Pansy sat, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before saying, "You. love
me?"
"Of course, I always have," Draco said, blushing.
"I've never seen you blush," Pansy said, biting her lower lip. "How do I know you're telling the truth, and not just saying it to cheer me up?"
"Because I'm blushing."
"Oh," Pansy looked at the stone floor, then back to Draco. "Why?"
"Why am I blushing?" Draco asked, confused.
"No, why do you love me?"
Draco paused for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. Pansy jumped back in surprise, breaking the kiss.
"What do you think you're doing?" She cried, standing up.
"Kissing you." Draco said slowly, as if she were a child.
"I know that, but- but-" Pansy was too lost for words. She couldn't describe how she felt. She felt scared- she was alone and locked in this room with Draco- and excited- he was in love with her. But which emotion was the dominant one? And how did she feel about Draco, not about the kiss?
"But you don't feel the same way?" Draco filled in.
Pansy shrugged. "I don't know, Draco. You're a great guy, and any girl in this school would love to be with you including me, but I don't know if I'm good enough for you."
Draco smiled. "You're right."
Pansy shrugged. "I knew you'd agree that I'm not right for you."
"No, I mean you're right that a lot of girls like me," Draco said, still smiling. "So why, out of all the girls in the school, did I pick you?"
"I'm wondering the same thing." Pansy suddenly felt extremely happy. When Draco leaned in to kiss her a second time, she didn't resist. Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck, and prayed that the kiss would last forever.
They were interupted by a loud knock on the door. "Pansy! Draco! Come quick!" Goyle's gruff voice shouted. "Someone's killed Ron!" He sounded estatic.
Draco jumped up and ran to the door. "What?"
"Someone's killed Ron!" Goyle repeated, his eyes glinting with excitement. Pansy checked her hair in the mirror, which at that particular moment should have been her last concern, and joined the two in the doorway.
"Let's go and see," Draco said, grabbing Pansy's hand for a third time. Pansy smiled to herself as they walked hand in hand down the staircase and to the Gryffindor portrait.
In the middle of the hallway lay Ron's limp body. Pansy felt her knees go weak at the sight of the blood and leaned against Draco. Nearly the entire school was gathered around the corpse, the three had to fight their way through the crowd to get a good look.
There was a long gash that went from the middle of his forhead to his stomache. The gash was deep and surrounded by green liquid. Snape stepped forward and examined the liquid. He turned to the excited and startled crowd and announced, "It's Insta-Cut Potion, and too much of it. Someone among you is a murderer."
"There're making the Insta-Cut Potion outside today." Ron's- rather Neville's- words rung in Pansy's head. She stood on her tiptoes and searched the crowd. Draco put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "What are you looking for, Pansy?"
"Neville," Pansy muttered, concentrating on the sea of disgusted faces.
"Why Neville?"
"Do you remember what he said to us in the Potions room?" Pansy asked.
Draco thought, then his eyes widened. "They made the Insta-Cut Potion yesterday!"
Pansy gave up and stood normally. "Someone in our class killed Ron. And I think it was Neville. Do you remember what he said about how I broke his heart? And that he knew?"
Draco nodded. "Yes. So what?"
"I think he meant that he 'knew' I liked Ron, and that maybe on some odd chance he liked me and that broke his heart," Pansy shrugged. "I'm being paranoid again."
"It's possible." Draco said.
"What do you think, Draco?" Pansy asked, turning to him.
Draco shrugged. "I definently think someone in our class killed Ron. Whether or not it was Neville is beyond me. You're twice as smart as I am, and if you believe it was Neville, then I believe you."
Despite the bloody corpse a few feet in front of her, Pansy felt incredibly happy.
"Of course, I always have," Draco said, blushing.
"I've never seen you blush," Pansy said, biting her lower lip. "How do I know you're telling the truth, and not just saying it to cheer me up?"
"Because I'm blushing."
"Oh," Pansy looked at the stone floor, then back to Draco. "Why?"
"Why am I blushing?" Draco asked, confused.
"No, why do you love me?"
Draco paused for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. Pansy jumped back in surprise, breaking the kiss.
"What do you think you're doing?" She cried, standing up.
"Kissing you." Draco said slowly, as if she were a child.
"I know that, but- but-" Pansy was too lost for words. She couldn't describe how she felt. She felt scared- she was alone and locked in this room with Draco- and excited- he was in love with her. But which emotion was the dominant one? And how did she feel about Draco, not about the kiss?
"But you don't feel the same way?" Draco filled in.
Pansy shrugged. "I don't know, Draco. You're a great guy, and any girl in this school would love to be with you including me, but I don't know if I'm good enough for you."
Draco smiled. "You're right."
Pansy shrugged. "I knew you'd agree that I'm not right for you."
"No, I mean you're right that a lot of girls like me," Draco said, still smiling. "So why, out of all the girls in the school, did I pick you?"
"I'm wondering the same thing." Pansy suddenly felt extremely happy. When Draco leaned in to kiss her a second time, she didn't resist. Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck, and prayed that the kiss would last forever.
They were interupted by a loud knock on the door. "Pansy! Draco! Come quick!" Goyle's gruff voice shouted. "Someone's killed Ron!" He sounded estatic.
Draco jumped up and ran to the door. "What?"
"Someone's killed Ron!" Goyle repeated, his eyes glinting with excitement. Pansy checked her hair in the mirror, which at that particular moment should have been her last concern, and joined the two in the doorway.
"Let's go and see," Draco said, grabbing Pansy's hand for a third time. Pansy smiled to herself as they walked hand in hand down the staircase and to the Gryffindor portrait.
In the middle of the hallway lay Ron's limp body. Pansy felt her knees go weak at the sight of the blood and leaned against Draco. Nearly the entire school was gathered around the corpse, the three had to fight their way through the crowd to get a good look.
There was a long gash that went from the middle of his forhead to his stomache. The gash was deep and surrounded by green liquid. Snape stepped forward and examined the liquid. He turned to the excited and startled crowd and announced, "It's Insta-Cut Potion, and too much of it. Someone among you is a murderer."
"There're making the Insta-Cut Potion outside today." Ron's- rather Neville's- words rung in Pansy's head. She stood on her tiptoes and searched the crowd. Draco put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "What are you looking for, Pansy?"
"Neville," Pansy muttered, concentrating on the sea of disgusted faces.
"Why Neville?"
"Do you remember what he said to us in the Potions room?" Pansy asked.
Draco thought, then his eyes widened. "They made the Insta-Cut Potion yesterday!"
Pansy gave up and stood normally. "Someone in our class killed Ron. And I think it was Neville. Do you remember what he said about how I broke his heart? And that he knew?"
Draco nodded. "Yes. So what?"
"I think he meant that he 'knew' I liked Ron, and that maybe on some odd chance he liked me and that broke his heart," Pansy shrugged. "I'm being paranoid again."
"It's possible." Draco said.
"What do you think, Draco?" Pansy asked, turning to him.
Draco shrugged. "I definently think someone in our class killed Ron. Whether or not it was Neville is beyond me. You're twice as smart as I am, and if you believe it was Neville, then I believe you."
Despite the bloody corpse a few feet in front of her, Pansy felt incredibly happy.
