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She Will Be Loved
The irony wasn’t lost on Pansy that ‘Jessie’s Girl’ played as she stared over rather bitterly at the dancefloor whilst the new bride and groom danced the night away. All, you really needed to do was change the lyrics to ‘Ginny’s Husband’ and you would have been on the right track.
She had designed the bride's dress and the bridesmaids too and they all looked fucking fantastic, she really was a wiz when creating clothes. Now, you’re probably wondering how and why if she was in love with the groom? How on earth had she ended up both planning the wedding she was currently in attendance with and why had she created the bridal party dresses? The answer was simple, yes she loved Blaise Zabini but he was also her best friend and she would painstakingly do anything for him hence all of the above.
Pansy Parkinson was in love with Blaise Zabini and had been since she was thirteen. He had never known, he had never noticed and probably never would. Pansy had come to the realisation that she was unlovable, any guy she had dated had only ever wanted one thing, her Father had never loved her and her Mother well, that, particular subject matter was under the file undetermined with a big red question mark alongside it. Pansy had decided that she would never be loved romantically. She was actually quite certain she was totally and completely un-loveable.
She wondered if she had done something in another life (if you believed in that) for this to happen, if this whole your soul continues on thing is true she merited that she certainly must have been a rather dubious character. Perhaps she’d been a serial cheater or perhaps she’d led a sea of broken hearts wherever she went. Regardless of any of that, she decided that today July 13th was the worst day in existence.
She picked up her glass of rosé and rung it around in her hand, the wine was some very expensive French make where elves spent hours speaking to the grapes or some other bullshit, apparently, this encouraged the grapes to be sweeter. What a load of bollocks.
She drank said drink in one large gulp and set her glass back down again in which an elf then appeared to refill it. Poor guy had been here a lot refilling her glass. Pansy smiled at him and went to knock it back again when a shadow loomed over her, she groaned. If it was Theo again with fucking Potter attempting to get her on the dance floor, she was going to kill them both and she was going to enjoy herself whilst doing it.
“Theo I do not want to dance around between you and Potter like some gay man’s hag, I’ve said no, the answer is still no it will always be no.”
The shadow cleared their throat and when she looked up it wasn’t, in fact, Theo or Potter but instead one of the Weasley twins.
He raised his eyebrows in response to her little outburst, well fucking brilliant, as if she needed any more ginger ruining her evening.
“Hello, Parkinson.”
“Weasley.”
“You don’t know which one I am do you?”
“You’re the one here without a date.”
“Correct. But what is my name, Parkinson?”
“Weasley?”
“My first name.”
“Don’t you both just wear badges it would make situations such as ones like this so much easier. Besides, I don’t care what your name is.”
He laughed at that, “we thought about it a long time ago but, we’d just switch them anyway. Come on I’m the one who’s still got my ear.”
“Frank?”
“Close but not quite.”
“Felix?”
“Close again but wrong.”
“Oh bugger off will you, you’re spoiling my wine and depression.”
“Oh I don’t know about that Parkinson, it is a wedding after all. What’s got your pretty face all frowned down? Plus didn’t I mention it’s a wedding isn’t it practically illegal to be unhappy?”
She looked up at him, he was grinning like an idiot his eyebrows were risen to his hairline in joy. Blast it what on earth was his fucking name? The sea of red was giving her a headache but this current buffoon was the leading man in ensuring it lasted for at least three days. She refused to admit that the reason she had a steady headache brewing was because she was already on her eighth maybe ninth glass of wine? Who knows she lost count and the elf just kept reappearing, quite fantastic really she should look into getting one too.
Pansy sighed taking in a deep breath, “well arrest me.” She held up her arms in fake surrender.
He chuckled, “I think you’ve had enough wine.”
“Who are you, my Mother?”
“No, but, I can tell you’re miserable and gulping down your sorrows. I am usually part of this fan club, you see over there,” he pointed to his twin brother dancing, “see that’s the only girl I’ve ever loved and she’s dancing with my twin brother. So Parkinson we have a lot in common.” His sarcasm was annoying but the twins were always rather funny and she could feel her lips twitch up on their own accord.
“And do tell Weasel why on earth are we in the same little club?”
“Oh I don’t know petal, I get the strangest feeling you’re in love with the groom.”
“Petal?” she asked.
“That’s all you got from that?” he huffed.
“No one has ever called me petal.”
“If you were a flower I think you’d be a little vicious. Perhaps a rose quite pretty to look at but you’d often get a thorn in your side.”
“Hmmmmm, what an acute observation.”
“Come on one more guess at the name.”
“Annoying lanky prick?”
“What an astute observation from you indeed, twenty points to Slytherin but don’t you think I’ve bulked out a bit since we left school?”
“I can’t really recall the before.”
“Real shame,” he wiggled his eyebrows at that and she laughed and blew her fringe out of her eyes, she needed a fringe trim and soon.
“What do you want ginger pest?”
“Oh that’s new I quite like that.”
She laughed again despite herself, “well what is it?”
“Dance with me?”
She laughed hard then, “and why on earth would I do that?”
“Because well, I don’t know if you know this but, I almost died at the final battle missed death by about a fraction of a slither,” he gestured with his forefinger and thumb to a space that was barely there, “and since then I’ve decided to just do whatever the fuck I want and right now Parkinson I want to dance with the prettiest girl here and that is you. So please put me out of my misery and dance with me.”
She eyed his outstretched hand and lifted her eyebrows, “no.”
“And why not?”
“Because I said so and I’d have to stop drinking this delightful wine, did you know that elves actually speak to the grapes, it gives it more flavour a fuller body if you will.”
“Is that what Malfoy was harping on about?”
“He’s told you that too?” she asked.
“Well yes, Hermione always makes him chat to us Weasleys at events and he’s told all of us that at least four times each now, so yes I did know.”
There was a long pause where neither of them spoke.
She narrowed her eyes and looked up at him “It’s Fred isn’t it, your name?”
“Ding, ding, DING Miss.Parkinson we have a winner, now because you got it right,” he pulled his hand out again, “you should dance with me.”
She ignored him and downed her rosé again but when the elf reappeared he wouldn’t let him refill her glass, poor elf got a little stressed over that but, the ginger oaf gave him a bloody whistle and he was overjoyed so he left without a second glance.
Pansy huffed and fell back in her seat, “why did you do that for? That wine was my only form of enjoyment tonight and you’ve taken it away.”
“Right, I’ve had enough of this,” he stated and he started to walk away, Pansy felt a bolt of glee shoot through her at this but, it didn’t last long as the next thing she knew he had crawled under the table and his head was quite literally in her lap.
She screamed a little at the intrusion, “what the fucking hell?” he shuffled the rest of the way from under the table, he removed his head from her lap and stood to his full height, he was tall. So tall, she hadn’t realised how tall he was until then.
“I’ll drag you and I can you know, you’re quite a petite woman Parkinson despite the attitude.”
She rolled her eyes; clearly, she wasn’t getting out of this one.
“Up, up” he protested with his outstretched hand, she finally relented and grabbed it; he practically dragged her to the dancefloor.
“I like this one,” Fred said once they were right in the centre, she had her arms folded across her chest and was pointedly ignoring the new happily married couple to her left who were all googly eyed for one another and one another alone.
“DANCE,” Fred shouted grabbing both of her arms and attempting to move her.
“It’s a good song Parkinson my sister loves 80’s muggle music and so do I so move that lovely little bum of yours.”
Pansy rolled her eyes again and let him drag her around the floor like a ragdoll, stopping to speak to various couples at different times. There were Granger and Draco who were as stiff as two planks. Theo and Potter whom were dancing as if their lives depended on it but, her personal favourite was Brown and Weasley, the one that was in her year. She was trying to be sexy and it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen. She started to laugh as did Fred.
“Little Ronikins got a boner from that?” Fred asked and she saw his brother's cheeks burn to an impossible red.
“Bugger off Fred,” he grumbled.
Brown just giggled, clearly gleeful with the thought she had caused her boyfriend to have a boner at his sisters' wedding. Absolute twit.
As the evening continued Pansy found herself enjoying the tall ginger oafs company more and more, he was fun, he was funny and he was pulling pranks left right and centre to random unsuspecting guests. The oldest brother's hair turned blue at one point, the second eldest trousers suddenly ripped and the third eldest went completely yellow from head to toe. The Weasley matriarch did not find any of said jokes funny and chased him around with a shoe at one point but Pansy was laughing so much she had tears in her eyes, she hadn’t had that much fun in ages.
Finally, the evening drew to a close and goodbyes were said. Blaise pulled her in and thanked her for organising everything alongside Ginny his blushing bride stating that if it wasn’t for her, her wedding vision never would have come to life. Pansy tried to tamper down the ever-increasing despair she felt at her words but plastered a smile on her face and hugged and kissed her and said it was no trouble at all.
Fred was waiting for her to leave and as they exited through the doors of Blaise’s impressive Italian château she pulled out a muggle cigarette lit it with a click of her fingers and took a long thick drag before offering Fred the same. He accepted and the pair traipsed back to their prospective rooms, which turned out to be fairly close to one another.
It was late and the cool night air made Pansy shiver, Fred gave her his suit jacket and she nodded in thanks. He’d made this entire night fun and she wasn’t really sure how to thank him. They walked back in silence, where all that could be heard was the crickets that were hopping about and the pixie song, which sang in the Zabini estate in the height of the Italian summer. The path was lit by thousands of floating fairy lights, which illuminated their way back to their prospective rooms.
It wasn’t meant to happen, even at this point in the night Pansy would have thought you were mad for even suggesting it but as he dropped her off at her room, she just sort of acted on some strange inhibited instinct.
She handed back his jacket and unlocked her room, “thanks Weasel I had,” she paused “I had a lot of fun surprisingly.”
He smirked and it was strange, it was so different to Draco’s and Blaise’s it was cool in a ‘people actually liked me as a person back in school not because of my Gringotts account kind of way’ it was hard to explain but it was as if he had earned that smirk.
“As did I Petal,” he turned to walk away but she didn’t want the night to end there so she grabbed his wrist, he looked back in utter confusion and before she could think too much about it she grabbed his tie pulling his head down and smacking her lips against his.
He didn’t move for about thirteen seconds so Pansy had a horrible sinking feeling that she had completely misinterpreted this, she went to pull back but as she did he grabbed her neck from behind and their lips were slanted even closer than before. He nibbled on her bottom lip and she gasped, he took this as permission then to put a tongue between her lips, she grabbed his face and matched his urgency. She pulled him back into her room shutting it with his body as she did. She then proceeded to cast a wandless locking and silencing charm. The pair stayed there for a while just snogging each other more and more up against the door until she then started frantically removing his clothes.
She started with his shirt then his tie and then his robe, everything she could get her hands on, she removed his belt, his trousers until he was stood in just his boxers. Their mouths barely left one another in this scrambled urgency as he proceeded to remove her dress and then her bra and shoes. They finally stopped for a minute to drink one another in; he looked mused with bitten and swollen lips. His hand grazed over her collarbone before he attacked her neck and started biting and licking along it, she let out a heated groan before she pushed him back towards her bed at the far end of her room. This room was far too large and this game lasted for far too long until he eventually picked her up in which she gave a startled yelp as he practically ran towards the over large, overstuffed bed.
Once, they finally, FINALLY reached the bed he started kissing and sucking her breasts, he flicked her nipple and she shivered in response as he attached his mouth to the other, she could feel the need in between her legs that was steadily growing, getting more and more intense with each of his new ministrations he was making on her body. She started nibbling at his earlobe and was straddling his lap; pleased to feel he was as turned on as she was.
They stopped for a minute and just stared at one another both panting, chest hitting chest before she made the final move that sealed exactly where this night was going. Hard and hot against her inner thigh was his cock; she squeezed it through his boxers, earning her a loud hiss that blew his blue eyes impossibly wide. He dragged his finger along her lace-covered front and she grabbed his neck as he did so, he teased her slit through her underwear and she ground against him shamelessly as she tried to relieve some of the pressure building between her thighs.
He smirked as she did so, she hadn’t noticed before but as she looked down at what his hand was doing she noticed he had lovely hands really long fingers, he could probably play an instrument well if he put his mind to it. Fucking hell. She was going to fuck a Weasley and she was sure she was going to enjoy it, her Father would be turning in his grave, good she thought I hope I piss you off even in death.
He kept up his teasing and she was on the edge of begging when finally, finally he dipped his finger inside her underwear.
“My, my you’re wet,” Fred breathed on her neck.
“Fuck,” she replied as he started dipping in and out of her, he curled his finger up and reached a spot she could never reach on her own. He added a second and she keened making a noise, she was sure had never come out of her. She reattached herself to his lips as he kept working her closer and closer to that oblivion that she was so desperate for.
He sped up after he added the second finger and pressed his palm against her hard and punishing.
“Let go Parkinson,” and she did, fucking hell she did. It felt so good and it went on for so long that she almost lost herself. She buried her face in the crook of his neck until she felt her senses reassert themselves, she pulled herself to standing on slightly jellied legs as she made her way to remove his boxers. He was sitting there on the edge of his bed leaning on his elbows as she did so, once his boxers were off, she was shocked to see that he was big: really big.
She shivered slightly, as her perfectly manicured hand took his cock and made languid strokes, he grabbed her waist and shot her an intense look as she re-straddled him and aligned him with her cunt. As she sunk him into him, slowly they both hissed, this was one of the most pleasurable experiences of her adult life, once he was fully sheathed to the hilt they stayed there unmoving for a few minutes before she moved up and down on his cock. Causing him to look up at the ceiling as she moved up and down, up and down, testing what angle felt the best. He hissed on one particular angle and quick hit and she kept going and going, gaining momentum.
He grabbed her suddenly, “stop, stop I’ll finish-“ she kept going and he hissed again, “I’ll finish too quick.”
She bit her lip and carried on until he stilled her completely and flipped her so she was on her back, it all happened so quickly and from this angle. Oh wow. He hit something she was sure no one had ever hit before, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he lifted one of her legs and placed it on his shoulder.
Fucking hell he was good at this, he touched her breasts as he started a relentless pace of fucking her, she was sure her breasts would be covered in his hand marks in the morning but she really, really didn’t mind.
And there was that feeling again, that feeling of pure oblivion as she felt a knot form in her stomach, she was gasping, panting, sweating and she was so, so close.
She came when he thrust one extra hard thrust and tweaked her nipple at the same time, she cried out roaring his given name as she did.
After he had achieved her second orgasm his pace became relentless and he lifted her other leg onto his shoulder, it made her arch off the bed.
“Fucking hell Fred,” she all but shouted.
He finished not too long after that and as she felt his cum hit an impossible place she felt herself explode for a third and final time. He fell back on her bed alongside her and they both stared up at the ceiling. They didn’t speak for a while, both trying to get their breathing back to normal. Pansy was no prude, she’d slept with a fair amount of guys over her twenty-four years of life but, nothing and when she said nothing she meant nothing compared to the sex she had just had with fucking Fred Weasley.
“Wow,” was all he said.
“Yes,” came Pansy’s reply.
He turned to face her, “I want to do that again.”
She was still staring up at the ceiling when she replied, “as do I.”
They lay in silence again until he finally continued, “When is your portkey scheduled?”
“Monday,” she replied.
“Grand, as is mine.”
“Everyone else is leaving tomorrow. I just wanted to spend some time in Italy.”
“So did I.”
Fred played with her fringe a little, a coy smile playing his lips “well then we have four days of fun ahead. What do you think?”
Pansy didn’t respond for a few minutes, “I think that could be amendable.”
He huffed out a breath and laughed, “amendable? You call what we just did amendable.”
“I’m not inflating your ego too much,” she replied whilst laughing herself.
“So a weekend of little Italian fun? Then when we go back to England we just,” he paused here. “We just go our separate ways?”
“Agreed.” Came her short and sweet reply, and they both fell asleep quite quickly after that.
When she awoke the next morning to an empty bed, she wasn’t surprised. She had, had the most intense sex dream of her entire life about Fred Weasley. She’d never been into someone ginger before. But, when she heard the shower running and she looked down to find multiple bite marks blemished across her skin she knew she hadn’t been dreaming.
Her head was pounding and when she finally stood and headed to grab a hangover potion, she felt soreness between her legs that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
She felt a shiver when she realised last night had in fact all happened, she didn’t regret it if anything she wanted it to happen again. She guzzled her hangover potion and with a fresh head, decided to head to the shower to join her ginger houseguest.
The room was full of steam when she entered and he was humming a song with rather depressing lyrics:
“Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else
I drove for miles and miles, and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times, but somehow I want more.”
She slipped in the shower and didn’t say a word; she got to her knees in front of him and grabbed his cock. He stiffened for a moment before looking down at her.
“What have we here then?” he asked with a tilt of his head and a slight rising to his left eyebrow.
She smirked up at him and slowly pushed her hand up and down his cock, it started to harden immediately. Once, he had hardened again she took his cock in her mouth, she started with slow licks up and down his shaft testing, seeing what he liked. His head hit the back tiled wall at one point as he let out a low groan. The entire situation was turning her on and sucking dick had never turned her on.
She started getting bolder taking more and more of him in her mouth and as she did so he grabbed her hair and held her there, she felt herself gagging a bit at this but continued on, the more she sucked the more aroused she became and she started to touch herself too.
He pulled her off quite suddenly and she stared up at him with confused eyes as her mouth made an audible pop.
He pulled her up from her knees by her hair and kissed her roughly backing her up until she was in contact with the cold tiles, he started kissing down her neck and playing lazily with her clit.
“Did sucking my cock turn you on?” he asked huskily in her ear.
“Yes,” she replied in return.
He pinned her there with brutal force as he slid his cock inside her till the hilt, she practically screamed it was the best kind of intrusion.
“You are the sexiest witch I’ve ever met,” he whispered in her ear once he started moving and began to fuck shamelessly her again.
She wrapped her legs around his waist drawing him closer and she started drawing love bites all over his neck. She was sure the world was on its axis because at current she was fucking a Weasley up against a shower wall and enjoying it so much it should have been criminal. He kept hitting that spot again the one that made everything go completely black, making her eyes roll to the back of her head.
I could get used to this she thought. It was fleeting and as quick as it was there it was gone but it rang true. That wasn’t good. She let it go, she’d unpick that later but right now, right this minute she would let this man fuck her for as long and hard as he wanted because it was the best thing she had ever experienced.
“Cum for me Parkinson,” he whispered in her ear as he was making a trail between her breasts and nipping her earlobe. She did, fucking hell did she arching off the wall and screaming herself hoarse.
He followed shortly after, panting her given name like a religion into her neck.
They showered in silence after that.
The weekend at Zabini’s estate was like something out of one of those muggle movies Granger made Pansy watch at the cinema when they had ‘girl time’ because Draco insisted they got to know one another. They were called rom-coms or something. The main protagonist was always laughing and accidentally falling in love with some complete loser when she was supposedly ‘out of his league’. But, when you watched it that part was bullshit the guy was usually quite attractive and they’d give him some glasses or a fat suit and the girl was like a real-life blonde Barbie (yes Pansy knew what those dolls were) but they were usually always equal in attractiveness. They were the most annoying ridiculous movies Pansy had ever watched but, that’s exactly what the weekend felt like, like a showreel of cheesy skits from a new rom-com that was coming to a cinema in Autumn as a sort of pick me up from the shit weather that they would have undoubtedly engulfed England.
They hid in a vineyard, throwing grapes at one another and laughing even though he got red grapes all over her white midi dress with the open back. They fell on top of each other laughing and they rolled around all while they exchanged kisses.
They went to beautiful dinners that overlooked the ocean and had a laugh when Fred turned the poor waiters' white suit jacket into something that looked as if it were covered in tomato sauce. It was his latest invention for the shop called ‘stain it’ aimed to piss off homebodies and anyone who worked in hospitality.
They hired brooms and zoomed all around Italy, having races and talking about nothing much at all. Pansy loved flying just not many people knew, her parents told her it was an 'undignified sport for a lady'.
They went to a muggle art class, where the art was an old man who was completely naked and tried not to laugh the entire time. The teacher had not been impressed.
They held hands when they walked and shot secretive glances at one another, he would kiss her temple and she would squeeze his hand.
They had the most magical, wonderful four days in beautiful Italy together and when her portkey buzzed to signal it was time for her to return home, she felt sad this weekend of fun had come to an end.
“You’re pretty amazing Parkinson,” he whispered against her ear as he kissed her cheek, this was goodbye.
“You’re not so bad either,” came her reply with a light smile, she took one long look at Fred as he saluted her, she held the portkey and felt the tug of apparition as she headed back to England.
He looked as if he wanted to say something but she was gone before he could.
She supposed she would see him around somewhere, sometime.
They didn’t speak upon their return that was the deal at the end of the day, a weekend of fun, pure fun and a lot of good sex. That was all fine with Pansy that was exactly what she wanted. Except, it wasn’t, not really, when she went to sleep she thought of his hands as they trailed up and down her body, whenever a wizard hit on her she felt like hexing him and whenever she saw a ginger head anywhere she hated the fact that her fucking heart would do a little swoon.
The trouble with those four days was that she learnt things about him, things that were now running around her head on a constant conveyor belt, a constant loop that caused her heart to race but also to break a little.
He liked his coffee black in the morning and he only ate toast for breakfast. He ate quicker than anyone she had ever met; it was because of how many siblings he had grown up with. Whenever she saw this habit shown by the younger Weasley whilst they were at Hogwarts she found it utterly revolting but with him not so much, if anything she found it endearing which she was disgusted with herself for.
He played with his hair a lot and he sunburned easily, they were such little things but she couldn’t seem to forget them, she wasn’t sure she wanted to anyway.
Pansy always, believed it took years to know someone, to map out their skin and understand how their brain worked but with him she had spent four days with him and she was sure she could answer any question you threw at her about Fred Weasley. Or at least make a very good educated guess about it.
Because he didn’t just tell her small things, he told her big things too. They were on their third bottle of wine, halfway through a packet of cigarettes when he told her that Remus Lupin (once werewolf and teacher) had died saving him. He’d never been able to look Teddy in the eye, couldn’t forgive himself for the fact he’d robbed him of a Father, Remus would never see his son’s milestones in life and Fred couldn’t comprehend that.
They traded secret for secret, Pansy told him how she hated her Father and laughed when she found out he was dead. She hadn’t missed him, hadn’t thought of him she didn’t even want to arrange a funeral.
Fred hugged her then, a big squeeze she still didn’t cry and she wondered if she was a sociopath didn’t they never cry?
But, he seemed to have turned on some tap of spilling secrets because she carried on.
She admitted that her Mother was in France somewhere in a special hospital, she was taken to a Death Eater’s revel and was never the same after, Pansy never even got a chance to see her, her Father just shipped her off.
She’d tried to track her down after the war was over after the dust was settled but she couldn’t find her anywhere. Her Father must have changed her name, that was the only logical explanation unless she was dead which wouldn’t be surprising either.
What hurt Pansy about the situation was that Evelyn Parkinson had attended the revel in her daughter's place, Pansy had never even gotten on with her Mother they’d had a dreadful relationship but, she’d done that for her and Pansy had never really known what to do with that information. She just stored it in hopes she would forget and one day it would just disappear. She’d cried a little then, Pansy had never told anyone that, choosing to keep it all to herself, it was what you were taught when you were pureblood, you keep everything in you don’t talk to anyone you bottle and bottle and bottle and if one day you explode so be it, you’re just someone who couldn’t take the pressure.
He was a great listener; he rubbed slow circles on her back as a few stray tears escaped her immaculately painted features.
Fred had a problem with potions for a while after the war ended, needed a high to escape it all, he fell into muggle drugs too, he hadn’t even realised it was a problem until he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to work or not woken up in his own sick. George helped him through it, Molly couldn’t cope she didn’t know what to do with him and Arthur had fallen into himself a little bit after the war, he couldn’t get over the fact so many young died whilst he lived.
The sorting out of Fred fell to his twin and Angelina. That’s how it happened apparently, that’s how his twin brother and the girl he loved fell in love with one another, their joint love for him apparently. Fred laughed a little when he told it because although they’d saved him, they’d also killed a part of him too.
Fred fell in love with her on the train to Hogwarts just as they were both about to start first year, he wasn’t sure how to not be in love with her he’d spent the past sixteen years doing it. He laughed when he explained it because he realised he’d lived life longer being in love with her than not.
Fred asked her about Blaise then, Pansy said she wasn’t even sure how it happened because everyone just presumed it was Draco. She told him she’d never even slept with Draco. In the end, she summarised that Blaise knew her behind her mask, had been there when she’d needed someone to hold her hand, he'd seen her at her absolute worst and at some point the wires got crossed.
They fucked again after that.
Once, they’d both caught their breaths back they started sharing stupid things too. Fred told her how Ron tended to annoy him a lot and that his girlfriend Lavender irked him no end. Pansy admitted that she secretly really liked Granger and didn’t find her that annoying and even sometimes she would read a book she suggested. She made him form an unbreakable vow to ensure that no one found out, she really couldn’t afford her reputation taking that big of a blow. She is a Slytherin after all.
She hadn’t seen him for twelve days (not that she was counting) and then he turned up at her store E&P’s Designs right before closing. She was the only member of staff in on Mondays; they never brought much custom in and she quite enjoyed a relaxing start to her week. When she heard the bell chime exactly three minutes before closing she inwardly cursed the bastard who was coming in right before she shut the shop. She was underneath the till tinkering with something because she wanted to refuse to even help.
She called from above, “just one moment please I shan’t be too long,” in her best attempt at her ‘kind’ customer service voice.
The customer didn’t reply and when Pansy finally stood up from her crouched stance, she saw a looming ginger figure eyeing her over the counter and jumped out of her skin.
“Fucking hell,” she groaned, she thought she was hallucinating at first and she stumbled rather inelegantly to the bags that were stacked behind the till.
“Parkinson,” came his reply as he leaned over the till and held his hand out to her, she looked dumbstruck for a minute before she accepted it and he helped her to her feet.
“What are you doing here?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“That’s rude to assume I was here for anything other than a pretty frock,” came his reply.
She laughed, “right, well I’m not sure we cater to your height,” she finished the sentence by crossing her arms and gesturing over to where she held the longest dresses that she owned (she’d have to look into that).
He followed her lead towards the dresses “oh fuck this,” came his voice after they were almost at the designated section. He rounded on her then and grabbed her waist from behind; he’d already wandlessly locked the store before she could even begin to protest.
He kissed along the back of her neck, “I would love to see that muggle tattoo of yours again,” he whispered into the shell of her ear causing her to shiver. He turned her around so that they were face to face with one another and he grabbed both sides of her face for a harsh kiss. Pansy had barely registered anything and was doing her best not to join in but after ten seconds of a restless debate, she gave in and snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him back with just as much force.
He picked her up and plopped her on her sofa, which was usually used for customers whilst a friend or relative tried on one of her designs. He started kissing down her neck, licking and nipping along her exposed collarbones. He was desperate in his touches, trying to get as close as possible. His hands wandered up and down her legs feather light touches compared to the intensity of his very persistent mouth. He was like a man starved.
When Pansy finally found her breath, “Fred what are you doing?” she asked between kisses and touches.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked as his hands started touching her breasts through her dress.
“We haven’t spoken in almost two weeks,” came her reply with a groan as he licked her breast even with clothing on it turned her on more than she cared to admit. She was embarrassed by how aroused she was between her legs.
He stopped then and looked at her with a goofy grin, his hair was mused his eyes startlingly bright, “you’ve missed me too then?”
She huffed and before she could even reply his hand had shot underneath her skirt where he flicked her clit through her underwear.
She moaned again and just thought fuck it all; we’ll have this and talk the schematics later.
“Are you wet Miss.Parkinson?” he whispered in her ear as he bit her earlobe.
“Oh fu-“ she trailed off as his finger trailed up and down her slit through her underwear, her hips involuntary did a little buck. He grinned and continued his teasing as she reattached their lips together and continued to muse his already messy hair.
He broke their lips apart but kept her head close by holding the back of her head, he licked a line from her forehead to her chin, “I never got to taste you know and I hardly think that’s fair,” he continued his licking all the way until he was under her dress and exchanging licks between each of her thighs, he was climbing higher and higher he was almost exactly where she needed him to be. She had a red thong on today and he chuckled from underneath her dress, experimenting he pulled on one of the side strings where it hit her skin with a smack.
“Lovely underwear I will say but, I’d rather it was off.” His voice was vibrating off her thighs and she was desperate for him to just stop this game and be exactly where she needed him to be.
“I swear to Merlin if you don’t stop this game,” before she could finish she felt her knickers disappear and she looked down at her dress in disbelief how on earth had he managed that?
“You’re a fucking cocky prick,” she added with a huff and he laughed and then proceeded to lick her cunt from top to bottom. Her head fell back on the sofa with a thump finally, he was right where she needed him to be.
“You’ve got a pretty pussy Parkinson,” he spoke between licks and it made her shiver, he wasn’t tame when he licked her, he ate her like she was a chocolate brownie. The sounds that were coming out of Pansy were like nothing she had ever heard before, she thought he’d done well in Italy but this was, well this was next level.
His tongue was sinful between her folds as she felt herself become wetter and wetter both from his tongue and her own juices. Pansy wasn’t a shy lover not by any means but this man made her feel shy. She started touching her tits as he continued to work her she was getting so close, her back started arching off the sofa as he finally slipped a finger and started working her at a relentless pace along with his tongue.
It took three strokes with his finger and one extra large lick of his tongue for her to finally come undone with a brutal scream in the back of her throat.
She lay there trying to catch her breath as he finally took his face from under her skirt; he had a roguish schoolboy smirk and mused hair. He popped his finger into his mouth licked off her remaining essences then leaned across and gave her a firm kiss on her lips she could still taste herself and honestly she was ready to go again. He smiled against her lips as they broke apart and he finally got up and sat next to her on her sofa.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“I had to taste you, you tasted me a few times I thought it was only fair,” he replied as he smoothed her fringe down, he always seemed to do that afterwards it was strangely affectionate.
“And now you’ve had a taste?” she asked, she was hopeful he wanted this to continue whatever the fuck this was, she didn’t want an end date anytime soon. Fuck buddies? That suited her just fine.
“I want to taste you again and again,” he replied, still stroking her hair.
“What is your proposition in order to achieve this?” she asked as she turned her head to face him.
“Italian extravaganza continues, we just have fun no strings attached kind of thing. What do you think?” he asked her, he was smiling and his face was flushed from their recent activities.
“Sounds like a deal Weasel,” she replied holding her hand out for him to shake, he laughed but obliged and once they finished shaking hands he pulled her across to his lap where he continued to kiss her all over again.
This was going to be the making of a brilliant partnership indeed. There was a tiny voice that echoed around her mind that said this was a very dangerous, stupid game that she was playing. ‘You might never want to give him up’ her subconscious told her. That may be true but she’d ponder that for another day.
So that was how it began, it was never discussed but neither told anyone, it was just sort of late night rendezvous encounters. Sometimes he’d turn up at her shop just before close, sometimes it would be her flat, they’d never venture to his because then they would have to explain the entire mess to George.
When it first started it was pure unadulterated shagging and foreplay but they soon settled into a routine of making dinner or ordering a takeaway. It was becoming strangely domesticated. They spent a lot of their weekends together, Pansy often declining to see her friends in favour of lazy afternoons spent with him. Fred missed a lot of drinking nights with all his ‘boring little Gryffindor chums’ as she called them. No one was smart enough to make the connection between the two because it would seem absolutely ridiculous to even contemplate a Weasley and Parkinson were exchanging bodily fluids on a near daily basis.
It seemed ridiculous to Pansy if she thought about it too much so she decided not to think at all. She wouldn’t think about how Fred looked in the mornings (at some point he started staying round too) when his hair was messy, or how he would always pull her flat against his chest halfway through the night. She wouldn’t think about how he sang in the shower or that stupid smile he made when she cooked him his favourite dinner (Pansy wasn’t good at cooking in the slightest but for some reason, he loved her chicken pie). The thing that she decidedly thought about least was the fact that she was falling in love with him and had been since that weekend they had shared in Italy.
“Pans I haven’t seen you in six weeks, can you believe it, six bloody weeks? We always used to brunch on Sunday afternoons and now you’re nowhere to be seen. Who on earth are you screwing that would cause you to cancel six brunches consecutively?” Theo practically roared through the fireplace.
“No one Theo,” Pansy replied rolling her eyes.
“You’re lying! You’re bloody well lying and I can see right through it! Someone must really be working some magic when bending you over because what the fuck! SIX WEEKS!” Theo screeched the last part for good measure; Pansy could see Potter tottering about in the background, trying to earwig the conversation.
“You’re messing this entire conversation up Theo,” Potter loudly whispered across to his boyfriend.
“Am I? Am I really Mr.Harry Potter well by all means take over,” he gestured to the fireplace and stood up with a loud slap on his legs. The study door banged as Theo left the room, you could hear him grumble as he did moaning about forgetting friendships and the cheek of it all, was there time in school for nothing blah, blah, blah.
Potter squatted down so that he was at eye level with Pansy, he pushed his glasses up and attempted to smile at her, “so Pansy how have you been?” he asked trying to sound sincere.
“Cut the crap Potter,” Pansy replied.
“Why what ever do you mean-“
Pansy cut him off with a wave of her hand and a lift of her brow, “I’m not a fool and neither are you so spit it out.”
“Why Parkinson did you just compliment me?” Potter asked with a grin.
“Don’t think too much on it, ask away.”
“You maybe able to pull wool over everyone’s eyes, the pair of you by the way. But, I’ve managed to work out whom exactly it is you’re shagging or whatever the pair of you are doing. Now before you start getting all bitchy and snippy I just want to say two things firstly I’m an Auror it’s my job and secondly no I haven’t told Theo because it’s your business, not mine. BUT you two are awful at hiding it Fred where are you? Are you there? You haven’t been to the Burrow in weeks for dinner, Molly’s not daft she knows there’s someone honestly,” Potter looked around Pansy’s flat and Pansy paled she thought they were hiding it quite wonderfully but of course, St.Potter managed to sniff them out.
Pansy rolled her eyes and huffed, “he’s not actually here today are you going to tell Theo?”
“I bloody well knew it!” he replied clapping his hands together with a grin, “and uh no I’m not going to tell Theo it’s your business to tell your friends not mine.”
Theo came martching into the room then, “IF BLAISE AND DRACO KNOW AND I DON’T, ASK HER POTTER ASK HER IF THEY KNOW!” Theo was being as dramatic as ever.
Potter sighed, “she’s not told me anything, I was about to give up. Do the other two Slytherins know any of this?”
“There isn’t anything to know, but no they don’t know anything about my sex life because there is nothing to know it’s practically none existent.”
“LIAR!” Theo roared.
“Theo let’s go for brunch this Sunday bring Blaise and Draco too and Potter if you fancy it,” Pansy tried to bribery tactic.
Theo didn’t reply for a while, “There will be Bellini’s? lot’s of them?”
“Yes, we’ll go to that place.”
“Fine BUT, if you bail I’m never speaking to you again.” Theo dramatically exited the room again leaving just Pansy and Potter.
“It’s not my place but, I find it strange you two are keeping this between you both.”
“You’re right it’s not your place but, it’s only casual so there isn’t anything to tell.”
Potter eyed her sceptically and scratched his forehead where his scar once was, “Casual? Right…”
“BYE POTTER,” Pansy ended the call before Potter could try to have a heart-to-heart with her. She did not under any circumstances need that.
“She’s alive,” Draco, announced in a bored tone as Pansy finally arrived for brunch on that drizzly September afternoon. Fred had made her late; it was quite a task attempting to leave the bedroom.
“I was very tempted to turn up at yours Pans oh but, wait you’ve changed the wards so I can’t get in none of us can,” Theo added crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“You’ve just been shagged,” Blaise grinned.
She ignored all their comments as she pulled out a chair and a cigarette, the waitress bustled over and told her that smoking was not allowed in there. But, this is a wizarding establishment she protested, yes but we follow muggle rules as this is a muggle inspired restaurant so no smoking indoors. Pansy huffed but stuffed the cigarette back into her pocket.
“Hello to you too boys,” she replied.
“Is that all you have to say? We haven’t seen you in weeks and you don’t speak to any of us! A fucking hello,” Theo spat at her.
“Oh stop with the dramatics Theo,” Pansy replied rolling her eyes.
“I’m starving are we ready to order?” Blaise asked.
“Bugger the food, I want answers. Who is he? Or perhaps who is she? I’m gay for crying out loud Pansy do you think I’d care if you preferred the female anatomy over the male?” Theo started off angry but then softened his voice on the last part as if he was thinking of something he hadn’t even considered prior.
“Theo I’m still straight I’m afraid.”
“Darn it all I was hoping one day you’d agree to a threesome with Ginny and I,” Blaise replied with a laugh.
“Please Blaise, nobody wants to hear about you and your wife’s bedroom adventures,” Draco added with a slight grimace.
“Oh come off it Draco we all know that a certain Gryffindor princess likes to be tied up-“
“You promised me you’d never mention that again I was drunk!”
“Yes, but we didn’t make an unbreakable vow now did we?”
“Granger likes to be tied up?” Pansy asked, slightly astonished but that saying ‘it’s always the quiet ones’ rung in her head, perhaps it was true.
Draco went red, which was unusual to say the least they’d been friends for twenty-one years and she’d never managed the rather impossible task of embarrassing him ‘Malfoys do not get embarrassed’ he had told her.
“What Granger and I like to do is-“ he paused, “hang on this isn’t about me this is about you and the fact you’ve been MIA for almost seven weeks.”
“Here, here,” Theo chimed in agreement.
“Oh Theo, do shut up about it you’re only upset because you haven’t had a brunch partner, as that is where Harry draws the line stating it’s a horrible cliché for two gay men to have brunch.” Blaise drawled.
“But, I like it!” Theo retorted.
“I need a drink,” Pansy announced and signalled for the waitress, an unlimited amount of Bellinis was ordered from peach to loganberry keep them coming Pansy begged and handed over the waitress a fifteen galleon tip for her trouble.
“I go to all those stuffy Quidditch matches for him but he refuses brunch!” Theo added once the waitress had moved off.
“You do however, he panders to all your other whims, G-A-Y on a Thursday, that tiny dog you have and the entire downstairs of your apartment is pink. Theo cut the guy some slack,” Draco replied, who sounded in almost disbelief as he was defending his once nemesis.
“Leave Charles out of this, Harry loves that pooch probably more than he loves me,” Theo grumbled.
“Where is that awful thing anyway?” Blaise asked looking around as if trying to find it.
“Don’t call him awful! He’s with his other Dad today.”
The drinks arrived then and Pansy drank hers in one large gulp, they hadn’t even ordered food yet.
“You think that dog is your child?” Draco asked as he took a swig of his drink he glanced at it in distaste but continued sipping.
“We’ve had him since he was a puppy.”
“But, it’s never grown?” Blaise replied with a confused brow raised.
“He’s a Pomeranian! They’re small,” Theo, replied gesturing to the size the dog once was compared to the size it was now.
“I’m so glad your Father’s dead Theo, imagine his face if you introduced the heir of the Nott estate to him and it turned out to be that awful fluffy thing,” Draco added with a smirk.
“Very true,” Theo replied with his own smirk as he to had a drink, the waitress returned with four more Bellinis for Pansy. She gave her a smile, which was rare for her but this woman was a life saver.
“You’ll be attending Granger’s late Birthday party next week yes?” Draco announced as he took another timid sip of his drink.
“You can like it Draco, just because it’s a pretty colour doesn’t mean you have to automatically dislike it,” Blaise told him as he continued to sip his own drink.
“It’s strange tasting,” he replied as he continued to take another delicate sip and eye it with disdain.
“Yes, Harry and I will be matching in costume!” Theo announced with a smile as he clapped his hands together.
“Costume?” Pansy asked with a look of despair, her voice had also taken on a whining quality.
“Yes, famous muggle figures,” Draco told her.
"If you'd been around these past-" Theo started up again.
“What are you and Harry dressing as Theo?” Blaise asked.
“Well that would be telling wouldn’t it, Harry and I were rather put out that magical options weren't allowed,” Theo replied.
“She’ll have some of her family in attendance Theo,” Draco exclaimed.
“Well, Ginny and I are dressing as the wonderful King Henry the Eighth believe it or not I am a direct descendant and Ginny my ginger spice is dressing as Catharine Parr. We’ve opted to show a lot of skin,” Blaise proudly announced to the table.
“Granger and I are Bonny and Clyde,” Draco added. The two boys cheered to one another and Pansy let out a groan, they had to dress up why was she now just learning this?
“Pansy you could dress as cat woman!!” Theo announced.
“Cat woman?” she replied confused.
“Oh don’t get him started Pans, Theo and Potter saw that Batman movie a few weeks ago and he won’t stop going on about it.”
“What about a Bond Girl! Or there is Lara Croft!” Theo added with a clap of his hands.
Draco groaned, “I hate Potter for introducing him to the cinema.”
“We’re watching a 3-D one next week, the Zabinis are coming too,” Theo added looking as joyful as a child who had just been given some sweets.
“Good luck mate,” Draco announced with a pat on Blaise’s back.
The brunch continued like this, they’d forgotten they were annoyed with Pansy (well Theo had) and they had also forgotten to continue the interrogation. They never ended up even ordering food just an endless stream of Bellini’s and by the time Pansy returned home, she was well and truly sloshed.
Fred was sitting on her sofa with a magazine in his hands.
“Hello, hello, hello,” he paused looking at her, “and are you drunk?” he asked as she flopped down beside him on her antique sofa, which had been in the Parkinson family for over fifty generations. Pansy didn’t keep much from the Manor before she burnt it down but she had rather liked the sofa so she kept that at least. It was dark green in colour and it screamed the epitome of Slytherin. She always thought Fred looked quite funny when he sat on it, the Parkinson’s although pureblood were all rather small and he seemed to tower over it. Sometimes Pansy wished she’d kept at least one house elf but she freed them and they all went happily to Hogwarts, it wasn’t just her who hated her Father.
“We do indeed have one extremely drunk Pansy Parkinson,” she replied between hiccups, “how long have you been here anyway?”
“Not too long, Mum was asking too many questions and I-“ he looked over at Pansy who had promptly fallen asleep, mouth agape and neck hanging in an awkward position. Fred smiled to himself and he picked her up carrying her bridal style to her bedroom, which he now knew very well.
He tucked her into bed, stroking her hair as he did, he kissed her forehead but not before whispering, “oh Parkinson what the bloody hell have we got ourselves into.” He left after that.
For the entire week, Pansy fretted over who to dress as for Granger’s party, Fred and his brother decided to dress as ‘bananas in pyjamas’ whatever that was.
So against her better judgment, she asked for Theo’s assistance according to Theo there were two options that would be ‘absolute perfection’ in relation to Pansy Parkinson. She could either dress up as ‘Mia Wallace’ from some movie called ‘Pulp Fiction’, it was a classic apparently and whilst the costume was easy to gather it was decidedly predictable and boring. The other option was much more ‘fun’ according to him and he, therefore, encouraged her to dress as this. She would dress as a cartoon character named ‘Betty Boop’. So he gave her these two options and then decided for her that she would in fact dress as Betty Boop and she could even borrow Charles as the little white dog that was sometimes spotted with her character.
Pansy handmade her costume, which was a strapless pillar-box red dress with a sweetheart neckline and a rather large slit on the left hand side. She made herself a white gaiter with a heart stitched on the top and found herself some rather high red stiletto heels. The final touches were gold hoops, bangles and a white faux fur shawl according to Theo all of the muggles in attendance would know exactly who she was and it would go down swimmingly.
The hair was proving difficult to copy, Pansy had spent rather too long managing to clip her fringe back and she just couldn’t get the strange horns that were this character's signature look to stay no matter how much sleek easy she pilled into it and no matter however many spells she tried on it. She huffed a looked over at the clock above her dresser, she would be late very soon if she didn’t figure this out. With one final try, she managed to copy the hair enough to warrant what she was aiming for. Her make-up was already completely that was straight forward and like Betty Boop, she had green eyes so she didn’t need to charm her eyes to turn into a different colour.
Her floo sounded and she knew it must have been Theo to drop off Charles, “only me Pans, I’ve come with the hound,” it wasn’t Theo it seemed it was Blaise.
“Blaise?” She called as she basked herself in perfume and made her way to meet him in her living room.
“That is King Henry to you,” came his reply as she entered the living room. He certainly looked the part, had even grown a small beard and had those white socks muggle kings used to be so fond of.
“Pans! You certainly are looking lovely aren’t you,” Blaise replied as she did a twirl to showcase her costume.
“Blame Theo, this fucking hair took me hours now hand over Charles,” she instructed as she held out her arms for the dog, Charles looked as if he had been groomed to an inch of his life too and he certainly didn’t look happy about it.
“So he must be in attendance at the party then,” Blaise summarized as he handed over the pooch.
“Who?”
“Your secret man of course,” Blaise replied with a smirk.
Pansy rolled her eyes, “of course and Lucius Malfoy rose from the dead just to wring Draco’s neck for loving a third of the beloved golden trio.”
Blaise laughed, “I certainly wouldn’t put it past him but, I know you’re being all aloof about this I’m happy for you Pans. Over, the past few weeks I’ve realised how much I relied on you, how much you did for my wedding. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated you enough.” Blaise looked rather emotional as he said that and Pansy wasn’t sure how to react.
“Come on Blaise you’ve gone soft since you’ve been married,” she tried to joke as she gently nudged his elbow.
“I mean it Pans, I’m sorry if I’ve always taken you for granted I think the three of us always have.”
Pansy gave his shoulder a squeeze, “you know I’d do anything for you, Blaise.”
“Always?” he replied with sparkling eyes, the ones she’d fallen in love with all those years ago but, as she looked at them now she thought of a bright sparkling blue. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She inwardly cursed.
“Always,” came her sheepish reply as they both headed towards the floo and the costume party. Once, again she’d unpick that dreadful thought later.
It appeared that Granger certainly had a lot of muggle family members and friends; all wands were taken upon arrival and safely secured. The party was being hosted at a rather large muggle hall but the man at the door was indeed a wizard.
Just as Blaise and Pansy departed from one another and Pansy made her way down the long hallway to the main area, a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere from behind a door and dragged her into an empty room. She hadn’t even got the chance to react before someone had planted her lips with a firm kiss. When they broke apart she looked up to see Fred smiling at her, banana head under one arm and striped pyjamas covering the rest of his body.
“Hello,” he practically purred at her.
“You look absolutely ridiculous,” she replied laughing and rolling her eyes.
“And you look,” he looked her up and down and tilted his head to the side running his tongue along the top of his front teeth, “this outfit should be illegal,” he gestured to the rather large sit on the side of her leg and the garter which was shown there. He run his hand along the inside of her thigh and gently kissed her neck.
“Fred, I’ve not even said hello to anyone yet,” she replied as he was giving her that look just before he was about to positively devour her.
“We have time,” he told her as her kissed and nibbled on her earlobe.
“I don’t think we do and the dog,” came her breathy reply. Fred grabbed the dog and set him down gesturing to a corner just before he dropped to his knees and gently took her garter between his teeth, looking up at her as he did. He gently dragged the garter down until it hit the floor, their eye contact never waving. She felt the need deep in her abdomen swirl. Once, the garter had hit the floor he started to kiss up her inner thigh. He smirked once he reached her cunt, “you aren’t wearing any underwear Petal,” he took one slow lick and she groaned out loud.
“The slit was too large and no foreplay,” she instructed as she dragged him up from in between her legs. She dragged his trousers down before he could protest and then proceeded to pull his pants down, she stroked him a few times and he hissed before she lined herself up with him wrapping one leg around his waist as she sunk down onto his length.
They both groaned in unison, “you don’t play fair Parkinson,” he grunted out after one particularly long plunge.
She grinned up at him, “I was never one to play fair, besides you started this,” she grabbed his face and took his bottom lip between her teeth and then proceeded to kiss and bite his neck as he started a punishing pace.
She wrapped her other leg around his waist and he propped them against the wall, there was something so fun in having sex publicly. They hadn’t been able to silence the room either and it all seemed to turn her on even more. Poor Charles she thought after a minute.
He kept up his pace only stopping briefly to put his head in the crook of her neck as she felt her eyes roll back, “I started it and I intend to finish it,” his hot breath tickled her skin there and he took one of his hands and started to torture her clit too.
Pansy could feel her stomach getting tighter and tighter, just a few more thrusts in that exact place and….
“Fuck Fred right there,” she cried out as she started to see stars form behind her eyes, his finger increased its pressure on her clit as his thrusts grew even more erratic. They both climaxed at the exact same time, him shouting her given name into her neck and her pulling his hair and nibbling on his earlobe. They stayed that way for a minute until Fred helped her off of the wall, straightening out her dress and smoothing out her hair.
“Now wasn’t that fun,” he smirked once they were both a little more presentable their lips were still swollen from kissing and Pansy had certainly done a number on his neck. He was still flushed and his pupils were still blown wide as he exited the room and made his way to the main hall.
Pansy followed a little later (Charles wasn’t too happy about spending time with her now) she headed to the bathroom to spray some water on herself, he hadn’t marked her which she was surprised and due to the amount of spells and potions in her hair, it was nearly intact.
She settled into the crowd when she finally made the destination of the party. As Pansy inspected the walls she found there were dozens upon dozens of photographs dotted about showing Hermione Granger’s twenty-five years of life. Pansy inspected each picture there was a line of string that run through each photo leading onto the next, the string of her existence in a physical form. Granger seemed to have had such a lovely childhood she looked so happy and carefree in every single one. Every single photo was her smiling, her playing with dolls, her with her family none of them moved of course but that didn’t matter because the photos were so happy they almost felt animated.
She couldn’t relate, her childhood was broken up by balls, lessons and tutor upon tutor learning how to dance, eat like a lady, how to style her hair and make-up so it was just so. There was never a cake and candles for Pansy, when it was her Birthday she was always given a new wardrobe. That’s what bound Pansy and her fellow Slytherins for life: their shitty adolescents. Theo and Draco with their rather mad Fathers, Blaise with a different Father every other week and Pansy with her lack of a Father altogether. He was, however, always there somewhere with a snide comment or a harsh slap when she put a foot out of line. Pansy and all the pureblood families were treated the same; there was the pureblood way or the highway.
Pansy didn’t know what it was like to have a hug from her Mother or have a story read to her by her Father but Hermione Granger did. Granger may not have grown up in a Manor or had robe upon robe shoved in her face but she had something else entirely, something so much better and that was love.
“Are you enjoying yourself dear?” a friendly voice cooed in her ear.
Pansy jumped slightly at the intrusion, “I’ve only just arrived,” came her reply as she looked to see where the voice was coming from.
It was Molly Weasley dressed as a baker and with a warm Motherly smile directed right at her, “sorry dear didn’t mean to make you jump.”
Pansy wasn’t sure how to navigate this; she wasn’t the sort of girl you introduced your Mother to so she had no idea how to act around the portly woman who was currently in far too much of her personal space.
Pansy attempted a smile, “not at all Mrs.Weasley” came her reply.
“Oh hush now call me Molly!” the woman chirped.
“Molly,” came another voice that was walking over to join his wife, she remembered Arthur from the wedding. They were dressed together and what he appeared to be, Pansy wasn’t quite sure. Charles seemed happy to see the man and Arthur gestured to take him.
“Hello, Miss.Parkinson now before you ask me what I am, I am a butcher, Molly here is a baker and our son Charlie is a candlestick maker!” the older man cheered, seemingly skimming the crowd for where the other part of the costume was. He added with a slighter lower voice, “apparently we are part of a very famous muggle rhyming poem or something now isn’t that just grand!” Pansy thought of how Fred worried about his Father but right then he seemed so lively and happy.
Pansy smiled again as she had no idea how to navigate this, “now who are you?” Arthur added.
“I’m Betty Boop, Theo helped me with it,” she gestured with her free hand to the costume.
“Our Theo had a hand in this did he!” Molly chuckled.
Pansy had forgotten that Theo attended Saturday dinners at the Burrow with his boyfriend; Harry Potter as he was an adopted part of the Weasley clan, she supposed Theo probably was too now. She hated the fact she was jealous, she’d never have this type of relationship with Fred. He didn’t love her, didn’t want to introduce her to his family, didn’t want to integrate her into his life.
“Charles has been rather trimmed was that for you?” Arthur added stroking Charles on the head, who licked his hand as he did so. Pansy nodded her head and smiled in return.
“Mum, Dad don’t ambush poor Pansy,” came Ginny Zabini from another corner of the hall, she looked the part too it seemed and Blaise was right the pair had opted to not go with historically accurate lengths of clothing, Ginny’s dress barely covered her upper thigh.
“Hush we are doing no such thing!” Molly replied with her hands on her hips.
“I know exactly what you’re doing! You’re either trying to set her up with Percy or Charlie and the answer will be no to both.” Ginny replied as she joined the small group.
Molly looked a little taken aback by that, “I was doing nothing of the sort. But, tell me are you single?”
Pansy’s eyes shot wide at this and she stuttered for a minute, “ah yes I am.”
“Really? Blaise was moaning about how he hadn’t seen you for weeks,” Ginny asked curiously.
“Just been busy with work is all-“
Molly jumped into action, “well my dear I do have two lovely sons who are both single Percy works at the Ministry,” Molly had grabbed her free arm and was animatedly waving her other about, Arthur seemed to have miraculously disappeared with Charles in his arms attempting to ignore what his wife was doing altogether in favour of some rather elaborate finger food.
“Mum! Leave the poor girl alone,” the candlestick maker brother astonished as she pulled Pansy over to where he was standing.
“Oh nonsense I’m just introducing you is all,” Molly replied with a smile.
“Mum leave her alone,” it was Fred’s voice now and Pansy had never been so relieved in all her life.
“Fred just because you’ve met someone, not all your brothers have!” she exclaimed.
“I haven’t met anyone,” he looked straight at her as he replied. The reply crushed her, she knew that but to hear it voiced from him was heartbreaking, she felt her heartbeat roar in her eardrums at the admission. He left them to it after that, putting his banana head back on and meandering to another section of the party.
“Whatever you say, anyway this is Charlie I’ll see you very soon you’re welcome at the Burrow anytime dear come for a Saturday dinner!” she ushered off after that probably attempting to set her other son up with another unsuspecting guest.
Charlie rolled his eyes, “Charlie Weasley lovely to meet you.”
Pansy laughed, “Pansy Parkinson,” she held out her hand and he gave it a gentle kiss.
“Sorry about her she tries with anyone and everyone.”
“It’s absolutely fine, now why don’t we take advantage of all this free booze?” she replied and Charlie laughed clapping her on the back as they both headed over to the refreshment table.
Charlie was different from Fred, he was older and held himself differently he was confident in an I’ve got my life together kind of way and was the type of man who would probably never beg anyone for anything.
“My, oh, my is that you Pansy Parkinson,” oh no, no, no fucking hell no.
“Cormac,” Pansy replied icily, if anyone ever asked Pansy have you slept with Cormac McLaggen the answer would be no, no and fucking no. That would be a lie.
Charlie was laughing to her side whilst he started taking a sip of his champagne.
“You look delectable Parkinson,” she shivered at that and not the good kind.
“Who are you?” she asked eyeing his costume with suspicion.
“I’m a gladiator of, course, was hoping you’d come as Cleopatra,” he grinned, it was very predator-like all sharp teeth.
“Right,” came Pansy’s reply.
“I still remember,” he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t,” she replied rolling her eyes as Charlie still sniggered from her other side.
“I don’t think she’s interested mate,” Charlie added.
“What would you know?” Cormac replied rather bluntly.
“I can read the signs of when a woman fancies me or not and I’m telling you she doesn’t.”
“I agree with my brother over that,” it was Fred again for the love of Merlin could she not catch a break, couldn’t they all just fuck off.
“Who asked you?” Cormac asked, he was getting aggressive and he was very close to Pansy.
“Cut it out all of you,” came Pansy’s reply, “I’m not going to sleep with any of you, so if you’d all cut it out,”
“Why not? You’ve slept with me before,” Cormac added with a wink and wiggle of his eyebrows.
Pansy didn’t have a word to say to that and even if she did it would have been cut off as Fred punched Cormac square in the nose.
“WHAT THE FUCK?” Cormac shouted as he stumbled back a bit.
“Easy Fred,” came another voice from the other banana.
Charles simultaneously appeared then, clearly wanting to be part of the action and forgetting all about Arthur Weasley, Pansy scooped him up and started stroking his fur.
Cormac attempted to punch him back but he missed and Fred punched him again, “it’s not my fault she’s an easy fuck,” Cormac added.
That was the final straw it seemed for Fred, both Charlie and banana man two attempted to hold him back as he swung for Cormac again hitting him in the nose and mouth and causing a nosebleed to start.
“Cut it out!” Pansy shrieked trying to get in the middle to only have Theo drag her back as Charles barked in protest.
“What the fuck is your problem Weasley?” Cormac asked as the pair squared up to one another again, the trouble was Fred was probably a good three inches taller than him so Cormac attempting any form of aggression was being lost in Fred’s chest.
“My problem is you can’t read the signals and that girl right there isn’t interested so I’d back off.” Came Fred’s stern reply as he gestured to where Pansy had been standing. The other Weasleys had joined in now, trying to stop the scene that was becoming more and more of a disaster.
“She was begging for it before,” Cormac needed to stop using that stupid mouth of his.
“What did you say you fucker?” Fred asked.
“I said she was begging for it last time, couldn’t wait for my cock-“
He didn’t get to finish that sentence because Fred it seemed had finally, finally snapped he jumped on him and continued to throw punch after punch at him.
Pansy paled, she had no idea what to do, the crowd was growing larger and larger and anyone who attempted to wrench Fred off of him was lost because he just wouldn’t stop. Pansy worried if someone didn’t stop him soon he would kill Cormac and Cormac was not worth the trip to Azkaban for killing him.
The youngest Weasley brother appeared as another fruitless attempt was made at getting Fred off of him, the brothers seemed at a bit of a loss on how to stop the blind rage that was overtaking their usually placid and happy-go-lucky brother.
“It’s Fred isn’t it?” Theo’s voice broke her out of her reprieve.
“What?” Pansy whisper replied.
“It’s Fred, fucking hell it's so obvious now I think about it,” Theo was half amused half annoyed with himself as he worked it out.
Charles started howling then even louder than before, bloody hell this whole thing was an absolute disaster.
“BREAK IT UP,” came Auror Potters' voice, trust old scar head to save the day, he managed to finally drag Fred off of the extremely bloody and slightly pathetic man who defiantly had a broken nose and jaw. The Weasley parents appeared then looking horrified at the mess that was Cormac McLaggen on the floor, Molly Weasley was staring at her.
“I would be extremely turned on if I was you Pans,” Theo told her with a smirk as he continued to watch the scene unfold.
“Fred, what is wrong with you?” The other twin asked as Ginny tried to find ice for his hand and ice for Cormac who was still lying on the floor. Granger was eyeing Pansy strangely from across the circle that had formed, as the crowd grew more and more intrigued as to what was going on.
“I want to go home,” Pansy announced and swiftly handed over Charles to Theo, she left quickly heading to the wizard who greeted her upon arrival to grab her wand and then she headed through the nearest floo exit (these had been warded off around the back to still allow magical folk the easiest entrances and exits).
Theo was trying to follow her but Potter grabbed his arm, a clear indicator to let her be, let her figure this out on her own.
Once, she was safely back in her flat she sealed off her fireplace and added as many wards as she could think of so that no one would be getting through to her for the rest of the weekend at least.
The next week paced by in a blur, she went to work and came home rather simply, by the following Monday Fred had grown tired of his ignored letters and kept trying to show up at the shop. As soon as she saw him she’d simply lock the door until he left (even if there were customers inside giving her confused glances), she just didn’t know how to unpick any of this and more importantly, she needed time to process what had happened at that stupid party.
By the Wednesday of the second week, Theo managed to break her wards and force his way into her flat.
“You need to speak to him,” was the only thing that came out of his mouth.
Pansy who was currently enjoying the company of two men: Ben and Jerry (phish food flavour for those asking) was rather put out.
“What?”
“You heard me speak to him and either end it or be together because this,” Theo waved his hand, “is rather pathetic.”
“Shut up Theo I don’t need a sodding lecture from you.”
“Well that’s good because I was just leaving a certain redhead will be coming through that floo in three, two, one and.”
There he was Fred Weasley in the flesh, standing tall and slightly dishevelled he looked as good as Pansy felt.
“THEO!” Pansy roared but it was too late, Theo had already exited via floo, giving Fred a smile as he did.
“Parkinson.”
“What do you want?” Pansy asked with her coldest voice.
“No how are you? Rather rude I thought you were brought up better than that.”
“Oh fuck off will you.”
“No, I’ve got some stuff to say and you’re going to listen.”
“I don’t have to do anything you tell me.”
“Pfft in this case you do. It’s rather important.”
Pansy sat up from her sofa, “alright you have three minutes,” she crossed her arms.
“Shall we talk about the party?” he asked after around a minute of painful silence.
Pansy laughed then, “what the fact you acted like a child? Punching someone to near death because he made a few shitty comments about me.”
Fred got angry then, “What he said,” he paused voice low, “what he said was beyond disrespectful and he wouldn’t stop pawing all over you.”
“Jealous were you?” she asked.
He was quick in his response, “of course not. We might not love one another Pansy but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
If you asked Pansy how many times in her life she felt utterly at a loss for words she wouldn’t be able to count even as little as five. But, right then and there she didn’t know what to say because that may have been how he felt (as gutting as that was) she however couldn't say she felt the same. She loved him and it had started back in Italy. This was why she had been avoiding him because his actions were so fucking confusing and she just didn’t want to face all this head on, what was the point? He didn’t love her.
“Right. Of course.” Her reply was forced out through shut teeth.
“He had no right to talk to you like that,” Fred admonished.
“It’s part of being a girl you sleep with guys you’re a slag, you don’t you’re a prude. He always hits on me. He’s not pressing charges is he?” She laughed in response.
Fred clutched both his fists then, he did that when he was angry or frustrated, “So you did sleep with him?” he spat.
“Yes I did, is that a crime? And answer my question,” she replied coldly and unattached.
“When?”
“What?”
“When did you sleep with him?”
“Not that it’s any of your concern but it was years ago. We never voiced we were exclusive.”
“No, we didn’t and we’re not. And no he’s not pressing charges, Harry spoke to him.”
Pansy laughed, “But if you think I had time to sleep with more than one person over the past however many weeks you’re mistaken. You're lucky then you could have killed him.”
“Right, good. I don't regret beating him up, he deserved the broken nose and jaw.”
“Is that all then?” Pansy enquired eyeing her manicure as she did.
“I suppose it is. Is this it then?” he asked.
“Do you want this to be it?” Pansy asked as she looked up from her nails, Pansy was very good at pretending that this answer didn’t matter, that she wouldn’t be completely crushed if he said no after all, she’d been pretending her whole life.
“No. You?”
“No.” Her reply was quick and she felt like she could breathe then.
He was on her then, moved straight forward and kissed her with such an intensity she could have cried. They had sex after that and it was hateful on both sides. He grabbed her so hard it bruised and she left so many marks on his neck that they formed one large long purple patch. It was as if they were marking each other, claiming one another’s bodies as they struggled to show each other what they truly felt. He kept squeezing her neck, first gently but then as time went on harder and hard. It was strangely cathartic, he slept over that night and they both acted as if nothing had changed but they were both lying. They lied quite a lot to one another.
Their routine went back to normal after that but, each time they had sex it grew more and more aggressive, it was always pleasurable Pansy presumed it probably always would be but, it was almost vengeful they both knew this would end at some point or another and in the meantime they wanted to cause the one as much hurt as possible: both emotionally and physically. They barely spoke to each other and Fred barely stayed over anymore. It become simpler almost clinical but, that didn’t stop Pansy’s growing ache in her chest if anything it induced it more.
It was the beginning of the end.
It was exactly three weeks later after building this careful mirage that Fred came tumbling into her floo at a ridiculous hour looking distinctly crumpled that the pair came to blows. No tip-toeing around one another any longer, no ignoring the growing distance between them, there was a revelation that involved them both.
He headed straight to Pansy’s room not even stopping to make sure she was awake to blurt out the confession. It was dizzy, messy and frantic. “Angelina told me she loves me.”
Pansy had never quite grasped that saying ‘I felt my stomach drop’ but she felt it then. Her heart shattered and her stomach dropped to the floor, the world stopped spinning and not in a good way as she attempted to process his words. She didn’t speak for a while; just let it sink in as she rose in her bed to face him.
“That’s good,” came her reply.
He looked at her then, “is it?”
“Of course, you’ve loved her since you were eleven.”
“I suppose.”
“Is that all you desperately wanted to tell me?”
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m going to do?”
Pansy sighed, “No.”
“Right, I suppose that’s that then.”
It was so silent you probably could have heard a pin drop.
“This was casual we were never a long-term thing, we were never anything so go and be with Angelina.” Her tone was even, unwavering as she replied.
“Right of course.” She thought he sounded like a robot.
“Do you not have anything you want to say at all Pansy? Did this mean nothing to you?” his voice was stern, not the slightest tremor as he asked, when she looked up at him in the dark light of her bedroom, just the moon framing his face.
She wondered if she should tell him, tell him how she truly felt that okay fine he may have loved Angelia for years but, she loved him right now and she could love him better, would love him better and the love she felt for him might just last forever. Because fuck it all she loved him and she loved him so much.
She loved that he could make her laugh over the stupidest of things, she loved that he had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever met and she loved how passionate he was about the joke shop. She would tell him that he needed to forgive himself over Remus Lupin because Lupin hadn’t saved him so that he would live half a life, he saved him so he could go out and live his best life and do everything he had ever wanted to do because he was young and he still had so much time to do it.
She would agree to go travelling with him and visit all those strange cities he so desperately wanted to go to not because she wanted to but because HE did and that was okay because his company would be more than enough for her. She would tell him how she couldn’t wait to be rid of her surname and Weasley seemed like a good fit and most importantly she would tell him that she only saw one happy future for her and that was the possibility of a future with him. She would tell him she realised she never really loved Blaise because fuck Blaise never felt like this. She would tell him all that, she could tell him all that and fight for her right to be with the man she loved, the man she had only ever truly loved.
But she didn’t, she didn’t even tell him she loved him. She couldn’t force the words out, she couldn’t force anything out it all died on the edge of her tongue.
She did the next best thing: she lied like a good pureblood girl she lied because when one man doesn’t work out another surely will, Evelyn Parkinson had told her that.
“No I have nothing to say, have a nice life with Angelina. This was only ever casual after all.”
He didn’t speak for a while and all you could hear in the room was the heavy breathing coming from both parties. “Goodbye then Petal.”
“Goodbye Fred.” She whispered in response.
He exited her room without another word once she heard the floo roar to life she cried her eyes out, a great big sobbing cry that gave her a headache and made her stare out of her window until the sun rose. In Pansy Parkinson’s twenty-four years of living, she had never done that.
For the first time since she’d opened E&P designs, the shop remained closed on that cold Monday in late October.
The months leading up to Christmas blurred a bit after that, she went to work, worked on new designs and took on as many new clients and individual designs as possible. It wasn’t hard as it was as the final weeks leading up to Christmas meant she was almost constantly busy, women wanted a new robe or dress under the tree from their significant other or for themselves.
She made time for friends but could never recall any of their conversations, Potter and Theo got engaged and wanted to marry one another somewhere hot. Granger and Draco moved in together, got a rather large flat in Diagon Alley, it was a new build apparently.
George and Angelina stayed together and if she had given herself time to think this over she would have realised how strange that was.
December brought a string of dates that led to dead ends, it also led to a few warm bodies in her bed but it didn’t feel the same and she couldn’t make it feel the same. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted it to feel the same, she’d never met a guy so attuned to her body before Fred and probably never would again.
She got her haircut, got her nails done and plastered makeup on her face day after day. She smoked a lot and blamed work but that was a lie she was starting to think she might be relying on cigarettes a little too much. Everyone knew something was wrong but no one dared to ask her about it and she was okay with that because how did you explain to someone you were simply mourning a life you’d known from the start you would never end up having.
By Christmas Eve, Eve Pansy had come to believe that this feeling would last forever and this further determined that indeed she had done something terrible in a past life. Pansy now believed that she was meant to go bumbling along alone forever, which was fine because she’d always thought that. She’d always known her and Blaise would never be because she’d simply never been honest with how she felt to him. But, when she looked back on her affections for Blaise, they felt stupid and a little naïve, something she was clinging onto to save herself from ever having any form of heartache.
Surprisingly, this hadn’t worked because now her heart ached for Fred Weasley.
They’d ended almost two months ago and yet Fred still had a huge part of her heart.
“Come on you I’m getting a bit sick of all this fucking mopping, It’s horribly unattractive,” Blaise announced as he exited her fireplace into her living room where Pansy was enjoying a rather large mince pie in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
“Oh piss off Blaise,” she snapped as she stretched out further on her sofa and continued to eat her mince pie and puff away on what was now potentially her fourth cigarette since she’d returned home. She stopped counting a long time ago.
“This moping around is getting so boring,” he sighed but then clapped his hands together, “so I’ve enlisted some help for tonight to get you looking your absolute best this evening.”
“What? What’s going on this evening? Why?”
“Pansy how could you forget!” He grumbled and crossed his arms as he shoved her legs off of the sofa and plopped down beside her.
“Forget what?”
“Ever since third year?”
Oh crap, Pansy inwardly groaned ever since third year all the Slytherins met up on the 23rd of December and had their very own Christmas. This was purely because Christmases at their prospective homes were so dire and they all needed a little bit of merriment before they boarded the Hogwarts Express and faced the farces that were lives at home.
The tradition had carried on even after they had finished school and she’d fucking forgotten.
Pansy groaned, “can’t you just miss me this year please?” she pleaded.
“Absolutely not! But, this year is a little different as everyone will be join-“
“Oh fucking fantastic so all the couples and little old me! I will pass please and thank you.”
“No, you will not. We’ve got reservations at this new club and restaurant that has opened up and we are all going. Now Ginny and Granger are due through that fireplace-“
“Oh of course they bloody well are, Granger seriously Blaise have you seen what she wears? And I’m the only one that is decent at any form of beauty or hair-“
He cut her off mid-sentence with a wave of his hand, “I know you’re hurt and upset and I know who he was Pansy. I know exactly who it was. So we can cut the crap. I could kill him; I would kill him if he weren’t related to Ginny. You may not agree and you probably will deny it till the end of time but there are people who really care about you besides the usual and I know that’s hard to comprehend because they’re bloody bleeding heart Gryffindor’s but they care. And they’re worried about you, we all are. So they’re going to come through that floo any minute now and you’re gonna let them help you get dressed and flap over your hair and then we’re gonna go out tonight and we’re all gonna have lots of fun. Understood?” He was stern as he spoke to her.
She just nodded dumbly.
“Brilliant,” he gripped her shoulder and headed to the floo tossing powder in to start a call informing the Gryffindor help that she was okay to approach like she was some caged animal.
“See you tonight,” Blaise gave a dashing smile and headed back the way he came. Soon after, one ginger haired female and one bushy haired female came through the fireplace. Smiling a little sheepishly as they both approached.
“Hello,” Granger began.
“I need another fag,” Pansy moaned as she realised she had finished her other halfway through Blaise’s lecture.
“Well, Merry Christmas to you Pansy!” Ginny cheered.
“Alright do your best,” Pansy gestured to herself and Ginny clapped her hands together. Granger bit her lip and looked slightly apprehensive, this definitely wasn’t her line of expertise.
They both flounced around her flat after that, collecting bits of make-up and raiding her closet for something appropriate, Pansy hadn’t noticed but both of them were dressed to the nines.
Pansy nodded along as they both kept rambling about this and that. Granger explained how her years prescription of sleek easy hair potion was the best gift she had ever received for her Birthday it was saving her so much money and even if you meant it sarcastically Pansy it certainly was well appreciated. Ginny explained how she missed Quidditch and that she and Blaise would be returning to Italy for a month in January as he could work out there and she could have some fun before the season began. They both gushed over the NottPott engagement and about how exciting was that all three of them would be big parts of the wedding. It was all rather lovely if you wanted to hear any of it but Pansy did not she wanted a cigarette a bottle of wine and some fucking ice cream.
After around ninety minutes of Pansy blindly agreeing to whatever they were saying and being put in numerous different sets of robes and dresses, the pair seemed happy with the finished product. Pansy inspected herself in the mirror and they’d not done too bad she had a dark green floor-length gown on with spaghetti straps that crossed over at the back and synched in slightly around the middle all leading to a rather low plunge line. The dress showed off her muggle tattoo and she cursed herself inwardly because her thoughts dwindled back to him. He had always been rather fond of it.
She’d not worn this dress before; it was one of her newest designs that she’d been experimenting with over the past few weeks. Her makeup was her usual but with a bright red lip and they’d even put a clip in her hair.
“Thank you,” Pansy croaked out, it sounded strange thanking these two of all people and it felt awkward to say. The pair just grinned at her and pulled her into a hug, which was the most dreadful part of this whole ordeal so far. They squeezed her within an inch of her life before they grabbed her hand and yanked her back into the living room to exit to their destination via floo.
The new and ‘improved’ Christmas group had a rather large table in the centre of the room and there were a lot more guests than she had anticipated. There was Ron and Lavender, Draco and Granger, Blaise and Ginny, Potter and Theo (Charles was there too), Lovegood and (Pansy had no idea what her boyfriend was called), there was Longbottom and Abbott but the crème de le crème was the fact that the other twin and Angelina were there. The final blow of this whole situation was that she was seated opposite her. Fan-fucking-tastic.
This new restaurant whatever it was called was decorated within an inch of its life with banners and trees aligning every inch of the space. The waitresses and waiters were all dressed as some muggle thing and the elves that worked there had these awful hats on. There was a jazz band playing on the stage and the music was drifting about the place. Pansy needed wine, not rosé or white she needed red and a vat of it too.
Angelina was really pretty which was really, REALLY fucking annoying. She had braids down to her arse, big doe-like brown eyes and perfect teeth. Her face was soft and she seemed to constantly be smiling like it was her default setting, Pansy didn’t even want to think about her curves. She looked like an angel, a beautiful happy Christmas angel. But said angel was just shitting on Pansy’s day.
“Hello Parkinson,” the girl smiled and greeted her as she finally sat down.
“Hello,” came Pansy’s rather frosty reply, she couldn’t be bothered to play nice she didn’t want to be here anyway.
“Looking forward to Christmas?” the other twin who was not Fred asked. She hated that they looked the same.
“I hate Christmas,” came Pansy’s reply.
“That’s a shame. Why?” Angelina asked.
“Father hated Christmas. Hated anything cheery. Gifted me a kitten just to kill it on the same day. How have each of your Christmas's been? Or shall we cut this polite conversation now?”
She took out a muggle cigarette put it between her two front teeth and clicked her fingers to light it. The waitress came over to complain and Pansy put her middle finger up signalling for her to leave her alone, the waitress did exactly that and headed over to another table.
“My Mother died on Christmas day,” came Lovegood’s dream-like voice from the other side of the table. She was sat next to Angelina.
“Oh Luna I’m sorry I didn’t know,” came Angelina’s reply.
“No need to be sorry, you didn’t kill her,” and she drifted out of the conversation and back to her date.
The starter seemed to magically appear in front of her then, whatever food it was it had been dyed red and green. Her glass was filled with red wine and Pansy opted to gulp it down as she started on another cigarette.
People left her alone for a bit, everyone having their own individual conversations and she thought she was out of the woods. She glanced around the seating area there were a lot of couples out and about together and a lot of families enjoying each other’s company. There was fake snow drifting about the place and the jazz music that was being played was slowly fading into Christmas songs.
Once, everyone had finished their first course the plates magically disappeared and Angelina tried to strike up a conversation again.
“What are you doing for Christmas Pansy?” Angelina was going to try again with this charade.
“Nothing.”
“She’s coming over to ours,” Theo announced from somewhere across the table.
“You’re welcome to join us at the Burrow,” the other twin informed her with an awkward smile.
“No, but thank you to both.” She informed the two people extending invitations.
“We always spend Christmas together,” Theo announced pouting.
“I thought you were coming to ours Pans,” Draco bellowed across the table.
“Everyone should just come to the Burrow!” Ginny announced with a smile as Blaise nodded in agreement.
“I’m not coming to anyone’s I hate Christmas, I hate the fact that you’ve dragged me all out.” She paused here as the table started to quiet down at this little outburst, she looked across towards the other twin, “but most of all, most of fucking all I hate your stupid fucking twin brother.” She shouted the latter part at him, seeming to take her aggression out on the guy who looked exactly like the one who had stolen her heart.
She stood then rather abruptly, apparently she could only tolerate a starter before she had to make a stupid outburst. She flung her napkin on the table and everyone was just watching, stunned into silence. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to leave now. I hope you all have wonderful little Christmases with your partners and have hot chocolates and whatever the fuck else you lot do but, I have a date with a packet of muggle cigarettes,” she waved the ones she had in her hand, “a few mince pies and a hell of a lot of wine.” She brought her glass up as if to cheers it and then knocked back the remainder of the red that was left, the glass refilled itself and she wanted to cry because she thought of him at the wedding, the stupid fucking wedding that started it all.
“I’ll send the galleons for my starter.” As she moved out of her table she walked into a rather large body, “if you’ll excuse me I’m leaving.” She said to a chest and as she tried to move around it, it kept blocking her.
“Whoever the fuck you are! You’re ruining my dramatic exit,” she huffed as she pushed her finger into his chest for good measure.
“Do you really hate me Parkinson?” came the voice of one Fred Weasley that she hadn’t heard in months, she looked up to see his face looming over her and inspecting her rather closely. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She fought the flush that threatened to spill onto her cheeks, her throat suddenly felt very dry. She decided sarcasm was her best option from here until she could reach the floo exit. “Oh brilliant you’re here!” she falsely cheered, she looked across to the other twin, “no worries other twin he’s here now so I can tell him myself.” The table was still eerily quiet and the whole restaurant seemed to be quieting down watching this scene play out, “yes I do hate you Fred now if you’d kindly move out of my way I’m heading home I have plans.”
She tried to move around him again and failed rather awfully, “could you just do this one fucking thing for me please?” she asked and it was a whisper and the first time she had been quiet since this accidental outburst had started.
He grabbed both her shoulders to completely still her, “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.”
“That’s nice.”
“Do you remember that song I always used to sing in the shower?”
“What?” Pansy asked confused as to how that was anything to do with anything.
“You know the song. I’d always sing it.”
“I suppose.”
“Do you remember the lyrics?”
“Why would I remember that?”
“Because I didn’t even like that song very much the lyrics just made me think of you.”
“The line about butterflies and rainbows and compromise?”
He laughed at her then, he flashed that smile she adored so much, “that one yeah.”
“Fucking great compromise. Yes I get it Fred I was your compromise we weren’t anything we’ve discussed this and we didn’t have an audience last time.” She turned her head to look at the table which was still watching the scene play out. Theo was grinning, he fucking loved drama.
“No not that line. I wanted you to meet someone who would always make you feel beautiful because that is what you deserve. And I always used to sing the line about how she will be loved because I would always think that one day you’d meet someone who would love you so much because it was exactly what you deserved. Still deserve. But I was wrong.”
“Oh?” Came Pansy's reply as she crossed her arms, “right so no one will ever love me?”
“Will you just shut up? No, I was wrong because she had met someone who loved her. Because I love you Petal, fuck I’ve been in love with you since Ginny and Blaise’s wedding. It just took me a while to realise and maybe I’m too late but I love you.”
Pansy couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Her mouth opened a closed a few times she scrunched up her forehead and he gently drew his thumb across it as if trying to smooth out the frown lines.
“But Angelina?”
A voice from behind them chimed in, “sorry about that it was uh Molly’s idea she convinced me to confess that I was in love with him in hopes it would make him realise he loved you. But, that obviously backfired.”
Pansy turned her head, “so you don’t love him?” she asked and paused. She added after a second, “it doesn’t matter because he loves you.”
“I don’t love her Pansy, not like that, not anymore I don’t. I can’t remember when it all stopped but when she told me that I suddenly realised I just didn’t anymore because I loved someone else, no correction I love someone else.” He grabbed her hand and she tried to pull it away but he just kept it there running his fingers across her knuckles.
“Of course I love him but I love him like I love my younger sister. I love George like you love Fred.”
“I never said I loved Fred.” She replied automatically.
Theo laughed, “you didn’t have to you’ve been in bloody mourning over him for months.”
“Oi! How did everyone know about this other than me?” The Weasley in her year asked as he searched the table for answers, his girlfriend elbowed him in the chest, essentially shutting him up.
“I don’t think you hate me,” Fred stated.
“Oh?” she asked and turned to face him again.
“No. I think you love me too.”
“Where have you gotten that ridiculous conclusion from then?”
He laughed, “because you fell in love with me in Italy too. Am I right?”
She didn’t speak for a few minutes, “Yes.” Came her whisper reply.
“Good. I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her then, it was different from when they’d kissed before, it was slow and sweet. It wasn’t frantic because they knew they had time, time to get to know each other even better, time to fall for one another even more and most importantly time to start their life together.
When they finally broke apart he asked “Mum wants you to come to the Burrow on Christmas day will you?”
She thought about it for a minute and shrugged, “I suppose I could be amendable.”
And she did attend Christmas at the burrow, there was a P jumper waiting for her in green and silver. There would always be a jumper waiting for her every year.
An unknown amount of time later…
“I swear on my magic you fucking ginger oaf if I have to hike up another one of these God-forsaken mountains I will kill you, Fred.” Pansy moaned as they nearly reached the top of some mountain in Romania that Charlie had recommended. You could see an abundance of dragons flying from up here apparently. Pansy neither wanted to hike up here nor cared to see said dragons.
“Come on Petal just a few more steps,” he called as he finally reached the top.
“Oh bugger off calling me Petal when I’m annoyed and sweaty.” For once in Pansy’s life she didn’t have a scrap of makeup on, hadn’t bothered wearing it for months. When they first started travelling she attempted her usual makeup every day she quickly learned this was an absolute waste of her time.
Once, she reached the top she collapsed onto the floor with an exaggerated thump.
“I’m glad we both gave up smoking,” Fred announced.
“Are you? Because right now I could do with one.”
“Get up and enjoy the view,” he held out his hand, which she begrudgingly took and heaved herself up with.
She hated to admit it but it was rather beautiful up here, the sun was just setting and casting a golden-rich glow in its path. There was so much greenery everywhere, it was quite the sight, was it worth the hike, however Pansy would disagree there.
She was off in her own faraway world until she heard her boyfriend cough when she looked in his direction to moan once again she saw that he wasn’t standing anymore but he was down on one knee. He had a small black box opened up towards her and inside was a ring glistening, it was a large opal and had small rubies and emeralds around it.
“Pansy Parkinson, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife? Will you join the ever large and ever growing brood of Weasleys and officially tie yourself to me forever?” he was nervous she could tell.
“Fred Weasley, I could think of nothing better than officially being another Mrs.Weasley.” Pansy replied with a grin and jumped at him kissing his face as she did. He laughed and at some point, he managed to put the ring on her finger.
Pansy had no idea what the future held for them; perhaps they would try and search for her Mother again. Perhaps they would finally stop travelling and buy a house together, perhaps they would plan their wedding and have some ginger haired babies. She didn’t fucking care, she never fucking cared what they did as long as they did it together.
“I love you, you great ginger oaf.”
“I love you too Petal.”
She was loved indeed.