Making Up For It

Making Up For It

'I think Harry's cheating on me.'

The door slammed with bone-shaking intensity, rattling the hinges and causing Ron to leap around in surprise, almost dropping the towel that he'd just wrapped around his waist after a shower.

'SHIT! Parvati! Don't you ever knock?'

'No,' snarled the dark-haired girl.

Ron registered her stormy expression, and of course the angry door slam and decided that maybe this wasn't the time for a privacy lecture. Although this was his apartment after all, and she really had no right...

Inwardly, he sighed. For fuck's sake. Women.

He was about to speak again, when the door suddenly swung open.

'Well, this is a crappy end to a crappy day,' drawled a familiar voice coming into the room. 'After taking shit from useless, underqualified gits all day, I come home to find my boyfriend being seduced by some airhead tart.'

Parvati whirled around and burst into loud, wracking sobs on Draco's shoulder.

'Hey, I was only joking about the airhead tart thing, Goddess,' said Draco, a slight hint of amusement in his tone. 'You're not an airhead.'

The pitch and volume of Parvati's crying increased by a considerable amount.

'Yes, I aaaaam!' she wailed.

'What's wrong?' Draco mouthed silently over at Ron.

The redhead shrugged back. 'Um, why don't you guys move to the lounge? I'll get dressed and be right out in a moment.'

Draco's answer to this was a frighteningly commanding glare. Translated, Ron knew this to mean: 'Don't you DARE leave me alone with her for even a second, or we are NOT having sex tonight, you prat.'

For Parvati's sake, he purred, 'No keep the towel on, I like it.'

'Alright, you perverted bastard,' Ron muttered, giving in.

While Parvati sat howling on their couch, Ron and Draco ran around for items of comfort. Tissues, ice cream, tissues, chocolate, tissues, Draco's stuffed basilisk (which he'd kept since childhood and only shared in times of extreme need. Everyone who knew about the toy had at some point been thoroughly blackmailed and threatened to never ever, ever speak of its existence) and some toilet paper because Ron suspected that eventually, Parvati would get through all the tissue boxes they had in the apartment.

'But how do you know for sure?' inquired Ron tentatively.

'I just know!' cried Parvati. 'Come on, admit it; you'd be able to tell straight away if Draco was sleeping with someone else!'

Ron visibly froze.

'NOT that it would ever happen,' interrupted Draco irritably.

'Or I'd kill him, and without a wand, too,' added Ron, so casually that it sent shivers down the Slytherin's spine.

'He's busy all the time!'

'That's not new, Parvati, Harry's always been busy. You know his job takes up a lot of time.'

'He ignores me.'

'When?'

'He's always distracted, never listens properly to anything I say. I hardly ever see him anymore! It's like he's forgotten that I ever existed.'

'Yes, but-'

'I know he's lying to me about things, as well!' Parvati's voice was on the verge of hysterical. 'I asked him the other night what he was doing in his study and he said: "Oh, nothing", when I knew, I knew that he'd been on the phone to someone.'

'Did you trace the line afterwards?' asked Draco.

'Yes. Whoever he was calling had their location blocked.'

'See, this is why privacy is a good thing,' muttered Ron, very quietly. He was growing quite uncomfortable and annoyed; his towel was still a bit damp from his shower and it wasn't an altogether pleasant feeling.

'I think you're over-thinking this a bit,' said Draco. 'Potter wouldn't cheat on you. He's a fucking Gryffindor, come on. Supposed to be loyal and all that, remember?'

'Malfoy, Hufflepuffs can be cheating bastards,' Parvati pointed out.

'Zacharias. Once. He's probably the only one in the entire history of Hogwarts. And come on, you've got to admit - I'm pretty irresistible.'

'Justin was devastated,' Ron scowled.

'Jealous,' said Draco knowingly. 'He wanted me, too.'

A little while later, Ron and Draco managed to convene for a few seconds in the sanctuary of the kitchen.

'She's been at this for hours!' complained Draco.

'I know. It's like Cho Chang all over again,' said Ron hollowly.

'What?'

'Nothing. Harry likes making girls cry.'

'Well, can he make them stop crying?'

'I don't think so. But who can?'

'Good point.' Draco pouted. 'You know I love her, but she's ruining our Valentine's day.'

'Fuck,' swore Ron, looking aghast.

'What? Oh...don't tell me you forgot?' hissed Draco viciously.

He squirmed. 'I'll make it up to you, I promise.'

'Fuckwit. You'd better. As a start, why don't you try getting Parvati to shut the hell up? She's driving me insane.'

Ron thought fast.

'Hand me the vodka.'

'All these years,' Parvati's head lolled slightly against Ron's, in a similar way to the words that tumbled from her mouth, slurring into each other. 'I'm shuch an idiot...you know, Harry never lovoed me as mush as I lovoed him...'

'You're drunk,' Draco told her severely. 'And that's definitely not true.'

'Harry's crazy about you, he's always been,' agreed Ron. Although it was a bit of a lie, he was hoping that Parvati was too inebriated to realise.

She wasn't, it seemed. 'He broke my heart oncesh before, I'd be a fool to leddim break id again...'

'Parvati, you're not a fool...' said Ron. 'Not all the time, anyway.'

Silence.

'Parvati...?'

'I think she's fallen asleep...'

Ron and Draco both looked up, startled at having failed to notice an intruder earlier. Harry looked tired and displeased.

'Fallen unconscious, more like.' Ron gently eased Parvati off him; she murmured a bit but didn't wake up.

'I thought she'd be here with you guys. Thanks for looking after her, by the way,' said Harry.

'You're welcome,' Draco replied. 'Please don't let it happen again, or I might have to strangle her.'

Harry bent down to the couch to gather Parvati into his arms; she curled into his chest, clutching onto the front of his shirt with both hands.

'You're not really cheating on her, are you?' asked Ron suddenly.

Harry locked eyes with his best friend. 'You think I would? Honestly?'

'No! Of course not, I mean...' Ron awkwardly ruffled the fiery hair on the back of his head. 'I was just...checking.'

'Right,' said Harry, and apparated home.

'He'll get over it,' Draco offered unsympathetically.

'Yeah, I know. I still feel bad.'

'So you should. Now, didn't you say you'd make it up to me for forgetting today?'

Ron's heart sank. 'Draco, I...'

'-You're really tired. Fine...'

'Are you mad?' Ron felt truly wretched, but at this point he could barely keep his eyes open.

A pause. He reached up to tug harshly on a curling, downy strand of Ron's hair that was nestling out of place on his forehead. Things like that always bothered Draco.

'No. I'm exhausted, too. Let's get some sleep.'

Ron smiled wearily. 'You know I lovoe you, Malfoy.'

'Shut up, Weasley.'

The first thing Parvati did the next morning was to wake up and wish she had died instead. When Harry appeared with breakfast on a tray, she opened her eyes and groaned.

'Good morning,' he greeted shortly. 'Awake now?'

'It is not a good morning. And yes, unfortunately,' Parvati replied hoarsely. 'Tell me, did I happen to swallow a dead rat and bang my head repeatedly into a saucepan last night? Because it sure feels like it!'

Harry handed her a goblet off the tray; the liquid inside bubbled a suspicious-looking colour.

'It's green...' she croaked.

'Drink.'

Unwillingly, Parvati took a long sip. The potion tasted vile but despite wanting to throw it all up again, she determinedly swallowed down the last traces. She felt instantly better, any symptoms of a hangover disappearing with a final gulp of the miraculous potion.

'That stuff is amazing!' she gasped.

'Snape's new recipe,' said Harry. Then without warning, he suddenly asked, 'You think I'm sleeping with someone else?'

Parvati struggled for the right answer.

'You're not denying it,' she accused.

'Will you let me explain-'

'Let you explain!' exploded Parvati, standing up and looking furious. She noticed that Harry had changed her into pyjamas last night, the white ones with red polka dots, and for some reason this only incensed her further. 'You admit it! What else is there to explain?'

Harry grabbed her by the hand disapparated before Parvati could protest.

Parvati stumbled away from Harry when they arrived, nearly tripping over on the polished, hard floors.

'Where are we?'

'The Ministry of Magic,' he informed.

'The Ministry of Magic?'

'Yes.'

'How exactly did we apparate directly inside the Ministry of Magic?'

'I thought it would be easier,' said Harry, which clarified nothing.

'Okay, we're not married, we don't need a divorce, I am in my pyjamas so WHY are we in the Ministry of Magic?' demanded Parvati.

Harry indicated the only door that was visible in the empty corridor, right at the end of it next to where they stood. 'Why don't you go in and find out?'

She gazed at him solemnly. 'I don't trust you.'

'Fine,' Harry sighed with resignation.

She might not have acknowledged it at the time, but Parvati was bitterly disappointed that he'd given up so easily.

She wasn't expecting him to add afterwards, 'I'll open the door for you, then.'

Curiosity killed the cat, Padma was fond of saying, especially to her sister. But Parvati had never been afraid of dying, and was unfortunate enough to be eternally curious. However, whatever she was expecting to see as she stepped through the solitary door wasn't even close to the truth she'd feared.

Images. Dozens, hundreds, all of them stretching on for what seemed like forever, flickering in a myriad of dazzling colours. Scene after scene flashed before her eyes like an endless 3D film.

She was encircled by memories: Harry, fourteen years of age and asking Parvati to the Yule Ball - on their first date, at an outrageously expensive restaurant trying dishes that they couldn't even pronounce the name of, all because he'd wanted to impress her so much - swapping presents with the Weasleys at Christmas - sixteen, facing each other in a duel as they prepared for the last fight against Voldemort - Parvati, daring Harry to strip and run into the sea in the depth of the night when there was no one else to see but the stars - the very first time, at a party and they couldn't get their clothes off fast enough -

Parvati had to close her eyes for a moment.

'It was meant to show you last night,' said Harry.

'How...how did you do all this?'

'I had help from some of the other Aurors. Unspeakables too, they have an awful lot of power around here.'

'You don't say...and...what? How-?'

'-Does it work? A bit like a Pensieve. We've been working on it for a while, I'm sorry that I haven't had a lot of time lately. I was hoping this would make up for it.'

Parvati cringed. 'I'm an idiot, aren't I?'

'Yes.' Harry half-smiled then. 'But you make up my whole world.'

'And here was me thinking you weren't a romantic...'

He leant down on one knee. 'You walked away from me once before; I'd be a fool to let you walk away from me again.'

Parvati couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled from her lips. But then again, she'd always been terrible at hiding her feelings.

'But you don't have a ring for me!' she exclaimed in mock outrage.

'You said I had no sense of style!' Harry protested. 'I thought you'd prefer to pick out your own. It was either that, or let Draco choose and seeing as he always wears that hideous Malfoy signet ring, I figured letting you decide was the best way to go.'

'That was wise of you.'

'So...will you marry me, Parvati?'

He waited patiently for the giggles to subside.

'Yes,' she said finally.

Fin