She was there, again. Of course she was there. Pansy could barely drag herself away from his flat to go to work, let alone when she had a weekend off and nothing else to do.
She wasn't sure when it had started. How long she'd been with him. How many hours she'd wasted in his flat, sipping tea and reading, curled in one of his shirts as if she had no clothes of her own. He'd always liked it.
Harry wasn't even there this time. He was away on some Auror mission but he'd passed her a key as she left a few days before, kissing her hard to distract them both from the seriousness of it all.
Hardly anyone knew they were dating. Harry said he didn't want his whole life exposed again, that he wanted something for himself for once, and she chose the believe him. Pansy didn't want to ruin the Golden Boy's reputation.
So she was in his kitchen, his shirt half buttoned, the kettle boiling for her tea, her hair thrown up in a casual way that no one but her friends had ever seen. And there was a contentment in her bones that she only felt here or in her own flat. It scared her, almost, this feeling. It meant she liked him a little more than she was willing to accept.
There was a noise at the front door behind her, barely audible over the water in front of her, and she frowned slightly. Harry wasn't due back for another day or two, which was why she'd let herself in. She'd wanted to be alone but him being home early would never be a bad thing.
She walked to the kitchen door, mug in hand, a smile on her face as she opened her mouth to offer him a cup. She hoped he would see her in the shirt and have a different activity in mind.
He had his back to her at first, so all she could see was his broad shoulders and the black cloak that always made them seem wider, more stable, more capable of holding her and keeping her safe. His shoulders had seen more of her tears than she'd ever admit and the bite of her nails as she pulled him closer than anyone else.
His head was bent slightly and the kettle was just getting louder behind her but she could have sworn she heard a low moan from him. Except it was too high-pitched to be one of his, more feminine, which is why it must have been her imagination, because why would...
He bent his head further, stepping back awkwardly towards the bedroom as the all-too-familiar face of Ginny Weasley appeared over his shoulder. Her eyes were closed as Harry kissed her neck in a way Pansy knew very, very well, and her stomach turned slightly with the thought that maybe none of the things he had done to her were special. If he had a stock list of moves that he pulled on every girl he brought back.
Neither of them had seen her. They were too focused on each other and, honestly, Pansy couldn't quite blame them. She'd been with Harry enough times to know he was good at something he wanted, and passion oozed from Ginny, something raw and feral that had made Pansy a little weak during arguments. Not that she would ever have admitted it. Shagging the Chosen One was one thing, but a blood traitor? If it had ever got out, her mother would have had kittens in her grave. But neither of them had seen her and it had been minutes since they'd arrived and if she spoke now it would just be too weird. There was nothing she could do that would make standing in Harry's kitchen door wearing nothing more than a shirt less weird, if she was being entirely truthful.
Her dress was lying on the back of the settee closest to her. There was nothing to do but leave and find somewhere that had plenty of alcohol and no one who knew her and would ask what she was trying to forget. She pulled the shirt off over her head, not bothering with the buttons, put it folded on the arm of the settee before lifting her dress. It took longer to get on and she worried they might notice her before she was dressed. When she glanced at them, however, she realised there was no chance of them seeing anything outside that little bubble. They were in the middle of the room, Harry's cloak pooled around their feet and Ginny's dress heading that way.
Pansy tried not to notice the ease with which they kissed each other. There was passion, sure, but familiarity evident in the slow way they undressed, as if they had all the time in the world. There was no desperation to see what the other looked like when naked.
She waited until she was fully dressed, hair artfully dishevelled again, shoes on so she got a few inches extra, before coughing loudly. Neither of them turned so she did it again, louder, longer, hoping to catch the attention of at least one of them before Ginny's dress slipped much further off her shoulders. Not that she wouldn't want to see Ginny naked if the other girl was willing, but right now was hardly the time. She tapped her foot, jangled her keys, tried everything short of actually going over to them.
"Harry! Ginny!" She called their names, and something in Ginny's brain must have still been paying attention because she opened her eyes and looked around, one hand leaving Harry as if to find a wand that wasn't on her person any place Pansy could see. When Ginny was no longer tugging on his hair, Harry lifted his head, looking almost annoyed at the interruption.
"Pansy?" He sounded almost confused, as he had every right to really. He straightened slightly, his grip loosening on Ginny. "What are you doing here?"
"You gave me a key, remember?" She held it up before putting it down on the folded shirt. "I came here to see if you were back early but seeing as you're busy, I'll go." She started to walk towards the door, not sure she could listen to whatever excuse Harry was trying to come up with.
"Pansy, wait!" Ginny was coming after her, holding the door shut so Pansy couldn't open it.
Pansy had to struggle not to roll her eyes. "Ginny. Kindly move your hand so I can leave."
Ginny leant against the door with her shoulder, crossing her arms. "No."
"Weasley, move." Her patience all but gone, Pansy just managed to refrain from pushing the other woman.
Ginny smirked slightly and Pansy didn't want to think about what that look made her feel. "Come on, Parkinson, you're more than welcome to stay."
Harry moved until he was standing behind Ginny, his hand reaching for Pansy's. "Yeah, Pans, stay with us."
She was tempted, so freaking tempted, more tempted than anyone would ever know, but now that she was closer she could smell the faint trace of alcohol from Ginny's breath, saw the swaying they were both doing as they tried to stay still, and she knew that staying would only make the other two wake up with regrets too big to name.
"No." She pulled on Ginny's arm, moving the younger woman with ease, and opened the door before Harry could think to hold it shut. She wouldn't be able to move him as easily.
"Pans." Harry was right in front of her, and she wanted to just close her eyes and let him kiss her so she could forget the hurt that was building in her chest and threatening to leave her body soon. His green eyes were staring right into her and even though she knew he was drunk she still wanted to believe the emotion in his eyes was more than lust.
She shrugged slightly, holding her bag on her shoulder with one hand. "I think we both knew this had an expiry date, don't you?"
She heard the door shut behind her as she walked away, and she hoped the shop was still open so she could buy a few bottles of Firewhiskey on her way home. She had a few brain cells to lose.