"Get away!" Pansy screamed, "Leave us alone!"
"Draco, please control her," the masked figure said.
"What?" Pansy said softly, and looked at Draco, "What is going on? How does he know your name?"
Instead of looking at Pansy, Draco was looking at the masked figure.
"What do you think you were doing out there?!" he said to the masked figure, "You could have told me what you were planning on doing!"
Pansy couldn't speak. She didn't understand what was going on.
"I mean," Draco said, "Were you even thinking about mother and I? You could have been killed, Father!"
Pansy's eyes widened.
"What is going on?" Pansy asked Draco, "Draco, you don't mean... that isn't...?"
Before Draco could respond, the figure removed his mask. Pansy gasped at the man. It was Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy.
"No, it can't be!" Pansy said, not believing the sight before her own eyes.
"I thought I told you never to call me by my name when I am dressed like this!" Lucius said to Draco, "Do you know what would happen if the Ministry were to find out?"
"I didn't call you by your name!" Draco said.
"You called me Father," Lucius said, "That is just as bad!"
"Well, you aren't helping with that much, Father!" Draco said, "You took off your mask!"
"No one was supposed to know about this," Lucius said, "And now your girlfriend knows!"
"She won't say anything, Father," Draco said.
"No, I won't say anything," Pansy said with fear in her voice, "I promise!"
"Father, what is going on?" Draco asked, "We heard something off in the distance."
"The Dark Lord's mark has been sent into the sky," Lucius said, "We must get home. I have a Portkey with me. It will be leaving any minute now."
"I am not leaving without Mother!" Draco said.
"Your mother is already home," Lucius said, "She took a Portkey before the riot started."
Lucius took a boot out from under his cloak, and put it on the ground.
"Come on," he said.
Pansy walked slowly toward the Portkey. She didn't know what she could believe. Was this all a joke?
"Ten seconds," Lucius said, "Nine... eight... seven... six..."
"Come on, Pansy!" Draco said.
Pansy quickly touched the boot.
"Three," Lucius said, "Two..."
At the count of one, Pansy felt the familiar jolt at her navel, and was soon spinning around in rapid circles. A few seconds later, she landed with a thud on the ground. She looked up, and noticed that she was now at Malfoy Manor. She immediately walked toward the house.
"Pansy," Draco said, "I..."
"I want to go home!" Pansy said.
"You will," Draco said, grabbing Pansy's hand, "But I want to explain this to you."
"I don't need any explanation!" Pansy said, trying to free herself of Draco's grip.
"Yes, you do," Draco said, looking into Pansy's eyes, "Please, let me explain it to you. Let's go up to my room."
Pansy sighed, but nodded. Draco lead her inside.
--------------------------------
Five minutes later, Pansy and Draco were in Draco's bedroom on the second floor of the house.
"Draco, what is going on?" Pansy asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't tell you," Draco said.
"So you thought you should wait until I found out for myself?!" Pansy asked.
"I never wanted you to find out," Draco said, "Honestly, Pansy. I wish tonight had never happened."
"Draco, your whole family is in danger!" Pansy said, "You are in danger! The Death Eaters are all wanted by the Ministry."
"I know that, Pansy," Draco said, "And that is why you must never tell anyone. Not even Petey."
"Draco, I..." Pansy began.
"Pansy, please," Draco said, "You must promise me."
Pansy sighed, then said "I promise."
Draco hugged her. "Thank you," he said.
"Draco, you aren't telling me something," Pansy said, "Why did your father and the other Death Eaters attack the campsite? And what did your Father mean when he said that someone sent the Dark Lord's mark into the sky?"
"Honestly, I don't know why any of this happened," Draco said, "My Father didn't tell me anything."
"Draco," Pansy said, "You-Know-Who is dead, right?"
"I don't know, Pansy," Draco said, "I just do not know."
"I cannot believe any of this is happening!" Pansy said, "What about Potter? I heard him. He knows that your Father was out there with the other Death Eaters."
"No, he does not know," Draco said, "He only thinks that my Father was out there."
"But his best friend's father works in the Ministry, Draco!" Pansy said, "I am sure Potter will tell Weasley's father about his suspicions."
"And what can Weasley's father do?" Draco asked, "The Ministry has already searched our house inside and out. Nothing is here. At least, nothing that will send my Father to jail. He is not stupid enough to hide stuff here."
"I am just afraid, Draco," Pansy said, "I don't want anything to happen to you."
Draco put his arms around Pansy, who cried into Draco's shoulder.
"I've always respected your Father," Pansy said, through tears, "I don't want to see him go to Azkaban... or worse."
"And he won't, Pansy," Draco said, "Father knows people. He is well respected in the Ministry. He is friends with the Minister, you know."
"I want to go home," Pansy said, "I need to leave now."
Draco sighed. "All right," he said, "Let's go downstairs."
Pansy and Draco stood up, and made their way downstairs. Lucius and Narcissa were both sitting on the couch in the living room.
"I told her what she needed to know," Draco said to his parents, "She is okay. She just wants to go home."
For a split-second, Pansy thought that Lucius would ask that she stayed, but Lucius just smiled.
"Good evening, Pansy," he said, "We will see you later then?"
Pansy nodded, and looked at Draco.
"I want to see you before we go to Hogwarts, Pansy," Draco said, "We don't go for a month, and I won't be able to wait that long."
Pansy gave a tearful smile. Draco handed her a handful of Floo Powder, and she walked into the fire, which was green.
"Parkinson residence!" she said, and felt a familiar spin.
Around her, blurs of other fireplaces came into view. She closed her eyes, and then landed on solid ground about thirty seconds later. She opened her eyes, and walked out of the fireplace and into her own living room. She couldn't be happier to be home. Petey wasn't in the living room, so Pansy guessed that he was already in bed. She walked up the stairs, and into her own bedroom. Without taking off any of her clothes, she climbed into bed.
As she looked up at the ceiling of her room, many thoughts came into her mind. What would happen to Draco... to his family? These thoughts raced through her mind until she fell asleep. She dreamt about the events that had happened just hours ago. She was in the forest, but this time Draco was not with her. A figure in a mask and a dark cloak confronted her. She screamed, and the figure took off his mask. Draco's face appeared, and Pansy woke up from her dream.
Her stomach was hurting again. She got up and walked into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She then walked over to the toilet and lifted up the seat, then immediately threw up into the toilet. She lifted her head back up, and tears flooded her cheeks. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Why was her stomach hurting these past couple of days? Hoping it would go away, she flushed the toilet and walked back into her bedroom, where she climbed into bed. She fell immediately into a dreamless sleep.