A/N: It's been a lil bit, but here we are with Part 7! (Far more to come)
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Hogsmeade had been given a sort of restoration since the start of the tournament, and as Pansy and Harry grew nearer to the ancient, historic area — close enough for the nearest buildings to be visible — that couldn't have been made more obvious. It was like night and day, with the streets lined with the most gorgeous flowers and the buildings themselves restored to a splendour that hadn't been seen for centuries, at the very least.
Well, centuries was what she imagined it'd been given the general rattiness that'd previously been so prominent.
Pansy tucked closer to Harry when she was shaken from her thoughts by way of their carriage switching from dirt to cobblestone. Hogsmeade's roads were old, older than even Hogwarts some claimed, and yet still, they persisted.
Mostly.
She rolled her head to look up, at Harry, and found herself lost in looking at him while he gazed out their carriage, his attention seemingly focused on the village as a whole. His hair was... tamer than it most oft was, and his attire, a dark, forest-green sweater and a pair of black trousers, made him seem all the more appealing. She doubted there'd be a single witch that wouldn't want to get a hold of him.
And yet, he'd come here, with her.
It gave her no small amount of smug happiness as she snuggled into his side, his eyes coming down to her a moment later, his lips parting to show her a brilliant smile.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.
She didn't hesitate in her nod.
"You're very warm," Pansy admitted a second or so later. "And you look better in green. It matches those eyes of yours."
Harry chuckled, a low sound that resonated within him and sent a faint vibration into her. She didn't dislike it, though she did have to suppress the urge to shudder and curl up against him further.
"Thanks," he said, and then he kissed the top of her head, the gesture so simple and yet so...
Morgana.
Maybe she should simply sequester herself away with him in some private room once they found a nice, warm and classy enough place to eat; with all the Frogs and Durmstrang students visiting, there'd been so many places opened that one was bound to fit her lofty standards.
"Look beautiful yourself, y'know," he mumbled a moment later, his cheeks growing red at the given compliment.
He'd gone and made her heart melt.
No compliments from Slytherins that desired her had been so genuine. Ofttimes, they were practised and half-hearted, all for the sake of appeasing family by hoping to bring back a witch they'd approve of. Draco's had been the worst. They'd always lacked any sincerity. She was just a prize to show off to his parents.
But, Harry... was perfect.
He knew she was smart, he prized her help and advice, and now, he was officially courting her. Well, at least in her mind he was — what else would trips, gifts and compliments mean?
"And you, dashing."
Harry looked ready to respond, his lips parting and all, but whatever he'd planned on saying was interrupted when their carriage pulled to a halt.
Pansy looked away from him, to the outside, and saw the large sign that hung overhead, a quaint, wooden piece with the words 'Three Broomsticks' carved into it. She'd thought it'd have stopped far earlier in the village, but evidently, it hadn't.
"You brought me to The Three Broomsticks?" Pansy asked, her eyebrows rising.
She'd not expected that, not in the slightest.
"Figured it'd be a good place to start. Don't like it?" Harry asked, a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
She couldn't have him doubting himself.
"It'll be a lovely place to start," Pansy amended with a smile as she leaned up, pecked his cheek and leaned across him so as to push open the carriage door. Afterwards, she settled back in the seat whence she'd risen from, and batted her eyes at him. "You first? I'll need help climbing down, wouldn't you say?"
Harry grinned, a lopsided and charming thing that made her want to melt and sigh; Morgana, she was starting to sound pathetic. It was like every little minute action or uniquely Harry response or gesture saw her as enthralled as all those stupid wizards that followed the French Champion around.
"Yeah. Reckon I would." He hopped down and held his hand out, his larger one taking her smaller one without hesitation, and he pulled her down gently.
"Thanks." Pansy leaned up and gave him another quick kiss, and then, when he took her arm, she was escorted to the doors, which Harry opened and gestured her through, bowing like a proper gentleman as he did. "Why thank you," she cooed, her cheeks warming from the attention.
As soon as he stepped in after her, the pair shared a look, and then a quiet burst of laughter.
"I never thought I'd enjoy such silliness," Pansy said as she led the way towards a place in the far back of the establishment, one that was well-enough away from the others. She had no desire in being at the centre of so many bothersome, blubbering idiots.
Harry's arm slipped from being 'round her own, and went lower. She thought he wanted distance until his hand found her own, his fingers lacing through hers as he gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Fun, isn't it?"
That little grin she sported had seemed so ever-present.
It made one of her own appear on her lips.
"Quite."
Pansy and Harry had drank a butter beer each, and lounged in their seats near to the fire for nearly half an hour before the pair decided that they should go somewhere else. Hogsmeade wasn't the biggest village even with a score new places one could go, and after being in the pub, Pansy had felt the desire to take a stroll.
Even if it was more than a bit nippy out.
Ah well, at least it'd be an excuse for Harry to use a heating charm on her person and stick close as they walked.
"You're directing us somewhere specific." Pansy said when Harry saw them take another turn, one that'd taken them deeper into the heart of the village.
"Am not," Harry countered as he tugged her closer, the two sharing a look and a grin a moment later.
"Oh? You think I can't get the truth from you?" Pansy saw another opportunity for playful affection, and she took it without hesitation. "I'm sure if I promised a kiss, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"
Harry looked her up and down, and then he grinned, lopsided as usual. "Could probably get anything from me with a promise like that, couldn't you?" His counter was perfect.
"I'd be more surprised if I didn't." Pansy paused when she was brought to a sudden stop. Her eyes sought out the sign; it was one before a bookstore which she'd thought to be their destination. "La Fudgerie?"
Harry nodded, and then, with a nervousness that'd started to grow, he tugged at the collar of his shirt.
"I thought you might like it," he explained, his nervousness turning to a shyness. "D'you like chocolate? Or, well, do you like sweets?"
More oft than not neither she nor many other Witches in Slytherin partook of them with any type of frequency... but with that said, she had a love of chocolate greater than most, and if the smell that'd drifted from the shop was any indication, this shop would be no exception.
"I'm not going to say no." Pansy smiled at him and gave a tug of that hand he'd taken hold of. Not that she didn't find his shyness endearing, Pansy wished for him to stand tall and proud and certain.
Pansy's words and the sweet look she'd given him seemed to bolster him. That hand slipped from hers, and instead, wrapped 'round her waist, and then he led them right on in, pushing open the door and keeping it open until they were fully inside.
Her perfect gentleman.
Pansy couldn't imagine the last time that she'd been inside a store like this. A few of her cousins, her aunts and her uncles had frequented shops such as these, but with her mother's opinion on witches that weren't 'naturally beautiful', her father's similar stance, and her grandfather's insistence on keeping her as 'skinny' as possible, she'd been barred from them.
But with Harry, she had no such issues to keep her away.
With Harry, she could be whomever she wanted, and she could do what her heart desired... she grinned deviously then.
"Harry?"
He turned his head and met her gaze. "Hm?"
Pansy rose up on the tips of her toes, and then pressed a kiss to his lips. "You're wonderful." With nothing else to add, she sent him a teasing look, and tore off towards the fudge at the far end of the shop.
Harry got out a 'Pans' and made after her.
How fun it was, to play with him.
Darkness had settled over Hogsmeade, signalling the beginning of the end of their trip.
Pansy would readily admit it'd been the greatest one that she'd ever had, and it was all thanks to Harry. Her Harry. He'd taken her from shop to shop, on a long walk, and had spent no small amount of Galleons in buying her various treats, despite her words of protest. Mother and Father gave her a generous allowance, enough so that she could've gotten all that she wanted herself, and yet, Harry'd not allowed her.
"You're going to spoil me," she chided, even as she cuddled close to his side and rested her head upon his shoulder.
Harry wrapped an arm around her to pull her closer still, and then, his chin came to rest atop her head. "That's sorta the idea, innit?"
She couldn't see him, but she was certain he had that lopsided grin of his plastered on his face.
"Well, I suppose I'll allow it." She snuggled deeper into him. "You'll not see me off immediately, will you? I'd spend what remains of our evening together before a hearth."
Pansy had no doubt the warmth from the fire and his arms would see her sleeping easily, and with Harry, there wasn't so much as a hint of worry. No pranks would be pulled on her, nothing improper would occur; if anything, he was likely to fall asleep right alongside her.
They'd just have to make sure the door to the classroom they chose was firmly closed and locked, and a ward placed so as to alert them if anyone neared.
"I won't. Was kinda hoping we could do that, actually."
Pansy's lips quirked into a smile. "Perfect."
And less than twenty minutes later, that was where the pair were; in their old, empty, modified classroom with a fire going, the door closed and warded, and a couch placed a comfortable distance from the hearth.
She'd taken Harry's sweater, and the oversized garment was far comfier than she'd imagined.
Pansy's eyelids had already grown heavy.
"I could fall asleep like this," she admitted as she cuddled even closer to Harry, her body resting atop his as he reclined against the couch.
"Go ahead," he murmured.
His fingers were in her hair, toying with it in a manner that had her melting.
She was supposed to be the one paying him back for the date, and if not that, then easing his mind from the many worries the second task likely caused.
Instead, she was the one receiving attention and affection to the utmost degree.
Mayhaps it was for all the glares she'd sent whilst on their date — not to Harry, of course, but to all those Witches that'd looked on with jealousy. It'd been much to perfect a date for any of those hags to ruin.
"G'night." Harry's whispered word only just registered on her sleepy mind.
And the kiss that followed, soft and pressed ever so fleetingly against her forehead, the last thing she felt before rest took her.