100quills #1.12 Wonder
Is it possible to have an "AU" within one's own fanfic universe? Hahahaha. Well, if it's possible, this is one. My "canon" has Draco and Pansy living mostly happily to a ripe old age and retiring on some tropical isle where elves serve them mai tais.
But in this AU, Draco dies. I know that's a spoiler, but since my "fanbase" (all five of you ha ha) is Draco/Pansy, it's only fair to warn you that they don't get a happy ending here. I know there are times when I just want x/y and someone gives me x/z under the x/y label and I get upset. So yes, this story is Draco/Pansy but it's also Neville/Pansy. (Give it a chance seaislewitch!)
This AU picks up from the end of "What to Think". It's going to be multi-chaptered and I've already written the first three chapters but if no one likes this one I'll just sit on them. ^_^;;;
Title: Nice People and Death Eaters [Part 1 of "Neville's War"]
Rating: R (violence)
Prompt: #12 Wonder
Length: medium (3000 words)
Genre: drama, romance, humor
Pairings: Draco/Pansy, Neville/Pansy
Time: 7th Year
Characters: [this part] Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Pansy
Warnings: character death, violence, romantic tension between cousins
With all the upheavals and betrayals Harry Potter had been through, with enemies successfully masquerading as allies, even to the point of the murder of Dumbledore, he had some good reasons to be paranoid. Though he still worked with the Order of the Phoenix, he had further layers of secrecy built up after Dumbledore's death. The revised Dumbledore's Army, consisting of Ginny, Luna, Neville, Ron and Hermione, was kept secret from the other members of the Order, and they had their own base of operations, with Neville acting as Secret Keeper. Closer yet to Harry was the Trio. Neville felt that there was likely another layer not spoken of--there were some things he guessed Harry wished to bear alone.
They had heard that Pansy Parkinson had disappeared under the ruse of an escape to Canada that was not completed, and that in the weeks before her disappearance she had been highly agitated and obsessed with Draco Malfoy. Her parents had been quite outraged at the idea that she had become a Death Eater, her father threatening to burn down the Ministry and her mother actually turning a Prophet reporter into a vulture. The Ministry, however, was convinced that she had joined Voldemort. She had been added to the wanted lists and would be detained in Azkaban without trial if found.
The DA had a heated debate over Parkinson's whereabouts, with Neville convinced that she had become a Deatheater, Hermione convinced that she hadn't, and the others waffling.
"I'm surprised you're defending her, Hermione," Ron had said. "She mocked you every chance she got."
"Remember what Sirius said--the world is not divided into nice people and Death Eaters," she countered. "She called me all sorts of names but she never once called me a mudblood." She gestured at the Daily Prophet. "Her parents certainly do not support You-Know-Who. And her best friend, Bulstrode? Turns out she's a half-blood."
"But sixth-year I never saw her with Bulstrode anymore," said Harry. "She was always with Malfoy."
"She's my cousin," said Neville, "and she was cruel even when we were children. Nothing violent, just selfishness. She called me a Squib--wouldn't have anything to do with me. Her mother's side of the family are the Yaxleys--Death Eaters. That's the side that Pansy looked up to."
"She liked pink," said Luna philosophically. "Of course, pink is the color of the Banshee Mafia, so she might be evil."
No one commented on Luna's idea. After a few moments, Harry spoke. "Let's get down to brass tacks--the main thing everyone agrees is that she was crazy about Malfoy. So whether she's evil or not, it's most likely she went after Malfoy."
"And Malfoy's a Death Eater," said Neville.
"He couldn't kill Dumbledore. I doubt Voldemort is happy with him," said Harry. "If he's got any intelligence at all he would flee his first chance. The thing he cares about is his family. His father's in Azkaban, so that leaves his mother. She's still living at the Manor. If Parkinson wanted to find Malfoy, that's where she'd go."
"But why find her," Ginny said impatiently. "Even if she did join the Death Eaters. You guys need to focus on the Horcruxes."
"Two things," said Harry. "First, without Snape, we're fresh out of inside information on the Death Eaters. If Malfoy's been killed, I think Parkinson might be willing to play for us. Second, Snape and Malfoy. We need to find them. I need to find them."
No one said anything. Frustrated, Harry added, "We're going to have to take some stabs in the dark here. We've got no leads on Horcruxes right now."
"I'm researching," said Hermione defensively.
"And that's important, but we need action too. Don't you think the Malfoy place will be loaded with research materials?"
"The Ministry's been through it three times by now," Hermione pointed out.
"Excuse me if I'm not satisfied with their fact-finding abilities," Harry said.
"How are we supposed to find it, let alone get in," said Ron. "None of us have been there."
"I've been there," said Luna. The others looked at her, wanting to be surprised and yet somehow failing to be so. "Back when they sent Umbridge in to Hogwarts, Mr. Malfoy invited reporters to his mansion to tell them he was glad Dumbledore was being scrutinized. My father tried to ask him about selling children's kidneys to hags--that's how he made all his money, you know. Naturally he was too frightened to even talk to my father, and he shut us out straight away."
---
The Manor was Unplottable, so they flooed into Wiltshire and then flew after Luna on their brooms. It was another cloudy, miserable day, despite the summer heat.
"We're only a few miles from it now," she shouted. But something else soon announced the location of the manor--the Dark Mark hovering in the air. Harry immediately surged ahead of the others on his Firebolt, though Hermione shouted at him to come back. The others had no chance of catching up on their Nimbuses but flew as fast as they could.
Hotheaded as Harry was, he did hold himself back from entering the house until the others arrived and merely circled the property, checking for traps and looking for people--living or dead. He saw no signs of struggle, but the front door was left open.
Wands out, they stepped into the parlor. It was clear that if the entrance had not been forced, force had quickly come into play, because tables were upturned, tapestries and paintings ripped from walls, and boxes blasted opened.
"The place has been ransacked," said Hermione.
"Split up," said Harry. "Ginny, you and I will go up the stairs. Ron and Hermione, you check that trap door," he pointed to the drawing room to the left, where the floor was opened up. "Neville and Luna, check this floor--and keep an eye for anyone coming. Anyone finds anything, shout or send your patronus."
Neville and Luna turned to the right and walked down the hall. All the doors had been opened, and things strewn about inside them, but they didn't see anything that required immediate attention. They got to the end of the hall, turned the corner and found what had prompted the Dark Mark.
It was not a bloody scene. Narcissa Malfoy lay on the hallway floor with a frozen look of shock. She had obviously been killed by the Killing Curse, but she did not seem otherwise injured. Neville found his voice and went back to the corner, shouting to the others. They came quickly. Luna was kneeling by the body. She closed the corpse's eyes out of respect.
"Her body isn't cold," she said. "She's probably not been here long."
"Look at this," said Ginny, pointing at the wall next to Mrs. Malfoy's body. Words were scorched into the paneling.
"'No sister of mine,'" Harry read aloud. "So it was Bellatrix."
"The room under the floor looked to be a storeroom, but it was mostly cleaned out. Remember when we were disguised as Crabbe and Goyle in second year? Malfoy bragged about items hidden under the drawing room floor. Looks like someone's nicked them--either the Ministry or the killers," said Ron.
"We ought to inform the rest of the Order," said Hermione.
"Not yet," said Harry. Like before, all the doors on this hallway were open, except for one a little distance down the hall. Brandishing his wand, he walked to it. The lock of the door was scorched as if it had been blasted open. He opened the door.
It was a sitting room, and Pansy Parkinson's bloodied body lay upon the chaise longue. Harry moved aside to allow the others entrance. Neville had hated his cousin, but he could not help but feel some compunction for his earlier harsh words, even if he believed they were merited. Once again it was Luna who knelt next to the corpse and took its arm.
"She's got a pulse and she's breathing--she's still alive," said Luna.
This was startling. Death Eaters did not leave their work unfinished. Neville saw Ron jerk around with wand outstretched, as if he expected to see one in the doorway. Ginny took a sharp intake of breath and moved towards Luna.
"Those wounds are serious. She'll bleed to death if we don't do something," she said, removing the cloak from her shoulders. "Diffindo," she intoned, cutting it into strips.
"Let's do some double-checking," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, and they left.
Neville watched the two girls binding up Pansy's wounds and using their basic first aid spells as best they could for a few minutes, feeling helpless. "We ought to get her to St. Mungo's," he said.
Ginny frowned. "But how do we get her there? Side-along apparition? You four haven't even known basic apparition very long yet, and who knows what the closest place is that allows apparition anyway?"
"The floo network--"
"We don't have powder, or at least I don't. Be quiet for a little while, Neville, I'm trying my best."
Stung, Neville needed something to busy himself with. A handbag was sitting opened upon the table with presumably its contents strewn about it; the frilly pink pants meant it had to have been Pansy's. He looked into the bag to see if there was anything else, and pulled out a half-full bottle with Madam Pomfrey's familiar in-house label for handwritten instructions--Take one tablespoon upon waking and before retiring. If bleeding occurs, take two tablespoons and seek professional healers immediately.
"This is some kind of bleeding medicine," said Neville.
He passed the bottle to Ginny, who scanned the label, opened the bottle and sniffed it, then said to Luna, "Prop her up so we can give her some."
The effect was not instantaneous but it was noticable. The bleeding slowed to a stop, perhaps helped by the pressure the girls were applying to the wounds. Harry, Ron and Hermione returned.
"No sign of anyone, but we found a wand in an unlocked drawer," said Harry. "What happened to her?"
"I'm not a healer," said Ginny with a trace of irritation. "I think whoever left her here expected her to bleed to death before help would arrive. Or maybe they're just getting sloppy in their old age. They seem determined to kill off all their younger members."
"We should take her to St. Mungo's," Neville repeated.
"I've tried apparating," said Hermione. "It can't be done here."
"Go outside and try it again," suggested Ron.
"Go with her," said Harry, obviously determined that no one do anything singly.
They returned shortly to announce that apparition was indeed possible in the field a short distance in front of the house. Then came the ticklish question of who was to take her. The four who were of-age all were not yet fully confident in their apparition abilities even when solo. No one had the slightest idea what to do in the event of a splinch, either.
"We should get the Order here," said Hermione.
"I don't want them to know yet," said Harry. He hesitated. "I don't want them to know that we're doing things secretly, the six of us."
"Life cannot be gambled as with dice," said Luna very solemnly. Harry got a guilty look on his face, but then she continued, "Who would bet the Order has no spies?"
There was a short silence and she added modestly "That rhymes."
"If we want to keep this a secret, then St. Mungo's is out, full stop. I don't think she's in danger of immediate death," said Ginny.
"Let's try to take her back to the New Room and consider things there. That Dark Mark will bring people here. We've lingered too long already," said Harry. The New Room was their codename for their headquarters, in reference to the old headquarters for the DA, the Room of Requirement.
Harry asserted that he had done a Side-Along Apparation before, and though Hermione started to question when, the look on his face stopped her. For the second time, he succeeded in moving a person near death.
---
Her body moved slightly. Neville leapt up, and immediately felt ridiculous, brandishing his wand against an unarmed, badly wounded girl.
Her eyes opened, squinted, and opened again. She moved her eyes and saw Neville.
There were a few moments of silence.
"Am I dead?" she said. Her voice wasn't the familiar commanding soprano that had so often mocked him. It cracked.
"Of course you're not dead. Why would I be here if you were dead?"
She closed her eyes and made a rattly noise that might have been a laugh. "Longbottom, if I made a list of people I expected to be killed by Death Eaters in this war before me, you would have been near the top." She made a rather exaggerated sigh.
He flushed, but couldn't think of anything to say.
After another few moments, she spoke again. "Could I have some water?"
He hesitated. Despite her extensive injuries and the fact that her wand was locked in a safe several rooms away, he still hated to turn his back on her and leave the room. He couldn't deny an injured girl a glass of water, though. Even if the girl was Pansy Parkinson.
Damn this chivalry anyway, he thought as he returned with the water. He faced another conundrum. Could she hold the cup and drink? Oh no. He was going to have to help her.
She still had her eyes closed. "I've got your water," he said.
She sighed again. Eyes still closed, she tried to sit up. "No," he said hastily, placing the water on the table next to the bed, "I'll help you."
She was so weak that he had to position himself behind her to prop her up with her head fallen over his shoulder, then tip the cup up so she could drink. It was a strangely intimate position and did not lessen the flush in his cheeks one bit.
Conscious of his clumsiness, he tipped the cup very slowly for fear of spilling it on her, and returned it to vertical soon, not wanting to force too much down her throat. "Do you want more?" he said. She moved her head in what he interpreted as a nod, so he continued.
They were still in this position when Harry and the others burst into the room. Perhaps they only approached normally, but in his heightened state, that was how Neville interpreted it.
"I'm giving her water," he said unnecessarily. He put the cup down and started extricating himself gently, to return her to a recumbent position.
"So she's awake," said Harry. "Can she talk?"
Pansy laughed, but it still had a little rattle in it. "She can talk," she said. She gulped air. "Mind if I ask some questions before the interrogation begins?"
"Go ahead."
"Did you see..." She paused. "Did you find anyone else?" She was lying on her back, so her hard eyes faced only the ceiling.
Harry stared at her for a moment, then said "Yes. We found Mrs. Malfoy's body not far from you."
She closed her eyes. "Then they did kill her first... I had hoped..." She sighed and opened her eyes. "And... no one else?"
"Who else should we have found?" Harry said.
Pansy smiled. "And so begins the interrogation... can I have some pillows at least, so I can see who I'm confessing to?"
Harry looked at Ginny, but it was Hermione who said "Accio cushion." The overstuffed cushion atop the ottoman in the next room flew to her. She approached the bed and Neville helped her adjust Pansy so that she was propped up enough to look at Harry.
"Who else should we have-"
"Just a moment, Harry," interrupted Hermione. To Pansy she said, "You must be hungry."
She grimaced with an intake of breath. "I don't think I can eat."
"She should eat something. I'll see what I can make," said Ginny, disappearing towards the kitchen.
Pansy laughed again. "You're too nice to your prisoner," she said. "We've been talking for five minutes and I haven't even been crucioed yet."
Neville flinched at that word, and his free hand curled into a fist.
"We're not like them," said Harry. Neville could see that he had changed his perception of Pansy, too. At the beginning of this encounter, he had been all cold efficiency. Now he looked human again. "But we do need any information you can give us."
She laughed hoarsely. "He told me nothing. To protect me... but if I had had something to tell..." She swallowed.
"Who told you nothing?"
"Draco, of course... Draco..." She closed her eyes tight, then opened them. "I don't know anything."
Harry grabbed a chair and scooted up next to her. "You may know more than you think," he said. "Let's start with who else you thought we might have found. Did you mean Draco?"
"I don't know if Draco's alive or not... from what he said..." She closed her eyes with a sigh again and shook her head a little. "My brain is fried."
"Who did you think we would have found, Pansy?"
"Snape... Mrs. Malfoy brought Snape to use Legilimancy on me. Where's Snape... that's what she wanted to know too..."
Continue to Part 2
But in this AU, Draco dies. I know that's a spoiler, but since my "fanbase" (all five of you ha ha) is Draco/Pansy, it's only fair to warn you that they don't get a happy ending here. I know there are times when I just want x/y and someone gives me x/z under the x/y label and I get upset. So yes, this story is Draco/Pansy but it's also Neville/Pansy. (Give it a chance seaislewitch!)
This AU picks up from the end of "What to Think". It's going to be multi-chaptered and I've already written the first three chapters but if no one likes this one I'll just sit on them. ^_^;;;
Title: Nice People and Death Eaters [Part 1 of "Neville's War"]
Rating: R (violence)
Prompt: #12 Wonder
Length: medium (3000 words)
Genre: drama, romance, humor
Pairings: Draco/Pansy, Neville/Pansy
Time: 7th Year
Characters: [this part] Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Pansy
Warnings: character death, violence, romantic tension between cousins
With all the upheavals and betrayals Harry Potter had been through, with enemies successfully masquerading as allies, even to the point of the murder of Dumbledore, he had some good reasons to be paranoid. Though he still worked with the Order of the Phoenix, he had further layers of secrecy built up after Dumbledore's death. The revised Dumbledore's Army, consisting of Ginny, Luna, Neville, Ron and Hermione, was kept secret from the other members of the Order, and they had their own base of operations, with Neville acting as Secret Keeper. Closer yet to Harry was the Trio. Neville felt that there was likely another layer not spoken of--there were some things he guessed Harry wished to bear alone.
They had heard that Pansy Parkinson had disappeared under the ruse of an escape to Canada that was not completed, and that in the weeks before her disappearance she had been highly agitated and obsessed with Draco Malfoy. Her parents had been quite outraged at the idea that she had become a Death Eater, her father threatening to burn down the Ministry and her mother actually turning a Prophet reporter into a vulture. The Ministry, however, was convinced that she had joined Voldemort. She had been added to the wanted lists and would be detained in Azkaban without trial if found.
The DA had a heated debate over Parkinson's whereabouts, with Neville convinced that she had become a Deatheater, Hermione convinced that she hadn't, and the others waffling.
"I'm surprised you're defending her, Hermione," Ron had said. "She mocked you every chance she got."
"Remember what Sirius said--the world is not divided into nice people and Death Eaters," she countered. "She called me all sorts of names but she never once called me a mudblood." She gestured at the Daily Prophet. "Her parents certainly do not support You-Know-Who. And her best friend, Bulstrode? Turns out she's a half-blood."
"But sixth-year I never saw her with Bulstrode anymore," said Harry. "She was always with Malfoy."
"She's my cousin," said Neville, "and she was cruel even when we were children. Nothing violent, just selfishness. She called me a Squib--wouldn't have anything to do with me. Her mother's side of the family are the Yaxleys--Death Eaters. That's the side that Pansy looked up to."
"She liked pink," said Luna philosophically. "Of course, pink is the color of the Banshee Mafia, so she might be evil."
No one commented on Luna's idea. After a few moments, Harry spoke. "Let's get down to brass tacks--the main thing everyone agrees is that she was crazy about Malfoy. So whether she's evil or not, it's most likely she went after Malfoy."
"And Malfoy's a Death Eater," said Neville.
"He couldn't kill Dumbledore. I doubt Voldemort is happy with him," said Harry. "If he's got any intelligence at all he would flee his first chance. The thing he cares about is his family. His father's in Azkaban, so that leaves his mother. She's still living at the Manor. If Parkinson wanted to find Malfoy, that's where she'd go."
"But why find her," Ginny said impatiently. "Even if she did join the Death Eaters. You guys need to focus on the Horcruxes."
"Two things," said Harry. "First, without Snape, we're fresh out of inside information on the Death Eaters. If Malfoy's been killed, I think Parkinson might be willing to play for us. Second, Snape and Malfoy. We need to find them. I need to find them."
No one said anything. Frustrated, Harry added, "We're going to have to take some stabs in the dark here. We've got no leads on Horcruxes right now."
"I'm researching," said Hermione defensively.
"And that's important, but we need action too. Don't you think the Malfoy place will be loaded with research materials?"
"The Ministry's been through it three times by now," Hermione pointed out.
"Excuse me if I'm not satisfied with their fact-finding abilities," Harry said.
"How are we supposed to find it, let alone get in," said Ron. "None of us have been there."
"I've been there," said Luna. The others looked at her, wanting to be surprised and yet somehow failing to be so. "Back when they sent Umbridge in to Hogwarts, Mr. Malfoy invited reporters to his mansion to tell them he was glad Dumbledore was being scrutinized. My father tried to ask him about selling children's kidneys to hags--that's how he made all his money, you know. Naturally he was too frightened to even talk to my father, and he shut us out straight away."
---
The Manor was Unplottable, so they flooed into Wiltshire and then flew after Luna on their brooms. It was another cloudy, miserable day, despite the summer heat.
"We're only a few miles from it now," she shouted. But something else soon announced the location of the manor--the Dark Mark hovering in the air. Harry immediately surged ahead of the others on his Firebolt, though Hermione shouted at him to come back. The others had no chance of catching up on their Nimbuses but flew as fast as they could.
Hotheaded as Harry was, he did hold himself back from entering the house until the others arrived and merely circled the property, checking for traps and looking for people--living or dead. He saw no signs of struggle, but the front door was left open.
Wands out, they stepped into the parlor. It was clear that if the entrance had not been forced, force had quickly come into play, because tables were upturned, tapestries and paintings ripped from walls, and boxes blasted opened.
"The place has been ransacked," said Hermione.
"Split up," said Harry. "Ginny, you and I will go up the stairs. Ron and Hermione, you check that trap door," he pointed to the drawing room to the left, where the floor was opened up. "Neville and Luna, check this floor--and keep an eye for anyone coming. Anyone finds anything, shout or send your patronus."
Neville and Luna turned to the right and walked down the hall. All the doors had been opened, and things strewn about inside them, but they didn't see anything that required immediate attention. They got to the end of the hall, turned the corner and found what had prompted the Dark Mark.
It was not a bloody scene. Narcissa Malfoy lay on the hallway floor with a frozen look of shock. She had obviously been killed by the Killing Curse, but she did not seem otherwise injured. Neville found his voice and went back to the corner, shouting to the others. They came quickly. Luna was kneeling by the body. She closed the corpse's eyes out of respect.
"Her body isn't cold," she said. "She's probably not been here long."
"Look at this," said Ginny, pointing at the wall next to Mrs. Malfoy's body. Words were scorched into the paneling.
"'No sister of mine,'" Harry read aloud. "So it was Bellatrix."
"The room under the floor looked to be a storeroom, but it was mostly cleaned out. Remember when we were disguised as Crabbe and Goyle in second year? Malfoy bragged about items hidden under the drawing room floor. Looks like someone's nicked them--either the Ministry or the killers," said Ron.
"We ought to inform the rest of the Order," said Hermione.
"Not yet," said Harry. Like before, all the doors on this hallway were open, except for one a little distance down the hall. Brandishing his wand, he walked to it. The lock of the door was scorched as if it had been blasted open. He opened the door.
It was a sitting room, and Pansy Parkinson's bloodied body lay upon the chaise longue. Harry moved aside to allow the others entrance. Neville had hated his cousin, but he could not help but feel some compunction for his earlier harsh words, even if he believed they were merited. Once again it was Luna who knelt next to the corpse and took its arm.
"She's got a pulse and she's breathing--she's still alive," said Luna.
This was startling. Death Eaters did not leave their work unfinished. Neville saw Ron jerk around with wand outstretched, as if he expected to see one in the doorway. Ginny took a sharp intake of breath and moved towards Luna.
"Those wounds are serious. She'll bleed to death if we don't do something," she said, removing the cloak from her shoulders. "Diffindo," she intoned, cutting it into strips.
"Let's do some double-checking," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, and they left.
Neville watched the two girls binding up Pansy's wounds and using their basic first aid spells as best they could for a few minutes, feeling helpless. "We ought to get her to St. Mungo's," he said.
Ginny frowned. "But how do we get her there? Side-along apparition? You four haven't even known basic apparition very long yet, and who knows what the closest place is that allows apparition anyway?"
"The floo network--"
"We don't have powder, or at least I don't. Be quiet for a little while, Neville, I'm trying my best."
Stung, Neville needed something to busy himself with. A handbag was sitting opened upon the table with presumably its contents strewn about it; the frilly pink pants meant it had to have been Pansy's. He looked into the bag to see if there was anything else, and pulled out a half-full bottle with Madam Pomfrey's familiar in-house label for handwritten instructions--Take one tablespoon upon waking and before retiring. If bleeding occurs, take two tablespoons and seek professional healers immediately.
"This is some kind of bleeding medicine," said Neville.
He passed the bottle to Ginny, who scanned the label, opened the bottle and sniffed it, then said to Luna, "Prop her up so we can give her some."
The effect was not instantaneous but it was noticable. The bleeding slowed to a stop, perhaps helped by the pressure the girls were applying to the wounds. Harry, Ron and Hermione returned.
"No sign of anyone, but we found a wand in an unlocked drawer," said Harry. "What happened to her?"
"I'm not a healer," said Ginny with a trace of irritation. "I think whoever left her here expected her to bleed to death before help would arrive. Or maybe they're just getting sloppy in their old age. They seem determined to kill off all their younger members."
"We should take her to St. Mungo's," Neville repeated.
"I've tried apparating," said Hermione. "It can't be done here."
"Go outside and try it again," suggested Ron.
"Go with her," said Harry, obviously determined that no one do anything singly.
They returned shortly to announce that apparition was indeed possible in the field a short distance in front of the house. Then came the ticklish question of who was to take her. The four who were of-age all were not yet fully confident in their apparition abilities even when solo. No one had the slightest idea what to do in the event of a splinch, either.
"We should get the Order here," said Hermione.
"I don't want them to know yet," said Harry. He hesitated. "I don't want them to know that we're doing things secretly, the six of us."
"Life cannot be gambled as with dice," said Luna very solemnly. Harry got a guilty look on his face, but then she continued, "Who would bet the Order has no spies?"
There was a short silence and she added modestly "That rhymes."
"If we want to keep this a secret, then St. Mungo's is out, full stop. I don't think she's in danger of immediate death," said Ginny.
"Let's try to take her back to the New Room and consider things there. That Dark Mark will bring people here. We've lingered too long already," said Harry. The New Room was their codename for their headquarters, in reference to the old headquarters for the DA, the Room of Requirement.
Harry asserted that he had done a Side-Along Apparation before, and though Hermione started to question when, the look on his face stopped her. For the second time, he succeeded in moving a person near death.
---
Her body moved slightly. Neville leapt up, and immediately felt ridiculous, brandishing his wand against an unarmed, badly wounded girl.
Her eyes opened, squinted, and opened again. She moved her eyes and saw Neville.
There were a few moments of silence.
"Am I dead?" she said. Her voice wasn't the familiar commanding soprano that had so often mocked him. It cracked.
"Of course you're not dead. Why would I be here if you were dead?"
She closed her eyes and made a rattly noise that might have been a laugh. "Longbottom, if I made a list of people I expected to be killed by Death Eaters in this war before me, you would have been near the top." She made a rather exaggerated sigh.
He flushed, but couldn't think of anything to say.
After another few moments, she spoke again. "Could I have some water?"
He hesitated. Despite her extensive injuries and the fact that her wand was locked in a safe several rooms away, he still hated to turn his back on her and leave the room. He couldn't deny an injured girl a glass of water, though. Even if the girl was Pansy Parkinson.
Damn this chivalry anyway, he thought as he returned with the water. He faced another conundrum. Could she hold the cup and drink? Oh no. He was going to have to help her.
She still had her eyes closed. "I've got your water," he said.
She sighed again. Eyes still closed, she tried to sit up. "No," he said hastily, placing the water on the table next to the bed, "I'll help you."
She was so weak that he had to position himself behind her to prop her up with her head fallen over his shoulder, then tip the cup up so she could drink. It was a strangely intimate position and did not lessen the flush in his cheeks one bit.
Conscious of his clumsiness, he tipped the cup very slowly for fear of spilling it on her, and returned it to vertical soon, not wanting to force too much down her throat. "Do you want more?" he said. She moved her head in what he interpreted as a nod, so he continued.
They were still in this position when Harry and the others burst into the room. Perhaps they only approached normally, but in his heightened state, that was how Neville interpreted it.
"I'm giving her water," he said unnecessarily. He put the cup down and started extricating himself gently, to return her to a recumbent position.
"So she's awake," said Harry. "Can she talk?"
Pansy laughed, but it still had a little rattle in it. "She can talk," she said. She gulped air. "Mind if I ask some questions before the interrogation begins?"
"Go ahead."
"Did you see..." She paused. "Did you find anyone else?" She was lying on her back, so her hard eyes faced only the ceiling.
Harry stared at her for a moment, then said "Yes. We found Mrs. Malfoy's body not far from you."
She closed her eyes. "Then they did kill her first... I had hoped..." She sighed and opened her eyes. "And... no one else?"
"Who else should we have found?" Harry said.
Pansy smiled. "And so begins the interrogation... can I have some pillows at least, so I can see who I'm confessing to?"
Harry looked at Ginny, but it was Hermione who said "Accio cushion." The overstuffed cushion atop the ottoman in the next room flew to her. She approached the bed and Neville helped her adjust Pansy so that she was propped up enough to look at Harry.
"Who else should we have-"
"Just a moment, Harry," interrupted Hermione. To Pansy she said, "You must be hungry."
She grimaced with an intake of breath. "I don't think I can eat."
"She should eat something. I'll see what I can make," said Ginny, disappearing towards the kitchen.
Pansy laughed again. "You're too nice to your prisoner," she said. "We've been talking for five minutes and I haven't even been crucioed yet."
Neville flinched at that word, and his free hand curled into a fist.
"We're not like them," said Harry. Neville could see that he had changed his perception of Pansy, too. At the beginning of this encounter, he had been all cold efficiency. Now he looked human again. "But we do need any information you can give us."
She laughed hoarsely. "He told me nothing. To protect me... but if I had had something to tell..." She swallowed.
"Who told you nothing?"
"Draco, of course... Draco..." She closed her eyes tight, then opened them. "I don't know anything."
Harry grabbed a chair and scooted up next to her. "You may know more than you think," he said. "Let's start with who else you thought we might have found. Did you mean Draco?"
"I don't know if Draco's alive or not... from what he said..." She closed her eyes with a sigh again and shook her head a little. "My brain is fried."
"Who did you think we would have found, Pansy?"
"Snape... Mrs. Malfoy brought Snape to use Legilimancy on me. Where's Snape... that's what she wanted to know too..."
Continue to Part 2