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“You don’t mean that.” Confronted with Daphne’s angry face, tears she would never allow to fall gathering in her eyes and her lips pursed, Pansy thinks she really should have written a letter. This is hard enough as it is, the words barely making it past her lips and her own feelings threatening to overwhelm her - she doesn’t need Daphne to add onto the load. But she also knows that she would never forgive herself had she broken up with her in a letter, cowardly and impersonal. No, she owes Daphne at least that much.
“I’m afraid I do. The contract is signed and everything, you know how it goes.” Her tone is colder than expected, scarily convincing, and Daphne reels back as if physically slapped. This is terrible; Pansy doesn’t know how she thought she could do this. The plan was to simply deliver the news, tell her she is now an engaged woman and continuing this would be unseemly, and to under no circumstances show her how much it hurts. But as so often with plans, reality looks different.
In reality, Pansy can’t ignore the wounded look on Daphne’s face, can barely keep herself from reaching out to comfort her. It’s only the bitter knowledge that right now her touch wouldn’t be welcome that stills her hand, leaving her aching. But this is her fault; Pansy brought this on them so she should be the one suffering.
They should have expected this of course, they were always meant to marry rich and influential men their parents chose for them, but they had tricked themselves into forgetting that. It didn’t seem to matter here, away from their parents’ constant supervision, left to be free and explore and fall in love. Only that they can’t stay here for ever, Hogwarts but a temporary sanctuary before they have to live up to expectations and represent a name bigger than themselves, a name neither of them chose.
“Oh I know exactly how it goes. I also remember you saying things like how it’s unequal, how you don’t intend on playing along, how you would fight. I guess this shows how much you meant then, how much I mean, if it’s so easy for you to walk away.” Daphne must know that this isn’t fair, throwing daydreams they clung to at her now and expecting her to honour whispered promises. The worst is how desperately Pansy wants to, wants to tell her parents no, run away and never look back, build her own life far away from the one planned for her.
“You think this is easy for me? It’s not, it hurts more than you can imagine and I only wanted to spare you the same pain. Don’t you dare accusing me-” Daphne almost jumps her, desperately clinging to her and Pansy couldn’t stop herself from hugging her back even if she wanted to. She is shaking in her arms, her tears of anger and hurt falling on Pansy’s shoulder.
“Don’t do this to us then, don’t run away. We’ll figure something out, we always do. Just don’t leave, Pansy, don’t leave.” Running her hands over Daphne’s back she tries to reassure her, telling her that she won’t leave, that it was a stupid idea and she doesn’t know how she ever thought herself capable of it. Daphne is right, they will figure something out they can make this work. As long as they are together, it will be fine.