Disclaimer: Not JK….

A/n:Written for the Strange pairings competition! The pair was Draco/Pansy and the prompt was "Never say never"

"That isn't possible, Draco!"

"Never say never" Draco's suave voice was heard replying to Pansy's screech throughout the Slytherin commonroom but noone seemed to pay any attention to it. It had become a daily occurrence. Ever since the Slytherin Prince had started dating Parkinson, her loud voice and high pitched exclamations had become something of a routine. It would always begin with Draco's low voice suggesting something followed by her squeal of disbelief. And then, they'd mysteriously disappear. Everyone in the dungeon believed that they were sleeping together but Blaise knew better. Draco may be a bit of a playboy but even he wouldn't stoop as low as Parkinson. And so, he watched with a steadily bored face as the couple once again disappeared out the commonroom. Draco hesitated for a bit, looking at Blaise for a moment. Seeing this, Blaise gave a non-committal shrug. It wasn't any of his concern what the young Malfoy got himself into. He was his friend, not his Nanny.

A few minutes after they had left, Astoria Greengrass came storming into the room. It wasn't exactly storming in so much as running away, but Blaise thought it did not befit a Slytherin. She seemed to be assessing her next move when she suddenly began walking in the direction of the couch Blaise was sprawled on. He did not bother to sit up. This seemed to make her even more irritated and she sat down on the couch rather forcefully, unseating him slightly.

"Careful, Greengrass. The furniture is a thousand years old"

"I couldn't care less about the damn furniture, Zabini" she snapped. It was apparent that something, or someone if Blaise's guess was right, had riled her up. So he sat straight, prepared to draw it out of her.

"You friend is going to be brutally murdered one day and I'd go mysteriously missing" was all she said before she rushed away to the dorms. Blaise laid back wondering when the two would get into an all out fight.

On the other side of the castle….

Draco walked absent mindedly beside Pansy as she kept talking about her Christmas ball plans. They did not interest him. If anything, he'd be avoiding the Parkinson Manor like the plague during the holidays.

"Draco? Draey! Are you even listening to me?"

"I'll be very pleased to attend the ball Pansy but do you or don't you want to see the mirror or Erised?" he asked as he turned yet another corridor on the sixth floor. Noone ever came in these corridors so it was deserted. The students of Hogwarts thought that this particular part of the castle was haunted. A castle with an over population of ghosts, and people were afraid of haunted corridors? He did not understand.

"Draco? Are you there?" he shook himself from his reverie once again, trying to concentrate on the annoying girl beside him.

"Pardon?" that one word seemed to make her temper flare and Draco felt a queer satisfaction. Atleast he wasn't the only one who was irritated with his date.

"I asked, how did you find out where the mirror went? Nobody ever knew" she repeated, her tone clearly filled with impatience.

"It was always there, and certain people knew about it too. There was a duplicate to this one that was removed from the castle sometime back" he answered mechanically. He did not feel the need to impress her anymore. If anything he felt slightly anxious of what waited him in front of the mirror. He was actually apprehensive of what he would meet in the frame. He was afraid that he'd be seeing grass green eyes instead of the red slits he was supposed to.

And so, it was with a feeling of unease that Draco opened the door to what appeared to be a wide gallery. It could easily have been the size of a colloseum. They were on the highest stands and the mirror was placed right at the centre of the stage. It appeared to Draco as if he was walking closer and closer to a guillotine rather than a harmless mirror. It was a relief that Pansy couldn't see his visions. He shuddered to imagine the scene that would unfold.

Pansy walked ahead of him, completely engrossed in the object before her. Draco wondered if she was interested in all things reflective or just this particular one. She stood right before the mirror. What she saw seemed to calm her down and she turned with a smile towards him. Draco had no difficulty in imagining what she would have seen. She beckoned him forward now, and stood beside him as he faced his executioner. He took care to keep a bit of distance from her lest she notice his tensed posture. "Show me what I want you to; show me what everybody wants of me" he kept chanting as he looked into his own eyes in the reflection. He let out a sigh of relaxation. The form before him was still his, clothed in dark green robes with a silver mask in hand. And of course, Pansy still stayed by his side. His father was somewhere in the background, staring proudly at him. They did not interest him anymore. He had seen them a hundred times already.

"Let's go, Pansy!" he said as he placed his hands on her shoulder and led her away. She followed willingly, glad that his sudden bad mood had lifted. She had not even the smallest suspicion about its reason. Draco was quite smug when he turned away from the mirror. He knew his choices and nothing or no one could change them. Draco Malfoy never strayed from his ambition.

May be it was his own stupidity, or may be he had been blocking the image the whole time, but he looked back at the mirror one last time.

Intense grass green eyes stared out from them this time, watching him with unwavering affection. As if saying nothing was impossible. Never say never.

He knew the scene could never happen, it would only complicate his life, but that was his true wish.

The love of a fiery girl with grass green eyes.

A/n:Review!