Summary: The world turns, the world turns.
Chapter 4 - An Eagle in the MoonlightIt took them a long time, weaving through trees, between greenhouses, and even skirting the edge of the Great Forest to shed their eavesdroppers and hangers-on.
Finally, they came to a stop on the edge of the lake as thin clouds parted, revealing the newly full moon gleaming white.
"It's much nicer out here than stuck in the castle." Pansy said, drawing her cloak more closely around herself against the chill.
Harry made an affirmative noise. "It's too loud in there for me sometimes. I regularly come out in the evening to visit Hagrid."
Pansy sniggered. "I've never really spoke to him. I hear he's not up to much as a teacher."
Harry bristled. "He's amazing, actually. Just… he… he does like the more dangerous creatures."
Her face seemed to glow in the bright moonlight. "At least he's enthusiastic, I guess. I think I have Arithmancy while you have Care of Magical Creatures. Vector is about as engaging as Binns."
"You know, with all the madness over the last few years, I just realised I have no real idea what Arithmancy's about." Harry said, toeing a pebble.
"It's alright. All about rituals, mostly. It's like mathematics but applied in weird ways." She paused. "Harry?"
He looked up at her.
"Do you really want to talk about Arithmancy?" Her eyes were large and seemed to almost glow in the moonlight.
He met her gaze. "No."
They stood in an uncomfortable silence for what could have been seconds or half an hour. He cleared his throat.
"Pansy, I…"
She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, little miss perfect told you to bin me?"
He shook his head. "What?"
"Granger, Queen Fuzzball."
Harry suppressed a snigger, he hadn't heard that one before. "What, no! Sorry, I'm… just nervous."
"Me too, sorry, I thought…" she paused. "Everyone I've told; Milli, Tracey, Blaise, they all said you were playing with me, leading me on, you know?"
He looked at her, the same blazing challenge in her eyes again. "And all my friends have said is how me doing this – I mean, us doing this – is going to burn the bloody castle down."
She shrugged inside her cloak. "I-"
"No," he interrupted, stammering, "let me finish, please. What I'm trying to say is… I asked you to go with me on a whim. I saw you and Malfoy rowing and… you were so powerful. I didn't mean to screw things up with you and him."
She put a hand on his arm. "There is no me and Malfoy."
Harry's brain was racing, pulling thoughts together. He stammered again, unsure of what to say. Her hand on his arm was like a live wire touching his skin.
He looked at her again. Her eyes were shining with the first inkling of tears: the sight of them somehow made his mind turn as clear as a summer day.
He took her hand from his arm and held it. "I had no plans to ask anyone to the ball. I was panicking because everyone else had someone and I thought there wasn't going to be anyone left. "I saw you there, with Malfoy and you were so angry. It was like you were on fire, but cold. It was…" he swallowed hard and kissed her hand again, "it was so beautiful."
She smiled, shivering slightly. "You know… I never imagined there was a part of you like this. We only ever see you with Fuzzle and Weasley, arguing with Professor Snape and showing off."
"Showing off?" He asked. "I don't show off."
She silenced him with a raised eyebrow full of defiance.
"Well maybe, I guess. I'll admit it with the patronus." He said, looking down and smiling.
She touched his face, like how she had in the corridor and he looked up. "That stag – your patronus – is amazing. Everyone is jealous of it."
"Really?"
She nodded. "In fact," she said, drawing out her wand, "I found it inspiring. Expecto Patronum"
She made the gesture of the spell and aimed her wand out over the water. Bright silver light shone from the slender wood and a shape burst forth, swooping low over the water. It returned to them, soaring, with silver mist wafting off its wings as it flapped to a halt on Pansy's shoulder. It was a hawk or eagle; enormous and proud.
It was Harry's turn to shiver. "Wow, she's beautiful." He said as she stroked its side.
"She is, she's a white-tailed eagle. Biggest bird of prey in all Britain." Pansy said, dismissing it into mist and stepping close to him again. "You… were inspiring, Harry. You are inspiring."
So close, he could smell and feel the heat of her. "Where have you been until now?" he asked.
She didn't answer, just looked into his eyes. "Living in a dungeon, mostly. You know I never really noticed your eyes before."
Then they were together, no space between them. Her lips were hot and cold, hard and soft, his hands on her back and hers in his hair. The world moved around them, ages of the Earth passed, but could find no space between their bodies.
They broke apart, both short of breath.
She exhaled, her mouth an O of energy. Sparks were flashing in her eyes and he noticed that there was a golden light shimmering on his hands where he had held her.
"I see what they were talking about now." She said, her hand going to her throat.
"Mmm?" he asked, words not coming to him.
"My cousins, some of the others in my house." She looked at him, smiled at his incomprehension. "Kissing."
He smiled and pulled her close again, all impulse. "It was my first one too."
Then they were kissing again, the world lost, some deep part of him on fire.
Breaking apart, this time there were actual gold sparks in the air. He was shivering, adrenaline and magic coursing through him in a way he had never experienced before. He looked from his hands to her and saw she was literally glowing, her skin emitting a faint silvery radiance.
They both jumped as a bright light appeared over their heads. Turning to face the castle, their hands found each other instinctively. Thirty feet away, Alastor Moody stood illuminated by the enormous light effect he had conjured.
"Might I suggest, Mr. Potter, that your evening might best be served getting a better understanding of your upcoming tribulations." His magical eye moved from Harry to Pansy, "Miss. Parkinson, as you and Mr. Potter seem to be somewhat… closer these days, perhaps you should put that keen and penetrating mind to work on helping him with his egg?"
"Yes, Professor." They both said at the same time, looking sheepish as the light above them vanished.
"Get back inside now, if you please." Moody said, just a moonlight-coloured shape in the darkness.
"Yes, Professor." Harry said, noticing that they were still holding hands.
They smiled again, retracing their winding path back to the castle.
Minutes later, back near the Whomping Willow, Harry stopped abruptly.
"Hang on."
"What?" Pansy asked, a little short of breath from the climb up from the lake.
"We were supposed to discuss what we're wearing for the ball."
She laughed. It was a bright, high sound full of life and pulled him hard toward her, kissing him quickly. "It's tradition for the champions to buy their companions' outfits, you know?"
"You're kidding?"
"Yes, I am." She said, smiling mischievously. "But you, Mr. Potter will buy me my dress, so long as it isn't bloody pink, okay?"
He smiled, feeling curiously fizzy at her order. "Yes, sure, with pleasure. I have a new set of dress robes, so we can match, maybe?"
She just shrugged, stepping gracefully up a few steps ahead of him. "I couldn't possibly comment, Mr. Potter." She said, mimicking Moody's accent.
He followed and grabbed her hand again. "You know what?"
"Mmm?" she said, pulling him close, touching his face again and seeming to drink in the sight and smell of him.
"I think we're going to cause a bit of a stir."
She laughed again and, with what looked like a great effort, pulled herself away. "Right. Let's be serious. No, Harry, I mean it." She said, slapping his hand away. "Listen. We need to do a few things: first, get me a dress – impress me. Second, I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow, but we're going to be all over the bloody place by then, so you need to meet me there before I go in: seven-thirty sharp, okay?"
He nodded, not mentioning he liked to sleep in on Saturdays. "Why so early?"
"Because I've never danced with you before, you were raised by muggles and there is less than a week until the ball. Are you telling me you know how to dance?"
Dread washed over him. "No."
"Then I will teach you to dance, Harry Potter. And you will excel."
"Yes ma'am." He said, and she finally relented to being pulled close again.
When they broke apart, there were a few stars and sparkles in the air again. "What is that?" He asked.
"I don't know. We can look into it." She said, going hard and still again. "I also need to say something, Harry."
"Go on." He said, cautious.
"If we're doing this - whatever crazy mess this is, with golden sparks and me glowing like a night light – we're doing it. Just you and me, okay?"
She looked a little scared, a little vulnerable, a little threatening.
He took a breath and nodded. "Whatever this is, you and me. Just you and me."
This time the sparks and glow started before they even came together.
