Chapter 4
Pansy frowned at her tea as she waited for the house elf. She hated going back to Parkinson House almost as much as she hated her mother. Having been raised by the elves she knew all of their moves before they did- even if she was considered the owner of them now. She glanced around the room wondering why her mother had yet again changed it when she had no money to do so.
"Missus is not wanting to sees you," Ditty the house elf told her. She did not meet her eye and she pulled at the toga outfit she was wearing. Pansy sighed.
Visiting her mother was always a chore but she had to try. Once in a blue moon she'd get to see her mother- but only when she stumbled into a social event. Otherwise she'd come back to Parkinson House, have a cup of tea and wait only to be turned away. In the beginning she had wanted to help her mother and look over the books. All pure-blood girls were taught to budget a household yet her mother seemed never to listen to the instructions. After the second month she stopped trying to help her mother whose debt was almost as large as the United States of America.
"Alright," Pansy got up leaving the cup half full, "tell her that I saw Daphne the other day."
"Missus will be glad yous friends with persons like her. Missus don't want mudbloods around heres afters shes go," Ditty told her handing her a coat. Pansy smiled slightly- she still hadn't gotten her coat back from Potter and had to put warming charms on herself. She had forgotten she'd left a few here over the years. Once outside the house Pansy checked the time- she was late for tea and didn't care. She could picture Daphne growing more and more annoyed as she sat there waiting for her.
Pansy was right that Daphne was waiting for her, but she was with someone else. The chatter seemed to only be coming from Daphne's side and Pansy wondered if she should help the person out. After a second of watching she pulled out her chair and sat- her blueberry tea was cold. She warmed it up with her wand, grabbed a sconce and waited to be introduced.
"Pansy, late as always," Daphne sighed. She lazily stirred her tea while watching Pansy with amusement.
"I was visiting my mother," Pansy shrugged. Trying and failing to figure out with Daphne might be amused.
"You're still in contact with your mother?" asked Granger. Pansy almost dropped her cup, but somehow managed to pretend not to be shocked, she glared quickly at Daphne before looking Granger over. She had on standard robes and her face wasn't covered in make-up. Pansy tried to remember what she'd looked like at the wedding- she had actively tried to avoid the groom's side.
"Nice to see you again Granger," Pansy smiled. Or at least tried to, she wondered why Daphne had brought her to Sunday tea.
"Ron and Astoria are coming home. I thought we should have a welcome home party. I've been setting up their new house while they were away," Granger told her.
"Still following after him even though he's got a wife? Now that's devotion," Pansy sighed. Daphne covered her giggle with a cough and Granger glared at her.
"Ron and I have been friends for a very long time. I'm sure if you had good friends you'd understand wanting to do something nice for them. It's a pity you'll never know the feelings," Granger said getting up.
"I'll try to be there. But my sister's manners are sliding if she's sending over people to do her job," Daphne told her. Granger opened her mouth to say something before closing it again. They watched her make her way to the door.
"What a bore, I thought she'd have wanted to spill the beans on her and Draco," Daphne sighed. She smirked in the direction of Hermione's departure before turning to Pansy.
"Of course you would," Pansy snickered. She wanted to roll her eyes at the drama Daphne loved to create or just be a part of, not matter the cost.
"How is work?" Daphne asked after a long silence. Pansy sighed thinking of the paperwork, of Potter, and how she wished her boss wasn't an asshole.
"Boring as usual. Everyone hates the boss and everyone seems to hate me too," Pansy shrugged.
"Really?" Daphne smiled, "well I heard from a good source that there are a few wizards retiring and that there'll be huge shifts in the Ministry soon. I also heard that Kingsley is thinking of putting new taxes on pure-bloods."
"What kind of taxes?" Pansy asked. The first tax had been a onetime deal, hoping to strip pure-bloods of their wealth. The Ministry didn't have a clue as to how wealthy some of the families were- however the Parkinsons hadn't been one of those families in the last decade. Pansy had all but sold the house to get the Ministry off their backs. Her mother had been bitter to see the china go.
"I dunno, Draco was complaining about it. You know how he gets," Daphne shrugged. Pansy would have to get another job- something part time to pay those taxes. Or she could ask Daphne to move in with her, she tried not to laugh picturing Daphne Greengrass in muggle London.
"Yes, I do. Did you bait him into telling you?" Pansy asked. She wouldn't put it past Daphne to try to seduce then anger an already annoyed Draco. Not that Draco could be seduced by Daphne- he preferred blondes.
"I invited him to dinner. He loosen up when talking about work over tea. As if it's any different than at a party. I think he was surprised by my choice of boyfriend," Daphne smirked.
"You dumped the last one...Robert?" Pansy asked.
"Who cares! I'm going out with Cormac Mclaggen! He's very well connected. I've never gotten stuff this good in all my life," Daphne grinned. Pansy tried to picture the two of them together at a dinner party- she came up short.
"Information or sex?" Pansy asked. She tried not to laugh at her by bring her tea to her lips.
"Both, well," Daphne told her turning pink, "I haven't had sex with him yet. I think he's the one."
"Daphne you're not serious are you?" Pansy asked. She knew Daphne would after at least three months get tired of hearing about Cormac Mclaggen and his greatness. Daphne got tired of men in general after a month, if they were special they lasted two!
"I know, I know Cormac is a blowhard but he's well connected. That's what makes this so great; I have the key to part of good society. I believe if I charm him I'll get to know all the other society girls!" Daphne smiled. Pansy wanted to hit her.
"Why don't you just settle for friendship? Then when you break up you won't be shut out. If things go bad think of all the gossip you'll lose," Pansy tried. Daphne sighed and shook her head.
"True, I didn't think that far ahead. I guess I thought I'd marry him," Daphne sighed. Pansy frowned, she needed to prepare herself for the end game- if that was Daphne's plan. But many people, including his own house, didn't like Mclaggen.
"If that's what you want. I just think it's a bit early to tell," Pansy shrugged. Daphne frowned for a second looking far-away.
"Well, enough about me. You," Daphne grinned, "have you shagged Potter again?"
"No, I've been busy," Pansy told her. Daphne stared at her before shaking her head as though she were disappointed. Pansy didn't want to tell her any more information about her tryst with Harry fucking Potter. It wasn't that she didn't trust Daphne not to tell the whole world but the fact that she might encourage her to act again.
"Really? Working?" Daphne asked mockingly. Pansy glared at her. The bills didn't pay themselves, a fact Daphne would never have to face. In proper society a pureblood family would support the daughter until she was married- a reason why most families wanted sons. Daphne's parents may have taken a step forward in their thinking but some habits die hard.
"What's so wrong with working?" she asked. Pansy often wondered what Daphne did all day since she didn't have a job. There was only so much shopping one could do- though Pansy had never see Daphne in an outfit twice.
"Working is boring!" Daphne laughed. Pansy tried to laugh along with her but failed.
"It's not boring! I help people!" Pansy told her. Even if she didn't have to work Pansy knew she'd want to do this job. Helping witches, sometimes wizards, in distress made everything she'd gone through worth it.
"And yet no one takes notice. Shouldn't you have been promoted by now? You've been there how many years? Pansy you need to think of your options!" Daphne told her, her face serious. She tried not to slap her best friend
"What options? Everyone seems to remember seventeen years old Pansy Parkinson. They all seem to forget that I've grown up," Pansy sighed. She needed a vacation, badly. Some time away from everyone to relax and ignore the world for just a bit would be nice.
"And that your sorry," Daphne added with a smirk.
"Sure," Pansy shrugged. The truth was that she wasn't sorry- she'd been a scared teen. She wondered if Daphne realized and didn't want to call her out in public or if she just didn't care.
"So…" Daphne began. She was changing the subject which Pansy was grateful for- she didn't like talking about work with someone who could never understand.
"How are you going to get him to ask you to marry him? You've been dating how long?" Pansy asked. Daphne laughed before pulling out a potion. It was for fertility.
"I've always wanted a girl too," Daphne grinned. She put it back in her purse before sipping her tea.
"Because that will work in this day and age!" Pansy laughed. Daphne was crazy- her parents, if Mclaggen didn't stay, would disown her before sending her out into the world. She wanted to tell her to think of another plan but she knew Daphne was suborn.
Pansy frowned as she reread the note from Mr. Webster, before looking around at her colleagues. She had come in noticed how they had stared and ignored it, as usual. By nine o'clock she had finished organizing the mess on her desk before she pulled the files that needed to be looked at out. It was around noon when she got a note from Mr. Webster's secretary. She hadn't been able to enjoy lunch- she knew what was coming.
At one she slowly made her way over to Mr. Webster's office, she knocked twice before entering. The walls were an off white- dirty from years of use- with a desk and a couple of seats. It wasn't nearly as nice as Potter's but Mr. Webster wasn't that good at his job. Pansy smirked- the department would fall apart once they fired her. She took her seat closest to the door and waited for everyone else to arrive- they always ran late.
Pansy tried not to gape as Potter walked in a few minutes later. He glanced at her before sitting down on the opposite side of her chair. The silence could have been awkward- they'd had sex in her cubicle- but it wasn't. She had planned on ignoring Harry fucking Potter for the rest of her life- it was doing her wonders now. Pansy wondered if he'd kept her coat or given it away to Magical in Need. She wondered if he'd gotten back together with the Red Headed Slut or if he was prowling night clubs for a quick shag.
"Have they told you yet?" Potter asked breaking the silence.
"Obviously they haven't if I'm sitting her with you," Pansy told him sweetly. He rolled his eyes and stared at her for a minute.
"Then you're in for a surprise," Potter smirked. Pansy ignored him and stared at the plain white-ish walls. She could get a muggle job. She knew some muggle customs and habits- like how to cook without a wand.
"Ah, Mr. Potter!" Mr. Webster's voice made her jump. Potter however nodded at the man before sitting and waiting for him to do the same.
Mr. Webster smile turned to confusion when he noticed her. Pansy tried not to mirror his face because she had thought he had been the one to arrange this meeting. Pansy wondered why they weren't starting now that everyone but Potter was confused when a pretty witch entered the room followed by Granger. They smiled at everyone and then took a seat.
"Good, now that we're all here…" Mr. Webster began, "we can start."
"Yes," Potter agreed looking grim. Pansy wondered if she'd jump to the wrong conclusion.
"So, the Minister wanted to tell you that you'll be removed from this department. He believes that some new blood is needed. Ms. Clearwater will be taking your position and Ms. Parkinson will be her deputy," Granger began, "I'll be here for the next few weeks helping to the changeover."
"And the Minister couldn't tell me himself because?" Mr. Webster asked. He looked unreasonable, he stood and glared at her before glaring at everyone else.
"He had other things to do today," Granger shrugged. Pansy glanced at Clearwater and Potter before looking back at Granger. She was surprised with the outcome of the meeting- Potter had been right.
"And why is he allowing a known Death Eater sympathizer as deputy of the department. We may not be as larger as the Magical Law Enforcement Department but we are just as important. How will this look?" Mr. Webster asked. Pansy scowled but bit her tongue- he was right everyone did think she hadn't changed.
"With all the reforms one would think you'd realize that no one is safe. You're not the only department that is being moved around. Now, why don't you start by showing us how you run this place? I know Harry needs to talk to Ms. Parkinson," Granger told them. She was giving Mr. Webster a hard stare, Pansy tried not to laugh at him.
Granger and Clearwater lead the way out followed by Mr. Webster. Once he was out of the room Pansy chuckled to herself- hopefully they'd realize how useless the man really was once they placed him somewhere else. Potter cleared his throat reminding Pansy he was still in the room. He gave her a once over, a smirk briefly playing over his lips. Pansy scowled and crossed her arms, hoping she could tell Potter off for staring at her breasts.
"So, now that you're deputy we'll be working closely together, I gather. They tell me I'm to be the liaison between our departments." Potter told her.
"No one else wanted the job did they?" Pansy smiled. It was mostly likely people had thought they'd be working with Clearwater but found out it was her instead.
"Does it matter?" Potter asked after a second. Pansy shrugged and sighed- there went avoiding Potter for the foreseeable future.
"No, I guess not," Pansy sighed. They sat in silence for a few moments before Potter stood, Pansy followed his lead.
"All the very critical cases I've given copies to the aurors. I don't know what you did with them. All this department really needs is someone to check up on the families every couple of months. A lot of the cases just fall through the cracks," Pansy told Potter.
"As long as you or someone from your department goes with an auror I don't think that would be a problem. I'll have to check with the head," Potter began, "I'll owl you."
"Okay," Pansy sighed. She looked at Potter and frowned as she felt something weird.
"Well…" Potter said walking to the door. She wanted him to stay, talk to him more and not about work.
"Do you want to go to dinner?" Pansy asked. Potter looked surprised but smirked.
"Sure, how about Euphoria?" Potter asked.
"At six thirty?" Pansy told him. Potter nodded and opened the door- Granger, Clearwater and Mr. Webster standing outside.
"Right," Potter said. He nodded to the three then left. Pansy smiled for a second before turning to face her old boss and her new one.
"All settled?" Granger asked. She stared at Pansy for a second to long before turning back to Mr. Webster. Clearwater smiled slightly as Mr. Webster sulked behind them.
"Ah, yes," Pansy began, "I'll just go finish my paper work."
Pansy was out of the ministry before six, uncommon for her. She took the underground home before taking a shower. She put on a bra and panty set before choosing a nice blouse and slacks. She put on her wizard's robes then decided a little make-up wouldn't hurt. She then found her way to Diagon Alley. The restaurant wasn't as fancy as the first time they'd eaten out together, in fact Pansy was grateful it seemed low-key. She sat herself close to the door but far enough away that they wouldn't feel the crisp night air every time the door opened.
Potter was late; Pansy was on her fourth piece of bread with butter when he finally showed up. His hair was still wet, his glasses looked like they'd been hurriedly put on. Potter's jumper was ugly. Pansy tried not to smirk at it- it was probably from the Weasley family.
"Sorry," Potter said sitting down.
"It's fine," Pansy told him. She felt awkward- now that he was here what did they have to talk about? She didn't even know if they had the same interest.
"How was the rest of your day?" Potter asked after a brief silence.
"Unusual. I've never been out of the office before six," Pansy told him.
"Yeah, me too. Hermione took forever explaining why I was needed whenever we make reforms or changes in the Ministry. Which I think is stupid," Potter shrugged.
"You're a war hero, of course they want to see your face when they're being promoted or demoted!" Pansy laughed. Potter smiled too.
"Glad someone's having a laugh about it," Potter told her. Pansy smiled, maybe Potter wasn't so bad. Maybe working with him wouldn't be that bad either. She tried not to over think anything.
"Right…" Pansy said, she studied the menu for a second before looking back at Potter.
"So…how are you?" Pansy asked. She didn't know how to make small talk with him. What was she supposed to ask him. Potter looked at her amusement mixed with surprise clearly written on his face.
"I'm, fine. I took my godson, Teddy, to a movie," Potter told her. He sipped his water and frowned- like he hadn't meant to tell her that.
"I've never been to a moo-bee?" Pansy told him, "though I have one of those TB things."
"Really…" Potter asked humored.
"Yes," Pansy told him proud. Draco, Daphne and Blaise had all laughed when she had gotten the muggle thing. However she lived in a muggle area she had wanted to at least try to fit in a little. She had to look normal.
"Do you know how it works?" Potter asked. Pansy frowned, all it had done for her was make a loud sound and flicker fizzle black and white picture. She wondered what exactly it was supposed to do.
"Sure?" Pansy shrugged.
"Interesting," Potter smirked. If he didn't believe her he didn't say.
"Ready to order?" the waiter asked coming to their table.
"Yes," Potter said.
"I'll have the Shepard's pie," Potter said. Pansy glanced over the menu; she was bound to get an increase at work.
"I'll have the same. And two glasses of elf wine, please," Pansy told him.
"So…we shouldn't have sex anymore," Pansy blurt out. Potter raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He took a sip of his water before looking at her.
"Because you'll be working under me?" Potter asked. Pansy tried not to turn pink at those words but she couldn't help it. All she could think about was Potter moving inside of her as he held her down. She cleared her throat.
"Right, in a manner of speaking. Unless you really will be working directly with the department?" Pansy asked.
"Maybe, could do but I have some important causes at the moment," Potter told her. Pansy rolled her eyes.
"So, er, no sex would be a good idea." Pansy suggested. Potter leaned back in his chair. It was then that the waiter brought the food and wine. They both waited until he was out of earshot to continue talking.
"And we should probably avoid having dinners together unless it's business," Pansy added. She took a bite of the pie and sighed, it was good. She wondered what her pay raise would be, she could stop by every couple of months. Or buy some new dress robes.
"It's not like we had a relationship," Potter frowned. Pansy wonder for a second if they had been dating, which was a silly idea, if this would be different. They'd probably go home and fuck then wake up and go to work. They'd do things on the weekends and take holidays.
"True, you're on a break with what's her face," Pansy shrugged. She had forgotten about Ginny Weasley for a second. Potter sighed and looked into his wine.
"Ginny and I have officially broken up." Potter told her flatly. Pansy stared at him surprised.
"Really? What for?" she asked. Pansy leaned in waiting.
"Ginny wasn't always the jealous type. At first it was hot. I'd come home from work, she'd ask questions and we'd fuck. But then she couldn't take the long trips for cases and well…shit happened. We talked about it and took a brake. Then I met this girl and Ginny flew off the handle. We weren't dating and I told her so. She had figured that the break was temporary so I could sort the work stuff out." Potter sighed, "I like being coddled ever now and then but it just felt smothering. We took another break and then you happened."
"Me?" Pansy repeated surprised.
"She confronted you when we were on a break. We had clear terms. We could both date and see other people for six months then we'd reevaluate what we wanted. I'm not ready to settle down yet. Ginny is and then the trust and jealous issues. I don't think it's something we could push past so I ended it." Potter sighed shrugging his shoulders. Pansy frowned, the whole break up sounded normal.
"She didn't take it well did she?" Pansy asked. She tried not to be smug.
"Actually she did. I think she realized that we wanted different things right now. That what we once had was gone." Potter told her. He looked sad. Pansy wanted to do something but stopped herself.
"So basically you want a girl you can fuck and do things with on the weekend?" Pansy asked. It was weird to think of Harry fucking Potter as having needs like everyone else. Potter shrugged and looked thoughtful.
"I guess, I think I want so time to be single," Potter told her. Sometimes she forgot he was a normal human being and not some self-serving asshole with a hero complex.
"Right, so we'll be friends?" Pansy asked. She frowned. She'd never asked anyone to be her friend, it all usually just happened. And then she remembered his rejection of Draco.
"Sure, friends," Potter said holding up his wine glass.
Well I go sick...hope everyone gets the flu shot! Stay healthy out there!