Author's note: Hello! Sorry it's been so long, I may update 'Don't bring flowers' soon but may not. I'm a pickle as to whether to keep this a one-shot or develop it a little further. Comments are always appreciated.
There was something about the slytherin house that the rest of the school couldn't quite grasp. It was on the tips of their tongues whenever a green emblem wearer walked past with a distinctive air of self worth following them. Some believed their selfishness was the cause of their unnatural ways; others thought that they brought about this mystery through fear and fear alone. Most commanded false respect through blackmail and all manner of criticisms. It was hard to deny their cunning ways. As with everything in life, some were better than others. They discretely befriended those considered to be 'enemies', behaved politely at all costs and so on. They weren't following the code of their house and so others had to turn a blind eye on their behaviour. Otherwise, they were practically banned from the house, stripped of all honours of the snake.
Pansy Parkinson was a prime example of living the slytherin way, at least, that's how the rest of the world saw her. Vindictive, ruthless little Pansy. Pug faced and vile, hurtful with her words. A poisoned flower. She knew how to weave through a person's mind, find their inner ambitions and demolish them. Katie Bell, for example, cried for days when Pansy mocked the braids she wore in her hair so frequently. Neville Longbottom had to bravely take all her cruel words about his appearance. She didn't show any remorse. Younger students brought themselves before her, lying down to help in the hope she'd take them places they wouldn't be able to go on their own. She always declined. She was intelligent, a hard worker, enthusiastic for a selection of her subjects. Excluding her teachers no one outside the walls of their common room knew about this particular trait. The people of their house made reputations and kept their real identities hidden behind them. Secrets were weapons far more powerful than any unforgiveable curse. Death was quick, humiliation was a slow ride. Secrets portrayed weakness and slytherins weren't weak. For them, power was their dominating force. They were not the bravest or smartest or kindest, they were the most powerful.
Sometimes even Pansy believed that her secret was her love for school. It was the perfect excuse for her late nights out of bed, disappearances in free classes and cancelling any of her weekend plans no matter how minor they were. She left notes that read "sorry, I have an essay to complete," and would not be seen again until she had finished. She lied so frequently she barely had time to think on it, it just came out. Alternatively, she'd feign illness from her insomnia or the cold weather and would resort to staying in the hospital wing all day. She always explicitly said not to be visited and hadn't been caught out once. Secrets within secrets were no new phenomenon brought about by the self-titled slytherin queen.
Her close companion Millicent Bullstrode, plump, heavy footed Millicent yearned to be a dancer more than anything else in the world and not another soul knew. Pansy's chess playing friend Theodore Nott didn't feel like an adequate slytherin most of the time. He sometimes wished to be a Gryffindor. That was due to his infatuation with Ginevra Weasley. Again, that was a secret. No one shared those sorts of details. What if word got out and they were ridiculed for the rest of their time at school? Bringing shame to their house was a punishable offence. Except Pansy wanted to share.
She wanted to tell her best friends what she was up to whenever they were apart. The problem was that it wasn't just her decision as to whether she could tell or not. She'd made an agreement to keep her relationship in the dark and it was positively ludicrous. In fact, she brought it up on their next meeting. It was 12 am on a Tuesday and the thoughts of telling the truth had swirled around Pansy's mind all that day. An oil lamp on a sidebar adjacent to the leather sofa they occupied barely lit the room, lighting up just enough for them to see each other's faces. She'd been rubbing her temples to stimulate her brain to stay awake when he yawned and she saw an opportunity. She swirled around to the right and placed a comforting hand on his knee to get his attention. He looked straight at her, eyes swimming with curiosity. Sure, she'd acted similarly before in many a passionate situation but this was something a lot more different and he could tell.
It was a habit for them to speak in slow whispers not wishing to disturb the rest of the house sleeping above from where they sat. She avoided his eyes when asking her question. "Isn't this getting a little ridiculous?" Cautiously, she brought her gaze back up to his, trying to show that she had no intention of offending him in anyway. Her eyelids were heavy and drooping. "I haven't seen you all day and I can barely stay awake to see you now." She yawned poignantly, trying to work up a smile for she was genuinely joyous to be around him, but her body clock was telling a different tale. "I want to see you in daylight," he opened his mouth to object, not getting a chance to speak, "and not be hiding in crevices in the library, among the owls or out in the forest. It's no way to have a relationship." A small pout of her lips appeared.
In response, he covered her hand with his, barely touching at first until he pressed down gently, just enough for her to feel the warmth of his skin. The slightest touch sent tingles down her spine. "It's easier like this, isn't it?" he sighed, knowing too well how weak his argument was. He knew that the truth was that he didn't want to damage her reputation or his own. "Think of what everyone will say, Pans." She saw his smile fade in the glimmer of the oil lamp. The past two years had been troubling to say the least; keeping up a front was a permanent job, no matter how many times they could secretly interact romantically in public.
She sat immersed in thoughts, not going through similar wavelengths to him. What would happen if people knew about her relationship with the blonde devil himself, the other half of the slytherin hierarchy, Draco Malfoy? Not a lot. Just as she opened her mouth to say the conclusion of her silence, he cupped her cheek with his free hand, slowly turning her face towards him. He closed her eyes and as she went to melt into a kiss, the familiar scent of peppermint closing the gap between them, the words tumbled out of her mouth.
"Are you embarrassed to be with me? Is there someone else you aren't telling me about?" her stare was now hard but voice remained croaky and unconvincing. She spent a moment untangling herself from his hold before jumping to her feet with the greatest amount of energy she could conjure up. It seemed like the two only plausible excuses and although it made her weepy to think of them as being true, she stuck with her accusations with folded arms. Normally, she'd relish in this time together, taking the chance to enjoy it while it lasted. Today she couldn't quite do that.
At times he behaved like her opposite even though he was her equal in many respects. Compared to the stubborn, rarely relaxing girl he called his, he was the laid back one in their relationship. His hair was slightly messy and needed a combing through. Hers was tightly wound in a bun on the back of her head. He was the calming voice of reason whenever she freaked out, such as this. It was a welcoming change, a dynamic that worked. Pushing the strands of hair out of his eyes, grey eyes twinkling with amusement, he took a deep breath as he spoke. "You know, Pans, you can be quite stupid at times." There was a smirk on his lips which then faded away. "I'm not embarrassed to be with you in anyway. How could I be? Have you seen you?" He wiggled his eyebrows in a teasing way, forcing a laugh from her lips. "And there's no one else because I love you, Pansy Parkinson."
She covered her mouth, hiding a giggle. She felt a fool and her cheeks burned, humiliated by worrying over nothing. But she didn't care, not in the slightest. Of course his words didn't solve anything major. He loved her. That was the closest she had ever come to being perfectly happy. Soon she realised that she was yet to say something in response. "I love you too, Draco." She said with all the sincerity in the world, coaxing him with her index finger to stand. He complied and she threw her arms around him. He was a weakness, a drug she needed at all times. But he loved her. She repeated the words over and over again, crushing him in her grip the more she thought about it. A shriek of excitement left her lips and he instantly covered her mouth with his hand to mask the sound. They listened out for any creaks of feet hitting wood, hearing nothing. When he didn't move his hand she licked it teasingly and he faked disgust, pulling a sour expression and waving his hand around in the air.
"Gross, gross gross," he mimed and they laughed quietly. She giggled into his chest to muffle the sound a little. They continued to laugh for a while, Pansy caught up in all of her emotions. He tilted her head up towards him, smiling down at her. Their lips met before she remembered to take a breath. There was the same reaction as to whenever he kissed her. Fireworks, electricity, and so on. It was a short kiss for she stopped it with an uncontrollable yawn. "Why don't you go to sleep?" he suggested, kissing the top of her forehead and running a hand through her chestnut hair. She wanted to protest, to stand in the common room and kiss him until she fainted but when her knee wobbled with tiredness and he had to keep her upright by holding her, she agreed with a nod. They reluctantly shared goodbyes and she dashed up the stairs after a final sharing of "I love you," departing once again.
Back in the dormitory, Pansy didn't have time to mull over just how short their meetings were. She danced around the room in close proximity to her bed, being on another level. She felt on top of the world. Eventually, she stumbled onto her bed, taking the time to truly settle in for the night, cocooned by her bedcovers. In a half-dreaming state she thought of weddings, children's names and family outings. She thought of what their house would look like, whereabouts they would live, how big it would be. She'd live happily in a shed because it didn't matter. He loved her! He wasn't coerced into saying it or poisoned with truth serum. It was the real deal. She couldn't wait to live the rest of her life in love with him.
On her left, Daphne Greengrass stirred and forced Pansy out of her dream like state. Reality sunk in again looking at her friend. Daphne would be so supportive of everything going on, she'd be interested and would never laugh. It was the rest of the world that were the issue. No matter the status of her relationship with Draco, how much he truly did love her, she had to hide it from others and couldn't fathom as to why. She blocked out Daphne by rolling onto her other side, gripping the bed sheets to stop herself from pulling them over her head and crying. She didn't want to spoil the evening with tears. She fell asleep perplexed, not knowing how events were to unfold. Slytherin code always won, didn't it? The mighty serpent loomed over all actions. Pansy dreamt, eventually, of a life where it didn't exist.