A LONG AWAITED RETURN
She was lost. Lost in a world of her own. The chattering of conversation buzzed around her but she ignored it. Music played softly while couples waltzed around the ballroom but they did not get her attention. It's not that she didn't want to be out there with them but she was waiting for the perfect moment. She was intriguing enough with her shoulder length ebony hair, bright green eyes and slender figure but no one was brave enough to approach her. Once in a while someone would ask her for a dance but with one sharp glare, they retreated back to their former activities. She was saving herself for someone who could be miles away, but she didn't care. She would wait for his return.
Time passed by and the guests with children began to clear out. Getting bored of leaning against the wall and scanning the crowd for familiar faces, she sought out her mother. It didn't take long to find her though. She was standing over by the drink table with a couple of her friends gossiping about stuff such as the latest trends and the end of the war.
"Excuse me mother," The girl interrupted, "Would you mind if I took leave of this party? I'm afraid I'm beginning to get a little faint."
"Of course Pansy," The older woman replied, "Take all the time you need."
"Thank you mother. Good night."
"Good night dear." The woman said before turning back to her friends. Pansy strode quietly out of the room and went upstairs. She walked down the long corridor until she reached her chambers. After entering she closed the door quietly behind her and took a seat on her bed so she was facing the door to the terrace. The moon was full and shone brightly in the clear night sky. Stars twinkled leaving a soft glow on the garden below. The willow tree near the river rustled in a cool breeze letting tiny blossoms fall into the serene water. It would be the perfect night if only the one she wanted to share it with was there with her. She fell gracefully backwards onto the soft silver sheets and gripped them tightly in her hands. She closed her eyes as she tried to block out the memory of that fateful night…
"Draco, please…just don't leave me." Pansy said between tears in a pleading manor. Draco didn't respond. Instead he closed the gap between them and kissed her with all the passion he could muster. She pulled him on top of her to get closer to him, almost as an assurance that he wouldn't leave her. He broke the kiss only for a moment…
"Meet me at the school gates tomorrow at midnight. Make sure you aren't seen and be prepared for anything." He whispered softly into her ear before returning to the kiss. Eventually they fell asleep but both with thoughts heavy on their mind.
When she awoke the next morning, he was gone. She suspected that he had stuff to do considering what the night would bring. And she was right. She found herself fending all of the day's classes alone and spending meals wondering where he was and what he was doing. After the last class of the day, Arithmancy, was over she rushed back to her dorm room. She dropped all her books, not caring where they fell and swiftly packed a small satchel of things she may need. She didn't go to dinner when her room-mates did, no, she didn't go at all. She stayed in her room, watching the hourglass on her bed stand nervously.
Darkness fell and her room-mates went to sleep. Not to make them suspicious, she pulled her nightie on over her clothes and covered over pretending to sleep. When eleven thirty came round she crept out of bed, tossed her nightie in her satchel and snuck out of her room. Out of the common room and through the dungeons she walked. When she made it to the entrance hall she made a break for it. Through the front doors and down across the grounds she ran; stopping only when she reached the gates.
It was now eleven fifty five and there was still no sign of him. She had given up hope until she noticed flashes of light and two figures clad in black running towards her. Not wasting anytime she stood up and waved her arms in the air. As the figures drew closer she recognized one as Draco and the other as her potions master, Professor Snape.
"Draco!" She called out.
"Pansy!" He cried as he ran and picked her up in an embrace. "You made it!"
"Of course I did. What, did you expect me not to show up?" She said almost laughing.
"Never doubted it."
"So you did it?" She asked excitedly.
"Not exac-" Draco was cut off by Snape catching up and interrupting.
"Not to be the bringer of bad news or anything Draco but we have to go, now." Snape drawled in a hissy voice.
"What are you doing here Professor?" Pansy asked out of curiosity.
"There's no time to explain Miss. Parkinson. Draco, we have to go now!" He rushed.
"Alright. Pansy, grab my arm…" Draco said as he held his arm out for Pansy.
"Draco, what do think you're doing?" Snape asked impatiently.
"She's coming with us." Draco explained.
"Draco, it's not safe! Look Miss. Parkinson, I know you want to come but it is better if you stay here. Run back to the castle and hide." Snape said quickly.
"No, I'm staying with Draco!" Pansy exclaimed.
"Miss. Parkinson, just go back. Draco, we have to go…" Snape quipped before aparating into thin air. Draco took one last look at Pansy and whispered 'I love you' before disappearing as well. Pansy was left standing alone by the gate in sorrow. She took a quick glance down at the ring Draco had given her the night before…
"I love you Draco." She said into the darkness before rushing off back to the castle.
A soft knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. She sat up and made sure she looked presentable before answering.
"Come in." The door opened revealing her mother standing in all her splendor.
"Are you feeling better now dear?" Mrs. Parkinson asked sweetly.
"A little mother, but I don't really feel like coming back to the party." She responded in her own kind version of 'leave me to my sorrows'.
"Alright Pansy. I'll see you a little later on." With those departing words, the door closed once more and left the girl alone. She stood up and trudged over to the terrace door. She pushed it open and strode out into the brisk night air. Although it was nearing winter she didn't bother with a cloak. She leaned against the balcony and let the breeze rush across her skin, giving her goose bumps from the cold. She closed her eyes and lets the noises of outside fill her thoughts; she was so entranced by them she didn't hear the door to her chamber open or close.
"You know, you really should be wearing something a little more appropriate for this weather. You'll get sick." A familiar voice chuckled from behind her. Her eyes opened abruptly and a look of shock spread across her face.
"No. It can't be." She muttered under her breath. Slowly she turned around. There, facing her was the tall, whitish-blonde haired, stormy eyed boy she thought she would never see again. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest in an elegant manor. He was dressed as if he had been at the party the whole time; a set of black dress robes made him look very sophisticated and handsome. A smirk was set onto his face while his eyes locked onto hers. "Draco…" She mumbled before she threw herself at him. As if on instinct, he caught her, picked her up and spun her around. He planted a small kiss on her lips before setting her back down. "I didn't think you were coming back." She said breathlessly.
"For awhile there, neither did I." He replied nonchalantly.
"How did you get here? Who let you in?" Pansy questioned ecstatically.
"Well, I heard there was a party going on and I felt sort of sad that I wasn't invited. And your mother let me in and told me where you were. She said you didn't want visitors but she suspected that I would be an exception." Draco took her hand and led her back inside. They sat down beside each other on the bed and just stared at each other for awhile. "I'm sorry about that night four years ago. I didn't want to leave you behind."
"I know." Pansy replied softly, "You only did what you had to and I can't blame you for that."
"I know. I still wish you could've came with me, but now the war is over, and we can be together for ever." Draco glanced down and noticed a small glint of red on Pansy's ring finger. "You're still wearing the ring." He said quietly.
"I never took it off." She stated happily. "So many times over the years I wanted to throw it away; it only reminded me of you and how you couldn't come back. I was so afraid that I would never see you again, but you kept your promise: you came back for me."
"And you're every bit as beautiful as the day I left you." Draco noted allowing Pansy to emit a small giggle. "Now that we're back together, I'd kind of like to keep my other promise. So if you want to Pansy, I would love for you to be my wife."
"Oh Draco, did you even have to ask?" Pansy gushed.
"Probably not." He smirked.
"Draco,"
"Yeah Pans?"
"What happened, that night when I was supposed to meet you?"
"Well, remember when I told you to be prepared for anything? I wasn't counting on myself not being prepared to kill." Draco said quietly as though he was ashamed.
"But Draco, Dumbledore's dead." Pansy said blandly.
"You can thank Snape for that."
"No…" Pansy gasped. Draco silently shook his head. "But if Snape killed Dumbledore, why did you have to leave me?"
"If I didn't leave, there would be a whole lot of people after me. Think about it, I was one of the most wanted men in the wizarding world; I couldn't just stick around and let them take me to Azkaban."
"But I thought if you didn't complete your task Voldemort would kill you." She said letting a tear trickle down her face. Draco noticed almost immediately and brushed a finger across it.
"I was on the run with Snape for two years. We never stayed in the same place for too long but eventually, he caught up to us. I had the option of dying right then and there or fighting in the war for the death eaters. Of course, I chose the war. The next year was spent plotting the downfall of Harry Potter. We had to find out his weaknesses and his strengths. In the end, we concluded that his weakness was his friends. I'm sure you heard about Weasley and Granger's deaths?"
"Of course."
"After that, Potter became more furious than ever and charged into battle immediately with the whole of the Hogwarts staff, most of the students, the Order of the Phoenix and many others. We were outnumbered by far but that didn't stop the Dark Lord from setting his attack. The war raged on until Voldemort finally fell, thus leaving the rest of the death eaters like this…" He paused and reached over his left sleeve, pushing it up and revealing a pale, unmarked arm where the mark of his enslavement used to rest. Pansy eyed the spot in amazement, running her fingers over it slowly.
"So this means…" She began but Draco finished her sentence.
"I'm free. No more fighting, no more war, no more being away from you."
"But if the war ended last year, why did you wait until now to return?"
"Didn't I say I was one of the most wanted men in the wizarding world? I had to let things cool down." She didn't respond but just shook her head. "So, I noticed there was some dancing go on down stairs…why would you be up here when you could be enjoying a perfectly good night of fun?"
"I didn't want to be caught up in gossip. And if one more sodding man asked me to dance I would've probably killed him."
"Lost your taste for dancing while I was away?" Draco questioned quirking his eyebrow.
"No. I was just waiting for the perfect someone to come along and ask me." Pansy replied sweetly.
"Well, we can still hear the music up here…" Draco said as he stood up and extended his hand to Pansy, "Miss. Parkinson, may I have this dance?" Smiling, Pansy took Draco's hand and let him lead her back out onto the terrace. He placed his empty hand onto the small of her back and held her tightly to him, while she laced her arm around his shoulder. He held their locked hands close to his chest and began to lead her in a slow, steady waltz.
"I really missed dancing with you." Pansy said softly after a few moments of silence.
"You know what I really missed?" Draco questioned slyly as he brought them to a stop, "This…" He let go of her hand and pulled her as close to him as she could get before giving her a long awaited kiss. Pansy melted into it quickly, remembering how she missed it too.
The couple stood alone on the terrace under the moonlight. The twinkling of the stars gave their skins a soft glow. The cool breeze drifted by and froze them in time, allowing the moment to last for eternity. The willow tree by the river let its last blossom drop. Slowly it fell down and landed on the calm river. The flowers in the garden below stood as tranquil as ever. But the most magical part of all was the miniature flakes of snow that began to fall from the heavens; harboring rest in their hair but not melting away. After being separated for four years by the war, the chivalrous knight returned to his princess and rescued her from her solitude. She was thrilled by his promise of rescue being fulfilled but even more by the magic that brought his long awaited return.
A/N: Please forgive me if this is badly written. I was up until 1:35 in the morning writing it. This was a really fun one to write and it ended up turning into a sequel for PREPARED FOR ANYTHING. I know I had some readers who wanted a sequel to it so I thought this would be perfect. This one-shot goes out to Lisa-Marie (or Tomsbabe136) because she asked me to write one where Draco and Pansy had already graduated. I think it's decent but I had written better. Once again, if anyone has any requests I would be happy to consider writing a fic for you. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Until next time...Aspen