoke volumes. "What did he do?"

"I – he… nothing, I'm just – " she stumbled across her words, her eyes darting everywhere and refusing to look at him. In all the time he had known her, Theo had never seen Pansy stutter before. She was always so sure and outspoken; regardless of how controversial her opinions were. It was something that shy, introverted Theo had admired about her the most.

"Don't lie to me," he growled, his grip on her arm turning aggressive. "Tell me who hurt you, Pansy."

A single tear escaped her will and slid down her porcelain cheek. "He just disappeared," she murmured, so softly that Theo had to bend closer to hear her words. "He didn't even tell me where he was going. He just up and left, without saying a word."

"Malfoy?"

She nodded. "I should have known. I was never his girlfriend or anything, but we shagged, and he confided things in me. I thought I meant something to him."

Theo ran a hand through his sandy hair. "Was this after the war?"

"Yeah. Next thing I know, he's shagging Daphne's fucking little sister. And I don't even find out from him! Daphne tells me!" She looks at him briefly, face contorted in rage, her eyes shining with tears. Theo doesn't know what to do. He unleashed her and part of him is scared that he did.

"I wrote him, you know," she cried, flailing her hands about. "Did I ever receive a fucking response? Nope. And then he doesn't even have the fucking courtesy to tell me he's dating Astoria!"

Her rant stopped and she clenched her fists. Her breathing was hard and laboured. Unsure of what to do, Theo merely stood there. Should he comfort her? Should he tell her to leave?

Pansy made the decision for him. "I need a drink," she said abruptly. Before Theo even had time to move, she had disappeared into the kitchen and returned with the bottle of Firewhiskey, completely ignoring her glass and taking a swig straight from the bottle. Theo just watched her, slightly alarmed, until she handed him the bottle.

"Go on," she taunted. "It's not like you don't need one after witnessing that tantrum."

He pried it from her fingers and helped himself. When he finished, he sighed and pressed his fingers to his temple. "Pansy…" he began, uncertain how to proceed after watching her emotions explode. "Sleeping around because you're scared of commitment isn't going to help you."

"Sleeping around?" she snapped. "You calling me a slag, Nott?"

"No," he insisted. "I've have my fair share of sexual partners, too. But that's because I want to. Because it feels right in the moment. What you're doing," he broke off and sighed, "it's not healthy, Pansy."

She snatched the bottle from his hands and took another swig. "And why the fuck do you care? What's it to you, Theodore Nott, huh?" She swayed on the spot, the bottle dangling loosely from her fingertips and Theo was certain she would drop it if he didn't steady her. As she sauntered towards him, she tripped over her feet and fell straight into his arms. He caught her awkwardly, placing his hands on her hips, keeping her upright. "You in love with me or something?"

The way she said it, full of mockery, challenging him to admit it, but the words came out slurred, ruining the impact. "No," he told her honestly. "I just think you deserve better, Pansy." He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her sharp cheekbone, admiring her pale skin, flushed with anger and emotion. "I could you give you that, if you wanted it. I could show you what it's like to be treasured."

She blinked up at him with her blue eyes, eyelashes glistening with tears, her expression turning soft and all former anxiety seemed to leave her. A single, solitary tear trickled down her cheek and she smiled brightly at him, looking lovelier than ever, and Theo couldn't help but capture her swollen lips with his own, sweeping his tongue into her mouth, tasting Firewhiskey and lipstick and her, and it was an intoxicating sensation.

Her small hands slid up to wrap around his neck and she pressed herself against him, fitting snugly against his taller frame. When they broke away, she ran her hands down along his arms and over his biceps. "I think…" she paused, meeting his gaze and he refused to look away from the beautiful, broken woman in his arms. "I think I'd like that, Theo," she said with a soft smile. "Yes, I think I'd like that."

The words made his heart surge and he hugged her close to his chest, pressing kisses to the top of her head. Pansy Parkinson was a troubled, porcelain doll, but he, Theodore Xavier Nott was going to put her back together again.