Chapter II
Pansy
Both of her parents walked her to the Hogwarts Express that year. The Parkinson's have got a lot of visits in the last months and Pansy assumed the events were connected. Her mother has announced that they were considering potential matches for her, of course she is, Pansy is getting kind of old for an arrange marriage at 14.
Her father had his eyes on Draco, who's family is from the Secret 28 and proclaimed an heir already. She can't say that she never have thought of boys before, but not in a dating capability, least of all Draco, who was whinny and hard to read at times and her best friend.
Harry is not a suitable option for some reason in her dad's eyes, maybe because the Potter's are not in the secret twenty-Eight, or through to her family's dark aspiration, the Potter's had always been a light family.
So her dad was gracious enough to provide her a list of potential partners: Draco, Marcus Flint (witch was not even at Hogwarts now, but okay), Ernie Macmillan (he actually put a Hufflepuf, how forwards thinking of him) and Theodore Nott. Pansy was contemplating celibacy for the rest of her natural life.
Longbottom and Weasley, were both missing, although were both pure-bloods from the secret families. Too bad Neville and Ron were not her type, they would have been a great grey area. Although, some of the older Weasley children may be an option as well.
They didn't care about her grades or friends before, but they do now, like she has just now started existing. Is tiring, if she knew how her parent's love felt like she wouldn't have longed for it as a child.
She feels like she can breathe only when she is already embarked in the train. Draco finds her pretty fast and takes the seat by her, Blaise shows up later and Harry just flicker on and out between them and his Gryffindor's.
"Nice summer? „She asks her companions.
"Seen the Quiddich World Cup" Draco said proud.
"Where you with your dad?" Blaise asked.
"Dad said he was busy that night and I went with Sirius"
"Harry told me you meet Cedric there" Pansy smiles.
Draco blushes. "His dad knows mister Weasley from work"
"So you finally talked to him, then?" Blaise asked.
Pansy extends her hand and he puts the sickles in.
"You put a bet on it!?" Draco roars.
"I said you won't talk to him till the second semester, Pansy said before" Blaise shrugs.
"I had faith in you" Pansy grins.
"You are horrible friends"
"We are supportive friends!" Pansy corrects "Now the bet on who makes the first move" She turns to Blaise.
"What first move!? There is nothing to make move on, he is …just someone I admire…For his Quiddich skills"
Pansy glares at him. Blaise starts laughing unhelpful.
"What's the joke?" Harry asks slipping inside the compartment.
"Draco said he admires Cedric for his Quiddich skills" Pany fills in.
"He is a very good player, isn't he?" Harry asked excited.
Draco happily jumps into his conversation and they lost both of them in a long Quiddich discussion. Pansy turns to Blaise.
Do you see this shit? Her raised eyebrow asked.
They have no idea and I am all for it! Blaise smirks answers.
They sit at the Slytherin table, the Sorting ceremony is kind of boring so she uses her time to whisper with Draco and Milicent about what gossip they missed over the summer. Nothing major happened, only a few balls and some illicit love affairs, but nothing earth shattering.
Dumbledore stops after dinner and announces the TriWizard Championship and it's rules.
"Maybe I didn't heard correctly, did he said about cancelling Quiddich?" Draco whispered.
"He did" Harry sighed.
"That is vile" Draco hissed.
"Well, now maybe you boys will have time to concentrate on something else" Millicent leers.
"Like what?" Harry asked oblivious as always.
"Your school work" Pansy saves them.
"Have you talked to Hermione?" Harry asked.
Pansy rolls her eyes.
Pansy was not found of classes, at all…She did have to get decent grades, cause apparently a girls needs to be smart, but not frighteningly so according to her, witch if you ignore the sexism of it, meant that in at least one aspect of her life she can take a break.
Blaise was not overly worried about grades either, only in the Slyhterin sense to be somehow above average, Draco and Harry had better grades. Harry didn't try a lot, but still got decent grades due to dumb luck and his bossy Ravenclaw friend. Draco, on the other hand, was just a try hard all around.
So she was very surprised when Granger sat by her at lunch and said Draco missed their study date.
"I would assume he has Quiddich training, but Ron said all the games are cancelled" Granger clarified.
"He was at breakfast" Harry said frowning.
"He was at Artimancy, then he had a free period and said he will meet me after Devination"
"You took that?" Pansy asked surprised.
"I asked Professor Flitwick to drop it, but he said no Ravenclaw ever quit a class" She pouts.
"Back to Draco!" Harry called by her side.
"Maybe he has a date or something" Blaise provides unhelpful.
"Date?" Granger asked frowning.
"Date?" Harry chokes on air.
"Well is the age" Blaise smirks.
"I will go and look for him!" Harry and Granger said at the same time.
"What are you playing at?" Pansy asked Blaise as soon as they were gone.
"Nothing" He grins.
"I can't find Draco!" A panicked Harry said dropping on the sofa next to Pansy.
"Have you checked his room?"
"Of course I did, is my room too!"
"Library?"
"Did!"
"Have you asked Professor Snape? He sometimes visits him" Blaise supplied.
"I should try that!" Harry rushes out.
Harry takes two hours and when he finally finds them again, he looks worried, he has a gorgeous white ferret on his shoulder though and that is what catches Pansy attention.
"If you traded Draco for that is totally understandable" Pansy said reaching to stroke the ferret, but the creature glared at her and hissed.
"I didn't trade Draco for anything, this is…Draco" Harry sighed long suffering.
"How?"
"He tried a potion he was working on to help animagus transform faster and decided to test it on himself" Harry sounded very angry.
"You were supposed to be the smart one" Pansy glared at the ferret.
The ferret looked unimpressed.
"Is he stuck?"
"For the next 24 hours, since he didn't really follow the normal steps"
"He will be okay?"
"Professor Snape assured me he will be. Not sure about that after he is back to normal though"
"Are you that mad?"
"I am, but Severus had to write the family as well…Sirius and Narcissa will be here tomorrow"
The ferret whimpers and tries to hide under Harry's clock.
"No such luck, you won't be as small and cute by then" Harry calls.
"Found your half yet?" Blaise jumps at the end of her couch.
Pansy hits him in the leg, but he doesn't seem bothered.
"What?" Harry asked confussed. Draco peeks his head out.
"Oh, cute" Blaise said and picks him up.
Draco hissed and then bit his finger.
"Put that thing down is rabid" Blaise whines clutching his finger.
Pansy rolls her eyes and uses a healing spell on him. Draco runs over to Harry and settles on his shoulder.
"No argument there, but that would still be homicide"
Blaise looked at her confused.
"Draco was dumb"
Blaise observes the ferret. "It kind of looks like him"
Draco hissed, the fur on his back rises like of an angry cat.
"I am taking you to bed now" Harry sighs and rises.
"I prefer him as a ferret" Blaise said.
"Asshole" Pansy rolls her eyes.
"There is significantly less whining"
"But more hissing"
The next morning, Pansy did get to see Lord and Lady Black as well. Since Draco was not fully back by the time they had breakfast, his mum and cousin had breakfast in the Great Hall. Pansy read in the Prophet that Sirius Black was an animagus as well, so she hoped he may help.
They were just finishing breakfast when Lucius Malfoy showed up as well.
"Draco!" He called.
Draco rose on his hind legs from the table and peered at his dad.
"What have they done to you!?" Lucius Malfoy laments.
Pansy was glad not many people were still at breakfast for the sake of Draco's reputation. Lucius Malfoy made his way to the teacher's table where Draco was with the rest of his family.
"Nothing did anything, a harmless experiment" Sirius Black rose from the table.
"Harmless? My heir is a ferret" Lord Malfoy deadpanned.
"He will be back to normal in a few hours" Draco's mother said cold.
"And I had to find out now, because?"
"You are not an emergency contact" Sirius Black smiled cold.
"I was just a few months ago!"
"Since then the trial was completed" Narcissa Black glared.
"Students, if you are done with you meal, please leave the Hall" Professor Snape said looking straight at Pansy.
She rose and made her way out, it was just getting good. She knew about Draco's parents, never meet any so she had no real opinions on them, Narcissa Black seemed nice though. She hoped Draco will be okay, he hated people fighting.
Draco was back to normal after dinner; he entered the Common Room with Harry and took a seat on his normal sofa. Harry plunked by him.
"Are you okay?" Pansy asked.
"Yes, I would have been as well, no reason to kick this much of a fuss" Draco frowns.
"You were a ferret" Harry deadpanned.
"I knew the effects of the potion when I drunk it"
"Severus found your notes and there were only question marks" Harry glared.
"I was empirically testing"
"You are never doing that again!"
"Agreed, now that I tested it once I can tweak it a bit and change the time of the shift"
Harry stares at Draco, open mouthed gaping like a fish.
"Draco!" Pansy warned.
"Do you realize what this means, I can make a fortune with this if I can prefect it!"
"You are already rich!"
"I can be famous for something I have done by my own!" His eyes were shinning weirdly.
"You do not have to prove anything!" Harry tried.
"I am done talking about it!" Draco said with a mask of calmness on his face.
"You are…No! We are talking about it!" Harry protested loudly.
"Silencio!" Draco cast staring straight at Harry's face.
Harry muffled protest and waved his arms.
"So have you done your Charms homework?" Draco turned to Pansy like nothing was wrong.
Pansy rolled her eyes and took out her Charms textbook. Draco was an asshole, but he still has the correct answers and she needs a good grade on that paper, Harry will tire himself eventually, or someone will take pity on him.
Dumbledore also announced that their guest from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be arriving next week as well. Apparently they will send a pretty big emissary from the upper classes and some teachers. The guest will live at the school and attend some of their classes.
Pansy was not very excited about the Tournament; Hogwarts was dangerous enough, without the added threat of tasks for the sake of glory. She was happy their year couldn't compete though; she had enough trouble keeping her idiots in line without that pressure on top.
She heard Griffindors bragging loudly about putting their name in the cup, some even trying to cheat the system and get pass the age spell, but she honestly couldn't see the appeal. Money wise, the sum was not very big, the fame only lasted for a few months and the training and dangers were not worth it, in her opinion.
The guest starts arriving over the next week, first the flying carriages of Beauxbatons and the then the students from Durmstrang in a boat. Dumbledore introduced the headmaster and then seat the students on their own tables in the Hall.
On the Defense Class, Harry was still mute since he was unable to cast the countercharm. It was Professor's Moody first class. Pansy has heard about him and seen him at the teacher's table, but he looks quite scary.
He wobbles in and takes a seat at the desk. Even his presentation is scary, but Pansy recognizes an intimidation tactic when he sees one. She is not that sure about the acting when he said they will be learning about Unforgivable curses today.
Professor Moody started casting the spells on a creature he had in a jar. Then he asks Neville Longbottom to cast Cruciatus, Pansy doesn't know Neville that well, but she knows he was in the hospital last year after being tortured with that spell.
"This whole thing is against the teacher's code!" Hermione Granger rises.
"Do you think when this spells will be cast at you, the people will care about morals?"
"Now you are the only one casting it" Draco muttered.
"Mister Malfoy, how about you help us with the Imperius, which should be familiar"
Harry rises from his chair gesticulating wildly.
Pansy casts under the desk.
"…and that is just bullshit!" Harry's angry voice finishes what looks like a long rant.
"Mister Potter, perfect, now you can be the one who casts the Death Curse!"
"I can be tempted to!" Harry said drawing his wand.
"You can't really, you need intent for all of them, is not just about the words, or the wand movement, you need to have purpose behind them to work!" Granger protest.
"Very good, miss Granger, indeed you need to mean them, but they are a lot of other spells you can use just to main, open your book at page…"
And Moody started continuing with his lesson like nothing have happened. Slowly everyone that was up takes their seat looking around confused.
"What in Merlin's name was that?" Pansy whispered to Blaise that was her desk mate.
"Maybe he was an Auror a tad too long, a stray hex in the head or something" Blaise whispers.
"Is Sirius still in the building?" Harry whispers to Draco when they got out.
"Left this morning, but I can get a word to Dora" Draco whispers back.
"What are you talking about?" Pansy asked.
"We meet Moody before, Dora brought him to dinner once" Draco said.
"And he talked all night about how the Ministry should do more to stop people using the Unforgivables, but talking less about them, not teaching them in school and trying to bury the knowledge about them" Harry added.
"But then why…"Pansy frowns.
"Exactly! We should go and talk to Dora!" Draco proposed.
"We should be able to firecall her"
The two started muttering and turned towards the dungeons. Pansy followed them.
"But the fireplace in the Common Room is not connected to the Floor Network" Pansy protested.
"We must use Severus's" Harry said.
Severus? Are they talking about Professor Snape? Pansy is way to intrigued to stop following them now.
"He has this class off" Draco added.
They all rushed to the Dungeon and Harry rushed into Professor Snape's office without knocking, Draco and Pansy follow him.
"Mister Potter, what is the meaning of this…"Professor Snape greets them, fire alight with fury.
"Horcrux" Harry said.
Professor Snape stops and his face turns white.
"What happened?" He asked getting his wand out.
"We need to contact Dora, immediately" Harry said.
Harry rushes to the fireplace and starts the call.
"Professor Moody is acting very out of character" Draco explained to Severus.
"I can run a few spells on him" Severus offers.
"Is better if we get the Aurors"
"Dora!" Harry's voice rings from the fireplace.
In the flame a young face is looking back at him worried. Pansy has never meet Nimphadora Tonks personally, but she could have recognised her immediately, even solely on the pink hair, but she also has the Black bone structure and eye shape.
Harry proceeds to tell her about the class they just had.
"That doesn't seem like the Moody I know" Harry ended his story.
"And he seemed to have taken to the bottle, he kept drinking from his hip pouch. I assume it was a pain reliefer, since he has just been in an accident, but in this context…"
"Polyjuice" Professor Snape finished Draco's sentence.
"I will be right there!" Nympahdora Tonks said with a determined look.
Harry step back from the fireplace and the young Auror steps in. She looked even younger in person, her hair was flickering between red and blue and even her features were shifting, Pansy knew she was a metamorphmagus, but she has never seen one before.
"Is he in class now?" Dora asked looking up at Severus.
"Yes, he should have classes till lunch"
"We can't risk him hurting any of the kids, so we should get him when he is out"
"We should search his room, he should have ingredients for the potions or other clues there" Severus supplied.
"I will call Kingsley to help, I trust him" Nymphadora said.
"You three should get back to class" Severus said turning to the students.
"But…there is an evil person in the castle" Harry protested.
"Not the first time, that doesn't mean anything at this point" Nympahdora supplies.
"We can help!" Draco insisted.
"You do, by being safe. We do not know if you or Harry are targets in this" Her tone was very gentle compared to the authoritarian aura she had before.
"In your rooms, now!" Professor Snape commanded. "I can make you if you do not do it yourself"
"Fine!" Harry said defeated.
They slowly left the room with Professor Snape glaring at them all the way through. Auror Tonks was already turned to the fireplace talking to her colleagues the last time they've seen her before the door shut in their faces.
"We should go and see the room before they get there!" Harry said.
"They are professionals. Do not make me petrify you, because you know I will" Draco said gripping his wand.
Harry glared at him, but they did make their ways to the dorms without any incident.
The next day, the Defense against the Dark arts class were all cancelled. In the Slytherin Common Room it was quite a chaos, for a few years they were bets places on the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, how long will they last and what will eventually make them leave.
No one had put a bet on the seasoned Auror lasting less than a month though. Everyone was scrambling to get more information in hope they can cash something in, only 4 Slytherins were watching the chaos unfold from a deserted corner of the Common Room.
"So let me get this straight, Professor Moody was an imposter?" Blaise asked.
"Yes, someone was using Pollyjuice to steal his identity" Draco whispered.
"Who?"
"They didn't reveal yet, some Death Eater from what Dora told me" Harry joined the conversation.
"Did they find the real Moody?"
"Yes, he was locked in a trunk in the room" Draco shivers" He was shaken up, but okay"
"Why did a Death Eater want to infiltrate the school?"
"We do not know…Dora said they have him under interrogation"
"Where is Professor Moody now?" Pansy is the one to ask this time.
"St. Mungo's, they want to make sure he is okay. Mum said that he is not hurt, but had been locked there for about a month"
"How did no one noticed that?"
"We did…" Draco frowned.
"Do you think he will be back?" Blaise asked frowning.
"You took bets on him surviving all year, didn't you?" Pansy glared at her friend.
"Yes, but…I also want to make sure he is fine. He is a good Auror"
"You are incorrigible" Pansy sighs.
At dinner, Dumbledore announced that Professor Moody will be back, but he is missing a few weeks due to personal reasons, in the meantime, the teacher position will be filled by Auror Nymphadora Tonks. Everyone applauded. The pink haired witch took her seat at the teacher's lounge at smiled back at their table. Draco and Harry waved and smiled brightly at her.
Even if Professor Moody was not teaching anymore, Pansy still dreaded the Defense Class. They all entered the classroom and took their usual seats, but everyone was more quiet than usual. Professor Tonks appeared 5 minutes late running through the door. She stopped by the teacher's desk and turned to them with a big smile.
"Welcome, class, my name is Professor Tonks and I will be replacing Professor Moody. Some of you might remember that I thought a few classes last year as well during Professor's Lupin time. Now, I heard that you were working on the Unforgivable Curses last time, but I feel you already have a grip on that so I propose we move on. How about we get back to creatures?"
Professor Tonks then proceeded on teaching them all about vampire bats while changing her features to match what she was talking about. The dark wings were Pansy's personal favorites. After that, she didn't dread the Defense class again, well not in the fourth year at least.
Dumbledore also announced that their guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving next week as well. Apparently they would send a pretty big emissary from the upper classes and some teachers. The guests would live at the school and attend some of their classes.
Pansy was not very excited about the Tournament; Hogwarts was dangerous enough, without the added threat of tasks for the sake of glory. She was happy their year couldn't compete though; she had enough trouble keeping her idiots in line without that pressure on top.
She heard Griffindors bragging loudly about putting their names in the cup, some even trying to cheat the system and get past the age spell, but she honestly couldn't see the appeal. Money wise, the sum was not very big, the fame only lasted for a few months and the training and danger were not worth it, in her opinion.
The guests started arriving over the next week, first the flying carriages of Beauxbatons and the then the students from Durmstrang in a boat. Dumbledore introduced the headmasters and then seated the students on their own tables in the Hall.
It was the night that Dumbledore will pick the names out of the cup. Finally at least this part will be over. The first name to be picked was for the Beauxbaton's representative, Fleur Delacriox was the one picked. A pretty blond girl rose from her chair and came to the front of the Hall, the eyes of almost all the guys at the table followed her as she went.
The representant for Durmstrang was Victor Krum. Pansy never really get the appeal of the guy, but he did have a confident and competent aura about him. Next it was the Hogwarts champion turn to be picked.
Pansy felt like the people around her were holding their breath anxiously waiting. Dumbledore caught the flaming parchment and read the name: "Cedric Diggory". The whole Hufflepuf table erupted into noise.
It was very loud in the room, but she still heard the intake of breath from Draco at the mention off the name. She turned toward her friend that was paler than usual.
"Are you okay?" She whispers.
"Of course I am" He turned to her.
"You know, he can do this, it doesn't mean he will be hurt"
"I do not care" He turned his noise stubbornly.
Pansy considered a quick stinging hex under the table when the noise suddenly stopped. Pansy turned her eyes towards the front of the Hall where a lone singed page was floating towards the Headmaster's opened arm.
"Harry Potter" Dumbledore read with a surprised voice.
Every eye in the room turned to Harry. The Slytherin rose slowly from his chair.
People started whispering and pointing at Harry. Harry made his way hesitantly to the front of the room.
"We need to have a little chat with our champions, continue your meal" Dumbledore announces.
Neither Pansy nor Draco eat anything. They keep staring at the door the Champions walked out of, but nothing happens. They are even sent to the Common Room, before they return. By unspoken agreement, Pansy and Draco take a seat by the fire waiting.
"Do you think Harry put his name in?" Pansy asked.
"He looked surprised and unhappy at the Ceremony, I doubt he did"
"I didn't know you can put another's name"
"Apparently is possible…"
The door opened a few hours later and Harry stepped in. He looked haggard, but calmer than he did at the dinner.
"Are you okay?" Draco jumped as soon as he was in.
"Fine" Harry whispered.
"What happened?" Pansy asked.
"Mum made a magical contract before, prohibiting me from participating"
"So you are not in the Tournament?" Draco asked relieved.
"No" Harry said looking down.
"That is great!"
"Because now you do not have to choose a side?" Pansy asked Draco smirking.
"Because Harry won't be in any danger" Draco glared at her.
"They all thought I put my name inside"
"Even Mrs. Potter?" Draco asked surprised.
"No, mum said it was most definitely fake Moody"
"I do not think you put your name in" Draco said confident.
"Me either!" Pansy jumps in.
Harry beams at them.
Pansy was in Care of Magical Creatures when the next surprising event of the year happened. Since Hagrid stepped down from the teaching position, Care didn't had that many surprising events like it used to.
They were having the class with the Griffindors; they were all outside in a circle around the teacher. She said she has a surprise for them and took them all at the border with the Forbidden Forest.
Students were already whispering about the surprise, when someone emerged from the forest. A tall red-head, pretty well built with short hair, well build with a tan skin and a lot of freckles…he can't possibly be a Weasley, can he!?
"Charlie!" Ron jumped from his place and hugged his brother.
"Students, please welcome Charles Weasley, he was a former student, Gryffindor prefect and now is studying dragons in Romania. I asked Charles to come here today and talk to you a bit about his work, if any of you are interested or thinking of perusing it" Professor Grubbly-Plank annonced.
"He looks so cool!" Harry said in awe to her right.
"But he is a Weasley!" Draco whispered repulsed.
"One must be cool, statistically speaking" Blaise whispers.
Harry shushes them both. Pansy stares at them disappointed.
Charles Weasley walks confidently to the middle of the circle and starts talking about his work. Sounds dangerous, talking care of dragons and nests in one of the only sanctuaries left in Europe. They are talking in abused dragons, orphans and also very rare dragons who would be poached to extinction in the wild.
"So what are you doing here?" A student asked, a Gryffindor-boy, dark skinned that was always hanging out with Ron Weasley.
"I am here to bring a dragon from England to Romania" Charles said, something in his demeanor told Pansy that it was not the whole truth.
"Have you ever been hurt?" Lavander Brown asks with hearts in her eyes.
"Singed, bruised, but nothing life threatening. You have to understand these are wild beasts and most of the times are as scarred as you are"
Charles Weasley bows his head and leave the circle of students. Pansy's eyes and most of the other girl's follow his as he goes. He meets up with Professor Tonks at the entrance and she hugs him warmly. Yeah, now thinking about it, they are the same age.
"I can understand that with a family like his you would want to go and live as far away as you could, but to not get a partner either….I guess less Weasleys are always a good thing" Nott turns to whisper to Goyle.
They all laugh and some of the closest Slytherins did as well, some Griffindors snicker.
"Do not talk about my family like that!" Ron Weasely shouts.
"Or what?" Nott smirks at his goons behind him. Ron looks ready to pounce, but is held back by a fellow Gryfindor.
"Class dismissed" Professor Grubbly-Plank calls oblivious to her student's mood.
It was much later that night when Harry bursts into the Slytherin Common Room. It was not unusual for him to miss spend afternoons away with his friends from other houses, so Pansy wasn't very surprised when he was gone, he usually didn't get such a storm entrance though.
Harry looked around the room. Only she and Draco left doing their homework by the fire.
"I know what the first trial in the Tournament will be!" Harry whispered excited. "Charlie is not here for sightseeing, he is supervising the dragons they took from the Sanctuary for the task!"
"The first task is going to be dragons!?" Draco raises his voice.
Harry and Pansy both shush him.
"Isn't that exciting?"
"Exciting!? They are wild dangerous creatures!" Draco protests.
"I am sure they are measures in place that they can't actually die" Harry trails off.
"Someone died! At the last Tournament, that is why it was gone for so long!" Draco snaps.
"I am sure that the school is not putting people in danger…"Harry frowns.
"Harry, this is Hogwarts!" Draco sighs.
"What kind of dragons?" Pansy asked.
"I only saw one, but Charlie said they will be three different kinds"
"What kind was the dragon you saw?" Draco asked worried.
"Ohm…Red?"
Draco takes a long calming breath.
"Horns or no horns?"
"No horns!"
"Chinese Fireball!" Draco shivered.
"How do you even know that?" Pansy looked at him. "We didn't covered dragons yet!"
"I…used to love dragons as a kid, I had a book with them from Sirius" Draco said avoiding their eyes.
"Are they very tough?"
"They do spit fire when aggravated…Are medium length, not attack unless provoked" Draco narrated.
"So not the worst out there…"
"They were also two that you didn't see!" Pansy pointed out.
"True" Harry chews on his lip.
Draco seems to be with his mind elsewhere and ends the night early.
She didn't meant to follow Draco, she really didn't…It just happened that he stopped to talk to Cedric just under the window of the room she was in.
"Hello" She hears Draco's voice, almost on the verge of whispering.
"Hello"
"I…wanted to talk to you about the first task"
"Okay, what's up?"
"I…know what the task it will be…and I wanted to let you know so you can work a bit on it beforehand, there will be dragons"
"Dragons!? Are you sure?"
"My friend saw them get into Hogwarts"
"I…thank you for telling me this, Draco"
"You know my name?" That one, Pansy is sure slipped past Draco before he can stop it.
"Of course I do, you are in Slytherin, their seeker, you play a pretty good game"
"Thank you!" Pansy wanted so bad to see if he was blushing, but that would reveal her place.
"You know I need to tell the other contestants as well, right?"
"But you are in an advantage now!"
"An unfair one! Not that I do not appreciate your help, but I do not want to win like this!"
"Just…be careful, alright?"
"Sure thing! Thank you for telling me!"
"You told Cedric!?" Pansy flinched from her chair. She was in the Common Room reading with Draco by the fire.
Harry stormed in an hour into their evening. Draco kept on reading till Harry took the book from him and forced Draco to look at him.
"I couldn't in a clear conscience keep that information from the contestants!"
"Bullshit, this is not about your conscience! You have a thing for him!"
"I want our team to win that is all!"
"Ron told me this and asked me to keep it a secret!"
"You are the one that told us!" Draco deadpanned.
"Because I trusted you!"
"Well, that is your mistake! " Draco said cold and rose from the chair.
Harry remained in place as he got away. Pansy took pity on Harry's distraught face and got closer.
"You okay?"
"Not really…I…I trusted him"
"Technically, the contest would have been in real danger otherwise" Pansy argued.
"But the Tournament must be challenging!"
"But dragon level? I am surprised how they even passed that by the government!"
"I am sure they do not have to fight it!"
"Maybe not…But you are right, Draco didn't tell Cedric because he is selfless, he has a crush the size of Hagrid on the guy"
"I really don't know how to be his friend…Is like walking on a minefield all the time"
"A what?"
"Muggle thing…Explosives on the ground that can go off any time"
"He is a bit difficult…but he didn't do this to betray or hurt you"
"I know…" Harry sighs.
But Draco didn't stop there. In the next week, he made this badges with Cedric's name and face in an obnoxious yellow that he distributed anonymous to the other students. Pansy would have known it was him regardless, but she did for sure since he enlisted her help to make them.
"Don't you think this is a bit excessive?" Pansy asked her crazed friend.
"Not at all, I am showing my school spirit!" He said while charming the new bunch, they were made impervious to harm and would also rotate and show Cedric's face.
"When you are crushing you are all in, huh?"
"I am not "crushing" " Draco rolls his eyes.
"So you would have done the same if the champion was Warrington?"
"Of course I would…Warrington is a Slytherin!"
"You are so full of it! I do not even understand, is it a pureblood thing? Because I am sure Sirius wouldn't care, or your mother"
"I do not know what you mean!"
"You are repressed…or can you be this oblivious?" Pansy gasped.
"You know what? I can finish the rest myself, thank for your assistance!"
"Okay…But so you know, Creevy is selling photos of whoever you want for chocolate!"
"Bye Pansy!" Draco snapped and slammed the door in her face.
Pansy has seen Rita Skeeter following students around outside the champions, relatives, friends or the person they dated, so she was not very surprised to find her in the Slytherin Common Room. Everyone was ignoring her, but covertly watching her every move waiting for what comes next. Pansy knew Skeeter is not here for her, but damn if she will let her get to her boys.
"Miss Skeeter" Pansy smiles cold.
"Miss…I am sorry I don't think we've meet"
"Pansy Parkinson"
"Oh the Parkinson heiress, of course. You are friends with Mister Potter and Black, are you not?"
"Is that the reason you are breaking school laws by being in our Common Room? You were a Ravenclaw, I am sure the rules haven't changed even if after all this time" Pansy smiles tight.
"Of course, my apologies" She glares at Pansy and makes her way out.
Pansy should have known better that Skeeter won't just give up. It started with Draco being late for a Potions class. He was rarely late in general, but never to a Potions class. He entered 5 minutes late, radiating anger. Professor Snape didn't comment on his entrance making most of the Griffindors glare at Draco.
"Are you okay?" She whispered.
"I was cornered by Rita Skeeter before class" He hissed back.
"What did she want?"
"Apparently she tracked who made the badges" Draco lowers his voice even more.
"How?"
"From the charm I used on them somehow"
"Why?"
"She wanted to see if it's a juicy story behind it"
"And?"
"I told her I do not know anything about it and that her magic charm may be defective"
"Did she believe you?"
"Mister Black, Miss Parkinson, is my class interrupting you?" Professor Snape's cutting voice boomed from the front of the class.
"Sorry, Professor!" Draco said in a subdued voice and not worded another sound till the end of the lesson.
Pansy doesn't have a subscription to the Prophet, she would rather subscribe to the Quiblber than it, but it would have been useful the next morning so she would have found it herself and not from bloody Milicent Bulstrode.
Apparently, Skeeter didn't believed Draco and not only that, but she did get a juicy story after all. Pansy grabbed the paper from Milli's excited hands and read:
"Is this the end of the most ancient House of Black!?" the title had obnoxiously big black letters; it was a picture of Draco laughing at something with Harry. Pansy read the article, in Skeeter over the top style she was talking about Draco having a relationship with Cedric and then "making eyes" at Harry. How his inclinations will bring the downfall of the Black house since the patriarch of the house is engaging in homosexual relations as well. And how Sirius's Black liberal tendencies were affecting the pureblood traditional society and values.
Pansy rip the paper in tiny pieces and then set it on fire to be sure.
"Bitch" She hissed.
Milli retreated at a safer distance.
"No one believes that shit" She said.
"Thank you for showing it to me" Pansy tries to compose herself.
"Of course"
"Have you see Granger at the breakfast table?"
"Yes, she was still there reading"
"Great" Pansy stormed out of the dungeons to the Great Hall.
She picked her tray and plumped by Granger at the Ravenclaw table. No one beat at eye at her for staying at a different house's table.
"I need your help!"
"Nope! Last time I heard that one I had to brew an illegal potion!"
"Accio Prophet!" Pansy called and summoned a copy from Goldstein's hands. "Read this first" she slipped the paper to Granger.
Granger's eyes turned to the page and read it in a matter of minutes.
"That bitch!" The other Ravenclaws around them stopped eating and looked at her shocked.
"That is what I said!"
"Have they seen it?"
"Not yet, they are not down to breakfast yet, but Draco suspects she will write something"
"We need to do something!"
"I know, that is why I said I will need your help! You in?"
"Yes!" Granger's eyes were shinning dangerously.
Pansy noticed a changed in the boys after that. Draco rarely got out of his room anymore and Harry got in more verbal arguments with the others than ever before.
"We need to talk to the rest of the Slytherins" She hissed at Blaise.
"Is enough they are not bullied by Slytherins too, they considered they do enough by not participating" Blaise sighs.
"That is not the Slytherin way"
"Apparently having a torch for a Hufflepuf is not our way either!"
"Come on, every Slytherin had a crush on a Hufflepuf at some point or another"
"Did we now? And who is yours then?"
Pansy glared at her friend.
"That is not important at the moment. We need to do something!"
"It will die off on its own, as long as no one is physically hurting them!"
"What about emotionally?"
"They are big boys, Pansy!"
"They are my boys! I need to speak to Granger, you are useless!" She huffs and walks away.
They had to physically carry Draco out for the first task since he refused to go out to his room for anything else than class and sometimes food. Pansy knew he would regret more if he didn't came so she dragged him out with the help of Harry.
"I do not want to be here!" Draco hissed when they took their places in the Slytherin stands.
"Yes you do!" Pansy whispered back.
A few people stared at them, but no one said anything thankfully. Harry and Draco settled in their places, one to her right and one to her left. Pansy sighed, they will lean all over her to whisper to each other again and they will block her whole view. Damn article.
The task begun. Cedric was the first to tackle it. In the rocky arena, Pansy saw a silvery blue dragon chained with a golden chain from the arena huddling protectively over a nest with a golden egg in it. The presenter explained the task, to retrieve the egg from the nest.
"Swedish Short- Snot" Draco whispered "Powerful hunting spirit, they are very agile and have a very powerful blue flame that can melt your bones to ashes" He gulped hard.
"I am sure he will be fine!"
"I am sure the Hogwarts champion will perform accordingly" Draco frowned.
Cedric transfigured one of the rocks from the nest into a big Labrador dog. The dog barked loudly and stated jumping around in the arena distracting the dragon. Cedric lounged to the nest. He got his hands on the golden egg, but then the crowd started cheering loudly. The dragon stopped chasing the dog and turned towards the nest with a powerful screech.
The dragon lounged a powerful attack on the nest where Cedric stood. Draco jumped to his feet with his wand out. The Hogwarts Champion jumped down from the now burning nest, but a part of his face was hit by the flames. Pansy grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him back to his seat. As soon as his feet hit the ground with the egg, the gong annonced the end of the task.
"He will be okay if he is treated fast" Harry whispered turning to Draco.
"We should go and…"
"We can't rise till the end of the task otherwise every eyes will be on you" Pansy hissed.
"Screw that, I need to…"
Harry pulled out a bundle from his hands and threw it at Draco.
"Do not start another scandal"
"Thank you!" Draco lowered in his seat and checking that no one was looking at him put the cloak on.
Pansy and Harry watched till the end of the task. Fleur enchanted her dragon to sleep and Viktor Krum blinded his dragon with a curse. They had to stay till the points were announced as well, Viktor got first place, Cedric second and Fleur third. Harry and Pansy rose from their seats along with the crowd and made their way to the medical tent.
"No one is allowed in!" Madam Pomfrey greeted them at the entrance.
"We are here to see our friend, Cedric Diggory" Harry announced.
"One of your friends already checked up on him and took him to his room to rest. He had been treated"
"Go Draco" Pansy whispered under her breath.
"Thank you, we will check there!" Harry smiled politely.
"So we can assume they are alright" Pansy said.
"Shouldn't we check?"
"Do you really want to disturb them now?" Pansy frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Pansy rolled her eyes.
"You will learn at some point too"
Pansy sighs again for the millionth time. She was going over a long scroll, crossing it out and drawing over it. The boys where whispering in the corner to scarred to approach her most definitely. Finally, close to the one hour mark, Blaise rose and moved over to her.
"What are you doing? You look like you work on your hit list"
"Yep and you are all in it!" Pansy said without raising her head from the scroll.
"Pansy!" Blaise rolls his eyes, she didn't see him, but she could feel it from his voice.
"I am working on the seat chart and the partners for the Yule Ball. I was asked to do it for our year and is a bloody hassle"
"Shouldn't we ask our own partners?" Draco asked from the other side of the room.
"Draco, dear, you should know better than that!"
"You did not get us any partners" Blaise said while looking at her paper.
"Well not many girls left, is only me and Milly. Anyone up to going with her?"
No one answered.
"Harry?"
"I actually have a partner already"
"Really now? Who?" Draco asked.
"Is a secret!" Harry grins.
"Okay then. So you and me then Blaise" Pansy said folding her list.
"Who am I going with then?" Draco asked.
Blaise slipped the list from her and read.
"Mystery guest apparently"
Pansy snatched her list back. Draco looks on curious.
"What are you planning, Pansy?" Draco asked glaring at her friend.
"No need to worry, I am taking care of it. Just dress nice and show up at 8 sharp"
"Maybe I won't be going then"
"You are going even if I have to Imperio your ass over there" Pansy smiles sweetly at him.
"Does hearing this make us accomplices?" Harry asked Blaise.
"Hearing what?" Blaise grins.
"I hate all of you! I need new friends!" Draco sighs long suffering.
"I heard Nott is holding auditions" Blaise grins at his friend.
"Okay, but are you sure she is Unregistered then?" Pansy asked. She turned towards Granger, but her companion was not paying attention.
"Granger?" Hermione!" The Ravenclaw turned to her. "This is not like you, what is going on that big brain of yours?"
"I am sorry, Parkinson. I was just…thinking about some personal developments"
"Personal? Something you want to share?"
"Is about the Ball…See I've been invited, by this...person and I am not sure about accepting or not"
"Well, is someone else you want to go to?"
"Not really…But this person has feelings for me that I do not share"
"Had they made any other advances towards you since then?"
"No, but I do not want to give this person false expectations…"
"Granger, if this person asked you to the Ball, you can say yes, but do let them know that you are going as friends"
"Will he be mad?"
"Well is better than leading him on! And if he gets mad that you do not share his feeling and take that out on you, then he was not worth it in the first place! Has he confessed to you?"
"No…And I do not even know why he would go out with me of all people…He could literally have anyone at this school"
"Maybe, Krum likes them smart and if he does, then there is no one else but you"
Hermione turns to Pansy with a radiant smile.
"I didn't say it was Krum! You are more observant than people give you credit for! Thank you…Pansy, you really know what to say"
"How about you drop by my room before? I can help you with your make-up"
"Do I have to do that!?"
"Look stunning and have a good time? Definitely!"
Pansy is already exhausted by the morning of the Yule Ball. To get everyone looking half way decent and happy with their partners was such a hard job, she will be more than happy when it is over. She coordinated her and Blaise's outfits to match; she gave him an emerald green tie to match her dress. Harry has decided to bring his own date and refused to tell her who it was…
She was getting her make-up kit ready, she finished Millicent and Daphne's make-up and she was just starting on her own, when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to Hermione Granger wearing a beautiful periwinkle-blue material short sleeved long dress, her hair was still over the place and she was not wearing make-up yet.
"Your dress is stunning" Pansy smiled.
"Thank you" Hermione smiled with pink cheeks.
"Now, what were you thinking for the hair?"
"I don't know…I usually let it do its thing"
"Are you opposed to me using some Sleekeazy on it? The Potter really knew their thing"
"That can work" Hermione made her way in and took a seat in front of the mirror.
"Okay, miss Granger, let me do my magic" Pansy grins.
It didn't took much for Hermione, she really had amazing features, only some spells and make-up, not even heavy ones, Pansy had to use some spells for Millicent that she was sure were illegal in some countries to make her look half as presentable.
"Hermione, after this if make-up is your thing I can make you a few suggestion for a day look, will make Weasley get into even more wall"
"Why would Ron care?" Hermione jumped from her chair.
"I didn't say witch Weasley" Pansy grinned.
"You did an awesome job!" Hermione did a spin in front of the mirror.
"I work with the material of the client" Pansy winked.
Hermione's cheeks pinked again.
"Do you mind waiting for me too? I will meet Blaise there"
"Not at all!"
Pansy and Hermione made their way towards the grand staircase and the Grant Ballroom. That room saw so little use in the last years it was a miracle it still popped up when called. They made their way at the bottom of the stairs. A lot of people stopped to stare at Hermione and Pansy was beaming by her side.
At the bottom of the stairs, Viktor Krum was waiting for his date. He had red robes with a blue stash to complement Hermione's dress. She smiled and offered him her hand. Pansy urged her on as the Champions and their partner's had to enter the room first.
Fleur Delacroix and her partners, an upper-year Ravenclaw entered the room next. Pansy turned to look for her friends in the crowd. She spotted Draco first, fidgeting looking ready to bolt. Pansy slipped by his side.
"Don't you dare, Black"
"I do not even know who I am waiting for"
"Yes you do, sorry if I am late" Cedric interjected. He was wearing a classic muggle tux, looking very handsome. Pansy turned to Draco who was still slack jacked.
"Draco, meet your partner for the evening"
"You actually…" Draco gulped and tried to compose himself. "Why did you even agreed to this?"
"Must be the badges" Cedric grinned.
"You know this will only make people more"
"I do not care all that much about mean's people oppinions" Cedric extended his hand to Draco.
Draco took his hand. He was literally beaming, like he casted a light spell.
"Good job, Pansy" She whispered to herself when they made their way in.
"Talking to yourself? That is a new level even for you" Blaise whispered behind her.
Pansy rolled her eyes.
"I deserve some recognition for today" She protested.
"Well…hold the parade. Harry brought Luna Lovegood to the party"
"He did what!?" Pansy widens her eyes "But her complexion would clash so much with his dress robes!"
"Come on, let's get you a drink and I will help you with the color changing spell" Blaise took her by the shoulders.
"I need a big drink!"
Pansy and Blaise shared the table with Harry, Luna, Ron Weasley and his partner Lavander Brown. If someone told Pansy she would be sharing this night with two Griffindors and a Ravenclaw she would not have believed it.
She did had a table setting for this night, but Harry decided to ignore it completely in favor of his other friends. Pansy liked Luna well enough, she was sure they were related somehow, but she didn't particularly like Wesley or Brown. She would have preferred Granger and Krum, but they were at the Champions table with Draco and Cedric.
She was about to answer to something Brown commented about Hermione's dress when Blaise intervened.
"Partner, how about a dance?"
Pansy glared at him. Blaise rose to his feet and offered her his hand smiling innocently.
"That is a good idea, feel like dancing?" Lavander asked Wesley.
"Not really" Weasley sighed.
"Harry?"
"My partner, actually ran off" Harry grinned. "I am good"
"Okay then" Pansy took Blaise's hand and made their way to the dance floor.
"Draco seems to enjoy himself" He whispered in her ear.
"Can I get my parade now?" She smiled.
"You did a good job, Pansy" Blaise said with a weird voice, sounded almost honest, a range Pansy didn't even know Blaise possessed.
They were making their way out, Pansy was exhausted already when they bumped into Granger and Weasley in the Hall. They were bickering, nothing unusual about that, but the volume worried them.
"So how about then you invite me yourself instead of acting like you are entaiteled" Hermione spat.
Weasley looked shocked.
"Go to your room!"Hermione screamed "Now!"
Weasley quickly made his way up the stairs. Hermione collapsed on the stairs sobbing.
Pansy stopped Harry that was walking to her.
"Go, I have this" She whispered to Blaise and Harry.
She took a seat by a crying Hermione and put her hand on her shacking shoulders.
"I was so stupid!"
"You can never be stupid! He was just a jealous idiot!"
"I did nothing wrong!"
"I know" Pansy petted her hair. "How about we go to the bathroom, I clean you up and then we can plot Weasley's murder over a cup of tea?"
"I do not want to kill him" Hermione sniffed.
"Then to seriously maim him!"
Hermione raises and dries her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done without you tonight"
"You would have been fine" Pansy rolls her eyes.
"Thank you, Pansy!"
"You are most welcomed Hermione!"