A/N: This is for PanonLove. I don't own Harry Potter. This is set in sixth year. I realise there are a lot of weird pairings in here, Ron/Pansy to start with, but as I went on with it, it made sense.
One more soul.
He has no tact, she thought, none at all. People will start noticing.
Of course she was referring to Ronald Weasley's incapability of not staring at her. She felt like sneering at him – but he'd just look down and pout, the way he usually did. It was a gesture she couldn't resist, and doing it in public could possibly be hazardous. For both of them.
She made a subtle hand gesture, motioning to him that they should exit the Great hall. At separate times, of course. He flicked his thumb – he'd gotten the message. He turned to talk to Potter, a serious expression on his face.
What did she see in him she would never know. But she knew that she loved him. He wasn't too bad on the eyes either. He was not a cliché handsome guy. He had fiery hair and freckles – her girlfriends had stamped him as the type that had potential, but was ultimately above them. He was destined for the likes of Hermione Granger, while she was ordained for someone like Draco Malfoy.
It wasn't that she didn't like Draco, because she did. When he wasn't with his friends, or cronies as she referred to them, he was almost fun. Draco was an intelligent individual, his insights differed from the rest of the world – he'd laughed only when she and Blaise were around. And his mother. That was it. He'd been spiralling downwards ever since he'd been forced into becoming a Death Eater. He never laughed anymore. It bothered Pansy immensely. She sometimes wished she and Draco could switch places with Blaise, because his family was neutral in the war. It seemed so childish, she knew, but it still bothered her. She'd trace places with him in a heartbeat.
With a heavy sigh she got up, making to exit the hall. A pale hand seized her wrist. Draco.
"Where are you going?" He asked her. His eyes wandered over their breakfast companions. They were definitely spying on him for their parents. His every move was being watched. That was why she'd agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend. It also provided her with enough reason to disappear for seemingly hours on end to spend time with Ron, while Draco would seek out a certain blonde female student. He didn't talk much to Luna, but he always listened. It had started a few months ago when he saw the skeletal creatures.
He'd seen someone die, but Pansy was too terrified to ask who.
He was her best friend, one of them, and they didn't have any secrets at all. Except that one. That either made things either very comfortable or incredibly uncomfortable. This fact included Blaise. They were the only one that knew of her affections for a certain bloodtraitor. Draco, surprisingly, had laughed when she confided it to him, saying he'd known it, like he was certain Granger knew – they weren't daft. He'd been supportive throughout. Blaise was neutral to it; as he was to nearly everything.
"I'll be right back, Draco." She promised. He was afraid of being alone, and it wasn't a surprise with the look Theodore was giving him.
As if on cue, Blaise entered the Great Hall, looking as if a hurricane was chasing him. He fell into Pansy's now vacant seat and grinned at them.
"Morning, Blaise." She said pointedly, and he let go of her wrist.
"Yes, hey." Draco echoed; his tone icy. The silent question was there. Where have you been?
"Sorry, guys, I'd overslept. Is she going?" He pointed to Pansy.
"Yes, I'm going." She answered. "And I'm right here, you know.'
"Whatever."
She rolled her eyes and turned away, smiling fondly.
She headed to the Gamekeeper's hut, making a duck and straight into the forest, where she waited. The forest didn't scare her as much as it used to. She learned to stick to the edges, and then no creature would attack her.
She should've made Ron leave first, he was a Gryffindor, after all, and chivalry was one of their mottos… wasn't it?
She perched herself on a large boulder. She didn't know how long the charade could continue. He was getting impatient too, though he didn't show it. It wasn't the usual Slytherin versus Gryffindor old tug-of-war anymore, it was now Dark versus Light – and they were on opposing sides. A demon and an angel, standing on opposite sides of the apocalyptic battle that was sure to end her life.
She knew the Dark Lord wouldn't win. Love, she'd realised, was strong enough to get through anything. Not even death could keep that emotion at bay. Potter was the proof of that.
She wanted out. Not out of the relationship with Ron, out of the Death Eaters, out of the Dark side… and she wanted Draco out with her.
"Are you thinking again?" His voice startled her. He appeared from behind a large bush, his shirt untucked. She liked that little detail, it wasn't done purposefully by him.
"Yes."
"Is there time for me to run for cover?" He teased, sitting next to her. She immediately leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I want out."
"What?" He jerked back, causing her head to slip.
"No, not out of you! I want to get out of the Death Eaters!" She quickly corrected herself. Ron started to chuckle. "What's so funny?"
"You said you didn't want out of me."
She closed her eyes and shook with laughter. "You know what I mean!"
"I do, you're right." He laughed, pulling her into his embrace. "You sure?"
"Yes – and I know that you're the person to ask."
"Why not Dumbledore?" He queried. She could almost sense the frown creasing on his forehead.
"I'm not currently holding Dumbledore, am I?"
"You know, I could've gone my whole life without that mental image." He said, shuddering.
"I can fix that – imagine Dumbledore in a bright red swimming suit."
"Pans, stop it!" He moaned. "Are you intent on giving me nightmares?"
She giggled against his chest. "And if it is?"
"We're getting off the point."
"Yes." She sat back, looking him in the eye. "But I want to take Draco with me if I can get out. And Narcissa – if we leave her behind, she's as good as dead."
"Let me talk to dad, okay?"
"Please, hurry." She begged. He nodded, giving her a hug. "I love you, Ron."
"I love you too, Pansy."
. . .
Ron never got to send the letter to Arthur. That night the Death Eaters infiltrated Hogwarts; and Draco was thought to have been involved in killing Dumbledore. Pansy hadn't confided to Ron anything about the Death Eaters and their doings.
She'd been hauled off with Draco by Snape. Ron had caught sight of her. She couldn't stop or explain. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' to him before she was gone. The look of betrayal he had on his face was something she would never forget.
She returned to Hogwarts the next year in the hope that she would see him. But after the fall of the Ministry of Magic and the siege of Potter, that failed and ended in the death Alastor Moody. She'd been forced to partake in that – alongside Snape. She tried to sabotage them.
She'd been with the Death Eaters that attacked the Potter with Nymphadora Tonks. Bellatrix was there too. She'd noticed that the Potter wasn't Potter at all – it was Ron. The way his shirt was untucked gave him away.
"Ron!" She gasped, flying near them. He looked around and shock clouded his expression.
"P… Pansy?"
"I will always love you." She whispered before taking the curse Tonks had sent her way.
. . .
She was wandering in an unknown area – some unknown force had pulled her here. She'd felt compelled to enter the street. A movement in one of the pub windows caught her eye. She paused, her wand at the ready. The figure stretched to his full height as he got up. It was dark, just after midnight. A while back some drunks were still singing joyfully – it was just after Christmas. It surprised her that this pub was closed. She saw the piece of untucked shirt…
"Ron?" She asked the night. The figure jumped around, a wand pointed at her. When he recognized her he lowered his wand the tiniest bit.
"What do you want?" He asked her through the glass. She smiled brightly and ran to the entrance, happy to find it open. She threw herself in his arms.
"Where have you been?" She asked, a tear slipping from underneath her eyelid.
"Get off." He said roughly. She noticed his body was stiff, his arms hadn't embraced her in reply.
"What?" She pulled away, taking a step back.
"You lied to me." He accused her. "I… I trusted you! And you helped Malfoy kill Dumbledore!"
"No! I swear…"
"Where are the others?" He demanded, pointing his wand at her.
"Ron! You don't trust me?" She gasped. "I love you! You know that!"
He sighed, sitting down behind the bar. "I don't know what to believe anymore."
"You know I love you." She sat next to him, but didn't dare touch him again.
"How do I know that? For months I heard nothing from you!"
"You know the Dark Lord is watching me!" She yelled at him. He snorted.
"Would you stop using him as an excuse? Nothing stopped you from sending a house elf!"
"And why didn't contact me?" She countered.
"I did." He said. "But you never opened them."
"How do you…"
"Pig kept coming back."
"But…"
"On top of it you lied to me." He stood up, thrusting his hands into his hair. "You helped kill Dumbledore!"
"No, I didn't…"
"You led me on." He said, his eyes downcast.
"…Ron…" Hermione's voice echoed through the tavern.
Both of them looked around at the strange object on the table. Their eyes met briefly. Ron snatched the object before she could – his keeper abilities coming in handy. His other hand had been on the way to his rucksack, but it was now on her cheek. His face inches from her hers. He licked his lips and pressed his lips against hers. She'd missed this. Her hand snaked their way to the back of his neck, where he pulled back.
"Pansy – if you stay on his side, I will kill you. I'll have to." There was a determination in his voice she'd rarely heard before. "I'm going to help my friends."
He clicked the strange object, and a candle she hadn't noticed before went out as a light blue orb appeared.
He gave her a sort of salute and walked into the ball.
Then he was gone.
. . .
Months later they met again. At Hogwarts.
She was trying to get Draco to leave – if anyone saw him they'd kill him on the spot.
"Come on, Draco!"
"I can't go!" He tried to pull free from her grip.
"You must! Think of your mother!" She begged him. He stopped.
"Fine. What do we do?"
"We try to convince the neutral families to fight for the Light side."
"So you've chosen?"
"I chose the day I chose Ronald Weasley!" She yelled at him, wanting to be heard over the screams.
"Yes!" The sound reached her ears. She was whirled around, not seeing what happening – she fully expected her throat to be cut. Instead she felt a pair of slightly chapped lips meet hers. She knew those lips all too well.
"Ronnie!'
"You're the only one that can get away with calling me that." He said dreamily. "Hey, Draco." He grinned at the other teenager. The latter's mouth was hanging open.
"You… you called me Draco…"
"Yes, well, it's your name isn't it? Now – go do your thing, I need to go help Harry. Come on, Hermione."
Pansy hadn't noticed Hermione until now; she was smiling equally pleased at Pansy. Her hands were full of what looked like a bunch of large teeth. Ron took half of it from her and they scarpered.
"Pansy, you need your head read." Draco mentioned casually.
"I know. Come on!"
. . .
The battle was over. The Light side had won, as Pansy had predicted. And she and Draco were acknowledged for playing their part. As they entered the Great Hall, they were met with applause. Ron appeared out of nowhere and swept her into his arms. She noticed how he just held on to her. Luna had already pulled Draco away to the Ravenclaw table, where Lucius and Narcissa were waiting. Draco had thrown both his arms around his parents, and Pansy thought she saw him cry. He must be feeling massive relief.
They'd missed the entire pause in the battle – they'd infiltrated homes like the Zabinis' and convinced them to fight. They'd even entered muggle's homes, muggles they knew to be family of the wizards, and asked them to come fight. The majority of them agreed, they'd fight.
"Ron… what is it?" She asked, trying to get a look at him. She saw the Weasleys all gathered around a body. "Ron, who's dead?" At her words he jerked – he was crying. "Tell me."
"It's Fred."
Her breath caught. She'd never expected Fred to die! Not him! He was too… too alive to be dead!
"I'm so… so sorry…"
"No." He pulled away, she saw tear stains on his face. "You saved all of our lives!"
"But I didn't fight enough…"
"Shut up." He said, hugging her again. "Come meet my family."
Mrs Weasley had hugged her tearfully. Pansy just returned the hug – she knew what it was like to lose someone close. She'd lost her own parents that night. They'd decided to fight for the Dark side.
Over Mrs Weasley's shoulder she saw Potter and Granger, holding hands and possibly feeling like outsiders with the Weasleys. Both of them were crying soundlessly, holding to one another for strength. She gently pulled away from Mrs Weasley and made her way over. Without a word she pulled them into a hug.
"I'm sorry for everything…"
"Shut up, Pansy." Hermione sneered. "If it wasn't for you, and Malfoy, we'd all be dead."
"I didn't do enough…"
"I'm sorry about your parents, Pansy." Harry said as she stood back. "I can't pretend to share your pain…"
"No need, Harry. We're all part of the same family." She looked at clan of redheads. Ginny was now holding her mother. "We'll heal. In time."
"We will." Harry echoed. "But thank you. For everything."
. . .
"We did all right." She smiled at their children. Ron put his arm leisurely around her shoulders. Nineteen years later, and they were seeing their youngest off.
"That we did." He agreed.
They grinned at their friends. Harry and Hermione still had one child in the house to care for, while Luna and Draco were expecting their third.
"We all did." Hermione said, watching Harry hug their youngest son goodbye. "They grow up so fast."
"I know." Pansy said, wiping a tear away. Ron's arm tightened.
"They'll be all right, you know."
It seemed as if Hermione had relayed the same message to Harry, because he grinned and took her hand. His other hand briefly touches his scar. He caught Pansy's eye and winked.
All was well.
. . .
A/N: Well… I did not intend for it to turn out this way – at all, but there you have it. Hope you like it, PanonLove!