A/N: Wow, it has been a LONG time since I updated anything. I sincerely apologize, but I don't want to annoy you with a long excuse. Though, if you check my profile you will find one. I hope this chapter is satisfying. Thank you everyone for staying with me! Review if you please!

Disclaimer: Not mine. You should know that by now.

The Note

Chapter 10

"I was wondering what you were doing for Christmas?"

Had she just heard him right? Did Draco Malfoy just ask her what she was doing for Christmas? Pansy blinked and suppressed a giggle-Which sounded more like she was choking- as a scarlet patch spread across her cheeks profusely. And as much as she wanted just shout "Nothing" she couldn't. Her parents had already made plans hadn't they? She turned back too him, eyes soft and shrugged. "Mother wants me to come home," She started, watching him walk ahead of her, but completely avoiding her gaze, "she wants to have a celebration for the baby."

After a few moments of an awkward silence, Draco turned back to her. Pansy couldn't help but to stare at the boy she once had fantasized marrying in the backyard of the Malfoy mansion and spending all his money on the things she wanted. She left slapping herself for her sicking thoughts. How could she be so... So conceited? Now it was something so much deeper. Stronger than just a school-girl crush. It made her stomach flutter whenever he looked at her and made her think twice. Now that itself meant something. She just wished she could figure out what he wanted. What he felt.

"Perhaps you'd like to visit the manner one day?" He asked, leaning against the bark of a large tree.

She thought of it for a moment. "I suppose I could visit one afternoon."

"We could play Quidditch?" He chuckled, knowing that the idea was repulsing to Pansy.

"Or we could just drink tea." She suggested, smirking.

"I don't want to play, Miss Parkinson," Said Draco, cynically. "Although, my mother wouldn't mind so much. She rather enjoys spending the afternoon in the parlor with father on his days off drinking tea."

"They spend a lot of time together?" She asked, curious. "My parents do so much as say hello when father arrives home from work."

They walked a bit further in the woods, till it was beginning to get dark, and then Draco pulled his wand out muttering lumos under his breath to get light. She stepped behind him, following his footprints, although there were several occasions of her accidentally stepping on his heel. Draco finally turned around and grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.

"My family isn't your typical pureblood family," He finally said, shunning the light further out. "Regardless of what people say, my father loves my mother. And she, him. Actually, she was suppose to marry a distant cousin," he said to her, innocently. It shocked Pansy that Draco was opening up to her this much. She hadn't ever known him to really speak of his family except his father. "My parents had been courting for a year then. My father asked my mother's hand only two days before her wedding. According to my Aunt Bella, it caused a sever uproar with her fiancé because my Grandfather had accepted his proposal."

"I didn't know that," Pansy muttered, softly. She gave a quick glance down at there hands and felt her hand get slightly sweaty. She was in bliss, and could barely listen to anything he said because her mind was off wondering.

Draco chuckled. "Not many do. Mother's family kept very silent about it. Her fiancé ended up disappearing after that."

"That's horrible," Pansy gasped. "Do they know what happened to him?"

"Aunt Bella thinks that he was disowned... Mother says he was just heart-broken and ran away." He smirked. "The Black family is a very powerful family. Like the Malfoys... And Parkinson's." He added.

Pansy didn't say anything in reply to his comment. She just stared ahead. Yes, she thought, two powerful families... In all the years that Pansy had know his family, which was pretty much since she was a year old, she had never really noticed the bond that mister and mistress Malfoy shared together. How could have overlooked it? Draco's father always danced with his mother and always kissed her cheek, once she spotted them kissing rather passionately in the garden when she had snuck away. Her own parents didn't even dance with one-another unless it was the opening dance which required them too. Her mother was too busy making googly-eyes at the other men and her father was always off smoking a stale, cigar and playing poker.

After a few more minutes they finally stopped near a set of trees and sat down on the warm earth. Pansy stared out into the distance and Draco kept stealing a glance, that was until pansy finally asked what he was looking at. He shrugged.

"Draco?"

His pale eyes reverted up to the young witch gleefully. "Yeah?"

Pansy took a deep breath, "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." He joked, chuckling, but quickly cut it when Pansy narrowed her eyes at him like his mother. "Go ahead." This time serious.

"Do you think is going to be us for the rest of our lives?" Her voice was softer than normal. She prayed to God that Draco wouldn't start laughing as she had expected him too. She was actually enjoying the fact that they were sharing conversations that meaningful and decent. It proved that there really was a side to the boy she had known all her life that she had never noticed. That he really was human.

"What do you mean, Pans?" He asked, looking at her with serious eyes and tilting his head to the side. "As what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... Just this. Always overlooked by everyone because of who our families are? Like your parents?"

"I hope not." He admitted, running his hand threw his long blonde hair. "Why?"

"I don't know. What you told me just made me think. Everyone always assumes the worst of who we are. Like, because we have morals and power we're automatically... Evil?" She sucked in a breath. "I don't want to be like my parents."

"Pansy, in the world we grown up in, there are few who do look for the good. We're Slytherin. That marks us for the rest of lives as who we are. But it doesn't' mean we have to be that," Draco admitted, darkly. "We aren't given choices like everyone else. We have our lives set out before us the moment we're conceived."

He was right, and that made Pansy feel sick to her stomach. There was another moment of silence, the only sound was they're shallow breathing in the damp atmosphere. Pansy wasn't her mother or her father, nor did she ever want to be.

"Draco," She started, this time not even looking at him, knowing that her question might strike a nerve. "Why did you ask me to the party with you?"

He didn't answer immediately. He took his time, as if he were really thinking about it. "I don't trust many people. In fact, I rarely trust anyone. But I trust you. I could have gone with any other girl, but I don't want to go with someone who I can't even hold a conversation with. Plus, I enjoy your company."

Pansy laughed. "How would you know we could hold a conversation? We've never actually had one before now."

"Yes we have." He countered, standing up. "When we were younger we use to talk of the future, remember?"

"Malfoy, we were, what? Seven years old?"

"Actually," He started, holding his hand out for her to help up form the ground, "we were nine. It was the last time you visited the Manner. Before you went to Italy with your family."

He actually remembers that? She asked herself, shocked. She took his hand allowed him to help up, even though she was fully capable of rising on her own. She just wanted to feel his warm hand in hers again. She liked it there. She half-hoped that he would continue holding it, but he let it go, brushing it along the side on his robe absentmindedly. She tried to cover up her disappointment by stepping ahead and taking the lead back toward the school.

"We're going to miss dinner." She announced, as if it really mattered to her.

"That's alright. I wasn't really that hungry anyway." He told her nonchalantly. "I did have fun last night with you."

Pansy masked her happiness, "Watch it, Malfoy. One might think you're going soft." She patronized, grinning wickedly.

Draco merely smirked at her. "Do you think you'll be able to visit over the holiday?" He asked suddenly. "Mother would love to see you again. She drones on and on about you constantly. She thinks very highly of you actually."

"Really?" She asked, softly. Blush crept to her face once again. He really needed to stop complimenting her. This new side of Draco was almost starting to scare her. He never so much as told her she looked nice, much less tell her that his mother thought highly of her. "I'm sure my parents would be delighted to allow me visit. After all, father wouldn't pass up the chance for me to spend time with a candidate-husband--- I didn't mean it like that. I just, well, father has the idea," Pansy's face was increasingly growing red. What had made her say that? "He has every Slytherin down-- He's eager to wed me--,"

"Pansy," Draco hushed grabbing her arm. "It's okay. I know."

She blinked. "You do?"

He chuckled a bit and let go of her arm. "Please, you don't think my father isn't the same way? Dinner with him is usually the worst. He insist of discussing my future every moment he gets. Honestly, I don't know how mother can stand it. She's so use to babying me. The mere thought that I will so be out of school upsets her. She actually still sends me treats and gifts quite often..."

Pansy laughed. "Well," she twirled around, smirking, "you've never complained before. I don't know why your starting now."

"I wasn't..."

"Yes you were. I could hear it in your voice." She teased, grinning sheepishly. "I wished I was sent a gift. I don't so much as get a letter from mother. Well, except to tell me that my life has been completely ruined." She sighed.

Draco looked at her strangely. "Why has it been ruined?"

"Because," She began, stopping in the dirt covered path to look at him, "I may loose everything I have. If mother has a son, then... I loose everything. I'll be wed off to the first person who ask for my hand. And no one wants to marry a... A ugly, pug-nose pureblood unless they have a lot of money coming in!" Now she was whining.

He laughed. A deep mirthful laugh. And she was abashed at his reaction. She was appalled! "What's so funny?" She barked, narrowing her eyes at him with discontent.

After he had begun to control his laughter, Draco stood up straight and smiled- Really smiled at her. She had never noticed it before, but there was a small dimple in his right cheek when he smiled. "Pansy, you are not ugly. Nor do you have a pug nose."

"Yes I do. You don't have to try and make me feel good either. That just makes me feel worse you know..."

"Who told you were ugly?"

"Oh, I don't know. You?"

He snorted. "When?"

"Many times!" She snapped, folding her arms over her chest. "You had to remind at least three times a day."

He shook his head and frowned. "Pansy, I never meant that. I was young and stupid. I think your one of the most beautiful girls at our school."

"I told you not to try to make me feel better." She warned viciously. "I don't like to be teased you know. And especially don't like being toyed with---,"

"I'm serious, Pansy." He interrupted. And by his tone, she knew he was telling the truth. She felt herself grow warm. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be so rude."

"It's okay. Look, we should head back now. Before Zabini and Greengrass come looking for us... Or coming up with idea's of what we've been doing."

"Good idea."

The journey back to the castle didn't take long, though for Pansy it felt like forever. She couldn't believe how much time they had spent in the woods. They spent the rest of the time back up talking mostly about the incident with Ernie. Draco was positive at one point that Pansy had actually liked him. But she denied it, flatly.

Back in the castle, they made it just before curfew, but most students were already retiring to bed since they had classes the next day. The only ones left down we're Tracey Davis who glared at them with malcontent and a few younger students working on last minute assignments. Draco walked Pansy to the girls dormitory, kissed her hand. Tracey threw daggers at her with her eyes.

"Good night, Miss Parkinson." He smirked.

" 'Night, Draco." She replied, turning to walk away, but before she could, Draco grabbed her hand one again and stopped her. "By the way, you never told me what color your knickers were today."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "I don't even remember you asking."

"I didn't. But I'm beginning to get so use to seeing them, it would be strange not to know," He teased, smirking.

Pansy pulled her hand away and sighed. "Oh, sod off, Malfoy. Your charm is wearing off."

"You wished." He replied smoothly. He kissed her temple before leaving her alone on the step, with his last words being, "then you could resist me."

A/N: Ah! Finally. How was it? I'm trying to develop they're characters more from what they we're, I'm not sure if it's working. But I hope so.

Next chapter: A twist!

Please review guys and gals. I've missed them.