Disclaimer: Yup, still don't own important money making things like copyrights.
A/n: Another wishlist entry on rarepair_shorts, I did this last month but was so wrapped up in the Bang I didn't have the time to post it. This was for the_woods_, and the prompt was Harry/Pansy; being held hostage; finding common ground. First attempt at this pairing but the plot bunny struck, so here goes. AU, post-Hogwarts. :)
The Last Time
When Pansy opens the door, his usual greeting is "this is the last time".
She smiles. "Of course it is."
It's always the last time for them.
She's the opposite of Ginny in terms of looks – with short black hair and blue eyes, a smile that is one part arrogant and one part almost sad. Harry doesn't think of her as a replacement (even though she is) and chooses to believe he could walk away from this at any moment and never look back (and they both know that's not true but they pretend anyways, because it's easier that way).
They never talk about Ginny or Draco. Somehow it's become an unspoken agreement. Once in a while she'll say something like, "I saw him yesterday" or he'll say, "I had supper with her and her family two nights ago" and that will be it. Somehow, they find comfort in this – in being in love with someone else, but together. Harry has never understood how their dynamic works, it just does.
In the morning, Pansy pours him a cup of coffee and Harry stares deep into the steaming brown liquid.
"You can leave, you know," she says. "There's no rule that says you have to stay. It's not like I'm holding you hostage."
He figures there's got to be some form of irony in there somewhere. Eight months ago, he was on the team of Aurors who saved her and six other witches and wizards from a bank robbery and hostage situation. They'd gone out for coffee three weeks later, and one month later she'd asked him to come over. He declined. But four days after that he found himself on her doorstep – the same day Ginny got engaged to one of her Quidditch teammates.
The night of Ginny's wedding, he comes home early from the reception and makes himself a stiff drink. He finds himself knocking on her door only a short time later. And when she opens it, he predictably mumbles,
"This is the last time."
"I know." She replies.
Oh yes, it's always the last time with them.
-end-
A/n: I have no clue why my brain has struck with such random plot bunnies this summer, with such odd pairings, but there you have it. Thanks for reading, reviews are oxygen. :)
