Midnight found Pansy and Harry seated on a curved stone bench, one of four set in a circle on the south-side of the castle watching the moon descend slowly toward the horizon. A fire pit blazed merrily between them.
They were reclining, moderately comfortable, with her seated between his legs, her head resting back on his chest, both of them wrapped in a huge fur blanket. He was used to the smell of her, that cool spiciness, but it still thrilled him. He hoped it would never go away.
"So do you think he'll be okay?" Ron asked for what had to be the tenth time. He was sat with Luna on the opposite bench, holding hands.
Pansy wriggled deeper into the fur, shivering slightly. "It's well known that he did a lot of damage to himself – you know, with the way he pursued You-Know-Who's followers. He's been in every war and fight there's ever been since."
"It's weird though, isn't it?" Hermione said, rubbing her nose and yawning hugely. "How scarred he is – you almost never see wizards with such obvious wounds – healing magic is so effective usually." She was sat alone, bundled in Krum's huge cloak, a cup of steaming hot chocolate in her hands.
"Well that's because he's been fighting dark wizards isn't it?" Ron asked.
Looking around, he saw several confused looks. "Well it's like… the really dark spells, the evil stuff can be hard – impossible even – to heal. My Grandad Prewitt is missing a finger from his right hand – lost it in a duel when he was young, couldn't get it healed."
Luna made an affirmative sound. "That's right – serious dark magic damages the soul, much deeper than normal things, so it can't always be healed. But even so, Professor Moody is… a bit of a mess. I wonder who Alasara is?"
Everyone in the circle remained silent until Harry spoke what sounded obvious. "I guess she's some kind of doctor – a healer?"
The silence continued.
"I think I need to go to bed," Pansy murmured, twisting to kiss his cheek, "been a long day."
Everyone in the circle made affirmative sounds.
From outside the glow of the fire pit came the sound of tramping feet a moment before a familiar voice. "Ahoy, lovebirds."
George Weasley entered the circle, hand-in-hand with a tiny and very pretty girl they all recognised from Beauxbaton. The circle went silent with surprise as George led her into the firelight.
"Kiddos, I'd like to introduce you – those of you who haven't already met her – to Giada Aliberti." He said, a beaming smile on his face.
Everyone waved and smiled as he introduced each of them in turn. He said something in rapid Italian as he came to Harry and her eyes flashed briefly to his scar.
Pansy spoke to her in Italian, fast enough that Harry believed he could never learn to keep up with it. Giada frowned, recoiled for a moment then smiled before responding.
"Nice to see you again, your dress is lovely." Hermione said when George reached her.
Harry put his arms around Pansy under the blanket, giving her a squeeze. "Everything okay?"
She nodded unconvincingly. "Mmm, I know her family – sort of. I'll tell you later."
They all made small talk for a while until George and Giada left, followed by Ron and Luna then Hermione.
Finally, alone for the first time since the secret corridor, she wriggled deeper into the furs and turned to face him.
He kissed her nose. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, "Unbelievably so. I'm just so tired, I think I could sleep right here. I think this might have been the best night of my life."
"It's been… wonderful." Harry said, unable to keep the image of Moody coughing up blood from his mind for a second.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. It was a shock seeing the Professor like that, that's all." He said, running his fingers through her hair, the smell of her banishing the darkness from his mind.
She put her arms around him, hugging him awkwardly due to the angle they were at. "It's okay, sounds like Dumbledore might have convinced him to get treatment?"
Harry nodded, "I hope so. He was so… it was like he's heartbroken. The way he was holding onto Neville's hand and saying how he had failed was awful."
She drew back, getting comfortable again. Putting her hands on either side of his face, she kissed his lips then both of his hands. "I know. You need to sleep – it's been a long day."
He nodded and they stood, starting a slow walk back toward the castle entrance where the Ball was effectively over, the bands packed away and music being provided by a set of gramophones. A few couples were dancing, a few small groups sat at the tables talking.
"It was nice to meet your parents." He said, throwing the fur back onto the pile it had come from – inside the marquee was still comfortably warm.
The families of the champions and their partners had been invited to the ball and a few including Mr. and Mrs. Diggory and Cho's parents had turned up for a few hours.
"They liked you – but who doesn't?" she said, squeezing his hand.
"Snape?"
She laughed. "Well I think that feeling is mutual."
He nodded as they walked past Neville and Ginny – still dancing, eyes closed. They didn't see them as Harry and Pansy moved through the space like ghosts.
Professor Flitwick smiled at them as they climbed the few steps into the entrance hall. "Potter, Parkinson, I hope you had a good night?" he said, grinning hugely.
"Yes, thank you Professor." She said, curtseying.
"Absolutely, thank you Professor." Harry said.
"It's our pleasure, best get inside, It's past midnight, so I get to put this whole affair to bed." He said, taking a whistle from his pocket and clamping it between his teeth like a cigar and grinning up at them.
They all said goodnight and they entered the entrance hall.
"I'll walk you back to yours." He said, his hands going to her waist, holding her close.
He longed to kiss here, to never let go, but held himself back.
She nodded, moving in time to the last notes of the music floating up from the marquee. "Can we just make this last forever?"
He sighed, drawing her close again.
"Harry, I'm sorry – I don't want to interrupt." Someone said.
Looking up, Harry saw Cedric and Cho emerging from the Great Hall – both looked exhausted and wore ecstatic grins.
Pansy pulled away a little and Harry felt a moment of irrational hatred for Cedric before pulling himself together.
"Like I say, I don't want to interrupt, but… it's been such a great night."
"It has." Pansy said, as proper as ever, "you two look wonderful together."
"So do you," Cho said, her smile genuine but not quite reaching her eyes, "you've quite stolen the show."
Harry didn't want to be exchanging pleasantries in his last minutes with Pansy. "You didn't want to interrupt?" he asked, not impolitely.
"Right," said Cedric smiling and taking Cho's hand, "I owe you one – you told me about the dragons. If you haven't sorted the egg out yet – mine makes this bloody awful screaming sound when I open it - you should take it to the prefects' private bathroom on four: the door is invisible, but it's just next to the statue of Boris the Bewildered, that wild mage. Password's 'pine fresh': have a bath and see what comes to you in the water – really helped me."
Harry frowned, "Thanks Cedric, I appreciate that."
"No worries, you did the same for me. Goodnight." He Cedric said, kissing Cho's fingers before they started up the stairs.
"Night." Harry and Pansy both said.
"I don't want to be away from you." He said, closing his eyes as they stood at the end of the corridor that lead to the Slytherin common room. The last week they'd spent together had been in many ways the happiest of his life, to the degree that it rivalled the day he had learned about Hogwarts and the truth about who and what he was and his place in the world.
Kissing her was like a drug, just being around her as thrilling as flying. The strange memory of the pictures of his parents' wedding day came back to him again and he wondered whether this was how they had felt about each other.
They had been so obviously in love.
He opened his eyes. She was staring at him, her own eyes shimmering slightly, the pinpricks of light back.
"I never want to be away from you again – not for a single minute." He said, having to pause to swallow past a lump of emotion.
She smiled. "A soul finding it's counterpoint in another – is that what Matikina said?"
He nodded, unable to speak. The firelight behind her and the cool fire in her eyes was too much. If he were to speak he knew he would cry.
"I never knew I could feel like this," she said, her own voice thick with emotion, "I…"
Their hands came together and she rested her forehead against his.
"Me too." He said.
