Draco looked up as Harry sat down across from him at the library. The
Slytherin tilted his head to the side as he regarded his friend. "Something
wrong?" he asked.
Harry chewed at his lower lip before looking at Draco. "How close were you to Pansy before you started dating Hermione?" he asked.
Draco raised his eyebrow. "She's my best friend," he said. "Always was, despite that crush she had on me. Why?"
"She ever say anything to you about me that wasn't insulting?" Harry asked.
Draco shook her head. "About a year ago she stopped confiding in me," he said. "She started… keeping to herself more and more. I found that a bit odd for her, but we all go through phases. Once again I ask, why?"
Harry ran a hand through his untidy hair and sighed. "Just something she said to me," he said. "Caught me way off guard."
"What caught you off guard?" Hermione asked as she came over with a large book and some parchments she was obviously filling with notes. She slid into the seat beside Draco smiling gently when he kissed her cheek lightly.
"Something Pansy said," Harry said. "Was asking Draco about it."
Hermione frowned a bit. "What did she say?" she asked.
"Well I apologized cause she looked so hurt over us insulting her--," Harry started.
"YOU insulting her," Hermione pointed out. "Draco and I didn't say a word."
Harry looked sheepish. "I know," he murmured. "Anyways, I apologized. I felt really bad. I mentioned that I knew she loved Draco."
"You what?" Draco asked with a frown. "She doesn't love me."
"I know that now," Harry said. "She told me. She admitted she had a crush on you once but not now. So I asked her why she didn't just insult us back. Why she cried instead."
"What did she say?" Hermione asked.
"She said it's hard to come up with an insult when the person you do love says something that hurts you," Harry said.
"Is she in love with Weasley?" Draco asked.
"No," Harry said. "Me." Draco raised his eyebrow.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That's what I felt," she murmured.
"What?" Draco and Harry asked.
"I think Pansy is a Dreamscape," Hermione said. "Or part Dreamscape."
"How?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded understanding. "You sensed her," he said.
Hermione nodded. Harry frowned. "Someone want to clue me in?" he asked.
"Draco and I have found that we are telepathically linked," Hermione said. "It's an effect of our destinies. We can also sense other Dreamscapes. I know when Narcissa is near because I can sense her. I was getting this really weird vibe of some sort that I wasn't familiar with. Narcissa made sense because I knew she was a Dreamscape."
"But not knowing if Pansy is or not, it was an unfamiliar sensation," Draco said. "I felt it too."
"So what else was it you felt?" Harry asked.
"Well when a Dreamscape is in love with someone, their pheromones and feelings are directed at the person they love. Draco's are directed at me, mine at him, and Narcissa's at Remus. I knew Pansy didn't love Draco because her feelings weren't directed at him. It wasn't until she ran off crying that I was able to sense more where they were directed at."
"That must be something female Dreamscapes can do that men can't, because I didn't sense that direction," Draco said.
"It's a possibility," Hermione said, focusing on him. "It's at least something we can write in our notes to ask your mom."
"This is all fascinating, but can we get back to what we were discussing," Harry said.
"Sorry," Draco muttered. "So? She loves you. It's not a bad thing to have someone love you."
"I wasn't exactly expecting it," Harry said.
"Well, how do you feel about her?" Draco asked.
"I don't know," Harry said.
"How did you feel when she admitted to loving you?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.
Harry thought about it for a moment. "Odd," he said. "I'm not sure."
"Well why don't you figure that out first, then go from there?" Draco suggested. "That's what I had to do when I realized I loved Hermione."
"Different circumstances Draco," Harry said. "And I thought you realized you loved her in your dreams."
"No, I realized I loved Hermione a long time before that," Draco said. "I just allowed my dreams to indulge in that love and… well you know the rest."
"Actually I don't, but I get the feeling I don't want to," Harry said with a grin. He sighed and stood. "I gotta get going, Quidditch practice."
"Harry, just think about what Draco and I said, okay?" Hermione said. "I think Pansy's going to need you soon." Harry frowned but he nodded, leaving the library.
"You think something's up?" Draco asked looking at her.
"I have a bad feeling that Voldemort's going to use another means to get here," Hermione said. "Pansy's a broken hearted and vulnerable Dreamscape. She's untrained, probably completely oblivious to just what power she holds."
Draco nodded. "A perfect target for Voldemort," he said.
"Exactly."
~~
Pansy tossed back and forth on her bed, her blonde hair escaping from the ponytail she wore. "Harry, don't," she murmured in her sleep. "No!" She sat up, looking around wildly, her heart beating rapidly. She frowned. The dream had been so real. Dreams… There was one person she knew she could talk to about her dreams. She just needed to find him. But she was too tired to do so. She felt herself drifting to sleep once again.
~~
"Sleep my little Dreamscape," Voldemort hissed as he watched Pansy. "You will be my key. And no interference from the traitor Dreamscape and his mudblood destiny will stop me from using you for just that purpose."
Harry chewed at his lower lip before looking at Draco. "How close were you to Pansy before you started dating Hermione?" he asked.
Draco raised his eyebrow. "She's my best friend," he said. "Always was, despite that crush she had on me. Why?"
"She ever say anything to you about me that wasn't insulting?" Harry asked.
Draco shook her head. "About a year ago she stopped confiding in me," he said. "She started… keeping to herself more and more. I found that a bit odd for her, but we all go through phases. Once again I ask, why?"
Harry ran a hand through his untidy hair and sighed. "Just something she said to me," he said. "Caught me way off guard."
"What caught you off guard?" Hermione asked as she came over with a large book and some parchments she was obviously filling with notes. She slid into the seat beside Draco smiling gently when he kissed her cheek lightly.
"Something Pansy said," Harry said. "Was asking Draco about it."
Hermione frowned a bit. "What did she say?" she asked.
"Well I apologized cause she looked so hurt over us insulting her--," Harry started.
"YOU insulting her," Hermione pointed out. "Draco and I didn't say a word."
Harry looked sheepish. "I know," he murmured. "Anyways, I apologized. I felt really bad. I mentioned that I knew she loved Draco."
"You what?" Draco asked with a frown. "She doesn't love me."
"I know that now," Harry said. "She told me. She admitted she had a crush on you once but not now. So I asked her why she didn't just insult us back. Why she cried instead."
"What did she say?" Hermione asked.
"She said it's hard to come up with an insult when the person you do love says something that hurts you," Harry said.
"Is she in love with Weasley?" Draco asked.
"No," Harry said. "Me." Draco raised his eyebrow.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That's what I felt," she murmured.
"What?" Draco and Harry asked.
"I think Pansy is a Dreamscape," Hermione said. "Or part Dreamscape."
"How?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded understanding. "You sensed her," he said.
Hermione nodded. Harry frowned. "Someone want to clue me in?" he asked.
"Draco and I have found that we are telepathically linked," Hermione said. "It's an effect of our destinies. We can also sense other Dreamscapes. I know when Narcissa is near because I can sense her. I was getting this really weird vibe of some sort that I wasn't familiar with. Narcissa made sense because I knew she was a Dreamscape."
"But not knowing if Pansy is or not, it was an unfamiliar sensation," Draco said. "I felt it too."
"So what else was it you felt?" Harry asked.
"Well when a Dreamscape is in love with someone, their pheromones and feelings are directed at the person they love. Draco's are directed at me, mine at him, and Narcissa's at Remus. I knew Pansy didn't love Draco because her feelings weren't directed at him. It wasn't until she ran off crying that I was able to sense more where they were directed at."
"That must be something female Dreamscapes can do that men can't, because I didn't sense that direction," Draco said.
"It's a possibility," Hermione said, focusing on him. "It's at least something we can write in our notes to ask your mom."
"This is all fascinating, but can we get back to what we were discussing," Harry said.
"Sorry," Draco muttered. "So? She loves you. It's not a bad thing to have someone love you."
"I wasn't exactly expecting it," Harry said.
"Well, how do you feel about her?" Draco asked.
"I don't know," Harry said.
"How did you feel when she admitted to loving you?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.
Harry thought about it for a moment. "Odd," he said. "I'm not sure."
"Well why don't you figure that out first, then go from there?" Draco suggested. "That's what I had to do when I realized I loved Hermione."
"Different circumstances Draco," Harry said. "And I thought you realized you loved her in your dreams."
"No, I realized I loved Hermione a long time before that," Draco said. "I just allowed my dreams to indulge in that love and… well you know the rest."
"Actually I don't, but I get the feeling I don't want to," Harry said with a grin. He sighed and stood. "I gotta get going, Quidditch practice."
"Harry, just think about what Draco and I said, okay?" Hermione said. "I think Pansy's going to need you soon." Harry frowned but he nodded, leaving the library.
"You think something's up?" Draco asked looking at her.
"I have a bad feeling that Voldemort's going to use another means to get here," Hermione said. "Pansy's a broken hearted and vulnerable Dreamscape. She's untrained, probably completely oblivious to just what power she holds."
Draco nodded. "A perfect target for Voldemort," he said.
"Exactly."
~~
Pansy tossed back and forth on her bed, her blonde hair escaping from the ponytail she wore. "Harry, don't," she murmured in her sleep. "No!" She sat up, looking around wildly, her heart beating rapidly. She frowned. The dream had been so real. Dreams… There was one person she knew she could talk to about her dreams. She just needed to find him. But she was too tired to do so. She felt herself drifting to sleep once again.
~~
"Sleep my little Dreamscape," Voldemort hissed as he watched Pansy. "You will be my key. And no interference from the traitor Dreamscape and his mudblood destiny will stop me from using you for just that purpose."