Author's Notes:

To balance out all the Weasley and Gryffindor goodness of the last two chapters, I'll focus on the Slytherins in this one, even quietly furthering the plot.

A big hug to otterlyardent for her shout-out in her latest chapter of her beautiful story "Letters of the Past" (go check it out if you haven't already!) :-*

In addition, my biggest thanks to the following bunch of wonderful people:
a) to MusicLover19 for finding the time to proofread my story and give me some additional comments, despite life being hectic right now!

b) To Debbie, Linda, Katie, and Evora for not having lost the patience with me, even though I do have moments of self-doubts while writing or plotting. You're the best! *big hug*

Chapter 27 – Champagne And Honorary Snakes

While Ron had used the opportunity of his family all gathered in one place at St. Nicolas' Day, Pansy's announcement turned into a fancy dinner party—celebrating her engagement with her friends, her family, as well as the closest friends of the family.

Draco had agreed to pick up Ron, as Pansy wanted her fiancé to be on time and not completely on his own when he is thrown into the snake pit.

"Oh, it's you," Ron said as he opened the door to find Draco on the other side with a smirk on his face. "I was hoping for an urgent case."

"You're not getting out of it, Pansy would kill you." Draco followed Ron inside as he returned to his bedroom to finish getting dressed. On the bed were the robes Ron intended to wear to the event, and Draco had to admit that it was a good choice in style and colour—either Pansy had taught him or she had bought the whole outfit for him to make sure he looked presentable.

"Yeah, she made that clear this morning." Ron was fighting with his fly which didn't want to stay in place. "I'm still amazed she said yes. She's one hell of a great woman."

Draco came into the room when Ron growled in frustration at the defiant fly; it was evident that the redhead barely ever wore formal outfits outside his Auror robes for Ministry events. Without further ado, Draco helped fix the fly in its spot with a simple spell.

"Seems we both have a preference for strong women... Getting married to my ex, almost ironic."

"She was...?" Ron let out a small, surprised gasp, but then broke out into an amused grin. "Well, you dated my ex at one point too."

"True." Draco returned to his spot at the door while Ron finally slipped into his robes. It was a simple but sophisticated cut in burgundy with decorative embroidery in dark green on the sleeves and down the back.

"Saw her yesterday at the Burrow," Ron said as he smoothed the sleeves, making sure that everything sat as it should. "Reconciliation going nicely, then, I presume."

"Ask her." Draco shrugged dismissively. "Ready?"

"Hey, just so that we're on the same page... If you two manage to sort everything out and get back together, I'll be the last one to object. At least I wouldn't be the only Gryff in the group any longer."

"True. But we'll see... Talking is enough right now."

Ron nodded in understanding, running his fingers through his hair in a rather nervous move. "Your friends know about your sort-of dates outside the–?"

"Let that be my problem," Draco interrupted him, narrowing his eyes for the shortest of moments. "One step after another... First, Hermione needs to feel better."

Again, Ron nodded. "I heard she's now having single sessions with that therapist woman to deal with her experience. Her witness account is a horrifying read..."

Draco wasn't sure what to think of Ron's remark, as Hermione had never mentioned anything about the redhead knowing anything. It was tempting to ask him about it, but then, they had to be somewhere as soon as possible.

So, he simply nodded in agreement and then made a step away from the bedroom door. "Now, let's go or we both face an upset Pansy."

..

Pansy was already waiting for them in front of the fireplace when they stepped into the arrival room at her parents' house, located next to the main hall. She looked stunning in her outfit—a shoulder-free ball gown in dark green with embroidery in burgundy covering the bust, and a stunning Rubin necklace to top it off.

Her frown immediately softened into an ardent smile as soon as she saw Ron, pulling him into an embrace just as Draco stepped out of the fireplace, brushing off his own black suit.

Draco watched them from a few steps away, unable to contain a chuckle when they started to kiss. He still wondered how they managed to end up together, the laid-back redhead and his rather high-strung close friend. Maybe they were just what the other needed, giving them the perfect balance.

Hermione had told him a bit more about how they announced the engagement to his family, using the opportunity of them being in one place anyway, and how Molly almost suffocated Pansy in one of her famous hugs. That woman knew how to hug the air out of your lungs!

But watching those two happy fools in front of him now, he understood why it made her think about them and what they would have been like as a married couple.

It was a missed chance.

The question had stung in his heart when she had asked him about it, but not so much as seeing the guilt in her eyes as she tried to apologise for hitting a sore spot. Whatever Blaise thought he was doing by providing her with his memories of that time in his life, it wasn't helpful. It was only making everything more delicate, more complicated than it already was.

But they still spent a comfortable rest of the evening on his sofa, with her leaning more and more into him until she was basically lying on top of him, starting to doze off as he told her another story about his business trips.

"Now, let's go; the others are already waiting in the dining hall," Pansy said with a smug smile as she finally stepped back from Ron, checking his robes.

..

The dining hall was, of course, decorated to celebrate the engagement, continuing the colour scheme of their outfits throughout the room—most evident in the flowers and the cloths covering the table and walls. To Draco's relief, they were only expecting a small party, which usually made for a much more relaxed atmosphere.

Their friends were chatting animatedly in a corner, already a champagne glass in their hands—it seemed to be about an upcoming anniversary in the Greengrass family, as far as Draco could tell when they joined them.

"Mission accomplished, I see," Blaise said with a smirk as Draco stood next to him, while Pansy and Ron exchanged a few words and handshakes with her parents and their friends. "The elf with the champagne is somewhere..."

"Yes. He just needed some help with the fly." Draco nodded briefly, and turned to the face the Greengrass ladies who were still deep in conversation about the anniversary in their family; it was their grandparents' wedding anniversary, and a big one it seemed.

Astoria and Daphne wore matching dresses, although in different shades of green, probably just to emphasise their support of Pansy, their hair openly falling over shoulders and backs.

"Ladies, can we continue discussing the anniversary tomorrow?" Blaise finally said, placing a soft kiss on Astoria's cheek who blushed momentarily; he stopped them mostly because the freshly engaged couple finally joined them as well.

"Draco, you look good." Daphne turned around with a big smile, opening her arms to a quick greeting hug. "Enjoying your time-out, it seems..."

"And you look stunning, as always," he replied as she pulled away again, ignoring the little friendly jab.

The elf with the tray full of champagne glasses finally appeared, and Draco grabbed one to have his first drink tonight. He was actually looking forward to the evening, as formal as it appeared.

"To Pansy and Ron," Daphne said into the round, when everyone had a fresh glass, raising hers.

Sipping his own champagne, Draco noticed Astoria eyeing him with the slightest of frowns while she hovered her glass in front her lips; her quick glance over to Ron who had his arm wrapped around Pansy's waist made clear that she understood that Pansy's engagement to the redhead would also bring them back into contact with Hermione, since she was one of his best friends. And Astoria didn't like that particular connection.

Draco was glad that she chose to keep quiet about Hermione for the evening—at least as long as no one mentioned the name. This was Pansy's moment after all. Instead, he saw her wince as the first drops of her champagne hit her tongue which he found curious as she usually loved to have a glass or two at any social event.

"Did you know your mother was invited as well?" Blaise then asked, nodding towards the entrance, from which now the sound of excited chatter waved over to them.

With a slightly more forced smile, Draco turned around, only to see his mother congratulate the Parkinsons on the engagement of their daughter. "I didn't know, but I'm not exactly surprised."

"They're old friends," Pansy said with an amused smirk before she emptied her glass, discreetly switching with Astoria. "I'm just glad we dodged their plans of marrying us, right, Draco?"

"Merlin, yes! That was one bad idea!" Draco exclaimed with a chuckle. "Weasley here is a much better choice..."

"Our honorary Snake for the night," Blaise added, earning himself a mocked huff from Ron. "Nah, you're cool, making our Pans happy, which is no easy feat, believe me."

As everyone now watched the parents exchange happy pleasantries, Daphne leaned in towards Draco. "Your mother looks stunning... I can only wish to have that figure when I hit her age."

"Lots of Mediterranean food and long walks along the French coast," he replied with a shrug and a warm smile before emptying his glass, as his mother had spotted them.

Narcissa had chosen a flowing dress in black, an elegant statement of her grace, while she let her blonde hair cascade down over her shoulder. After another quick hug between the women, she walked over to Draco and his friends to greet them.

..

"Congratulations, my dear!" Narcissa said as she kissed Pansy's cheek moments later. "And a rather handsome catch, too!"

Draco and Blaise couldn't help but chuckle at the blush that crept up on Ron's face in response to the compliment.

"Guys, please!" Astoria let out, even though she couldn't help a brief chuckle, because Ron's apparent embarrassment was too amusing. She still clung to her empty champagne glass, with no intention to exchange it for a full one.

Narcissa finally greeted everyone else as well, ending with Draco who greeted her with the customary kisses on the cheek. "You look good, my dear. You had your session with Dr Pendry then?"

Draco nodded, adding a soft smile in the hope that it would be enough. "She gave me some new perspectives."

"That's great to hear," Narcissa replied before she looked around to finally get a drink. "I missed your smile, you know?"

From the corner of his eye, Draco saw Ron press his lips together and inspect his glass more closely.

However, when his mother was a few steps away to find the elf with the champagne, Pansy leaned forward, ignoring her fiancé's silent protest. "We saw Hermione yesterday... At the Burrow I mean. Is she–?"

"Pans, please!" Ron uttered with sharp indignation. "Not tonight..."

"What?" she huffed back at him. "I'm just curious, okay? She did look tired, you know?"

Draco nodded, not wanting to draw more attention to the situation. "She's okay."

However, Astoria had still overheard their brief conversation, her eyebrow as high as she could raise it. "Who?"

"No one," Draco replied evasively, barely keeping a heavy sigh from escaping, just as Pansy rolled her eyes before throwing Blaise an irritated glare.

"Oh no, I don't believe you," Astoria said in a low voice, throwing him a warning glare. "Blaise told me about your sessions with her."

"Love, not tonight, okay?" Blaise tried to intervene, with an exasperated glance to his friend who simply shrugged and emptied his glass.

"How would you know she's okay?" Astoria continued, her voice now above a whisper.

"Sister, let it be. It's Pansy's evening–"

"You really want to know, do you?" Draco let out with gritted teeth, glaring at Astoria for her relentless overbearing; at least his mother hadn't heard anything as she was talking to another guest. "Fine. She was at my place yesterday after she left the Burrow, because your damn husband had to tell her about my plans back then, and she wanted to know the truth. You wanted me to deal with my private life, and that's what I'm doing. So let it rest. Understood?"

Astoria glared straight back at him but eventually nodded. "For tonight, and for Pansy's sake."

"Good enough."

Draco was saved from any further discussions by the announcement that the dinner would be served now. Food and drinks were all that was needed to have a great evening, and with Daphne as his table neighbour, laughs were almost guaranteed.

He was here for the laughter, after all.

..

"You finally grace us with your presence," Blaise said when Draco entered his office on Monday afternoon, just as he closed the file in front of him.

"Shut it. I'm not here to exchange pleasantries," Draco retorted as he arrived in front of Blaise's desk, only to lean down. He had hoped to find Blaise alone before they would gather for another meeting to figure out their next steps to deal with the current problems—he had saved his irritation for this moment, as Saturday had been Pansy's evening, and he didn't want to destroy it with an argument.

"What is it?" Crossing his arms, Blaise leaned back. "Though, let me guess—Hermione..."

"Yes. Hermione." Draco moved towards Blaise, still hovering over the desk. "What were you thinking when you gave her those memories? Because you actually went behind my back–"

"She needed to know what exactly she did to you, and you weren't going to tell her." Blaise rose to his feet and leaned forward, meeting Draco over the desk. "So I did."

"No, what you did was complicate things!" Draco replied, his voice sharp and raised. "She didn't need to know about my plans to marry her back then. That was–"

"It was–"

"No. Let me decide what I tell her and when. It's my life you're fucking with."

"I see. It's not about finding closure for you, is it? You want her back."

"What's it to you, hm?" Draco was in the mood to shout at his friend because he was fed up with the constant judgement. He flexed his fingers because the temptation was growing to draw his wand and hex him. "Maybe I want her back, but–"

"You had a goddamn breakdown because of her, mate! A breakdown!"

"Yes, I know!" Huffing in frustration, Draco straightened up, still glaring at Blaise. "And you all keep reminding me... For Merlin's sake, yes, it was fucking painful to go through it all, but you don't get that I never hated her for that."

"Mate, I–"

"Don't. You heard me at Pansy's party—you want me to sort out my private life, and that's exactly what I'm doing. You wanted that, so let me do it my way. And don't interfere just because you don't like one of the possibilities."

"Just... why?" Blaise sighed, straightening up as well. "I mean, she hurt you."

"She did, yes," Draco admitted, crossing his arms. "But she was the one back then, and she still is today. You know we're working through everything with Dr Pendry."

"Yes, I know–"

"Then you should know that we're doing everything to work through our issues. It really isn't easy, barely bearable at times even, to talk about certain topics, but we still do it. And you know what? The more time I spend with her, the more I want to just let go of all that pain and anger, because it's exhausting to keep going like that. I want to look forward and just know that she'll remain a part of my life, whatever it's going to be in the end."

Crossing his arms, Blaise pressed his lips into a thin line, even shaking his head briefly. "Look, I know it's a complicated situation..."

Draco brushed through his hair, his frustration only growing. "Maybe you'll get it that way... I feel home when I'm with her, like I'm back where I belong. You have no idea how much I missed that all those years–"

"Mate, I get that, okay? We're all just worried that–"

"I want that back," Draco said with a quiet but firm voice, his hands by now in his pockets. "I know you don't like it, and I know it's going to be tough either way, but I want that back."

After a second of silence, Blaise opened his arms again. "It's just that we were there, with you. We picked you up, made sure you got through it... And she left us as well."

Draco nodded in understanding. "Maybe one day, she'll tell you why she did what she did. It's not mine to tell, so all I can say is that she is sorry and she is trying to make up for it."

"Alright," Blaise conceded, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'm not going to comment on it any further, as long as you keep working with Dr Pendry. And I think it might be appropriate to ask for an apology at one point. Then we'll see from there..."

"I think she knows that."

"Good." With a brief smile, Blaise checked his watch. "We still have a moment before the meeting. How was your morning?"

Draco leaned against the desk, eyeing his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Accompanied Hermione to her first single session to deal with her trauma from the kidnapping. She asked me because she felt anxious about it."

"Yeah, I remember the front page about her panic attack in the Prophet; it wasn't exactly nice..."

"You should have seen her that day. She was a complete mess." Draco remembered how desperately she clung to him that day, only slowly recovering from her panic attack, even with the help of the Draught. "Let her deal with that first, it has been a horrifying ordeal."

"I understand that." Blaise nodded, leaning against the desk next to Draco. "The few things I heard from Pansy about it... Horrifying seems to be the right word. But enough about it."

"Thanks," Draco replied with another short nod. "Just don't go behind my back again. It really wasn't helping..."

"I won't."

"Good." Now that the issue of the memories was out of the room, Draco felt less tense, even a tiny bit relieved about the acceptance from Blaise. Well, acceptance was probably still the wrong word, but at least there wouldn't be any more resistance from his friend, and that was enough for him right now.

"How's your wife?" Draco then asked then with a soft smile. "She didn't have any drink at the engagement party."

"She's going to see a doctor about it after the meeting," Blaise replied with a shrug. "Probably nothing, though."

..

As he was officially still on his time-out, Draco leaned back during the meeting and mostly listened to the discussion about possible steps to deal with the current situation—factory hall one was still closed and the second hall was reaching its production limit.

It didn't help that they had brought out a new device earlier this year that now everyone wanted to buy for Christmas. There was no chance they were going to meet the demand this year, and Draco wasn't looking forward to the headlines in the media because they were simply waiting for him to fuck it up.

"I did a calculation for several options," Daphne said, "because like you mentioned we can't keep everyone working as long as factory hall one is still closed for safety reasons."

"What do you propose?" Blaise asked, going through the notes he had taken until now. "I mean, we should avoid firing people if we can."

Daphne was looking through her files almost frantically now. "It was on the pile before I left my office–"

A knock at the door saved her from rambling on further, and seconds later, another woman entered the room, a file in her hands and a tired, apologetic smile on her face. She pushed an obstinate strand of her brown hair out of her eyes. "I only saw it now, sorry."

Draco thought he recognised the woman, but he couldn't place her right now—she might have looked less like a motherly figure the last time he saw her; it didn't help him remember the name, though. He threw Daphne a questioning look, but she dismissed him with a shrug and a silently mouthed later. Not exactly the answer he wanted, but given the subject they were currently discussing, it could indeed wait.

"Yes, that's what I was looking for." Daphne handed everyone a copy of the file with a quick swish of her wand. "As you can see, there are several options, but I think the last one is the best. We reduce the work hours in the remaining factory hall but keep full pay for everyone."

"I can see," Blaise said absent-mindedly, checking the file he had just received. "Every other option favours one group over the other. Is it feasible?"

Daphne nodded. "It won't change much in the expected profits. I'd rather do it this way than having to lay off people. We have enough bad press with the reports about the productions problems already."

Blaise finally looked up and around, only to land on Draco in the end. "What do you think?"

Draco took his time to answer, skimming through Daphne's options again and again. They still hadn't managed to solve the safety problems in factory hall one; by now, it was more than a simple hiccup, and he could feel an uneasiness creep down his spine. "It's your decision, Blaise. But if it's feasible without any real loss, then why not?"

"Okay. Noted." Blaise wrote down another point in his notes. "Inform everyone to organise the hours to cover the shifts and so on. And make clear that we keep paying full salary, no need to provoke an unnecessary strike or something."

"Alright," Astoria said, as she was responsible to get those orders and information out to Head of Departments as well as the supervisors in the company.

"Anything else? Pansy, you said you had some news..."

"Yes." Pansy sat up when Blaise mentioned her name; she had been listening to the previous discussion with a rather bored expression, waiting for her turn. "And you won't like it. Remember the plagiarism suit from the small French company that we offered an acquisition deal similar to the Hungarians? The court at the Ministry dealing with the suit accepted it."

"They-What?" Draco was just as surprised as everyone else in the room, but he was the first to gather himself again. "You said that they won't have any chance..."

"Yes, I said that," Pansy retorted. "Sorry, but I was informed about the decision only this morning, and I'm still sorting through the details. All I can say right now is that it looks like we need to provide proof in court."

The alarm in Draco's head rang louder with every word Pansy uttered; the more she said, the less he liked it. It was not a coincidence any longer. "Okay, do everything you can—hire people, consult whoever you need to consult, whatever. Just make sure we win."

"Of course... At least the court date is in early February, so it should be enough time..."

"If that's all," Blaise said with a sigh, piling the documents in front of him. "I'd say we're done for today. I definitely need a coffee now."

..

"So," Draco said shortly after, leaning against the door to Daphne's office that she had entered only seconds ago. "Want to tell me now who that woman was? I remember the face..."

"Come in, then we can have a drink before I need to go back to my work." With a smile, Daphne walked over to the small cabinet on the other side of her office that usually held several bottles and some glasses. "Although it looks like I have only some pumpkin juice left."

"I'm fine." Draco entered her office, closing the door behind him before walking over to the corner where she had placed a sofa and a table, which gave the room a more comfy atmosphere.

Moments later, she joined him on the sofa, sitting down on the other side, a glass with pumpkin juice in her hand. "You're right to remember her face. She used to work for us years ago before she had children... She came by over a week ago, asking whether she could return to her old position."

"Name?"

"Riverside. She said her husband lost his job recently..."

Draco winced when he heard the name. "He was arrested in connection with Hermione's case."

"Really?" Daphne shot up with a shocked expression, spilling a few drops of her remaining juice, sighing as she searched for her wand to clean her blouse.

He nodded and rubbed his eyes as they felt a bit dry. "Maybe it's just coincidence..."

"Well, you never told us any details about the case! If I had known, I wouldn't have taken her back. But with the end of the year and now all the additional things going on, I'm glad to have her help out."

"I know." He sighed, only to cover it with a reaffirming smile. "Don't fire her—at least not yet. But keep an eye on her, and better don't let her in on the accidents. Just in case."

Checking her cleaned blouse for stains she might have missed, she briefly looked up. "You think she might–?"

"As I said, it might just be a coincidence..."

Daphne sighed and then put her wand on the small side table before grabbing her juice once more. "How was the rest of your weekend? I mean the engagement party was some fun, right?"

He chuckled. "I can imagine that your head was worse than mine yesterday. At least you didn't have to meet my mother for lunch."

"True."

Despite both their chuckles, Draco couldn't shake his unease off, something told him that they were about to face interesting times. For once, he hoped that his instincts were wrong.