Pansy finished her story, and looked up to find all of her friends staring at her. "Well?" she asked, carefully hiding her exasperation.
"I'm sorry," said Draco, who had abandoned his usual, petulant sulk in favor of boggling at her like a dragon on display. " I think I'm still processing the part where you got kidnapped."
She briefly resisted the urge to roll her eyes, before giving in and doing it anyway; she was among friends here, nobody was going to give her grief over a brief slip. "It's not as though this is the first time I've been in peril," she pointed. "It's not even the first time one of us been threatened by this Voldemort character."
"Yeeess," Said Blaise with a ginger sort of care. "Only, I think a kidnapping feels a little more personal than a panicked riot, or a rampaging basilisk."
Pansy rolled her eyes again. "Maybe," was all she would admit, before she got things back on track. "The important thing is that we finally have an in with the Potter heiress."
Unfortunately, her friends weren't so willing to move on, judging by the gentle hand Alcon laid on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright, Pansy?" he said, his voice soft and kind,
"I'm fine," she replied, only to let out a sigh at his skeptical look. "Mostly I'm just angry about it," she admitted. "I'm angry that those people were trying to hurt Rigel, I'm angry that they managed to get the drop on me, I'm furious that I had to be rescued like a little girl…"
Draco tactfully didn't point out all of the other times she'd been rescued by Rigel. "Obviously we'll have to step up our training," he said. "I'll admit, I hadn't considered including sneak attacks in our lessons…"
"Yeah, because that sort of thing just doesn't happen," said Theo, his face still twisted into an expression of disbelief. "Not to purebloods! And you're saying that Potter just happened to know where you were? Are we sure she wasn't in on it, trying to build some goodwill before the aurors could drag her in?"
Pansy bit back her initial response, which was a bit too harsh to use on a friend, even one as...close-minded as Theodore Nott. Instead, she settled for saying, "I'll thank you not to impugn my rescuer. While I couldn't tell you for sure who those men were truly working for, I am quite certain that Miss Potter had nothing to do with it."
Theo raised his hands in a metaphorical retreat, though Blaise was quick to take his place. "You understand our doubts, though? Kidnapping a heiress in good standing hardly seems in line with his stated goals of pureblood supremacy."
"We already know he's not afraid to hurt people to make a point," Aldon quietly pointed out. "He did it to Rigel, after all, even when everyone still thought he was pure."
"Not that it matters," Said Draco. "He's definitely gone too far now…"
Pansy fought the urge to scoff. What, did none of the man's previous crimes count? And what about Tom Riddle? He'd done almost as much as Voldemort had, but she hardly saw her friends and family speaking up against him; was it just that he was, supposedly, a pureblood?
Somehow, she didn't think she'd like the answer. "We're drifting away from the point," she said. "Again. The important thing is that I have a standing invitation to get in contact with Miss Potter, and an excellent excuse to use in case her parents try to interfere. They can hardly object to a grateful girl thanking her rescuer, after all."
"That doesn't explain why you wanted us here, though," said Draco. "It's not like we've got a meeting with her, right?"
"Well, no, but I knew you would sulk if you weren't included," she retorted, smirking when he flushed and looked away. "More importantly, I wanted to compare notes. We've all met Miss Potter at one point or another, and I want to make sure that we're not missing anything before i go see her. Surely, between the five of us, we can come up with something."
"Haven't we already done that, though?" said Theo.
"Pansy shook her head. "We talked about whether or not Miss Potter could lead us to Rigel, but I'm not sure we've ever discussed the girl herself."
"Well, she's definitely as mad for potions as Rigel," Said Draco, letting out a snort. "Now that Rigel is gone, Snape is giving her all of his attention."
"She's obviously comfortable in the alleys," said Aldon, clearly remembering his surprisingly successful foray into the Lower Alleys. "Honestly, they treat her like a local. I had assumed that the alleys just weren't as dangerous as people said they were…"
Pansy was already shaking her head. "No," she said. "Miss Potter was definitely ready for trouble while she was escorting me back. I wonder who taught her how to fight like that…"
"Don't forget, Professor Lupin is practically her uncle," Draco pointed out.
Aldon grimaced, and raised a timid hand. "She might also have mentioned training with Leo when I managed to meet with her last week."
The others all stared at him, with Pansy giving her oldest friend a particularly unhappy look. "You failed to mention this last time," she pointed out.
He gave her an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry, it slipped my mind," he said. "I was so focused on finally tracking down Harriet…"
"So the half-blood prodigy and the Aldermaster's son are both running around in Knockturn Alley," said Theo. "Honestly, I'm half expecting to hear that the two of em are running a potioneer's black market."
"Huh," Said Draco, with a thoughtful blink. "Are we sure they aren't? We already know that she's selling to shops on Diagon Alley; could she have an illegitimate business on the side, selling to ne'er do wells in Knockturn? We already know there's probably a thriving market for disreputable potions down there."
Pansy took a deep breath, and let it out. "Draco, I know you're trying to help," she said. "But accusing Miss Potter of illegally selling potions on the black market is not endearing you to me right now."
Draco flushed, but doubled down. "Come on, Pans, you're the one who said that this Leo was a shady looking bloke. I could see him convincing a naive halfblood to cross some small lines…".
But Aldon was already shaking his head, one eye locked warily on an increasingly displeased Pansy Parkinson. "Miss Potter hardly struck me as naive," he said. "She certainly wasn't surprised to find out that her 'friends' had picked my pockets while I was down there."
Pansy accepted the extra piece of information, and the unspoken apology, with a slight nod of her head. "Irregardless," She said, "I'd be careful about throwing around careless accusations about the Aldermaster's son. His family might not be in the book of gold, but that won't stop him from halting any and all potion sales to our families."
Draco let out a small grimace at the reminder. "Point taken," he replied.
"Besides," said Aldon, rolling his eyes. "Badgering Leonel about his…activities won't exactly leave him in a mood to indulge us when we start questioning him about Knockturn Alley."
Theo and Draco exchanged puzzled looks. "Why on earth would we do that?" said Theo.
Aldon and Pansy exchanged a look of their own, frustrated at their friend's obtuseness; surely it couldn't be that hard for a Slytherin to figure out?
"Rigel was eleven when he came up with the scheme," he explained. "And he got away with it for so long because nobody was looking for it."
"But in order to keep getting away with it, he'd need to keep getting better over time," said Pansy, perfectly picking up where A;don had left off. "Especially in order to make a clean getaway."
"Assuming he didn't have a secret sponsor we don't know about…".
"The alleys would be as good a place as any to learn a bit about subterfuge."
"Especially with Miss Potter forging connections during her stay there," Aldon concluded with a clap of his hands. "Honestly, except for us, and maybe the Blacks and the Potters, those alley people probably have the best idea of how Rigel pulled off his scheme."
"Assuming that Rigel did indeed go to them for help," Pansy hastened to add.
"Assuming that, yes," he replied, acknowledging her words with a quick nod.
Theo and Draco exchanged another glance, this one of sheer puzzlement. "Were they always like this?" said Theo. "Or is this something else I can blame Rigel for?"
"Har har," said Pansy, though she had to hastily hide a small smile. "Still, it looks like we have our plan. I befriend Miss Potter, and through her the alleys."
"Be careful, Pans,"said Draco as a solemn expression took over his face. "If anyone finds out that Potter was involved in all of this, she'll get Azkaban, or worse. If she figures out what you're trying to do, she may get desperate."
Pansy favored him with a disappointed expression. "She's not an idiot, Draco," she said. "And I expect she's heard a lot about me from Rigel. I have no doubt that she already knows exactly what I'm trying to do; the only question is if I can convince her that I'm on Rigel's side, and hers."
"We don't owe her anything," said Theo with a frown.
"I owe her my life," Pansy retorted, her voice quiet, but firm. "And a chance at the greatest friendship I have ever known. If not for her, we would never have met Rigel, and that's worth remembering."
Harry didn't quite sag in relief when she saw Leo walk in through the door, but it was a near thing. "Wasn't sure you were going to come," she admitted, her fingers wrapped tightly around her drink.
"Now, why would you think that?" said the Rogue, sliding into the seat opposite hers. He gestured briefly at the bar, prompting a server to bring him a mug of something thick and frothy. "You're the one who's been avoiding me, lass," he added before taking a drink, leaving a thick mustache of froth on his upper lip.
She grimaced, but admitted his point with a nod. "Remus was a little…upset when he heard about my rescuing Pansy," she said. As much as she would have preferred to keep things private, her uncle in all but blood was becoming increasingly tied to the alleys; the chances that he'd stumble across the news on his own was simply too high. "I only barely managed to keep him from telling dad, and I figured that staying away for a while would placate him, at least a little."
"You also thought I'd be mad that you went in on your own like that," he gently pointed out, causing her to tense in her seat. He waited for a moment, to see if she'd say anything, and let out a quiet sigh when her only response was to glare into the depths of her drink. "That was mighty reckless, lass. If I hadn't arrived in time, the both of you'd be in a mite of trouble."
"I know," she said, looking up from her mug. "But I had to. They were going to torture her, Leo. I couldn't let that happen."
He cut off the rest of her protests with an upraised hand. "Aye, and I'm not blaming you," he said, to her quiet relief. "I'd do the same for Marek or Rispah. But you have to be careful, lass."
An awkward silence stretched between them, backlit by the susurrus of conversation from the lunchtime crowd. Leo was the first to break it. "Now, are you sure there won't be any problem from this 'Pansy' of yours?" he said. "It's too late to spell her memory, but we can probably come up with a decent alibi…"
But Harry was already shaking her head. "Pans wouldn't do that," she said. "Nobody would learn anything from her."
Leo gave Harry a considering look "I know you still consider her a friend, lass," he said, keeping his voice gentle again. "But you gotta remember, she doesn't know you. At this point, you're a stranger at best, and at worst…" His grimace said more than words ever could.
"I know that, Leo," Harry replied, her voice growing hard. "Better than anyone, I know that. But…" She shook her head, a little of the fight going out of her as she slumped in her seat. "I know her, Leo. Even if we're not friends…" The 'anymore' was clearly heard, despite being unspoken. "I still know what she's like. She won't betray us."
Leo sat back in his seat, regarding Harry with calm eyes. "If you say so, Harry. Still, I'll be having my men keep an eye on her, just in case."
Harry, in a rare moment of social-awareness, recognized the limits of Leo's generosity, and toed in the line. "Just in case," she replied, without a fight. If nothing else, it'd keep Pansy a little safer, even if it rankled to have her friends spying on each other.
AN: I'm not sure I kept everyone in character, and I've no idea where the plot is going, but I had fun writing this, which is the point...I think.
