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Pansy was bored. She was beyond bored. She was certain she could literally feel her brain cells dying from the lack of stimuli. Nobody had come in since Sirius left. There were no windows in the tiny room, giving her no indication of how much time had passed. She had taken a nap at some point so she knew it was at least a few hours. Pansy had always been fond of a good nap. Unfortunately, the passage of time made her aware of other bodily needs. A visit to the lady's room was needed, if the smell was anything to go by.
She had managed to situate herself into a semi-comfortable sitting position, even with her hand still awkwardly cuffed to the bed. She didn't want to be caught unawares the next time someone came in. Lying down with someone else in the room, not knowing what they planned to do to her, made her feel vulnerable. She was Pansy Parkinson, she didn't do vulnerable.
She was tracing patterns with her eyes in the grain of the floorboards when the door finally opened. Oh good, the ginger was back with that bloody smirk plastered right to his face. She vaguely wondered if it was stuck that way, or if all Gryffindor's knew that look. It screamed for a challenge. She had always hated it. She had seen it on the Weasley twins far too often for her liking. It meant something was about to happen, and it wasn't likely to be in her favour.
"Good morning, sunshine. Rest well?" Yeah, nothing good was going to come from this conversation. He was far too smug and nobody should ever be that chipper in the morning.
"Yes, hello Prewett. What do you want?" She was painfully aware of her appears and possible odor and she didn't have time to have him prattle on before making his point. Small talk was not an option at the moment. She supposed she should be at least a little grateful it hadn't been Black again. He wouldn't have let her get two words in edgewise.
Her caustic tone didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. If he was as easy to read as every other Gryffindor she knew, he found it amusing.
"Right down to the point then, my little snake. Well, if you must know, I've been sent to see if you needed anything." So he was going to play by the rules was he, play the perfect host? Well played, Prewett. Well played.
"Some reading material wouldn't be unwelcome. Although, I must say you Order types really missed a few lessons in manners. If I'm to be staying here for the unforeseeable future, shouldn't I get a tour?" Two could play this game.
His lip quirked, clearly trying to suppress a grin. She knew she had already won. If he had been raised even remotely similar to her, he wouldn't be able to refuse. To refuse would be to show that distinct lack of manners she had just accused him of. Refusing meant she was truly a prisoner, that they were so suspicious of her, they wouldn't let her out of her room. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him, as the silence grew.
Finally, he cracked and gave her a real grin, no sign of that ridiculous smirk. "All right little snake, you win. Let's give you a tour shall we?" Point to Pansy. Everyone in Slytherin had learned quickly not to argue when she gave them "the look". It never ended in their favour. It was better for everyone involved to not fight against the inevitable; Pansy getting her way. She was sure it was more from her lack of control over her life at home, then actually being spoiled. She quickly shut down that train of that. Those thoughts led to a whole other kettle of fish she didn't want to get into at the moment. Especially with the grinning ginger waiting for her.
With her free hand, she gestured to her still shackled arm. "Now, that's all settled then, what say we do a little something to remedy this, hm?" She knew she sounded ridiculous, but it was surprisingly fun to banter with him.
His grin turned into a full blown smile as he crossed the room towards her. "As the lady demands." He mock bowed to her before pulling out a key and unlocking her wrist. She couldn't help rubbing it once it was free. Though it hadn't been terribly tight, it had still chafed after sleeping with it on. She couldn't resist rolling her shoulders a few times, trying to loosen the muscles that had cramped up in protest of being unable to move much.
"Thank you sir. Now for my tour." She held out her hand imperiously. This game was fun. She hadn't had real fun in such a long time. Not since Draco- No. She would not think about that right now. Her Draco was to be kept locked away tight, only to be taken out and remembered when she could take advantage of the cover of darkness, when she was sure to be left alone with her tears. Nobody else needed to know. Her Draco, was for her alone to mourn. This Draco would never live that life. Not if she had anything to say about it.
She forced the smile back into place as Prewett took her hand. Bloody Gryffindor would probably want to have a sit down and talk about feelings if he knew about the unpleasant thoughts swirling in her brain. No thank you, very much. There had been enough emotions and feelings flying around to last her the rest of forever. There were definitely some things she missed about her snakepit. Cold and stoic, were two of them.
He led her by the hand out into the hall. Pansy would never admit it, but she clung to that show of companionship desperately, needing it to keep her from bolting. Leaving her room meant there were fewer barriers between her and any hostile Order members, like Black. Prewett wasn't her first pick, but she'd take what she could get. Beggars couldn't be choosers after all. She squared her shoulders and brought her chin up. Just because she was a nervous wreck on the inside, didn't give her any excuse to show anything less than perfect composure on the outside.
They had only made it a few paces down the hall before they stopped in front of a door that stood slightly ajar.
"Our first stop along your grand tour, is the washroom. One of the more popular rooms in the house, if I do say so myself. This is just one of three such rooms. There's another on the main floor and one on the floor above us. I'm sure you'd appreciate a closer look right now?" He quirked a brow at her. He knew exactly how long she had been stuck in that room, but of course, being the gentleman he was, would never come right out and say it directly.
Catching his point quickly, she dashed in and shut the door behind her. It wasn't a large bathroom, nothing like Park Hall by any means, but she supposed it was probably considered average. It was done up with different shades of earthy brown for the tiles and walls, and a spring green for the shower curtain, hand towels, and a pile of big fluffy towels folded neatly next to the tub. She found it somewhat tragic how excited she was at the prospect of getting a chance to use them. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she had been in the same clothes the entire time she had been in the past. She was sure she was a bit of an eye sore. She most certainly would have offended her mother's delicate sensibilities.
Sure enough, catching sight of herself in the mirror, she couldn't suppress a grimace. Her hair was greasy and sticking out randomly, not so dissimilar from how she remembered Potter's atrocious hair poking out every which way. Her skin was paler than usual. Probably from her near brush with death and blood loss. The lack of color in her face made the dark circles under her eyes stand more prominent. She had lost some weight too since Hogwarts. Understandable with what she had been living with previous to their jump in time. It had been a long time since she had taken a good long look at herself. She had avoided it as much as possible, only taking in one feature at a time. She had still needed to keep up the appearance of being perfectly composed. It wouldn't do for her to look slovenly. Others might find that suspect and start asking questions.
Pansy sighed and heaved herself off the door she had been leaning on. Prewett wouldn't wait forever and someone else would want the room sooner or later. She stripped quickly, folding her clothes nicely and setting them on the counter. Some habits would never die it seemed. When the water was near scalding she hopped in. Pansy loved long hot showers. She truly couldn't remember the last time she had been able to have one and simply indulge. Too many had been a necessity as she tried desperately to scrub the blood from her skin. She released another sigh. She couldn't afford to indulge this time either. Prewett was waiting. She doubted too many people would be happy she was out of her room. She didn't want to give them another reason to hate her for taking over the shower.
She hopped out and snatched up one of the fluffy towels she had been eyeing. Merlin's saggy pants! Someone had charmed them to be toasty warm. Morgana bless the wonderful, wonderful person who had thought of it. She made a mental note to find out who it was later so she could send them an anonymous gift basket or something in thanks. She couldn't very well come out and say thank you to their face. Just because nobody knew her here, she still had a reputation to uphold. Heaven forbid they think her a cuddly lion and get touchy feely. She shuddered at the thought.
Sadly, there was no other option but to wear the clothes she had been wearing before. She would need to ask for something else later. Probably when Granger was awake. It was more likely they'd listen if it was one of their precious Order asking and not the Death Eater. She frowned at the thought. Pansy knew it was always going to be difficult, whatever Granger's plan, but she hadn't been prepared to literally be dropped into a Phoenix nest. The Mark on her arm gave them every reason to distrust and hate her. Well, she would just have to give them every other reason to want to be her best bloody friend. She could be charming when she wanted to be. She just didn't want to be very often. There weren't many people she thought were worth the effort.
Exiting the bathroom, she noticed Prewett leaning against the opposite wall talking to-himself? Sweet Circe, there were two of him. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought. Obviously they were twins. She wondered if their time jump had scrambled her brains for not realizing it right off the bat. Nutter. She rolled her eyes at herself. She needed to pull herself together. She was certain the first scent of blood would bring the lions running for more.
Seeing she was done, Prewett gestured to the other man, "Parkinson, this is my brother Fabian. If you couldn't tell, we are twins." Something was off. This was a game the Weasley twins had been very fond of. She knew what they were up to.
"No." Both sets of blue eyes widened. "No, I believe he's Gideon and you're Fabian." She loved the deer in wand light look they were giving her. It apparently wasn't very often they were called out on their game, and she was pleasantly smug that she had caught them.
"Eon, marry this witch immediately," Fabian said quietly. Ok, so nobody ever apparently called them on it. It was ridiculous how proud she felt at having caught them red-handed, but she had learned long ago to take the little pleasures wherever and whenever she could get them.
Prewett snorted. "Why don't you marry her Ian?" He shoved his brother's shoulder good naturedly.
Prewett- Merlin, she'd have to find another way to address them- the new one, stuck out his tongue at the other one. If Pansy hadn't been so used to seeing the Gryffindor's at school, such a display would have shocked her. Prewett's were, after all, still part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Blood-traitors or not, there were some traditions and rules that they all adhered to.
"Now Eon, you know perfectly well she isn't exactly my type. But, if she were, I'd be all over her like a werewolf on a chocolate frog."
Pansy wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not. The comparison was flattering, remembering her ex-professors penchant for the treats, but on the other, how was she not his type?! Pansy was everyone's type. If she felt it was worth putting in the effort, anyway.
The first Prewett held up his hands in defeat, before turning back to her. "Forgive this idiot, he wouldn't know a diamond if someone chucked it at his head." He gave her a wink as he clapped his brother on the shoulder, "This here, is my baby brother, Fabian. As you can see, I am by far the better looking of the two." Merlin, if his head got any bigger he wouldn't fit through the doors.
"Come off it, Gideon. You're two minutes older, and let's be realistic here, we look exactly the same." FabIAN and GidEON. Now it made sense. Merlin those Weasley's didn't fall from from this nut tree. Only they would find a joke that lame, this amusing.
"Are you two still at it? I swear you've been arguing about it since the day you were born. You'd think after twenty-four years you'd have learned to live with it, Fabian."
Oh good, the circus monkey had arrived. Pansy had been secretly hoping he wasn't even at headquarters today. She had been having fun with the Prewett's, and Black had to come and ruin it. Raining on their parade. Like the little Black cloud he was. She'd only had one conversation with him so far, but Merlin did she hate the man already. It was like he was a child stuck in a man's body, naively thinking everything was a straightforward black and white. Pansy had seen enough to know the intricacies of those grey shades in between. Good people were perfectly capable of some of the most despicable deeds, while she had seen some bad people be some of the most kind. He'd learn soon enough.
Black must have finally noticed her standing there as he was now glaring, playful cheeriness gone.
"Since when were we letting Death Eater's run loose in headquarters?" The venom in his voice would have made her cringe if she hadn't used it so many times herself. She had always used it as a cover for feeling insecure, she doubted Black was much different, having been raised in a similar household.
Gideon's jaw clenched while Fabian just looked confused. It seemed Gideon hadn't informed his brother yet about Black's "issue".
"Come on now, Sirius. Don't be like that. Dumbledore said she isn't a prisoner, and we shouldn't treat her like one." It sounded like this wasn't the first time Gideon had said this to Black. He almost sounded bored. It made Pansy wonder just many times they had actually had this argument already. The glare Black leveled at her was as dark as his name.
He pointed an unwavering finger at her, "Back to your room now Death Eater."
"There's no need for name calling, Sirius." Fabian was clearly trying to lighten the mood. It felt flatter the pancakes Pansy once tried to make herself.
She glared back, arms crossed over her chest, refusing to let this man-child push her around.
"We're just doing a tour of the place, then we will bring her right back to her room. I'll even let you ward the door, mate, alright?" She was slightly hurt at Gideon's compromise, but couldn't blame him. They needed to give Black something or else he would continue down this warpath like a rampaging hippogriff.
Black's nostrils flared. "I don't know what you've done to these idiots, or how you've managed it without a wand, but I do know that Death Eater's don't just change sides. You had to have believe all that pureblood shite at some point to have given yourself up to that madman."
Pansy could feel her own temper rising. Who did he think he was, standing there judging her for past choices? He knew nothing about her aside from her name and that she was branded. She had her reasons for bowing to a maniac. She had loved ones too, people she was willing to do anything for in order to keep them safe. They weren't all heartless sycophants wanting to revel in a little death and destruction. He knew nothing.
Black didn't notice her anger building, or care as he carried on. "There's no doubt in my mind you coerced that poor, little lady in there. You probably got her all tripped up in your sneaky Slytherin lies, taking her prisoner, forcing her to take you back in time so you could spy on us. What was it, your side losing in the future? You're master dead? You fall out of favour? You're a no good Death Eater, and I wouldn't put it past you to have used the imperius on her, force her against her will. That's what your type do, 'innit?"
The disgusted sneer on his face somehow transformed his angelic features into something horrible, promising of dark things to come. That was the final straw. Pansy snapped. She wasn't going to take this kind of behaviour from a grown-arse man! He needed to be dealt with quickly before he decided to put action to his words.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Moony man walking down the hall, stopping at a door three down from her own. If she had taken the time to think about it, there could be lots of reasons the man had entered that particular room, it could have been his room for all she knew. But she didn't stop to think first, she acted, like a fool-hardy Gryffindor.
Her silence was apparently as good as an admission of guilt to Black, and he wasn't going to wait for her to go back of her own accord a moment longer. He bent down, moving to throw her over his shoulder. Having a boy for your best friend had made her far too familiar with this action. Instead of having her thrown over his shoulder, he ended up with a knee smashing into his chin, knocking his head backward.
"Do not touch me. Ever." Pansy stomped down the hall leaving Black to stare owlishly after her. Probably the first time he'd ever been unsuccessful with that move. Sadly, he recovered quickly, moving to catch up to her as she made her way down the hall.
Coming to the door she had seen Moony disappear through, she flung it open. It was probably harder than necessary, but she had reached her breaking point and no longer cared. Upon seeing Granger was finally awake she stormed into the room.
"Oh good, you're awake, Granger. Now you can be useful." She threw her arm out behind her, gesturing at the person who had followed her, "Now would be a wonderful time to explain that I, in no way, coerced you into taking me back in time. You were not my prisoner, you acted of your own free will, this was not a plot by the Dark Lord to plant spies amongst the Order, and - what was the last one you accused me of? - Oh yes, I have not imperiused you into helping me because I am a no good Death Eater taking advantage of you and you are a helpless little lady caught up in my sneaky Slytherin lies." She knew the snark was a bit over the top, but she needed to make these idiots understand she wasn't about to murder them all in there beds!
Besides, she really wanted to see Black get his arse kicked, who better than little, unassuming, Granger. She was the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. She had seen the time the witch had punched Draco. The tiny woman could hold her own.
Granger slowly turned her attention from Pansy to Black, taking in the scene before her. Her features hardened, "Helpless little lady, am I?"
Pansy turned to Black, barely, suppressing her glee. He was so in for it now. She would have loved to give him a lashing herself, but she was far too tired to keep dealing with him right now. Plus, she would never admit it, but she needed to feel like she had some back up here. That she wasn't so completely alone. That someone would stand up with her.
Sirius audibly gulped, seeming to realize the severity of the situation he had suddenly found himself in.