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Draco stirred awake and noticed it was still dark in his room. His cat had crawled up sometime while he slept. She was curled up by his feet, and Draco didn't have the heart to push her down. He never did.
The familiar sound of feet padding through his flat reached him, along with a quiet sniffle. He looked at the sleeping body beside him and sat up with a surprised yelp.
“No, no, no.” He whispered desperately. Wriggling into a pair of pants and hurriedly tried to reach the door before it opened.
He was too late of course. Pansy stood in his doorway, arms hanging by her sides, dangling a pair of heels. Her face was streaked in tears and her dress wrinkled.
Draco’s heart clenched as she walked into his room.
“Pans…” He whispered.
Her shoes falling into Draco’s chair with a soft thud, she then swayed toward his bed.
“Pans, no… I – “
She crawled into his bed and curled up to him, crying silently. She really was a mess and Draco didn’t have the heart to push her away. He lay down quietly, but even so, he could feel the moment the man behind him woke up.
Draco could feel how very still he tried to be, and he carefully brushed a foot along his leg, trying to transfer a sort of plea that this wasn’t going to ruin everything.
“Why does this always happen to me, Draco? Am I totally unlikable?”
Draco held her tighter, letting a hand brush over her hair.
“You know you’re not.” He assured her.
“But we’re practically siblings. Is it too much to ask that I meet a guy and he’s decent enough to treat me with respect?”
“No, of course not.”
She lay quietly for a long time. Draco thought she might have fallen asleep when she finally turned over on her back and dried off her tears.
“I just… wish he’d see me.” She whispered.
Oh, no. Draco knew Pansy would hex him into oblivion and beyond when she realized they weren’t alone. But if she started rambling on about her crush without knowing just who she told it to. When she knew, Draco would be dead.
“Tell me what happened tonight.” He asked her.
She sighed shakily.
“It’s the usual. He wanted to fuck me, but he didn’t want anyone to know. I swear, I feel like a prostitute.” She laughed humorlessly. Draco didn’t find it funny in the least.
“Did he hurt you? Pans, you can’t… it’s…” A part of Draco felt cold with fear at the way she sounded to defeated. So ready to resign to her fate. He didn’t know how to help her.
“No, nothing more than my pride, dear.”
“You shouldn’t settle for the sleazy ones.” The man behind Draco said.
“And prey tell, how do I do that?” She sniffled again.
“Show people what you’re really like, that you don’t accept their behavior.”
Draco was about to burst. Pansy had to be quite drunk not to notice she wasn’t talking to Draco anymore.
“Oh, and that will go over so well.” She huffed.
“How will you know if you never try?”
Pansy sat up suddenly, and leaned over Draco to stare at the man behind him. Her eyes grew wide and mouth agape.
“Draco, am I in bed with Harry Potter?” She gasped in a panicked whisper. “Oh gods! I’m in bed with Harry bloody Potter! People are going to kill me if they find out.” She pushed stressed fingers through her hair and inched off the bed.
“Pans, relax! Come on.” Draco tried.
Her wild eyes turned to him and she swallowed hard.
“Oh, but that would mean… Draco! Fucking finally. I mean – “She glanced nervously at Potter, who seemed to observe all of this very calmly.
Potter finally sat up.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go into the living room so you two could talk for a bit.” He said. Then he wrapped the sheet around his waist and strolled into Draco’s flat, seemingly without a care in the world.
Pansy sank back down on the bed, before she got back up and cast a cleaning spell over herself.
“I was lying in that bed, where Merlin only knows what happened.” She shuddered. But there was a little smile on her lips.
“I’m very happy for you, Draco. But a little heads up would have been nice.” She said. “I really do believe people are going to hunt me down if anyone ever hear a word of this.” She said.
“No one knows. Nobody will even believe he was here anyway.”
Pansy tilted her head in sympathy.
“He might come back.” She said.
Draco shrugged and pushed it away. This wasn’t about him.
“Should I make some tea?”
“I don’t know. I really just want to sleep.” She said, suddenly fragile again.
Draco nodded. She often slept in his bed after these things, but then again, Draco’s bed was very rarely occupied.
“I’ll come back later, okay? And, please… please don’t push him away from you. But don’t tell him about, you know…” Pansy picked up her shoes and kept her head high as she walked toward the floo.
Draco listened intently, but he couldn’t make out what they said. A moment later Potter padded back into Draco’s bedroom with a crooked smile on his lips.
“So, what do you say, since we’re already awake…?” His eyes glistened green and mischievous. Draco’s heart made a jump.
“What? You want me to make tea?”
Potter let out a loud laugh, but then he let the bed sheet still wrapped around him fall to the floor and Draco swallowed.
“I can do that, yes.” His voice sounded hoarse.