Pansy felt a moment of panic as Charlie Weasley led her and her family into the living room of the home. The room was welcoming; decorated in warm autumnal colours, a bright fire roaring in a hearth despite it been the middle of summer. Despite the flames, the room was cool, a gentle breeze coming through an open window on the far side of the room. The room had clearly been magically extended at some point allowing for the vast Weasley family to easily occupy the space together without it becoming cramped.
"Who was at the door," an older man asked, Pansy recognised him as Ronald's father.
"Ron's guests," Charlie responded, at the sound of his name the Weasley in question glanced away from the open game of Wizard's Chess he had been playing with one of his many brothers to look at the open doorway that led to the kitchen.
"Pansy, you made it," the youngest of the Weasley boys called, rising to his feet with a smile upon his handsome face.
"Hector wanted to come," she told him quietly.
"Is that so, hello again, Hector," the red head spoke, leaning down so he was level with the child at her side.
"Hello Mr Weasley," the boy chirped.
"That might get a bit confusing with so many of us, call me Ron," Weasley said with a smile, pulling a bag of sweets out of his pocket and passing them to the child.
"Thank you, Ron," her brother said happily, placing one of the sweets into his mouth quickly.
"Your welcome Hector, Anabelle nice to see you again," he nodded at her sister who smiled at him.
"Parkinson," a voice spoke, she realised it was Potter.
"Potter," she nodded in reply to the dark-haired wizard who was sat on one of the patchworked sofa's his arm wrapped around Ron's sister.
"Well this isn't at all awkward," another voice spoke, a twin this time, because said twin had Granger sat atop of his knee, his arms wrapped around her waist, Pansy deduced that it was Fred that had spoken.
"Erm, Hello," she greeted the room at large, the need to turn and flee bubbling within her, someone she wasn't sure who snorted at her greeting, "Ron invited us to lunch," she continued, fidgeting uneasily with the skirt of her dress.
"Oh for goodness sakes, why do you look so terrified, nobody's going to attack you," Ron's sister spoke her eyes amused.
"Ginny," Ron warned, glaring at his sister.
"What it's true, you haven't stopped talking about her for weeks and then you invite her to Sunday lunch, and she walks in looking at us all as though we are going to curse her, hardly the same girl that tried to turn Harry over to Voldemort," the red headed girl spoke, Pansy flinched at the name of her fathers former master.
"I'm sorry for that, I was trying to protect my family," she spoke quietly her eyes fixed on Potter's, she could feel her face flushing with embarrassment.
"She didn't want me getting hurt," Anabelle spoke glaring at the room.
"You are forgiven Parkinson, Pansy, I forgave you years ago, everyone did thing's they weren't proud of during the war," Potter spoke, running his hand through his shaggy hair awkwardly, his emerald eye's earnest.
"Thank you," she said, shuffling awkwardly.
"Ron why don't we take them outside to meet Jessabelle," Charlie spoke, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder, a grin upon his tanned face.
"Jessabelle, I thought you were joking about the dragon," Pansy spoke, her eye's widening.
"That's one thing you should know about me, Miss Parkinson, I never joke about dragons," Ron's brother spoke.
"Can I really meet a dragon, Pansy," Hector asked her, his eyes pleading. With great reluctance Pansy nodded as her younger brother squealed with glee, happily following the two men as they led the family out of a small door in the corner of the room, this in turn led to a cluttered hallway that was lined on one side by a wall of photographs each depicting milestones and holidays while on the other was a towering staircase, leading up into the many levels of the house above. At the other end of the hallway was a door, which the brother led them through, this door led to the back garden of the home where a beautiful pearlescent dragon sat, resting in the midday sun.
"Is that an Antipodean Opaleye," she asked quietly, her hand reaching for Hector's at her side, one didn't spend years with Draco as a best friend without learning a bit about dragons.
"Good eye, Jessabelle is indeed an Antipodean Opaleye," the older man spoke, leading them closer to the creature that lifted its head, its iridescent scales sparkling and it's multicoloured eyes curious.
"How's my girl doing," the dragon tamer asked, reaching out to scratch the dragon's head. The dragon let out a rumble that reminded pansy of a cat's purr.
"Is this safe," she asked the Auror at her side.
"Charlie raised her from an egg, she's loyal to him, during the final battle she rained fire from the skies at his command but in reality, she's a softie, she listens to Charlie," Ronald spoke, settling one hand against her back. His words didn't reassure Pansy; she'd witnessed the dragon fire at the final battle when trying to escape the school grounds with her sister but his warm hand against the thin fabric of her summer dress sent warm tingles along her spine.
"Come and meet her," Charlie called. Very reluctantly she led her bouncing brother and curious sister towards an animal that could very easily end their existence with on breath of fire, Ron's hand still in place against her, offering little reassurance as they approached his brother and the beast the man was treating like a small pet dog or cat.
"Ooh, she's so warm," Hector spoke, stroking the leg of the dragon, reaching out Pansy placed her hand on the opalescent scales, stroking gently as the dragon rumbled again.
"Jessabelle likes you; do you want to go for a ride," the Dragon Tamer asked."
"Absolutely not," Pansy shook her head.
"Please Pansy," Hector wined.
"He'll be safe with Charlie," Ron spoke.
"Can we Pans," Anabelle asked, her hand gently scratching the dragon. Against her better judgement Pansy agreed and soon she and Ron were alone, stood behind his childhood home as a dragon flew through the sky above them, both of her sibling's laughter sounding loudly as Charlie and Jessabelle led them in loopy loops, dips and other monoverse more suited to Quidditch than dragon flight.
"Pansy I'm glad you decided to come," Ron spoke, wrapping his arm, loosely around her waist, his palm against her hip. Pansy liked the warmth that filled her as she shuffled slightly closer to him, his side against her own.
"I'm glad I came as well," she told him, her eyes fixed on the shimmering creature above, her face flushed from the close contact with the man at her side.