Work Text:
Pansy walked into the Ministry of Magic on her first day of her new job and hoped that her new boss didn’t say anything about how she had reacted during the war— she had tried to move past it over the years but too many people wouldn’t allow it.
Her and Bill had split up six months after their twins had been born.
It was all amicable and she still went to family lunches every now and then, but she missed the company of a man.
Sometimes the nights were lonely. But now was not the time to focus on that. Today was for making a good impression on her new boss.
According to the interview panel he had no idea who was coming— he preferred it that way. Nothing to do with the interview part. He just wanted to meet the successful applicants.
Pansy was nervous, this was her first job back since she had had the twins. She hadn’t wanted to go back to Gringotts and work with Bill even if it was an amicable split she couldn’t be with him every day.
Everyone was surprised when Pansy applied to work in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. But it was something different for her to do.
Getting into the lift she pressed the right floor and just before the lift doors opened she took a deep breath and stepped out into her next adventure.
Knocking on the head of the departments door, Pansy waited and then entered when she was called to.
“Welcome to the department,” Arthur Weasley said before even looking up.
“Arthur?” Pansy asked. She had forgotten he had worked in this department and was sure that Bill had said he was retiring last year.
“Oh, Pansy, do you need something? I’m waiting for my new hire to come in, sorry for the misunderstanding,” Arthur said.
He stood up and gave her a hug.
“Arthur, I am the new hire,” Pansy admitted.
“You are?” Arthur asked.
“Yes, I wanted a change and I wanted to show how far I had come,” Pansy explained.
“Well, yes, I suppose that makes sense,” Arthur said awkwardly.
“Can we pretend I didn’t date your son and you aren’t the grandfather of my children and make this a great team?” Pansy begged.
“Of course, let’s start over,” Arthur smiled, “Miss? I’m guessing you’re my new employee?”
Pansy smiled and nodded, “Parkinson sir, you would be correct.”
“Great, I’m Arthur Weasley, the head of the department. Sorry for not being at your interview. I abhor interviewing people,” Arthur said.
“Thank you,” Pansy said.
“You’re welcome, let me show you around,” Arthur suggested, leaving the office he showed her where the old department was and how much they had grown.
The full tour took just over an hour to do and they ended in the experiment room.
This was where they would take any artifacts that they received to review so there was no danger to the rest of the ministry.
Pansy couldn’t wait to get started, this was going to be fun.
xXx
Pansy had been working in the department for a few months now and her and Arthur had settled into a good routine and developed a good friendship.
Each day they would take it in turns bringing breakfast for the other and they would spend the first hour in Arthur’s office reviewing what events had happened the previous days.
They spent most of their time in his office.
Today they were going to be looking at a new object in the Experiment room and Pansy was nervous. This would be her first time where she got to do the beginning assessment of the object.
When they finished breakfast they put their lab robes on and went into the first room where Arthur had already left the object.
Casting the wards, Pansy set up the room and then approached the object.
It was an old silver jewellery box and as soon as she touched it— Pansy knew something was wrong.
That was when she felt the pressure increase from within the box and surround the room, the locks from around the room clicked in place.
“That’s not good,” Arthur stated as he tried every unlocking spell he could think of on the room.
“What do we do now?” Pansy asked.
“We try ourselves to break the curse,” Arthur said. Walking over to the jewelry box, he touched it also and was zapped, “That’s interesting.”
Pansy looked at Arthur and felt something building within her. It wasn’t until he looked up from the box and into her eyes that the full extent of the spell took over and drew them together.
Arthur tried to fight it, but he couldn’t. Pulling Pansy into his arms, he kissed her and felt something deep within click into place.
Pansy pulled back gasping, “Did you feel that?”
“I did,” Arthur said.
That was when they realised the spell had released them and the doors were sitting ajar.
“What does this mean?” Pansy asked.
“I don’t know, but I couldn’t control that,” Arthur admitted, “It was as if I needed you with every part of my being and the pull hasn’t left me.”
“I feel the same,” Pansy said.
“We should go back to the office and see if we can find something to explain this,” Arthur said.
He tried to walk away from Pansy but each time he did, he was pulled back to her.
“Let’s go together,” Pansy suggested.
They sat in the office for hours trying to find something and eventually called the Department of Mysteries to get a consult from them.
It turned out it was an ancient spell to bring together compatible people.
The spell would relax soon, but in the meantime Pansy and Arthur would be stuck together.
Pansy owled Bill and asked him to keep the twins for a bit until they could be separated. She didn’t want him to think anything was going on between his father and her.
xXx
It had been four and a half weeks since the spell took over their lives and they were finally able to separate.
But they both realised they didn’t want to separate.
“I think we both know this is more than just the spell,” Arthur said.
“Maybe we should try and see where this goes?” Pansy asked.
“We don’t say anything to Bill yet until we are sure,” Arthur said.
“Of course, shall we go to dinner?” Pansy asked.
“It would be my pleasure,” Arthur said, holding his arm for her to take he apparated them to a restaurant in the far corners of Diagon Alley.
xXx
Arthur and Pansy had told Bill two weeks after they started to date that they were together and he admitted that he had suspected something but didn’t want to be pushy.
Arthur decided it was time for the whole family to see Pansy as his partner and took her to the family lunch together.
When they walked in together after telling her twins first, everyone didn’t even blink an eye.
That was until Molly saw her holding her close to him and realised why they had entered together, “You’re with the whore now? She’s trying to snatch herself someone in the family to stay in the family?”
“Enough!” Arthur shouted, “I have stood by for long enough and ignored your pettiness. Enough is enough. If you wish to still come to our family lunches you will behave.”
Molly choked as he yelled at her.
But everyone else welcome Pansy to the table and asked the two how they had come together.
Bill ended up bringing his new girlfriend Fleur Delacour to the lunch as well, finally ready to introduce her to the family.
“He looks at her differently than he looked at me,” Pansy admitted, “I’m happy for him.”
Arthur smiled at her and then around at his family.
He was glad he’d brought her. Things were going to be good now. He could finally have some happiness in his life again.