I've had a pretty good day today. The last chapter got almost 20 reviews, the new check-out clerk at Walgreens told me I'm cute, my boss hardly bugged me today, and I didn't have to work late. All of that made me decide to post another chapter!
May 2, 2008
Draco awoke just after midnight to a cold, empty bed. Pansy usually worked well into the early morning hours, claiming it to be her most creative time of the day. He pushed himself out of bed and crossed the hall to her work room. Swatches of fabric littered every surface of the room that was not already taken up by sketches and mannequins. Pansy's back was turned away from the door as she considered the gold silk draping on the front of her latest dress. Many times when sleep alluded him, Draco often watched her work, unbeknownst to his wife.
"Hand me that tape measure," Pansy said, her back still to him.
Her words snapped him from his thoughts, startling him forward. "Didn't know you knew I was here," he murmured, handing her the requested item and kissing her cheek.
"I always know," she replied, measuring the silk. She pinned the material from the right shoulder to the left hip. "Hermione would look lovely in this. Perhaps I could convince her to model it for me."
Draco sighed and retook his spot by the door. He'd heard those words several times when discussing Pansy's latest designs. Though his own friendship with Hermione had become strained, Pansy's had flourished. The two girls often got together for lunch and took hours-long shopping trips. He knew they were mostly organized by Pansy in an attempt to bond with his friends.
"So, why couldn't you sleep tonight?" Pansy asked, fixing the hem on the already short skirt.
"Just had a lot on my mind," he muttered.
Pansy finished the hem and sighed. They both knew what was on his mind. Draco wanted children and Pansy did not. He often commented that her clothes were all the children she needed. Each piece was given a name; she'd even gone so far as to christen her latest creation "Hermione".
"You should sleep," she said instead of rehashing old arguments. "I'm having lunch with Hermione around noon. Feel free to join us at the Leaky."
Hermione entered the Leaky Cauldron to find Pansy already waiting. "Sorry, meeting with my boss," she muttered, slumping down into the free chair across from her.
"That's the benefit of being my own boss," Pansy replied with a smile. "And if you would accept my offer to work with me, then you wouldn't have to deal with the Ministry."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Pansy's job offer came up every time they met, and Hermione politely declined it every time. The upside to Pansy's incessant chattering about the wonderful world of fashion was that Draco was not a part of it. She could listen to Pansy prattle on for hours about stitching techniques and the use of organza so long as Draco's name didn't come up.
"What's going on, Hermione?" Pansy asked worriedly. Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Pansy cut her off. "You and Draco have hardly spoken since we returned to England. He told me how close the two of you were, and I can't help but wonder if I might be cause of this tension."
Pansy was more astute than Hermione had given her credit for, but she could never let the other girl know how spot on she was. "Would I really be friends with you if I felt you were the reason Draco and I aren't close anymore?" she asked, feeling like a true Slytherin for telling such a convincing lie. "We grew apart. Simple as that."
Pansy didn't believe her, but accepted her reasoning for the time being. "Why did you and Ron break up?" she asked, taking dainty sips of her butterbeer. "And don't tell me you grew apart."
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know that I ever really loved him," she admitted, voicing this for the first time since their split. "It seemed...expected that we be together. After the war, though, he was different, distant. We didn't have the same interests or goals that we had as students. We really did grow apart."
Pansy nodded, taking in every word Hermione spoke. "And how much of that break up had to do with you being in love with my husband?" she wondered. Her tone was far from accusatory, but there was a melancholia to it that saddened both women.
"I swear, Draco never knew how I felt about him," Hermione replied, shocked by Pansy's question.
The raven haired beauty sighed and leaned back in her chair. "You should have told him."
Draco returned home from work late. The lights were off and the house dark. His leg hit something near the door, something that had never been there before. He turned on the first light he could find and found a suitcase in his path.
"Pans?" he called out worriedly.
"Hi," she greeted him. Her voice sounded tired, but she showed no other emotion.
"Are you going somewhere?" he wondered as she picked up the suitcase.
Pansy nodded. "Back to New York," she told him. He started to talk, an attempt to convince her to stay, but Pansy stopped him. "We both know this isn't working. I love you, Draco, and I think you love me too. The problem is you also love someone else."
Try as he might to deny her claim, Draco knew he couldn't. It had happened some time ago that his feelings for Hermione had developed beyond friendship, but he knew she wouldn't feel the same way as he. He wanted love and found that in Pansy, but it wasn't the same.
"You don't have to leave," he told her, taking hold of her hand.
Pansy stepped closer to him and kissed his stubbled cheek. "Yes, I do," she replied sadly. "It's for the best, Draco."
Nodding, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I really do love you, Pansy," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.
The raven-haired witch sighed. "I really do love you too, Draco," she replied. Pulling away from him, she wiped her eyes and picked up her luggage. "I don't hate Hermione for this, just so you know. This last year she's become a really good friend. Be good to her."
Draco nodded and watched his wife walk out the door.
