100quills: #1.14 Honor
This story is for roannaweenie, who made me an absolutely lovely picture of Pansy with Millicent's cat. She asked me for some fluff, and I couldn't quite get my muse to inspire me to some pure romantic gooshiness, so instead of one 100% fluffy fics I'm giving her two 50% fluffy fics. I have a follow-up fic in mind already.
Title: Properly Bewitching
Rating: PG
Prompt: #14 Honor
Length: short (<1500 words)
Genre: humor, romance
Time: Fifth Year
Characters: Pansy, various female Slytherins, Draco
Summary: Pansy's been invited to spend the winter holiday with Draco's family. Can she accept?
Dear Mum and Dad, Pansy began her letter. I hope you are doing alright. I know that I haven't written as regularly as I wanted, but we've been given a frightful amount of schoolwork and there's my prefect duties besides. So I hope you won't be too angry that I'm only writing to ask for something.
Draco has just asked me if I'd like to spend the winter hols with him and his family. Now I know that you would like to see me at Christmas, but I would really like to go. It wouldn't be just fun, either. The Malfoys have a very well-stocked greenhouse and I could practice my herbology every day, and you know that's my weakest subject. Plus Draco says that his parents are sure to invite you and Alice and Rollo over a bunch so you would get to see me after all.
Do write back straight away and let me know if I can go. I would write more but the girls and I are going to Hogsmeade.
Your dearest Pansy
She put down her quill and grinned at the seven girls waiting for her.
"If you think your parents are going to let you sleep at a boy's house, you're delusional," said Drusilla, her narrow face looking more sour than usual.
"You don't know how to handle parents, Dru," said Pansy, pausing to seal the envelope, still grinning. "You have to frame things correctly."
"I'd say the odds are about even," said Katrina, Pansy's seventh-year cousin. "My aunt Lucinda is over the moon about Draco. But Uncle Harold..."
"Is worried about my herbology grades," finished Pansy. "He wouldn't want me to spend the whole break without practicing, would he? Now let's get to Hogsmeade, I can't wait to read this month's issue of Witch's World."
"What do you think will happen between Dash Darrington and that Spanish lady?" said Daphne, referring to the serial published in the back of every issue.
"As soon as he kisses her she'll bite it," predicted Dru, her face less sour when contemplating a tragic end to Darrington's latest leading lady. "Probably poison. There hasn't been a good poisoning in Dash Darrington for at least a year."
"Hey, you! Lufkin! Deliver this." As they entered the common room, Pansy grabbed a passing second year by the back of his robes and turned the boy to face her. His eyes wide, he opened his hands and she placed her letter in them. "Don't let it crumple! My owl's named Adalgrim."
"Honestly," said Millie, as they took the stairs out of the dungeon. "You'd think after Dash Darrington's 87th girlfriend pushed up the daisies, that women would steer clear."
"Don't be so reasonable, Millie," scolded Daphne, pulling a knit cap over her long blonde hair. "If everyone were reasonable, what would happen to love?"
---
Two days following, Pansy was spreading lemon marmalade on her toast when the owls made their morning descent into the great hall.
She interrupted Draco's "an Irishman walks into a potions shop" joke to say "Hold on, my owl's going to the Hufflepuff table," and hastily got up and darted over, where her younger brother Rollo was removing the letters from Adalgrim's leg. He pretended not to notice her.
"Let's seeeeeee," he drawled lazily. "Hmm, this one is for me... and this one..."
"Give it to me!" Pansy said.
"...is for Alice." He reached past Pansy's outstretched hand to Alice, their first-year sister who had come over from the Ravenclaw table with a hopeful face.
"Oh boy!" she said enthusiastically, tearing open the thick envelope with glee.
"What?" said Pansy in disbelief. "Adalgrim, you don't have a letter for me?" She scratched the top of his head, and he nuzzled her rather apologetically, but he couldn't make a letter appear.
"Seems not, Pans," said Rollo smugly, unfolding his own letter.
"Give me that," she said, snatching it out of his hand.
"Hey!" He tried to grab it but she jerked it out of his reach with her left hand, wand in her right hand keeping him at bay as she scanned the contents. Disgustedly she sighed and balled it, dropping it on the floor.
"That's mine!" Rollo protested, ducking to pick it off the floor.
"Teach you to respect your betters," Pansy said absently, frowning as Adalgrim helped himself to a piece of bacon off Rollo's plate and flew away. Why hadn't her parents written back?
"Erm, Pansy," said Alice hesitantly.
"Yes, Alice," Pansy answered distractedly. Maybe it was lost? No, not from good old Adalgrim--he's only lost one letter in all the years we've owned him, and that wasn't his fault, that storm was practically a hurricane--
"Mum wrote you a note at the end of my letter," Alice said.
But when Pansy's hand shot down for the letter, Alice had pulled it behind her back. Pansy smirked. "Knew you took after me," she said proudly. "What's Mum's note?"
Alice brought the note back up to her face and coughed delicately. "Ahem. 'P.S. Tell your sister that I shall write her in the next few days. Your father is giving me a bit of trouble but tell her that I'm sure I shall be able to give her an affirmative answer soon.'"
"Yes!" said Pansy, clenching her fist in triumph.
"Answer to what?" said Rollo, nosy as usual.
"Save your breath to cool your porridge," said Pansy, turning away.
"Ugh, you sound just like Mum!" he called after her retreating back, but she gave no sign of having heard.
---
"We're in like Flynn," Pansy announced proudly that Saturday, plopping next to Draco on the common room couch.
"We're what?" he said, putting an arm around her.
Pansy considered a moment. "You know, I'm not sure exactly," she said. "Tracey likes to say it. I thought it sounded cool."
"Probably some Muggle thing," Draco said with mild contempt. "Anyway, what are we in for?"
"My mum invited your mum over for tea and she won my dad over," she said. "So I'll be throwing snowballs in Wiltshire with you."
"Not like you to waste your energy throwing snowballs when you have no hope of hitting your target," Draco said. She went to tweak his nose and got blocked off, and they both laughed.
"So you're really going to stay at his house?" said Holly Wimple, sounding simultaneously scandalized and thrilled.
"Our parents would never allow us to do that," sniffed her older sister Hyacinth, shooting Holly a look. "It's not the kind of thing that proper witches do."
But Pansy's mood was too good to be brought down. "I'll have to put an extra charm on my chastity belt then."
Draco threw back his head and laughed, Daphne giggled so much she started choking on her crisps and Millie had to thump her on the back, Katrina gave Pansy a high-five and Hyacinth grabbed Holly by the hand and dragged her towards the girls' dorm, apparently unwilling to leave her in the presence of such wickedness.
When Daphne had recovered, she excitedly leaned towards Pansy and said, "But what are you going to wear?"
"That's a cue to leave if I ever heard one," said Draco, and with a kiss on Pansy's cheek he sauntered out.
Title: Properly Bewitching
Rating: PG
Prompt: #14 Honor
Length: short (<1500 words)
Genre: humor, romance
Time: Fifth Year
Characters: Pansy, various female Slytherins, Draco
Summary: Pansy's been invited to spend the winter holiday with Draco's family. Can she accept?
Dear Mum and Dad, Pansy began her letter. I hope you are doing alright. I know that I haven't written as regularly as I wanted, but we've been given a frightful amount of schoolwork and there's my prefect duties besides. So I hope you won't be too angry that I'm only writing to ask for something.
Draco has just asked me if I'd like to spend the winter hols with him and his family. Now I know that you would like to see me at Christmas, but I would really like to go. It wouldn't be just fun, either. The Malfoys have a very well-stocked greenhouse and I could practice my herbology every day, and you know that's my weakest subject. Plus Draco says that his parents are sure to invite you and Alice and Rollo over a bunch so you would get to see me after all.
Do write back straight away and let me know if I can go. I would write more but the girls and I are going to Hogsmeade.
Your dearest Pansy
She put down her quill and grinned at the seven girls waiting for her.
"If you think your parents are going to let you sleep at a boy's house, you're delusional," said Drusilla, her narrow face looking more sour than usual.
"You don't know how to handle parents, Dru," said Pansy, pausing to seal the envelope, still grinning. "You have to frame things correctly."
"I'd say the odds are about even," said Katrina, Pansy's seventh-year cousin. "My aunt Lucinda is over the moon about Draco. But Uncle Harold..."
"Is worried about my herbology grades," finished Pansy. "He wouldn't want me to spend the whole break without practicing, would he? Now let's get to Hogsmeade, I can't wait to read this month's issue of Witch's World."
"What do you think will happen between Dash Darrington and that Spanish lady?" said Daphne, referring to the serial published in the back of every issue.
"As soon as he kisses her she'll bite it," predicted Dru, her face less sour when contemplating a tragic end to Darrington's latest leading lady. "Probably poison. There hasn't been a good poisoning in Dash Darrington for at least a year."
"Hey, you! Lufkin! Deliver this." As they entered the common room, Pansy grabbed a passing second year by the back of his robes and turned the boy to face her. His eyes wide, he opened his hands and she placed her letter in them. "Don't let it crumple! My owl's named Adalgrim."
"Honestly," said Millie, as they took the stairs out of the dungeon. "You'd think after Dash Darrington's 87th girlfriend pushed up the daisies, that women would steer clear."
"Don't be so reasonable, Millie," scolded Daphne, pulling a knit cap over her long blonde hair. "If everyone were reasonable, what would happen to love?"
---
Two days following, Pansy was spreading lemon marmalade on her toast when the owls made their morning descent into the great hall.
She interrupted Draco's "an Irishman walks into a potions shop" joke to say "Hold on, my owl's going to the Hufflepuff table," and hastily got up and darted over, where her younger brother Rollo was removing the letters from Adalgrim's leg. He pretended not to notice her.
"Let's seeeeeee," he drawled lazily. "Hmm, this one is for me... and this one..."
"Give it to me!" Pansy said.
"...is for Alice." He reached past Pansy's outstretched hand to Alice, their first-year sister who had come over from the Ravenclaw table with a hopeful face.
"Oh boy!" she said enthusiastically, tearing open the thick envelope with glee.
"What?" said Pansy in disbelief. "Adalgrim, you don't have a letter for me?" She scratched the top of his head, and he nuzzled her rather apologetically, but he couldn't make a letter appear.
"Seems not, Pans," said Rollo smugly, unfolding his own letter.
"Give me that," she said, snatching it out of his hand.
"Hey!" He tried to grab it but she jerked it out of his reach with her left hand, wand in her right hand keeping him at bay as she scanned the contents. Disgustedly she sighed and balled it, dropping it on the floor.
"That's mine!" Rollo protested, ducking to pick it off the floor.
"Teach you to respect your betters," Pansy said absently, frowning as Adalgrim helped himself to a piece of bacon off Rollo's plate and flew away. Why hadn't her parents written back?
"Erm, Pansy," said Alice hesitantly.
"Yes, Alice," Pansy answered distractedly. Maybe it was lost? No, not from good old Adalgrim--he's only lost one letter in all the years we've owned him, and that wasn't his fault, that storm was practically a hurricane--
"Mum wrote you a note at the end of my letter," Alice said.
But when Pansy's hand shot down for the letter, Alice had pulled it behind her back. Pansy smirked. "Knew you took after me," she said proudly. "What's Mum's note?"
Alice brought the note back up to her face and coughed delicately. "Ahem. 'P.S. Tell your sister that I shall write her in the next few days. Your father is giving me a bit of trouble but tell her that I'm sure I shall be able to give her an affirmative answer soon.'"
"Yes!" said Pansy, clenching her fist in triumph.
"Answer to what?" said Rollo, nosy as usual.
"Save your breath to cool your porridge," said Pansy, turning away.
"Ugh, you sound just like Mum!" he called after her retreating back, but she gave no sign of having heard.
---
"We're in like Flynn," Pansy announced proudly that Saturday, plopping next to Draco on the common room couch.
"We're what?" he said, putting an arm around her.
Pansy considered a moment. "You know, I'm not sure exactly," she said. "Tracey likes to say it. I thought it sounded cool."
"Probably some Muggle thing," Draco said with mild contempt. "Anyway, what are we in for?"
"My mum invited your mum over for tea and she won my dad over," she said. "So I'll be throwing snowballs in Wiltshire with you."
"Not like you to waste your energy throwing snowballs when you have no hope of hitting your target," Draco said. She went to tweak his nose and got blocked off, and they both laughed.
"So you're really going to stay at his house?" said Holly Wimple, sounding simultaneously scandalized and thrilled.
"Our parents would never allow us to do that," sniffed her older sister Hyacinth, shooting Holly a look. "It's not the kind of thing that proper witches do."
But Pansy's mood was too good to be brought down. "I'll have to put an extra charm on my chastity belt then."
Draco threw back his head and laughed, Daphne giggled so much she started choking on her crisps and Millie had to thump her on the back, Katrina gave Pansy a high-five and Hyacinth grabbed Holly by the hand and dragged her towards the girls' dorm, apparently unwilling to leave her in the presence of such wickedness.
When Daphne had recovered, she excitedly leaned towards Pansy and said, "But what are you going to wear?"
"That's a cue to leave if I ever heard one," said Draco, and with a kiss on Pansy's cheek he sauntered out.