Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I can still enjoy the sun and the beach.

Chapter 11 – An Ill Wind Blows

Pansy nervously peeked out the open screen door into the garden. The Weasley clan was not only massive, but also incredibly loud and rambunctious when all seated around one table. The sea of red hair speckled with the odd brunette or blond was truly an intimidating sight.

For a brief second, Pansy's Slytherin nature came dashing to the forefront and she considered simply apparating to the comfort and safety of her own home. Perhaps she could just tell Percy she'd taken ill. Once her eyes lit upon the back of his head though, all thoughts of bolting fled her mind. She wanted to be there regardless of the threat of physical bodily harm if it meant she could spend more time with him.

It was Mrs. Weasley who spotted her first. "Well, hello there dear. Where did you get to? Come, come… There's a seat beside Percy for you."

Swallowing down her anxiety, Pansy edged her way out past the threshold of the kitchen door. As she made her way toward the table, she could feel the steely gazes of three very irate Weasleys, two of them identical in nature.

She slid into her seat next to Percy, picked up her fork, and proceeded to give her entire focus to the plate of food before her, pushing the potato salad around as if she were trying to clear a path.

As the light brunch conversation resumed, Percy watched her, growing increasingly alarmed by her sullen state. This was not the outspoken, attention-seeking diva he'd been entertained by at Millicent Bulstrode's dinner table. This girl was a mere shadow beside him. Where was his Pansy?

Leaning in, he settled his right arm around the back of her chair, and whispered. "Are you quite all right?"

Pansy glanced up quickly to find Fred and George scowling at her darkly; another shift of her eyes brought the sight of Ginny glaring menacingly at her; and when she looked further down the table to Potter, thankfully his eyes were downcast but he did not look any happier than the other three.

"I'm fine." She finally mumbled, lowering her gaze back to her food.

She finally understood the kind of courage Percy must have had to face her friends. She couldn't even begin to imagine speaking at this table.

Sensing her discomfort, Percy placed the fork in his left hand gingerly onto the table, reached over, and took her left hand in his. "Are you sure?" he murmured.

She turned her chin toward him, and although completely unintentional, looked up through her lashes at him, driving a mad flutter straight through his chest.

She released the fork gripped loosely in her right hand, and brought it over to cover their joined hands.

Skimming her fingers gently over the back of his hand, she contemplated telling him about what had just transpired between her and his sister, but ultimately decided against it. "Yes, I'm fine. Really. Just a little overwhelmed. I'm an only child. Not used to so much… so many…"

"People?" he supplied, a light smirk gracing his lips.

"Yes, well… yes." Pansy stammered, thrown off by the warmth of his gaze.

"Their bark is worse than their bite." He reassured her, and then began to move off.

"Percy?" she called to him, feeling an immediate panic at his withdrawal.

"Yes, lo…" He cleared his throat quickly. "Yes, Pansy."

"Thank you… for being concerned."

"Nothing at all." He lifted his right arm from the chair back and rubbed comforting lines across her shoulders. "Anything for you." He whispered against her brow before pressing his lips to her temple.

Their quiet conversation did not go unnoticed. In fact the entire table, save for the children, had stilled, watching their intimate interaction with wide-eyed wonder. As they pulled away from one another, they became keenly aware of not only the silence, but also the absolute focus being afforded to them.

At the head of the table, Mr. Weasley marveled at the dark beauty sitting beside his normally anally retentive son. 'Any woman who can make Percy behave even remotely human must have incredible powers indeed.' He mused.

"So Pansy, what does a woman with your many talents do with her time?" Arthur asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Before Pansy could answer, George piped in. "Good question, Dad. Yes, Pansy. What do you do with your time? Better yet, how do you avoid being hexed senseless on a regular basis?" he sneered.

"George Weasley!" Molly screeched.

"What, Mum? It was just a question." George replied, not in the least bit sorry.

"An incredibly rude question." She fired back.

"You did make my plate up yourself, right?" Pansy asked Percy under her breath.

Unfortunately, nothing passed by Mrs. Weasley when it came to her cuisine. "And what, pray tell, is wrong with the food?" she asked, preparing to take offense to anything that came out of the spoiled brat's mouth.

Pansy sat bolt upright at the accusatory tone much to the delight of the twins. "Nothing, Mrs. Weasley. It… it has merely been my experience not to trust anything I'm being served when certain individuals have been within two feet of it." Her eyes instantly shot to Fred and George who, in turn, put on the biggest doe-eyes and long mouths feigning innocence that they could muster.

"What are you saying?" Molly's eyes shifted between Pansy and the twins.

"Mother, I know for a fact that Pansy has suffered through some rather… unsavoury curses at the hands of those two." Percy interjected haughtily, feeling the uncontrollable need to protect her.

"Fred. George. What did you do?" Molly bellowed.

"Nothing, Mum." "We didn't do anything to her, Mum." Came their responses in unison.

"Nothing!" Percy reeled back in shock. "You blew up her house… with her inside!!"

A few audible gasps resounded around the table. Ron and Harry both put their utensils down and leaned in to watch the ensuing action, giving it their undivided attention. It was better than a Quidditch match.

"Percy, please. Let's not do this here… now… please!" Pansy pleaded, grabbing onto his arm with both hands. He simply placed his left hand over hers and continued to stand firm in his position.

"Wait! What? They did what?" Bill sputtered, joining the fray.

"No, we didn't." George squealed, taking up the defensive.

"Yes, you did! Percy countered.

"Fine, we did but she wasn't supposed to be there." Fred lamely tried to explain.

"You stupid prat." Angelina burst out from nowhere before slapping him upside the head.

"Ow!! Love, what was that for?" he whined.

"For being a perfect git." She spat at him.

"No one was hurt." George muttered darkly.

"She was taken to sodding St. Mungo's, for Merlin's sake!" Percy railed at him.

"Were you injured dear?" Molly asked, truly concerned.

Pansy turned to Percy, looking to him to stop the whole ordeal. "Percy really, they haven't done anything to me for ages now." When she saw he was resolute, she turned back to the expectant eyes of the entire table. "I… I had a few bruises and cuts… and some burns."

Mr. Weasley huffed out the breath he was holding, and shook his head in dismay. "You two have done some stupid things in the past but this… this beats them all. I'm very sorry for any damage or suffering they've caused you, Ms. Parkinson."

The twins began to sputter and stammer in their defense when Pansy's voice cut them off.

"Mr. Weasley, that was… when they did that, it was in response to something I did to them. Please don't ask what… It was really quite nasty. Yes, they took it a step too far but they haven't done anything since."

The twins stared at her gobsmacked, their mouths hanging open in a picture perfect duplication of one another. The stunned table slowly started back to their meals when another woman's voice interrupted the precarious silence.

"And why can't we ask what you did to them?" Came Ginny's sharp voice from the other end of the table.

"Ginny, please just let it drop." Molly begged.

"No, Mum. We've just jumped all over Fred and George for the "oh so" dreadful things they've done to her. I want to know what she did to get them so hacked off. It's a fair question."

Ginny turned her piercing gaze back onto Pansy who felt the immediate desire to simply melt into her chair. Pansy looked about the table and knew there was no escape from revealing the true extent of her cruelty. Her eyes landed on Fred and George who seemed to be pleading with her not to come clean, their embarrassment at the severity of this particular curse flooding their faces with a mad blush.

"I…" she swallowed hard, and glanced briefly at Percy who was also watching her closely. "I turned them into… from the neck down they were women… for a week. But not the best week out of the month… for a woman… if you know what I mean."

No one said anything. They all just stared at her with unreadable expressions. Then suddenly, the table erupted into howls of laughter.

"That was you?" Came Angelina's tear filled voice before she was wracked with another fit of giggles. "Thank you so much. He's been a perfect angel about that ever since."

"Oh maudit, can you teach me dat one?" Fleur tittered out.

"No, she can't." Bill jumped in quickly, losing his good humour in a flash.

The twins had slowly begun to hunch further and further over their plates as everyone continued to guffaw at their expense. The only other person who did not seem to find the hilarity in what Pansy had done, began stabbing viciously at her salad.

"Well Ginny, there you have it. You got your answer." Bill chided her.

"Yes, I certainly did." She growled darkly.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, and announced. "Now, as much as I would love to hear some of the other ingenious hexes Ms. Parkinson has inflicted on my lovely but deserving boys and vice versa, can we please eat? I'm famished."

"Yes, Dad." Came a chorus of voices.

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Harry came to stand beside Percy, surveying the familiar scene before him save for the addition of a certain Slytherin princess.

Mr. Weasley was reading "The Prophet" and only half listening to the wireless as Mrs. Weasley knitted. Hermione was situated near the window with Ginny obviously trying to calm the younger woman down. There was more to Ginny's dislike of Pansy than what she was revealing. Harry simply wasn't sure if he wanted to know the details. Bill and Fleur had long since left having had to take their brood home to bed. And Angelina, with a dark scowl at Fred, had followed suit shortly thereafter.

Ron was, shockingly enough, playing the part of good host and brother. There he sat, entertaining Pansy with a game of chess. They seemed to be having a good time as both were making very loud declarations and laughing outright at each other. Adversely, Fred and George sat on the couch, an air of conspiracy cloaking them, whispering to each other with a hint of mischief in their eyes.

Harry shifted his gaze to watch the man next to him, and was struck by the look of sheer captivation on his face as he stared at the young woman sitting across the room.

"So, when exactly did this happen?" Harry blurted out.

"Hmm… What? Pardon? Sorry, I missed that." Percy mumbled, trying to tear his eyes away from her.

"You. Her. When did it all start?" Harry repeated.

Forcing his hands into his pockets, Percy grew self-conscious from the close scrutiny. "I don't know. A few months ago perhaps."

"Really? How?"

Percy had been forewarned by Pansy of what their story needed to be. "Oh, yes… well, she came to my office. It was really quite funny actually. I thought she was there to file a complaint. Imagine my surprise when she… she asked me to dinner."

It wasn't a total lie. That was how it all started only some of the circumstances had been omitted.

"And since then?" Harry pressed.

"Since then… what?" Percy's voice quaked slightly, revealing his uncertainty.

"Well, how are things going now? Have you met her friends? How did they like you? Or not like you as the case may be."

"Oh, I've met the majority of her friends, and they seemed to accept me for the most part. Some of them were actually quite friendly. A damn sight better than some of my own family has been thus far." He muttered the last as his eyes flashed to the twins.

"You… you said her friends for the most part. Is there someone making it difficult for you?"

Percy looked down and away, his eyes dancing about furtively, as he tried to formulate a response to that question. This was becoming treacherous territory. "In a manner of speaking. Malfoy is being a complete prat, but I'm not really surprised. They were promised to each other you know… when they were children."

"Yes, I was made aware of that fact recently." Harry responded flatly.

"Yes. Well, I'm not certain she wants to go through with it anymore. He's been quite the philanderer, and… well…"

"Is that what you think, or what you hope?" Harry lobbed at him.

Percy went rigid at the implications of Harry's statement, a ripple of tension working its way through his jaw.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I know you don't want to hear it, but you just have to be careful with these rich purebloods. She seems quite taken with you but… but they have familial obligations and expectations that we can't even begin to understand."

Percy glanced over to his sister and instantly felt a sickening pang clench his chest. Yes, he did know that sad fact all too well.

"That well may be but… but I won't give her up simply because of something she might do." He said, becoming ensnared by the sight of her again.

"She means that much to you that you'd risk suffering the loss of her?"

Percy froze. What was happening to him? He realized in a heartbeat that his feelings went well beyond anything he'd ever felt before. Here he was prepared to fight tooth and nail for her and she didn't even want him. How could she? He was poor… and awkward… and scrawny… and stiff… and plain. And he definitely wasn't Malfoy. He needed to get out… needed to be alone to think.

"Excuse me, Harry. I need to stretch my legs and get some fresh air." He mumbled, shooting one last parting glance at Pansy before swiftly removing himself from the room.

Across the way, Pansy watched him disappear around the corner into the hallway, and felt an uneasiness start to claw at her. He was retreating into himself, and that could only mean he would start to keep her at arms length again. Resolving to have it out with him once she had finished her game, she poured her focus into trying to get it over with as quickly as possible.

She made her next move, and then smiled triumphantly up at Ron.

"Bloody hell woman!" Ron bellowed. "Are you trying to lose?"

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Her hands in his hair… The soft slide of her thighs as they wrapped around him… The feel of her supple leg as his hand clamped down around it to pull it higher… Her mouth hot and demanding… And then the sound of her gasping in his ear as he…

"May I?"

Shaken from his fantasy by a soft voice, Percy inhaled sharply through his nose and glanced up. There before him stood the object of his heated daydream now fully clothed.

"Yes, of course. By all means." He mumbled, looking back out over the field at the setting sun.

As she settled in beside him, he stole a sideways glance at her and was treated to a flashback of the explicit scenario his mind had just been swimming through. He looked down at his tightly knit fingers, reprimanding himself for having let his mind wander to thoughts of her sprawled and writhing beneath him again when he should have been trying to rid himself of her.

She watched as his expression hardened. It was painful to imagine that he might feel that much disdain for her. Pansy was so affected by the look of contempt marring his brow that she very nearly backed out of the plan she'd been scheming all day. Tossing her trepidation aside, she took a steeling breath and set her shoulders back.

"Sod it! Open up." She demanded as she quickly stood, and resituated herself between his legs. She hummed a happy "That's better" as she leaned into his chest.

"Pansy, what the devil are you doing?" he sputtered once his senses had returned to him. He placed his hands firmly on his bent knees and waited rigidly for her answer.

"What? I'm cold, and you have an abundance of body heat that you could be sharing." She nestled further into his chest and waited fearfully for possible rejection.

Percy was at a complete loss. In all rights he should get her to move off… get her to return to her original position, but he just couldn't bring himself to lose the feel of her. It was selfish and greedy of him, but moreover it was incredibly stupid. He wasn't doing himself any favours by allowing her to stay put. He resolved, however, to give himself this one liberty, seeing as how it would all be over soon.

When Pansy finally felt the tension wracking his body begin to ease, she herself released the breath she was holding and let her head fall back against his shoulder. This… this was what she'd been seeking all week. To feel connected to him.

"Is there a reason for this… this… whatever this is?" Percy began, trying his damnedest to sound stern and unbending.

She rolled her head to the side to look at him. Upon spotting the tight line his mouth was set in, a coy laugh bubbled up inside of her.

"We are supposed to appear like we're together, aren't we? This would be an ideal moment for a young couple in love to steal some quiet time together, would it not?" she sighed, looking back out over the field.

That small affectionate giggle of hers devoid of any derision left a deep gouge in his armor. "So this is all for show?" he attempted miserably, trying to maintain his business like demeanor.

"It doesn't have to be." She offered softly.

Percy's mind went numb for a second. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Never mind." She managed just before an enormous yawn assaulted her.

The sensation of their magic finally blending… weaving was so soothing that the fatigue she'd been fighting off all afternoon came on like a heavy, warm wave. As her eyes began to drift closed, she shifted onto her side and settled her cheek against his chest, the steady beating of his heart coaxing her to give in to her exhaustion. The last thing she felt before sleep claimed her were his arms folding about her protectively.

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An hour passed by in a haze, and as he stared out at the darkening sky and the first stars, the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing lulled him into a gentle reverie. If only this could be his fate – to have a beautiful, brilliant, and yes, at times frightening witch in his arms at days end. He didn't mind that she had her moments. He even enjoyed them now and again… how biting and sharp she could be. She wasn't just some silly twit with only her good looks to get her by. She was a cunning and devious woman who always got what she wanted. Unfortunately, what she wanted didn't include him. He was just an accessory to her plan, wasn't he?

Her words from before came hurtling back to haunt him. 'It doesn't have to be.' Did she really say that? Did she really mean that? He must have misunderstood.

He looked down to find her cheek still pressed firmly against his chest, and her small hand fisting a clump of his shirt. She was stunning really – so child like in one breath, and so fierce in the next. Suddenly, a cool breeze flitted across the landscape, and he felt her shiver in his arms. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on her, cinching his arms closer, and she snuggled further into him.

This was perfection he mused. It also needed to come to an end. It was time to get her inside; time to get her home; and unfortunately, time to end this charade. This was it for him. This was the last outing with her he told himself. Although it would hurt like a bugger, he would force her to get on with the next leg of her plan to win Malfoy back. His heart just couldn't take much more of this taunting.

Reluctantly, he began to draw small circles on her back, and called to her gently. "Pansy."

She moaned lightly but burrowed in tighter, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Brushing a lock of hair from her shoulder, Percy then gingerly cupped her jaw and fanned his thumb over her cheek.

"Come on, love…" he murmured, cringing the moment the endearment passed his lips. Perhaps she was still too deeply embedded in sleep to notice. He cleared his throat softly and started again. "Pansy," he whispered finally, "we really should be going in. It's getting late and I need to get you home."

She sluggishly pulled her face up, and offered him a soft pout. "But I'm comfortable right here." She whined, her eyes still half closed.

He couldn't help but chuckle a little at her adorably child like display. "Yes, but wouldn't you be more comfortable on your own settee in front of the fireplace with a blanket wrapped around you?"

"That does sound lovely, but I'd rather you than the blanket." She purred, her eyes becoming more alert as they danced over his face.

Percy instantly felt his heart begin to hammer wildly in his chest. The way she was looking at him… the adoration radiating off her… it was a shock to have it so keenly trained on him.

"I… uh…" he fumbled as his hand began to slip from her face.

Moving quickly, she captured it in her own before it fell any further and returned it to her cheek, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. Percy swallowed hard and released a whimper at the sight of her enjoying his touch. Still holding his hand, she turned her face and placed a chaste but full kiss into his palm. This was Percy's breaking point.

"Pan… Pansy, pl… please stop!" He tripped awkwardly over his words as he tried to pull his hand away.

Completely unfazed by his attempt to withdraw, Pansy lowered his hand into her lap and clasped it in both of hers. Staring intently at the interlaced jumble of fingers and knuckles, she asked shyly. "Percy, do you ever just want to kiss me?"

"Wh… what?" he stuttered.

"You know, the urge to just lean in and… and kiss me?"

"But there isn't anyone about." He cast his eyes around in search of a possible audience.

Glancing up, she met his eyes with an even gaze. "All the better."

"But doesn't that defeat the purpose of why I'd be kissing you?"

"Percy, I asked if you wanted to kiss me. Not if you felt you had to." She became frustrated with his intentional thickness.

"This… this isn't about what I want." He rambled, trying to steer her away from dangerous territory.

"Oh, but it is. At this precise moment, it is all about what you want."

He stared at her for a long couple of seconds, trying to qualify what she had just revealed, before tearing his eyes away and scoping about anxiously.

"Pansy, we need to go inside." He mumbled, becoming flustered.

Reaching up, she placed her hand on his cheek and slowly brought his attention back to her. "Percy, I think we should stay right here and talk about this."

"Talk?" he blurted out dumbly, becoming intoxicated by her close proximity.

A low, soft giggle rolled through her as a playful smirk teased at her lips. "Perhaps talk isn't the right word." She breathed against his mouth before leaning in and brushing her lips lightly over his.

His senses were careening out of control, the enormity of what he was feeling overtaking his more logical mind. The entire week without her had been a slow drowning in his longing. And now, here she was seemingly offering herself to him. To stop… to censor himself… it was too much to ask in this weakened state.

As he stared at her full, wetted lips, he released a shaky breath and then nudged his chin forward to hazard a kiss. With no lack of trepidation, he gently captured her lips in a bid to taste her. He pulled back slightly, regarding her with such reverence it made her breath catch.

Sliding her hand from his cheek into the curls at the nape of his neck, Pansy pulled him to her, angling him so that she could reclaim his mouth in a deeper, fuller kiss. She swept her tongue over his, and was rewarded with a stifled moan.

After a few trembling moments of exploration, Percy laced his left arm about her waist, pulling her closer, and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders to offer more support. Pansy eagerly responded by releasing his curls in favour of pressing at his back to bring him closer still.

As their need boiled over, their languid snogging soon gave way to an almost frantic grasping and pawing. What had begun as slow, worshipful kisses mounted into a clash of tongues, and lips, and teeth, battling for dominance… battling for more.

In a blur, Pansy was up and kneeling between his legs, her hands running the course of his face and hair… his raking up and down her body, memorizing… savouring every dip and swell that her curves had to offer. As she wrapped her arms about his neck, Percy clutched at her, trying to eliminate any and all space between them.

Her sighs and light moans into his mouth were driving him mental. He needed her closer… needed more contact. Grasping her firmly at the waist, he lifted her slightly. Instantly recognizing the intent of this action, Pansy parted her legs and let them slide to either side of his hips. Percy let go of her waist, grabbed at the back of her knees, and pulled her forward, forcing her to straddle him.

Pansy broke from the kiss and moaned her approval at the newfound contact. She wriggled a little to become more comfortable, in turn causing a delicious friction between their bodies. Percy's head fell back against the tree as a loud groan rumbled through his chest. Watching him in the throes of such obvious pleasure set a fire in Pansy. She wanted to see that reaction again…. To revel in the knowledge that she was the cause of it. Rising up slightly, she studied him closely as she rolled her pelvis from front to back against the considerable bulge in his trousers. Percy hissed sharply and grabbed at her hips.

Pulling his head up to regard her through hooded, lust-filled eyes, he muttered. "Fuck Pansy, that's bril…" but she didn't let him finish, cutting off his words by claiming his lips in a searing kiss. As their renewed snogging took on a fevered pitch, their clutching, and grinding became punctuated and feral.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the now dark evening air. "Percy… Pansy, are you out there? Dessert is ready."

The sound of his mother's voice brought Percy slamming painfully back to reality. He tore his lips from Pansy's and grabbing her upper arms, held her away from him, the look of sheer panic and distress etching a vicious path across his features. What was he doing? This could only end badly for him, and he was making it worse by indulging in her.

"Percy?" Pansy mumbled as she released her tight grip on his shoulders, cupped his face, and moved in to retake his lips.

He grabbed her wrists and yanked her hands away. In a mess of arms and legs, he tripped his way to his feet, forcing her to tumble unceremoniously onto her backside. Once standing, his posture went impossibly stiff, and he tried to conceal his erratic breathing wrought with emotion.

"Percy!" she railed.

"We need to go in now." He managed in a tight voice, avoiding her eyes, before swiftly turning on his heels and rigidly making his way back to the house.

Stunned, Pansy could only watch as his retreating form disappeared behind a row of hedges.

A/N: Holy crap, that was a hard chapter to write. Sorry for the delay!

Isosohungy: Thank you :)

ginger28: Harry has issues ;) lol.

IHeartMCR: lol. You crack me up every time :) I can't have them admit undying love now. the story would be over then. Do you really want that? Don't answer that.

anonymous: That was a little piece of real life coming into play. I have three older brothers that I'm very protective of... lol.

stoneofpurity: Oh, I will. Just watch for it... lol. You really think Pansy is a nice person? She's scheming to make a man jealous so he'll marry her.

Avanell: lol. Yes, our little Hermione just needs to be the counseler, doesn't she?