Pansy settled on the bench next to him, smiling sweetly before turning to continue a conversation with Daphne. It sounded like exactly the same one from breakfast. Draco resisted the urge to sigh.
He had been forced to stand Pansy for weeks already. She occupied the seat to his left during meals and whenever he found a spot to relax within the common room – even if that meant conjuring a seat for herself. The conversation with Blaise, who usually sat on his right, was the only blessing that stopped him from storming off to the dormitory – which the girl could still enter freely with Hogwarts' unfair system. Father had insisted that he not insult Pansy, and Draco was trying his best not to let his frustration show, since the Parkinson family were still influential and one of their stronger allies amongst the Pureblood families.
Draco wished they weren't, just so he could have Pansy bother someone else. Vincent and Gregory had proven to be better company than Pansy, and that was saying a lot. Despite believing that he enjoyed the attention, and he had in the beginning when he didn't understand what it would result in, Draco simply hated the attention Pansy gave him – she was frivolous and cared for little that didn't affect her directly. It was nothing like the soothing attention his mother gave him, nor the more hidden kindness of his father.
She hoped they would wed after graduation – Draco shuddered at the very suggestion. His father had brought the conversation up, and offered Pansy as a possible future Lady Malfoy – it would grow the Malfoy vaults, with Pansy being the sole heir of the Parkinson family
Having to interact with Pansy on a daily level for seven years now, Draco had hoped that she would have changed – that she would have changed in a manner that wasn't purely physical. He'd hoped that she'd grow into decent conversation that didn't centre around how attractive the boys of each house were; that she would do something other than smile and bat her eyelashes at him.
Stabbing his lunch with a fork, Draco watched as the Great Hall slowly filled with the dregs of exhausted students – it was nearly Winter break, after all, and everyone simply wanted to go home. The expected homework for the holiday was piling up at a rapid pace, and the few who wished to truly enjoy the break were rushing to complete the work. He would have a Yule celebration to suffer through with Pansy for company, but the rest of those precious few days would be spent in relieved relaxation.
He simply hoped he would not be welcomed home with Pansy's complaints of him not spending enough time with her. Pansy had done that before the Summer holidays, and Draco had been forced to invite her to Malfoy Manor, or accept her invitation to the Parkinson home, every other week.
Draco had made sure to invite Blaise and Theo to Malfoy Manor on the days his mother hadn't planned anything. The two had agreed with knowing smiles, and a promise from Draco of helping them in the future.
He wasn't going to risk Pansy ruining Yule.
The Golden Snitch [Uagadou, Biloko]: 12 Days of Christmas – 8 dingoes digging: write about a character dating someone for information/benefits