Those Wrong, Yet it's Right, Things

Chapter 6

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost

The letter arrived the next day.

It wasn't that Pansy had anything against Death Eaters and the Dark Side. Sure, she thought You-Know-Who was a mental case. I mean, if the entire wizarding world was pureblood, there'd be hardly any wizarding world and they'd all be inbred and ugly. Pansy knew even he wasn't a pureblood.

She didn't have any other problem with it except that the realization that the whole thing was stupid, but she understood the war. As much as she didn't want it, she understood it. You-Know-Who wanted his way and they couldn't let him have it.

She opened the letter with care, as she always did, being a bit of a perfectionist, leaving intact the crest of her family. She gently unfolded the letter.

Pansy dear,

Draco will be receiving the Mark on Friday night. Do make sure you are in attendance. Your father and I will see you there.

Mum

Pansy laid the letter on her desk and tried to return to work. She had procrastinated and been distracted long enough, she had homework to do. She had barely finished off the foot Potter and her had left on their Vampire Restrictions and a half-finished potions essay had been abandoned long ago. As she sifted through her Transfiguration notes, she noticed the fire was dying on her.

Thank goodness Pansy hadn't had any lessons with the Gryffindors that day. Pansy had an open period in the afternoon during which she now sat trying to finish up her week's homework. She would be in Runes right now with that Know-It-All, Granger, if she had signed up. Draco had convinced her otherwise last year though, saying a good housewife didn't need to delve into such a craft.

She sighed as she realized how vulnerable she had been then. She had craftily avoided Malfoy all day, but knew he would corner her sooner of later. She was merely buying time.

Pansy was about halfway through the assignment when she suddenly picked up the letter and threw it in the fire, the flames jumping to life from their starved state. Setting her quill back to her page Pansy was determined to do something no Slytherin would ever dare do: defy her parents. Pansy set off to finish her Transfiguration with the promise of her absence at Draco's ceremony on Friday.

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Draco had cornered her, as she feared he would. She thought it was safe to leave the sanctuary of her dorm and head to the library during dinner. Unfortunately, Draco thought it would be safe to capture his prey then too.

He had her against a wall in his vice grip, inches from her face, yelling about how she needed to respect him. Pansy had long ago tuned him out, her thoughts wandering elsewhere. Until he mentioned the war.

"We'll win, Pansy, there's no doubt about that. And when Potter and his stupid worshipers are out of the picture I'll hold more power then the Dark Lord himself. We would rule the wizarding world, Pansy. Can you imagine it? You at my side."

"I'm nothing more then a piece of meat to you, am I?"

"Now, love, don't compliment yourself." Draco pulled her hair she had foolishly left down today and ran it through his fingers. "Meat looks better then you do."

She reached out to slap him but he captured her wrist and held it firm. He smirked.

"You've been very feisty lately. And depressed. I'm sure I could find a way to satisfy you," he whispered, running a finger down her cheek.

"The only thing you could do that could possibly satisfy me would be to die."

"I told you to get rid of this new attitude. Do you think you're allowed to have a mind of your own? To disagree with me?" He struck her cheek hard with the back of his hand. She felt a slight taste of blood in her mouth, but brought her eyes back up to his.

"Yes."

He slapped her again so hard she fell to the floor. She began to get up when she felt someone grab her arm and help her. She stopped in her crouched position. She could smell him: lemon and mint. Potter.

"I knew you were low, Malfoy, but striking women? Is that supposed to make them want to be with you?"

"Sod off, Potter. I don't believe this is any of your business."

"Crawl back to wherever hell spat you out, Malfoy."

Pansy quickly straightened herself and defiantly pulled her arm out of Harry's grasp. She didn't need the Wonder Boy to fight her battle.

"Leave, Draco. If you ever touch me again I promise I will shove Hemlock down your throat while you sleep at night."

Malfoy simply smirked at the threat, but turned all the same and started off down the hallway, his robe billowing out behind him, an eerie replica of Snape.

"I didn't need your help, thanks, Potter," she said, gathering her things and starting off in the opposite direction; heading towards the library.

"Oh yeah, I could see you had it completely under control."

"Sod off."

"Too stubborn to thank me, I see."

"Thank you?" Pansy said furiously, spinning around. "For making me seem weaker then he already thinks I am? For making him think he now has an even bigger upper hand on me because hero boy Potter had to come to my rescue? Well, thank you."

"Parkinson." Harry didn't know what to say. She strode off down the hallway and was about to turn the corner before he decided. "Pansy."

She stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't turn to face him, but he knew she was listening. Harry took a few tentative steps closer so they wouldn't be conversing down an entire hallway.

"I wasn't being chivalrous or brave or heroic. I was just doing what was right. Malfoy doesn't have a right to treat you like that. And I think you know it."

"Potter, my life is plenty complicated the way it is, without you suddenly having this sympathetic interest in me."

"It's not sympathy."

"Then what is it?" She stared at the stones below her, not willing to turn around to face him.

"I don't know. Maybe I just believe there's more to you than just being Malfoy's plaything."

"You're so self-assured. Has anyone ever told you that? No way the Great Harry Potter could ever be wrong. Hate to deflate your ego, but you're wrong about this."

"Am I?"

She turned the corner and took off down the hallway with a proud stride. Harry just shook his head...and laughed.