"This year is going to be wonderful; I just know it!" Pansy gushed as she sat herself down on the sofa nearest to the fire in the Slytherin Common Room. "We're tip top tip top, top of the school!" She gave a tinkling laugh to show that she wasn't so childish that she seriously quoted children's playground verses. She did feel it was true, though. This was their year to rule the school. Even the teachers respected the Seventh Years. She patted the space beside her in the hopes that Draco would sit down there. "And politically, the right side is in the ascendant again at last," she added for his approval. She knew next to nothing about politics really.

"Did you notice who was missing from dinner?" Draco asked her, still standing with his hands behind his back; at least he was looking at her at last.

She crossed her legs carefully, making sure her robe revealed a bit more leg. Then she thought about his question. It was important to get this right or she would lose his attention again. Quite a few students had been missing. Muggle-borns mostly. Draco was probably thinking of someone more specific. Oh, of course, Draco's favourite enemy.

"Potter," she said with an appropriate sneer.

He nodded; he kept on looking at her. She tilted her head in a way she'd been practising because it made her hair fall prettily. She needed to keep talking.

"And the Mudblood and the Blood Traitor sidekicks," she added, using Draco's names for them. "The whole Ménage Ấ Trois!" She gave a mucky smirk. There was a limit to how dirty a Pureblood lady could talk and keep respect, but a little reference to the inventive filth of the insults the boys had for the Trio wouldn't go amiss. She patted the seat again.

Draco remained standing. "I wonder what they're up to."

"They're probably hiding, aren't they? Undesirable Number One and his Unregistered tart. The Weasel trails after them—"

"Hiding? Really?" Draco looked down on her metaphorically as well as literally now. "That's hardly in his character is it? He doesn't even do waiting a moment to find out what's going on. Hiding?"

"Silly Gryffindors," Pansy said hastily. "Please sit down, darling." The other Seventh Years were making their way into the Common Room now. She was in danger of losing his attention to one of them. "Relax. Your Lord is in charge now. Three foolhardy kids can't do him any harm, can they?" She laughed.

Draco smiled at her in return at last. His shoulders relaxed. "You're right," he said.

"They're just scared because Snape's headmaster now. He's the only teacher who never fell for them."

Draco looked sharply across the Common Room. Blaise Zabini was heading over. Hastily Draco turned and sat beside her. Silly Draco, Pansy wasn't interested in Blaise, no matter how pretty he was. There had only ever been one boy for Pansy. She stroked his hair. Blaise changed course subtly and sat himself on the sofa opposite. Daphne Greengrass scooted over and placed herself next to him in the most obvious and unladylike way possible. Those Greengrass girls were both boy mad: not that Pansy saw them as a threat. They were welcome to work their way through the rest of the House. She wasn't going to give up her Draco for either of them.

"It's going to be the best year yet," she murmured into his ear. "We've got nothing to worry about." He tensed. "Go on, let me see it." She stroked his left arm.

He pulled away from her. "Not now, Pans."

"But they're in charge now and you're one of them." She dipped her eyes. "Have you got another secret mission?"

"No," Draco said dully. "Look just shut up about things you don't understand, Pans." He was lost to her in thought for a moment. Then he grinned. He turned to face her and looked into her eyes. He wasn't grinning anymore. "This isn't a game, Pansy."

Breathless to be receiving so much of his attention, Pansy gazed back. She nodded, as seriously as he had done.

He said, "There's a war on. There will be casualties. We have to make the most of the time we have because we may not all survive it."

"Oh yes, Draco," she whispered, although she was sure that they were on the winning side and they were going to be fine.

"There's no point putting things off until tomorrow, because there might not be a tomorrow."

"Yes Draco."

"Ideals like," he swallowed, "chastity are made for peacetime." He put his mouth right next to her ear; she could feel the heat of his breath. "Come on. Tonight. Let me put it in. I won't tell anyone."

Would she lose him if she did or lose him if she didn't? Her mother said they lost interest afterwards, that it was all about the thrill of the chase for boys. On the other hand if he found some slut who would let him do it to her then he might leave Pansy so he could do it all the time. Frozen with panic, all she could say was, "I don't know."

He shifted away from her. "I'm not going to die a virgin, Pans."

"You're not going to die."

Draco lifted one shoulder in a sulky half-shrug.

"Draco, I don't understand. Has something gone wrong?"

"Of course not," he said stiffly.

"I didn't say 'no'. I just need to think."

He looked at her again. "What's to think about, Pansy? We are ready, we are young. We have nothing to fear." A slightly whiny note entered his voice as he added, "Go on. Let me. We've done everything else!"

Pansy looked round sharply and shushed him. She didn't want to get one of those reputations her mother had warned her about. "Maybe," she said. "We'll see. Maybe."

Draco rubbed at his left arm pointedly.

"Is it tingling?" she asked.

"A bit." He cast his eyes down. "I think I might get called away tonight. I might not come back. I can't see what use I am to the Lord stuck in school. He needs me. There's a war on. Potter's not even here."

"You might not come back?"

"This might be our last chance in a long time, Pansy."

She thought about it. She thought about it good and long and hard. She didn't seem to have any other options; not if she wanted to keep him hers. "I'll think about it," she said. "Maybe."

He relaxed towards her again and laid his head on her shoulder.