by Sea Isle Witch
He had gone to great lengths to undermine Gryffindor's confidence, but their scar-headed Seeker had somehow managed to catch his Snitch. It should have been a Slytherin victory -- the stronger team with the better equipment, so the sight of those pathetic Gryffindors celebrating had infuriated him! There had never been a worse Keeper, and Draco had told them so. That's when Potter and one of the blood traitors had physically attacked him like the filthy Muggles they adored.
Now he was stuck in the hospital wing -- completely alone.
Where is she?
Normally, she would have been there right away, so he couldn't imagine what was keeping her. She had a way of making him feel better, and he needed her special touch. Now.
The Slytherin team filed in to see their Seeker. It was protocol, a command performance because Slytherin House always stood together.
"Those blood traitors will get what's coming to 'em!"
"They won't know what hit them!"
"Parkinson said McGonagall was screaming at Potter in her office! Umbridge was in there too!"
Pansy said that? When?
"Snape will get them expelled!"
"Did you see the Weasel King?"
"Yeah! He couldn't save a single thing!"
They finally left, and Draco closed his eyes. The potion Madam Pomfrey had forced him to drink had made him drowsy, and he drifted off to sleep.
Draco awoke a few hours later, and much to his annoyance, he was still alone.
Has something happened to her?
Madam Pomfrey arrived to examine him; afterward she arranged his pillows so he could sit up. She tried to give him dinner, but he wasn't hungry and waved it away.
"Has anyone come to see me, Madam Pomfrey?"
"Yes, Professor Snape was here while you were sleeping."
"Anyone else?"
"No, sorry, dear, but you did have a delivery," she said, retrieving a parcel from the top of a cabinet.
As soon as she left, Draco pulled the green ribbon and tore off the silver paper. It was a box of his favourite sweets: raspberry liquorice wands; Pepper Imps; sour apple pops; Bertie Bott's beans in only marmalade, coconut and coffee flavours; and an assortment of Belgian chocolates -- no doubt handpicked by the one person who truly knew him. He smiled even though his jaw hurt.
"Draco?" Her voice was tentative.
She was so appealing to him at that moment. Her dark hair was tucked behind her ears--just the way he liked it, and she was wearing a light blue dress that made her look soft and pretty.
He motioned for her to come to him, and she crossed the room and sat in the chair next to his bed. Pansy gently brushed the hair off his forehead, and it fell perfectly back into place, making her smile.
"Do you like the sweets?"
"Yeah."
"Professor Snape allowed me to use his Floo to order them."
"Thanks."
"I was hoping you'd offer me a chocolate."
Draco held the box for her, and she daintily selected the best one of the assortment.
"Mmmm..." she said. "Oh, there were repercussions for them."
Draco raised his brows. Pansy always had more information than anyone else.
"They are banned from Quidditch -- forever," she told him with a wicked smile.
"Serves them right! I think they should be..." he began to rant, but she interrupted him.
"When will you be able to come back down to Slytherin?" she asked, gently brushing his hair aside again.
"Madam Pomfrey wants me to stay here overnight."
"Oh."
She looked troubled and disappointed, and he was very satisfied with her reaction. It was good to be wanted, especially by her. Secretly, he wanted her too. Someday I might even tell her.
"Pansy, will you help me with something?"
Her eyes lit up. "Of course," she said readily.
"I think we should finish our Charms essays. It's quiet here, and I don't see how anyone could object to us doing our school work."
"True," she agreed. "We do need to finish it tonight because we still have moon charts and Transfiguration homework to do tomorrow."
"Crabbe can bring up my bag."
"He's in detention doing lines, but I can manage," she said, rising. "I'll be back soon. Would you like anything else, Draco?"
"Yeah."
She looked at him expectantly.
"A kiss."
Pansy blushed slightly and leaned down, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"Don't be long, Pansy."
He watched as she walked to the door.
When she glanced back and smiled, he felt a surge of warmth inside.
He tried to wait patiently, but he was restless and wondered what was delaying her return. It had better not be Zabini! It would be just like him to try to take advantage of the situation.
With nothing to read, he gritted his teeth and began to count the panes in the windows across the ward.
"What took so long?" he demanded sharply when she finally appeared.
Pansy stopped in her tracks and sighed, rolling her eyes.
"I missed you," he said quickly when it looked as if she might leave.
"That's more like it," she told him, depositing his heavy leather bag on the bed.
He grinned and pulled out his scroll and quill. "Hmmm... How am I going to write in bed?"
Pansy looked around. "How's this?" she said, arranging a pillow and a wooden tray on his lap.
"Perfect." Just like you.
She sat in the chair and arranged her things on the bedside table. "Now, let's see... We left off with the Silencing Charm yesterday. We still need to describe what happens when it's cast incorrectly."
"Well, that's easy," Draco said, writing the answer. "The caster loses his voice."
As they worked on their assignment, he watched Pansy serenely glide her quill across the parchment. She had beautiful handwriting and a way with words too, so he always looked forward to her missives. Sometimes, he'd pretend to ignore her in class so she'd write a note to get his attention. Other times, he'd send a message across the common room, and she'd have to answer in writing. He didn't want her to catch on, of course, so he kept her notes hidden in the bottom of his school trunk.
Pansy looked up and blushed again when she realised he had been staring at her.
"Do you want to rest now? We can finish tomorrow."
"No!" he blurted out. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave.
She looked surprised but then resumed her writing.
"Two more to go," she said after a while.
"We need an example of a Colour Changing Charm," Draco said. "How about that charm that makes colours flash? The incantation is Versicoloris, which means various colours."
"You've always been good with Latin, Draco."
"Father made sure of it. My tutor was relentless," he remarked, dipping his quill into the ink they were sharing.
"Then I'm lucky to be able to do my homework with you," Pansy said, charming him with a smile.
"No, I'm the lucky one."
Urgh! Why did I say that? he thought anxiously. It was one thing to snog her senseless; it was quite another thing to actually say she was important to him. Well, she probably had an idea of that already.
She was staring at him now.
"Another chocolate?" he offered, trying to distract her from his slip-up.
"Yes, please."
He fed her the correct one and let his fingers linger on her lips. He saw goose bumps appear on her arms, which pleased him; he loved having that effect on her. He laughed involuntarily, and she gave him a piercing look.
"That's enough homework for now," he said, putting his things into his bag.
She stood to leave, but he took her hand. "Come closer," he said, tugging her down.
She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned toward him. He closed his eyes and felt her lips upon his and her soft hands gently caressing his bruised face.
"I was worried about you earlier," she whispered when their kiss ended.
"Then why didn't you come sooner?" He knew he was giving too much away, but he needed her answer.
"I-I just couldn't see you in so much pain."
Draco held her at arm's length so he could see her face. She tried to look away, but he saw that her eyes were watery and there was a single tear on her cheek.
"Pansy," he said softly, stroking her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder.
She truly cares about me, not who I am or what I can offer.
He knew she was falling for him.
Catching Pansy is like catching the Snitch, he thought, but they could never catch her.