Never the Same, Pt. 5 and done (PG-13; Pansy, Goyle)
Written for the auswitchathon challenge. This is EXTREMELY AU but a lot of fun. (also using 81 - Favorites for potterverse100)
Title: Never the Same
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
V.
“YOU GREAT BLOODY GIT! Get out!”
Harry pulled Greg away from the door and out into the hallway. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to go in there right now. She just found out about her father.”
“But I should be able to help her,” Greg replied, looking more confused than before.
Pansy didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Instead, she shoved her head under the pillow it had been under before her crying jag had been so rudely interrupted. She had never been so miserable. Let them think it was because of her father. For that matter, let them think she was mourning the loss of all the Death Eaters. Never let them know that she was overjoyed at the Order’s defeat of Voldemort’s tribe.
It was better that they think she was crying because of her family. Years ago, she’d been disowned and never shed a tear. Her new family was downstairs, celebrating.
Her heart was down there, too. She hadn’t thought the realization would hit her so hard when it finally happened. He’s smiled at her in delight at the news from the battle… and she’d discovered what true happiness really was. When he turned to hug Lavender, she discovered what true despair was.
She and Harry had hoped that his relationship with Lavender was fleeting but he seemed to bask in the glow of her laughter in the way he didn’t with anyone else. Four years later and they were still together.
“I wonder what she would look like without any hair,” Pansy mused out loud between sobs. “I wouldn’t even use magic. No, I’d pull out each individual hair with my bare hands. With glee!”
The door opened again but it was Mrs. Weasley this time, her eyes red with her own tears. Word had come that Percy had been in that battle, he and Ron had stood with the Malfoy men, and hadn’t made it while Ron was healing at St. Mungo’s, under a heavy guard of Aurors. Odds were good that the Weasley clan had lost two sons today.
“You missed supper, dear. I thought I’d bring you up a plate.”
Pansy sat up, wiping at her eyes with her hand. “Thank you, ma’am. That was kind of you.”
“Molly, dear. I don’t like being called ma’am. It makes me feel French. Arthur and I spent our honeymoon on the coast of French and I’ve decided I never want to go back. Stuffy people they have down there. Full of themselves.”
“Isn’t Bill married to a French girl?”
Molly shook her head until her burnished hair glowed in the dying light of the sun. “We don’t think of her as French anymore. Although, if you ask me, she’s as full of themselves as the whole lot of them. Bill loves her and that’s all that matters. Tell me about your heart, dear. Those aren’t tears for your family, are they?”
She shook her own head, wondering what her hair, pulled back into a braid, must look like. Certainly it didn’t inspire the same picture as this older woman. “He doesn’t even know I’m alive. I don’t know what to do.”
“Harry is a complex creature and-“
“Harry? You think I like Harry? No. Not Harry. He’s… he’s… just a mate. Always knows what to say to make me feel better when I get cantankerous. No, I love Greg.”
“Gregory Goyle? Really?”
“Yes,” she exclaimed, throwing her fork across the room in a fit of despair. “Really. He loves Lavender. It’s obvious.”
The door flew open. “Lavender? You think I love Lavender?”
Molly’s smile was glowing. “Should I have told you he’s been outside your door since you came flying upstairs?” She patted Pansy on the hand before she got up and patted Greg on the shoulder. “Don’t mind if she throws the rest of the tray around. There’s plenty of food for both of you in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
There was silence in the room when she left. Neither one seemed willing to confront the other with the feelings that flowed between them.
“Kiss her,” Harry voice drifted into the room from the bottom of the stairs.
Because Greg had always been good at following Harry’s orders, he did just that, wrapping his arms around her so that she had nowhere to go even if she’d wanted to leave.
Their lips parted but they stayed within millimeters of each other. “Don’t ever leave me again,” she whispered. “No matter what I yell at you. And never tell me why you’ve been friends with Lavender all this time. I don’t think I can handle it.”
“She’s sweet.” He coughed as her fist found his solar plexus. “Never mind.”
“Tell me you love me back,” Pansy begged against her better judgment. It had been a tough day for her and she needed something to hang onto. Something that would remind her that everything would be back to normal soon. A better normal now that she’d finally told Greg what she was feeling deep inside. She’d have to thank Mrs. Weasley for that push.
“I love you so much. More than I ever thought I would. For the longest time, I thought you liked Harry and-“
“Why does everyone think I like Harry? He’s too much of a hero for me. I prefer my men on the sidelines, helping when necessary but not putting themselves into too much danger.” She kissed each side of his mouth. “Like you.”
“There’s a lot to talk about, speaking of danger. Our families aren’t exactly the most popular people these days.”
Pansy shook her head. “No, those people that picked the loosing side aren’t our family. Not our real families, at least. Those people who are waiting for us to come downstairs are our family now.”
He nodded, pulling her out of bed and into his arms. Her feet hit the doorway as he carried her through but she didn’t care. While he worried about getting them downstairs, she dropped little kisses wherever she could reach.
“Pansy and I would like to announce something,” he announced in a loud voice at the bottom of the stairs. The room quieted instantly, every face turned toward them. “She and I would like to thank you all for what you did today. You freed all of society from a great evil but you also freed us from connections that weren’t good. Instead, you freed us to call you all family.”
There were cheers and whistles and clapping throughout the room. Pansy smiled at many of the people, amazed how many people she knew quite well. She’d never thought of herself as having many friends but she could count them right now, smiling beautifully back at her.
“So,” Greg said, setting her back down on her feet before she was ready to be released. “Pansy,” and now he was on one knee. “Will you marry me?”
For the first time in her life, Pansy shrieked. She couldn’t help herself. For seven years, she’d fought against that sound because it made her sound like the rest of the Gryffindor girls. She hadn’t ever wanted to be put in the same category as any of them, nice as they were. It was very freeing making the sound but she covered her mouth anyway, afraid what might come out after.
“Yes,” she told him. “Yes, I will.”
Normal would never be the same again. She found that she didn't care. As long as he was beside her to make sure that she always had an anchor.
Title: Never the Same
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
V.
“YOU GREAT BLOODY GIT! Get out!”
Harry pulled Greg away from the door and out into the hallway. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to go in there right now. She just found out about her father.”
“But I should be able to help her,” Greg replied, looking more confused than before.
Pansy didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Instead, she shoved her head under the pillow it had been under before her crying jag had been so rudely interrupted. She had never been so miserable. Let them think it was because of her father. For that matter, let them think she was mourning the loss of all the Death Eaters. Never let them know that she was overjoyed at the Order’s defeat of Voldemort’s tribe.
It was better that they think she was crying because of her family. Years ago, she’d been disowned and never shed a tear. Her new family was downstairs, celebrating.
Her heart was down there, too. She hadn’t thought the realization would hit her so hard when it finally happened. He’s smiled at her in delight at the news from the battle… and she’d discovered what true happiness really was. When he turned to hug Lavender, she discovered what true despair was.
She and Harry had hoped that his relationship with Lavender was fleeting but he seemed to bask in the glow of her laughter in the way he didn’t with anyone else. Four years later and they were still together.
“I wonder what she would look like without any hair,” Pansy mused out loud between sobs. “I wouldn’t even use magic. No, I’d pull out each individual hair with my bare hands. With glee!”
The door opened again but it was Mrs. Weasley this time, her eyes red with her own tears. Word had come that Percy had been in that battle, he and Ron had stood with the Malfoy men, and hadn’t made it while Ron was healing at St. Mungo’s, under a heavy guard of Aurors. Odds were good that the Weasley clan had lost two sons today.
“You missed supper, dear. I thought I’d bring you up a plate.”
Pansy sat up, wiping at her eyes with her hand. “Thank you, ma’am. That was kind of you.”
“Molly, dear. I don’t like being called ma’am. It makes me feel French. Arthur and I spent our honeymoon on the coast of French and I’ve decided I never want to go back. Stuffy people they have down there. Full of themselves.”
“Isn’t Bill married to a French girl?”
Molly shook her head until her burnished hair glowed in the dying light of the sun. “We don’t think of her as French anymore. Although, if you ask me, she’s as full of themselves as the whole lot of them. Bill loves her and that’s all that matters. Tell me about your heart, dear. Those aren’t tears for your family, are they?”
She shook her own head, wondering what her hair, pulled back into a braid, must look like. Certainly it didn’t inspire the same picture as this older woman. “He doesn’t even know I’m alive. I don’t know what to do.”
“Harry is a complex creature and-“
“Harry? You think I like Harry? No. Not Harry. He’s… he’s… just a mate. Always knows what to say to make me feel better when I get cantankerous. No, I love Greg.”
“Gregory Goyle? Really?”
“Yes,” she exclaimed, throwing her fork across the room in a fit of despair. “Really. He loves Lavender. It’s obvious.”
The door flew open. “Lavender? You think I love Lavender?”
Molly’s smile was glowing. “Should I have told you he’s been outside your door since you came flying upstairs?” She patted Pansy on the hand before she got up and patted Greg on the shoulder. “Don’t mind if she throws the rest of the tray around. There’s plenty of food for both of you in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
There was silence in the room when she left. Neither one seemed willing to confront the other with the feelings that flowed between them.
“Kiss her,” Harry voice drifted into the room from the bottom of the stairs.
Because Greg had always been good at following Harry’s orders, he did just that, wrapping his arms around her so that she had nowhere to go even if she’d wanted to leave.
Their lips parted but they stayed within millimeters of each other. “Don’t ever leave me again,” she whispered. “No matter what I yell at you. And never tell me why you’ve been friends with Lavender all this time. I don’t think I can handle it.”
“She’s sweet.” He coughed as her fist found his solar plexus. “Never mind.”
“Tell me you love me back,” Pansy begged against her better judgment. It had been a tough day for her and she needed something to hang onto. Something that would remind her that everything would be back to normal soon. A better normal now that she’d finally told Greg what she was feeling deep inside. She’d have to thank Mrs. Weasley for that push.
“I love you so much. More than I ever thought I would. For the longest time, I thought you liked Harry and-“
“Why does everyone think I like Harry? He’s too much of a hero for me. I prefer my men on the sidelines, helping when necessary but not putting themselves into too much danger.” She kissed each side of his mouth. “Like you.”
“There’s a lot to talk about, speaking of danger. Our families aren’t exactly the most popular people these days.”
Pansy shook her head. “No, those people that picked the loosing side aren’t our family. Not our real families, at least. Those people who are waiting for us to come downstairs are our family now.”
He nodded, pulling her out of bed and into his arms. Her feet hit the doorway as he carried her through but she didn’t care. While he worried about getting them downstairs, she dropped little kisses wherever she could reach.
“Pansy and I would like to announce something,” he announced in a loud voice at the bottom of the stairs. The room quieted instantly, every face turned toward them. “She and I would like to thank you all for what you did today. You freed all of society from a great evil but you also freed us from connections that weren’t good. Instead, you freed us to call you all family.”
There were cheers and whistles and clapping throughout the room. Pansy smiled at many of the people, amazed how many people she knew quite well. She’d never thought of herself as having many friends but she could count them right now, smiling beautifully back at her.
“So,” Greg said, setting her back down on her feet before she was ready to be released. “Pansy,” and now he was on one knee. “Will you marry me?”
For the first time in her life, Pansy shrieked. She couldn’t help herself. For seven years, she’d fought against that sound because it made her sound like the rest of the Gryffindor girls. She hadn’t ever wanted to be put in the same category as any of them, nice as they were. It was very freeing making the sound but she covered her mouth anyway, afraid what might come out after.
“Yes,” she told him. “Yes, I will.”
Normal would never be the same again. She found that she didn't care. As long as he was beside her to make sure that she always had an anchor.