Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. But I think you all already knew that.
Chapter 15 – Love Potion Number Nine
Pansy felt a tight grip on her upper arm, and sharp words hissed into her ear. "What the devil do you think you're doing?"
Tearing her eyes away from Percy's, she turned her head toward the angry voice only to be met with storming grey eyes.
In a gentle daze, she offered softly. "Pardon?"
"You're… the two of you are making a spectacle of yourselves. Do you really think no one can see your ridiculous display?"
Pansy glanced around but didn't see anyone paying them any mind. "What are you talking about, Draky? I think you're going a bit funny in the head. It's almost pitch black in here, and besides, no one's looking."
"Need I remind you that you're here with me tonight?" he growled, ignoring her reply.
"Sorry. I'll try harder to be a little less affectionate with the man I'm currently seeing." She tittered out sarcastically.
"Disgusting." He grumbled as he took a sip of his almost empty wine glass and turned back to listen to the Minister.
Scooping another dollop of pudding onto her finger and moving it quickly into her waiting mouth, Pansy glanced back to Percy and found his eyes still trained on her. She smiled devilishly around her finger and winked only to be gifted with his best reaction yet – what appeared to be an all out nervous laugh covered by a cough. It was quite the bolster to her ego to know she had that kind of power over him. He was so endearing in his awkwardness.
As Pansy sat back and finished her dessert, she was nearly bursting inside. She tried to conceal her giddiness, but she'd never had so much fun flirting with someone in her life.
Percy's reaction to her overt playfulness was so different than other men's. Normally, those other wankers would either try to flirt back with smoldering, heavy-lidded looks, which in all seriousness looked quite absurd. Or they would snort at her coolly and ignore her displays as if to say that they believed her attentions were beneath their regard.
Percy's looks, however, were perfect. His slack-jawed, hungry, dazed expression of want was thoroughly entertaining, not to mention adorable. It was exhilarating to have that kind of attention ladled upon her, and just enough to fuel another attempt, on her part, at winning back his affections.
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Draco sat at his vacated table alone, his head pounding viciously. Pansy had long since disappeared from his side, and he really hadn't a clue where she'd gone. He vaguely recalled her yammering about something, but the conversation was extremely foggy to him now.
He reached up and lightly touched his temple as if the gesture would calm his swimming mind. Everything seemed to be going in and out of focus, and people's voices sounded as if they were speaking to him… around him… at him through a tunnel. The music was at times painfully tinny and then at others, incredibly muffled. Something was definitely wrong.
Standing abruptly, Draco listed dangerously to the left but righted himself quickly. Palms planted firmly on the table, he began to scan the crowd, and was quickly rewarded in his search. Black hair… pale skin… A dark cloud of rage and jealousy rolled through him and he growled.
'And with the Weasel! Always with the bloody Weasel.' he sneered inwardly.
Standing up straight and setting his shoulders stiffly back, Draco breathed in sharply and made his way toward his target.
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Percy scanned the mingling crowd, only half listening to the Minister as he searched for Pansy. When the awards segment had finally finished and the lights were brought up, everyone stood and began to mill about, and that's when he lost sight of her.
'Damn her for being tiny.' Percy thought in passing.
Suddenly, a gentle female voice from behind them invaded their conversation, and both men turned toward the speaker. "Hello Minister…. Mr. Weasley."
"Ms. Parkinson," Kingsley smiled warmly, "what a pleasant surprise. Had I known you would be here, I would have presented your father's award to you in his stead. When he forwarded his regrets on being unable to attend, he never mentioned your interest in the business world."
Pansy scoffed inwardly. It was no surprise to her that her father had said nothing. These banquets were of little consequence to him. The acclaim and recognition that went with them did not stretch beyond England, so what was the use when the majority of his client base was located in Asia and North America?
"That's due entirely to the fact that I held none until recently." Pansy chirped playfully instead.
"Really? What changed your mind?" Kingsley asked innocently enough.
Percy visibly started though at his boss' use of words. Did the man know something?
Pansy glanced to Percy, and a small smile played at her lips. "Well, I've become quite interested in the inner workings of the Ministry's business department."
"Really?" Kingsley's own smile widened, and he asked knowingly. "Any specific area?"
Percy stiffened as he felt the Weasley blush crawling dangerously up his neck toward his face. That sealed it. The man definitely knew something. Percy would have to find out and throttle who ever had spilled.
"Why, yes." Pansy gushed. "I'm particularly intrigued by the office that handles business applications."
"Really? Well, if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Weasley here is the head of that department."
"Is he really?" Pansy batted her eyelashes innocently. "How fortunate for me."
"How fortunate indeed. I do believe his assistant, Phyllis, will be retiring soon. It might be the perfect opportunity for you. He'll definitely need a hand with…."
"Minister, that position… that position would be well beneath a woman of Ms. Parkinson's standing." Percy blurted out, cutting Shacklebolt off unceremoniously.
Both Pansy and the Minister snapped their eyes to Percy in surprise only to find him flustered beyond words and fidgeting madly where he stood.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Minister." Pansy offered graciously. "As much as I would love to work beneath Mr. Weasley…" 'Or above him for that matter.' She mused to herself, a wicked smirk capturing her lips.
Percy's mind must have been traveling along the same lines because he instantly started to choke and cough at her words. For his part, Kingsley was having a hard time keeping the bubbling laughter within him at bay. He marveled at the petite woman across from him who could so unsettle his notoriously stoic deputy.
"… I'm afraid I wouldn't be very well-suited to the position." She continued on, completely ignoring Percy's fit. "I like to be in charge, you see. On top, as it were. Bad habit of mine, I know. However, from the few times I've had the pleasure of conversing with Mr. Weasley, I highly suspect he'd be quite adept at giving me orders." Pansy finished with a Cheshire cat grin.
Shacklebolt burst out laughing as Percy was left an impossible shade of red. Before either man could respond to her coquettish rant, Pansy continued on. "Speaking of our Mr. Weasley, I was wondering if I could steal him for a dance."
"Oh… I… There's still so much…." Percy stammered, still tongue-tied from the previous conversation.
"That's a wonderful idea, Ms. Parkinson. The man deserves a break after all of his hard work." Shacklebolt beamed, slapping Percy firmly on the back a few times. "Go on, Weasley. Your job for this evening is done. Loosen up and have yourself a dance or two."
"Thank you, Minister," Pansy supplied as she grabbed Percy's hand and started dragging his unwilling form out onto the dance floor.
Once there, Pansy turned to face Percy and all of her precocious courage from before completely evaporated. His obvious discomfort and avoidance of eye contact sent her hurtling into her own child-like self-consciousness and uncertainty, and she began to wring her hands as if caught by her father in some naughty act.
What did she mean by being so forward in front of the Minister? Had she really intended to force Percy to dance with her? It seemed like a good idea at the time. She would have him near and be able to use her close proximity to cajole him into giving her another chance. But how to get past this initial physical trepidation was the question?
Without warning, Percy stepped forward and stilled her hands with his own. The simple touch made Pansy jump as a renewed nervous vigor hammered through her. Slowly, he raised her right hand up and out with his left, both watching the connection devoutly. Then he placed her other hand on his shoulder, and wrapped his arm gingerly around her slight waist, pulling her closer ever so slightly.
Percy cleared his throat loudly and swallowed hard, then began to move them slowly around the dance floor. Yes, it was a very formal dance position, but it was better than the two of them standing there ogling each other for what felt like hours on end.
A few awkward circles later, he cinched her closer to him in an uncharacteristic act of boldness. He then pulled their outstretched arms in close, changed his hold on her hand, and pressed her palm against his chest. Instead of causing Pansy even greater anxiety, she felt herself relax into the intimacy of the posture, and she released the breath she holding.
They swayed lightly back and forth in silence, allowing the lilting music to wash away the remnants of uneasiness and enjoying the nearness of the other.
"So," Percy hesitated briefly to gather his nerve, "did you enjoy your dessert?"
Pansy bit her bottom lip and a low giggle rippled through her small frame. Stepping closer into him, she pressed her body more firmly against his, slid her hand from his until he was merely holding her wrist, and coyly began to play with the lapel of his dressrobes.
As she peered up through her thick lashes at his still upturned face, she murmured softly. "You could say that. I dare say I've never enjoyed chocolate pudding so much before."
Percy's lips twitched imperceptibly, and he offered her a brief nod. "Well, the Ministry does aim to please."
"Do they now?" Pansy purred, resting her chin against his chest. "Still, I think it could have been better." She sighed dramatically.
This caught Percy's attention, and he looked down into her rich, dark eyes. All the air felt like it had been knocked out of Percy's lungs as he fully realized her incredible nearness. Holding her was akin to an anxious kind of perfection.
"Better? How so?" he managed, his voice breaking slightly.
"Well, personally I've always felt that pudding would taste so much better if it was shared." She answered lightly, lowering her chin and refocusing on his buttons.
"Shared?" he squeaked.
Pansy's lips curled into a teasing smirk. "Oh yes! It would be absolutely delicious. I've never had the chance to put this hypothesis to the test though. Quite sad, don't you think?" At her last question, she tilted her chin and peered up at him.
"Sad? Yes, quite sad!" he nodded dumbly.
Sensing she had his undivided attention, she let her fingers dance precariously to the inside of his jacket. "It would be heavenly to share pudding with someone, don't you think?'
"Yes, heavenly." He mumbled, too caught up in the play of her lips and the feel of her hand through his thin dress shirt.
Suddenly shaking his head, Percy tried to clear away the various erotic images involving chocolate pudding and the woman in his arms from his mind.
He cleared his throat softly, grabbed her hand in his own, stilling its exploration, and forged on. "Pansy, about before…"
At the abrupt change in topic, Pansy sobered, the flirtatious smile falling swiftly from her face, and she steeled herself for the conversation ahead.
"Yes?" she murmured, seemingly consumed by the front of his dressrobes.
"What did you mean when you said you had changed your mind?"
"Just that. I changed my mind." She offered with a put on nonchalance.
Percy huffed slightly. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. "And how does this... this change of mind involve me? If at all."
"You're the reason for it." She murmured quickly, her voice dropping so low that she was almost inaudible.
Her words, however, did not escape Percy and he felt a swell of hope almost bowl him over. "Me? What did I do?"
"You distracted me," she simpered, looking up at him plaintively.
"How so?" his voice shot up a full octave in mock defense.
"Well, there's the whole Draco thing."
"What? What do you mean? You're here with him tonight, aren't you?"
"Yes, but that was only to see you," she blurted out without thinking.
Percy blushed several different shades of red from the roots of his hair clear down to the curl of his toes. Mortified by what she'd revealed, Pansy leaned her forehead against his chest in embarrassment.
"I… Excuse me?" he stuttered.
Pansy mumbled something incoherent, and Percy's brow creased in confusion. "What was that?"
She pulled her head off him, pouting slightly, but did not repeat herself. Percy tentatively released her hand, reached up, and cupped her right cheek in his left hand, crouching down slightly to bring himself into her line vision. "What was that, love?" he repeated himself.
"I… I don't want to continue on with the plan anymore," she finally supplied shyly.
"You don't?"
At this, Pansy merely shook her head a little.
Percy brushed his thumb tenderly over her cheek, and whispered, "Why not?"
She looked up at him with wide, vulnerable eyes, her courage to utter the words having fled her. Percy stood straighter, leaned forward, and pressed a protective kiss to her forehead which had her all but melting in his arms.
Suddenly, a heavy voice cut through their intimacy, "Excuse me, but I do believe I'd like to cut in."
The two moved apart abruptly and looked toward the interruption. There stood Draco swaying unsteadily on his feet as he leered at them with a vengeful glare.
"I beg your pardon?" Percy stuttered through his shock.
"Sod off, Weasley. You get enough of his attention." Draco spouted as he gave Percy a shove full of swagger.
"Draco, what is your problem?" Pansy barked.
"I think you and I are due for a little chat." He growled at her, taking her right hand in his left and encircling her waist.
Thoroughly stunned, Percy slowly moved himself from the dance floor, never taking his eyes off them.
"Draco, what is the matter with you?" Pansy hissed, stealing glances toward Percy.
"I should be asking you that question," he snarled.
"Please, not this again."
"Do you think I'm dense, or something? Do you honestly think I don't know what's been going on between you two?" he growled, pinning her with a frighteningly dangerous look.
"What are you on about? I've been nothing but honest with you about him." Pansy managed, trying to suppress the looming fear within her. Had he uncovered the plan?
"Hardly!" Draco spat. "Don't you think I see the looks you keep giving him? You are so obvious."
"I thought we discussed this, Draco." Pansy stammered.
"I love you. Does that mean nothing to you? I love you more than anything and anyone, and yet you go to him and rip me to shreds the first opportunity you get." The shift in Draco was unmistakable. There was a clawing kind of hurt in his voice.
"Draco, I never did anything of the kind." Pansy pleaded.
She was getting more and more confused. Draco's arguments weren't making any sense. He seemed to be moving himself toward some kind of emotional breakdown.
"Don't deny it. I heard you. You didn't know I was still there, but I heard you talking to him."
"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"
He cupped her face tenderly with both hands. "Why? Just tell me why?" he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Draco, you're scaring me!"
In the next moment, Draco leaned forward, and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Never in her whole life had Pansy felt that kind of passion from him. There was a hunger… a need… a sadness. He'd never kissed her like this before. Without permission, he deepened the kiss and as hard as she fought against it, Pansy felt herself being lulled into a tumult of sensations.
As his fervor and force lessened, Pansy pulled away dumbfounded, licking at her lips. After a brief euphoric moment with his eyes closed, Draco opened them only to jolt and blink a few times at the sight of her. He dropped his hands from her face as shock and confusion stole over both of their features.
Suddenly, the realization of what had just happened pierced through Pansy like a knife. She turned her head sharply in the direction of where she'd left Percy standing only minutes before to find him staring at them, a look of aching disbelief cutting deeply across his face. In the next instant, a cold, dark cloud of bitter anger and hate stormed over his features, and he turned and made a dash for the exit.
Pansy felt her stomach twist painfully, and turning back to Draco, she viciously slapped him with everything she had in her. This did nothing to break him from his stunned silence.
"Damn you!" she screeched loudly, and then tore off through the crowd in pursuit of Percy, leaving Draco utterly gobsmacked and holding his cheek.
Before Draco could gather himself enough to go after her, a hand gripped his arm and his world was sent into a tilt-a-whirl. Once the spinning had come to a stop, Draco was met with raging green eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry seethed at him through gritted teeth.
Dragging his eyes down and away from the other man's fierce gaze, it took Draco a moment to find his bearings. As his mind cleared and he remembered his scorn, he wrenched his arm free and unsteadily tried to straighten his appearance.
"What do you want, Potter?" he snorted mirthlessly.
"Why? Why did you…? You don't even want her." Harry sputtered.
"And how, pray tell, would you know something like that? You don't even know me. You don't know the first thing about me," Draco snapped back angrily, still trying desperately to figure out what had just happened.
"This can't be what you want!" Harry pleaded.
"Maybe it is." Draco stated plainly, and then turned to walk away.
Harry stared at him wordlessly. "She doesn't love you. She doesn't love you like…" he finally called after Draco.
"Like? Like what?" Draco turned brusquely back, jumping all over Harry's words.
After a moment's hesitation, Harry finished quietly. "Like… like that. It's obvious she's in love with Percy."
Trying to conceal the utter disappointment working its way over him, Draco clenched his jaw tightly and took a deep, steeling breath. "Well that makes very little difference, now doesn't it Potter?" he spouted coldly. "She's promised to me. She's mine for the taking. If and when I want her, I will have her. Besides, she'll make the perfect little wife and mother one day. She'll never cause me an ounce of pain."
Harry staggered back slightly, floored by Draco's biting words and ice-cold demeanor. For a few achingly long seconds, the two men simply stared at each other in a thick, drowning silence. When the intensity of their stare had grown too strong, Harry spun quickly around and stormed away, pushing his way through the throngs of people still cluttered on the dance floor. At the sight of Harry's quickly disappearing figure, Draco started after him, only to have someone grab his arm, staying his progress.
Spinning around violently, Draco snapped bitterly at his captor. "WHAT?"
Ron dropped his hand, and took a step back, running his right hand sheepishly through his flaming red hair.
"What do you want, Weasley?" Draco bit out sharply, not losing a drop of the venom from his earlier outburst.
"Why can't you leave her alone, Malfoy?"
"Because, as I just informed your friend over there, she belongs to me."
"Do you really think you two will be happy together, what with both of you being in love with other people?"
Draco instantly stiffened at Ron's choice of words. "I can't speak for Pansy, Weasel, but I am for damn sure not in love with anyone."
"Really?" Ron asked, unable to keep the doubt from edging its way into his voice.
"Yes, really!" Draco snarled back.
"I find that very hard to believe, Malfoy."
"Well, that's not my problem, Weasley."
"If you're not in love with anyone, including her, then why are you being so persistent in trying to separate her from my brother?"
Draco looked away, and the muscles in his jaw worked furiously as he weighed his answer carefully. "Sometimes Weasley, it's just safer to stick with your own kind. Slytherins with Slytherins, and Gryffindors with Gryffindors. No one gets hurt. No one says or hears anything they shouldn't," he finished pointedly.
It was Ron's turn to go rigid in understanding. "He didn't mean it, Draco." He finally stuttered.
"Didn't mean what?" Draco pretended to play dumb.
"If I had known…" Ron stammered.
"That's the problem, now isn't it, Weasley? You didn't know because he chose not to tell you. No, instead he chose to…" Draco stopped, obviously running into some difficulty with finishing this sentence. Instead he took a deep breath, forcing down his emotions, and mumbled. "If you had known, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"I know now." Ron supplied lamely.
"A little late for that, don't you think?" Draco mumbled.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and marched in an altogether different direction from which both Harry and Pansy had fled, leaving Ron to stand on his own in the middle of the dance floor.
Heaving a large sigh, Ron shook his head dismally, and muttered "Bugger!" under his breath before starting off to find his best mate.
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Two men stood on the carpeted edge of the dance floor, one the perfect mirror image of the other. With wide, self-satisfied grins, they watched the drama unfold in near silence.
Once the parties involved had fled to their respective corners, the first man turned to his partner in crime, and spoke plainly. "That went better than expected if I do say so myself."
"Remarkably so. Who would have guessed?" his brother rejoined.
"Who indeed. More entertainment than I thought we were in for, that's for sure."
"And did you see Percy's face?"
"I did actually." Came a small voice from behind them.
Both men stilled as the realization that they'd been caught took hold. Swallowing back their fear, they managed a chipper, "Evening Gin," in unison.
Moving seamlessly between them with deadly calm, Ginny offered in a crisp, calculating tone, "Hello Fred. Hello George. My, don't you two look cozy over here?"
A small shudder ran through the twins from the cold threat inherent in her greeting.
"Tell me, brothers of mine," she continued on when they both remained silent, "did you have anything to do with that fiasco?"
"Which fiasco would that be, Ginny?" George asked naively.
"The one that just exploded on the dance floor," she supplied, her voice growing colder by the second.
"I didn't see anything unusual. Did you Gred?"
"Not a thing, Forge?"
"Cut the bullshit." Ginny finally snapped, turning on them and pointing a dangerous finger that listed between them. "I know you two were somehow involved. I want to know what you did, and I want to know now. Or else trust me, you'll think whatever Pansy Parkinson has done to you in the past is child's play by the time I'm through with you."
"Oh come on, Gin. It was only for a laugh." George tried weakly to placate her.
"I don't think anyone found it very funny, George. I'm certainly not laughing, and you know there's a problem when I'm not laughing."
She was met with abject silence. Grabbing them both by an ear, she yanked them down to her height. "What did you do?" she hammered at them.
"Ow… ow… ow… It was only a harmless love potion, Ginny." George managed through gritted teeth.
"A mixture really." Fred supplied.
"A mixture? Are you two insane?" Ginny screeched, releasing them both.
Rubbing the side of his head, George shot Fred a dirty look for ratting them out. "Yeah, nothing permanent though. It's kind of a 'Rose Coloured Glasses' meets 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' combo."
"Explain!" Ginny barked.
"Well, the 'Rose Coloured Glasses' makes the victim see their love in the first person they touch after drinking the potion, and the 'Long Kiss Goodnight' makes the recipient of an unwelcome kiss give over happily. It all dissipates once the kiss ends though."
"But the damage is done, yeah? You two are absolute idiots." Ginny huffed, placing her hands firmly on her hips.
"Thank you." The twins chirped simultaneously.
"And you're going to help me fix it." Ginny continued, ignoring their pride.
"What?" George pleaded.
"Why?" Fred whined.
"Because your brother, regardless of whether you think he's a prat or not, is in love with one of those people you "oh so" carelessly played with tonight, and you pretty much ruined their chances."
"He's better off without her," George snapped, showing the darker side of his teasing nature.
"That's not your choice to make. Until she does something unforgivable… of her own volition," Ginny amended quickly, "I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because she makes Percy happy. Now… you and you," she pointed to them separately, "better come up with a way to make this right, or so help me…"
"Yes, Gin." They chorused in a lifeless monotone before she could finish her threat.
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"Percy! Wait! Please!" Pansy panted as she struggled down the steps after Percy.
"Go back inside, Pansy. Go back to your companion," he tossed over his shoulder without slowing his vicious gait.
"No! Wait Percy, it's not what not you think."
"Not what I think?!" He reeled around suddenly to face her. "You have no idea what I think!"
Finally reaching him, she stopped only a few paces away. Through a quivering voice, she pleaded. "Percy, please! I didn't want to…"
"What? Kiss him? You could have fooled me. You both looked quite content," he sneered at her viciously, then began to stalk in an agitated circle, running his right hand through his hair.
"He kissed me, Percy. It came out of nowhere. Really, it did. I was shocked was all! That was why…"
He stopped quite suddenly, pinned her with a fiery glare, his eyes shining brightly in the moonlight, and cut her off. "No! Stop it! Just stop it! It's all a game to you. All a fucking lie! You and your bloody, sodding games!"
He began to fiercely wrestle with his cloak, and it became clear he was searching for his wand so that he could apparate. "I need to get away from you before… before I do something…" he mumbled.
"No Percy, you need to stay. Please, we have to talk about this. Obviously, you don't understand…" Pansy rambled as she reached up and grasped his arms in desperation.
He wrenched himself free, and spat. "I understand perfectly well, thank you very much."
They stared at each other silently for several long seconds, both panting from the sheer force of emotion streaming through them… between them.
"Please!" Pansy finally whimpered.
Percy lifted his wand, but the second before he disapparated, Pansy panicked. She launched herself into his arms and they vanished together with a soft pop.
A/N: Hello all! Well that was a marathon. Let me know what you think :)
cellogirl: Oh thank you. Yes, they're an odd pairing, but they are so much fun together. lol.
QueenoftheClumsyDorks: No, I think your signaling reading is pretty dead on. :) But there is definitely more to that story than meets the eye.
KTBallerina: Thank you so much. They are two characters that are either painted in fic as so completely evil or (in Draco's case) ridden of all their faults, that they are very hard to put on paper.
IHeartMCR: Long or short, I don't mind. I just love hearing from you :) Funny that you assumed George and Fred were going to help. Couldn't have that, could we? lol. And I do feel slightly guilty taking you away from school work. But not that guilty. lmao.
Avanell: No worries. No computer? That must suck royally. Hey, when am I going to get an update on the Peter Pan fic? Or a New York Secret for that matter? Get me all into the story then leave me high and dry. lol.
stoneofpurity: Oh, it was there. I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that to use swellage. lol.
gingerale22: It's wonderful to hear from you. I'm reveling in my ability to make you cackle out loud though. lol. Did you really think the twins could have avoided doing something stupid? lol.
namelessxfreak: No worries. I'm really bad for that too. And I should know better being a fic writer. I know this went somewhere you're not a huge fan of, but I had this plotted out for a while and couldn't change it. The H/D won't be a huge part of the plot. Just kind of an peripheral thing.
ginger28: Oh, they're nasty wankers (the twins), aren't they? Sorry I haven't called you. Life's been a little nuts lately. I'll drop you a line either tonight or Saturday.
Miss Anthrope: The conclusion to that 'or so he thought' reference will come in the next chapter ;D
Sunshine Silverjojo: Thank you so much. Neither Pansy nor Percy are very developed in either fic or the books. So having them in a pairing together was a double whammy of sorts. But they really were irresistible once I got started. I was telling a friend just today actually that when I began, I wasn't a really big fan of them, but now I love them to bits. lol.