“They’re married?” Blaise exclaimed, his eyes as round as saucers. “By Ceres, that is a surprise!”
The Slytherin alumni were all gathered at Silver Mists, a lovely manor house given to Pansy Parkinson by her parents when she came of age. Pansy received a Brazier Post message from Ginny earlier in the day, telling her about the most unusual revelation that changed the status of her relationship with Draco overnight.
It’s about bloody time! Pansy thought as she read the letter, a Cheshire-Cat grin on her face. She was so happy about it that she threw an impromptu luncheon for the happy couple for all their Slytherin friends.
The Slytherins had always been a close-knit lot, a group of people who were closer to each other than they were with blood kin. Their parents may have been Death Eaters, but not many people knew that they helped turn the tide against Voldemort towards the end of the War. During the Final Stand, the Siege of Hogwarts, the Slytherins turned against their own families, openly deriding their belief in the evil that was pureblood supremacy. Draco never spoke of it, but he was responsible for keeping the Death Eaters at bay while Potter and Company confronted the Dark Lord. His father threatened to disown him, of course, but Lucius was hauled off to Azkaban before he could do anything.
And he says he isn’t a hero! Pansy shook her head and laughed at the memory.
The young Serpents stayed in touch with each other even after leaving school and Ginny Weasley had been unofficially “adopted” as one of their own. (The Gryffindors, of course, had a lot to say about that. Ginny managed to shut them up, though.) Pansy, the gang’s unofficial “den mother”, beamed at everyone from her place at the head of the table; she was pleased everyone was successful and happy.
Draco was currently abroad, working for a bit before he took over the helm at Malfoy Works. Pansy, herself, was now a Healer at St. Mungo’s and specialized in skin disorders and cosmetic sorcery. After Millicent Bullstrode lost weight, she got a job as a dietary adviser for Witch Weekly; her column was very popular, especially among body-conscious young witches.
Tracey Davis was in training to be a barrister along with Theodore Nott. Both did amazingly well and were due to take the Wizengamot Examination for Legal Licentiates (WELL) in a year’s time. Pansy seriously wondered how the two managed to excel at their work given the amount of debauchery they indulged in at night. Despite his feminine name, Trace was very manly. Teddy, on the other hand, was a smooth talker. Both were popular with the ladies.
Vince Crabbe took over his father’s construction business after the latter was sent to Azkaban. Greg Goyle, on the other hand, joined the family brokerage firm and surprised everyone by becoming its sharpest broker. Greg married Daphne Greengrass almost as soon as they left school and, while not perfect, their marriage was a blissful one. Daph was currently seven months on the family way and bulked as large as her burly husband with the bump.
Blaise Zabini shocked everyone when he came out of the closet in their sixth year. He was also a Healer and shared a cosmetic sorcery practice with Pansy.
“They’ve been married all this time and didn’t know it?” Vince rumbled, most certainly amused.
“How’s Drae taking it, Pan?” Millicent asked.
“Very well!” Pansy smirked wickedly. Ginny had given her a glowing report; not all the details, but enough for her to infer that Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy were getting along splendidly. “Ask him yourself when you see him at the Lupin wedding on Saturday.” She scanned through the letter. “Um, they’re preparing for a Western ceremony and want us girls among the bridesmaids.”
“Send Gin my regrets,” Daphne laughed, patting her swollen belly. “I’d love to go, but Greg Junior here is in the way.”
“Oh, tell Ginny-winny I’ll do her hair!” Blaise pleaded, wringing his hands.
“Teddy,” Pansy turned to young Mr. Nott. “Drae wants to know if you’ll stand as best man.”
“What?” Teddy looked surprised. “He doesn’t want Ginny’s brother for a best man?”
Pansy frowned and shook her head. “Ginny herself wants Ron as far away from Draco as possible.”
“Even after all this time?” Trace exclaimed.
“Trace, you remember what happened the day they became a couple, don’t you?”
***
They walked into the Great Hall together, arms linked and heads close together: the white-blond boy and the red-haired girl. They whispered between themselves, giggled from time to time. Sometimes, the boy popped a kiss onto the girl’s creamy cheek.
Pansy smiled as they went in. She could hear the gasps and see the stares thrown her friends’ way. Was it such a shock to them? Was a partnership between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin such an impossibility? People could be so narrow-minded sometimes!
Neville Longbottom moved quickly and was soon walking alongside Pansy. “Tell me I’m not seeing things!” he begged her. “Malfoy and Ginny?”
“Hey, it’s not such a surprise.” She slipped her hand into his. “Did anyone complain when I started dating you, Nev?”
“No,” Neville chuckled. “But, Pan: old feuds die hard.” He pointed to Ron Weasley who, even from a distance, was beginning to have a face as red as his hair. “Draco’s lucky only Ron’s left. If the twins and Percy were still here - !” He shuddered. “Merlin, but hell would break loose.”
“Malfoy!” a voice roared from the Gryffindor table.
Everyone’s eyes were riveted to Ron who came storming over to where Draco stood with his sister. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter tried to restrain him, but he managed to wriggle free from their hands. He looked dreadfully angry.
“Get your filthy Death Eater paws off my sister!” Ron snarled.
Ginny glared daggers at him and only clung harder to Draco. He put his arms protectively about her.
“Apparently your sister would rather be with me than with you, Weasel,” Draco drawled, his silvery eyes narrowing dangerously. “I wonder why.”
“Come away from him, Ginny,” Ron ordered her.
“No!” Ginny snapped back. “I love him and he loves me.” People began murmuring when she said this.
“Dammit, Gin: he’s a godsdamned Slytherin bastard. He’s not good enough for you.” He threw a look seething with hate and disgust at Ron. “He’ll never be good enough for you!”
“I’d rather have a Slytherin bastard who pays attention to me than some so-called hero who ignores his girlfriend and can’t stay in his own bed!”
A shocked gasp echoed through the Great Hall. All Harry could do was scramble under the Gryffindor table in shame.
“Come here!” Roughly, Ron wrenched Ginny out of Draco’s embrace. Apparently, he hurt her: Ginny cried in pain. Ron had yanked her arm rather forcefully.
“He hurt his own sister!” Pansy stared at the spectacle in horror.
Before anyone could move, however, they heard a loud crack: Draco punched Ron in the face and sent him sprawling to the floor.
“How dare you hurt a woman!” Draco roared, flying at Ron. “Your own sister, Weasley! Your own sister!”
Ron quickly retaliated, getting blows where it mattered.
“I’m just trying to protect her, Ferret-boy!” he howled as he punched Draco in the stomach. “I’m saving her from bastards like you.” He landed a punch on Draco’s jaw. “Take that, Death Eater spawn!”
“DRAE!”
Draco fell unconscious to the floor just as the professors entered the Great Hall. Ginny broke away from Hermione and went at once to Draco’s side. Ron was about to fly at the unconscious boy, but Professor Lupin unceremoniously yanked him away. The Great Hall was in an uproar, but the Headmistress was quick to restore order.
“He’ll be fine,” Professor Sinagtala assured Ginny, Neville, and the worried Slytherins after examining Draco. “He’ll have a nasty headache when he wakes up, though.” She motioned to Crabbe and Goyle. “Take him up to the hospital wing.” The boys nodded and easily carried Draco between them. Professor Sinagtala put an arm around Ginny’s shaking shoulders and led her out of the Hall.
But, as they were leaving, they heard Ron shout, “Don’t trust him, Ginny! He’s not good enough for you! He’ll never be good enough for you!”
***
“And Ginny says he hasn’t changed his mind.” Pansy shook her head sadly.
“Why, that awful git!” Trace exclaimed indignantly. “And they say we Slytherins are prejudiced.”
The dining room fireplace flickered to life with greenish flames. A disembodied voice called out, “Pansy Parkinson!”
“Nev dear!” Pansy cheerfully greeted the head that appeared in her fireplace. “Won’t you join us for lunch?”
Neville Longbottom, Pansy’s fiancé, grinned. “I’d love to, but we’re super-busy,” he replied. “I see everyone’s here, though.”
“Hey, Neville!” The Slytherins had also accepted Neville as one of their own. The once awkward Gryffindor was now a Herbologist of high standing.
“Oi, you lot!” he greeted them in return. “Everyone coming to Saturday’s wedding in Tokyo?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Vince declared. He smirked at Neville. “Of course, we’ve also been invited to a smaller reception in that part of the world.”
“Smaller reception, Vince? Who’s the invitation from?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy,” Greg declared with aplomb.
“Mr. and Mrs. ~ !” Neville’s eyes widened in astonishment. “When did that happen?” he demanded.
“Do explain everything to Neville,” Pansy chortled as she got up. “I’ll just go see to our entrée.”
The Slytherin alumni were all gathered at Silver Mists, a lovely manor house given to Pansy Parkinson by her parents when she came of age. Pansy received a Brazier Post message from Ginny earlier in the day, telling her about the most unusual revelation that changed the status of her relationship with Draco overnight.
It’s about bloody time! Pansy thought as she read the letter, a Cheshire-Cat grin on her face. She was so happy about it that she threw an impromptu luncheon for the happy couple for all their Slytherin friends.
The Slytherins had always been a close-knit lot, a group of people who were closer to each other than they were with blood kin. Their parents may have been Death Eaters, but not many people knew that they helped turn the tide against Voldemort towards the end of the War. During the Final Stand, the Siege of Hogwarts, the Slytherins turned against their own families, openly deriding their belief in the evil that was pureblood supremacy. Draco never spoke of it, but he was responsible for keeping the Death Eaters at bay while Potter and Company confronted the Dark Lord. His father threatened to disown him, of course, but Lucius was hauled off to Azkaban before he could do anything.
And he says he isn’t a hero! Pansy shook her head and laughed at the memory.
The young Serpents stayed in touch with each other even after leaving school and Ginny Weasley had been unofficially “adopted” as one of their own. (The Gryffindors, of course, had a lot to say about that. Ginny managed to shut them up, though.) Pansy, the gang’s unofficial “den mother”, beamed at everyone from her place at the head of the table; she was pleased everyone was successful and happy.
Draco was currently abroad, working for a bit before he took over the helm at Malfoy Works. Pansy, herself, was now a Healer at St. Mungo’s and specialized in skin disorders and cosmetic sorcery. After Millicent Bullstrode lost weight, she got a job as a dietary adviser for Witch Weekly; her column was very popular, especially among body-conscious young witches.
Tracey Davis was in training to be a barrister along with Theodore Nott. Both did amazingly well and were due to take the Wizengamot Examination for Legal Licentiates (WELL) in a year’s time. Pansy seriously wondered how the two managed to excel at their work given the amount of debauchery they indulged in at night. Despite his feminine name, Trace was very manly. Teddy, on the other hand, was a smooth talker. Both were popular with the ladies.
Vince Crabbe took over his father’s construction business after the latter was sent to Azkaban. Greg Goyle, on the other hand, joined the family brokerage firm and surprised everyone by becoming its sharpest broker. Greg married Daphne Greengrass almost as soon as they left school and, while not perfect, their marriage was a blissful one. Daph was currently seven months on the family way and bulked as large as her burly husband with the bump.
Blaise Zabini shocked everyone when he came out of the closet in their sixth year. He was also a Healer and shared a cosmetic sorcery practice with Pansy.
“They’ve been married all this time and didn’t know it?” Vince rumbled, most certainly amused.
“How’s Drae taking it, Pan?” Millicent asked.
“Very well!” Pansy smirked wickedly. Ginny had given her a glowing report; not all the details, but enough for her to infer that Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy were getting along splendidly. “Ask him yourself when you see him at the Lupin wedding on Saturday.” She scanned through the letter. “Um, they’re preparing for a Western ceremony and want us girls among the bridesmaids.”
“Send Gin my regrets,” Daphne laughed, patting her swollen belly. “I’d love to go, but Greg Junior here is in the way.”
“Oh, tell Ginny-winny I’ll do her hair!” Blaise pleaded, wringing his hands.
“Teddy,” Pansy turned to young Mr. Nott. “Drae wants to know if you’ll stand as best man.”
“What?” Teddy looked surprised. “He doesn’t want Ginny’s brother for a best man?”
Pansy frowned and shook her head. “Ginny herself wants Ron as far away from Draco as possible.”
“Even after all this time?” Trace exclaimed.
“Trace, you remember what happened the day they became a couple, don’t you?”
***
They walked into the Great Hall together, arms linked and heads close together: the white-blond boy and the red-haired girl. They whispered between themselves, giggled from time to time. Sometimes, the boy popped a kiss onto the girl’s creamy cheek.
Pansy smiled as they went in. She could hear the gasps and see the stares thrown her friends’ way. Was it such a shock to them? Was a partnership between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin such an impossibility? People could be so narrow-minded sometimes!
Neville Longbottom moved quickly and was soon walking alongside Pansy. “Tell me I’m not seeing things!” he begged her. “Malfoy and Ginny?”
“Hey, it’s not such a surprise.” She slipped her hand into his. “Did anyone complain when I started dating you, Nev?”
“No,” Neville chuckled. “But, Pan: old feuds die hard.” He pointed to Ron Weasley who, even from a distance, was beginning to have a face as red as his hair. “Draco’s lucky only Ron’s left. If the twins and Percy were still here - !” He shuddered. “Merlin, but hell would break loose.”
“Malfoy!” a voice roared from the Gryffindor table.
Everyone’s eyes were riveted to Ron who came storming over to where Draco stood with his sister. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter tried to restrain him, but he managed to wriggle free from their hands. He looked dreadfully angry.
“Get your filthy Death Eater paws off my sister!” Ron snarled.
Ginny glared daggers at him and only clung harder to Draco. He put his arms protectively about her.
“Apparently your sister would rather be with me than with you, Weasel,” Draco drawled, his silvery eyes narrowing dangerously. “I wonder why.”
“Come away from him, Ginny,” Ron ordered her.
“No!” Ginny snapped back. “I love him and he loves me.” People began murmuring when she said this.
“Dammit, Gin: he’s a godsdamned Slytherin bastard. He’s not good enough for you.” He threw a look seething with hate and disgust at Ron. “He’ll never be good enough for you!”
“I’d rather have a Slytherin bastard who pays attention to me than some so-called hero who ignores his girlfriend and can’t stay in his own bed!”
A shocked gasp echoed through the Great Hall. All Harry could do was scramble under the Gryffindor table in shame.
“Come here!” Roughly, Ron wrenched Ginny out of Draco’s embrace. Apparently, he hurt her: Ginny cried in pain. Ron had yanked her arm rather forcefully.
“He hurt his own sister!” Pansy stared at the spectacle in horror.
Before anyone could move, however, they heard a loud crack: Draco punched Ron in the face and sent him sprawling to the floor.
“How dare you hurt a woman!” Draco roared, flying at Ron. “Your own sister, Weasley! Your own sister!”
Ron quickly retaliated, getting blows where it mattered.
“I’m just trying to protect her, Ferret-boy!” he howled as he punched Draco in the stomach. “I’m saving her from bastards like you.” He landed a punch on Draco’s jaw. “Take that, Death Eater spawn!”
“DRAE!”
Draco fell unconscious to the floor just as the professors entered the Great Hall. Ginny broke away from Hermione and went at once to Draco’s side. Ron was about to fly at the unconscious boy, but Professor Lupin unceremoniously yanked him away. The Great Hall was in an uproar, but the Headmistress was quick to restore order.
“He’ll be fine,” Professor Sinagtala assured Ginny, Neville, and the worried Slytherins after examining Draco. “He’ll have a nasty headache when he wakes up, though.” She motioned to Crabbe and Goyle. “Take him up to the hospital wing.” The boys nodded and easily carried Draco between them. Professor Sinagtala put an arm around Ginny’s shaking shoulders and led her out of the Hall.
But, as they were leaving, they heard Ron shout, “Don’t trust him, Ginny! He’s not good enough for you! He’ll never be good enough for you!”
***
“And Ginny says he hasn’t changed his mind.” Pansy shook her head sadly.
“Why, that awful git!” Trace exclaimed indignantly. “And they say we Slytherins are prejudiced.”
The dining room fireplace flickered to life with greenish flames. A disembodied voice called out, “Pansy Parkinson!”
“Nev dear!” Pansy cheerfully greeted the head that appeared in her fireplace. “Won’t you join us for lunch?”
Neville Longbottom, Pansy’s fiancé, grinned. “I’d love to, but we’re super-busy,” he replied. “I see everyone’s here, though.”
“Hey, Neville!” The Slytherins had also accepted Neville as one of their own. The once awkward Gryffindor was now a Herbologist of high standing.
“Oi, you lot!” he greeted them in return. “Everyone coming to Saturday’s wedding in Tokyo?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Vince declared. He smirked at Neville. “Of course, we’ve also been invited to a smaller reception in that part of the world.”
“Smaller reception, Vince? Who’s the invitation from?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy,” Greg declared with aplomb.
“Mr. and Mrs. ~ !” Neville’s eyes widened in astonishment. “When did that happen?” he demanded.
“Do explain everything to Neville,” Pansy chortled as she got up. “I’ll just go see to our entrée.”
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