Standard disclaimer: Blah blah blah...I own my computer. And soon I will own Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. cackles madly Ehe. Sorry.
"Click click click," went the heels of Pansy's well made, Italian leather pumps. Even now, years after she had left Hogwarts (and with it, the high-society life she had once enjoyed) Pansy demanded the best in material things. Starting with her shoes. Blisters were hell on her feet. And there was certainly no way she would let Alistair walk around in anything less than the best. Speaking of Alistair...where was her son? Pansy looked around for the familiar blond head that should have been hovering somewhere near her chest. She spotted him almost immediately, standing transfixed in front of a portrait of a warlock in full duel armor, who was picking his nose.
"Alistair," Pansy said. He turned to look at her, and Pansy was struck by how much he looked like his father. She unconsciously shook her head. Best not to think about that, she told herself. "Alistair. Come on. We'll be late for our appointment." Pansy held out a hand, and obligingly, the little boy took it.
"Mum?" Alistair said a few paces later. Pansy made a small noise in the back of her throat and looked down at him. "Yes, love?"
"Will I ever get to come here when I'm older? Will I get to go to school here...you know, like my dad did? And like you did too, mum?" Pansy cleared her throat. "Ahhh. Well...depending on the...I suppose so, yes."
They continued on in silence, down the corridors so familiar to Pansy. Hand-in-hand, they passed the statue of the One Eyed Witch, that Pansy remembered hearing Ron say had a passage behind it. Soon they came upon a statue of a gargoyle, and Pansy stopped in front of it. Staring at it dubiously, she began the cat and mouse game of trying to discover the password.
"Sherbert Lemon? No...well, how about...Blood Lollipop. Humph. Don't like those either, I see. Er...Double Ripple Nougat Chunk. Fizzing Whisbees. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes No-Pain Leg Maim Toffee. Lemon drop. Tongue Ton-" But she stopped ssuddenly, because at "Lemon drop" the gargoyle had begun to move. "Oh, you have got to be joking." Said Pansy with a snort. "Lemon drop? He still uses that one? Half of the world probably knows it by now." And, muttering about barmy old codgers who were really getting to senile to run a school, Pansy stepped onto the revolving staircase, and pulled Alistair on after her.
On the short ride up, Pansy began to straighten Alistair's shirt collar, and brush back his hair. He fidgeted. "Mum," He said in an agonized voice. "I'm six now. I can straighten myself out fine." But still, Pansy couldn't resist brushing the smudge of dirt off of his nose.
And quite suddenly, they were in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Pansy took a deep breath, straightened her skirt, and knocked on the door. "Come in," Said avoice from behind the door. Pansy opened it, and stepped inside.
It was exactly like she remembered from her childhood. Same gadgets on the desk, same portraits of the old headmasters and mistresses, asleep against their frames. But, somehow...she couldn't explain it. Somehow, it was like coming home. Again, Pansy shook her head to clear it of thoughts, and focused on the man sitting in front of her.
"Professor Dumbledore," She began. "I-I have...well, it's not exactly a problem. More like the solution to the problem. But...I can't be here any more. Being around him is like torture to me. I mean, he never really showed that he cared, and I always have assumed that he didn't...well...know about..." Here she trailed off, and glanced quickly at her son, who was enthralled with Fawkes, the phoenix. Pansy was silent for a couple of minutes, and then she began again in a rush, like she had never stopped. "Because don't you think that if he did know, he would at least see-" Again she broke off and looked at her son. "Anyway. That's beside the point. The point is that I can't see myself living another day like this. Merlin! Just being around his family depresses me. His mother and father have the highest hopes for him, and I don't see myself fitting into their plans. His mother alone intimidates me. But add his father, and I'm overruled."
Pansy collapsed back into her chair, and looked expectantly at Dumbledore, who was quiet for a while. He seemed to be thinking. Then he leaned forward and looked her in the eye. "Miss Parkinson, if the father of your son does not want to see him, the only reason can be that he has no idea of is existence. I don't mean total ignorance. I mean of the fact that Alistair is, indeed his. You may think that leaving England is the best thing for you right now. It may be. But I just spoke with Professor Trewlany today. She said the most interesting thing when I mentioned you were coming by to see me. She said ' Pansy Parkinson would do well to wait. Somewhere along the road, somewhere close, love awaits her. And I can tell you right now, it will be firmly stuck in England.'"
Pansy snorted. What rubbish, she thought. Trewlany always was batty. But Dumbledore just looked at her, and smiled. Pansy sat back in her chair again, and thought. Maybe...just maybe the old bat was right for once. She had been known to go all rigid on a couple of occasions, and actually predict something truthful. It was worth a though or two.
"Alright." Pansy said finally. "We won't leave just yet. I'll give it a bit of time." She stood up and turned to go. "Alistair, love, we're leaving." Alistair, who hadn't heard a word of their conversation took his mother's hand, and turned to wave goodbye to the headmaster. Dumbledore winked at him, and said "You never know, Alistair. Maybe, if your luck holds up, you will come to Hogwarts after all." Pansy turned and stared at him, then just shook her head, and left, pulling Alistair with her. As the door snapped shut, Dumbledore grinned happily to himself, and said outloud "Albus, old boy, you've done it again! You sly matchmaker, you!"
They didn't speak the whole way down the staircase. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Pansy let Alistair run ahead as they reached the second floor. She figured that he was going to visit Hagrid, and made her way to the entrance hall. What Pansy didn't count on was bumping into something solid. And at least six feet tall. She looked up and gulped. She was faced with her fantasy and worst nightmare. Her son's father, and her ex-lover. She was looking into the blue eyes of one very amused Ronald Weasley.
"Hello, Pans." He said. Pansy gulped again. She couldn't help it. All these years, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. She knew all it would take would be for him to touch her to set off all those feelings. "He-hello Ron." She squeaked back. He just grinned and tucked her hand into his larger one, and pulled her across the Entrance Hall to walk with him across the grounds.
For a couple of minutes, Ron talked at her (Yes, "at" her; She couldn't quite seem to form words with her mouth), but gradually Pansy began to talk back, and they lapsed into the easy way of talking that they had had in their later years at Hogwarts. Ron didn't say anything out loud, but Pansy sensed that he could tell something was on her mind. Finally, she came out with it. For a minute she thought about lying, and saying that Alistair was...Draco's, or something, but then she remembered two things- One, Draco had been dating Ron's sister Ginny since sixth year. And two, Trewlany's prediction. Maybe Ron was right for her. So she took a deep breath and began.
"Um...Ron?" He made a noise in the back of his throat, signaling for her to continue. "There's no easy of graceful way to say this...Alistair...he's...well, he's your son." Pansy looked quickly at the ground. Ron stopped dead. For a moment, Pansy thought he would faint. Or run screaming or something. But then he did the strangest thing; he muttered "Ah, well. That just sweetens the pot. Always liked that boy." Pansy finally looked up at him. She felt very confused. "Look, Ron, I don't expect you to take respons- " Ron cut her off-quite effectively- by placing his lips on hers. And just like that, Pansy was swept back into the memory of School boy Ron. Carefree Ron. Before she had gotten pregnant and run away. Before her parents had died.
Reluctantly, Pansy pulled away. "I don't understand." Ron grinned again, and they began to walk again. "It's quite simple, really," He told her. "I heard through Dumbledore that you were going away. This was about a week ago. Of course, I should have suspected the old bugger was up to something. He told me some bollocks story about Trewlany and a prediction about me- " Pansy interrupted him "Hey! That's what he told me! Only it was a prediction about me, not you!" Ron chuckled. "Yeah. I've heard that he keeps a sort of record- the number of former students he can get together. Apparently McGonagall and even Snape are in on it too. Sort of like placing bets, I guess. I wonder if he had anything to do with Ferret and Ginny..." Ron trailed off, the possibilities opening to him for the first time.
"Anyway. He told me you were leaving and that Trewlany said I had love waiting for me, and basically that I should find you." Pansy stared at him for a moment. Then se started to laugh hysterically. "Oh! That- old- man! (gasp) He- should really sort out his priorities!" And she fell to the ground, giggling so hard she could barely breath. Ron looked at Pansy very closely, as if to make sure that she was still sane. Then, under his breath he muttered "What the hell" And lowered himself to the grass. As Pansy lay back against his chest, he murmured into her heair "Remind me to thank Dumbledore later, Pans." She let out another snort, and started giggling again. "As if I could forget!" She howled.
Alistair came bounding up the slope towards them. Ron watched him approach. Sweeten the pot, indeed. He was looking forward to this whole father thing. As Ron looked into Alistair's face, he snorted to himself and muttered under his breath "Look like Malfoy! Hah! How I ever thought that! No, no. Much too handsome for that."
THE END
Yay! So...how did you like my first story! If you want to flame me, please be gentle. It's my first time (starts crazy dancing to "Like a Virgin") Anyways...tell me how you liked it. Review!