This ficlet was written for the LJ group Hogwarts 365. First attempt at it, but I enjoyed it!
This piece is not beta'ed. Nothing belongs to me, I have no money, so don't sue!
"No winter lasts forever, Pans," Daphne Greengrass spoke quietly, as to not disturb the girl sitting outside Fortescue's.
Pansy Parkinson nonetheless jumped when she realized she was being addressed. "What are you talking about? It's June!" She gestured towards the bowl of melted ice cream, as if it explained everything.
"I mean this! It's been three years," Despite her words Daphne was sympathetic to her friend.
Tears formed in the eyes of the brunette. "It's his birthday, Daph. I'm allowed to be sad today. And ice cream was tradition."
Draco Malfoy had been Pansy's betrothed since birth. It was not to be a marriage of love, but one of duty and tradition. Neither of them wanted to continue antiquated rites, but, unable to buck them, decided there were worse possibilities than marrying one's best friend.
While working late one night a month before the wedding, a mislabeled plant caused a fatal reaction. Draco's labmate Oliver Wood was the one who found him dead of suffocation the following morning.
Pansy took Draco's death extremely hard. Daphne, after watching Pansy fall into a deep depression, moved in to help her cope. Over three years, Daphne's love for Pansy grew from friendship to more very easily, and she suspected Pansy felt the same, though she was afraid to start anything until Pansy was finished grieving.
"Damn, I forgot it's the fifth. I'm sorry sweetie," Daphne grasped Pansy's hands and held her close. Without thinking about it, her lips happened upon the other girl's. Uttering apologies, she pulled away abruptly, making to leave.
"Don't run away, I've been waiting for you to do that for a long time," Pansy twined her fingers with Daphne's and held tight.
They sat for over an hour, recounting stories of their blond friend before Daphne suggested, "Let's go see George at Wheezes, see if he's got any fireworks we can shoot off for Draco. He would've liked that."
Pansy emphatically agreed. Draco's only compliment to ever grace a Weasley was that the Wheezes's incendiaries were legendary. He had even requested them for the wedding that never happened. The pair bought the patented "Slytherin Set" and prepared to shoot them off into the night.