Everlasting Bond

Chapter 16

"Draco," Harry whispered hoarsely. "I didn't-"

"It's not like I even care about them," Draco said, his voice clear as always, cutting Harry off. "I just... you don't understand the full effects of this because you're not in the family, but..."

He trailed off like there simply were no words to describe this horror.

"I think I get it," Harry muttered. "Sirius - Black, that is - his name was scorched off the tree in the black house. He was cast out, and they didn't bother speaking to him, or even giving him a helping hand. Even his brother, who I'm sure would have helped him - even slightly - if it weren't for whatever rules are set in place."

Draco nodded numbly. "My... my parents... I wouldn't be able to communicate with them."

Harry stood up and held out a hand to Draco, who accepted it and stood. 

"Okay, so what we're going to do is talk to Hermione. She can find the f**king cow of a woman that goes by the name of Rita Skeeter and crush her - literally. Then you're going to write a letter back, with all the snobbiness of a true Malfoy, and tell the "Malfoy, Black, and Lestrange clans" to piss off."

At that Draco let out a small, weak laugh. It was better than nothing.

Harry, after a moment of hesitation, wrapped Draco in a hug. Draco kind of just stood there for a few moments, then wrapped his arms tentatively around Harry as if he were afraid everything would shatter if he made to sudden of a move.

"Everything will be fine," Harry murmured in Draco's neck.

Draco shut his eyes, feeling an all-too-familiar sting in them. "I believe you." 

If Harry heard his voice break, he didn't say anything.

***

"Do you think Ma- sorry, Draco will be okay?" Hermione asked. She was lying on Pansy's bed, while Pansy sat on a chair next to it painting her nails.

The girls had formed a tentative friendship after Harry and Draco had started dating, and though Ron didn't trust any of the Slytherins and despised Blaise a bit more than necessary, he was getting along with them slightly better.

Pansy was quiet for a while, then, "I honestly don't know. You see, Slytherins are almost always pureblood, and being disowned out of a pureblood family is a big deal."

Hermione frowned. "How much time does he have to change their minds?"

"Probably the end of the school year - over the summer they'll have him pack his stuff and move out. They'll cut off his bank accounts and make him live somewhere else, I guess."

"Jesus Christ," Hermione muttered. "So he has, like, a month left?"

"Since the school year's almost over, yes."

There was a silence - not exactly awkward, but more tension-filled as if both girls wanted to ask questions but didn't want to break the silence.

Hermione glanced over and found Pansy looking at her. Pansy immediately glanced back down at her nails, which she was painting a lovely shade of green. It looked like she blushed, but that was probably the lighting. Right?

"So..." Hermione trailed off, not sure of what she wanted to say, exactly. "Apparating? I mean, are you excited to learn? Are you going to?"

Pansy snorted, then covered her nose and mouth immediately. "Sorry. Anyway, of course, I'm going to learn. My parents want me to learn as soon as possible, so when I'm of age they don't have to re-teach me and all that."

Hermione nodded. "Understandable."

A long silence again. Then Pansy blurted out, "what's your sexuality?"

Hermione sat up. "Excuse me?"

Pansy looked shocked at herself. "Sorry - I'm really sorry I just wasn't sure - wait you're supportive of Harry - I don't know..."

It hit Hermione that this was the first time she had ever heard Pansy trip over her words. She was usually so front-forward and smooth that she never stuttered or changed the course of her sentence mid-word. 

"I'm bisexual," she said, efficiently cutting Pansy off.

Pansy snapped her mouth shut, looking slightly ashamed of herself. "I'm a lesbian. I told my parents I'm bisexual favoring guys, so they don't have a problem with me. They want me to marry some dude, probably in an arranged marriage and skip off happily in the distance. Hey, lookie here at my totally not gay daughter in a quote-unquote normal marriage wow isn't that great and god I'm rambling whoops."

Hermione realized this was the first time she had ever seen Pansy open up, and she looked so vulnerable that she smiled softly and said, "they need to f*ck off."

Pansy's head shot up and she stared at Hermione before laughing. Her eyes were slightly shiny, but Hermione decided that she probably shouldn't draw attention to that. Pansy immediately stopped laughing when their eyes met, looking to the side. "Sorry."

"For what?" Hermione asked, brows furrowing. "You say that every time you laugh."

"I don't..." Pansy hesitated. "I don't like my laugh. It's weird and I don't think it sounds like me and I snort a lot and-"

"I think it's pretty," Hermione smiled. 

Pansy definitely blushed at that, face freezing and then flooding with color. "Y- you think so?" Pansy looked anywhere but Hermione's face. "I don't do well with p- compliments." 

(If you're curious, she was going to say "I don't do well with pretty girls complimenting me.)

Hermione's smile softened. "Maybe you just need more of them.

Pansy finally met her gaze and it was filled with warmth. "Maybe I do."

***

After bringing Draco back to the dorms and putting him in his bed - by now he was too in a shocked state to do anything - Harry yelled up the girls' stairs. 

"EITHER PANSY OR HERMIONE OR BOTH I NEED YOU DOWN HERE!"

A series of shushes and a few yelled back "shut ups!" followed his statement, but a few seconds later Hermione and Pansy emerged and made their way down the stairs.

"Yes, Harry?" Hermione frowned. 

Harry didn't hesitate. "I need you to write an article against Rita Skeeter - anonymously."

A grin split Hermione's face. "I thought you'd never ask."

NOTES:

First off, sorry for the wait, blah blah excuses.

Second, I love unrequited Pansmione?? I just?? Love watching my girls suffer??? I'm so weird??

Some headcanons with Pansy: Loves painting her nails by hand, and she uses a really tiny brush so it's really precise even though she could just use magic. Uses a really high-pitched annoying laugh on purpose all the time, but hates her actual laugh. Raging homosexual, but flirts with Draco as a friend way. She never actually had a crush on him.

Sorry for that little bonding moment tangent, I just couldn't help myself! The girls™ are the best - SH*T I FORGOT TO INCLUDE LUNA WHOOPS

LET'S JUST PRETEND HER AND GINNY WERE HAVING A MAJOR BONDING YEAR OKAY I'LL INCLUDE HER NEXT CHAPTER

I post on my Tumblr all the time, so go search up cs68127 on Tumblr. I post a lot of art and stupid stuff no one cares about.

ByE!