Pansy was eventually lulled into sleep by the early morning hours, and they slept, without nightmares or screams or interruption, until the sun was high in the sky. Her eyes flickered open but quickly shuttered again at the unexpected light once she stirred. Waking in a bed was unusual for her of late, and waking in someone else's arms was even rarer.

As she woke she became conscious of her body and Harry's body and all of the ways they were still touching, how little they must have moved during the night. She realized their twined feet also rested in Axel's fluffy fur, and was surprised he hadn't yet woken them to make a nuisance of himself.

Pansy wasn't sure what to do. Should she extract herself? Should she feign sleep until Harry woke? Should she poke Axel with her foot to dislodge him and have him cause a disruption?

As she deliberated internally, Harry began shifting towards consciousness. He gradually pulled her closer to bury his face into her raven hair. He breathed in as he squeezed their twined fingers on his chest. Pansy's eyes fluttered closed as Harry's snapped open.

He released his grip on her fingers and slipped his hand out from under hers. Slowly he separated their legs and gradually moved to sit with his back against the headboard. Even with her eyes closed, Pansy was certain he was watching her and decided to pretend to wake up.

She opened her eyes, wincing at the light, and yawned more dramatically than she probably needed. Rolling over to her side, she looked up at Harry. His hair was messier than usual, falling in tangled waves to his shoulders, and he looked younger, somehow, in the bright light of morning. He held Pansy's eyes for a moment, before tracing them over the flannel pajamas she'd slept in.

Axel wormed his way up the bed between them, and tried to capture as much of their attention as he could, pushing his wiggling body into Harry's side while kicking at Pansy with his stubby legs.

As Harry's fingers twined themselves in Axel's fur, he brought his eyes to Pansy's again and simply said, "thank you."

"It's nothing," Pansy returned before turning her attention to chide her crup. "Ax, must you always dig your claws in me first thing? Come on, let's get you outside." And Axel followed Pansy as she rolled out of Harry's bed and moved towards her own room.

The Malfoys arrived at the appointed time, and Pansy met them at the front door. "You'll have to excuse the master of the house," she said as she took their coats. "It's like he's back at Hogwarts again."

"Let me guess, petulant and entitled and moody?" Draco asked as he kissed Pansy on both cheeks. "It's as if time has hardly passed."

"You should be one to talk," Astoria said before pressing kisses of her own to Pansy's cheeks as Pansy grinned.

"We're having takeaway tonight," Pansy told them as she ushered them back towards the dining room. "You've suffered through my cooking enough to prefer takeaway, I'm sure," she told them. "And as I've yet to experience Harry's, I thought this was the safer choice."

"Anything is fine, Pans," Astoria said. "We brought a lovely white wine from my father's cellar. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, it's all set up in the dining room," Pansy said, gesturing toward the appointed door.

"How are you settling in here?" Draco asked Pansy as they entered the large, formal room with its oversized table and a fire lit in the grand fireplace.

"All right," Pansy said as she took the wine bottle Astoria offered and moved to set it to chill in a charmed wine bucket. Draco and Astoria settled themselves at the table. "Axel is in heaven."

"More space, I'd imagine," Draco said. "New smells."

"He loves Harry," Pansy added. "And there are more portraits for him to argue with."

Astoria laughed. "I've never understood his predilection for carrying on at portraits."

Pansy's laughter joined Astoria's. "There's a lot about Axel I've never understood," she said. "I had lunch with your sister yesterday before her appointment."

Before Astoria could answer, the door to the dining room opened and Axel scurried in the room, yapping in front of Harry. The crup enthusiastically greeted their guests as Harry hung back near the door. As Draco bent down to encourage Axel to keep his paws off Draco's trousers, Astoria strode over and extended her hand to Harry.

"Hi, Harry. I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. I'm Astoria," she said with a bright, warm smile. "I'm so glad you agreed to let us dine with you this evening."

Harry returned her handshake, but stuttered a brief, quiet response. "Yeah. Thanks. I mean, no problem."

Draco walked behind Astoria, placing a hand on her shoulder as he presented the other to Harry. "Harry. It's good to see you."

Harry looked at Draco's hand for a moment before returning the grasp. "It's been a long time. Malfoy."

Draco met Harry's eyes as their hands separated. "Please, call me Draco."

Harry shrugged. "Sure."

"Wine's chilled," Pansy said from her spot near the table. She began to pour it into the sparkling glasses she'd set out, and then turned to Harry. "Can you help me bring in the food? It's in the kitchen."

"Sure," he said, and headed for the kitchen with Pansy at his heels.

Once the kitchen door had swung shut behind them, Pansy stepped close to Harry. "How are you feeling so far?" she asked, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Fine. Ready to get this over with," he said, barely leaning into her hand. "Where's the food?"

Pansy gestured towards the kitchen table. "Under a stasis charm."

Harry stepped over, eyeing the little boxes and plastic containers and the pile of paper-wrapped chopsticks before him. "Is this Thai? Are they okay with that? It's Muggle!"

Pansy smiled at Harry. "I told you a lot has changed."

He only nodded, and moved to carry as many of the takeaway containers as he could and left for the dining room.

Conversation between the Malfoys and Harry over dinner had been more spirited than Pansy had been expecting, but they'd stuck to the safe topic of food. Astoria's lack of fear of muggle establishments had expanded Draco's culinary horizons, and it was easy to debate the merits of Tom's fish and chips at the Leaky Cauldron to those they'd consumed at pubs around muggle London.

Pansy banished their empty plates to the kitchen and said, "Why don't we retire to the living room for more wine and to talk?"

Harry threw Pansy a stricken look but followed along after Draco and Astoria rose to follow Pansy. They arranged themselves on the sofas in the living room clustered near the fireplace, Draco and Astoria cuddled on one with a stiff, and uncomfortable Harry on the opposite end of the other, cushions away from Pansy.

Her wineglass still in hand, Pansy gestured towards Draco. "Harry, you know that Draco was my patient, my first patient."

"I'm aware," he said, eyes focused on the fire.

Pansy continued, "I was thinking it would be good for you and Draco to have a chance to talk. I know your experiences during the war were quite different, but the repercussions you've faced are very similar. Nightmares. Panic. Withdrawal from the people in your lives. Physical symptoms, excessive tension. Shite sleep."

Draco nodded. "It took Pansy fighting for me, healing me, and meeting Astoria, to get myself back together again." He took a long swallow of his wine. "It wasn't easy, Harry. I'm certain it's not easy for you, either."

Harry continued to look into the fire. "I'm sure you know exactly everything I'm feeling, Draco," Harry spouted. "I wasn't aware you'd gotten your healer qualifications either."

"No," Draco drawled. "Pansy has, and you obviously know she knows what she's doing."

Harry's head snapped toward Draco. "I do, do I? Why is everyone so fucking sure they know what I'm feeling, or what I should be feeling?"

"Harry…" Pansy said, eyes wide and dark in the firelight, as she shifted down the sofa towards him.

He rose from the couch. "No, Pansy, I'm done. I ate dinner. I played nice for you. But I'm not sitting here through another lecture chiding me for feeling what I'm feeling. Especially not from Malfoy. I tried. I can't do this."

"Harry, that's not what…" she started to say, but he had already left the room. She looked back at Draco and Astoria sheepishly as she rose herself.

"Pansy, it's okay. We understand," Astoria offered with a kind look on her face.

"Maybe there's too much history between us for this," Draco sighed. "It was worth a shot."

Astoria rose to hug Pansy. "Go after him. I can tell you want to. We'll find our way out."

"Are you sure?" Pansy asked.

"Go do your job," Draco answered.

"I'll owl you tomorrow," she promised, and left to follow Harry to his room.

A/N: This one did not want to be written. Endless love and thanks to disillusionist9, whose encouragement and brainstorming saves me every time.

And endless love and thanks to you, too, for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. Until tomorrow!