I'm going to work the Pansy/Draco relationship into this a bit more – originally I didn't have it in the story but it just felt right to me. Of course, Draco might be starting to realize something important! ;) Enjoy and thank you for reading, as always. It means so much to me.

LCailan

10. One Day in Hogsmeade

"It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Draco wrapped his long fingers around his second mug of Butterbeer just as the bell above the front door of The Three Broomsticks tinkled merrily. Pansy walked in, shaking the light snow from what looked like expensive, fur-trimmed winter robes. As she neared the table where Draco was waiting for her he noticed that the cloak was the deepest shade of green. The snowflakes melted in her hair as she slid into her seat gracefully, giving him a hard look.

"What is going on with Zabini and Loony?"

The inquiry was casual but Draco knew Pansy well enough to sense the feverish desire beneath a placid exterior she preferred to show the world.

"What's it to you? Hasn't he already shagged you senseless and tossed you aside?"

Pansy's lips thinned at Draco's words but she did not take the bait and he took several swallows of his hot beverage, a bit disappointed that there would be no fight. He had felt agitated since his evening walk with Lovegood three days prior and felt a good altercation would relieve some of his growing frustration. He had not seen Luna since that night and was dying to know if Zabini would actually show his face in Hogsmeade with her on his arm. Apparently, Pansy was just as eager to know as he.

"I get that he might be playing some stupid game with her but you didn't see them in the dungeon corridor the other afternoon," she said as she waved down one of the barmaids for a hot cup of tea. Pansy refused to drink Butterbeer, claiming it made her 'fat'.

"I hadn't heard," Draco replied flatly, staring into his beverage, a queer feeling in the pit of his belly. It felt much like the tug of sympathy he was feeling lately when it concerned Luna Lovegood.

He was silent for a moment before looking up at his beautiful companion.

"But I hardly think it's any different than the show he was putting on in the Great Hall a few weeks ago?"

Pansy snorted and rolled her perfectly made up eyes.

"Like I said," She muttered, "Playing with her is not the problem but if he really started to fancy that...that..."

"What, Pansy? Are you jealous that Lovegood's different than you are? That maybe she's caught Blaise's eye?"

That's she's already a better person than you or I could ever hope to be?

The thought struck in such an odd way that Draco nearly laughed aloud as Pansy flushed a lovely shade of crimson and sat back flush against her chair.

"I'm not jealous," she seethed, eyes narrowing into glittering slits. "I just think it's atrocious that Blaise would have anything to do with that...freak. She's in Ravenclaw! When has any Slytherin dated beneath him, Draco? Shagging is one thing but dating? Contemplation of an actual relationship? I hardly think so."

For a few moments Draco stared at her, wondering if he would ever understand girls.

"You left me for Zabini, did you not? And now what, you want him back? Why didn't you try to keep your hooks in him when you had the chance? What does your lovely boyfriend think of all this? Has it ever occurred to you that if Blaise wanted, you'd be together?"

Pansy's face, which had colored in what she probably thought was self-righteous anger, blanched and her face fell. Her palms landed hard against the wooden table between them, nearly causing Draco to spill his drink.

"I screwed up, I know," she snapped. "You'll never forgive me for as long as I live. I GET that. But I LOVE Theo and this thing...Blaise...I just..."

But there was no way to explain her feelings, Draco knew. She wouldn't be able to explain or justify that there was something about Blaise that drew her. Just like Draco would never understand what drew him to a hateful, bigoted bitch like Pansy Parkinson. Propriety, maybe. But mostly stupidity, he guessed.

Pansy and I are more alike than we will ever outwardly admit.

They did not speak then for a long while, the silence between them filled up by the laughter and chattering of the other patrons. Draco finished his drink and Pansy had two teas before they both realized that if Zabini was at Hogsmeade that morning, he was certainly not going to make an appearance at The Three Broomsticks.

"Maybe he wasn't serious about bringing her to Hogsmeade. Merlin knows he's got to have some sense in his head," Pansy finally grumbled.

"That or he doesn't fancy seeing your distaste? Or maybe he's too good for this dump? I rather imagine you're only here because you thought he'd show up."

Pansy flushed at Draco quick and accurate guess. She rolled her eyes yet again.

"He can't be serious about her."

"She's serious about him. And when any woman puts her mind to something, she gets it, does she not?"

There was a long, knowing silence between them and Pansy choked on her words and began to mock Draco, which was always her first line of defense.

"What the piss do you know, Draco? Have you been having picnics with Loony all this time? Maybe both you and Blaise have gone mad in your love for her?"

Draco shrugged, looking towards the steamy windows that showed falling snow beyond the pub.

"No, but I've served more detentions with the batty old Herbology professor than you. Lovegood worships the foliage-blanketed ground that Sprout walks on, Pansy. I've seen more than my share of her over the last month or so. And heard so many of her ramblings I could write a bleeding book."

Pansy snorted, glancing around, her foot tapping impatiently. The room was still filling up with Hogwarts students but Blaise and Lovegood were still among the blatantly missing.

"You've gone mad if you think I'll believe that Loony told you she's serious about Blaise. How can she be? It doesn't take a blind man to see that he could care less about her?"

Draco took a moment to relish in Pansy's discomfort.

"And you wouldn't know that for sure, would you?"

He smiled inwardly at her obvious disappointment; it made him feel good that he could still make Pansy feel terrible when he wished. He cared about her and hated her all in one, painful breath.

The girl fell silent, looking around, cheeks flushed. Draco knew he had one a small battle but he also knew with Pansy there was a never ending supply of arguments if he wanted them. After what seemed like hours she spoke stiffly.

"You want to come with me to Gladrags and Malkin's?" she asked, her tone more subdued than before.

Draco's eyes narrowed.

"You want to go shopping? Don't you have a sodding boyfriend for that sort of fun?"

Pansy sighed.

"He's away. His father has come to visit and it figures that it would be on the first Hogsmeade weekend, wouldn't it?"

She had seemingly forgotten her obsession with Blaise and had moved onto the next of an endless line of annoyances.

"I don't want to go alone, Draco."

He stood, shrugging on his warm, winter cloak.

"I don't understand how you could fit anything else into your closet."

"Malkin's has new emerald robes that I must have! Astoria was eyeing them up in a magazine she received the other day and I'll die if she gets them first. Besides," she added with a smile that lit up her eyes, "Daddy sent me early Christmas money and you can bet a bowtruckle's ass I'm going to spend it!"

She led the way, walking gracefully in spite of a barrage of boisterous students and Draco followed wondering when his relationship with Pansy had grown so meaningless.

It was cold outside and the whole of Hogsmeade was dusted with snow. Students roamed to and fro, laughing and talking, shopping and eating. It was the first snap of winter to come and everyone was bundled in their winter best.

Pansy had casually slipped her hand into Draco's robe pocket as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He wouldn't deny her; after all it wasn't he who had ended their relationship and he would always believe that he was made for a woman like Pansy. It just made sense. Maybe there wasn't much warmth and love there but they were suited well together. They walked down the snowy path just as they had done the year previous and despite a small victory, Draco wondered why he felt so hollow. Pansy's bad mood back at The Three Broomsticks was no more but she knew her better than to believe she wasn't harboring some ill feelings towards Lovegood.

Slytherin girls were good at nurturing resentments.

The path was clearer down by the shops and as they neared Madame Malkin's storefront, Pansy broke away from Draco with a gleeful laugh.

"There, you see?"

There was a gorgeous emerald rag hanging in the window, glittering under what Draco knew were color changing, magical lights. It was certainly a sight to see and he knew why Pansy was excited. It also made him think of Luna's too-long skirts, McGonagall-like blouses and odd hair accessories. He wondered if she could even afford such magnificent robes and if she knew how much Blaise would-

Pansy's gloved hand had just reached for the door handle when Draco heard Luna, as if his thoughts had conjured her. It was her laugh. He had grown accustomed to that light, bell-like sound the last two months. It stopped Pansy in her tracks and it made Draco turn around.

There, just at the crest of the snowy hill, Blaise and Luna walked towards them, side by side. It was an odd sight to see and it left them both in stony silence. Pansy for her own reasons but Draco...Draco couldn't quite swallow the lump that suddenly choked him.

Luna was wearing a long coat, brown in color and a scarf that was much too long for her. It was garish and striped in color after color of the sodding rainbow, the pom poms at the end dragging along the path even though she was happily oblivious to that fact. She wore a hat to match with even a bigger pom pom atop her head and her mittens made it nearly impossible to hold hands with anyone even though she was doing quite a good job of trying to hold Blaise's. Her sun-colored hair hung down way below her waist, falling freely as it wished.

She certainly was an odd accessory to Blaise's dark, chic, attractive presence. And as they neared the shopping area Draco heard her lilt on the winter wind, arguing mildly with Blaise about the fact that the merpeople were friends with her father. The odd thing was that Blaise seemed quite taken. And even more oddly, they stopped as they neared Madame Malkin's.

Luna's smile could have lit up the entire wizarding world. Draco likened her eyes to the forget-me-nots that grew in his mother's garden.

"Hello."

Even though she should have been elated to be on the arm of the boy she had professed to 'be in love with', Luna sounded more serene than Draco could recall her being. Before he could respond, or even formulate a response, Pansy was speaking.

"Blaise and Loony, how odd to see you!"

"Why is it odd?" asked Luna. "Don't we all enjoy weekends in Hogsmeade?"

Pansy offered Luna a fake smile.

"I couldn't hope for you to understand, what with your head in the clouds. But let's chat sometime, yes?"

She turned her smile on Blaise who winked at Draco over Luna's head. The whole meeting was surreal and something about it made Draco's stomach turn. These people, this situation - all of it - were not nearly as good as Luna deserved.

"Well, Blaise and I were just heading for a bite," Luna said happily. "So we'll see you both soon?"

The question and her lilting tone seemed to hang between the foursome for a few seconds before Pansy burst into laughter, destroying the silence.

"Right!"

Draco watched Luna and Luna watched Draco.

"Have a good day," she said softly, only to him.

The blond Slytherin nodded, afraid that his words might betray the disgust within him.

He had a sudden realization as Luna turned and she and Blaise walked away.

I want her to be happy. As strange as it is, she doesn't deserve the misery that we've all subjected ourselves to. She's above all that and it's better for her.

Deep in thought, Draco didn't notice Pansy's sudden movement until she had jumped past him onto the path in pursuit of the seemingly happy couple. Without thinking much, Draco yanked on the sleeve of her winter cloak, causing her to let out a whimper of surprise.

Pansy whirled on him.

"You aren't really going to let that girl walk off with Blaise, are you? That's preposterous!" she raged, her eyes so dark they were nearly purple.

"Let them be."

His words were even and his eyes challenged her to defy him. Pansy's mouth opened and shut as she stared at him in shock.

"Are you mad?"

"Why do you care, Pansy? If she's just another in a line of so many before her what's it matter to you? Why this girl and not all the others?"

Pansy's cheeks had flushed from her anger and Draco felt her relent, her body going limp in his grasp as she stared at Blaise and Luna as they disappeared around a corner. Her silence was frostier than the air around them.

"Where's your loyalty, Draco?" she hissed.

He sneered at her.

"You have the nerve to stare me in the eye and blather on about loyalty? You disgust me, Pansy. You have not a word to say about anyone's loyalty, especially mine!"

She fell silent, stricken as if he had physically slapped her. Then, with one last stare of contempt, Draco whirled on his heel and stalked away from her, boots crunching under the freshly fallen snow. He refused to turn around and see if she would follow; it didn't really matter if she did or not. In the end, their row, just like all the others, would pass and they would go back to being Pansy and Draco again.

A lump rose up in his throat as he hurried along the path that he had just come only moments before, his head down, ignoring the calls of several people, including Crabbe and Goyle. Draco didn't want to talk to any of them. Once out of earshot he glanced up, his eyes suddenly watering from the brightness of the sun against the snow. Or that was what he told himself anyway. Blinking furiously, he pressed his lips together, trying to analyze his sudden bout of weakness. He wasn't like this! He didn't cave to emotion; he was a Malfoy!

Draco stood, contemplating his situation. Could it have been his frustration with having Pansy in his life but not the way he wanted her? Did he even want her? Or was it his endless jealousy of Blaise?

I can't ever win, can I?

Draco feared, however, that it had more to do with who Blaise was spending his time with than anything else. Yes, he had long ago admitted (only to himself) that he was jealous of Blaise. And why not? He had stolen his girlfriend and tossed her away! Why ruin a relationship that had been going just fine for one night of sex? It wasn't like Blaise cared about Pansy! And now...and now...

There was Luna.

He took in an odd, shallow breath as he turned to face the village below him. Draco supposed he could hurry back to Madame Malkin's, run past the shop and catch up to Zabini and Luna and-

And what, Draco? What the piss would you do then?

Draco hesitated, confused at his erratic train of thought. It wasn't as if Luna had ever expressed an interest in anyone besides Blaise and Potter (of course).

And when have you ever won over Zabini? What would a girl like Lovegood see in you that she hasn't already seen in him?

As he stared down towards the village listlessly he could see Pansy moving up the hill towards him. She probably thought he was waiting for her and that was just fine with Draco.

It isn't like you fancy Lovegood anyway, is it?

Pansy was breathless when she reached the crest of the hill, giving him an odd look before pulling him down the lane that was a direct path towards Hogwarts.

IS IT?

Nothing answered Draco's troubling question.