They reached Hogsmeade and Harry stepped out of the carriage; turning around and holding a hand out for Pansy to help her out of the carriage. She smiled and took his hand but pulled it back as soon as her feet were standing on the ground in Hogsmeade. She looked around and she could be sure that everyone had seen what had just happened. The little interaction did not remain unnoticed. Especially not from a person who was standing leaned against a wall near the three broomsticks. Blaise stepped closer but turned around. He actually had no idea why but Pansy's behaviour and all her actions looked happy and not sad anymore. No matter what she was planing to do with Potter to make Draco suffer after all it made her happy for at least a few hours a day. He turned around smiling and entered the Three Broomsticks. Even though Draco was his best friend he could no longer accept the fact of how Draco treated Pansy day in day out without any respect for her feelings and thoughts. And even he thought that marrying that stange girl would be the most stupid decision Draco would make in his entire life. Soon after he entered the Three Broomsticks Pansy and Harry followed. They did not see him and sat down on one of the smaller table while he remained in his corner in the back of the pub with a good sight on them two. He had no idea what actually was going on between them. He looked around who else was in the pub but luckily found none who he could say he would know. The other students all seemed to be outside or around in one of the shops. He ordered something to drink and continued staring at the "new" couple. It did not work for him for a long time. Harry soon looked around the pub himself as he got up and walked over to madame Rosmerta to order two butterbeer. He noticed Blaise but did not obviously show it. As soon as he had returned to the table he looked over at Pansy.
"Did you notice that Blaise is staring over at us?"
Pansy turned around; looking shocked. It did not matter to her that someone was seeing her with Harry but that Blaise was acting like a spy according to Harry made her become suspicious that this might be more then something that just happened by chance. She got up right away and walked over to Blaise; sat down next to him and just looked at him. It took him quiet a while to realise that Pansy wasn't going to say anything untill he started with a good explanation why she and Harry both had the chance to catch him spying on them.
"Pansy. Nice to see you! I was just about to come over to you..."
Pansy interupted him in the middle of the word.
"Don't, okay! Me and you, we both perfectly well know what I and Harry as well just caught you on and now you better give me a good explanation why you were spying on me and Harry."
"You are calling him Harry?"
"Yes, we are friends. Okay, we are on the way to become friends."
"You are what?" Blaise looked slighty shocked.
"Yu heard me correctly. How long have you been staring at us? Why have you actually been spying at all?"
"I saw you and him at the carriage and the way you both acted and then I went into this pub and you soon followed. Which was nothing I could have known before I entered, just so that you know."
"And then? You just thought it might be funny to sit here staring at us?"
"Well no. I saw you and him and I was scared you might be cheating on Draco. I just wanted to make sure you would not cheat on him even though I saw that you finally were laughing again. I just thought it would be better if I would stay here and look after you. I don't want you to do anything stupid. When I saw you leaving the carriage I thought that you are happy but the more I looked at you the more I was scared you might do anything really stupid."
"Just to your information Blaise, Harry and me are, like I already mentioned, just on the way to become friends. We are spending a day together at Hogsmeade, that's all! And just to be sure I mentioned it: Draco Malfoy is the only person who will do something really stupid on purpose and not me!" He voice had sounded slightly offended by the words and thoughts that had just escaped Blaise's mouth. He got up and walked back to Harry. Together they left the pub and if Blaise wouldn't have known that Pansy was angry as hell he would have not noticed. She had incredibly good self-controle.
Pansy stepped out of the Three broomsticks and she could not believe what just happened. She took a deep breath. She felt as if she had just woken up from a really bad nightmare.
"What did he want from you Pansy?"
"He said he was just there cause he thought he would have to keep me from doing something really stupid like cheating on Draco with you."
Harry looked at her. His expression showing how shocked he was.
"He did not..."
"He did. Blaise and the others have no idea I am talking to you. They have no idea where I went the past two times when I met up with you. One time in the library and the other time down at the lake. They never ask but this time Blaise saw me with you and put one and one together. Just one fact; the solution he figured out was wrong. I am not here to cheat on Draco with you or anything. I just need a friend I can lean on and trust completely."
"Can't Blaise help you with that fact? Being a friend who you can trust?"
"Hell no! He might be a friend actually but he is also Draco's best friend. How can I trust him knowing that if Draco would beg he would tell him everything just to help him?!" She looked desperate. Harry couldn't helped but laid a hand onto her shoulder.
"You are right. I am sorry about this. I think I understand finally how alone you must be up there in Slytherin as the only girl of your year with just a bunch of stupid boys and Millicent around you."
Suddenly Pansy started to laugh. Harry turned her around and looked at her. He was obviously confused about the unexpected reaction.
"What? Have I said anything funny?"
"Yes!" Pansy was almost coughing out the words in between the laughter."You actually turned Millicent into neither a girl nor a boy."
"I did what?"
"You talked about me being the only Slythering girl of my year with just a bunch of boys and Millicent." She couldn't help but grabbed Harry's arm to make sure she would not fall to the floor laughing about the logic of his words. Harry finally saw what she meant and bursted out into laughter. It took them both quiet a while to get back to normal. Both were gasping for air.
"Where shall we go first?"
"I would say Zonko's, then the new shops and then we'll see I'd say." Pansy smiled at Harry. Even though she hated to admit it. Her plan was working for and against her. For her in fact that it was driving everyone, especially Draco, mad that she was hanging out with Harry Potter; Draco Malfoy's greatest enemy, and against her for a reason she was still figuring out in the deepest sections of her mind. It had not really come to her mind in the way that she would realise it nor would she accept it.
They started walking toward Zonko's. The sunlight was shining down on them and they were both glad that this day seemed to be as nice and everything else except the incident with Blaise and Draco. The sun was shining, the birs were singing in their trees and all the people seemed to be in a happy mood. Harry was actually wondering about the weather. It was September and actually at this time it should already be wet and cold outside. It was nearly October and soon the leaves would fall off the trees, the rain would set in and everything would be muddy and rainy all the time; just like he was used to. But now; this year the weather seemed to be nice. "I can't wait to see how Zonko's looks like now after the Fred and George have taken over it."
"Fred and George?"
"The Weasley twins."
Oh, right. I never really had the chance to get to know them at least not their first names." She looked at Harry who was busy looking across the street up to the big shop that once was Zonko's; now under the lead of the Weasley twins.
"You will, Pansy. I'll introduce you to them. They'll like you as soon as they see that you are not the unfair and slimy little girl they always thought of you to be."
"They did think of me like that?"
"Well you have to see it like that. They and actually I have to include everyone apart from Slytherin, we all just saw you as the slimy girl glued onto Draco Malfoy's arm. Always saying what he wants, always beating down the weaker ones or the ones you thought to be weaker then you. Which actually just proved how weak you are in some ways."
"Oh." Pansy did not admit nor show but she was really disappointed about herself and the way people had seen her. Suddenly a thought came to her mind. What if changing herself wouldn't be so bad after all? She was happy around Harry wasn't she? Was there a possebility that she could be happy around his friends too and maybe become friend with Harry and the others? She abruptly stopped in the middle of walking. Harry turned around; looking at her.
"Are you okay? You are pale white! Do you need to sit down?"
Pansy shoke her head without any words to say. She continued walking and soon the actually confused Harry followed.
Long time after they had entered the shop Pansy finally started speaking again.
"I am sorry about this strange incident from earlier. I was just thinking about something and got...um...remembered of something and that was a little weird." Her stomach was aching for a second. Guilt was rising up inside of her again. She had lied one more time. She was angry about herself. Why couldn't she controle herself? Harry just nodded. Lately nothing about Pansy was making him wonder.
"Shall we go then and see if Fred and George are here?"
"Yes, of course. If you want me to meet them, lets meet them." She smiled at him. When she made up her plan to use him to get back Draco's ful attention she had no idea what to expect about Harry. She never thought he could be nice and kind and funny nor that he could make her feel welcome and comfortable. For her Harry had always been the moody person, most times looking angry or pissed off at something or he looked uncomfortable as soon as the other students started staring at him. Now that she gave herself a bit time to think about it Pansy had to give in that Harry never seemed to have all the attention he got by the press and every other rumours spread by a lot of people including her still-boyfriend. Shame claimed her.
"Why are you so silent, Pansy? Is anything wrong?"
"No, Harry. Everything is okay. But no matter what has been or what will be let me say I am sorry about it."
Harry looked at her confused; his eyebrow arrowed suspicious.
"What are you talking about?"
"Everything I have done to you and everything I might do to you whenever I might get back to normal. When I get back to the normal Pansy, the one you knew all the time."
Harry lifted one arm. He carefully laid one hand down onto her shoulder.
"Lets forget this okay? It is past and for the future I can just say I hope you don't get back to normal because I really could get used to the new Pansy Parkinson. In the past few weeks you have either changed a lot or I just got to know the real you and no matter what you should not change it. If this war ever ends with a victory from my people then being on our site is a lot easier and will help you a lot more to get into this." He winked at her and turned back. He looked around the shop and finally got a glance of the well-known read hair. He grabbed Pansy at her left arm and walked over to Fred and George with certain steps.
"Fred! George! Good to see you"
The twins turned around. Their faces lit up with bright smiles as soon as the eyes caputred Harry. Fred grabbed Harry and pulled him into an embrace using to get him caught in one arm and rub fondling with a fist over his head; making his hair look even more messed up and weird then it already did if that was possible.
"Harry! So, how are you? We haven't heard anything from you in ages. What is going on?"
"Some troubles with Hermione and Ron. The usual stuff."
"Oh, they are still both too stubborn to get things cleaned up? Still to stubborn to finally tell each other that they are in love with each other head-over-heels!?"
"Way more then just head-over-heels! It is so annoying to come down into the great hall planing to just have nothing more then just having breakfast but be pleased, yeah, more forced to follow their oh so nice arguments each time about something more stupid and senseless."
"Oh poor you. I still know how they acted during the past holidays. Horrible. How do you manage that?"
"Well most times with just ignoring them."
Fred and George nodded the same time. Then George took over the lead. His face was covered with a serious expression.
"What about Ginny? How is she?"
"I don't know. I don't really care. And so does she. I mean I care but I try to forget. She wanted to be with another guy, she dumped me now she can do what ever she pleases to do."
"What do you mean? I know she dumped you cause of someone else. That's what everyone still got to know."
"Oh well she is acting as if there is actually everything okay. As if this all never happened. She comes up to me very often lately asking me for Quidditch practice but I can't. Ron is holding the practice and I am just annoyed about her when ever she asks me to hold it myself. Ron told me in the very few minutes he we talk that Ginny skips every practice hold by him. I feel like she is just trying to kid me and in the end I really don't want to have anything to do with her ever again except the stuff that I really need."
"That bad? I thought you both would come over it."
"Oh she is over this. I am too! I am over her, I am just not over the fact the way she dumped me and for what reason. The betrayel I feel is the worsed thing."
The twins nodded in unision. Pansy who had remained silent until now, moved out of the shadow of ignorance that had enveloped her. Harry woke up out of his trance that had caught him in his own thoughts. He felt slightly ashamed of not having her introduced officially to his friends.
"Oh sorry, Pansy. Fred, George, you already know her but now officially this is Pansy. And Pansy this are Fred and George. Don't ask me ho is who. I still haven't figured it out." He smiled bright. Fred and George looked shocked.
"Pansy!? Well nice to meet you. But Harry...Can I talk to you for a while? Alone? Fred might show Pansy the shop. Some parts look very different from the way they looked when it all looked when this was still Zonko's all the way and not ours. What do you think, Pansy?" Fred was faking a smile and it was more then just obvious. Pansy agreed and Harry looked after her, watching her and Fred walk away.
"What do you want to talk to me about and what is your problem about Pansy. That you and Fred are having something against her was obvious."
"Yes, exactly. She is Draco Malfoy's girlfriend. What are you doing with her?"
"We are nothing more then friends, George. After she had and is still having a lot of trouble with Draco and I am having trouble with Ginny, Hermione and Ron this was just something that borught us together. We have the same problems and she isn't the unfair person I thought she is. She gave me a book about Quidditch and she started talking to me two weeks ago in the library. She isn't what you think!"
George stepped back. He felt offended cause in his opinion he was right about Pansy.
"Harry I am just worried about you. What if this is just a trick to get you into some kind of a trap? Beat you down or something? I just want you to be careful!"
"Just trust me. She is not planing anything. She just wants to escape Draco every now and then."
"Why would Pansy Parkinson want to escape the official love of her life?" George couldn't help but love. The last time he saw Pansy and Draco the girl was still holding onto his arm, sticked to it like glue. Harry looked at him angry.
"Listen to me and shut up with your stupid jokes for once, George Weasley. Draco Malfoy is going to dump Pansy at the end of this term. His father wants him to marry a girl he never saw but that is rich, very rich. And he agreed on it without any doubts to mention. He does not care one bit how she feels about this. And after all she no real friends over there except Blaise Zabini who happens to be also Draco Malfoy's best friend which causes her not to completely trust him and so I am just her friend. And I guess you finally understand that she is not talking to me, hanging out with me and whatever else cause she wants to make walk directly into a trap to be beaten down by her oh so beloved boyfriend."
Silence took over. George could just nod.
"So, there are the old things Zonko was already offering. And the rest is just the new stuff we are offering in the Diagon Alley. Some sweets causing you to vomit, to turn red, to get a temperatur, to fall asleep or even to let your hair grow without an end." He laughed. Pansy smiled and nodded, then her face turn serious.
"Why did you seperate me and Harry? What is your problem about me?"
"Well..." Fred did not end the sentence. Pansy gave him no chance to.
"Well?"
"Let me look for the right words."
"Hurry up. I think I deserve an explanation at least."
"Yes of course. Well, we did not get to know you under very good circumstances and so for us it's actually obvious that you are not hanging out with Harry cause you want a true friendship. Except Hermione, Ron and maybe Neville and of course Luna no one really wants a real friendship with him. Ginny might want but that is complicated."
"How do you I do not want a real friendship?" She looked angry. Fred felt sorry.
"I actually don't know that. I just thought this might be the truth. Do you want a real friendship?"
Pansy remained silent for a while which made Fred react suspicious.
"No friendship."
"Yes friendship. That is all I want but I am scared to say it out loud. Draco might hear me I fear where ever I go."
"Why that?"
"Unlike him who seems to have the right to date and dump whom ever he wants when ever he wants I do not have that right in his opinion and I don't think he believes me if I say it's just a simple friendship. And even he would believe it we are still talking about Harry Pottter, his enemy."
Fred looked down and so did Pansy. Fred cause he could understand the twist Pansy was torn in and Pansy cause she felt guilty about telling all those lies about real friendship. Why couldn't she get rid of this feeling? Could it be that it wasn't a lie and she really wanted a friendship? She shoke her head.
"Is anyhing wrong with you?" Fred had seen her face covered with a look of a deep in thoughts caught person. Her shaking her head made him question what was so wrong about this all. She did not look comfortable.
"Oh I was just thinking what might happen if I tell Draco officially about me and Harry being friends."
"I think he will get angry."
"Oh how well thought. It was less the question if he will be angry then more the question of how immense the damage of anger will be."
"Right, sorry. I am also sorry if I reacted unfair."
"It's okay.I just hope your brother doesn't have a different opinion about that. I know Harry always wants his friends to be able to deal with eather without problems. At least that's what it looked like when I looked at him in the past."
"Yes of course. Friends who can stand each other are way better to handle for everyone. I don't think George will have a problem with you if Harry tells him the same things you told me." Fred smiled. He had to give in that this girl turned out to be a big surprise. Maybe Harry could find in her the missing strength and shoulder to cry on and so could she. They both needed the other it seemed. he looked around and his eyes moved untill his sight was caught on a large clock on the wall. "Oh Merlin. Look at the time. It's already so late. Do you both wanted to go into any other shops?"
"Yes, one or two of the new dress shops." She turned around to see what time it was to be called late. She agreed. It was almost six and they soon would have to go back to carriage. Even though it did not seem like that they had spend a lot of time in Hogsmeade already. She turned around to the place where she had left Harry. He was standing there waiting for her.
"Can we go? George had to go already. Some business stuff he said." He offered her his arm and she took it grinning.
"So, what is your Weasley twin thinking?"
"Oh he obviously can't stand you, but hey I think I have made my point clear to him. What about your twin?"
"Oh after I told him what is going on and everything and after I asured him that I really want this friendship he was okay with it. He seemed quiet surprised about me."
Harry grinnend and walked her out of the shop. With certain steps he walked into the alley where the new dressing shops where.
"Here we are. The shops you wanted to go to."
"Well I think they can wait for another time. Maybe we could just go and sit down in the three Broomsticks and get some butter beer and then just talk about the day, about school, about the future, about me and you and everything that comes to our minds."
Harry was quiet surprised. He nodded and turned around. They slowly walked back to where their small journey through the old and magical Hogsmeade had started and entered the pub. In one of the corners they sat down and Pansy soon orderer two butter beer. They started talking and the time flew by. "So, you have no memories about your parents?"
"Well sometimes I dream about them but only because Hagrid gave me some photos and I saw them in a strange large mirror I have an idea about their faces. They both looked very happy and I miss them even though I never had the chance to meet them."
"That is somehow cute. I can't imagine being without my parents even though I hate them sometimes. They are like Draco's parents. Cruel and just thinking about what they want , never asking for my opinion. They thought it would be quiet okay for Draco to dump me. Mean isn't it?"
Harry was shocked. "Your parents knew about it? And they were okay with it?"
"I think they knew but yes, they were okay with it. All I know is that my parents have met Draco's parents three weeks before the holiday were over and since then it seems like it was all decided."
"And they did not ask you!" Harry said that more to himself then adressing it to Pansy. "It seems like we have a lot in common. Not the problems itself but the amount of problems we have to live with. I think we should go now. In a few minutes the carriages will pick us up again and then we should be ready to catch one. I don't want to spend the night here in Hogsmeade and get detention tomorrow morning." He got up and walked around to hold her her coat so that she could slip in. Harry walked to the bar counter were madame Rosmerta was looking at him smiling.
"Your new girlfriend, Harry?"
"No, Rosmerta. She is just a friend."
"But anyway you look great, finally happy again."
He smiled at her, payed the bill and walked back to Pansy. He offered her his arm once more and they walked out together.
When they finally were back at Hogwarts Harry walked up into the common room. He walked up into the dorm and threw his coat over his bed. He sat down. A large grin was on his face. This had been one of the best days in his entire life - in his opinion. Harry hadn't been this happy and carefree since he was with Ginny. He stopped grinning and shoke his head. No that wasn't something to compare with this. Ginny had been his girlfriend and Pansy was just a good friend he could laugh and joke with.
He got up from his bed and walked directly into his best friend, Ron.
"Where the hell have you been, Harry? Is it true what everyone is saying?"
"What is everyone saying? Have I been caught breaking into the ministry of magic again or something?"
"Hell no, everyone says you are having an affair with Pansy Parkinson and Malfoy is angry as hell!"
Harry bursted into laughter. Him and Pansy? Dating? Affair? This was rediculous. He looked into the other boys face. He did not look like he was joking. Harry moved him aside. He walked into the common room just to see a very angry and disappointed looking Hermione walk, almost run, towards him.
"How. Can. You. Date. That. Evil. Slytherin. Bitch?"
Harry looked shocked. Did really everyone believe this crap and who told them? Blaise had been in the pub. He had seen them but even though Draco Malfoy was his best friend, Pansy was one of his friends as well. He would not make up such a rumour. But who? There had been hundreds of Hogwarts students that could have seen them. He shoke his head and turned to Hermione.
"You do not really believe this crap do you?"
"Well, everyone saw you with her!"
"I did not say that I wasn't in Hogsmeade with her but I am not dating her nor do I have an affair with her or anything else that might be in that direction. We are just friends. simply friends. Nothing more and nothing less! Have I been clear?"
"Oh Harry, you do not believe yourself!" It was Ginny's voice. He turned around into the direction he thought the voice would have its owner. That was the moment he finally saw that the entire Gryffindor common room was filled with people. All staring up at him with evil glares or disappointed or shocked faces.
"What the hell is going on with you all? Do you really believe this crap? Do you Ginny?"
"I for myself believe it. You ignored me cause of what I did and that was okay. In the end I understand that completely. I really was unfair but to beat me down with someone like Pansy Parkinson is mean and obviously not fair."
"I AM NOT WITH PANSY PARKINSON! WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!" He shouted his word across the entire room towards Ginny. She winced back at his loud voice. He looked around again. No one believed him. Not even his friends. He stepped back and before he turned around and started to run into his dorm he said in an almost whispering tone.
"You are pathetic to think that! Especially you who call yourself my friends." He did not look back this day. It had ended dramactically. He was disappointed about his friends but he was also scared about Pansy. What would Draco do to her if he got angry? If he believed this crap. This day should have ended different and not like this, not so unplaned.