Ok, so I'm uploading this as I'm running out the door. So I ask that you please forgive any typos or grammatical errors. It's been forever since I uploaded and I wanted to give you guys one before I had to disappear for a few days. Nothing bad, I just won't be anywhere with a computer. Also, I thank anyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed and I will post thank with the next update! This was going to be part of a bigger chapter, but as I said, I wanted to give you guys another chapter, even if it's small. Love you all! (7/17/14)
It was getting colder.
Pansy clutched the sides of her jacket, pulling them closer. She had never liked the winter. Sure, it meant snow, scarves, and hats, but you know what else it meant? Cold. And Pansy Parkinson did not do cold. That meant unattractive chattering and goose bumps. It meant putting on ten thousand extra layers to keep from dying a slow, miserable death. It meant that you had to stay cooped up inside a building because your skin would become dry and cracked.
She would much rather it be summer. Laying outside, soaking up the sun. The grass all green and the trees coming back into the lush, leafy bulbs. The flowers blooming and the sky nice and clear.
Only half a year to go.
Pansy was waiting for the day that it wasn't cold. Because that meant that she would be out of school, totally free. Yes, she would miss the halls of Hogwarts. Hogwarts was where she made her first friends. It was where she received her kiss. Where she felt she could be herself. It was where she had her heart broken and where Blaise had spiked her pumpkin juice to help her get over the horrid feeling.
It was home for her because her actual house was cold.
But it was time for her to become an adult. She could take care of herself. There was enough money in her parents account and her account that would make sure she would never have to work again. She would work, though. She had always wanted to. Although, back then, it had more to do with getting away from her parents. But being with Ron had taught her the value of working. She never really had to work. She wasn't super smart like Granger, but she wasn't falling behind like Ron was at the beginning. She was passable.
Ron had brought up the subject of work after they graduated several times. She already knew before they had started dating that he wanted to be an Auror. As for Pansy herself, she didn't know what she wanted to do. She knew she didn't want to work with the Ministry. The jobs there were mainly political or practical, both of which bored Pansy. Plus, being friends with two magical Creatures and seeing all that the Ministry was putting them through, Pansy was rather discouraged of the Ministry.
A light snow had begun to fall, adding to the already white blanket that covered the ground. The wind picked up again, causing the many packages that Pansy was carrying to nearly fall out of her hands. Being a Hogsmeade weekend, and with her friends busy with their own lives, Pansy felt that it was the perfect moment to go Christmas shopping. She wasn't the only one with that particular idea. Hogsmeade had been filled to the brim with Hogwarts students. There were even a few first, second, and third years in the town. McGonagall had allowed supervised groups to go, in order to get their own Christmas shopping done. With what money, Pansy wasn't sure, and many of the older years had grumbled at the unfairness of it all. Really, the only thing the younger years did was swarm Honeyduke's and Zonkos. Pansy had a feeling that this was going to be the only year with the younger years tagging along.
One of the said children went running past Pansy, knocking into her legs. She fumbled with her footing, managing to keep herself upright, but losing a few of the packages and one of the bags that she carried.
"Watch it!" She called. The kid ignored her and kept running. "Bloody younger years," she grumbled to herself. Bending down, she picked up the Christmas gifts that she had bought for each of her friends.
For Blaise, she bought several sugar quills and a few rolls of enchanted parchment. It was supposed to record the things you said onto the paper without the use of a writing utensil. Not many knew it, but Blaise liked to write. Fictional, narratives, educational, you name it. Although, trying to get that boy to do actual homework essays was like trying to get a fish to walk. He called it a 'pass time' but Pansy knew it was more than that. But in case Blaise didn't like the parchment, and wanted to physically write, Pansy got him a leather encased writing pad with his name engraved on the lower left corner. She also knew how paranoid Blaise was about people reading his stuff, so she got the one with the locking enchantment.
For Draco, she got him cologne. It didn't sound very thoughtful, but it was sort of tradition that she get him cologne every Christmas. He could never pick a fragrance to match his person, and the kind his mother got him reminded Pansy of old people. Pansy had finally bought him some cologne in third year, and Draco had loved it. Although, at that time he liked it because the females always commented on how 'amazing' he smelled. She got him the usual cologne each year, but would get a sample sized bottle she wanted him to try. It was a very weird tradition.
Pansy almost didn't get a gift for Valerie. That was more out of cluelessness than anything, however. She was friends with Valerie, but the girl was not the most forthcoming about personal things and tastes. So Pansy ended up getting her a set of earrings and a bracelet. They were meant to match the clover necklace that Valerie always seemed to wear, and Pansy did notice that Valerie liked wearing jewelry. Pansy just .hoped that the girl wouldn't think her gift attempt half-assed.
The gifts for everyone else took a little more thought. She had been spending more time with the Gryffindors since dating Ron, and she would've felt bad if she didn't get them something.
Out of all the Gryffindors, Pansy had spent the most time with Ginny. Dating the girl's brother, and Ron being best mates with Ginny's boyfriend, the two couples often went double dating or just hanging out. The two girls would often stick together when the boys went off to do something stupid. The girls had talked about everything from fashion to sex. One thing Pansy had noticed was that Ginny was a closet nympho. 'Great information to know about your boyfriend's sister,' Pansy thought dryly. Not that Pansy was innocent, but she did not want to know the sordid details of Potter's sex life. And according to Ginny, the boy was a bit shy between the sheets. So Pansy took it upon herself to buy Ginny lingerie. Pansy was hoping that this would help Potter out of his shell, and Pansy wouldn't have to hear about it anymore. If anyone thought it was forward, buying new friend lingerie, they had obviously never talked to Ginny. She didn't even bother to buy anything for Potter because Ginny's gift would be like Christmas to the boy.
Granger was perhaps the easiest Gryffindor to shop for. All Pansy did for Granger's gift was open a 15 Galleon tab in Tomes and Scrolls for the girl to use. Pansy would bet a thousand times that, that Granger would use it all before the end of the next semester. (Note: I looked up the value of a Galleon, and one Galleon is about 10 bucks in the US, and about 5 pounds. Dang, wizard stuff's expensive! Then again, a Galleon is made from gold.)
For Felix, Pansy didn't have quiet the trouble she had with Valerie's gift. She got a leather bracelet to accompany the one he already had. The one he owned at present looked worn and old.
The last package that she picked up was long and carried Ron's gift: a broom. She knew how much he loved Quidditch. It was a common topic that the boy talked about, second to none. Ron even played recreational games as often as he could. However, since the Quidditch field was out of commission, that meant Ron often played on the school grounds. Whacking into things, crashing into trees, all that jazz. All of the Quidditch was starting to show on his broom. It was old to begin with, but now the handle was splintering and some of the bristles were falling out. Ron had talked about getting a new broom, but even the cheapest broom was quite a pouch of Galleons.
They hadn't really brought up the subject of money. Pansy knew it was a sore subject with him, and tried to avoid any talk about the subject. Plus, they were teenagers. They weren't a married couple or living together, worried about house expenses and the like. Regardless though, Pansy was a rich pureblood heir. She had money to spare. Ron came from a big family and did not.
That was perhaps her biggest worry when buying Ron's gift. Ron was very prideful, and Pansy was afraid he wouldn't accept the gift because she bought it.
But she shoved those unpleasant possibilities to the side. It was Christmas time. A time to enjoy family and friends.
This year it would just be friends.
Pansy had always gone home on Christmas holiday. It was a couple of weeks filled with her parents ignoring her or just nit picking at her flaws. They didn't have a big feast on Christmas day, nor did they open presents together. Her mother always had the house elves go out and find gifts, that way she wouldn't have to bother herself with 'such trivial tasks'. Pansy got rather spectacular gifts each year, considereing the house elves knew more about Pansy than her own parents. She usually ordered the elves to help her unwrap the presents under the pretense that she did not want to waste time opening them up. But it was out of lonliness that she made them stay. And they did like unwrapping the presents. They never accepted any gifts, so Pansy always liked seeing the look of wonder on the elves faces when they opened the packages that they didn't buy themselves.
This year though, Pansy didn't want to go home. She would rather stay in the warm familiar hallways of Hogwarts than go home to her cold house. The elves were still there since she inherited them, but Pansy wanted to give them their own little holiday. She noticed that the elves had their own little traditions around this time, and she didn't want to spoil them. Plus, it wasn't like her other relatives were going to open their doors to her. Not that she wanted to spend time with them anyway, but ever since she publicly stated that she didn't have her old beliefs and supported the Muggleborn cause, Pansy Parkinson had been disowned.
Maybe Draco and Blaise were staying here. Blaise's mother would be to busy with her newest male, but Draco's mother would want him home. Although, Draco hadn't said one word about going home, and Pansy knew that had to do with his father. She wasn't even going to touch on THAT subject.
Pansy managed to get the rest of the gifts in hand and started to trudge her way to one of the carriages. It was very alarming to see the Thestrals pulling the carriages this year. They were creepy, and did not help Pansy forget the morbid events of the war. Regardless, she hoisted herself and her belongings up into one of the carriages and made her way back to Hogwarts. When she got to the drop off point, she gathered up the packages and got out of the carriage, and was surprised when she saw Ron walking toward her.
"Ron? What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you," he said as if it was obvious.
"I thought you were playing a game of Quidditch today?"
A disappointed look grew across his face and he scratched the back of his head. He looked at the ground. "We were, but...my broom broke," he mumbled.
Pansy looked at him with sad eyes. "Oh, Ron. I'm sorry."
"S'alright," he said. "It was getting old anyway. It's not like there's Quidditch this year either, so..." He sighed and put his hands in his coat pockets.
Pansy had to dig her nails into her palm to keep a smile from bursting on her face and shoving the long box into the boy's hands. She certainly made the right decision in Ron's gift.
"Well, don't worry too much. I'm sure you can borrow a broom," She said, walking forward.
"Yeah," he sighed.
He took a few of the packages from her. "Did you buy all of Hogsmeade?"
She snorted. "Hardly. I went Christmas shopping."
His eyes lit up. "Really? Are any of these for me?"
"Yes," she chuckled, "but I'm not telling you which one."
He pouted. "Awww, come on!"
"No, Ron."
He continued to wear the pouting look, but started talking about what he was getting for everyone. He was getting Ginny a poster for the Holyhead Harpies, getting Hemione a snowglobe which he was going to charm, and getting Harry a pair of Monoculars.
"I don't know what to get Valerie or Felix."
"And what about Blaise and Draco?"
He groaned. "Do I have to get them gifts?" He whined.
Pansy smacked him on the arm as best she could. "Yes. They're part of your group of friends now."
"I didn't ask them to."
"Ron Weasley, you are going to make me very angry in a few seconds."
He put his arms up in defeat. "Alright, alright. I suppose Blaise isn't too bad. But Malfoy?"
"Yes, Draco."
He sighed. "I don't know what to get them either."
"Just get them candy or something. It's the thought that counts."
He slumped his shoulders. "Fine."
Pansy laughed.
They made their way up to the castle, and Pansy listened to Ron talk about the Quidditch game. He helped her take the presents to the Room of Requirement and deposit the gifts under the tree they had decorated. The group had decided that they would have their own mini-Christmas before leaving for holiday. As far as they knew, no one else had been in the Room of Requirement or even tried finding it, so the gifts wer safe.
Pansy deposited the packages underneath the tree, which had other packages there already, and stood up.
"Ok." She made to move to the door, but Ron caught her arm.
"Uh," he looked at the floor, not meeting her eye. He rubbed the back of his neck again, this time with more force.
Pansy felt a feeling of dread and ice run through her veins. This was it. Ron was going to break up with her. She felt the rollercoaster of emotions fill her head and plummet all the way to her stomach. Ron let go of her arm, and she took a step back, eyes filled with tears. She had expected this. She knew it would one day happen. Ron would realize that she didn't deserve him, that she hadn't changed. He would see her as the old Pansy Parkinson and think of her as a cow. The feeling of rejection hit her and she sniffed.
"Pans, I want to-" He looked up, and his eyes filled with alarm. "Why are you crying?" He asked with panic.
The tears spilled over now, running down her cheek. "I wa...I..." She couldn't get coherent sentences out. It was all a jumbled mess, and she felt her nose run. Wiping at her face with her sleeve, she turned away from Ron.
"Pansy?" Ron strode forward with purpose, more purpose than he usually had. He took her arm with care and turned her around to face him. She had covered her face with her hands, and was silently crying into them.
"I know," she hiccupped, "I know I'm not the prettiest or the smartest or anything and that I was awful to you and my friends aren't the nicest to you and that I was evil and-" she was rambling on and on, listing each flaw. Ron, never really knowing what to do with crying woman could only stand there, dumbfounded, as Pansy continued crying and babbling.
"-but I'm hoping that you'll rethink it and everything and that I just-"
Ron's eyes widened in a rare moment of clarity.
"I'm not breaking up with you!"
Pansy's sobs turned to sniffles and she peered up at him through her hands. "You're not?" She asked with a delicate voice, something so un-Pansy like.
"No, you daft bint! I love you, I'm not going to break up with you!"
Pansy stopped crying and removed her hands from her face.
"You...You love me?" She asked, confused now.
"Well...Yeah," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He went through the whole look-at-the-ground-and-rub-the-neck spiel again. "I mean, I know we haven't been dating that long. Actually this is kind of fast as things go, and I was worried that you'd think so, and end up rejecting me and...Ugh. I'm bad at words. So I was going to show you."
Pansy raised a brow. "How?"
He gave his Ron Weasley smile, all humble and cute. "I was trying to ask if you'd like to come to my house for the holiday." He looked away from her and started pacing the carpet in the Room of Requirement. "I just figured you'd want to come with me, instead of hanging at Hogwarts all by yourself since...well, since your parents, ugh...aren't present anymore, and I was just thinking that I'd like you to meet my parents and-"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence.
Pansy tackled him in a hug, crushing her lips to his. They fell to the floor, with Ron taking the brunt of the impact. He didn't even have time to process that she was kissing him; he sat there wide-eyed and wasn't quite sure what to do with his hands.
Pansy pulled back, looking at him with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. Her eyes twinkled that wondrous twilight blue, and he suddenly felt very hot.
"So, er, is that a yes?" He asked.
She chuckled. "Yes, Ron. That was a yes. And," she inhaled, "I love you, too."
This time it was Ron's turn to smile a radiant smile. He cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss.
There wasn't anything farther than that. In fact, they broke off the kiss and just laid there, holding one another.
It was strange how something as simple as words could make Pansy feel like maybe the cold wasn't so bad after all.