CHAPTER NINE: The Luckiest

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I don't get many things right the first time

In fact I am told that lot

Now I know all the wrong turns and stumbles and falls

Brought me here.

And where was I before the day

That I first say your lovely face

Now I see it everyday

And I know that I am the luckiest.

Ben Folds – The Luckiest

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"Pansy?"

Pansy slowly drifted out of sleep in time to feel a soft kiss press against her shoulder blade.

"Pansy?" the voice murmured again, followed by a pair of cool lips against her arm.

"Hmm?" she murmured back still half asleep.

"Wake up," Harry whispered kissing her shoulder and cheek, "we'll be late."

Pansy's eyes drifted open slowly to see Harry in front of her; "good morning sleeping beauty," he whispered pecking her lips softly.

Pansy blinked, "whose sleeping beauty?"

Harry chuckled, "never mind. I'll tell you some other time. We need to go."

Pansy rolled onto her back yawning, one look around was enough to tell her they were still in the Room of Requirement, "we must have fallen asleep" Pansy murmured, sitting up and pulling the red satin sheets around her naked body. She rubbed her eyes, "what time is it?"

"8.30" Harry replied from his position across the room pulling on his school robes, "if we leave now we'll have just enough time to get some breakfast before heading down to Hagrid's."

Pansy nodded, and rolled out of bed, "pity it's so nice here."

Harry looked over, "we can always come back."

Pansy pulled on her underwear, "after Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Somehow I don't think McGonnagal will be too impressed if I miss another class."

Pansy smirked, and pulled on her robe, "later then."

"Of course."

Walking over to the vanity Pansy pulled her hair into a ponytail and managed to wipe away her running mascara before tossing her bag over her shoulder and meeting Harry in the doorway.

"Ready?" she asked. Harry nodded, "wait…" Pansy interrupted, "um… so when we leave this room, are we…."

"A couple?" Harry supplied.

Pansy nodded, "yeah."

"Do you want to be?"

"Well, I don't know" Pansy admitted, "I've never had a boyfriend before."

"Well there's a first time for everything I guess" Harry chuckled.

"Alrighty then. Lets go then."

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Parting ways at the entrance to the great hall, Pansy strolled over to the Slytherin table and plopped down beside a miserable Millicent.

"What's up?" Pansy questioned, as she pilled her plate with food. She had worked up quite an appetite from missing lunch and dinner yesterday. Chocolate and wine clearly did not act as a very good meal.

Millicent sighed.

"Pansy are my eyes deceiving me or did you walk into the hall holding hands with Potter?" Helena interrupted from across the table.

"Your eyes aren't deceiving you" Pansy replied simply before turning her attention back to Millicent, "what's up?" she repeated.

Millicent looked at Pansy, "Neville's still ignoring me," she whispered.

"Well go talk to him" Pansy urged.

Millicent shook her head, "I can't just stroll over to the Griffindor table."

"Why not?" Helena butted in.

"Millie did it ever occur to you that the reason he's ignoring you is because he thinks your ashamed of him" Pansy asked, "I mean, c'mon, this is Longbottom we're talking about. He doesn't exactly have the highest self esteem in the world."

Helene waved her fork at Pansy in agreement, "you know that makes a lot of sense."

Millicent sighed, "but what if…"

"No buts" Pansy interrupted, "the Millicent Bullstrode I know would never let anyone stand in the way of what she wants. Least of all pathetic Griffindor's."

Draco sat down beside them, "what's this about pathetic Griffindor's?"

"Millicent's too chicken to go ask Longbottom out" Helena filled him in.

"I am not" Millicent defended.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Pansy asked.

Millicent sighed and stood up, "fine!"

Pansy watched her walk off with a grin before turning to Draco, "how are you and Lavender?"

Draco shrugged, "alright."

"Alright? Just alright?"

Draco tossed an exasperated look at Pansy, "Pans unless you want me to get mushy, which I know you hate, I suggest you drop it."

Pansy held up her hands defensively, "ok then." Her gaze flicked across the hall when Millicent and Neville were leaving the hall. Pansy smiled at them before flicking her gaze to Harry. He pointed at Millicent and Neville and made smoochy faces. Pansy laughed.

"The whole schools been hit by a bloody love potion," Helena said in disbelief watching the whole interaction.

"In denial of your feelings for Finnegan?" Draco asked with a grin.

Helena frowned, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well" Draco began, leaning forward and gesturing them closer, "Its pretty well known gossip in the boys bathroom that he's keen for you."

"Really?" Helena asked more than intrigued.

Pansy chuckled, "and while we're on the topic of love potions, where in the world is Blaise now days? He still hasn't actually confirmed being with Granger yet."

"He doesn't need to" Draco replied, "I caught him with Granger up at the Astronomy tower a few weeks ago. Its public knowledge now days."

Pansy sipped her coffee, "any other confirmed project couples I should know about? Please don't tell me Goyle and the Weasley are coming out of the closet."

Helena giggled, "Now that would be a site. Imagine the kids."

Pansy shuddered.

Draco shook his head, "nah Weasley's not gay, because rumor has it he's hooked up Daphne Greengrass. Now Crabbe and Goyle on the other hand, I'm still waiting for them to come out of the closet."

"Looks like Dumbledore was onto something combining us all together for a project" Helena mused.

Pansy's eyes drifted up to the teacher's table where Dumbledore was surveying his students, a smile upon his old face. "It'd be alright if he wasn't so bloody cocky about it."

"Speaking of the co…" Helena began.

"Don't even go there" Pansy replied.

"Not sharing Pansy?" Draco asked.

"Its private"

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"Now gather round," Hagrid called, as the Care of Magical Creatures class strolled down the grassy slope chatting merrily to each other. "Find your partner."

Pansy smirked at Harry, who stood several meters away, "well I'm not coming to you Potter," she teased.

He rolled his eyes and walked over, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her temple, "only five hours" he whispered into her ear.

Pansy smiled. Five hours till they could go back to the Room of Requirement. She'd been counting down the minutes too.

"Now one by one I'd like you to come up in front of the class and present your projects" Hagrid beamed, "ok first up, Mr. Gregory Goyle and Mr. Ronald Weasley.

Watching the projects was positively boring. And after the first presentation everyone was reclined out on the grass, pulling at the weeds and chatting with their neighbor. Blaise and Hermione got top marks of course, and everyone else seemed to do okay. Pansy saw it as an accomplishment that everyone had stopped arguing long enough to produce a perfectly adequate project.

Herself and Harry managed a E. But Pansy was sure that was just because Harry and Hagrid were such good friends. Their project was nowhere near as good as Blaise and Hermione's who both pulled O's.

"Well done well done" Hagrid called once the last of the presentations were finished.

Pansy looked up from her position amidst all the other Slytherin fifth years, "thank merlin" she breathed.

"Bloody hell all I want is coffee," Blaise moaned.

Pansy nodded, "and a cigarette."

"And a martini" Helena added with a moan of longing.

Draco looked over, "well lets have all of it. I think we're long overdue for another Slytherin party anyways."

Pansy nodded, "yeah we haven't rocked up to breakfast Monday morning hung over in a while."

Helena laughed, "I think McGonnagal may have forgotten the stench of vomit by now."

Blaise chuckled, "alright, Sunday night, Slytherin common room, are we all in?"

"Aye" everyone chorused.

"And on that note" Pansy said getting up and stretching her stiff limbs, "I'm going for a smoke. Anyone care to join me?"

"No!" Everyone chorused.

Pansy rolled her eyes and left with a laugh. Several meters away Pansy turned and surveyed her classmates. By now the Slytherin's had abandoned their close knit pack, and were intermingled between the Griffindor's.

Observing everyone interacting with their partners couldn't have been any more different to when the groups were first made. Everyone stood around talking and laughing with each other, Draco and Lavender stood close together chatting quietly, Hermione and Blaise were hugging, Millicent and Neville kept glancing at each other smiling, Helena and Finnegan were holding hands and even Goyle and Ron were chatting merrily as they swapped chocolate frog cards.

"Well would you look at that" Harry said, coming up behind Pansy and wrapping his arms around her, "it looks like Dumbledore was right."

Pansy chuckled and leant back into him, "I'm beginning to think nothing is impossible when it comes to that old man."

"I suppose that's why he's headmaster of this school," Harry replied, loosening his arms briefly and allowing Pansy to turn and face him, "and here you were thinking all of us becoming friends was a ridiculous notion."

"It is a ridiculous notion," Pansy replied pressing her body against Harry's, "because none of us are really friends are we? Everyone's just found themselves a shag buddy all of their own. I suppose I can't really blame them since it's the best relationship to have. I always knew Draco and I were brilliant."

"Shag buddies huh?" Harry teased, "So you don't love me at all?"

"Fond" Pansy responded with a smile, "but not in love. Not yet anyways."

THE END

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Authors Note: I am done people! I have to revise the entire thing because everything's pretty rough, but you get the general idea. Thanks for reading.