Disclaimer: Joanne did the hard work. I just reorganised her words a little.

Beta Love: BirdieMing, Mahawna, & MissandMarauder

A/N: I realise it's been forever. You've probably already forgotten about this story, it's been so long. SORRY!

Xoxo, Luce


CHAPTER FOUR

Little Misery Box

Ginny paced around her apartment, fuming. How could her mother still think that she had absolute control over her life? Why did she think it was any of her business who she dated, or when she dated them? Let alone trying to dictate what she wore! This was exactly why she chose to only see her mum during Sunday dinners, and do her damndest to fend off the woman's attempts to get together any other time. It really wasn't worth the frustration of spending the entire time fighting for control over her life.

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror again. She'd never worn a bow tie or suspenders before, but she found that she rather liked the look. It somehow suited her, and she felt much more comfortable than she ever did in dresses. She actually thought she looked rather nice, and these trousers even showed off what little bum she had. She huffed and turned from the mirror to walk into her kitchen where there was a bottle of firewhisky calling her name.

Opening the cupboard, she grabbed a glass and was about to pour herself a generous serving when she paused. It was still relatively early in the evening and she didn't have to be at practice until the afternoon on Monday. There was no reason she had to stay home and wallow alone.

Without another moment of deliberation, Ginny left her apartment and briskly walked to the nearest apparition point, vanishing on the spot.

xxx

Walking into Renegade, she found that it wasn't as rowdy as it had been the last time. There were only a handful of people tonight, which made it incredibly easy for her to spot Pansy Parkinson at the bar, even though her back was turned. Chase was animatedly talking to Pansy, but he threw Ginny a smile and a wink when he saw her. She took a deep breath and determinedly walked over to the witch, sliding into the stool next to her, still looking at Chase.

"Firewhisky, please."

She watched Pansy out of the corner of her eye. The witch slowly turned her body to face her but didn't say anything yet. Chase grinned and pulled a shot glass up to the counter, filling it to the brim before sliding it to Ginny.

She quickly downed the amber liquid and pushed the glass back, holding a finger up to ask for another. Chase poured the second shot. She gulped it down just as quickly as the first and pushed it back again. "Another, please."

"Damn Weasley, what's got your knickers in a twist tonight?" Pansy asked.

Ginny waited for the third shot, swallowing it down before turning to face Pansy. When she finally took a good look at the witch sitting next to her, the butterflies in her stomach increased tenfold.

Pansy was sitting, one leg delicately crossed over the other, her head slightly cocked to the side. She was wearing a dark red velvet dress that hugged her in all the right places, and Ginny struggled not to let her gaze drift inappropriately.

"My mother," she said in answer to Pansy's question.

Pansy laughed lightly and turned to Chase. "Another round of shots, Chase. For awful mothers," she said before turning back to Ginny. "I have one of those, too. What's yours done?"

"Spent the last several years trying to marry me off to every eligible bachelor and refusing to rein in her disappointment when I don't cooperate. Plus she made it clear tonight that she thinks I look like a boy and no man will ever want me like this." Ginny rolled her eyes and accepted the shot, watching as Pansy raised her own glass in toast.

"To interfering mothers," Pansy said before lifting the shot to her lips.

Ginny mirrored her and slid the empty glass across the counter.

"I think you look quite fetching," Pansy said offhandedly as she slid her own glass back to Chase. "A couple more beers, handsome?"

Chase nodded and began filling glasses for them.

Ginny blushed and looked anywhere but at the witch sitting next to her. She smiled in thanks as Chase offered her the beer and then excused himself to work down the bar, turning back to Pansy when she spoke again.

"I was wondering when I would see you here again."

"What made you think I'd show up again?" Ginny asked, rotating her body to face the witch.

"No one kisses back like that if they aren't into it, Weasley." Pansy smiled suggestively and raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow.

Ginny blushed and turned her head from Pansy, not having any clue how to respond to that. Hearing Pansy chuckle softly, though, she turned back to face her.

"You're cute when you're nervous," Pansy said, taking far too much pleasure in Ginny's discomfort. "Why are you nervous?"

Ginny blushed even more. "I'm not… I…" Ginny sighed and picked at her cuticle. "I'm not sure what I'm doing here," she admitted quietly.

"Looks to me like you're drinking," Pansy offered with a shrug. "That's why I'm here."

Ginny laughed and nodded in agreement, taking a hearty sip of her beer.

xxx

The poor girl was wound tighter than an Unspeakable, and Pansy found herself intrigued and more than a little determined to get her to open up.

"So what's the occasion?" she asked, reaching out to gently tug on the black bow tie around Weasley's neck.

"Sunday dinner," she said. "Ever since Harry started bringing Draco, mum's insisted that we all dress up." She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "I usually wear a dress to placate her, but tonight I just really didn't feel like it."

Pansy pursed her lips. "She doesn't like a woman in trousers?"

"'It's not ladylike, and no man wants a woman who dresses the same as he does.' She doesn't seem to understand that I might not want the life she's planned out for me."

"You would think she would have figured out by now that you aren't a barefoot in the kitchen, baby on the hip sort of witch."

"Exactly! I don't know how to make her see that I don't want that."

"Maybe she never will." Pansy took a sip of her beer and shrugged.

"Thanks for the optimism," Weasley said under her breath.

"You have to get over being hung up about what your mum wants you to do, Weasley. Get over what anyone else wants you to do, except you. You'll be stuck in your little box of misery until you move past other people's expectations and start living only for yourself. The misery box sucks, don't get stuck there."

When she got no response, Pansy glanced at the redhead sitting next to her. Weasley was looking directly at her, untamed eyebrows raised, with a knowing look on her face.

"Are we talking about me, or you, here?"

"We are talking about getting more drinks, actually. You and I are getting wasted tonight, Weasley. So wasted that we forget we care about what anyone else thinks. Chase, we need more shots!"

Pansy bit her lip as she watched Chase skip down the bar toward them. She purposefully avoided looking at the witch sitting next to her because that's all that she wanted to do. Pansy was not used to being the one desperately wanting more. She was used to being the mysterious, hard to get, one night stand. This curiosity business didn't feel right at all.

Which obviously meant more alcohol was needed.

xxx

"What do you mean you and Draco never slept together? It was literally common knowledge that you two defiled the school on a regular basis!" Ginny barely got through the end of her sentence before she was laughing through tear-filled eyes.

They'd both had more drinks than she could count at this point, and Pansy just revealed that apparently, she and Draco were only fake-dating all those years in school.

"Honestly!" Pansy laughed, shaking her head. "We did try, once, but that was—" She made a face as if she'd eaten something rotten and Ginny squealed.

"It was what? Don't leave me hanging, Parkinson! Spill!"

"I think we were fifteen? The summer before we started pretending to date each other. I was at Draco's, and he had a bottle of firewhisky stashed up in his room. Neither of us were at all sober, and we decided that we should try it out, just to make sure," Pansy said, laughing with a shrug.

"Make sure of what?" Ginny asked, grinning cheekily. She realised, of course, that the alcohol was entirely affecting her ability to act normal at this point, but she was having too good a time to slow down now.

Pansy leant in, so Ginny followed suit, still grinning as Pansy whispered, "To make sure we were gay! It was Draco's idea, really," Pansy said, smiling at the memory. "We got as far as him sticking his tongue in my mouth before we both started laughing and gagging too hard." Pansy laughed at the memory and finished her beer.

"Why did everyone think you two were doing it all over the castle then?" Ginny asked, genuinely curious as to how that rumor had spread until it was considered a fact.

"Oh, we were doing it all over the castle, just not with each other," Pansy said seriously, before losing it and laughing loudly again.

Ginny's eyes widened and her jaw dropped before she joined the other witch in her laughter.

"Who—?" She shook her head and raised her eyebrows. "There were a lot of rumours, Parkinson."

"Well, there were a lot of girls," she said, shrugging and looking entirely unashamed by her own history.

"I'm not sure I believe you, are we talking about the same Hogwarts here? Giant castle, hidden in Scotland, squid in the lake…?"

"That would be the one," Pansy confirmed, and then with a mischievous smile added, "You would be surprised at the number of girls willing to experiment if only you ask."

Ginny let out a burst of laughter even as a blush crept over her. She was entirely too curious as to who had been willing to experiment with Pansy over the years. "I'm going to need some names, Parkinson, otherwise I'll have to assume it's all bollocks."

"Oh, Weasley, you poor, sheltered thing." She reached out and put her hand on Ginny's knee. "I have names from every house. Where do you want me to start?"

"Merlin's balls, every house?" Ginny asked, wide eyed. "How many people have you slept with?"

"A fair few," Pansy answered. "Let's see. Slytherin was Tracey, but only the one time. We were both drunk," she explained. "Hufflepuffs were fun. If you ever get a chance, sleep with a Hufflepuff. They are much naughtier than you'd expect," she said grinning. "That was Hannah and Susan."

"Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones?!" Ginny gasped and blinked several times. "Are they lesbians?"

Pansy shrugged. "I have no clue. Don't really care, either. They're both wild in the sack," she smirked wickedly and continued. "Then there was the Ravenclaw Patil twin, Lavender, and—"

"Lavender Brown? You slept with Lavender Brown? Why? My brother slept with her!"

Pansy made a face. "Yes, that was rather awkward. Something I worked very hard to ignore, so I'd appreciate it if you never bring it up again." She made a face, laughed, and continued. "There was also Lovegood, and I think that covers the Hogwarts years."

"Luna? Luna Lovegood? You slept with Luna?"

Pansy shrugged, "I'd do it again, too. That witch blew my mind." She chuckled and bit her lip, apparently reminiscing.

"Ew," Ginny said, not wanting to think about her friend blowing Pansy's mind.

"What about you, Weasley? I know Potter was it for you in school, but what about after? I know I heard you dated someone after Potter, but I can't remember who?"

Ginny immediately blushed and took a sip of her beer. She had been so caught up in discovering Pansy's history that she forgot her own would likely be questioned as well. She set her beer down and bit her lip. "Well—"

"Alright witches, get your bloody fantastic arses off my bar stools, I've been closed for ten minutes now!" Chase playfully whipped a bar rag at them, and pointed his wand at their glasses, vanishing their glasses.

"Alright, alright you pushy bastard," Pansy laughed, pulling open her handbag and fishing out several Galleons.

Ginny found her own purse and made sure to leave a generous tip—considering the drink she spilled and the after hours accommodation they'd gotten.

The two witches said animated goodbyes to Chase and left the bar together, heading toward the apparition point that was just around the corner.

"Will you be at the Ministry fundraiser gala this week? I'm covering it for the magazine, it would be nice to see a friendly face."

"I haven't decided yet," Ginny said. "Harry and Draco will be there, though."

"By friendly, I meant pretty," Pansy said, laughing as they stopped just short of their destination.

Ginny laughed loudly, the alcohol still coursing through her veins. "Oh, they're handsome enough."

"Still, I'd like to see you there." Pansy reached out and straightened the braid on Ginny's shoulder. "Come and see me?"

Ginny blushed, glad for the darkness. The butterflies that had disappeared after her first few drinks had returned with a vengeance, and she found herself quite nervous again. "I'll think about it. I'm not actually sure I even have a dress to wear."

"Then be the rebellious woman your mother so despises and wear trousers," Pansy suggested with a smirk.

Ginny laughed at that. "I might just do that, Parkinson."

"Pansy," she corrected, taking a step forward.

Ginny's breath caught as she realised that she was about to be kissed again. Pansy tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear, cupped her face, and slowly leant forward. She ignored the screaming nerves inside her body and met the witch's lips with her own, closing her eyes as Pansy kissed her sweetly, her tongue silently requesting entrance, which Ginny granted with a satisfied sigh. She brought her arms to Pansy's waist, not sure if she was holding the witch to her, or holding herself steady.

The kiss was over all too soon, and Ginny drew a ragged breath in as Pansy moved to whisper in her ear.

"Come to the gala," she said with a flirtatious lilt to her voice.

Before Ginny could respond, Pansy had taken a step back, smiled seductively at her, turned, and vanished.

Ginny stood dumbstruck, staring at the spot where Pansy had disappeared. She brought a hand up and gently touched her lips, her heart threatening to beat itself out of her chest. She exhaled slowly and stepped forward, closing her eyes and focusing on apparating home in one piece.

The first thing she did after she stumbled into her flat was grab a piece of parchment and a quill to pen a letter to Harry and Draco.

She was finally going to take Draco up on his longstanding offer to shop for her.