December 1st
It was time for Phase 1: Subtly Enter Potter's Life.
Pansy had been waiting years to do this, but truth be told, she was nervous as hell. Granger had invited her to a dinner party at the Burrow as a sign of friendship and Draco had desperately asked her to accept the invitation, with the plea that he didn't want to be the only one in that redheaded rat's nest. Pfft. What a coward. Besides, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the shocked expression on Granger's face when she accepted. It was priceless.
Like Draco, she wasn't excited to see any redheads, but just one person. Harry Potter. She was so nervous that for the last 3 hours she couldn't decide on what she would wear – skin tight dress, loose floor length dress, dark jeans with a blouse, dressy shorts with a blouse. She didn't know what to do with her hair – curls, straightened, wavy, up-do, half up half down, or just down. She didn't know what to do with her face – make-up, no make-up, light make-up, heavy make-up. She didn't know what shoes to wear – flip flops, flats, heels, or sneakers. All in all, Pansy was a hot mess.
Come on, Parkinson. You're nervousness is absurd. Pull yourself together. You're acting like a teenage girl with a crush.
After several hours, she finally decided on a casual, but elegant jumpsuit with matching heels, light make-up, with an updo hairstyle. She checked herself again in the mirror and nodded her head in approval.
"Alright Pansy, you can do this. You're nervousness is disgusting for a Slytherin."
With one last glance, she headed to her fireplace. With a neutral expression, she grabbed the floo powder, took a deep breath, and made her way to the one place you'd never find a snake – the Lion's Den.
Within seconds, she landed in the Burrow.
How wonderful. I'm here.
She delicately dusted the powder off her clothes and stepped out, taking in the view of the living room with its mix-match furniture, worn-out pillows, old curtains, and picture frames gracing the walls and fireplace.
Definitely not my cup of tea, but there's a certain kind of sickening warmth to it.
All was quiet in the house, until there was a loud boom, followed by a thunderous roar of footsteps and voices.
"Fred! Give that back!"
"Sorry Harry, but no can do."
"Ginny, you know the Chudley Cannons are going to beat your Lady Harpies. It's fact."
"Shut it, Ron! I'll bet you 10 galleons your team will lose!"
"Deal!"
"Children! Wash up, dinner is almost ready!"
Pansy heard them before she saw them. One by one she was met with each Weasley. Before she could blink, everyone had their wand pointed at her. She didn't see Granger or Draco anywhere.
"Parkinson!" They all spat.
Pansy smirked. "Aw, you still remember me."
"What are you doing here?" Ron bellowed.
"How dare you show your face!" Ginny growled.
"You're not welcome here."
Pansy turned her head slightly to the left to look directly into the angered face of Harry Potter. Her heart singed a little at the anger in his beautiful green eyes.
Well, what did you think was going to happen? That they would welcome you with open arms? Damn Gryffindors and holding grudges.
Pansy casually looked at them all, from one to another.
"You're wrong Boy Wonder. I was invited here."
Pansy turned her head and shot an icy glare to Ginny.
Aww, Weaselette. Time to play.
"Impossible. No one would invite you, you pug-faced, Slytherin, wh-"
"Tsk, tsk. Is that how you treat your guests? Where are your manners Weasley?" Pansy mockingly rebuked.
Ginny's face slowly became as red as her hair. Yeow. I had no idea something else could match that copper head. Ginny moved to cast a hex, only to be disarmed.
"I thought hexing a wandless witch was a cowardly thing to do." Draco spat, moving to stand next to Pansy.
"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed.
Draco couldn't help but throw a glare at Hermione, then everyone else.
"Draco, you've been hanging out with Gryffindors too much. Your bravery is nauseating."
Draco chuckled. "Glad you could make it Pans."
"Hello! Can someone tell me who invited the Slytherin slag?!" Ron yelled.
"Ronald! I did! I told you guys a friend of Draco's was coming. Pansy was that friend."
"Get out." Ginny picked up her wand to throw a hex, but then she was frozen in place.
With a bored look on her face, Pansy regarded the looks of amazement and she couldn't help, but smirk.
"You...yo...you can do silent and wand less magic?" Ron sputtered.
With an exaggerated eye roll, Pansy replied: "I'm not an idiot, Weasley. My grades were exceptional in Hogwarts. I was number 4 in the class."
Pansy wandlessly and silently unfroze Weaselette. "I suggest you do something about your reflexes little red. It's poor for a supposed Gryffindor."
With one last look, she said: "it seems that I have outstayed my welcome. Thank you for the invitation Granger, but it seems that I'll have to take a rain check."
"What is going on here?" Mrs. Weasley asked, clearly confused as she entered the living room.
"Mrs. Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I'm - "
"Miss Parkinson." She stated with a hard look in her eyes.
Keep a neutral face Pansy.
"Ah, yes. That's right. I was invited by Gra - Hermione to attend your dinner. I assumed she had already made the necessary arrangements for me to be here. But apparently that doesn't seem to be the case." Pansy replied, looking pointedly at everyone else.
"I'll be on my way. Maybe some other time then." Pansy turned with her back to everyone towards the fireplace.
"I wouldn't bother showing your face around here any time soon." Ron spat.
"You've got some nerve after what you did in the war." Ginny snapped.
With her back still turned to them, Pansy silently amplified her voice for everyone to hear. "No. We were in a war, in dire situations. We all did what we thought was best."
"You death-eater scum! If your parents -"
Pansy spun around and with lightening speed had her wand against Ron's throat, while disarming everyone else. She chillingly replied: "Don't speak of my parents, Weasley. You don't know them. Listen carefully, my family was neutral in the war, we do not have the dark mark." She showed her left arm.
Come on Pansy, relax. Are you going to let some Gryffindors get under your skin?
"You're not loyal or brave or -"
Pansy couldn't help but laugh. With each sentence her wand pressed harder into his throat. "You're one to talk, you ditched Potter and Granger. I did what was best for my family (Draco included). I don't owe you an explanation, but let me make myself clear. I am loyal to no one, but them."
Pansy fiercely glared into Ron's eyes before roughly letting him go. Now she was addressing everyone. "If you want something brave, look to Potter or Draco or Granger or even me. You didn't have Voldermort in your home! You didn't have him in your worst nightmares. You didn't see him torture people. You didn't hear their screams. You didn't hear them beg for death." All of a sudden the anger just left her body, to be filled with anguish.
Don't lose it. Not in front of these people.
Then her voice lowered to a whisper, but everyone could still hear. It was faint, but you could make out the slight tremor in her voice if you paid close attention. "You didn't hear him threaten to kill off each family member one by one unless you did what you were told. You didn't have his minions watching your every move, trying to force you to do things you didn't want to do. Maybe I'm not brave Weasley, but I'm no coward."
Pansy turned to peer into Harry's eyes. "I guess we're alot alike Potter."
There was silence, but the question was clear. How?
Pansy stared long and hard into his eyes, allowing only him to see a flicker of anguish and pain before her expression returned to cool and neutral. "Because Voldermort killed my parents in front of me too."
With that said, she disapparated.
Dinner was a quiet occasion with Ron sporting a black eye (thanks to Draco), an infuriated Hermione (at Ginny and Ronald), a frozen Ginny (thanks to Pansy who hexed her with a tricky, complicated bit of magic that Hermione refused to undo), and one contemplative Harry Potter.
Pansy apparated home, wandlessly silencing her apartment as she dropped heavily on her couch.
Well today went just wonderful. Exactly how I planned. Pfft. Damn Weasley.
She sat there for a while just staring off. Soon, her body began to shake with sobs and tears started to fall.
Memories and flashbacks of the war came. They were haunting her. All the blood, the pain, the screaming; everything she thought she put behind her suddenly came rushing back. It was a nightmare that didn't end. The peace she reached in her parents passing and the peace she tried to attain within the last 7 years vanished in a mere half hour.
"Damn you, Voldermort! Damn you!" The sobs kept coming and the tears kept flowing.
She grabbed the lamp on the table beside the couch and chucked it as hard as she could. She grabbed the lamp on the other table beside the couch and chucked that one as hard as she could.
The faces, the darkness, the fear: she couldn't forget about it; couldn't make it disappear. Her parents. Her parent's death, the death eaters. Voldermort. It hurt. And she couldn't make it hurt any less. Her cries - you could hear the agony, the misery, the desolation, the distress. More than anything: the grief.
After a few hours, a few repaired and re-broken lamps, Pansy curled herself into the couch and eventually cried herself to sleep.
I know it's short, but I'm still very busy with academics. Reviews are love!
Let me know what you think and let me know what you think should happen next!
Should Harry meet her unannounced?
Should Harry do some snooping on the one and only Pansy Parkinson?
What should Pansy do next to try and insert herself into Harry Potter's life?
Let me know and maybe it'll appear in the next chapter! :)