Harry Potter was leaning on the bar at the Three Broomsticks chatting with Madam Rosmerta while she poured the drinks he ordered. She looked at the table were his friends were sitting and asked
"So, the Parkinson girl. Is she your date? She's looking quite cute."
Harry turned to look at the table and saw that Pansy was looking at him but quickly avoided his gaze and blushed. She looked very uncomfortable. He turned back to Madam Rosmerta and asked
"Could I use one of your private booths? I think Miss Parkinson and I have a lot of catching up to do."
Madam Rosmerta gave him a knowing grin and pointed to one of the empty booths. He smiled, thanked her and then walked towards the table levitating the drinks. He set the drinks on the table but still levitated two of them. He offered Pansy his hand.
"Miss Parkinson, would you like to join me for one drink so we can catch up a bit?"
She blushed but took the hand and walked with him. Hermione and Ginny high-fived. Draco lifted an eyebrow.
"I guess Potter's got game now. Who knew."
The others laughed. Meanwhile, Harry took Pansy to the private booth and sat next to her. She decided to talk first
"Potter, I'm sorry. I am so sorry for what I did, for what I said, I…"
He put his hand on hers.
"You panicked. You were terrified. We all thought we were going to die. But is all over now. We are here, we are safe, we can move on. And please, call me Harry."
A tear rolled down her cheek but he caught it with his thumb, then caressed her face with the back of his fingers. She was visibly shaking so he tried to lighten the mood.
"Hermione told me that you are spending a lot of time with her and Ginny. Apparently, you are a beauty guru and are teaching them all kinds of tricks to look good. They are really enjoying the girl time."
She laughed softly at that
"Well, they are very pretty girls. And they are dating very handsome guys, so they better keep it up. They have been so nice to me."
"You are looking stunning, by the way," he said and then he gave her an evil grin "so, what do you pretty girls do when you lock yourselves in the prefect's bathroom?" he said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
She gave a nervous laugh and swatted his arm
"Harry, don't be naughty! We go in there to do beauty treatments and relax, that's it."
Harry sipped his drink, still looking malicious
"Well, I'm not the only naughty boy around. Hermione said in her last letter that Draco and Neville are always asking them the same thing. Come on, three gorgeous girls in that awesome bubble bath? Throw a bloke a bone."
She just laughed and gave him an eye roll. This guy was very sexy. And she was feeling all hot and bothered. They kept talking and ordered another round of drinks. Their friends not only left them alone, they wanted to give them a push, so a bit later Ginny came by the booth already wearing her coat and said very quickly
"The four of us are getting a carriage to the castle. Harry, be a dear and make sure Pansy gets back safe? Have fun!" then she ran before they could answer.
Harry laughed and turned back to Pansy
"Well, I hope being escorted back to the castle by an Auror is good enough for you, Miss Parkinson," he said moving himself a bit closer to her and leaning his arm over the back of her seat. He started tracing circles on her shoulder with his fingers.
"I think that would do, Auror Potter," she said, acting bolder than she actually felt. She couldn't remember a time she felt so excited around a guy. And the feeling of that one finger caressing her shoulder had her feeling on fire.
The other two couples were chatting animatedly during the ride back. Hermione said
"Well, if that catches fire we have to be very supportive. the rumor mill at Hogwarts is easy to contain, but Harry is out in Auror training, so the Prophet is going to be all over it. I can see Rita Skeeter drooling over the potential for nasty pieces. And I'm sure people will try to be nasty to Pansy. not to mention all the Chosen One fans that are going to be dying of jealousy."
They all nodded. They agreed that if Harry and Pansy decided to date they will show themselves in group outings, so people know that they were not alone and that Hermione Granger and even Ginny Weasley, the ex, were supportive of them.
When they got to the castle Ginny and Neville said goodbye and went towards Gryffindor tower. As an eight-year student, Neville had been assigned a room with only two beds, and he had no roommate at the moment, so he and Ginny had their own private space. They were always cautious about locking and silencing the room though, they really didn't need the whole tower to hear how loud Ginny could get.
Hermione and Draco went to their private quarters and they barely passed the portrait before they were in each other's arms. Hermione was very quick to cast a weightless spell because Draco loved carrying her to bed bridal style, and he would always run when he did. Then as soon as they were in the room she would vanish their clothes. He loved that. He loved that she was just as eager as him, that she never seemed to get enough of him. She loved that she felt so free in his arms. He was open to anything she asked, and together they explored and experimented, their mutual adoration fueling their insatiable lust.
Meanwhile, back in a private booth at the Three Broomsticks, Harry Potter and Pansy Parkinson were having a great time. They chatted until it was almost midnight. Harry had not felt so aroused in his life. With the war over and his days now spent in physical training, for the first time in his life, he was feeling like what he was: a young man fueled by testosterone, with a strong need to feel close to a sweet, beautiful witch. And a sweet and gorgeous witch had just fallen in his lap, and he was ecstatic. Pansy, on the other hand, had come back to England because her mother was too sad to have her so far away. She thought it was going to be a long school year of solitude and people talking behind her back. Instead, she was welcomed by an unexpected group of friends and now she was on a date, of all the wizards in the world, with Harry Potter. And he was very, very hot. After her second drink, she had switched to water because if she had one more she may straddle this man and snog him unconscious. They both were holding back to not pounce the other. Neither of them wanted to go their separate ways, but Harry decided to play the gentleman card.
"Well, Miss Parkinson, I will now escort you back, but how about brunch tomorrow? Then maybe we join the others in the afternoon to hang out by the lake?"
She smiled brightly
"That would be lovely, Harry."
They took a carriage to the entrance of the castle, and Harry signaled for the carriage to wait. He walked her to the castle door, stood facing her and leaned down to press a soft kiss on her lips.
"Good night, Pansy. I will pick you up here tomorrow at 10 am."
Then he turned around and walked back towards the carriage, turning to give her one last wave. She stood there, trying to remember how to breathe.
