WRITTEN FOR QLFC SEASON 9, ROUND 5

TEAM: Holyhead Harpies, Chaser 2

PROMPT: We All Have Our Flaws – Jealousy

5. (object) bottle of wine

9. (pairing) Pansy/Daphne

15. (quote) "Some nights are made for torture, or reflection, or the savoring of loneliness." - Poppy Z. Brite

WORD COUNT: 1465

Title source: Some Nights by Fun

AN: Fair warning – it's meant to be kind of confusing in the beginning, but worry not! We'll unravel the mystery together. It'll be like our own little adventure.

But I Still Wake Up, I Still See Your Ghost

"Are you coming out for drinks tonight, Pans?"

Draco's easygoing grin made him appear much younger and lighter than the tortured soul that had inhabited his body through their last few years of school. Perhaps it was because he was free from the pressure from both his father and the Dark Lord, or maybe it was because he'd finally found love, but either way, he was truly happy. And it made Pansy want to punch him in the face.

"No," was the simple answer she gave him.

"Come on," Draco whined. "You never come out! Just this once, please?"

"Can't. I have a date," Pansy replied shortly, only partially lying.

Suddenly, Draco's displeasure at her rejection all but evaporated as his upset frown was replaced by a blinding smile. Gods, she wanted to punch him so badly.

"Really?" Draco beamed brightly, then continued on without letting her get a word in edgewise. "That's brilliant! I'm so happy that you're finally moving on!"

"Yes, yes," Pansy huffed impatiently, "Now can you please leave me alone so I can finish up here and go home?"

Draco put his hands up in surrender and turned to leave, but not before singsonging over his shoulder. "Have fun tonight! But don't have too much! Actually, scratch that, do have too much; you need it!"

As soon as the door closed behind him, Pansy's passive expression morphed into a dark sneer, her patience having been worn dangerously thin by Draco's exuberance. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, reaching for a bottle that was not there.

Like clockwork, when Pansy got home, Daphne was already there waiting for her, sprawled out on the couch and twirling an empty wine glass in her slender fingers.

"Hey Pansy," Daphne greeted, her happy smile thawing some frozen piece of grief in the darkest depths of Pansy's heart. "How was work?"

Pansy slid onto the couch next to her and sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. "I missed you."

Daphne chuckled fondly. "You saw me this morning, Pans."

Pansy's smile faltered. "Yeah, I know. But…"

"Hey, none of that now," Daphne interrupted. "I wanted you to have a happy life, remember?"

Pansy scowled, crossing her arms with a pout. "And how am I supposed to be happy, huh?"

"You can start by wiping that ridiculous expression off your face," Daphne scolded while rolling her eyes. "It's unbecoming."

Pansy glared at her. "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

Daphne's expression softened. "I don't either, Pans. I really don't. I've never understood why I was worth hanging onto for all these years."

Pansy flinched as if struck. "I could never let go of you, Daphne. You know how much I love you."

"And I love you, but that doesn't change what happened, no matter how much you may wish it so," Daphne replied.

Pansy groaned. "Not you too! Malfoy's already been on my arse about this for the past two years, as if he has any right to talk while he's happily off shagging your sister."

Daphne's nose wrinkled. "Don't try to divert the conversation with your superfluous vulgarity. You forget that I can see right through you."

Pansy balled her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white. "It doesn't matter, anyway. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

Daphne let out an incredulous snort. "You think what? That Draco doesn't understand loss? Suffering? We all lost friends and loved ones, Pansy, him especially."

"NOT LIKE THIS!" Pansy shouted, slamming her fists down on the table. "Not like you," she finished quietly.

"Pans…" Daphne chided.

"No! He may have lost friends and family, but look at him now! Happy and in love, where pain and misery are things of the past! How can he just move on as if nothing happened?" Tears were filling Pansy's eyes as her face flushed with frustration. Her next words were barely audible, even to herself. "And why can't I?"

"It's not something that you can just make happen," Daphne reminded her calmly. "You know that's not how it works."

"Well, it should be," Pansy protested petulantly. "My hands are far cleaner than Malfoy's have ever been, yet he's the one that gets the happy ending. It's not fair."

Daphne sighed commiseratingly. "Life rarely is."

"Life sucks," Pansy murmured.

"You don't have to tell me that," Daphne laughed.

Pansy winced. "Sorry. I guess that was kind of insensitive."

A loud snort met her ears.

"Do you even understand how ludicrous it is that you're apologizing to me?"

Pansy smirked sadly. "I always did have the unfortunate tendency to indulge in self-pity."

"Right," Daphne rolled her eyes, "And it was my job to drag you out of it. So, how about a glass of wine?"

Pansy glanced at the unopened bottle of chablis resting on the small table in the middle of the sitting room, then back at Daphne. "You know I don't like white, Daph."

Daphne shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you can't just hold onto it forever."

Pansy stared at the blond man that was bustling around her flat.

"Draco. What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

He was one of her best friends and she loved him dearly, but lately, all she felt when she saw him was a deep-seated resentment.

"Oh, ease up," Daphne called out from where she was lounging against the far wall. "He's cleaning this dump up. You should be grateful."

"Well," Draco said, "I figured that since you're ready to start living again, you would appreciate a fresh start."

Pansy scanned over the now pristine room, marveling at the sheer amount of open space. Who knew Draco had such a deft hand for housekeeping? Wait.

"Draco," Pansy whispered dangerously. "Where's the bottle that was on the table?"

A look of confusion passed over his face as he scrunched his forehead in thought. "Uh, in the garbage pile, probably."

"Get it back, then!" Pansy yelled, suddenly near hysterics.

Draco frowned. "Pansy, you hate white wine. I've had to endure your complaints about it since we drank that bottle of champagne to celebrate our graduation."

"It's not for me!" she screamed in frustration. "It was her favorite!"

"And I've repeatedly told you not to hold onto it for my sake," Daphne chirped from her side of the room.

Pansy whirled around and jabbed a finger toward her. "You stay out of this!"

Draco's gaze flicked to follow Pansy's pointing, then back to her rigid form, his face growing steadily paler.

"Pansy." His voice was low and deadly serious. "You said it was one time."

Pansy froze as her eyes widened at the realization of what she'd done. Her lips clamped shut as she seemed to shrink back into herself.

"Pansy," Draco said a little louder. "Talk to me. Please."

Pansy hissed in anger. "I lied, okay?! Is that what you want to hear? I still see her, all the goddamn time! Every morning when I wake up and every night when I come home. When I eat and when I read, she's always bloody there! I can never get her out of my head!"

Daphne smirked teasingly. "After such an outburst, a girl might think that you didn't actually want her around."

Pansy studiously ignored her as she continued to yell at Malfoy. "She haunts me constantly, and you know what?" She let out a half-crazed giggle. "I don't even care!"

"Pansy," Draco said quietly. "It's going to be okay. We can get you help. Professional help. The mind healers at St. Mungo's are great. They can make you better."

Pansy laughed scornfully, throwing her head back in hysterical hilarity. "You just don't get it, do you? I don't want help, and I don't want to get better. I may be going insane, but at least I can see her. Don't you understand? This is all I have left of her! This and that stupid bottle of chablis!"

"Pansy."

If she had been paying attention, she would've seen the beginnings of fear creeping into Draco's expression when faced with her erratic behavior, but she was too busy on her knees digging through the pile Draco had made for the garbage littering the room.

"Pansy. This isn't healthy."

Pansy froze, turned slowly, and rose jerkily to her feet. "No. You don't get to do that. You have the love of your life by your side, so everything seems so simple to you. You can afford to be happy or excited, or spend energy worrying about useless things like 'healthy' or 'not healthy.' Not me, Draco. The woman I love has been dead for years, and the most important part of me died along with her. I'm far, far past the point of caring about being healthy."

AN: I feel like canon Pansy was vain, selfish, shallow, and cruel, but she never really exhibited envy or jealousy. There wasn't much that she wanted but couldn't have. Also, I recommend a re-read knowing what you do about how it ends. Beta credit to the wonderful gingerdream and MissyAndTheDocs.