Partners?

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy chapter fifty-five. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. Also, thank you for the great feedback.

Chapter 55: Pansy and Harry

Harry walked alongside Fleur and Tonks to the apparation point in the Aurors bullpen. He was still deeply conflicted by the events that had just taken place, My aunt was a witch and she was in love with my father...Snape gave her the recipe for a poison that could have killed him...I can't forgive her, but I can at least try to understand her... "Dora?"

"Yes Harry?" Tonks said as she took his hand, they would apparate in a moment, from the look on her husbands face Tonks knew he needed to talk first.

"What should I do?" His voice was quiet, Merlin he doesn't deserve all the shit that keeps getting piled onto his plate.."I wish I knew Harry, I really do.." She pulled him into her arms. "All I can tell you is that we love you, if you decide to go see her we will love you, and if you decide to visit your aunt then we'll love you and if you decide not to visit her we'll love you."

Harry sighed against her neck, his arms squeezing her. "I think I liked it better when I could just hate them.." He said softly, looking down at the floor for a moment.

Harry felt the wardstone vibrate, confused he looked to Tonks and Fleur. "Something must be up..." He said as they walked back towards the holding cells. Bellatrix was standing beside Amelia Bones, when she saw him she went to his side.

"Harry, we have to hurry, Riddle is planning an attack on the Granger home."

"What? How did you-"

"A girl in your year, Pansy sent a letter. They have a copy of Hermiones wardstone. They are going to use it to trace her location.." Bellatrix explained.

"But Hermione is at my house, they can't find her there."

"True, but eventually she won't be at Grimmauld Place. We need to move them to the safe house you were going to put the Dursleys in.." Bellatrix said.

"Or you could give them what they want, but under controlled circumstances..." Amelia said, "We could have a team of aurors waiting at the Granger house, get the Grangers out of the house, then have your friend use a spell. Get her out before the Death Eaters show up and then get the ones who show up."

Harry looked to Bellatrix, "Does Hermione know?"

"Yes, Cissy and I read the letter when it arrived."

"And you said Pansy sent it? The only Pansy I know is Parkinson, she's a Slytherin, she's Draco's girlfriend.." Harry said, not adding that she had been the second person after Hagrid to be nice to him.

Harry thought the dark haired girl was very pretty. He hadn't made any friends yet, Hagrid was okay he guessed, but he was too old. Maybe she could be his friend...then Harry saw that blonde boy from Madam Malkin's..he made his excuses and then left immediately.

It was during his trip to the library when he saw her again. She was reading alone, Harry went over to her side. "Hi Pansy.."

"Harry, why did you run away?" Her voice was soft, hurt.

"I'm sorry, I just..I really don't like that Draco kid.."

She giggled at him, "It's okay..I don't really like him either.."

"Can we try being friends again?"

"I want to Harry, but I'm in Slytherin...you're a Gryffindor.."

"We'll find a way to make it work.."

But they hadn't. They were only able to see each other in the library, and even then only when they were both alone. In second year it had gotten even worse, at some point she had decided that he wasn't worth the trouble.

"Go away Potter."

"Pansy, what's wrong..what did I do?"

"You are fraternizing with mudbloods and blood traitors that's what." Pansy spat at him. Her eyes weren't in it, they seemed heartbroken. Unfortunately Harry wasn't looking at her eyes. All he saw was his first friend telling him to go away. Finally he reached into the left sleeve of his robe and tugged. He pulled out a small scrap of colored string..it was their friendship bracelet. She had made it for him and sent it anonymously during their Yule break. She had told him about sending it when she'd gotten back.

"Fine. If we aren't friends...then..I..I don't need this." He threw it at her feet and strode away from her as quickly as he could without running.

At her home, Pansy was looking at that very bracelet. I'm so sorry Harry, I don't know why I kept saying those awful things..it was like I couldn't control myself.. She sighed looking up at her ceiling and thinking back to that moment.

"Fine. If we aren't friends...then..I..I don't need this." He threw it at her feet and strode away from her as quickly as he could without running.

Pansy managed to control herself until he was out of sight. Then she collapsed on the floor of the library. Thanking Morgana that no one was nearby, she grabbed the cord with shaking fingers. Her own bracelet peeked out from her left sleeve. "Harry...I didn't mean it.." She sobbed, then all of a sudden she stopped crying. "Lousy Potter. My Draco is a better wizard than he'll ever be." She rose, thrusting the bracelet into her pocket and turning. Draco Malfoy stood there with a smirk on his face.

"It doesn't make sense..unless...Draco isn't nearly strong enough to have cast a compulsion charm.." She sighed. Third year she had given up the idea of trying to repair their friendship. She had had remade his bracelet and wanted to give it to him as a Yule present, but every time she got prepared to do it, something in her mind made her stop. This will make Draco angry, Draco is your boyfriend, he deserves your loyalty.. That damned thought wouldn't leave her mind until she put the bracelet away. Fourth year she was prepared to just watch Harry from a distance.

Then the tournament happened.

Pansy saw the look on Harry's face as his name was called. 'He looks sick'. There was no way that Harry had put his name in the Goblet.

The first task was dragons. Full grown nesting mother dragons. When Harry flew away from the dragon it was all she could do not to shout for him to be careful. Draco was for once, not sitting beside her, instead he as shouting for the dragon to roast Harry. Normally there was that whisper in her mind that told her to laugh when he said things like that, but for some reason, she supposed it was the fact that Harry could very well die, she didn't hear it.

Harry looked very handsome at the Yule Ball, Pansy noticed. A fleeting image of the two of them dancing together played in her mind but was squashed by those whispers telling her that she owed it to Draco to be loyal.

The second task had Pansy watching as Harry did what she had come to know as his normal routine. He saved everyone he could. The Beauxbaton champions sister and Weasley were rescued by Harry. Again she was able to ignore those whispers long enough to cheer for Harry.

Then came the third task. Harry appeared with the Tri-wizard cup and a dead Cedric Diggory. He was shouting that Voldemort was back. Pansy felt a cold shiver run through her body when she saw Draco's smile.

Pansy sighed and closed her eyes. She opened them when she saw an owl sitting on her windowsill. The brown owl waited for her to open the window, and once it did it held out its leg for her. "You're a Ministry owl...who at the Ministry would send me a letter?" Taking the letter, and offering the owl a treat she began to read it.

Pansy,

Thank you for the warning. We are working to get Hermione's family into a same undisclosed location. I want to apologize for how I left things that day. You were my first friend besides Hagrid and you deserved more than me stomping away like a prat. Maybe we could try again?

Your friend,

Harry

P.S. If you ever want to talk to me, the floo channel is 'Grimmauld Place' and the password is 'Family'

Pansy smiled looking at the letter. She would call him later, preferably when her parents weren't home.

Scene Break

Harry watched as the letter left with the Ministry Owl. Amelia Bones stood behind him, Merlin this young man cannot catch a damned break. He reminds me of Fawkes that way...my Harry always had some nonsense trying to kill him.. She smirked sadly at that thought, remembering the day it happened,

Hogsmeade weekend was always busy. Harry had came to see her before her shift began. He was, as usual, assisting Minerva McGonagall watching the kids, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to stop in and see his girlfriend.

The attack happened just as the students were supposed to go back to the school. Harry had raced through Hogsmeade blasting Death Eaters alongside her. Then he saw a trapped student. Mafalda Hopkirk was pinned down, her leg caught under a fallen beam. Harry went to her side to lift the beam up when a death eater stumbled upon them. The killing curse was cast and Harry twisted his body so that he shielded the young girl from it, Amelia arrived just as it happened, she saw Harry die, in her rage she cast a killing curse of her own. Harry Fawkes died protecting Mafalda Hopkirk, he had been a hero, but that didn't make the nights any less lonesome.

Amelia blinked before drawing in a breath. Calm down 'Melia, one day at a time..She would have sworn that she heard Harry Fawkes voice in her ear again, but no, it was Harry Potter-Black talking to his wife Fleur. Watching Harry as he spoke to his French wife made Amelia happy for her, Girl needs someone to love her after all the shit Weasley put her through... But it also served to remind Amelia that she hadn't let anyone inside after Harry Fawkes.

Amelia Susanna Bones, you are going to start dating again if it's the last thing you do...