Pairing: None

POV: Pansy

Prompt: What happens around the cauldron, stays around the cauldron (Quills and Parchment FB group)

Manicured nails clicked nervously against the wooden desktop until the clock above her chimed twelve times, announcing the start of a new day. She took a deep breath and stood, gathering her bag with all her supplies in her arms before silently creeping out the door.

This was a risk, she knew that, but it was far too late to turn back. She was involved now. She didn't know how the hell she allowed herself to get dragged into one of Hermione Granger's outrageous schemes. She didn't even like witch, but somehow Theo and Blaise talked her into joining them.

"Think of it as an adventure, Panse." Theo had said. "Not every run of the mill witch or wizard could do what we're trying to do."

"Which is what exactly?"

The two boys had grinned at her then, before Zabini had whispered in her ear. "Bring back Draco."

Her heart had stuttered, her mouth had gone dry, and she replied, "I'm in."

That was two months ago, and every week since then she had met up with the others and painstakingly went through hours of potion brewing and spell casting with people she barely tolerated on a good day. Being corrigible was hard, and the work was draining, not to mention illegal.. But she would basically do anything at this point.

It was ten after midnight when she finally came to the right hallway, huffing in annoyance as found the old classroom where the meeting was taking place. When she whispered the password the door swung open, revealing her friends and a few others sitting in a circle on the floor, a large cauldron in the middle of it.

"Nice of you to join us, Pansy." Theo called from the far side of the circle. "I thought you'd sit this one out."

She rolled her eyes and shoved her way between him and Luna Lovegood. "Shut up, Theo. You know I don't back down from a challenge, especially one such as this."

"There's a first time for everything."

The witch ignored her friend and started unpacking the ingredients and tools, laying them out in a line on front of her. She looked around and noticed the others doing the same. Granger and Blaise were whispering back and forth across from where she sat but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Not that it mattered, they could be discussing the bloody weather for all she knew, but she gave them a small nod when they caught her gaze.

"Alright." Their bushy haired leader said, clapping her hands together, looking a bit deranged as she swayed in front of them. "First, I would like to say that I appreciate all of your help. You know we couldn't have done these spells and potions alone the last few weeks, so we're eternally grateful for your cooperation." She looked around the circle and smiled brightly at them all.

How anyone could look so happy before performing resurrection magic was beyond her. Pansy was a bundle of nerves and she wasn't even the one organizing the whole thing. Though she understood the other witch's need to do this. She'd lost him too. Of course she'd dive head first into dangerous and forbidden magic. She wouldn't be Hermione Granger if she didn't.

"Secondly, I want to take a moment to reiterate the importance of this spell and the consent needed to make it work. So if anyone is having second thoughts, now would be the time to speak up. We won't hold it against you."

No one made a move or gave any indication that they wanted out, so Granger smiled once more and motioned for them all to begin. They'd been given instructions via letters the night before, so they all moved in sync, fulfilling their own part of the potion. After another ten minutes of mostly silence, Granger moved up on her knees. "Nos dicimus in divinis." She muttered. "Ut spiritus vitae"

It sounded like a prayer and Pansy briefly wondered if this was a part of the spell or if Granger was just religious.

She listened as the witch spoke more words and threw a handful of purple powder into the concoction. When she was done she nodded to the place in front of each of them. This was it. The end. The last moments before they all changed forever. Pansy swallowed her sudden anxiety and gripped the cold steel, waiting for instruction.

It was Blaise, this time, that spoke to the small group. "Finally, this last step requires the blood of the willing." He pulled out his own dagger. "I assume you don't need me to give you a play by play on how to do that." He raised the twisted silver up but paused, giving them all a wicked smile and reminding them, "And as always….what happens around the cauldron... stays around the cauldron," before finally sliding it across his palm, not even flinching as the blood pooled on his hand. He leaned forward and let the red liquid drip into the cauldron. It hissed a little as it accepted the gift and they all followed suit, bleeding into the potion like a sacrifice. Which...that was exactly what they were. But it was a small one to make if they achieved their goal.

They all stood, holding hands above the bubbling brew, and started to chant. Granger's voice was loudest of all and Pansy could hear the emotion in it as she repeated the words over and over. The temperature in the room dropped and there was a sudden swirling cyclone of wind around them. The force of it was slowly pushing them all back and away from the cauldron. They kept going regardless. They weren't stopping there. Not when they were this close. She started when the sound of wailing filled the room and fought back a scream when a feeling of immense dread washed over her.

Tears pricked her eyes and she found that hers weren't the only ones. Theo's hand gripped hers tightly as they looked at one another and she knew that for better or worse, they were in this together.

She didn't have long to think about that though, because the very air was sucked right out of them, causing them all to fall forward onto their knees. There was a shocking pain blooming in her chest and a strong tugging sensation as she struggled for breath. Her head felt like it was going to explode and she was literally on the verge of passing out, nails digging into the hardwood floor beneath them as she shoved her head down. If she had any breath left inside of her, she was sure she'd be screaming like a banshee.

Then, as suddenly as the assault came, it left, allowing them all to take big shuddering gulps of air. It was almost too much oxygen at one time and she felt dizzy but when she finally calmed herself everything felt lighter and Pansy shook her head to clear her thoughts. She hadn't had the capacity to think about whether or not the spell worked before, but now that she was more aware, it was all she could think about.

There were sounds of coughing, hacking, and crying surrounding her but she ignored them, rising up on her hands and knees. She lifted her eyes and caught the form of Granger rising above them, her arm outstretched and tears running down her reddened cheeks. Pansy slowly let her gaze follow the witch's line of sight, and for the second time that night, her breath was stolen from her.

A naked figure stood where the wind had dissipated and it cocked its head to the side. It took her a moment and a lot of blinking before she allowed herself to believe…..

The figure let out a laugh and spoke in an almost tender voice that Pansy hadn't heard in almost a year. "Miss me, Granger?"

The girl in question just nodded and took a step forward, letting her hand trace the lines of his face. "It's you. Draco...it's really you."

He barked out another laugh, taking her hand in his. "Of course it's me. You're far too brilliant to botch a spell like that." He smiled and turned to the room at large. "While I appreciate you all for bringing me back, I find it rather unfortunate that none of you thought to bring me some clothes."

This seemed to release the spell of silence from the rest of the group and the room filled with voices. But none of them mattered. All that mattered at that moment was that they succeeded. They did it. They brought him back. And even if they all rotted away in Azkaban for this, Pansy knew it was all worth it just to hear her best friend's voice again.

Draco looked her way and waved his hand, his lips forming words she couldn't hear. She nodded in turn but her mind was a jumbled mess. She felt like she was dreaming. He was here. He was alive. It shouldn't be possible. Yet...here he stood, wrapping his arms around a shaking bushy haired witch and letting Blaise drape a cloak over his pale and naked frame.

Theo seems to share her wondrous thoughts and he grabbed her hand, pulling her from the shock of the situation. "We did it, Panse." He said with the happiest smile he'd given her in months.

She returned his smile and wiped a tear from her eye. "Yes, Theo. Yes we did."