What's Eating You, Sly?

Chapter 4

By: Emma

Disclaimer: Nothing but "Sly" is mine.

Summary: it ran away. If you find it, call me at 1-800-isuckatsummaries

Reviews: Please! It is positive re-enforcement, otherwise known as motivation, inspiration and all of those other big, beautiful words that make you want to barf all over yourself because you just want to get to the damn story.



Pansy fell asleep a fortnight later, wondering, like every night for the past two weeks, whether she and Draco were better than the Tremendous Trio.

She'd been asleep for about a quarter of an hour when a noise stirred her.

"Sly?"

"Draco," Pansy yawned, sitting up and finding him crouched beside her bed, "What?"

"I have a question for you."

Were her eyes deceiving her, or was Draco looking particularly...vulnerable, at the moment?

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" she said, yawning again.

"No, I think this has waited long enough."

Interesting.

"Fine. Fire away."

"Well...I...did anybody ever...touch you? As a kid?"

"What?!" she nearly shouted, then brought her voice down to a low whisper as she surveyed her friend with concerned eyes, "Draco, what exactly are you implying?"

His eyes widened, "No! I didn't mean -bad- touch, I meant....touch. Caress. Hug, ruffle your hair, whatever."

Pansy furrowed her brow, "Sure they did, when I was small. My maid, Shinata, she tucked me into bed every night and got me dressed every morning, so I suppose she must have."

"What about your parents? Your family?"

Pansy paused, looking into her memory.

"No," she said softly, watching Draco carefully, "Never."

"Oh." he said with equal softness.

After a short silence, Pansy yawned -again- and said "Was that all, Draco?"

"Yeah...yeah. "Night, Sly."

"A thousand times goodnight." she murmured.

*I wonder what that was all about,* thought Pansy, *Is Draco feeling pensive? Nostalgic? Insecure? We weren't put in Slytherin because we got no attention as children. We were put in here because we are strong. Harry Potter was raised by Muggles that despised him and he got into Gryffindor - no paternal affection there.

That's yet -another- thing that Draco and Potter have in common. Oi.*