A/N : Someone Finally got the Oreo Quote!! YAY!! My apologies for taking so
long to update, I haven't forgotten you all, I promise. Thanks so much to
my reviewers, you are the only reason I keep writing. *hugs*
Chapter Sixteen
"Pansy!" Pansy spun around at the sound of her voice. She and Hermione were in the foyer, making their way out of the house. It was Draco. Pansy smiled.
"Pansy, I have to talk to you, meet me in the garden in twenty minutes," He whispered in her ear. She nodded. She and Hermione headed home.
Twenty minutes later, Pansy had left Hermione watching a movie, claiming that she wanted to take a shower. She left the water running and slipped out the window. She met Draco in the garden. He too was in his pajamas, and Pansy couldn't help but notice how amazing he looked.
"Pansy, I have to tell you this, I don't have anyone else to talk to," He explained. Pansy nodded. She sat down in the chair across from him and listened intently to what he had to say.
* * *
Ron and Harry woke up back in the Burrow, the next morning. It was shopping day, the day before they were to be going back to Hogwarts. The two boys dressed quickly, excited about the shopping trip.
They had made plans to meet the twins in Diagon Alley to do their shopping together. They dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast, only to find that the sun hadn't even come up yet. They sat down and played some Wizard's Chess to kill time.
* * *
Pansy came back into her bedroom, and climbed into bed next to Hermione. They watched the rest of the movie in silence. Pansy turned the TV off and they were left in the dark. There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Hermione, can I tell you something?" Pansy asked. Hermione smiled, even though Pansy couldn't see her in the dark.
"Of course," Hermione agreed.
"Um, Its just that, well, I don't know how to say this, but I, well, promise you won't think poorly of me?"
"I promise."
"Well, Hermione, It's like this. You and I have gotten to be good friends and all and that's great, and I would hate for that to change, but I just, well, I'm not sure that's all I'm feeling." Pansy managed to get out.
"What are you saying, Pansy?" Hermione was concerned now.
"I guess what I'm saying is, well, this," Pansy stopped talking and leaned forward and kissed Hermione forcefully.
* * *
Draco paced in his bedroom. He wasn't happy about the news he'd received from his father that evening. He'd known for a while that he was the Dark Lord's Heir, but he had just been told that evening that as such he would have to marry someone the Lord deemed fitting. This thought was very difficult for Draco to settle. He'd always seen how much in love his parents were, and had always hoped somewhere deep down that he'd eventually find the same kind of love. And Pansy hadn't been much help. He knew she'd always hoped to marry him, it was what their parents had always joked about when they were growing up, and she'd been upset by the news too, but she hadn't been very comforting. Draco finally gave up and tucked himself into bed. It wasn't what he'd imagined for his life, but he figured he'd make do somehow.
* * *
Hermione's eyes flew open and she jerked away. Pansy looked down at her hands.
"Pansy, I'm not, I can't, I mean, I don't-" Hermione spluttered. She didn't know how to react.
"I shouldn't have," Pansy started. She took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say, I don't know what's going on with me. I guess I'm just really having a tough time figuring stuff out. I mean, everything used to be so perfect. I always knew where I was going, what I was doing, my entire life was planned out ahead of me. I was going to marry Draco, and we were going to have lots of children and live happily ever after. But now, things are different. I'm not who I thought I was, I can't marry Draco, and now with all this business about the Dark Lord, I don't know what's going to happen," Pansy paused to catch her breath. "I'm sorry if I upset you Hermione, I just, well, you know, they say you never know until you try."
"Pansy, you didn't have to - well, I mean if you just wanted to try it, you could have asked, we're friends, what are friends for? Especially if you can't ask them for help," Hermione said. Pansy shrugged.
"I dunno, I didn't really plan that," Pansy pushed the matter aside. "So, are you excited to go back to school?" she asked changing the subject. Hermione knew her friend was still upset but didn't push the matter any further. They talked about school and their friends and what they hoped their sixth year would be like until they fell asleep.
* * *
Hermione and Pansy were just leaving Flourish and Botts the next day when Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her into a random alley.
"That hurt a lot, Draco," Hermione said, rubbing her arm.
"Good. You deserve it," He snapped. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?" he asked her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione protested.
"This is for you," Draco said, pulling a flat box wrapped in black paper with a black bow on it out of his pocket. He handed it to Hermione. She opened it slowly, while Draco impatiently waited to see the contents.
"Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed when she took the lid off the box. Nestled on a soft silver cushion was a black beaded necklace. It was very ornate, and felt heavy in Hermione's hand. Draco lost his temper and grabbed the necklace off the cushion. He swept Hermione's hair out of the way and fastened the necklace for her. As he did so, the light shone through the beads which shone red in the light. Hermione held her breath as Draco fastened it around her neck. His fingers were gentle, despite his lack of patience with her. "Thank you, Draco, it's beautiful," she managed to breathe.
"It's not from me," He told her. "It's from your new friend," he mocked. Hermione spun to look at him, question marks in her eyes. "Oh don't make me say it," he pleaded, but Hermione really had no idea. "You know," Draco looked around to make sure no one was listening. "You-Know-Who?" Hermione's eyes grew wide at the mention of his nickname. Draco rolled his eyes. "For someone who's supposedly so smart, you're really dim-witted," he mocked.
"Why is he giving me this?" Hermione asked, suddenly gripped with the seriousness of the situation.
"He likes you. That's what he does," Draco said, calmly. "But you know, you're on his side now, you don't really have a choice. I hope that's not going to be a problem," he said casually, walking away. Hermione took a deep breath and turned to look at her reflection in a store window.
"No, that's not a problem," Hermione said, fingering the beads. They were really beautiful and for a second so brief Hermione was almost sure she'd imagined it, her eyes flashed a deep red in her reflection.
Chapter Sixteen
"Pansy!" Pansy spun around at the sound of her voice. She and Hermione were in the foyer, making their way out of the house. It was Draco. Pansy smiled.
"Pansy, I have to talk to you, meet me in the garden in twenty minutes," He whispered in her ear. She nodded. She and Hermione headed home.
Twenty minutes later, Pansy had left Hermione watching a movie, claiming that she wanted to take a shower. She left the water running and slipped out the window. She met Draco in the garden. He too was in his pajamas, and Pansy couldn't help but notice how amazing he looked.
"Pansy, I have to tell you this, I don't have anyone else to talk to," He explained. Pansy nodded. She sat down in the chair across from him and listened intently to what he had to say.
* * *
Ron and Harry woke up back in the Burrow, the next morning. It was shopping day, the day before they were to be going back to Hogwarts. The two boys dressed quickly, excited about the shopping trip.
They had made plans to meet the twins in Diagon Alley to do their shopping together. They dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast, only to find that the sun hadn't even come up yet. They sat down and played some Wizard's Chess to kill time.
* * *
Pansy came back into her bedroom, and climbed into bed next to Hermione. They watched the rest of the movie in silence. Pansy turned the TV off and they were left in the dark. There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Hermione, can I tell you something?" Pansy asked. Hermione smiled, even though Pansy couldn't see her in the dark.
"Of course," Hermione agreed.
"Um, Its just that, well, I don't know how to say this, but I, well, promise you won't think poorly of me?"
"I promise."
"Well, Hermione, It's like this. You and I have gotten to be good friends and all and that's great, and I would hate for that to change, but I just, well, I'm not sure that's all I'm feeling." Pansy managed to get out.
"What are you saying, Pansy?" Hermione was concerned now.
"I guess what I'm saying is, well, this," Pansy stopped talking and leaned forward and kissed Hermione forcefully.
* * *
Draco paced in his bedroom. He wasn't happy about the news he'd received from his father that evening. He'd known for a while that he was the Dark Lord's Heir, but he had just been told that evening that as such he would have to marry someone the Lord deemed fitting. This thought was very difficult for Draco to settle. He'd always seen how much in love his parents were, and had always hoped somewhere deep down that he'd eventually find the same kind of love. And Pansy hadn't been much help. He knew she'd always hoped to marry him, it was what their parents had always joked about when they were growing up, and she'd been upset by the news too, but she hadn't been very comforting. Draco finally gave up and tucked himself into bed. It wasn't what he'd imagined for his life, but he figured he'd make do somehow.
* * *
Hermione's eyes flew open and she jerked away. Pansy looked down at her hands.
"Pansy, I'm not, I can't, I mean, I don't-" Hermione spluttered. She didn't know how to react.
"I shouldn't have," Pansy started. She took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say, I don't know what's going on with me. I guess I'm just really having a tough time figuring stuff out. I mean, everything used to be so perfect. I always knew where I was going, what I was doing, my entire life was planned out ahead of me. I was going to marry Draco, and we were going to have lots of children and live happily ever after. But now, things are different. I'm not who I thought I was, I can't marry Draco, and now with all this business about the Dark Lord, I don't know what's going to happen," Pansy paused to catch her breath. "I'm sorry if I upset you Hermione, I just, well, you know, they say you never know until you try."
"Pansy, you didn't have to - well, I mean if you just wanted to try it, you could have asked, we're friends, what are friends for? Especially if you can't ask them for help," Hermione said. Pansy shrugged.
"I dunno, I didn't really plan that," Pansy pushed the matter aside. "So, are you excited to go back to school?" she asked changing the subject. Hermione knew her friend was still upset but didn't push the matter any further. They talked about school and their friends and what they hoped their sixth year would be like until they fell asleep.
* * *
Hermione and Pansy were just leaving Flourish and Botts the next day when Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her into a random alley.
"That hurt a lot, Draco," Hermione said, rubbing her arm.
"Good. You deserve it," He snapped. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?" he asked her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione protested.
"This is for you," Draco said, pulling a flat box wrapped in black paper with a black bow on it out of his pocket. He handed it to Hermione. She opened it slowly, while Draco impatiently waited to see the contents.
"Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed when she took the lid off the box. Nestled on a soft silver cushion was a black beaded necklace. It was very ornate, and felt heavy in Hermione's hand. Draco lost his temper and grabbed the necklace off the cushion. He swept Hermione's hair out of the way and fastened the necklace for her. As he did so, the light shone through the beads which shone red in the light. Hermione held her breath as Draco fastened it around her neck. His fingers were gentle, despite his lack of patience with her. "Thank you, Draco, it's beautiful," she managed to breathe.
"It's not from me," He told her. "It's from your new friend," he mocked. Hermione spun to look at him, question marks in her eyes. "Oh don't make me say it," he pleaded, but Hermione really had no idea. "You know," Draco looked around to make sure no one was listening. "You-Know-Who?" Hermione's eyes grew wide at the mention of his nickname. Draco rolled his eyes. "For someone who's supposedly so smart, you're really dim-witted," he mocked.
"Why is he giving me this?" Hermione asked, suddenly gripped with the seriousness of the situation.
"He likes you. That's what he does," Draco said, calmly. "But you know, you're on his side now, you don't really have a choice. I hope that's not going to be a problem," he said casually, walking away. Hermione took a deep breath and turned to look at her reflection in a store window.
"No, that's not a problem," Hermione said, fingering the beads. They were really beautiful and for a second so brief Hermione was almost sure she'd imagined it, her eyes flashed a deep red in her reflection.