Pansy glanced behind her, and saw out of the corner of her eye, that he was still there.
She had no idea why this man was following her, or who he was for that matter, but she really wasn't in the mood for any confrontation. Though if he asked for it, she would no doubt comply.
Pansy had been semi-happily walking down the crowded street, heading for a bookstore near by. She had decided to head into the crowded part of town that morning, and as she watced the man follow her around the next corner, she began to regret her decision. Taking a slight detour she turned down a darkened alley, where the sun just didn't reach, and huffed as the man followed her. He was a good twenty feet away, as if that was going to keep him from her detection.
Pansy rolled her eyes and grazed her hand by her jeans on the side. Her wand was still there, easily accessible if need be. Being a young witch walking in a completely non magical world, she didn't just go whiping it out whever she wanted to. Especially not on the "innocent" people a.k.a. the non-magical. But if she really needed help, she would do what she must, and just clear the memory of the victim and any nearby witnesses.
Suddenly, she heard a slight whispering behind her. The wind was blowing her way, carrying the mans nearly silent words up to her awaiting ears. She scoffed at the realization that her follower was a wizard, speaking a rather intense spell. She wasn't completely sure whether the man knew she was a wizard as well.
"Blasphamus", she yelled, turning around suddenly, her wand whipped from her hidden pocket and now pointing at the man. Her blow was well aimed from years of practice, and her target was blown several feet away from her in the air. He lay there stunned on his back. She walked up to him and cast a memory charm, erasing her image from his mind, and another charm to stun him for a few had no idea why he had followed her, but she really didn't care. As long as it wouldn't happen again, it wasn't a problem.
She straightened out her light pea coat that sheilded her from the brisk New England wind. Placing her wand safely back in her pocket, she headed out of the alley and back to her destination.
She was supposed to be meeting her boyfriend, or would-be boyfried for that matter. Unfortunately his parents had other plans for their son, and none of them included her. They liked her just fine, even loved her, but apparently they had a reputation to uphold.
She stopped in front of the bookstore and grimaced. She never had really liked reading. The endings were always unrealistic and turned out a lot better than it would have in real life. Neverthless here she was, pushing open the door. Silently she made her way to the very back of the shop, passing a small cafe located inside.
"Do you need anything, miss?" Pansy stopped as she was interrupted by a voice. Silently, she shook her head and kept walking. She knew where he would be. In the very back, secluded from anyone else at a small table. Sure enough, as she walked past the last row of books, she saw him sitting there, looking relaxed and peaceful, as if this WASN'T the end of their strange relationship.
Pansy glared at the fact that he looked irresistably good. His hair was silvery blond, and he was pretty thin. She thought he had looked good in school, everyone had, but now he looked even bettter if that were even possible. At eighteen years old, Draco Malfoy was a very handsome young man.
"Are you going to sit down", he asked, glancing at her.
"No." She didn't give anymore of an explanation. It wasn't like they were going to be there for much longer. It was goodbye, and she felt no need to drag it out. No doubt it would just make things worse.
Draco ran a hand through his hair, and Pansy felt a pang at how good he looked doing it.
"Don't do this, Reese", he said, suddenly sounding very tired. "You know I don't want to-"
"Yeah, I know", she interrupted, suddenly blinking furiously. She hated that he knew just how to melt her. No one but he and Blaise knew Areese was her middle name, and he was the only one she allowed to call her that. He didn't do it often but when he did, well it melted her. It was like some sad soppy love story but Pansy didn't want it to be. She just wanted HIM, without all the drama. There were so many things she wanted to say. But for some reason none of them could come out of her.
"Don't call me that", is what came out. She took a deep breath. "It isn't fair." Draco frowned up at her.
"What do you mean", he asked. Pansy blinked away the tear that had been threatening to fall out of her eye.
"You know you're the only one I would ever let call me that", she said, her voice shaking involuntarily. "Just...don't right now...okay." Her voice cracked on the last word and against her will the tears flowed down her face. She took a quick breath and hid her face in her hands as she was overcomb with the strange act of crying. Draco jumped up and wrapped his arms around her.
Usually, Pansy would be more than humilitated at the fact that she was standing in the middle of apublic place, CRYING of all things. But at the moment she really didn't care. Besides, there was no one of importance there. They were in a muggle shop, practically the only place Draco liked to be with muggles. Pansy sniffed in what she though of as a rather pathetic way.
"Don't cry", Draco said quietly, rubbing her back. "It's probably for the better." Pansy ripped away from him and glared angrily.
"What is for the better Draco", she demanded. "That we can't be together? Is that it. You don't want to be with me?" She was causing quite a lot of attention to be drawed to them, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. They were used to being in the spotlight. She knew the things she was saying wasn't true. She knew he liked her, a lot. He had never been all that interested in girls for the longest time, but it turned out Pansy was the lucky one to get her wish. Only last year, at the end of their schooling did Draco say he liked her more than a friend.
"Of course that isn't true, and you know it", Draco said calmly. Pansy looked away. She knew she was picking a fight. It's what they did sometimes. They couldn't help it, it was in their personalities.
"I'm not fighting with you", Draco added. Pansy rolled her eyes.
"So what, is this it", she said waving her hands. "You finally choose that some girl is worth your time and my wish comes true of it being me, and now we're over. Your getting married to somebody else? After everything?" Draco opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. This was stuff she had been trying to say for the past month of her knowing Draco was getting married to another girl. All month they had never mentioned it again after he first told her, and Pansy had never been able to say what she needed to say.
"We have been best friends since we were three and now you're just going to up and leave", she continued.
"I'm not leaving. You know we are still best friends but we can't be together, obviously", he replied. Pansy scoffed.
"Yeah, like that's even possible", she said, huffing as she crossed her arms. "I can't just be your FRIEND anymore, okay. I know you don't want me to say it but that's the truth. I just can't. If you're getting married to that girl, then so be it. But don't expect me to just be around for it, and play the role of the "supportive friend"."
For a while Draco didn't say anything. Unfortunately he had made a strong habit of never looking at the ground so instead his piercing silver orbs were staring straight at her. She sniffed.
"I have to", he said, sounding more unsure than she had ever heard him. He did let her, and the third member of their trio Blaise, see him broken at times but even she had never heard him sound that bad.
"I have to", he repeated still lookoing right at her. "My family is finally nearly back up to the level of respect that we were before the war. It was hard but here we are. I have to marry her. her father is a very important man and if I do, guarenteed he would put in a good word. My father needs to be partners with him, and then no doubt we will be back on top. It's just, something that I have to do, okay?"
Pansy cursed as the tears started to roll down her cheeks again. Suddenly, nothing she had to say had a problem coming out anymore.
"How can you say that", she demanded. "He has done nothing good for YOU Draco. He has put such high and unreasonable and IMPOSSIBLE expectations on you ever since you were a kid. You have spent your whole life trying to please him when we both know that that will never happen, so WHY do you keep trying?" She was screaming at him and it seemed like everyone had cleared the back of the shop. She was hoping that Draco would say something, anything. Yell at her or something. It would be better than this silence. Instead he sighed and walked over to her. Wrapping his arms around her once more. This time Pansy didn't rip away or ever protest, she just didn't have the strength to with him being so close. He rested his forehead against hers, having to lean down a bit. Pansy desperately wished he would just kiss her and say he wasn't leaving, say he wasn't getting married to another girl. What she got instead, was much more surprising.
"I'm sorry." Her breath hitched at bit at the words as she searched his face for...something. He had never apologized to anyone (besides his parents under extremem circumstances) and she just didn't know what to make of it. Before she could say anything though, he was backing away and for some reason she suddenly souldn't speak again. He held her face with his hands and kissed her on the nose.
Pansy knew that this really was the end of whatever they had but she found herself unable to say anything. She knew she was about to burst into tears, so she left the back quickly, unable to say anything else.
As she rushed away she never heard the soft words he spoke after her.
"Goodbye Reese."