Beyond the Sea

by Phoenixofslytherin

Things didn't go quite to plan in the Battle of Hogwarts and in the two years that followed. Hermione Granger was kidnapped, Voldemort was victorius and things seemed hopeless. After her daring rescue, a new uprising begins. The members of the new resistance are diverse, and unexpected relatioships are forming. Will they succeed and claim victory where everyone else has failed?

15. Barbeques

Story Notes

Hello... how is everyone? I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and a wonderful start to the week.

Thank you for bearing with my somewhat random update schedule for this story, I'm trying to get the chapters out as reguarly as I can but real life seems determined to get in the way of my writing time at the good news is that the next chapter is almost fully written, so there won't be so long to wait for the next update.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kudos and the kind comments we are getting on this story, they really do mean the world to both of us, and they also inspire us to write more! Thank you as well to champagneandliteraure, you're support and inspiration as well as your awesome alpha/beta skills make this story what it is. I couldn't do this without you. :-)

See you all next time! Love Claire, (Phoenix.) Xx

Beyond The Sea - Chapter 15 - Barbeques

Pansy

The evening was warm, but the sea was cold. Shivering violently, Pansy followed Ginny out of the water and back to their picnic blankets. She shook the worst of the water from her hands, then patted the elegant bun that her hair was twisted up into, relieved to find that only a few tendrils had escaped into the frizz inducing sea air. She tipped her face up to the late summer sun, suddenly missing the blistering heat from a few weeks ago. "Accio towel," she called, but her wandless magic had always been terrible, and the pile of towels merely twitched under her glare.

"Here," Hermione said, passing one to Ginny and the other to Pansy with a smile.

"Thank you." Pansy gazed fondly at the towel, which happened to be one of Draco's childhood snitch-covered ones, wrapped it around herself then accepted a freshly poured glass of wine from Blaise. "Cheers, darling," she said, reluctantly dragging her eyes away from his naked chest.

"How's the barbeque doing?" she asked, turning to smile at Ron instead.

Ron looked up from prodding the coals to greet her with a kiss. "It's nearly ready to use. You taste like the sea."

"Funny that," she deadpanned, but she couldn't bring herself to tease him further. "Why didn't you come for a swim too?"

Ron stared out over the greyish-blue water with a shiver. "It looks cold in there. Besides, someone needs to cook. You, Ginny, and Blaise have done it every night this week. You all deserve a night off."

Blaise raised an appreciative eyebrow. "Well, thank you for that. I'm grateful for the down time since it's been such a busy week. I was using it to sunbathe," he said, squinting up at the sky, "but I think I'll give that up now since I'm actually starting to freeze." He reached for his t-shirt and hoodie, starting to dress despite Ginny's disappointed tut. "Also, Pans, we needed Ron to set up the barbeque, because the other person who offered to do that was Theo-"

Pansy cut him off with a dramatic gasp. Blaise raised a hand to lazily deflect the stinging hex that Theo flicked in his direction. "Easy there, Nott, or I might hex you back. Politely of course, since that's the way you all seem to think I duel-"

"Yeah, well, Harry's a terrible cook too," Ron admitted. "I really hope Nott Manor has a team of house elves, because if these two end up living together they're going to need them."

Pansy laughed, sipping her wine as she lingered in the warmth of Ron's embrace. It was lovely to see everybody so calm and relaxed. Theo stepped up behind Harry, slid his arms around his waist, then bent his head to whisper something into his ear. Harry turned around to kiss him and Theo blinked, then kissed him back.

Theo still looked bewildered every time Harry returned his affection, and Pansy found his unusual hesitancy incredibly sweet. Harry put his spatula down, abandoning the burgers in favor of deepening his kiss with Theo, and Pansy watched them quietly with her head resting on Ron's shoulder. "That's still so strange to see," Ron muttered quietly.

"Why?" she asked with a frown.

Ron pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Because I've known Harry since we were eleven years old. We've been best friends, alongside Hermione, of course, for over ten years. There's nothing we haven't told each other in that time, or so I thought. I presumed he was going to end up as my brother in law, and then all of a sudden, he splits up with Gin and is with Theo instead. I never even had an inkling that he liked men. Not that it matters, mind," he added hurriedly, "I just never knew."

"Stranger things have happened, I suppose." Pansy picked up Ron's empty glass then levitated it over to bump gently into Blaise's shoulder. "Wake up, Zabini," she said, laughing at his aggrieved sigh. "I mean, who would have foreseen the pair of us ending up together, Ron? Certainly not me when I was busy hexing you around corners at school. I'm sorry about that, by the way-" Pansy's stomach grumbled loudly, and she broke off with a sigh of her own. Theo and Harry were still kissing tenderly, and unless somebody stepped in soon dinner was likely to be very late indeed. "Come on you two!" She left Ron with her half apology still hanging in the air, crossed to the barbecue then draped one of her arms over Harry's shoulder and the other over Theo's. "Stop smooching, it's time to cook!"

"Hungry, Pans?" Theo grinned, finally breaking away from Harry.

"Yes!" she exclaimed watching Harry lick his kiss-swollen lips. She could still see the indentations that Theo's teeth had left in Harry's lower lip and a sudden, unbidden shiver of arousal ran through her. Harry looked startled to see her watching him so closely. "Don't worry, Potter. I'm not after you," she grinned, "I'm jussssss-!" her words turned into a squeal as Theo swung her up into his arms and carried her bridal style across the sand.

"Go shag, Weasley," he said, "and stop giving my boyfriend that come hither look."

Pansy laughed. "No offence, Harry, but I've only got eyes for my boyfriend," she said, turning in Theo's arms to gaze at a startled looking Ron. "Just put some bloody food on already!"

"Harry, chuck those burgers on, will you? Add a veggie one for Pansy and let's prove to these doubters that we can survive without a team of house elves cooking for us," Theo said, setting her down gently.

"Thank you, Harry," Pansy said in as dignified a tone as she could manage. She straightened her towel, caught the refilled wine glass that Blaise levitated back to her, and handed it to Ron. "Cheers." She clinked her own glass against his, looking up at him with a contrite smile. "Harry has nice eyes," she said absently, staring into Ron's soft blue ones. "I've never really noticed them before."

Ron nodded. "Yes. Everyone tells him that. Apparently, they're inherited from his mother."

"I prefer yours," she confided, and Ron blushed, looking endearingly surprised as she stood up on tiptoes to kiss him.

It was a beautiful evening. They ate their fill of minimally burned burgers and fresh from the garden salad, then when they had shared the last of the current glut of summer strawberries, Ginny summoned Draco's guitar from the cottage, layed it in his lap, and asked him to play.

After a few minutes of listening to Draco protest that he didn't play in front of other people, Pansy picked the guitar up and started strumming it herself. She laughed as Draco leapt to his feet, looking horrified. "Alright," she conceded, holding out the guitar. "Merlin, I swear you're more protective of that guitar than you are of us."

"You all get the same level of protection as this guitar," he said with a grin. "And, just so that you know, that's a high honor. I like this guitar a lot."

"We're all delighted to hear that, Malfoy," Theo drawled as he settled down with his head resting in Harry's lap.

Draco's hesitant playing soon grew in confidence, and after taking a couple of requests, he asked Ginny to sing for him. To Pansy's surprise, Ginny had a lovely singing voice, and she stifled an unreasonable pang of jealousy that sprang from nowhere when she wondered how Draco had discovered it. She didn't have time to worry about that for long though. With Ginny's encouragement, a lively singalong started, and by the time Draco put the guitar down, the sun had set, plunging the cove into almost total darkness. Draco looked around in apparent surprise, flexed his fingers, then settled back to cuddle up with Hermione.

Pansy adjusted her position, too, shuffling closer to Ron and pressing against him to test his reaction. In answer to her unspoken question, he simply lifted his arm, wrapped it around her then pulled her close against his chest.

Pansy shivered. His close proximity was shattering her resolve to take things slowly. Blaise stood up, holding a hand out to Ginny, who followed suit, blushing deeply and muttering about being tired. "Oh, just admit you're off to shag each other's brains out and have done with it," Theo said with a broad grin.

Ginny laughed awkwardly, then shrugged her shoulders. "Ignore him," Blaise said, hefting a bag of cooking supplies onto his shoulders. "Theo's in no position to tease us, not with the amount of silencing spells that he and Harry have neglected to use recently."

"Who says we don't want to be overheard?" Theo challenged, not looking the slightest bit abashed.

"Harry's current expression suggests that he would prefer some things to remain private," Blaise smirked, shaking the sand from their blanket.

Theo laughed. "Too innocent by half, you are Harry."

"Are you alright with Ginny and Blaise being together?" Pansy asked, nudging Ron, who was ignoring the current conversation in favor of intently studying his half full glass.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I am, actually. It's just, she's my baby sister, you know? I try not to think of her in that way."

"What about me?" Pansy asked shyly, shifting against him again. "Do you think of me in that way?"

"Yes," he admitted, his cornflower blue eyes visibly darkening. "Yes I do." His hand moved slightly, coming to rest on her thigh and she let out a soft breath then pressed herself closer into his arms.

"Shall we go in too?" she asked, turning to look at him in the soft moonlight. She stifled a laugh as she saw the exact moment that her true meaning dawned on his expressive face.

"Oh, umm… yes," he said, his eyes as wide as saucers. "If you… If you'd like to, I mean. But only if you're sure.

Pansy stood up then turned to arch a challenging brow at Theo. "Yes, yes," she said. "If you see any red lights tonight, they'll be caused by us. Keep the catcalls to the minimum, will you please?"

Theo's attempt to look outraged just made her laugh. Ron, by contrast, had blushed beet red and was goggling at her in shock, while Harry just chuckled and continued to stroke Theo's hair. "Well they're all going to wonder, but Theo will be the one daft enough to say it, so I'm just pre-empting him," she explained. "Come on." She slid her arms around Ron's waist, closed her eyes then stepped sideways into the foggy black of Dark Mark guided apparation.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to apparating that way," Ron said as the dense smoke cleared from the air around them. "Oh! We're in your room!"

"Would you prefer yours?" Pansy asked, lighting candles with a wave of her wand. "I didn't want to be presumptuous. Anyway, don't you think that style is the more comfortable way to apparate? There's not many perks to being a Death Eater, so I have to make the most of the few that do exist."

"I suppose it is a little easier." Ron blinked in the flickering light. "It squashes you less. And yes, your room is perfect. But, Pansy, I'm confused. I thought you wanted to take things slowly?"

Pansy shifted awkwardly. "We have!" she said. "Slowly for me anyway. We've been together for three whole weeks, Ron. Ginny says you're supposed to wait for a minimum of three dates before you sleep with someone new, but since we can't really go on proper dates, I figure that three weeks is an acceptable alternative. But, I haven't asked you what you want, so if you want to wait longer, we absolutely can-"

Ron's smile was slow and easy. He stepped forwards then cupped Pansy's face gently in his large hands. "I don't care about timeframes or date plans, Pans. I just want whatever you want. If you say you're ready for more, then that's good enough for me."

She smiled, still feeling slightly awkward. "Good. Have you got one of those quidditch jerseys everyone else seems to have?"

Ron nodded, looking confused by the sudden change of subject. "Yes. Why?"

Pansy touched her hand to her cheek in horror. Since when did she blush? Swallowing her pride and hoping that Ron wouldn't notice her discomfort she grimaced. "Hermione wears Draco's, and I saw Theo wearing Harry's the other day. Ginny and Blaise are far too competitive to trade theirs, but I kind of liked the idea of…." she trailed off, staring down at the whitewashed floorboards. "I don't have one, you see?"

"You'd like to wear mine?" Ron asked, sounding as if he couldn't quite believe her request. Pansy chanced a look up at him, expecting to see him laughing, but instead, he looked amazed. "Of course you can," he said, still staring at her in wonder. "I'd love that."

"Good. Thank you. Now, what's wrong, Weasley? You're looking at me strangely. We don't have to do anything if you're not ready for it. It's not just girls who are allowed to take things slowly, you know."

Ron screwed his eyes tightly shut. "No. It's not that. I just, it's you. You are so sweet. Do you know that Pans?" he opened his eyes then frowned as he shook his head. "Wait, sweet's not really the right word. I'm rubbish with words. Hermione's much better at talking about feelings than me. I had hoped some of her talent would rub off on me over the years, but it never did." He paused, ruffled his hair, then paced over to the window.

"Merlin, Pans. I just keep falling harder and harder for you. Earlier, when Theo picked you up and carried you over to me, I wanted to punch him for putting his hands on you, but then I thought about it, and that's just the way you are with him, isn't it? Your friendships with Theo, and Blaise, and Draco are just so natural. They're part of what makes you, you. I guess I never expected you to like me too, and now that I know you do, well, if I'm honest I'm feeling a little insecure about things. I want to be as natural with you as Theo and the others are, but I know that's going to take time. I'm not going to envy them for it though, because I've had enough of envying other people and feeling insecure in my lifetime already. Merlin, do these contradictions make any sense…?" He trailed off, still staring into the pitch dark garden.

Pansy nodded slowly. "Yes. They make perfect sense to me. Who else have you envied?" She canted her head to the side, watching him and wondering why he would feel anything less than confident in himself.

Ron laughed, but his mirth had a bitter edge. "Who haven't I envied at one time or another? Bill, my eldest brother because he's so intelligent, Charlie, because he's so good at Quidditch, Fred and George because they're so popular, Harry, for a multitude of reasons. But I'm not going to let it get to me anymore. That part of me is over and done with now."

"Except for when Theo picks me up?" Pansy asked softly. "I'm probably not the best girlfriend for you to have if you're bothered by that sort of thing, am I?" she asked. "But I'd never cheat on you, Ron." She cupped his cheek in her hand then pressed a fierce kiss to his lips. "You should ignore Hermione, by the way. I like her, I do, but she can be a bitch at times. She has no business telling you you're terrible with feelings when you're really not."

Ron smiled. "You say everything like it is, don't you, Pansy? Thanks, by the way." He finally turned away from the window and sat on the edge of her bed to pull his shoes off. "I know you'd never cheat on me. I trust you. You might flirt outrageously with everybody you meet and describe murderous Death Eaters as errant puppies, which I'm still not convinced about, by the way, but I trust you implicitly because you tell me everything that happens. He paused to ruffle his hair thoughtfully. "You're honest with me about everything, and I'm ready to be with you because I'm comfortable with you. I think I just finally made peace with some of my insecurities. I want you to feel just as secure before we take things any further, though."

"I do feel secure," Pansy muttered, suddenly uncomfortable with his praise. She frowned, spinning around and taking his vacated place at the window. She could hear Draco's voice in her head, telling her not to sabotage herself, but she couldn't seem to stop the words that fell from her mouth. "I can lie, you know!" she said, slightly more aggressively than she had intended. "If I wanted to lie to you I could. And I would."

"I'm sure you would." Pansy frowned, his amusement making her feel like a petulant child. "I was horrible to you in school-"

"You were, yes. But I wasn't particularly kind to you either-"

"I'm not a good person, Ron! I'm….. look!" she waved her left arm through the air, displaying her hated Dark Mark.

"If you say so-."

"Then why?" she took a deep breath, bracing her arms against the window ledge, suddenly feeling irrationally furious. "Why the hell does someone like you want to be with someone like me?! This is why I wanted to wait. It was never really about the appropriate number of dates. I'm scared that we'll do this together tonight, and you'll, you'll well… you'll," she sniffed, forcing her eyes wide because tears were threatening, and she was determined not to cry.

"I'll what, Pans?" He stepped forwards, not looking the slightest bit perturbed by her tirade, "I'll leave you? I'll find someone else? Is that really what you think? You think I only want you for one thing? Haven't I just laid myself bare in front of you? I thought we'd just been through all of this."

"We have!" she gasped, suddenly feeling contrite. "But you just had a moment of insecurity, and well, this is mine!"

"Then that's enough self deprecating rubbish from both of us, isn't it? We both need to get a grip." Pansy gasped as he stepped forwards and crushed his lips to hers. A whimper escaped her mouth as she reached up, tangling her fingers desperately into his hair and pulling him down to meet her. Suddenly she couldn't get close enough to him. She needed to feel him pressed tightly against her, and she wanted his need to be as frantic as hers.

She scraped her nails lightly over his scalp, making him moan in response. He walked her backward, and she allowed him to guide her until the back of her knees bumped into the bed. She toppled backward, grabbing frantically at his arms and pulling him down over the top of her. "Fine!" she gasped. "I'm not leaving you, and you're not leaving me. I get it. Now kiss me again. Plea-"

She lifted her legs to wrap them around his hips, dragging herself forward to grind against the unmistakable bulge in his trousers as his lips met hers. "Bloody hell," he groaned. "I'm not going anywhere, Pansy," he gasped. "Unless you tell me you don't want me, I'm yours for the long haul."

Pansy's eyes rolled back into her head as he kissed her neck. His words were sincere, and she finally, finally, believed them. She pressed into him, encouraging him with a loud moan as he sucked a gentle love bite into her sensitive flesh. "Why…. the hell….. did I make… us wait to do… this?" she gasped, struggling with the zip on his hoodie. "Next time I start telling you that I'm a terrible person, will you just do this sooner?!"

"You said it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind," Ron pulled back, yanking the zip down himself, then tossing the hoodie into a heap on the floor. "You said you didn't want me thinking badly of you- which, by the way, I could never, and yes. I will kiss you to shut you up anytime you like."

"Good." She groaned as he pressed scorching hot kisses along her jaw. "You might think bad thoughts about me in a minute," she whispered, "When you see what I've got on under here, I mean. But they'll be the good kind of bad thoughts. You know the…. bad…. incredibly dirty thoughts!"

Ron raised an eyebrow as she lifted her top. His eyes widened then he licked his lips and closed his eyes with a sigh. "Sweet Merlin," he murmured, running reverent hands over her sheer black bra. Pansy giggled, inordinately pleased with his reaction. She held her breath as he lowered his head to kiss over her chest then dip lower, until he took her small breast in his hand and swirled his tongue around her nipple through the fabric of her bra.

She hummed with pleasure as he continued to caress her. His light touch sent shivers through her entire body, and she pressed into his hand, seeking more intensity. "You won't hurt me," she whispered, mewling as he squeezed her nipple exactly the way she liked. "So, do you like the bra?" she asked, gazing at him through lowered eyelids.

"Yes."

"Good." She tugged at his t-shirt, and he paused, reaching up to pull it over his head. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders, smiling at his sheer size and strength. He kissed a trail across her tanned stomach then paused to undo her jeans.

"Is this too soon?" he asked, but she shook her head, lifting her hips to encourage him. He wriggled her jeans down her legs then tugged them off before looking down at her in awe. "Oh wow!"

Pansy smiled. She knew the underwear looked good. Cheekily she flipped over onto her front and felt Ron run a hand over her bare bottom. The black lace thong was so tiny, it barely covered anything and she smiled as she turned back over. "I didn't know you'd, I mean, you've...it's completely bare!"

She nodded. "You like?"

"Very much."

"Good."

Ron stared at her as if she was a goddess. Slowly he moved the scrap of material away from her core and ran his fingers over her heated skin. She shifted, opening her legs in a silent invitation. "You're so wet. Oh gods, sorry! Is that an indelicate thing to say?"

She giggled shyly, "Ron, as we've already established, I've been with Theo. Do you honestly think that's the most indelicate thing I've ever heard?"

Ron laughed. "Probably not. Sorry. You're just... I mean this is…. you're perfect. I've not had many girlfriends. I'm just surprised."

"Ahhhh!" She whimpered as the tip of his finger breached her entrance. He stroked her for a moment before finding her clit and teasing it with his thumb. "Gods yes!" She tipped her head back, twisting the duvet in her fingers as he moved his hand back and forth. She wriggled her hips, and his finger slipped deeper, moving inside her slick walls with ease. "More!" she gasped, and he hesitantly added a second finger, twisting them gently inside her. "Oh, sweet bloody Merlin…. Oh, Gods!" She shrieked as she came, clenching down on his hand and making him gasp in surprise. "Ron!" She cried his name as if it were a prayer, and he squeezed her clit in response, causing her to detonate even further into the stratosphere.

When she finally calmed, she moved out from underneath him with a shy smile. "Your turn," she whispered, pulling at the waistband of his jeans. He blinked as she spelled them off with her wand then ran her hand over the sizable bulge in his underpants. "So everything is in proportion then," she said faintly, "I did wonder."

"So I'm told," he replied, staring at her earnestly.

"Can I take these off?" he held her eyes while he nodded as if checking that she really wanted to go ahead with what she was doing. Another spell and his boxers flew across the room, landing somewhere behind the bed. Pansy's eyes widened at the sight of him, fully naked and clearly very nervous. "This is mine now, right?" she asked, carefully stroking the tip of one nail along his hard length.

"All yours," he confirmed with a shiver. "Don't stop, please, that feels so good."

"Just you wait till you see what else I can do," she promised as she took him into her hand. She paused, considering what to do. Ron knew she'd been with more people than he had. There was no point in trying to pretend otherwise, so she figured that rather than trying to feign innocence, she would use every trick she knew to totally blow his mind. She moved down the bed, looking up through dark eyelashes as she rubbed her thumb over his weeping glans. "May I?" she asked, licking her lips suggestively.

Ron nodded, and she took the very tip of him into her mouth. She flicked her tongue quickly back and forth, causing his breathing to stutter, then she dove down, licking slow, broad stripes along his heated skin on her way back up. His eyes bulged as she took a deep breath, then swallowed him all the way down. She held the position for as long as she could then released him slowly, irritated that her eyes were watering.

"What the-?" Ron looked amazed, so she repeated the maneuver, this time managing to go slightly further still. His hand touched the back of her head and she paused for a moment, wondering, but of course this was Ron Weasley, he would never do that. Unless… well, unless she asked him too….. Filing that thought away for another time she increased her pace until he squeezed her shoulder in alarm. "Pans, I'm gonna…. fuck! I'm….. Oh…. I can't hold back... if you don't stop…. I'm gonna-"

"Don't hold back then," she gasped, releasing him briefly to cut through his panic. "Come in my mouth." Before he had a chance to reply, she plunged back down, and two strokes later she felt the telltale pulse of his cock, then tasted his salty release on the back of her tongue.

"Oh my GODS!" he gasped once she had released him gently. He lay staring at her with a mixture of fear and awe on his face. "Are you okay? That was…. I mean…. I've never….. wow!"

"You've never come in a girl's mouth before?" she asked, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"Nope. I think I just died and went to heaven. Pansy, you are incredible." He flopped back onto the bed, still breathing hard. "I had no idea that what you just did was even physically possible. Thank you."

She smiled, settling anxiously against his chest. Although she was pleased by his reaction to what she considered to be one of her more useful talents, she couldn't stop herself from worrying what would happen now. Ron had promised that he didn't only want her for one thing, but now she needed him to prove that, and until he did, she couldn't quite shake the terror that she might get very badly hurt.

Both Pansy and Ron slept late the next day. Pansy didn't have to work until after lunch so they picked up where they had left off the previous night, getting to know each other in a myriad of intimate ways, all without actually having full sex.

As Pansy was coming down from her third orgasm of the morning, a swirl of black smoke filled the room, and Blaise appeared, looking unusually agitated.

Ron flung the duvet over them with an outraged cry, but Blaise didn't seem to care that they were both naked. "Pans," he gasped. "Look at me." He crouched down beside her, taking her hands and gazing deeply into her eyes. "Do you trust me? Like really trust me? With your life?"

Pansy's eyes widened in horror, "Of course, but-" she broke off, her heart suddenly pounding in terror. "Why are you asking-? What's happ-"

"This is going to test that trust. I'm so sorry, my love, but it's all gone to shit. Put these memories in your mind. Their doctored ones, sent by Draco and Antonin. They're of you having sex with Yaxley last night. Ron, I'm truly sorry for this. Pans, I need you to give Yax a cast iron alibi for yesterday evening and this morning. The Dark Lord is going to summon you and look into your mind. He needs to see these memories and nothing else. You've been with Yaxley since you met him outside Gringotts yesterday afternoon, alright? Yaxley has the same implanted memories. Can I lock your mind safely now? Just for today?"

Numbly, she nodded, focusing on Blaise's familiar chocolate brown eyes as he cast the hated locking spell. As if on autopilot, she picked up her wand and took the vials of memories from his hand. "Respond to your summons, I promise we will protect you if need be. I can't tell you what's happened. You need to react as if you don't know what's amiss. Ron, whatever you feel on the Light Mark, Do. Not. Follow. Us. The same goes for Harry and Gin. You're not keyed into Malfoy Manor's wards yet and you'll be killed instantly if you try to apparate in. Pans, wait for your call, I'm sorry, but I've got to go." With that, Blaise vanished in a flurry of robes and another swirl of black smoke, leaving Pansy staring at Ron with her mouth hanging open in horror.