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September 20, 1994

Pansy shuffled her feet along the stone path of Hogwarts and eventually, slowly climbed the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. As was a habit by this point, she was to attend the class with her partner, Harry, and by this point, it wasn't something she could claim to loathe nearly as much as she initially had. Potter, for better or worse, had grown on her to some degree. That wasn't to say she had fallen for him, it was simply courteous to introduce him to her mother and reward his efforts with a kiss on one cheek. If she were a harlot like the Muggleborn or Half-Bloods that lacked a true connection with their society, she would have snogged him.

Her dear mother would have likely lost her mind had that happened throughout the course of her date with Harry, and if her father had managed to overhear it… there was little she could do to stop him from pulling her out of Hogwarts. Harry was kinder than she had been led to believe, and his arrogance wasn't nearly as horrible as Draco's was, but none of that mattered when one compared their fortunes and political power. That was all that her father cared about too; love was the loser, it had to be for the sake of her family.

Not that she would ever love any person so much as she loved herself or her mother.

"I thought you weren't going to show," Harry said by way of greeting when she finally finished climbing the steps and into the classroom at large.

Pansy looked at the stopwatch that was on his person and, with a flick of her wand, directed his attention towards it. "It would appear that I've still got a minute. You were worrying whilst I wasn't even late."

"Of course, I was. You took most of the credit for our grades last year — what was I going to do if the brains were gone?" Harry teased, smiling at her as he pulled out her seat for her in the Muggle way. It was an odd quirk of his that she had come to know. "Do you remember what we were doing?"

"Yes."

Harry blinked at her and looked at the textbook on the table before him. "You wouldn't mind picking the page while I gather our belongings, yeah?"

"Fine," Pansy said with a shrug as she sat down — gracefully as ever — and went about doing as he requested.

Whilst she watched him after completing her very simple task of picking the right page for the book and eventually, their notes, she couldn't help but look more closely at him. Unlike the previous year or the majority of it, she began to pick out various patches of dark stubble along his face. It was odd to think that Harry had changed so much in the few months of summer. He seemed taller, heavier, and manlier.

Draco still appears youthful and boyish. Meanwhile, Harry's like a younger version of the men Tracey constantly reads about in her Muggle-made garbage.

"Finished," Harry declared as he sat back in his seat and motioned towards their united belongings. "I feel like we're one of the fastest groups. Poor Lavender."

Pansy furrowed her brows at his sudden strange comment and turned her attention in the direction that he was looking. As she soon found out, 'poor Lavender' was the least he could say in response to the girl's condition. Her workspace was a mess, her partner was laughing as quietly as he could, and those nearby moved away with charms aimed towards Lavender's vicinity. If Pansy didn't know any better, he was the recipient of a prank or the boy had done one of his own. Whatsoever proved to be the case, she couldn't help but side-eye Harry in thanks. Most boys were juvenile and immature, and yet, Potter, one that should be outrageously arrogant, was humble and caring.

He's how most should act, don't raise him on a pedestal because of the idiocy that surrounds him.

"Poor anybody should they end up partners with Crabbe or Goyle," Pansy said finally, rolling her eyes as she tapped on the desk with her long, painted-silver nails. "Let's begin lest we spend our free time on this project."

"I wouldn't mind," Harry said with a shrug. It was a comment that he said so casually, so off-handedly, that Pansy nearly looked at him in surprise. She didn't, obviously, for she had better control of herself than that, but still, she couldn't help how she reacted.

Her face turned a hue of red indicative of embarrassment, and because of that, she strived to look anywhere but at him. When that proved easy, but at the same time, troublesome on account of their peers, she buried her nose in her back and mumbled that there was something that she needed to retrieve.

"Boys are stupid," she muttered under her breath, the words spoken so softly that they didn't even register to her ears, much less anyone who tried to listen in to what she was saying. Truly, the creatures made no sense and seldom thought about what they said before the words were out of their mouths.

If it wasn't Draco making a careless, distasteful or otherwise egregious comment, it was Harry speaking his mind regardless of the outcome. If others had overheard that, they would look into it as deeply as Pansy did, she knew that was true. It was something she did, and a few of her Slytherin Housemates were half as intelligent as her, which meant big problems the deeper her friendship with Potter grew.

"Pansy?" Harry asked, his eyes moving between her and the paper.

"What?" she got out quickly, her attention still focused on her satchel as she finally began to calm down.

"Do you think there's any place in Hogsmeade that you like? Maybe one of the new restaurants that are open? There's been four, I think — French, Slavic and German food," Harry said, gauging her reaction as he finally set down his quill and focused all of his attention on her.

It made her heart beat faster even if she couldn't see him looking at her. All it took was the knowledge that he was focused on her with his body turned in his seat and his eyes, piercing as they were, on her head whilst she 'looked' through her bag. All of that was beside the point, for the true peak was; why did he want to know if there was a place specifically that she enjoyed within the confines of Hogsmeade Village?

She had a feeling she knew the answer, but it couldn't be. It wouldn't be, and she wouldn't accept it, not if it were, on the off chance, as she suspected.

"I have a restaurant that I enjoy, yes, and I'm sure that any French food would be enjoyable. I do so enjoy the lighter dishes rather than those that sit quite heavily in your stomach," Pansy finally settled down, withdrew from her satchel with a second inkwell — she would make an excuse if he sought one out — and looked at him. "Why? Is there something that you're getting to? It does take time before on—"

Harry didn't wait for her to finish what she was saying before he answered her question. If anything, her words seemed to make him more rash or impulsive, and when he spoke again, he did so slightly louder. It made sense, for he had to continue over her despite how much he knew doing so irked her.

"The twenty-eighth," Harry said before pausing, seemingly mulling something over before he shook his head and continued. "Let's go to that favourite place of yours for lunch and the French one for dinner. Would you be fine with that?"

No. That's not what you're supposed to do, and you're not supposed to speak so loudly, you stupid dolt. Honestly, don't you know anything?

"I'll think about your invitation," Pansy said calmly, despite how strange her stomach felt and the pace with which her mind ran. She had thought that Harry Potter as a friend was good, and on occasion, or rather, very rarely, did she entertain the thought of kissing him again.

She hadn't thought that he would have a crush of sorts on her. It wouldn't work either. Not with her father and what he thought about their blood. Potter should have been a Pureblood. Everything would have been so much easier if he were.

"We could do more than just eat, we do—" Harry tried, but this time, it was Pansy's turn to interrupt him and she did so instantly, lest anybody else overheard what he was saying. She was already certain that there was at least a table or two that had overheard Harry's loud words. If that were true too, that could spell disaster for her. It depended completely on who had overheard Potter's words.

Potter's stupid, bold words.

September 28, 1994

Pansy sighed as she looked into the mirror to admire her reflection. It wasn't out of annoyance for her looks, no, she could never be displeased with her beauty and the additive effects that various potions and make-up had on her. Nor was she bothered by her dress, jewellery or other clothing pieces. In truth, everything was perfect… save for what she was doing and who with.

Potter had worn her down over the course of a week, and yesterday, the day before it was set to happen, she had finally caved into his desires. It was as if her body decided to take control and respond for her, before she told him 'no' again. Once she had confirmed that she would, finally, be his 'date' to Hogsmeade for the day, he had been elated and that sense in her stomach had grown stranger.

Very nearly, Pansy had thought to seek out the Carrows or perhaps even Greengrass, but she had refrained from doing so. Potter was without problems save for his sense of fashion and overly good attitude. There was little she had to worry about in regards to her honour and if he'd try and take it. That wasn't to say the night would be free of any problems, for as soon as word got out that she went with Potter to Hogsmeade, Draco would be on her. He would be pleading, or angry, and the latter made him unpredictable.

Potter had simply begged long enough and well enough that she could no longer refuse. He was as a puppy, so good was his begging, and she didn't care to see him saddened by a sudden cancellation, kind and thoughtful as she was. If only for that and her word, she would spend the day with him. Draco would grow jealous, mayhaps even another boy would, it matters not to her so long as somebody of high renown took an interest in her future love life.

"Aren't you going to be late for your trip with Potter if you wait any longer?"

Pansy's head snapped towards the source of the voice, and when the culprit was found, Pansy found herself staring at the large figure of Millicent Bulstrode. The girl looked like a Viking in both build and appearance, but obviously, Pansy wasn't easily intimidated.

"If he's learned anything by this point in our acquaintanceship, it should be that Ladies are always late. It's when we don't arrive altogether that he'll need to start worrying," Pansy responded as she started towards the door after stepping into her shoes. "Do you still yearn for…"

"Go on your date."

Pansy raised a brow at Millicent's authoritative tone, but she nonetheless exited the room without one look back. So long as Millicent kept her Hogsmeade time with Harry to herself, at least until word got out to all, she would be happy. There probably wasn't a reason to bring up her crush either, that being one very chubby and bothersome Longbottom, but she couldn't resist.

Pansy knew that those she shared the girls' dorm with were towards the top of the ladder in turns of importance, beauty and power, so it stood out to her as weird that any witch with such traits would seek out Longbottom. He was a failure at nearly everything he did, and he was chubby and stupid to boot. It didn't make a lick of sense, and as Pansy moved quickly to leave the Slytherin Common Room, she couldn't help but smile.

It was as if she knew that she was doing something that she shouldn't be, but the consequences didn't matter. In truth, it was nearly as freeing as when she had gone on the date with Harry despite the fact that she knew her father would be cross should he find out. Her mother, like Millicent, would keep their conversations and knowledge to themselves.

With one last look cast over her shoulder, towards a sizable grouping of her peers, she stepped out from the Slytherin quarters and left through the dungeons. Her destination was the courtyard that Potter had instructed her to visit, one that had a large statue in the centre and a small grouping of trees for those that wished to hide under them.

It was then that the feeling in her stomach, the one that pooled and made her feel uncomfortable, returned. The sensation was best described as nervousness even if it wasn't exactly that; Potter better be feeling it too, or life truly was very unfair.

Pansy emerged from one of the dark halls of Hogwarts and saw exactly what she suspected; Potter, resting his back against an archway with his eyes scanning around for her. At first, she thought to make him wait a few minutes more when she would be nearly ten minutes late, but the friendly side of her decided that five was enough, and so she made herself more readily visible to him.

As soon as she did so, his face broke out into a wide smile and he opened his arms. "Pansy," he greeted as he gestured to her. "You look," he paused when the light better hit her and she stepped into the courtyard itself.

"I look?" she asked, a brow raised lazily as she paused nearly ten feet away from him to inspect his appearance.

His hair was less wild than was usual of him, the robes he wore were older, but good quality and finally, when she made it to his posture and the air about him, she inwardly smiled. As Draco typically did, Harry's stance and dress indicated confidence, but it stopped at confidence; Potter knew that arrogance wasn't a trait that anybody wished for in a friend.

"You look brilliant," he finally sputtered out, seemingly in disbelief as he looked her up and down, again.

"I'm glad you appreciate the time that I put into myself. You've managed to look fairly handsome yourself — I see you've gone with a set of robes we've previously looked at too. You made a good choice," Pansy's eyes moved to the carriage that seemed to be private rather than one that Hogwarts settled the cost for. "Private?"

"I figured you'd be more used to private," Harry explained as he moved a few steps closer to the wagon with one arm outstretched. "I hope I didn't pick or assume wrong, but I thought that'd be more up your alley… if it's not something you like, I might have mess—"

"Don't," Pansy said quickly, waving one hand as she closed the remaining distance and grabbed one of his hands with hers as she came to the foot of the wagon.

"Don't what?" Harry asked, perplexed as he looked at her. He seemed quite pleased though, at least with the fact that she had her hand in his; the confusion didn't mask that.

Pansy jabbed him in the side with her free hand. "You were about to share with me the details about the day," she rolled her eyes when he blinked at her following those words. "If you meant to surprise me, then keep it a surprise. I'd be very annoyed if I had planned something and I gave it away, so have confidence in yourself."

"...so it's not an issue?" Harry asked tentatively, and at that, Pansy rolled her eyes.

Boys are thicker than I could have ever imagined, but at least Harry's a kind one. Mother used the word 'trainable' I believe, but that's better suited for someone like father or Draco. Harry's too much his own person for me to change him into what I'd desire.

"No, Potter. It's not an issue," she said with a shake of her head as she fought to cover a disappointed sigh. "Help me climb, if you would. I'd like to ensure my dress doesn't get caught in anything, and I'd be so very annoyed if it were stained or ripped on account of my carelessness."

Harry nodded immediately, and so he set himself to the task of carefully and properly aiding her as she climbed into the Wagon. It was a bit awkward, especially when he put his hands around her waist as she climbed the middle step, but it was over quickly, and another few seconds later, Potter was in the small compartment with her and the door was closed. If not for the light let in through four windows, two per side of the carriage — the centre one that allowed them to see the drive was closed — the place would have been pitch black.

"You do look bloody brilliant if that wasn't obvious," Harry said, swallowing and looking at her as the ride towards Hogsmeade began.

Pansy expected bumps, noises from the outdoors and a small degree of discomfort, for this wasn't the usual cart that she rode in, but it wasn't to be. Harry's pick not only seemed to keep them stable and without bumps, but there didn't seem to be any noise from the outdoors… not until she lowered one of the windows. It was only then that the noise of the great outdoors greeted them, and when that happened, she turned to look at Harry with narrowed eyes.

"Thank you," she said first, polite as ever before she jabbed him in the chest again. "How much did you spend on this?"

"Not much," he responded with a shrug, careless despite the fact that Pansy was onto him. Or rather, she was in her mind.

Demurely, she folded her hands in her lap and looked at Harry carefully. She fought away her narrowed eyes and tried to act the part of a quintessential Pureblood girl. "This was an expensive reservation, I know that. You didn't have to do this to impress me, or because you think I'm used to this."

Draco would have done this for himself rather than for me. He's not able to put up with sub-par conditions, no, only the best for 'mummy's Dragon'.

"I just figured it'd be nice to do. It could be the first good memory of our Hogsmeade trip this year. Who knows if we'll go again, yeah? You might decide to ditch me once Professor Sinistra switches our partners again," he responded teasingly, though she couldn't help but read into how he sat and looked away from her for a split second.

In her mind, she pondered if he was truly nervous that she would 'abandon' him. Obviously, she would never do so. He would be a man with a powerful name, and whilst that wasn't the reason for their friendship, from a logical point of view it was a reason that all should see. Personally, to Pansy, there was much more to their odd bond than that, and she refused to get into it with him in her presence.

"I doubt Sinistra will switch us again. She's happy with the results her experiment's gotten, and she'd have to be forced to switch the groups again, even if that means going back to the original ones," Pansy answered as she closed the window to the outdoors and returned to the silence save for the noise either of them made. "I'm certain that a second Hogsmeade trip isn't off the table thus far either. Not unless you're far from the person I've come to know and that only comes out in po— decrepit villages."

"I guess I should tell you I'm boring, and that you've gotten to know the only me that exists — contrary to what others might say, I don't turn into a snake or monster when I'm alone."

Pansy sighed and patted his upper, closer thigh. "A pity."

"Why's that?" Harry asked, slightly more rigid in his chair.

"If you were a monster, I could have unleashed you on those I despise. Should I have another mark taken off in Astronomy despite our perfection, I would know just where to send you first… though I suppose that might be problematic. There's no telling if the next professor would change our partnerships again," Pansy answered as the speed of the wagon seemed to increase.

In her mind, they were finally on the larger path, and that meant they would be at Hogsmeade within the next few minutes, five at the most.

"You're right," Harry agreed before a flash of realisation hit him and he grinned at her. "Wait a minute. Does that mean you've come to like me too?"

"Slightly."

His grin turned into a bright, toothy smile. He made to speak, but when Pansy fixed him with an arched brow and look that was practically begging him to speak his mind, he stayed silent.

Eventually, however, he got out one last remark before they devolved into small talk, and it was one that Pansy chose to leave unaddressed. There was no true answer she could give to it, none that would make sense to him, and worse yet, she doubted that it would make sense to her if she spared it a thought.

"Here we are!" Harry exclaimed proudly as he opened the door to their carriage, jumped down, turned towards her and held out a hand. It was impressive, truly, how fast he could be. Quidditch probably had a good deal to do with that.

Pansy moved slowly as if all of the time in the world was hers. When she neared the exit of the wagon, she saw the large name painted above the building that had only recently been refurbished. It was of French origin, and whilst she couldn't speak the language, she figured it would be something uppity or poetic — it was so often the design that their culture went with.

"You've taken me to lunch at the new French restaurant," Pansy finally said aloud, as she stood in the exit of the wagon with her hands outstretched.

Potter immediately took hold of both of her hands. His touch was gentle, but reassuring, as he aided her in climbing down from the wagon. She made sure to move quickly at that moment alone, for she greatly doubted that her actions would go unnoticed for very long — Harry was recognisable, and so was she if only for her last name.

"I have," he said proudly.

When Pansy was safely on the ground, he did another action that surprised her. It shouldn't have, not after all of the time they had spent discussing culture and etiquette, but it did. Potter went to her left side, looped his right arm through hers, and started them the twenty or so feet to the entrance.

"You realise this could end up in the Prophet or Witch Weekly, don't you?" Pansy inquired. She was resigned, finally, at the fact that sooner or later, this would get around; be it the school or the country, it would get around. Regardless, her father would find out.

At that point, a burst of panic struck her. She was stupid, very stupid, and all of this wasn't a good idea. Word would spread that Potter cared for her and that she wasn't part of the group that despised him any longer. Draco would be cross, his family and those that liked them would be angry as a result, and her connections in Slytherin as a result would weaken.

It didn't matter if her independence was at an all-time high or if the Carrows were in her corner.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked cautiously as he paused, and by extension, so did she.

Pansy blinked away all of those thoughts, the potential repercussions, and looked at him. "Fine — aren't you going to open the door for me?"

Independence… Draco won't do anything too rash, and the connections Potter's friendship opens up to me are greater than those that Draco provide, she regarded Harry as he made to do as she requested. Besides, I can't leave now. I doubt our bond would ever recover to a point such as this.

"After you, my lady," Harry said when the door was completely opened and ready for her to enter through.

Pansy cast one last look over her shoulder before the smells from the French cookery wafted into her nose. As soon as that happened, and as soon as she took one last glance at Harry's hope-filled expression, her mind was firm in its conclusion as she stepped into the restaurant and allowed him to lead her to their table.

Potter; she would allow him this day with her, and if it progressed into the start of courtship, she'd entertain him. She could do far worse than him even if he was a Gryffindor barbarian with a great deal of ignorance. If anything, she was doing other witches a favour by keeping him focused solely on her.

Carefully and with a grace about her that was hard to teach, Pansy dabbed her folded napkin around her lips. She didn't wish to rub away her lipstick, nor did she wish to remain covered in the remains of chocolate and pastry crust.

"Thank you," she said when the napkin was placed back on the table. Her hands folded afterwards, and her eyes were focused purely on Harry's opposite of her. "I didn't expect you to treat me to so heavy and varied a menu."

Harry shrugged and pushed a plate with a piece of chocolate-filled bread towards her. "Who knows how long the place will be here, right?"

Pansy hit his foot with one of hers under the table so as to avoid the scrutiny of those around them; it was bad enough that Harry signed something for their waiter despite the difficulty of the language barrier between them. "Still," she said accusatorily. "You have my thanks."

"You're always welcome," he said as he leaned closer to her, his boldness shocking and her heart racing.

Will he kiss me here, in front of all these witnesses? My father might disown me, I shouldn't… mayhaps a kiss on the cheek. Yes, he's done very well, he deserves one token of aff—

Harry pulled back with an object in his hand; the bill. Pansy felt like an idiot and cursed herself out under her breath. Of course, the boy wasn't trying to kiss her. He was simply doing what she had just thanked him for. How daft could she be, truly?

It was as if all of her experience with others and advice from her mother had gone in one of her eats and out of the other.

"I'll be back in a minute, I just need to pay and then we'll go to the next stop — you like shopping, don't you?" he asked as he made to stand.

Pansy nodded, not trusting that her tone would be as she wished it to be.

In response, Harry grinned. "Wicked. We'll stop at a boutique next. It's supposed to have all sorts of French-made dishes, delicacies and more."

As he stepped away and she realised the day was only just beginning, she fell deep into thought. Had he been trying to kiss her, had he truly been trying to, would she have let him?

Mayhaps not on the lips, not right then, but… she wasn't completely certain. That made her feel worried, and the more she thought about it, the more conflicted she grew.

October 12, 1994

Nearly two weeks had passed since their trip to Hogsmeade together, and much to Pansy's surprise, there were very few mentions circulating around the school about their trip together. It didn't make it into the Prophet or Witch Weekly, much to her complete surprise. She wondered if that was thanks to her father or his connections, and whilst she figured that just might be the case, she hadn't received a letter from home reprimanding her.

Mayhaps she and Harry had gotten lucky, and they had been able to enjoy time together as two teens instead of two people from two opposing houses. If that were the case, she would be very thankful to whosoever or whatsoever had aided them. On the other hand, if that wasn't the case and they had been discovered, the person or people were waiting. That would mean nothing good for her, and as for Harry, well, she doubted there was much that anybody could do to well and truly handle the boy.

From what he had said in regard to their earlier years and the many rumours therein, much was wrong or grossly misled. He hadn't unleashed and later slaughtered his own creature, it had been another, and whilst he refused to elaborate, he told her that he had survived an attack and slain the beast thanks to the sorting hat and a sword; it was, unsurprisingly, Muggle.

As for her belief, it waned, but it wasn't completely lacking. Harry was powerful, intelligent, kind, humble and far from whatever Draco claimed him to be — Dumbledore's care and obvious interjections for his benefit in addition to mysterious happenings only added to his mysteriousness. Perhaps Potter truly was a hero that would save the wizarding world as many adults and peers of theirs thought, or maybe he was simply good at playing a part.

That last thought was cynical, for she truly thought him to be all of the earlier aforementioned qualities, but it was better to be paranoid than caught by surprise.

Pansy shook her head, looked at the entrance to the classroom she was in, and sighed heavily. Potter was two minutes late. Him. He was late. Not her. It was infuriating, especially when she had arrived five minutes late as per usual.

Greengrass would be laughing if she could see me, and then she'd tell me to arrive ten minutes late when next we meet so that he'd learn a lesson — Davis would be stupid, and Bulstrode.

With a shake of her head, Pansy cleared what her compatriot would do. Bulstrode was known to be aggressive with her magic, and that extended to boys that she liked. If she so desired, she would throw one up against the wall and snog them until they could barely breathe, and somehow, the boyfriend she had would come back for more.

She's a harlot. Ladies won't but offer a kiss upon one's cheek until they're older.

"Sorry, I was almo—"

Pansy squeaked, pulled her wand and fired a spell at Potter in the span of a second. He surprised her, he came from behind, and she hadn't so much as heard the door open. As a result of that, there was a crash that she hoped wouldn't alert any nearby as to their presence, and immediately following it, she went towards Potter.

He was on the ground, on his back, but thankfully his head had caught a heavily padded chair that seemed to sink around you when you sat into it; the thing was circular and very strange.

"You deserved that stun," Pansy said pointedly and with her hands on her hips as she stared down at Harry for a few seconds. He couldn't say or do much of anything in response, not since he was stunned on the ground, but after those few seconds, she rolled her eyes and 'thawed' him out, so to say.

As soon as he was free to move, he rose from the ground and rubbed at the back of his thighs and his rear. "That wasn't very comfortable."

"Neither was being surprised — how'd you enter so silently?" Pansy all but demanded to know as she prodded at him with the tip of her still, as of yet, withdrawn wand.

Potter grinned at her, something that was becoming as normal between them as a conversation; who would have thought that would be the case a few years ago?

"I can't tell you that, it's a secret," he answered.

Pansy scoffed. "I'll find out eventually. You've been very good at deceit or secrecy, it'll only be a matter of time before you slip up and I find out how you've found me unaware," when she paused, she decided to let it go for the time being and instead looked towards where they would sit. "I've been waiting."

"I got here as soon as I could, and you were late too," Harry answered cheekily as he looped his arm through hers once more — surprisingly more confident than when last he did so — and led them towards those very two seats.

In response to those words, she cocked her head at him and spoke accusatorily. "You were spying on me. There's no other way you'd know that I arrived late. I suppose Gryffindor's greatest Lion has a thing for watching Snakes, doesn't he?"

At that, Harry smiled victoriously and immediately, Pansy realised her slip-up.

"Got you," was all that Harry said to let her know that she had fallen for the trap.

Pansy shook her head incredulously. "I hadn't thought you were capable of any level of cunning or deception. When I saw you dressed up in Diagon Alley, handsome and cleaned-up well, I had thought that to be the most impressed I'd ever be."

"Handsome. Right. You called me that," Harry said, his smile suddenly turning goofy as he looked at her. "Here," he said again, that smile still on his face as they made it to their seats and he pushed hers in for her.

As always, he did so in the Muggle fashion. When his hands, larger and with veins visible on the top of them touched her shoulders, she couldn't help but accidentally press back into them. She was losing her balance, you see, and so that was the only action she could take if she wished to remain in the chair. It was perfectly natural, really.

"I know, I'm very polite — the epitome of courtesy and etiquette," Pansy proclaimed as he slid into the chair beside her. "So…?"

"So?"

"So."

"So what?" Harry asked again.

At this, Pansy nearly flicked his nose, but she refrained from doing so. "You wanted me to meet you here so that we might talk about something, didn't you?"

"Oh. Right. That," Potter got out before he rubbed at the back of his neck and looked at her strangely. "Would you be cross with me if I told you that I just wanted to see you? I didn't really have anything specific to talk about, I just thought we could spend a bit of time together."

"We do have an outstanding assignment with Potions… if you'd like to work on that together. We could practice the new charms spell too," Pansy suggested, suddenly searching for a topic when she realised Potter truly just wished to see her.

She felt similar, and whilst she wouldn't be completely against random, meaningless discussions, there was still something they could try and accomplish. It made sense to do just that too, lest the two get too wrapped up and let the night pass them by.

"Whatever you want to work on," Harry said to her, instantly agreeing so long as she didn't respond with annoyance that he'd called her here for nothing.

Slowly, Pansy reached for her satchel until she stopped, nearly halfway done with doing so. When she stopped and chose to linger for another few seconds, she couldn't help but fix Harry with another look; one that was searching and investigative. It didn't make sense for him to be interested in her when he had more leverage than she had. Maybe she was reading too much into it too, but she didn't believe so. That Hogsmeade trip they'd only just shared a couple of weeks ago seemed to show that he did truly like her beyond that of typical friendship.

Suddenly, she was struck with information from the most recent letter from her parents. It had come from her mother rather than her father, and whilst she was still waiting for news of her Hogsmeade trip to spread beyond the few isolated groups that didn't seem to speak loudly about it. At the time, it hadn't seemed as important to her, but she supposed it might be of some interest to Harry.

"Before I take out my book on charms, have you heard the news?"

Potter shook his head and turned his attention from where she was reaching, back up to her face. "No," he answered. "But then again, I don't usually hear about something until it's happening to me. I'm pretty oblivious, at least that's what Hermione says."

"You're decently perceptive," Pansy said, defending him as soon as Hermione was mentioned; the know-it-all, were Pansy in her shoes, would never say so much as one word negatively about Harry. He would be her greatest desire if she were a Gryffindor and from a family that wasn't dark in views and magic.

"Thanks. I think," Harry responded with a short chuckle as he leaned closer to her. "What was that news, then?"

"We won't be alone this year," Pansy started, making Harry lean closer still to her; she didn't mind and continued speaking without pause. "I was told by my mother, and yes, she wished to extend greetings to you, that two other schools will be present. As for the reason, she didn't make it clear, though she hinted at some sort of competition, so the others and I have been thinking it's the Tri-Wizard Tournament, or the older, more illustrious and inclusive tournament."

"I've never heard of the Tri-Wizard Tournament or that other one," Harry said with a shrug, clearly unimpressed and not understanding the significance of either tournament.

Pansy thought that she should explain it in greater detail, but ultimately, she decided against it. "Three schools compete for school honour, their country's honour and personal gain by way of renown and galleons. It's typically the older students, and contrary to what you might think, it was suspended years ago on account of deaths that frequented the many events throughout the centuries. The larger one was simply that, larger, and with more schools invited and the prize, grander."

Harry nodded a few times. "We can't enter, right?"

"I don't imagine so, but who's to say? People do so love to change traditions, so I question whether or not this could even claim the title of Tri-Wizard Tournament. More likely than not, it's just an interpretation to appease families like mine, the Malfoys, the Greengrasses and others that hold tradition sacred," Pansy was about ready to delve deeper into politics, the intricacies the Ministry went through on a day-to-day basis and other such things before she decided against doing so for one very simple reason; she doubted it interested Harry even slightly.

There were times when even she hated such discussions, and she had been raised with them, moulded for them, and told that she would take part in all such conversations and happenings as soon as she could on account of her being an only child. Would that she could wish for a brother to exist and rely on a fund from her shrinking family. That would have been a far easier, and far better life.

"I could do without a year of craziness. Last year was mad enough… but the more I think about it, I wouldn't change a thing," Harry said thoughtfully, a tone in his voice that she hadn't heard as he looked beyond her.

It dawned on her that, last year, they had turned from enemies — of a kind — to an uneasy, rocky friendship that evolved into an awkward, weird and friendly flirt-heavy companionship. Now, of course, he was still called Potter rather than Harry on account of propriety and habit… mainly the latter… but she truly did think of him amongst her top ten friends.

He had earned that title if nothing else. The proof of that was simple too, for who else would she spend an afternoon with after they wanted to meet with her for no specific reason? She doubted that list was half as long as her supposed list of friends.

"Fine."

Harry blinked at her. "Fine? I feel like I'm missing something again."

"You are, but that's perfectly fine," Pansy responded immediately in an imitation of her mother's personality. She pushed aside her satchel, sat up straight, and looked at him. "Draco said that you stole… Dawby? Do-bee? I don't remember the name, it was a house-elf — we might have even talked about it before, but if that's true, why don't you call to him?"

"Dobby," Harry corrected. "And yeah, I guess I did sort of take him from the Malfoys. They were horrible to him, and I wasn't. Nobody deserves to be treated like garbage. Why should I call him? Could I get you something?"

"We could have him bring tea and snacks whilst we sit and conversate with one another. It'd make for a pleasant afternoon, especially if we were to light a fire on this rainy day. Besides, I'd like to meet the house-elf that you freed and stole from Draco. He was very cross that you outwitted him, and little did he know, many of us teased him behind his back about it," Pansy said, smiling viciously at the thought of jokes told straight to Malfoy's face that he thought he was a part of rather than the victim of.

It was astounding that he could be so naive and so stupid.

Harry huffed. "I wish I could have seen how bothered he was."

"One day, I'll share the memory with you so long as you can find a pensive that works instead of the knockoffs sold throughout the world," Pansy said pleasantly as if Draco's anger was something that amused them both.

And to be fair, it was. Pansy had become increasingly disillusioned with Draco's personality and more allured by Harry's; in truth, the latter boy was very easily the better match in the vast majority of ways. Those that mattered especially to Pansy, however, made the competition more even than it should be. Her inner-conflict thanks to her Father and society made her choice increasingly more difficult.

It didn't have to be rushed though, and it wouldn't be so long as she could help it. In fact, with all the time she'd spent with Harry recently and the typical bits of time Draco took whilst she was in the common room or at Slytherin's table, there was one group that needed more focus from her; Astoria, Daphne and her other relatives.

Soon, it would be time to pay the Carrow Twins, the Greengrass girls and the Viking a visit.

"Pansy?" Harry suddenly asked, stealing her away from her thoughts as she looked over at him.

"Hmm?" she responded lazily, with both brows raised.

Harry looked hesitant, his confidence fleeting, but he swallowed and after doing so, sat up straighter in his seat. "There's another Hogsmeade trip in the first week of November… do you think we could go again?"

I shouldn't get greedy, but what's life without greed?

"I suppose I could allow you to take me out again," Pansy head after she let silence fester for ten, possibly even fifteen seconds whilst Harry waited with an increasingly unsure look growing on his face.

When that positive answer reached his ears, he grinned from ear to ear and hugged her. It was sudden, surprising, shocking… and then warm, comforting, and enjoyable. She allowed him the embrace free from any jabs; he was a very lucky boy, though that was on par with his moniker.

October 19, 1994

"You know, this is the second time you've been late, right?" Pansy asked with her arms folded when Potter entered the room.

Potter smiled disarmingly at her, likely in the hopes that it would get him off of any serious words with her. "I had something to take care of, and I'm one minute late this time, that's not as horrible as the two minutes last time, right?"

She sniffed in response to his words. "It's better, I suppose," she eventually said before she nodded towards the door. "Close it and lock it. We don't need anybody else coming in and finding us in here. I still can't believe the Prophet didn't run an article and nobody's grown wise about us."

"I mean, we do meet in empty classrooms, and save for Astronomy, we're never seen together. It can't be that surprising, right?" Harry asked as he tossed aside his satchel, letting it land on a desk before he moved towards his usual seat near her, and near the fireplace; the latter was the reason Pansy had picked the spot they'd sit at.

Pansy pulled a face but ultimately moved to the next topic as he got comfortable right beside her. "Did you bring it?"

"Of course," Harry said immediately.

"It's in your satchel, isn't it?" Pansy asked, this time withholding a snort lest Harry hears it.

"Oh," was his very elaborate and wordsy response as he fished out his wand and summoned the bag he'd only just thrown atop a table. "I guess I should have remembered that."

Pansy shook her head and patted him on the shoulder, earning a smile from Harry that she returned in a beautiful fashion… because it was from her, and everything she did, was beautiful. "I didn't think you'd seriously want to spend more time with me after our typical 'accidental' encounters and Astronomy. Maybe I was right a week ago when I said Gryffindor's star has a fascination with Snake girls."

At that, Harry scoffed and looked away from her, waving his hand. It wasn't lost on Pansy that he didn't refuse her claim. Even a few seconds later, when he turned back to set the item on the table, he remained silent and red-faced. It confirmed, again, what she had already begun to suspect; he fancied her far more than she had initially thought.

"Here," he said in a tone that was quieter than was typical of him.

Pansy nearly teased him. Nearly. Instead, she scooched as close as they could get without their knees touching, and for the first time, she began to aid him with Potions. It was a subject that he struggled with on account of Professor Snape — the man often picked on Harry, and whilst she had liked it, loved it, earlier, it made her strangely uncomfortable and on edge whensoever they had to attend Potions now.

There was little she could do, obviously, but for once, she wished she could have the Professor truly teach Harry. He wanted to learn. Pansy, great as she was, would teach him.

The toll, well, she wouldn't tell Harry about that until after their first session together. He had to learn sooner rather than later that everything had a price, and who better to learn that lesson with, than her?

I'll have him kiss my cheeks, I think. Yes, that'd be thoroughly embarrassing for him and very gratifying for me. I'd just have to close my eyes and…

Pansy took in a deep breath, willed away the thoughts that had begun to overtake her, and focused on Harry's studying.

It would be a long evening.