Chapter Text
That night, they were playing cribbage in the library when an unfamiliar owl arrived. The message was written in Welsh. “Agreed to open a ward for their injuries at the hospital. Stay where you are. We are safe. Love you.” She tapped her wand to the short scroll before it burned into nothing in her hand. If either of the Longbottoms thought it odd, neither said anything. Augusta simply dealt the next hand.
She ended up staying with the Longbottoms the rest of the holiday. The home was under more ancient protection spells than Pansy had ever seen. Nev’s grandmother was kindly and didn’t press further as to the reason she was visiting, despite her and Neville never even pretending to work on an astronomy project and her name mysteriously changing to Pansy. And if Augusta realized she and Neville were sharing a bed, she certainly didn’t say anything.
Although, hopefully Neville’s silencing spells on their room were working. Christmas eve, they retired early, Augusta worn out from having attempted to cook Christmas cookies without magic, having gone overboard making eight dozen. No wonder Neville had been a chubby child.
Pansy had barely closed the door to her lavish guest suite when Nev apparated into the room with a crack. He impatiently loosened the tie that had been required for the formal attire his grandmother had demanded at dinner. He wasn’t much one for ties, Pansy had noticed. She crossed to the dressing table and sat, taking her earrings out, large baubles that had been passed from the Malfoy side to her when she was seventeen. She gingerly pulled the pins from her hair that she’d piled on top her head for the occasion and watched in the mirror as Nev’s fingers unbuttoned his festively red oxford, baring his muscled chest. She sighed and leaned against him as he took over and began massaging her scalp.
“Your fingers are magic,” she moaned as he continued the massage down her neck, slyly unzipping her green Christmas dress and sliding it over her shoulders.
“Are you interested in seeing my magic wand?” he joked in her ear, his lips skirting over the sensitive earlobe before nibbling on her neck.
“Is it big?” she joked, meeting his sparkling eyes in the mirror, watching as he peeled the dress from her body to reveal the lacy underthings beneath.
“This is nice,” he commented, running his fingers over the red lace with gold embellishments. “Did you get for me?”
“Happy Christmas,” she smiled.
“You know I like you best naked,” he gave a fake huff of annoyance. “But… the color is rather charming on you.”
“I rather thought you’d like it,” she laughed, noticing he had made no attempts to remove the barely there lingerie.
“Do the panties match?” he asked, pulling her to her feet, and pushing the dress further over her hips.
“They do,” she grinned, leaning into him and pushing the red oxford down his arms, letting it fall to the floor. She leaned up into him, nuzzling her face against his, enjoying the soft scratch of his five o’clock shadow. “But I never said I was wearing panties,” she whispered in his ear huskily.
“The best presents don’t even require pretty wrapping,” he laughed, spinning her and tossing her on the bed.
“You should know I had to look the shop attendant in the eye buying these. She was that watery ravenclaw who graduated a few years back. I could tell she was questioning my sanity.”
“Brilliant gift,” laughed Nev as he shucked the rest of his clothing. “Next year, let’s just get property of Neville Longbottom tattoo’d across your arse.”
“Ahhh, is that your kink?” she laughed as he playfully swatted said bum. Secretly, her heart skipped a beat that he seemed to think they would still be together in a year.
“You know damn well you’re my kink,” he quipped with a grin.
“You know, I rather thought skipping knickers would get things going more quickly. What’s taking you so long?”
“I’ll show you long,” he deadpanned.
“I love it when you talk dirty to me,” she laughed out loud, the laugh abruptly breaking off into a moan as he pressed himself inside her.
“You sure you can’t tell me why you’re spending the holiday here instead of with your parents, whom from what you said before break were looking forward to seeing you?” he asked her after he caught his breath. His hair was sweaty and sticking up from where she’d pulled on it. He was as she privately thought, deliciously disheveled.
“No.”
“Nothing?”
“I’m sorry, but I actually cannot.”
“Well, your present then,” he sighed. “If I can’t shag the truth out of you, nothing will work.”
“Oooh, you got me a present?” she asked.
“Of bloody course I did. I actually got you two presents. Open this one first,” he reached across her for his wand and summoned a small package.
“You know, they say the loveliest things come in small packages,” she said taking the small present. It was smaller than a book, but larger than a makeup compact, flat and square. He propped himself on his elbow and watched her expectantly.
“I really didn’t get you much… you know… besides the… lacy things… which we know are really for myself.”
“Get on with it Pans… who knew you were so shy about getting gifts.” She blushed and pulled at the paper, bright green and silver. He’d chosen her house colors. The flat velvet box was obviously jewelry when she pulled away the paper. She hadn’t realized he was planning to be so generous. But then again, she was a paramour. Every pureblooded male worth his salt knew that paramours demanded jewelry. Of course she should have expected it.
Cracking open the lid, she gently fingered the deep purple stones. Deeply purple amethysts, set in a silver necklace. The kind of jewelry that turned heads. It was clearly goblin made. The silver work was too delicate to be anything else.
“This is too much, Nev,” she breathed even as he took it out of the box and draped it over her neck.
“This is for me… It looks just like I pictured on you,” he smirked. “You can wear it for me… just the necklace.” He winked and she blushed all over.
“Surely this is a family piece,” she protested, even as she traced her fingers over the large stones.
“It isn’t doing much in the vault. And it looks to be made for you. I’ve never seen a witch whose eyes could match the color of the stones so perfectly,” he pressed a kiss to her collarbone. “I want it to be yours.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she laughed awkwardly.
“Thank you, has always been a popular answer, but I’d settle for, take me I’m yours,” he suggested with a smirk.
“You said you had a second gift for me, Mr. Longbottom,” she stuck her nose in the air and pretended an air of indifference as he gently kissed her shoulders while tracing the necklace along her chest with a delicate finger.
“Fine…” he sighed in fake annoyance, summoning a second package, much larger than the first.
She grinned, taking the package from him. It was a plain box under the paper, so she was utterly surprised when she lifted the lid to find the snowy white kitten on a green blanket bed.
“Ooooh,” she gasped pulling the sleeping kitten and pressing it’s soft pale fur to her cheek. “She’s perfect.”
“I rather thought you’d think so,” he leaned back against the headboard with a self satisfied smirk.
“Oh, I just adore her,” she pressed the kitten’s darling pink nose to her own and then cuddled her to her naked breast. “Thank you, Neville.” She leaned over and kissed him soundly. “I’m going to call her Evangelica, since you gave her to me on Christmas Eve and she’s just a little angel.”
“You love animals more than any witch I know,” he grinned watching her pet the sweet kitten with tears in her eyes. “She’s part kneazel so she’s meant to be brilliant.”
“Of course she is. She’s a regular little genius. She’s perfect, I love her,” cooed Pansy.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be ready for another cat, but since your last cat passed away in fifth year…” He broke off, probably realizing how incriminating it was that he knew that bit of information. Sure she'd gone to classes with red rimmed eyes for weeks, but she hadn't advertised her cat had passed away.
“I love her, this was the perfect gift, Nev.”
“Alright, well, let’s put poor little Evangelicat back in her bed. The house elves were playing with her all day so she’d be worn out, but I’m sure you’ll be able to cuddle and play with her to your hearts content tomorrow.”
“Awww… is poor Nevie jealous of the wittle kitty?” taunted Pansy, kissing the little kitten and putting her back in her little bed.
“Maybe,” he chuckled with a wink.
“It’s too bad you weren’t a very good boy this year, I don’t think father Christmas is going to be able to get you anything near as good,” Pansy said in a sugary voice as she set the sleeping kitten aside. “I heard you’ve been very, very naughty Mr. Longbottom.”
“Very naughty,” he breathed as he watched Pansy crawl toward him on the bed, her only ornament the amethyst necklace. He was rock hard the second she’d turned her sex eyes on him.
“Do you know what happens to naughty boys?” she asked, a mischievous smirk on her face. He shook his head as she lowered her mouth over him before pulling off with an audible pop, causing him to groan. “They are punished,” she said shortly before resuming her goal.
********************************
“I didn’t think it was possible, but Longbottom looks even more shagable this term,” sighed Blaise. “Do you think I have a chance?”
“Decidedly not,” laughed Theo. “That one’s as straight as they come.”
“I wonder how long he can go before he cums,” pondered Blaise licking his lips, causing Pansy to spit out her pumpkin juice all over a nearby second year.
“Stop torturing Pansy, boys. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t still have that thing for Longbottom.” sighed Daphne. “We all know she’s been shagging Mr. Mysterious for months.”
“If he is a Mister,” pointed out Blaise with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Something you’ve been holding out on us, luv?”
“Oh, it’s definitely a Mister, I saw his handprint on her hip in the prefects bath. Women don’t leave that kind of bruises, and never quite that large,” put in Daphne. “He isn’t hurting you?”
“No!” exclaimed a scandalized Pansy. Sometimes Nev was a little rough with her, but she usually only noticed the marks later. She enjoyed it to much to mind a bruise here or there. She insisted it was because she bruised so easily.
“Just don’t get knocked up,” suggested Draco. “It might be less complicated if you were shagging another woman.”
“Sod off all of you!” burst out Pansy, glaring at her friends and vacating the slytherin table. Storming out of the great hall, she felt like she had to make a special effort to avoid looking at the Gryffindor table where she knew Nev was eating his breakfast. Merlin, keeping this entire affair from her friends was hard. And considering she’d had a major thing for them for years, they tended to tease her about him mercilessly. Especially when he came down to breakfast with such wild sex hair.
The obscene floral arrangement delivered to the slytherin table via two owls on St. Valentine’s day was probably what did it. When she thought about it later, it was definitely the moment she fell completely in love with Neville Augustus Longbottom. Even Daphne was looking at her with envy as she received the largest bundle of bright red roses, interspersed with fat deep pink Dahlias and delicate bleeding heart pansies. What was most amazing about this gift was it was still living, the flowers magically grafted onto the same bush, creating a beautiful plant that was blooming in unseasonable splendor. The bright red pot holding the plant was too heavy for Pansy to carry herself, so she was forced to levitate it with her all day until it could be returned to her headgirl apartments.
Every single one of the sixth and seventh year girls who saw it looked on in envy at the ostentation declaration. “Surely you’re going to tell us who sent these,” whispered Tracy fingering a red rose in Charms. “This isn’t a casual thing. You have to tell us about your mystery wizard now.”
“No, it’s between him and me,” laughed Pansy looking at the flowers with awe. Sometimes she wondered if Neville was in it just for the excellent sex, but then… sometimes he’d give her a look, or something like this, and she wondered if his feelings were real too. She wasn’t as stupid as to pretend that she hadn’t been having feelings for the Gryffindor since the beginning. She probably wouldn’t have even agreed to the arrangement if not for her massive crush, but from the very first night, she’d been falling. And looking at those delicate purple and red pansys mixed into the arrangement, she knew. She was completely and utterly in love. The mere thought made her a little sick to her stomach.
He was waiting in her bedroom when she finally made it back to the dorms that night, levitating the massive flowering bush ahead of her. That Black family smirk slipped across his handsome face a dark look in his blue eyes, making her nipples tighten in anticipation. He reserved that look for her.
“How did you even manage this?” she laughed, gesturing to the fragrant blossoms.
“Room of Requirement provided all the sunshine I needed. It didn’t really take much to be honest. Simple grafting,” he said by way of explanation. “Now get over here, I’ve been wanting to kiss that smile of yours all day. Getting through charms without kissing you senseless was pure torture.”
“You shouldn’t have made me so happy with these then,” she smirked, crawling over to the bed to thank him with a long kiss.
“It was worth it,” he laughed pulling her into his lap. “The look on your face when they realized they were for you.”
“You know this isn’t part of our agreement. You really didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know. I wanted to give you everything,” he sighed, a slight look of frustration on his face as he rested his forehead against hers. “It wasn’t about… the arrangement. It was extra.”
“It isn’t midnight yet,” she whispered looking over to the clock. “This isn’t about the arrangement.” She kissed her red lips down the side of his neck, slowly breaking away to pull off his plain black t-shirt. She kissed down his chest, dragging her tongue through the hair beneath his belly button. She looked up to meet her eyes to his with a mischievous grin. She told herself his eyes were looking at her with the adoration of someone who genuinely loved her.
*****************************
Five weeks later, it was between classes. Pansy was hurrying to make it to Charms on time, but she’d been delayed leaving Transfiguration by a question from McGonagall involving her headgirl duties. She had cut through the dark arts corridor, and was just hurrying past the open first year classroom when she heard it. A shrill scream. Her heels skidded to a halt and she backed up to look inside.
A horrified class of first years were looking on as one of their own lay limp on the floor, the bright blue ravenclaw crest on her robes proclaiming her a ravenclaw first year. First year students were so decimated by the war, no muggleborns and much fewer half bloods that the classroom was the entire first year class.
“Now, who can demonstrate the spell we worked on last class without making a mistake?” demanded the professor. Pansy watched the first years shrink further in their seats. “No volunteers?” sneered the professor. “Jones, let’s see a little of that legendary Gryffindor bravery.”
A trembling first year approached the front of the class and attempted to perform an attack spell on the dueling dummy. A severing spell if Pansy wasn’t mistaken. One of the Carrow’s favorites for punishment. The spell looked effective, but it missed the dummy and hit the wall instead.
“Did you even practice at all!” demanded the professor again with a frown. “Crucio!” The child crumpled to the floor with a scream.
“PROFESSOR!” screeched Pansy, stepping into the room, her wand aloft without realizing. “JUST WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!?”
“I am teaching, Miss Parkinson. Just what are you doing out of classes?”
“I was sent here by Headmaster Snape, he needs to see you immediately.”
“Somehow I doubt that considering professor Snape is in Wiltshire for the day.”
“This is wrong. You can’t torture students in class!” she finally burst out, unable to hold back.
“You forget your place Miss Parkinson. I am in charge here, and how I choose to discipline my students is not your concern.” His sneer was all crooked teeth and an evil glint in his eye. “Crucio,” he casually resumed the torture of the poor gyrffindor boy on the ground.
“Protego!” clipped Pansy, a shield charm bouncing off the spell that caused a nearby window to shatter.
“My my, feeling a little brave yourself today,” sneered the professor, turning his wand on her. Little did he know that defense against the dark arts had been one of her best classes before it transitioned to Dark Arts.
“First years, return to your common rooms, your heads of house will understand when I explain what happened here,” Pansy snapped, not looking at the students. Professor Carrow was clearly unstable, and this was the final straw.
“I will dismiss my class when the lesson is over!” growled the professor.
“Run little sparrows,” Pansy ordered calmly stepping into a dueling stance. Carrow slashed his wand and she put up a shield, stepping to the side, avoiding the hex.
He wasn’t a very good dueler. She had dueled with Draco, Aunt Cissa, her mother, and Uncle Lou since fifth year. It was a special hobby of Aunt Cissa’s and with the war coming, she had felt it important for the cousins to practice. It wasn’t until he started throwing spells she knew to be deadly that she realized just how serious this really was. Out of desperation, she threw a spell she had learned from Draco, that had nearly killed him last year. The slash that appeared across the professor’s face, across his left arm and lopping off his hand would have made her smile with relief if it hadn’t been so disgusting. The sight of his stubbed arm, the bone and flesh bleeding profusely as he hastily wound his cloak around it to staunch the bleeding gave her pause which was the moment he needed. The blasting curse barely missed her but threw her into the wall behind her, knocking her head hard against the stone. Her wand fell limp from her hand, her brain fuzzy and thoughts scattered.
He approached her slowly, like a cat stalking prey, the blood running across the slash in his face painting a gruesome picture. She gasped for breath and struggled to focus her thoughts. Her fingers reached for her dropped wand, but couldn’t seem to find it on the sticky floor. The floor sticky with her blood.
“Who would have thought, little Miss Parkinson,” sneered the death eater, his wand inches from her face. “Avada-“
Pansy clenched her eyes against the green glow taking a deep breath and thinking of Neville’s blue eyes and steady smile.
“STUPIFY!”
The thud of a heavy body hitting the floor shocked Pansy into opening her eyes. Surely she’d imagined the voice.
“Pansy!” Neville’s strangled cry directed her eyes toward the door, meeting his agonized gaze. What a wonderful death fantasy, being rescued by the wizard you love. He was kneeling over her, cradling her head, lifting her gently into his arms, death taking on his persona to carry her into the afterlife. How lovely.
“You aren’t dying, Pansy,” he ordered.
“Stop telling me what to do,” she managed before she closed her eyes.
She woke up in the hospital wing two days later. She was relieved she hadn’t died, but also pretty confused she hadn’t. Looking to her hand, clasped in another she turned to see pale silver eyes looking down on her.
“Damn it Pansy,” whispered Draco, burying his face in her hair. “Don’t do stupid things. You aren’t allowed to leave me here alone with these people.”
“Ha, so you’re the only one allowed to cause trouble,” she choked out her dry throat.
“Official story is that you were found stupefied in a broom closet. Longbottom polyjuiced himself as you for devious purposes, but was sidetracked by what happened in the first year classroom and attacked Carrow. Longbottom has of course disappeared, the teachers can’t find him anywhere. Carrow’s been at Mungo’s recovering since Pomphrey refused to treat his sorry arse. They haven't managed to regrow his hand, so it's a permanent loss. Alecto is furious and convinced there’s more to the story. You have a lot of explaining to do,” Draco murmured.
“What?”
“Longbottom took the fall for you, for reasons I can’t begin to fathom. There’s a death warrant for him as far as the death eaters are concerned. Longheath has completed disappeared off the face of the earth, his grandmother in deep hiding, probably a fidelius. He’s probably there somehow. They sent five death eaters after her and she offed three of them before she escaped. She’s holed up now, but… Merlin. Who would have thought Longbottom’s grandmother, secret badass.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” she gasped. “Breathing hurts.”
“Pomphrey was horrified you’d not wake up from that head wound, not to mention the punctured lung and the cuts from all that glass.”
“So I got a little banged up, you should have seen the other guy,” she laughed weakly as her cousin gently tucked a dark curl behind her ear in an uncharacteristic sign of affection.
“You’re an idiot. He’s rubbed off on you,” accused Draco, his silver eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she looked away, never a good liar when it came to her cousin.
“Of course you don’t,” sighed Draco. “If it makes a difference, I’m happy for you. He’s a good wizard, the kind I wish I could be. And not just because he was the one that saved your sorry arse. Even if he’s practically a dead man walking now.”
“You don’t mean that,” she protested. Nev couldn't be marked for death. Surely, she would wake up in his arms and this entire thing would have been a nightmare.
“The Dark Lord wants him bad. He’s decided he’s to blame for everything that’s going wrong here. With his grand plans for the School to.”
“Is our patient finally awake!?” came a concerned female voice, cutting off Draco midsentence. “I thought I told you to get me the second she came to,” Madame Pomphrey’s round face and blue eyes popped up around the curtain.
“I was just coming to get you,” lied Draco smoothly, the smile he used to charm everyone from professors to his dates making an appearance. “Just had to reassure Pansy that she was okay and I was coming back before I left her alone.”
“You’ve been quite diligent staying at her bedside,” commended Madame Pomphrey. “You should go rest, Mr. Malfoy.”
“Of course, I will leave my cousin in your capable hands,” he conceded, disappearing.
Pansy sighed as the madame performed a series of diagnostic spells, missing Draco’s soothing presence already.
“Mr. Longbottom will be here in a few minutes,” the healer broke off Pansy’s train of thought.
“But Draco said…”
“I thought you might have been awake longer than your cousin implied,” sighed the Madame.
“Where’s Neville?”
“I can’t say, but he is sure to come as soon as it’s full dark. He’s managed to sneak in here the last few nights, and the sun is setting now. He’s managed to hide away during the day, and he knows I’m not about to turn him in after I collaborated on that ridiculous story he came up with to save your arse. Alecto would have surely finished the job her brother started by now if he hadn’t come up with the lie.”
“What, that he Polyjuiced himself as me?”
“Yes, and apparently modified Carrow’s memories, because if Carrow remembered how injured you were when he woke up, it would have been a dead giveaway.”
“Ahh…” sighed Pansy, her thoughts disorganized with all this information. “And…”
“Don’t worry, the babe is fine too,” Pomphrey assured her with a pat on the hand.
“WHAT?” Pansy’s eyes flew to the surprised eyes of the madame.
“Well, seeing how far along you are, I assumed you knew.”
“What?!” Pansy repeated, feeling rather certain she must have hit her head harder than she thought.
“I regret to inform you that you’re probably two and a half months pregnant,” Madame Pomphrey’s voice was slightly sharp.
“I’ve been so stressed, and I’ve lost so much weight,” gasped Pansy, her breath coming fast. “I thought it was the war.”
“I can assure you it was not. And you are very lucky that this one was planted so well, because as banged up as you were, it seems the babe wasn’t disturbed at all.”
“Merlin’s beard,” whispered Pansy on a shaky exhale.
“Pansy!” came Neville’s deep voice, joy and relief evident from the single word. She looked up and met his joyous eyes with hard violet eyes of her own.
“Oooh,” gasped Madame Pomphrey, her eyes darting between the students as her eyebrows lifted in recognition. “That makes much more sense. Well, I’ll just leave the two of you. Let me know if you need anything, but if your healing continues at this rate, we’ll have you back in your dorm by tomorrow afternoon.”
Neville turned and watched the healer head to her quarters before turning back to Pansy, taking her hand and smoothing a hand over her limp curls. “Damn it Pansy, you aren’t supposed to make teachers mad enough to kill you. Don’t do that again, I about died.”
“I don’t know what came over me,” sighed Pansy her thoughts racing.
“I didn’t mean to plant the seed of bravery in your staunch little slytherin heart,” he joked, stroking her cheek. Frowning when his words spurred a tear to spill over and follow his thumb. He gently wiped the tears that were now coming steadily. “Hey now…”
“Apparently that isn’t the only thing you planted, you stupid Gryffindor…” she sobbed. “Pomphrey said I’m pregnant.”
“What?!” Neville pulled back slightly.
“First rule of having a mistress is not to create any little bastards,” cried Pansy.
“I… Merlin’s balls…”
“Why would we want to bring a child into this horrible world?!” Pansy agonized, ignoring his stammering. “How stupid I was, not thinking of consequences. We should have been more careful. What more awful time to start a new life than during this terrible war.”
“That’s it, no more fighting for you,” Neville said gruffly, pulling her into his arms. “I told you I would protect the first years, and I failed. You need to stay out of all of this. We’ll get you to your brother Patrick as soon as school lets out. Gran has a friend who used to work in the department of transportation. We can get you an illegal international portkey.” The look of absolute terror for her on his face crashed over Pansy. She wasn't alone in her worry about this development. Every fear that had popped into her head in the last five minutes was justified.
“I have muggle money,” she confessed. “Mum gave it to me over Christmas. In case the worst happened after I went to your house. In case I needed to flee completely.”
“That then,” confirmed Neville.
“And you’ll come with me,” she demanded.
“No… It’s my job to fight. As long as there are battles raging, I’ll fight. It’s my duty. I have to make this world a safe place for you.”
“Hell, Nev… don’t pretend it’s about me, this is just a consequence of our deal.”
“Damn it Pans, it’s always been about you!” growled Nev, forcing her to look at him, a hand on either side of her face. “From the moment you stepped into Charms fifth year with that stupid red lipstick you started wearing over the summer. With your violet eyes and those red lips, I was a gonner. And then… you presented the unscrupulous wizard with an opportunity, and I took it. Damn it, I love you from your bright red toenails to the mahogany curls on the top of your head.”
“Damn it Longbottom, you’re making me cry,” she sniffed, trying and failing to hide her tears by looking away. “I don’t know why I love you so bloody much. You only ever create problems for me.”
“It’s because I’m so devilishly handsome,” he smirked, a look of acute relief at her backhanded confession.
“Someone has an elevated opinion of himself. Hopefully this child takes after me,” she joked through her tears.
“Merlin, Pansy. This changes so much.”
“We only have three months before graduation. I’ll keep my head down the rest of the year. I’ll go to Carrow with Snape, apologize for allowing you to get the best of me so that you could Polyjuice yourself with my hair. I’ll play the stupid weak witch. I can keep my head down the rest of the year. I’ll protect our child, but you have to promise me to protect yourself. In exchange you survive through the year and leave with me for Australia as soon as I graduate.”
“You know I can’t promise that, Pans.”
“Yes, you can! You just won’t!” She argued desperately.
“I’m going to join the Order outside of Hogwarts after you leave. I’ll stay around here to protect you, but… I can’t go with you after.”
“Damn it Nev. Can’t you leave the bravery to someone else for once?”
“We can’t run from all our problems. This is one that someone needs to face off head on or it will catch up to you. You don’t think you-know-who is going to stop with England?”
“You’ve only just confessed you’re mine. I’m not ready to let you go,” she whispered, stroking his hair, rubbing her thumb along the rim of his ear.
“I’m not going anywhere, and I haven’t moved out of your rooms. Official word is I’m in the room of requirement, but…”
“Damn it Nev. What do you think our chances of all three of us surviving this mess?” she asked quietly, pressing a hand to her stomach which she was relieved to find still flat.
“I was never good at divination Pansy,” laughed Nev.
“I really do love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too,” his breath was hot against her ear, his tears cool on her forehead as he held her tight.
*********************
“What do the others in the room of requirement think when you leave at night?” asked Pansy, sitting at her dressing table, brushing her hair while Nev dried himself from the shower.
“I don’t really care, Pans.”
“But, do they know where you sleep?”
“I think they think I’m superhuman and patrolling the halls for death eaters.” Pansy met her own eyes in the mirror and rolled them with a sigh before pulling her curls into a bun on the top of her head.
“I think they have a fair idea of where I might be,” he answered, bending down and kissing her bare shoulder. “Abbott came onto me a few weeks back, and I told her I was involved with someone. Finnegan insisted that was proof I was knocking boots with you.”
“I don’t know how you spend all day every day stuck with them in that room.” Pansy turned up her nose at the thought of Hannah Abbott and her large perky breasts.
“It’s bigger than you’d imagine,” protested Neville. “Now come to bed, luv. I’m a lucky bastard that gets to escape the room to be with you every night and you’re depriving me of my favorite benefit of that.”
“Maybe I’m tired tonight,” she huffed with fake exaggeration.
“Great, I can hold you while you sleep.”
**********************
Neville wasn’t in her bed, but the students were being called down to the great hall. Everyone was in their pajamas. She was wearing her holyhead harpies nightgown under her school robes, her headgirl badge pinned half hazardly on her chest, her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Her wand gripped white knuckled in her hand. Harry Potter was here, Voldemort’s voice was booming over the castle, magically magnified. She knew this was a battle she would have to sit out and one that Nev couldn’t resist dying in. All things equal, she’d rather he not. The proposal to turn over Potter spilled out of her mouth like she was possessed. She could feel Nev’s glare from across the room as the word vomit spilled from her lips, but all she could think was that the castle was about to come down around their ears.
She ended up overseeing the evacuation of first through fifth years into Hogsmeade under the glaring eyes of her peers. She was the one who stood guard at the door of Three broomsticks and held her wand high when the death eaters came to the village and demanded any traitors be turned over. Slughorn had returned to the battle, and she was the highest authority left.
“We’re students of Hogwarts who chose not to fight. There are no traitors here, just children. Children who are doing as they are told. Step across this barrier and your face will match Carrow’s,” she declared lofting her wand. “I’m the headgirl and these children are under my protection. Keeping in mind that my uncle Lucius is providing a home to the Dark Lord, mine is a family you don’t wish to cross! If you value your head remaining attached to your neck, I would turn around and leave.”
When the aurors from the Ministry arrived, she only allowed them in after a small Hufflepuff girl claimed one of them as a father, proving they weren't imposters. From there, she retreated to the back of the room with the scared slytherin students.
After the battle, just after sunrise, the knock came on the door to the pub. Many of the younger years were still sleeping, but Pansy, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Tracey and the aurors were all still awake, holding the protection spells on the building. The Aurors went to the door, and Pansy wished they were less broad shouldered so she could see who it was.
When they stepped aside, it was a battle worn Neville, blood smeared across his face, his hair burned off, his face and hands covered in bright red burns. He had never looked so handsome. She stumbled into his arms, covering his face in kisses.
“It’s over Pansy. He’s really gone,” his arms came around her as she sobbed into his neck.
“I’m so glad you’re alive!”
“Of course,” he smiled, deciding it would be better not to tell her exactly how close things had come.
“We need to get you to a healer, you’re covered in burns, this… Nev,” she looked at him with accusation in her eyes. “Come, we’ll go to Parkview. We’ll have access through the floo, and I’ll raid my father’s potion supply if he isn’t home to do it himself. Surely Pomphrey is overwhelmed.
“Merlin, I love you, you secretly sweet slytherin,” he laughed and she pushed him to the floo, grabbing a handful of powder.
“Of course you do. I’m really taking you here to kidnap you so you can never go off to fight dark wizards again,” she laughed pushing him into the fireplace.
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“If we get married, I won’t be able to call you my mistress any longer,” sighed Neville laying beside her in bed. He’d officially moved into the London townhouse as a ‘graduation’ gift from his gran. Pansy had been helping him get things settled all afternoon and after dinner, they’d made their way upstairs and fallen into bed.
“If we get married, you’ll have to propose first. Isn’t that how it works in the fairy tales. The lonely wizard falls for the beautiful witch, he proposes, they get married and they live happily ever after.”
“Sometimes she sends him on a quest for a dragon’s treasure first,” protested Neville.
“I’m fresh out of quests for you, gallant wizard,” laughed Pansy. “Why do gryffindors have to turn everything into a race against time and death?”
“Marry me, Pans. I know we did everything backwards, and I didn’t exactly treat you like you deserve from the first. But you’re the love of my life.”
“If you insist, Longbottom.”
“I insist. And then, let’s live happily ever after,” suggested Neville.
“Well that goes without saying.”