Paring: Hansy

POV: Pansy

Prompt: Pansy, Ocean waves, "My thoughts are always loudest in the middle of the night."

From: Dramione Fanfiction Forum (18+) Drabble Challenge


The smell of salt in the air was the first indication that she was nearing her destination. She could just make out the deep blue of the ocean from where the portkey had deposited her moments before and she took a deep, slow breath before starting down the hill near the cliffside. In her haste to leave, she hadn't realized how early she'd arrived until she got to the shack where they were supposed to meet, only to find it empty.

She shrugged off the frustration and pulled off her sandals, leaving them by the door before trekking through the sand to the water. The sound of the waves and the feel of the tide swirling around her ankles was soothing. She should really think about finding a seaside manor. It would be therapeutic, getting away from her father and age old traditions. It was a different world now and she was a different person. She'd changed. Everyone had changed after The Battle. It had been five years and her heart still raced when she thought back on it. The screaming, the blood, the destruction. 'What she'd seen, what she'd done; those memories were haunting her. They were what kept her awake. They were why she was here now, on her search for peace and forgiveness.

She sat down just far enough away that the tide didn't reach her and ran a finger through the wet sand.

"Pansy," A voice called behind her. "You're early."

She turned and nodded her head in greeting. "If you had to listen to my mother prattle on about marriage arrangements, Potter, you'd leave early too."

"I suppose that's true," he said, taking a seat in the sand next to her. "How long do we have today?"

She looked over at the brunette and sighed, "Not as long as I need, I'm sure."

"Well, you look better, if that helps?"

"Thanks, but it really doesn't," she scoffed, leaning back on her hands. "Wizarding Britain could be on bloody fire and I'd still look like I just walked out of a cover spread in Witch Weekly."

"The Pureblood in you?"

Her lips twitched. "Of course. Don't you know we must be presentable one hundred percent of the time? How else are we to find appropriate husbands?"

"They really pound that into you all, don't they?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"I could," he said softly,"if you wanted to tell me."

Surprised, she stared into the Everest green. "I thought these meetings were about me finding redemption in your arms?"

That gained her a laugh. "Right. Well, it doesn't have to be all we do, you know. I'm quite interested in what goes on in your mind."

"You shouldn't be. It's quite a dark place, Potter."

A look came over his face then, melancholy mixed with something else. "Are they quiet? Your thoughts?" he asked, "Or do they ring loudly in your ears, demanding attention?"

This...This was not what she had expected from their secret rendezvous today.

"It depends," she answered after a few silent moments. "What about you?"

"My thoughts are loudest in the dead of the night." He turned his focus to the waves lapping on the shore. "When there are no distractions it's easy for them to consume me."

"Yes, that seems about right." Pansy agreed. It was harder to turn off the negative when there was nothing to counter it with. "What do you do when that happens?"

"I find something to do usually. But lately," his hand reached for hers. "I've been thinking about you."

Her breath hitched and she squeezed his hand. "And does it work?"

"Every time." he answered with a smile.

"Me too." She told him sincerely. "All the bad seems to go away when I'm with you."

"Then what are we doing, Pansy?" he grumbled, the mood shifting a bit as he stood. "The way we feel...what we've been through, we have a real connection."

She brushed sand off her legs as she rose from the ground. "You know why, Harry. I'm supposed to marry-"

"Fuck him," he hissed. "Fuck the whole thing. You don't have to live that life anymore, Pansy. You have a choice. You can choose the path you walk."

She reached for him. "Harry-"

"If you were to choose," He held her at arm's link and looked directly into her eyes. "really choose the path to walk, which one would you choose?"

She didn't even have to think about it as she automatically whispered, "Yours." She kissed him softly before pulling away. "Always yours."