A/N: Here's the last chapter! I want to thank every reader and reviewer and Megsy42, who came up with this amazing challenge. I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I have.


As Seasons Go By

A Pansy/Blaise Story

Winter 1999

February

Blaise remembers one day, with funny jolt in his stomach, that in the end of February Pansy has stayed with him ten whole months. It seems such a great period – ten months is almost a year. And one year means the Battle's first anniversary.

How much they have really achieved during these last nine months and few days they have lived together?

They don't have nightmares so often anymore (at least Blaise himself doesn't – but it's so hard to tell about Pansy sometimes). They can now discuss about Hogwarts and their fellow Slytherins, even Vincent Crabbe. They have learned everything about each others, both the bad and the good things.

They have grown and changed a lot during these months. Near Christmas usually so reserved Pansy ran out with Blaise when he noticed it was finally snowing. They laughed and romped and Pansy even risked her new, perfectly white and very expensive coat and jumped in the puddles with him.

When they finally found their way back home, Pansy lingered a little while in the doorway, watching the view with crinkled brow.

"It's easier outside of Hogwarts, have you noticed?" she asked absently when Blaise came from the kitchen, two mugs full of hot cocoa in his hands (while Pansy likes tea, he hates it with a burning passion and would rather do almost anything else than drink that poison).

"Not so much pressure", Blaise nodded. He would have wanted to add "or prejudices", but that would have been a lie – there were too many bitter Gryffindors (and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws) to ignore.

"What a pretty view", Pansy remarked, took another mug and closed the door. "Makes me want to stay here forever."

She walked slowly away, taking sips from her mug and disappeared to the living room. Blaise looked after her and wondered whether she would really want to stay forever.

Neither of them had returned to that topic again, and now, when freezing cold January had turned into a little milder February, Blaise thinks he maybe should bring it up again.

He tries to, never succeeding, and thinks Pansy knows what he is trying to ask. (And doesn't help him at all – how Pansy-like.)

When he has tried to ask that one little question for over a week (February is approaching its end and the ten months anniversary is coming closer every second he wastes), he realises that he doesn't have to say anything at all. The realisation hits him when they are sitting together on his green sofa, just like they did over nine months ago when they were scattered and confused and scared.

She will stay here with him, because she wants to and he wants her to.