~
Pansy's Story ~
Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Spike, Dru, and Darla belong to the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Author's Note:
This story takes place about three or four years after Harry and the gang leave
Hogwarts. Based on the song, What Would You Do, by City High. It's not a
songfic though. And I know that people have probably done this already, but
mine isn't a copy. It's an idea I had while listening to the song on Z100.
Chapter One: The Encounter
Harry Potter walked through the streets
of the London Underground, trying to find a nice place to relax after a long
day of hard work. He had been an auror for about two years now, and enjoyed the
concept of living dangerously. The Dark Lord Voldemort was long gone, but Harry
had been facing even more dangers and evil in the wizarding world ever since he
had gotten rid of Voldemort.
Harry passed by the Leaky Cauldron, which
was a very famous pub in the wizarding world. He didn't feel like going in, as
it was mostly a place for middle aged wizards to get together and talk of
matters that Harry, at his age, still didn't understand. Sighing, Harry started
down a narrow path that he hadn't taken before, and headed toward a new
development complete with loads of flashing lights and loud music.
He arrived at a small night club behind
the Leaky Cauldron called the Devil's Lounge. Harry recalled the name,
as it was known to be the new hangout of many young wizards. Deciding that
there was no harm in trying out new places, he opened the Lounge's glass door
and walked in.
Sure enough, the club was packed with all
sorts of young wizards and witches. Harry squeezed himself inside and
immediately found himself face to face with a couple of strippers dancing among
a large group of young wizards. Harry shook his head. Those girls couldn't be
more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Exactly why they wanted to throw away
their lives like that he didn't know. He noticed one particular stripper
wearing a short leather skirt and a feather boa who looked strangely familiar.
Then it hit him.
" Pansy?"
The stripper with the leather skirt
glanced over at him, apparently startled that he knew her name, but then her
mouth dropped open as she got a closer look at him.
" Potter? Is that you?" she said incredulously. Then
her face hardened as she finally came to her senses. " What the hell are
you doing here? I would think a good boy like you would rather die than set
foot in a place like this. "
Harry's face grew red as she said this,
because the group of wizards that were watching the strippers all turned around
and stared at him, their faces distraught in surprise.
" Potter? The Harry Potter?
" Now everyone in the club was staring at Harry, all with the same disbelieving
expressions written on their faces. Even the music, which had been pounding on
and off the walls just a moment ago, had ceased.
" Er--yeah, " Harry answered
weakly. " Yeah, I'm Harry Potter. "
There was a sudden clamor of chairs and glasses
as people rushed from left and right to try and get a closer look at him. Harry
felt himself turning red as he looked helplessly over at Pansy, who stood with
her arms folded, her face unsmiling.
" Harry! How ya been, old man?"
" Over here, Harry! I'll buy you a
drink!"
" Hey, Harry! What brings you
here?"
" Is it true you defeated
You-Know-Who with a single glare?"
" Hey, turn the music up! Harry, what
song do you wanna hear?"
And it went on like this for another ten
minutes, before Harry could get himself away from the endless crowd of crazed
and adoring fans, all waiting to be able to have a chance to talk with him.
Harry walked over to where Pansy stood alone, next to the stage. He smiled and
held a hand out to her. She didn't take it.
" Hey, come on, Pansy. Let's put our
past grudges behind us and just have some fun. Can I buy you a drink?"
Harry asked cheerfully. Pansy looked at him suspiciously, as though he might
just be trying to play wit her feelings. After all that she had been through,
Pansy didn't know if she could ever trust another man again.
" What, are you talking to me? "
she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Harry nodded, still smiling.
" Well--yeah. Who else would I be
talking to? The wall? " He grinned.
" Ha, ha, ha," Pansy replied,
very sarcastically. " You sure know how to make a girl laugh, Potter.
"
Harry shook his head. " Pansy, come
on. It's not like we're still kids at Hogwarts, rivaling about every little
thing. Can't we just forget the past and move on?"
Pansy stared at him for moment, not saying
anything. Years before, she would have sneered at him and walked away, but
now--something had changed. Potter looked almost…sincere in his words. But how
could he? After all that she, Draco, and the others had done to him? It just
didn't make sense.
" How do I know that you're not just
pulling my leg? We're worst enemies, Potter. Not friends. So why are you being so
nice to me?" Pansy demanded. Her eyes had their old glare in them; the one
Harry had been so used to back at Hogwarts. He smiled and placed his hand on
top of hers.
" Because I want to help you. "
