"Bloody hell…"

She looked radiant and more beautiful than any other girl at the Yule Ball - a tall order to meet. Her hair, usually so wild, had been tamed and twisted into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing the slightest traces of makeup, so little he barely noticed, and her eyes shined with delight. Her dress was a light periwinkle blue, and even though he couldn't say what material it was made of, he could say, with the utmost confidence, that it fit her just right.

It wasn't just any dress that could make Draco Malfoy lose his breath.

She was attending the ball with Viktor Krum; Pansy couldn't stand it. Next to him, she muttered under her breath about the injustice of a girl who spends all her time reading getting to attend the most formal event of the year with an international Quidditch star. Draco couldn't find it in himself to even reply.

Pansy left early, her frilly pink robes a swish in the corner of Draco's eye. She said she was tired of dancing with the shadow of a boy and would rather go back to the common room. There'd be more of a party there, theoretically, but when he returned a couple hours later, it was to see a mostly empty common room.

"Finally get tired of ogling?" Pansy didn't look up from her textbook. She was sitting at one end of their favorite couch. "Or did Snape send you back here early for being a creepy git?"

Draco sank into a chair opposite her. His lack of response made her look up at him, and then he stated, quite simply, "I'm in love."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "No, you're not."

She looked back down at her book, her mouth moving slightly as she read, and Draco couldn't help but think that she was doing it to try to get his attention back.

Pansy had hardly been able to believe it when Draco had told her that he was planning to propose to Hermione following the graduation ceremony from Hogwarts. They'd all returned once the school had been rebuilt and, much to the surprise of nearly everyone in both Slytherin and Gryffindor, Draco had asked Hermione out on a date. It shocked everyone even more when Hermione said yes.

They were 'steady' all year, but it felt, to Pansy, like the pair didn't truly know each other. Still, she was close to Draco and because of that, she felt she owed him her support. That didn't mean she couldn't have words with his girlfriend, though. If she was going to have to put up with Hermione even longer, Pansy had rules to lay down.

The week before graduation, she found Hermione sitting outside by herself. Perfect. "Oi! Granger!"

Hermione looked up, surprised. Her expression cooled when she saw it was Pansy. "Oh. Hello, Pansy."

"Excited to graduate?"

"Aren't you?" Hermione picked at the grass. "I'll miss it here though. Hogwarts is pretty much my home."

"Yeah, I'm ready to be away from the memories here." Pansy snickered. "You'll have a new home soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her brow was furrowed.

"'Just have a little faith,' Granger." Pansy turned away, suddenly not interested in delivering her rules. There would be another day, a day when they were actually needed.

There were times, more and more frequently, where Draco wondered why exactly Pansy continued to put up with him. There were plenty of other people she was friends with - like every Slytherin they had gone to school with - and yet she preferred spending time with him. He was fine with it, most of the time. Other times, it was frustrating.

This was not one of those nights.

"I still can't thank you enough for coming with me. I could have done it alone… I was going to, actually. I didn't want to ask you." He stared at the wooden door, his frown deepening. The letters there, which he traced slowly with his finger, read 'H. Malfoy.' and he swore they were mocking him.

Pansy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She held a roll of parchment in one hand - the reason for this midnight visit to the Ministry - and she was tempted to crumple it up and toss it. She could go to bed that way, at least.

"You haven't lost that have you, Pan?" He didn't even bother looking back at her as he knelt to look at the doorknob that, as of yet, had not budged. It was bothering Pansy, he knew, and that was the very reason he was moving so slowly.

"No, and if you ask me one more time, I will toss it. Or I'll go find the aurors. Surely, when you're asking about it this much, you're addicted to something it contains. Some new, weird drug?" She pretended to unroll it and had to bite her lip to keep from smiling when he shot her a look. "All in good jest. But seriously, what's the deal with it?"

"Oh, um… I'll tell you in a minute." Draco had started pointing his wand at the door and a series of light blue sparks shot back at him.

"This isn't safe...or legal for that matter." Pansy moved forward to help him, but the moment she lifted her wand, he reached out for her arm to stop her. "Draco! What the hell?! I'm trying to help you!"

"Yes, well… The truth is, I don't need help. I know her wards." His expression was sheepish. "I actually just wanted you to feel like I was including you in this."

She frowned. "What is this?"

He slid the parchment from her grasp and unrolled it in a single swift move, then lit the tip of his wand. "Here, read."

It didn't take her long to read the words, and when she was finished, she bumped her shoulder against his. "Ha. Well, thanks… Dad."

They both grinned.

author's note;

This was written for Round 7 of the Quidditch League.
I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies.
For this round, we were required to write different pairings. Mine was Draco and Pansy. I wrote them as friends.
My additional prompts were:
- 2. (quote); 'Just have a little faith.' - Michael Scofield, Prison Break
- 8. (word); addicted
- 14. (dialogue); "This isn't safe...or legal for that matter."

Many thanks go to good friends who deal with my writing grumblings.