Disclaimer: Do not own any of JK. Rowlings characters.

I do own my characters though.

Just Breath

After the war, Harry and Ron and Hermione were thick as thieves. Ron and Hermione had not lasted much longer after the war, the fighting the two had was unbearable, most of the time Harry just stayed away. They were all still amazing friends, however Hermione found herself falling in love with a blonde haired boy, a Slytherin, the only one possible Draco Malfoy. It was a hard pill to swallow, and to get used to. There had been several fights between Draco, Harry and Ron. But out of respect that they had for Hermione, they tried their best to get along. Still uncomfortable with first name bases they all used last names still.

As the years passed after the war the more they got used to the blonde boy that they found to be around all the time. They say that time would heal all wounds, granted they were not over everything but Harry could consider Draco a Mate, maybe not a close one. But one none- the - the-less, He wouldn't be calling him a best mate, after all Ron and Neville had that title. A title he was not necessarily wanting to share with the Slytherin. Or any Slytherin for that matter. He was fine with them being around.

When Hermione had married Draco, this is where the whole problem started. When Harry went to their wedding, it was a mix of Slytherins and Gryffindors, and loved ones. Harry attended solo, simply because at the time Ginny had work engagements. If only she took the time off to be there with him, but alas she was not and that was the problem. Harry had seen a woman there, he wasn't sure exactly who she was. Although, she seemed familiar. He had made eye contact with her several times. He had even given her one of his small smiles. It must have looked awkward because he instantly turned away from him. He knew she had seen him smile at her, but instead of her coming over, he watched her walk over to Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott. Not many females hung out with those two. Keeping that in mind he tried to just figure out who she was. She seemed to fit in with the Slytherins, which meant she might be one? He was trying to think back to when they had been in school.

He watched her place her hand on Notts chest. That made him a little irked, why? He didn't even know who it was. Nor had he ever talked to her so the feeling he felt was unjust and just silly. He walked over to Ronald but maintained a view of the female. Until now no one had really piqued his interest like this before. Not even Ginny. He waited for a pause in conversation and looked at Ron. " oi, do you know who is standing with Nott and Zabini?" he asked, looking away from the girl. " Just don't turn around and stare. We don't need to start a fight at Hermione's wedding; she would curse us. "

Ron blinked at Harry and listened to him speak. He was talking about someone standing with the gits, he really had not gotten over the whole Slytherin Gryffindor fight. Although he played nice for 'Mione's sake. He tried not to make a scene when he turned to look at the three-some. He strained his eyes, before widening them. He turned back to Harry, " That's Parkinson, mate."
He paused. " Odd, I have heard she doesn't go out often anymore. Not sense the battle. " he shrugged. " So it makes sense that people don't even recognize her, including you mate."

Harry looked back at Ron. " Like Pansy Parkinson?" he asked, sort of shocked, she looked so different than when she was back in school. Granted he missed most of the 6th year and all of the 7th. He and the remaining class of his returned to Hogwarts for their 8th year but he didn't recall seeing Parkinson or the other two she was standing with. But they had finished right? He looked at Ron, seeing him nodding yes, to his question. " She looks so different. " he muttered before losing sight of the girl. He shrugged and tried to push her out of his head.

A week or so after the wedding, things had settled down. He had returned to work, at the ministry. He had gotten his dream work as Auror and was on the fast track to become a Head Auror, which would mean he'd have his own team the only blessing with this Is that Malfoy was also on the fast track to becoming on as well, which meant Harry did not have to worry about being the man's boss. Sadly He did share an office space with him. Harry looked at the file in front of him and read the same sentence for the fourth time, he sighed in frustration and closed the file.

The noise caused Draco to look up, He normally kept to himself and didn't bother Potter if he didn't have to. You know, keeping the peace and all. He looked at the man's face, he seemed frustrated about something. He looked down at his own paperwork " What's wrong Potter?"

Harry looked over at him. And sighed in a more defeated tone. " Do you ever have something or someone on your mind that you can't get out of your head no matter how hard you try or how wrong you know it is?"

He stopped looking at the paper and looked up at Harry and nodded. " Uh, Females tend to have that sort of annoying effect on us males." he nodded. He was thinking Potter couldn't get the girl Weasley from his brain. He knew that pain all so well, Hermione was constantly on his mind, driving him insane. " Why do you ask?"

He was not about to open up to Malfoy about his new obsession of a thought. He decided to change the course of the question and flip it back to him, maybe to get some information from him without being discovered. He was clever enough to pull this off right? " the clan you hung out with at school that was Nott and Zabini and who else?"

Draco put his quill down and looked at Harry, his eyes narrowing at the line of questioning. What did it matter who he hung out with during school, it was a memory he didn't like to travel down. However, he was now curious where this was going. " Parkinson. Pansy." he said, watching Harry.

He picked up the quill and started to write things down. He didn't want Draco to think there was some sort of motive. " Oh yeah. That was who it was. " he shrugged. " What is up with that lot?" he asked, he felt he was being an idiot asking these sorts of questions but he needed to know. Not for work reasons, but personal ones. He had to know what Pansy was up to. " They were at the wedding, yeah? I think I remember seeing them. "

He narrowed his eyes again, thinking about how to answer Harry. He was very curious as to why he was asking about those three. But again he decided to play into Harry's line of questioning. " I don't really understand why you're so curious about those three." he paused before speaking again, he had to be careful. " Blaise works at Hogwarts actually, he is their current Potions master, He states he should become Head of Slytherin shortly. He has to wait for Professor Harkaway to retire. " He thought about the next person. " Theodore you should know about yeah? But in case you have forgotten He works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. " He ended things there. He didn't see why he had to know about Pansy.

Harry nodded. He actually had forgotten that, why would he remember that? Nott was no friend of his, and since the war he may have spoken to him barely a handful of times. He remembered having to deal with him when Hermione had parties. He looked up at Draco who seemed to stop talking, he had given him information on the two people he could care less about. He wanted to know about Parkinson. He was a little annoyed that Draco was playing games. " And Parkinson?" he asked, hoping not to sound annoyed with him.

Draco leaned back in his chair and looked over at him. " I am not sure why you are asking about those three. "

Harry frowned a little and looked at him. " I was just curious. " he said. " I mean I just noticed them at the Wedding and It dawned on me that I haven't really seen the three of them since the war. I was just curious, nothing to it really." he tried playing it off.

Draco was staring at Harry; he wasnt sure if he wanted to trust the bloke. But he sighed and shrugged. " Yeah, that would make sense. Zambini and Nott, had issues with getting over the War. They were a lot deeper in it then most of us. However, Parkinson…." He shook his head. He really shouldn't be talking about her to Potter of all people. Pansy was going to literally slaughter him, and there would be nothing his wife could do to stop her. " Parkinson had it a lot worse"

" What do you mean?" Harry was trying to think back but couldn't think of anything that stood out. After all it was her who tried to hand him over to Voldemort, but thats all he remembered of that.

Draco sighed. " I shouldn't be telling you or anyone about her business, she still has a very mean streak to her." he chuckled. " Long story short Potter, Parkinson almost died the night of the Battle. " he sighed. " she went through a thing…" he was being vague for a reason it wasnt his story to tell. " She was attacked trying to save some younger years.. And she almost died. So she tends to keep to herself. "

He was floored. Parkinson had done that? He really couldn't see it. " Doing what? " he asked now, so curious it was bothering him. " Im sure she and Nott are getting married soon Yeah?"

Draco looked at him blankly, Parkinson and Nott? He shook his head and laughed. " No, I highly doubt that Parkinson would ever marry Nott. " he shook his head. " Nott, Zambini and myself see Parkinson as a little sister. We all grew up together, Although that doesn't mean we didn't all try to date her. She's a bit of a handful… More than you'd think" he chuckled. " She owns a shop in the Alley. '' he looked at his paper. " Now if you're done with the weird questions I'm going to get back to work so I don't show up home late. You know how Mione gets."

Harry nodded. " yeah sorry i was just curious." he mumbled going back to work. After a while he looked at the time and sighed " Shit, I'm late to meet Ginny '' with a crack he apparated out of the office. With a Pop he stood in front of the restaurant. He frowned, this was not going to be a good night. He sighed and walked in and looked around. He spotted the redhead and he walked over and sat down across from her. " Hey Gin." he said and smiled faintly. He smiled a little more when she took his hand into hers and laced her fingers with him.

He sat across the table from a beautiful woman, she had long red hair with sparkling brown eyes, he looked down at their entwined fingers. She looked so happy to him, and yet he knew it wouldn't last. He couldn't let it last any longer. The man ran his free hand through his messy black hair, as his green eyes landed on her. " Ginny, I know this is going to sound horrible.. but I think it would be best if …" He paused and looked at her again, she was looking at him so fondly, this was going to hurt her, he hated that the most. " We need to break up."

Ginny looked at him, her mouth dropped open. She literally had nothing to say, which was funny because no one could ever get her to stop talking. She looked at Harry " …What?" she said as she pulled her hands out of his and placed them in her lap. She had been hoping that he was going to propose. This was quite the opposite and unexpected. She was shocked, after a moment she gathered her thoughts.. " Is there someone else Harry?" She felt her eyes become misty

Harry Potter sighed, he shouldn't lie to her. " Actually, yeah there is. It's just I don't know if she knows I exist." he stopped talking, his green eyes shot to her… he had gone too far. She was crying.

As soon as she had heard his words, it was like a flood gate had opened. She felt her eyes starting to leak as tears flowed down her cheeks, her heart felt like it was shattering," Harry Potter you are an arsehole! You wasted five whole years of my life. " she picked up her drink and took a sip standing as she swallowed it. She moved her arm in a fashion that splashed the drink into his face and with a crack she was gone, out of sight.

Harry dried his face off, and sighed, "Well, I deserved that. "