A/N: I had most of this chapter written days ago, but its taken me a while to ground out the last section and I'm sorry if it doesn't make a huge amount of sense - I'm ill, again. But I've started seeing an energy medicine therapist so it shouldn't be happening so often now. Thanks for the reviews, sorry if the whole Marcus thing was a bit eeew but it had to be done. I didn't enjoy writing it all that much. If you've got a spare moment go check out my profile for information on something mentioned in this chapter and to get to know the author a little. Thanks for reading.

Pansy groaned and struggled to open her eyes, battling against a pounding headache. She could feel the weight of Marcus against her body and suppressed a shiver as she remembered the night's events. She felt guilty for sleeping with Marcus and annoyed that she hadn't even got any pleasure.

Slipping out from under Marcus she hurriedly dressed and departed from his central London apartment, knowing that she could trust him to do the rest of her dirty work. In other words, bragging to all and sundry about bedding Draco's betrothed. Buried in her thoughts Pansy failed to notice Aristid and Nathaniel watching her closely as she crossed the entrance hall of the mansion.

"Who were you with last night? Zabini? Or did he persuade you to go back to Draco?"

Pansy sat down on the sweeping marble staircase. They would find out sooner or later, might as well let the shit hit the proverbial fan as soon as possible and get the inevitable lectures out of the way.

"Marcus Flint's place."

"Who?" Aristid questioned, never having known the former Quidditch captain. Nathaniel's mouth was rounded in shock.

"Flint…jeez Pans, I thought you had taste…"

"I was drunk."

"And? You're always drunk."

"But…"

"Just because you broke up with Draco doesn't mean you have to start acting like a complete and utter whore, especially with guys like Flint."

"It was just one night…"

"Who the fuck is Flint!" Aristid cried out in exasperation.

"Ex-Slytherin Quidditch captain."

"And a complete idiot. And too old for her."

"Oh please, you slept with a seventeen year old."

"That's different."

"How exactly?"

"I'm not a complete and utter bastard…"

Pansy raised an elegant eyebrow as she stood up, smirking at Nathaniel as she turned around and walked up the stairs. Aristid waited until she was out of hearing before looking at his younger brother critically. "Worried?"

"Yeah."

"Pansy, darling, you look gorgeous…" Her eldest brother Alexander's fiancée Carmella kissed her once on each cheek before sitting down again. Pansy had agreed to meet Carmella, even though she wasn't particularly fond of her, because she wanted to start building herself a life again.

"Thanks Mel." Pansy sat down on the twisted wrought iron chair.

"So, Draco and Pansy, the perfect couple…over." Carmella smiled sarcastically. Pansy had always got the impression that Carmella disliked her, she knew she was jealous of the relationship Pansy had with brothers – despite the fact Alexander was the brother she was least close to.

"Surprised?"

"Of course. Who wasn't? We all know that you positively dote on him."

Pansy prickled. Was this how everyone saw her? Draco's girl? Did she have no personality of her own? "Not recently." She replied quietly.

"Yes, I can see that. It's been quite a shock."

"I don't doubt that." Pansy took a sip of the pumpkin juice and Gillywater that a waiter had just delivered.

"Have you got your eye on anyone else?"

Pansy chuckled. "No point is there, I've got to marry Draco anyway."

"Darling…that doesn't stop you from having a little fun." Tried that one already, thought Pansy remembering the events with Marcus. "There are some positively delightful young men in your age group" Carmella was eight years older than Pansy.

"Such as? Draco?" Pansy smirked wryly and Carmella chuckled.

"No…ah, I don't know his name…Nathalya's half brother, Nathalya Zabini."

"Blaise!" Pansy squawked. "Oh no no no, he's Draco's best friend and he's already tired to get information on me for Draco."

"Sneaky bastard…"

"Indeed."

Carmella thought for a moment, and Pansy wondered why exactly the twenty eight year old actually wanted to help her. "The Nott boy?"

"Theodore?"

"That's the one."

Pansy considered briefly. "It would annoy Draco briefly…but…"

"You're fiercely loyal to a man you supposedly don't love anymore Pansy."

"I never said that I didn't love him, I just…oh Merlin…" She choked on a dry sob and her head fell onto her arms, as her body shook.

"Merlin indeed." Carmella tutted and reached out to pat Pansy's arm sympathetically. This was going to kill her reputation, sitting at a table with the hysterical drug addict anorexic former girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. And she was about to become related to her. "Pansy…I thought you wanted to make Draco jealous?" Another half screech in reply. "He's never going to realise that you can live without him if you don't…"

"But I can't live without him." Pansy mumbled indignantly and Carmella got the distinct impression that Pansy was conversing with the tablecloth.

"Yes…yes you can. Take a look at yourself Pans; he'll never come running back if you mope around waiting for him, just like you did when you were together."

"But…"

"No more buts. You can, and you will."

Pansy raised her head a little and gave Carmella a disdainful look. "And how exactly, Carmella Andrews, do you propose I do that?"

Carmella looked at the teary face before her and realised that the situation was far more complex than Aristid could have imagined when he had his little chat with his younger sister. "Go away for a while." When Carmella said go away, she referred to the Parkinson's holiday homes, it didn't matter which one Pansy went to or who she went with, she just needed to get away.

"Oh." Pansy thought for a moment, Aristid had suggested it to her and she'd nodded but not really paid any attention to him – Draco had visited every single one of the Parkinson family homes at one point or another in their lives, except one it stood on the island of Samson. Samson, one of a group of islands around 40miles off the coast of Cornwall was thought deserted by Muggles, the island was small, windswept and battered and the few inhabitants that had remained had left in the 19th century, taking refuge on the larger islands – St Mary's, St Martin's, St Agnes, Tresco and Bryher. But in fact, there was a small and exclusive wizarding community on Samson who, through numerous select weather charms through the ages, had managed to get rid of the Muggle population to the extent that now whenever the untrained eye passed over the island, it appeared entirely wild.

Draco had never wanted to go, not when there were the more appealing homes in the South of France and on a Pacific island or the chalet deep in the Austrian alps. But Samson was just what Pansy needed right now. And so to Samson she would go.