AN: So this story won't be 16 chapters anymore cause I decided to split this one in two as it's more than 20k words! And there are also two more chapters that I wrote as a spin off and that I originally published in a differente story, but I will be adding them in this one as well, so I guess this story will be up to 19-20 chapters at last. I hope it's ok for you :)

And thank you for your kind reviews! I love them! Specially the one from Tina D. I appreciate your explanation even though I am aware of everything you wrote in your comment. But this is FanFiction and we are supposed to write whatever we want, even if it's not canon, aren't we? The best part of this website, at least for me, is that you can just let go your imagination and create your own story using your favourite characters, no matter what! :)

Thank you for keep reading! I'll try to finish translating the second part of the chapter asap!


Chapter 13: Desperate Measures (Part 1)


Pansy was distracted as she made her way back to her common room. The sensation that filled her body made it seem that her feet wasn't touching the ground at all.

She put a hand on her mouth, still wet. She had kissed many men, but none had left such a sweet taste on her lips. Because she had kissed him, yes, she finally had succeeded. And it had happened when she was about to throw in the towel, to give it up as impossible.

She had kissed him.

The freshness of that memory made her body react instinctively, preparing her for something that wasn't going to happen, at least not that night. She bit her lip as she felt the innermost part of her lubricate and flood her with pleasure. The desire was so devilishly intense that she couldn't help but lean her back against the wall and start sliding her hand inside her clothes, closing her eyes and sighing as she imagined it was him... but a sudden noise made her jump on the spot and activate all her alarms. She hadn't forgotten what she had overheard in Professor Snape's office. She had hatched a plan almost instantly to discover the professor's intentions, which was why she had made them believe that she didn't know what they were up to, why she had asked the Gryffindor to accompany her to that classroom even though the last thing she wanted was to be in his company… because she knew that this man would make Theo keep an eye on her until the day came when he would try to make Narcissa discover her having an affair with someone who was not her son. But apparently that had gotten her what she wanted. However, she knew that she must continue to appear oblivious to the matter so as not to raise suspicions that could ruin her plan before it was even carried out.

She straightened her shirt a little and continued walking through the dark corridors of the castle, pretending to think she was alone. Theo had seen her come out of that abandoned classroom with Potter again, she was sure that he would deliver the good news to Snape. She would let them think that Pansy Parkinson had no idea what they wanted to do, and she would also allow them to see their intentions through to the end. They didn't know what was in store for them, they had no idea that she would steal their candy just before they could put it in their mouth.

She reached the dungeons without looking back even once, said the password and went inside. She just wanted to go to sleep, now that the feeling of being followed had taken away the desire to touch herself as she remembered the perfect and delicious kiss she had just had with Potter. Now all she could think about was getting into bed and let her go for a few hours... but seeing that boy there made her have the feeling that her blood was freezing, that it was freezing in her veins without her being able to do anything to avoid it.

Theodore Nott was there, asleep on the green tapestry chair in the Slytherin common room. He had probably abandoned himself to sleep waiting for her to arrive, perhaps to continue threatening her in a subtle way with the intention of taking away her hopes of coming out victorious. Pansy was suddenly finding it difficult to exhale the air from her lungs and take in new oxygen. Her body was stiff and her heart seemed to have stopped.

Theodore Nott was there, and there was only one person who could have been following her that night. Imagining Snape staring at her back made her remember when Granger had told her that looking directly into a person's eyes made the task of reading their mind much easier, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it without making eye contact. And then she quickly understood. She had to delegate to someone before it was too late. She had to entrust her plan to a third person and forget about it as soon as possible… because she knew how strong he was in the art of legilimency when someone looked at him, but she had no way of knowing how far his skill would go without eye contact. She only hoped that the darkness of the night and the fact that she hadn't met his eyes had made it more difficult for him to try to see what she was thinking.

She racked her brains for someone she trusted. Granger wasn't there, and even if she was, that plan wasn't certain in her mind either. No, she had to think of someone else, someone who would go unnoticed by the teacher...

Pansy decided to move again after a few minutes. She took one last look at Theo to make sure he was still asleep, then tiptoed to her room. It had to be someone she knew enough dark secrets about to make sure he wouldn't give her away, that what she had to ask him would stay between them.

Pansy kept thinking about it as she changed into her pajamas and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. All her classmates were in their respective beds, completely oblivious to the problem she was facing and to which she couldn't find a solution. The sound of the box springs sitting on the mattress caused one of them to roll over and pull the duvet up to her neck. Pansy stared at her, instantly remembering the favor she'd done her a few years ago and hadn't gotten back.

That's it, she already had a new accomplice.


Draco was standing there in the middle of the clearing and looking in all directions with concern. He wanted to hide his nervousness, especially considering that he was the only one there who couldn't stop moving his foot in an almost frantic way... but there was nothing he could do to calm his anguish at that moment. His parents were about to Apparate in that location and only Salazar knew how disastrous that experience could be. He knew his mother, so refined and aristocratic that she had never allowed herself to get her hands dirty with anything that was not related to her hobby of gardening. And his father, sophisticated and distinguished, hated being in situations where the environment or people were uncomfortable. And that place was within his concept of discomfort, not to mention the people around him at that moment.

He took a long, deep breath. He would see them appear at any moment, as he doubted that the minister had given the parents the option to decide if they wanted to participate or not... as they hadn't done with the Hogwarts students either. Luckily it was already Friday and all that stupid and ridiculous idea of the Ministry would come to an end... although the day wasn't over yet, in fact it had just begun and everything pointed to time passing devilishly slow for the Malfoys.

It only took one sidelong glance at Granger to see that she was hoping this would all start at once. It seemed as if the impudence and cynicism that she had hidden so well for so long was blooming in his presence lately, as if she was actually enjoying being the subject of his nightmares. Because Draco wasn't stupid, not even when it came to innuendo. And she had come on to him in so many ways in the past few days that he could no longer deny the evidence even if he tried his best. It seemed that she suddenly liked to put him in compromising situations in order to lower his guard while confusing him with her actions or comments.

Granger turned her head to look at him, surprising him as he scrutinized her without really being aware of it. Draco knew from her expression that she was about to say something completely uncharacteristic of her when the sound of footsteps in the woods caught everyone's attention. Six people appeared out of the undergrowth a few meters away, heading to meet them as soon as they realized their camp.

The twins ran to meet their parents, each throwing themselves into each other's arms. Contrary to what he had expected to happen, Draco could only see the woman with the frizzy hair and petite figure smiling in his direction. It was as if he couldn't take his eyes off her, as if the overwhelming resemblance to the girl next to him prevented him from looking for more and more similarities as she got closer. They had the same features, a slightly raised nose at the tip and a few freckles on their cheeks, the same shade of pink on their cheekbones and the same thickness of lips... The woman surprised him by giving him a sympathetic look, letting him appreciate how the color of her eyes had the same intensity as Granger's.

A throat clearing brought him back from his thoughts, a sound he recognized instantly.

"Father," he said, surprised that he hadn't realized they were already beside him, "mother."

"Well, it looks like we're all here now," Paul said as he rubbed his hands together and tried not to make eye contact with the Malfoys. "The reason why we are here is to try to promote the approach of wizards to Muggle customs, in order to make everyone understand that deep down we are not so…"

"Yeah, I think we all know what we've come here for," Lucius interrupted smugly. "Can we start?"

Everyone fell silent after his intervention and Draco had time to appreciate the drastic change in his parents' usual attire. Now they both wore baggy pants and plain T-shirts, no trace of expensive garments or tailored capes. Not even those big, earth-colored shoes resembled her mother's crocodile-skin heels or her father's ever-bright moccasins. Draco knew that those outfits would go straight to the trash as soon as they came back home.

"Er... Of course, of course," the monitor resumed. "My name is Paul and I will be your monitor today. You must be Lucius Malfoy, and you must be Mrs. Narcissa."

They both nodded elegantly, although their manners didn't have much to do with the place where they were.

"We are Anna and William," said the woman holding the hand of one of the twins. "I hope these two haven't given you too much trouble."

"And we are Hermione's parents, Rachel and Liam."

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, someone let me know that you are camping experts," Paul commented. "I suppose that this little experience won't be too anfractuous for you."

"Well, it's been our hobby since before Hermione was born."

"I didn't know that dressing like this and sleeping surrounded by bugs could be a hobby for someone," a gruff voice whispered close to him.

Draco tried to hide when he realized that he had returned to staring at the woman his mother was making fun of, but despite his efforts he was sure that Granger had already noticed.


Their gazes met across the great hall. The ghost of what happened the night before was still fresh in their mind, raising the hairs on their arms and reminding them that it all really happened. She was watching him intently as she sipped from her cup of tea, licking her lips as a drop spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Harry decided to shake his head and stir the milk in his glass for the umpteenth time so far that morning.

"What's the matter? You seem distracted."

Harry smiled as he felt that hand caressing his back. At least that day he had a good distraction to stop thinking so much about everything.

"It's okay, mom. Everything is alright. What were you saying?"

She smiled back at him and took his face in her hands to give him a tender kiss on the forehead.

"I was telling you that your father and I felt like we were back in our childhood traveling on the Hogwarts Express again," she repeated in a sweet voice before giggling. "It seems like it was yesterday."

"But it's really been an eternity, my dear," his father interjected. "Is that what I see there a gray hair?"

"Stop trying to bother me with that, you know I don't care at all," Lily replied. "Don't make me have to point out your extra pounds, James."

Harry laughed heartily. Graduation was just around the corner, but it was good to have them around again. A sound filled the room and everyone then turned their attention to the teachers' table. The headmaster was catching everyone's attention by raising his wand to his throat and clearing it for all to hear.

"I would like to welcome all the parents who have agreed to participate in this wonderful and necessary initiative," he began when the last clueless fell silent. "You see, I have always thought that the best way to combat ignorance is with education, and this is not based only on what is taught at school, no... the foundations of a good education begin to be formed at home, with the values and principles that you, parents, pass on to your children. I suppose you all know what sadly happened in York a few days ago... It wasn't the first racist attack carried out by wizards with worryingly radical ideas, non-magical people have had to suffer the violence and hatred of some of our people for centuries, but the good news is that it's in our power to change that. We can reach out to someone who is different, and we can start now. Today the great hall is full of parents with their children, and it doesn't matter if they are pure blood, half blood, or if not a drop of magic runs through their veins. I am convinced that many of you will end up discovering that there is not as much difference between the two worlds as you think." The old man paused briefly to look around the room, looking at those present over his half-moon glasses. "That is, my dears, the objective of today. And without further encouragement to extend myself any longer, I hope you learn a lot from this experience that, without a doubt, will be repeated in further years."

The man gestured with both hands and resumed his seat at his table. Harry's gaze strayed without warning to the man standing to the headmaster's right. Snape, who didn't take his eyes off him even though he had caught him staring at him, seemed to tighten his grip on the knife he held in one hand much more tightly. His expression changed from serious to furious after a few seconds, though he managed to hide whatever had caused his sudden irritation in the space of a couple of breaths.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, honey?" Again, his mother's sweet voice interrupted his thoughts that morning. "You're going to need strength to convince your father that football can be just as entertaining as Quidditch."


Draco had tried to explain to his parents that those branches they were so reluctantly picking up from the ground wouldn't burn in a million years. At least not using the primitive methods that were used there to start a flame, but apparently they were not very willing to collaborate. They didn't flinch a bit when the muggle refused their small contribution to the bonfire claiming that, as he had already told them, those branches would only hinder the process of making fire.

Breakfast passed quickly even though there were quite a few more around the flames now. His parents had flatly refused to eat what was offered, let alone sit on the floor. They had remained on their feet the entire time, as had Draco, to whom a single warning glance from his father had made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate him doing otherwise.

"Is this really necessary?" his mother asked when, after they had walked to the shore, Paul told them that the first thing they would do would be to pick river clams.

"Most people who go camping hunt for their own food," the man explained, rolling up the sleeves of his pants. "There are those who take their shotguns and shoot the birds, others prefer to set rabbit traps or try to catch something in the river. This is much easier than all that."

Draco raised an eyebrow at his words. He could still see the boats that had been used a few days ago and abandoned a little further on. The result of forcing them to try and catch something in that damned river had been disastrous, so Draco had no incentive to believe that this time it could end much better. Despite this, he also hiked up his pants a little and entered the water. His father and mother were the last, but in the end they ended up reluctantly accepting that. Lucius Malfoy was the only one working in the ministry of magic after all, he surely had been warned to participate in the initiative by the minister himself. So now his parents were watching Paul hold a bucket in which they were putting all the clams they were finding, even if they had to remove the sand with their feet and mess their clothes in mud.

The presence of their parents had managed to calm the twins down a bit, but now the only one who seemed nervous was Draco himself. He didn't know if it was careless or on purpose, but Granger's white tank top had gotten so wet that it now clung to her torso enough that he could see the color of her bra. Those transparencies caused him to return to the moment he saw her in the forest, completely naked and wet. He remembered the smile she gave him when she realized his presence, and how his testosterone levels rose drastically causing a terrible burning in his body, more specifically in his crotch.

He couldn't help but snort as he felt that heat on his genitals again. Was his body ever going to stop wanting her? Why couldn't it go along with his head, which knew perfectly well that this was wrong? Every part of him seemed to light up at her proximity in a ridiculous way since he knew her intentions.

"Look Mom! Look how strong I am!", one of the boys suddenly shouted, holding up a stone larger than his head. Draco wanted to find an answer to the question that had just come to his mind: How was it that that little guy had managed to lift a rock that seemed so heavy? But his doubts had to be parked in a corner of his brain when the kid groaned a little and, with no more strength to continue holding that stone, he threw it right in front of his mother.

The woman's scream made several little birds fly out of the tops of some nearby trees. No one dared say anything for what seemed like an eternity. His mother was left with her mouth open and an unfriendly expression on her face, frozen in place and beginning to hyperventilate. Draco watched in horror as water dripped from the ends of her now soaked hair. All of her was wet by now, the makeup on her face starting to run down her cheeks.

"Oh Merlin. Excuse my son, Mrs. Malfoy, he's a rather mischievous boy," the woman began.

"Mischievous? Your son is rude! A beast!", his mother cried, visibly suffocated. Draco knew right then that this family had been lucky that her wand was resting inside her bag on the shore. "An annoying little animal!"

"Don't you dare go any further," the boy's father warned seriously.

"Montgomery," was the only thing Lucius Malfoy could say. His face reflected a poorly contained fury and a tremendous desire to cast a spell on everyone present.

"Okay, okay!" Paul interjected, having rushed over to get between the two families, splashing both of them a bit in the process. "Okay, okay, this was a bad idea. Let's go back to shore, we'll do something different."

"A bad idea?" His father asked, moving closer to face him with a scowling face. "A terrible one I would say."

Paul was slow to react, but when he did he swallowed hard and opened his mouth wide to fill his lungs with air. Even Muggles knew better that to mess with someone like him, they could feel the danger on their skin as soon as they walked by.

They all came out of the water little by little and without saying a word. Draco had never seen such pale children, it was as if the desire to play pranks had fled from their body in the face of his mother's anger. He himself had felt in his flesh the terror that this woman provoked in the children when she got angry, because although they had always given him everything he wanted, when he was a child and he managed to make his mother angry, the mansion became too small for him to run from her anger.

She picked up her wand and, though magic wasn't allowed during the day, she gave her clothes and hair a couple of shakes to dry. Then she did the same with the bottoms of her husband's and son's pants and kept her eyes on the monitor as she put it back in her bag. Paul didn't dare to complain, Draco doubted that had even crossed his mind.

"It's not fall yet," the man said as he tied his shoelaces, "but it's pretty humid in this area. Let's try to find some mushrooms for dinner."

His parents cursed under their breath along the way, but no one could hear them because they had fallen behind the group.

"So how was your first appearance?" Granger asked her parents in an attempt to calm things down.

"It's been… interesting, but I don't think it will become my favorite thing to do," answered her father, who was walking holding his wife's hand while looking absently at the ground looking for mushrooms.

"Yes, well… the Montgomerys very kindly agreed to come to our house to 'disappear' us." Rachel laughed almost tenderly, making Anna and William, as well as their children, smile in return. Draco watched in the distance the curious magic that seemed to possess the woman's words. They were so sweet and said so softly that inevitably everyone around her was infected with her sympathy. "I'm not going to say it's been enjoyable, because it certainly felt like my body was contracting and popping over and over again, but… I think I see the point of it. I guess it's worth going through for a few seconds than driving for hours to get to the office."

"Oh, I remember the first time my wife disappeared me to visit her parents," Paul interjected. "I threw back everything I had eaten for the day as soon as my feet hit the ground."

"For Merlin's sake," Narcissa complained. Draco saw her disgusted face out of the corner of his eye.

"It took me a couple of minutes to collect myself," Rachel said. "Doing these things at my age takes its toll."

Granger clung to her mother's free arm before surreptitiously glancing over her shoulder to see him. They were walking much further back, although Draco was slightly ahead of his parents. He knew she had noticed that neither of them had looked at each other more than a couple of times, that they hadn't spoken to each other the whole time they'd been there. His family was one of the most important in the magical world, but although they had always shown perfection in front of others, in reality they were a bloody mess. The girl didn't seem to mock, she didn't even smirk at him, she just went back to looking ahead and chatting with the others.

Draco knew from that look that she had just understood a lot about him, his behavior and his actions… and that was something that, in some way he didn't understand, comforted him. He hated being analysed, hated with all his heart that someone could dig deep enough into him to bring up his traumas and weaknesses, but with her he felt different. He had a feeling that she wouldn't tell anyone that his family had no love or affection, that his way of being came from a childhood surrounded by riches but devoid of affection.

The boy opened his nostrils wide as he looked at her from behind, a strange feeling of nostalgia invaded his chest suddenly.

She and her parents walked together.


Trying to get his father to understand the rules of football was pretty impossible. Nor did he get him to give more than two kicks in a row without tripping over the ball or sending it ten meters further. Without a doubt, his father was more into air sports. However, his mother turned out to be quite good at stealing the ball and slotting it into the goal with precision. Lunchtime was winding down, but she still teased her husband and joked with the Weasleys about how they had seen a football land nearby from the stratosphere, being him the one to blame. The aforementioned, far from being offended, also joked about his evident ineptitude in this Muggle sport.

Ginny had been forced to sit at the table with all of them, but she was the only one not laughing. Deep down Harry felt sorry for her. He couldn't believe that someone he had known since he was a child could have been so mean and miserable as to try to harm a friend just out of jealousy... but the anger he'd felt days ago had almost completely vanished. He didn't want to condemn her for life for having made a mistake, he just hoped that she had learned her lesson, that she would remember that some actions always have consequences.

"How is your father playing basketball?" he asked.

Ginny looked up from her plate long enough to glance at him sideways, but her eyes locked with his as soon as she realized he was talking to her. Of course, this had taken her so much by surprise that she couldn't get a word out until a moment later. She cleared her throat and tried to sound natural.

"Pathetic," she said. "He doesn't score a basket, not even with help."

Harry laughed and she managed a hint of a smile. Ron couldn't help but pay attention to them when he realized they were talking to each other.

"Well, you still have a few more hours to try to change that."

"I guess… although I think he's just too clumsy."

"Are you talking about me, young lady?" Mr. Weasley interjected, pretending to be offended.

The conversation flowed a bit more, and Harry participated in it until he saw a person get up from her seat a few tables away. Their eyes met the crowd for a moment, then she walked to the door and out of the great hall.

"Would you excuse me?" he said, also getting up and heading for the exit.

The hubbub in that room was getting smaller and smaller as he walked through the castle. He could see her small, slender figure in the distance, her footsteps leading her toward the nearest ladies' room. A girl entered before her and he saw the perfect opportunity to catch her eye.

"Parkinson." He pronounced her last name almost without thinking, saying it loud enough for her to hear. The girl stood rooted to the ground upon hearing him, then slowly turned around and waited there for him until he reached her side.

"Hey," she greeted, although her voice sounded a little more honeyed than she intended.

The two stood completely still, thankful that there was no one around to witness such a strange scene. Finally, Pansy decided to say something.

"Your father is terrible at football."

"Don't remind me that."

A half smile appeared on the boy's face, who seemed to have completely forgotten the reason why he had wanted to talk to her alone. At that moment Pansy stared at something over her shoulder, so Harry turned to see what it was. A Ravenclaw student was walking towards them, and although she seemed completely immersed in her thoughts, Pansy took his arm and made him move away from sight. They only had to walk a handful of meters to feel safe again in the shadows of a stairwell.

Pansy adjusted her breeches a bit around her waist. She had promised herself not to bring it up, but having him there present awakened her most Slytherin side in an abysmal way, the one that, among many other things, hated sharing the things that she considered hers. This made it extremely difficult for her to forget what she had seen only a few minutes ago.

"It's been awhile since I hadn't seen that... that..." she commented, pretending to be clueless. "That… Weasley girl."

"Ginny?"

"Right, Ginny."

She couldn't help it, saying her name out loud made her blood boil.

"To tell you the truth, neither did I."

The girl smiled widely, pretending she didn't care at all. Then she put a hand on her waist and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you want something?" My parents are going to worry if it takes me so long to get back from the bathroom."

"Um, yeah, sure..."

Potter seemed to collapse, as if his brain had begun to work beyond its capabilities. Pansy could understand it, because even if she didn't show it, she was also a little nervous at the moment. Their goodbye last night had been awkward, as if walking out the door of that abandoned classroom had brought them back to reality somewhat abruptly. Not knowing very well what to do, they had chosen to wave goodbye and take different paths to return to their respective common rooms. And now they were alone somewhere in the castle again, and it felt like they really had to pretend they didn't remember what had happened the night before… though neither of them had forgotten a single detail.

"Hey, I know you hate it when I apologize…"

"So don't."

"I just can't help but feel guilty." Pansy frowned, hinting that she needed a little more explanation. Harry sighed before reaching up to stroke her hair shyly. "You told me about your wedding plans with Malfoy and I still kissed you."

"It's not my plans, and it was me who actually kissed you," she pointed out.

"Well, then I let you kiss me." The boy paused and lowered his arm again. "I don't think it's okay."

"Do you regret it? Do you wish it hadn't happened? Be honest." He shook his head after thinking about it for a few seconds. "Then don't apologize, because neither do I. Besides, that marriage is never going to take place. I don't want to marry Draco and he doesn't want to marry me either. We both know that it's a marriage of convenience, but neither of us are willing to go through it."

"What do you get out of it?" He wanted to know.

"You mean what do my parents earn…" Pansy took a moment to sigh and collect the thoughts in her head. "It's a commercial agreement for them. The family business will increase its profits by two hundred percent despite the fact that it is already profitable enough for five more generations to live in luxury and without having to lift a finger."

"And what do the Malfoys get?"

"They maintain the prestige and purity of their blood. Apparently I was the one chosen to spread their stupid last name, you know, not just anyone."

He nodded once, biting his lip as he processed the information.

"And how do you plan to get rid of that?" he asked at last.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe I'll run away."

"But you could get in trouble with your family."

"Yes, with my family and with the Malfoys, and in serious trouble… but I don't care. What my parents want with this is for me to drown in money, which is ironic because they'll probably disinherit me if I refuse to marry my friend... but they underestimate me if they think I can't create my own fortune from scratch. The only thing I want is to be happy, but it seems that nobody cares about that."

Potter seemed indecisive, as if weighing whether what he intended to do was the right thing to do, but after a few seconds he laced trembling fingers with hers to draw her a little closer to him.

"I do," he whispered.

Pansy felt a completely new sensation wash over her. She tried to understand it, but came to the conclusion that she could only liken it to the warmth that the first mouthful of hot tea leaves inside her on a winter night, to lighting the fireplace and sitting on the carpet to watch the crackling of the fire while the rain hits the window of the room. Safe, for the first time in her life she felt safe with someone. She almost stood on tiptoe to steal a kiss from him, but she heard a door close in the distance and knew she had to move if she was to intercept her before she returned to the great hall.

"I have to go," she told him. "See you here later? At midnight maybe?"

She didn't give him time to respond, instead she ran back the way they had come.

"Flora!" Luckily she hadn't gone far enough and could find her a few meters from the girls' bathroom. She turned around when she heard her name. "Come with me?"

But it wasn't a question really.

The girl watched as Pansy opened the door and held it open to let her through. She seemed confused when she replied:

"I just got out of there."

"But you'd better go back in, believe me."

Pansy smiled at her as she followed her with her eyes until she entered the bathroom again. Seeing that her roommate had a small green spot on her cheekbone, she licked her thumb and took the liberty of rubbing it against her skin."

"How about painting classes?" She wanted to know.

"What do you want?" She said, backing away from her.

Pansy threw her hands up in the air in surrender.

"Okay, so you don't want a little preliminary before I get to the point…"

"What do you want?" She repeated. As the good Slytherin that she was, she knew perfectly well when someone was about to ask her for something compromising or to get her into trouble, or being Pansy Parkinson, both at the same time."

"Remember when last year you asked me to screw over Cormac, the handsome boy from Gryffindor who was dating your cousin? I agreed to do it because I thought the only thing you wanted was for her to stop seeing him, who would want a womanizer like that to play with the feelings of someone you love, right?" Flora was trying not to get nervous, but she knew that this topic couldn't lead to anything good. "The thing is, you got her to see us hooking up in a dark room, and of course she quit forever. Imagine what my surprise was when I found out that you were seeing him shortly after."

"So what?"

"Yeah, what. You were sticking your tongue down his throat." Pansy looked at her fingernails and took a deep breath through her nose. "I've been saving it in case I could take advantage of what I had seen later, and here I am now. You owe me the favor anyway, but don't worry, it's nothing too difficult. And it goes without saying that if you happen to say anything to anyone I will not only make your cousin hate you forever, I will ruin your reputation for life. What's this about dating a Gryffindor for months? He made a face of disgust, as if this was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. If I were you I wouldn't want to be the shame of the honorable Slytherin house. What do you say?


Paul was perfectly capable of making a huge fire as many times as necessary, but not of properly feeding the people in his charge. Malfoy's parents had complained about the fact that they were starving, but they hadn't accepted what the man had to offer either. Hermione had seen with surprise the flat disapproval on their faces when their son decided to take the plate that Paul held out to him. Regarding the tension that had initially appeared with them and the children's family, it had dissipated as the hours passed by, but only because the latter had decided to ignore his constant malicious comments towards them.

After lunch Paul opted for a slightly lighter activity, leading the group to start hiking. They had been a little over two hours when her mother went to her to speak in a low voice.

"Hey honey, that guy over there… do you know him?"

"Yes, he's from my course," she replied, realizing that her mother was referring to Malfoy. "Why you ask?"

"Because he has hardly said a word since we arrived this morning. It's hard not to notice him."

It took all her willpower for not to look over her shoulder again.

"With his parents in front of him, he shows a very different attitude from the one he usually has at school… I guess he must have a lot of respect for them."

"I would say fear instead."

The woman had been slowing down without her daughter noticing, only to hold out her hand to Malfoy as he walked past them.

"Hermione has told me that you go to the same course."

The boy's natural pallor intensified a bit as he discovered that it was him she was addressing. He seemed confused when he finally agreed to shake hands with his partner's mother.

"Yes…" he said. He and Hermione shared a look of complete discomfort, but it didn't take long for the woman to break the silence.

"Are you from Gryffindor too?" She wanted to know.

The aforementioned arched an eyebrow as if that were the stupidest thing he had ever heard. Hermione just let out a laugh.

"He wish he belongs to Gryffindor."

"Slytherin has nothing to envy your trashy house, Granger," he added immediately.

"Oh… so this is the rivalry between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins you told me about." Her mother looked completely amazed. "I never thought it was as strong as you said, but I just witnessed how it comes naturally to you. It's like you guys are meant to fight over everything and nothing all the time."

The boy's parents quickened their pace to catch up with them, interrupting the conversation with their presence. The unfriendly faces they gave Rachel weren't enough for her to abandon the idea of continuing to talk to their son, on the contrary, she even dared to change the course of the small talk they were having to include them as well.

"Mrs. Malfoy," she greeted with a smile. "What do you think of this delightful walk?"

"Is this a provocation?" Lucius asked.

"Not at all, why should it be?"

They both remained silent until Narcisa intervened.

"I don't see how you can do this for fun. It's the worst day of my life."

"Well, look at it this way, at least you're having it with your son." Rachel took Hermione's hand and brought it to her lips to kiss the back of it. "I already missed mine."

The woman with fine features and haughty eyes didn't even look at his, even though she was walking right next to him. She pursed her lips and let her understand that this conversation was over. Hermione had barely noticed the sun going down, but having to strain her eyes to see Mrs. Malfoy made her realize how late it was. Paul raised his voice just at that moment.

"Well, the experience is over. That teapot over there is one of the Portkeys that Dumbledore distributed around the area, or at least that's what this map says." The man folded it up and put it in his back pocket. "I hope we arrive just in time for dinner."

"Excuse me, how is that teapot supposed to get us to Hogwarts? Aren't we going to show up there?"

"No one is allowed to Apparate anywhere near the castle, dad," Hermione replied. "Portkeys are used to take you to a certain place, it's actually similar to apparating but in a controlled way. You just have to touch the object and it will transport you to the other side."

"And we have to do it all at once," added the monitor. "Are you ready?"

"Wait a minute, what about the camp stuff?" Malfoy asked.

"Oh, surely your belongings are already in your rooms. The headmaster told me that he would see to it that they were back at the castle before we arrived." They had all gathered around the pastel pink object, preparing to leave this place behind. "Ready? Ok, now!"

This time Malfoy's parents weren't reluctant to obey the monitor. Not for all the galleons in the world would they have agreed to stay there any longer. The moment they all touched that object they were absorbed by a greater force that pulled them and spat them out on the damp grass of the castle gardens. A small elf was waiting for them nearby, although due to the darkness no one could see her until she began to speak in a high-pitched voice.

"I was waiting for you. Follow me, please."

Her mother's excitement at seeing the creature made Hermione smile from ear to ear. It was the first time that her parents would visit the place that held so many of her memories, and to be honest, she was quite excited too. Hogwarts had been a home for her for years, so many that she couldn't believe that in a couple of days she would have to say goodbye to it forever.

Malfoy sighed at that moment and she stared at his back. He walked in front of her, eager to get to the castle after being forced to join a camp that didn't interest him in the least. It was strange, but Hermione had the feeling that they had reached some kind of rapprochement between them… she couldn't explain it, but she felt as if they knew each other a little better now, although it was yet to be seen if she finally achieved her goal.

Reaching the threshold of the great hall, the elf made a gesture that seemed to bow to them, then snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving in her place a white smoke that quickly vanished. Hermione's parents kept being amazed at everything that happened around them, which made Lucius and Narcissa roll their eyes. They and their son headed to the Slytherin table, the twins and their parents to the Hufflepuff's and Hermione and her parents to the Gryffindor one. Paul walked the length of the room, straight to where the other monitors were. Somehow Dumbledore had managed to change the dimensions of the great hall without affecting the structure of the castle. It was now almost twice as large as it normally was, so all the students and their parents could enjoy a quiet, relaxed dinner without having to fight for a seat or sit in a tight squeeze.

Harry and Ron rose to greet her as soon as they saw her walk through the door. She hugged them heartily before sitting down and promptly helping herself to a hearty plate of steak and mashed potatoes. Not that she'd eaten too well on the camping trip, and her stomach growling was already becoming worrying.

"I'm glad we're all together now," the director began in a solemn voice. "First of all I would like to ask for a loud round of applause for the monitors who have agreed to participate voluntarily in this week dedicated to Muggle activities," the old man began to applaud and a shower of applause followed immediately. When it stopped, he continued with his speech. "Thank you for having made this possible, for having been willing to give visibility to something as basic as equality. Now I will remind parents that Hogwarts has enabled one of its rooms so that anyone who wants to stay the night to attend the performance of the play that the students have prepared tomorrow can do so. I will advance that it's the comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream", written by the famous English writer William Shakespeare. It has been adapted to some extent and will be starred by the very students who chose theater as the Muggle activity they wanted to learn about. Do you know? In the magic community it's said that the author of this work met several magicians throughout his life, and that's why he represented various creatures of our world, such as fairies, in his writings. It's not proven, but if it were true it would be another example of how it's perfectly possible to live in peace in both worlds. I will add that the parents of those students who graduate on Sunday can stay at Hogwarts until then. The rooms are located on the seventh floor, in the Room of Requirement. For those of you who don't know, this room has the ability to recognize people's needs and adapt as necessary to help them." The man paused briefly, appearing to look directly at Hermione before looking directly at Parkinson. "The prefects of each house will accompany everyone who needs it so that they can find it easily. And without further delay, I end the first week of Muggle activities at Hogwarts. Let's eat to celebrate. Monitors, please join us at the teachers' table."

Pansy knew that the look the headmaster had given them meant something, most likely he knew what they had been doing in that room. But it was nothing like the way Snape looked, who seemed to want to blast her ever since he knew her intentions with Potter. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite understand what motivated her to go so far. He was a teacher, he wasn't supposed to meddle in the students' personal lives, and although she had broken a few rules to achieve her goal, the fact that she had wanted to conquer a Gryffindor shouldn't matter to him at all. Yes, she knew perfectly all the shit that was between one house and another, she knew the prejudices and how frowned upon it was that two people from both houses went out together. In part, she understood some points, she even dared to say that she shared them... but what she could think was opposed to what she felt, and it had been that way since she discovered what that boy provoked inside her. At least she knew that she could always change her mind, but not her feelings. That was something more difficult to do.

All of this led her to think about Theo and his short but intense affair with Granger. Apparently the people of Slytherin had a natural predisposition to infatuate with the forbidden, with what they couldn't have... although in reality he had liked Granger for a long time, that's why he lashed out at her instead of making the Gryffindor pay. Because he needed to channel all that rage he felt inside from having had it all to having lost it in a matter of hours. Of having felt cheated, used. Pansy glanced in his direction surreptitiously. He and his parents weren't sitting far away, so she was able to watch them for a few minutes as the Malfoys recounted their horrible camping experience to everyone around them. Theo sat between them, and although this was something completely natural, it seemed that the three of them felt tense and uncomfortable. It was the first time she had noticed them all day, and she couldn't help being surprised by the fact that they didn't speak, that they barely moved. Mrs. Nott kept a sharp expression on her face while her husband remained neutral, not without some effort. They were looking in completely opposite directions as their son half-heartedly moved the food on his plate. Pansy ran her eyes over them carefully, rambling a few theories and finding something revealing at the end. Something that made her heart skip a beat in surprise. But she couldn't give free rein to all the thoughts that flooded her mind at that moment because her own father caught her attention and brought her back from her musings.

"Pansy, Narcisa is proposing to organize a dinner at her mansion to announce your engagement to Draco," he said with a false smile on his lips. "Pay attention, will you?"

She and Draco shared a resigned moment as their eyes met. No, Pansy didn't want to pay attention, and neither did the boy in front of her. At what fucking point had they stopped talking about how terrible their day had been to focus on this shitty marriage? Narcisa and her mother laughed like fools imagining the moment in which they both entered the door in an almost triumphant manner and announced their commitment to the most distinguished society in the magical world. That was not going to happen, she could assure it by betting her skin. Not when she had finally found in someone what she had searched for so long. Deep down she had always known that her strange obsession with Potter was for something, something she hadn't understood until now, but was finally able to understand. It made her feel valued, appreciated. As if she deserved to be treated well, and neither money nor popularity had anything to do with it. A handful of hours had been enough for her to realize that, that he was the right one, the definitive one, and that she wouldn't settle for anything less. With no one but him, because he was caring and gentle and made her feel worthy of kindness. The type of kindness that she had never known before, not even in her own house. So she didn't know how she was going to do it, but this wedding wasn't going to take place whatsoever.

She hoped that Granger had done her job in the days they had been camping together, because she would need Draco's help if she was going to take a stand against the world. She wanted to think that she had followed all her advice, that she hadn't behaved like a silly, know-it-all girl but like a full-fledged woman who doesn't hide her attributes because she knows that there is nothing sinful in the female form, but who enjoys the pleasure of her body as much as another person would. A woman willing to run the world, a woman full of challenges for him. That delighted her friend, she knew for a fact that he couldn't resist a girl who showed no fear of anything. She really needed Granger to be on Draco's mind right now, and not to leave even if he tried his best. Perhaps if they united those of both they would be able to stop that nonsense.

She decided to wait patiently for them to finish fantasizing about marrying off their children before leaving the table. After making the excuse that it had been a long day and glancing at Flora, Pansy left the great hall hoping that everything would go as planned. But first she would have to talk to Granger to bring her up to date on everything that had happened in her absence.


Hermione had witnessed during dinner how Harry spoke to Ginny again, and to tell the truth she didn't quite know how to feel about that. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Parkinson yet, but she must have been furious about it… and maybe she was falling short on that adjective.

"Has it been very hard?" Ron asked, interrupting her thoughts. Hermione looked at him, confused.

"Hmm?"

"Go camping with Malfoy," he specified. "I would have jumped off the first cliff I saw."

"It hasn't been too bad actually."

"Really? We're talking about Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, the most idiotic Slytherin of our generation."

"Sorry to interrupt, guys," said her mother, who hadn't been able to help overhearing their conversation. "But I think you might be surprised if instead of pigeonholing people for the simple fact of belonging to one house or another, you decided to meet them. After all, you always hear out there that not all the good ones are so good and not all the bad ones are so bad, right?

The woman gave them a particularly warm smile before returning to the conversation with the elders. Harry seemed to have become a little flustered at those words, which made Hermione wonder why. Had the Slytherin succeeded in planting the seed of doubt in his friend? Was his reaction related to her in any way?

Thinking about that made her realize that Pansy was no longer sitting at her table, and something told her that she would be waiting somewhere else to talk to her. She couldn't go to the Room of Requirement because it was no longer available, but even though she didn't really know where to go, she decided not to drag this out any longer. The castle was immense, but she would eventually find her.

"You're going to stay, right?" she asked her mother, trying not to interrupt the loving Molly in whatever she was saying. She kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Are you going to sleep, darling? We'll be here when you wake up. Surely we will accept the proposal of the director to stay until Sunday, I want to be with you on the big day of your graduation."

Hermione kissed her back and waved goodbye to the others. After-dinner talk was taking longer than usual because pitchers of butterbeer, teas of all kinds, and other alcoholic beverages for the grown-ups had begun to appear, as well as delicious sweets on small gold plates. Apparently Dumbledore hadn't overlooked the fact that he could take advantage of this time to create more bonds between the people. Everyone knew that someone on a full stomach is a little bit happier than they were before eating.

"Why did you take so long?" A hand came out of the shadows as soon as she rounded the corner, pulling her down and carrying her down a dark passageway that led to nowhere.

"Sorry, I didn't see when you left.

"Well, you should have been more careful."

Since she could barely see her face, Hermione searched for something in her voice that would let her see how angry she was, but she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. She decided to mention it anyway.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "Hey, I noticed that Harry is talking to…"

"It doesn't matter."

"Do not?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Well, a lot has happened since you left. Talking to silly Weasley again is the least of my problems right now." Pansy took a deep breath to start telling her everything, then shifted her weight to her other leg and began. "Theo found out about our deal, he followed me to the Room of Requirement, I found out he had gone to Snape with the gossip and now they want to set me up, I had to find another place to meet your friend and we agreed to go to the abandoned classroom on the third floor, we kissed last night but apparently Snape has started to…"

"WHAT?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Shhh! Are you crazy or do you want us to be found out?"

"You kissed?" Hermione asked the question this time, trying not to shriek, although it seemed she wasn't trying very hard. "Tell me everything!"

"Haven't you heard everything else? I'm in big trouble if I don't get everything to go as planned."

The Gryffindor forced herself to regain her composure, although it was somewhat difficult for her after hearing from her lips that she had finally succeeded. All she wanted now was to jump for joy, but if it was as bad as it sounded, she would be in trouble too without knowing it. First things first.

"What happened?" She asked seriously.

"Like I told you, Theo has always been a smart boy. It didn't take him long to find our pact, nor to go to Snape to try to revenge."

"Wait, why would he want revenge on you? I was the one who used him."

"I'm telling you, Theo is no fool. He knew that the thinking mind behind it all was me. Besides, I highly doubt that it ever crossed his mind to retaliate against you. I told you he really likes you and I wasn't wrong. The only one who can get into trouble is me."

The girl was silent for a few seconds, but Hermione was quick to answer.

"Yes, you are wrong about one thing. We're in this together, if you're in trouble then so am I."

"Very nice of you and all that, but reality is what it is. I'm up to my neck."

"Then I'll help you out of this."

Granger sounded totally convinced to rescue her from her problems, but she was a little late for Pansy's liking.

"I've already taken care of everything myself. I'd be dead if I had to wait for you to arrive."

"And what have you done?"

"I took advantage of the fact that I found out by chance to play dumb. Of course Theo threatened me and all that, but I let him think I was totally and completely ignorant so he wouldn't change the plan.

"What is his plan? And how did you find out?"

"I was on my way to Professor Flitwick's office to hand in my Charms paper when I overheard a conversation in the distance mentioning myself… I followed the voices stealthily and found myself outside Snape's office." The door had been left ajar, so I could clearly hear it was him and Theo. They were talking about taking Narcissa to the place where Potter and I meet at nights."

"Wait a minute, has Snape planned something against you? Why? And why is Narcisa mentioned in all this?"

"Aren't you listening to me? I've said it before. Yeah, Snape and Theo want to fuck me up. I know Theo's reasons, he resents me for what we did, but I don't know what makes the head of my own house want to teach me such a lesson. I doubt Narcissa would break my engagement to Draco over something like that, but she'll definitely do what she has to do to make sure it doesn't happen again, and I know Snape is aware of that… although I can't understand how he knows about our engagement. Only a few people in our closest circle, such as family and friends, know it."

Granger had leaned against the wall as she spoke. From what the shadows let her see, her expression had turned horrified.

"Your engagement to Draco?" The words had tumbled out of her mouth, though that hadn't made them any less inaudible.

"Our parents arranged the wedding many years ago, more specifically when we were born… but don't worry, I have no interest in marrying your boy, and from what I know he isn't too enthusiastic about the idea either.

"How come you didn't tell me this before?"

"Would anything have changed?"

"Well, to begin with, maybe I wouldn't have shaken your hand when you proposed this deal."

"Well, there's your answer," Pansy said boredly. "It's kind of irrelevant, and you knowing it only hindered my goals. That wedding is not going to take place anyway."

"And how do you plan to sabotage it? I don't know what yours are like, but I've been with Malfoy's parents all day, and they don't seem too sympathetic."

"I don't know how, but I know I'll eventually find a way to do it. But don't stay with what doesn't work, focus Granger," she ordered her. "The thing is, they want his mom to catch me having an affair. It's funny that they really thought I was having it when your friend didn't get the hints, but oh well. I made them believe that it was so, I let Theo follow me and discover our new meeting point and I arranged for Potter to come with me every night. I don't know how they'll convince her, but my mother-in-law will agree if they can get her to think her reputation is in jeopardy." Hermione made a face, which Pansy didn't miss. "What?"

"Honestly… I can't imagine Snape exposing himself that way to someone like Narcissa Malfoy."

"Don't be incredulous, Snape isn't going to risk his job. He's too smart for that. He's using Theo as his puppet, and while I'd like them both to pay a price for plotting against me, the only one who will be burnt with a punishment is Theo.

Granger noticed the way Pansy had said the word "burnt," but didn't think much of it at the time.

"And what do you plan to do? Don't show up there tonight?"

The Slytherin gave her a slightly macabre smile.

"Do you really think someone can try to screw me and not get what they deserve?"

"What are you going to do then?"

"My plan is simple…if a bit dangerous."

"Don't tell me someone will get hurt," the Gryffindor pleaded.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's a possibility," she answered. "But don't worry, my hands are clean. I found out last night that Snape was on my trail… literally. I assumed he was trying to read my mind, so I delegated to someone else and forced myself to forget everything I had thought of. Until now."

"Have you entrusted our deal to anyone?" The girl's voice sounded somewhere between shocked and horrified.

"Should I be insulted that you think I'm stupid enough for that? No, I didn't go into details. I only gave her precise instructions and threatened her so that she couldn't refuse. Do you know Peterson?

"Bianca? Yes, she's also from Gryffindor."

"Not her, her cousin. Flora Peterson of Slytherin. I know too many of her dirty laundry, so I thought she would be the one. I've always liked the girl, but she won't have enough world to escape me if she messes up my plan." The murmur of people leaving the great hall had begun to fill the hall, so Pansy quickly added, "Shall we go? We have time, but I want to see the show from the front row."


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Cristy.