As they approached the Great Hall, Pansy grabbed his arm. He didn't seem to mind. It all changed when they opened the doors to the hall and walked in.
"What are you doing with that snake?" an angry Ron Weasley shouted as soon as they passed the door. Pansy cringed at that. She had always been careful not to be on the receiving side of such behaviour. Now it was impossible.
Harry didn't flinch. "The young woman at my side, Miss Parkinson, has asked for the protection of house Potter. After some consideration, I granted it. Now, if you insult her – you insult me by proxy. Be careful of what you say to her."
Harry said it loud enough for everybody present to hear. Some Gryffindors sent her death glares as well as some Slytherins – there were very few still present. Harry ignored them and so did Pansy as they approached the table where Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting.
"Where have you been? I've been so worried for you, Harry. I looked everywhere. It was only after Kreacher said he had taken you to your apartment that I could calm down and get some rest." Hermione hugged him tightly, as usual, showing some possessiveness as well. Pansy made a mental note to herself to talk with Granger as soon as she had a chance.
"I've been unable to sleep at first. I went to the lake and sat there. Pansy was also looking for a place to contemplate the events, so…" Harry shrugged, as if the rest was expected.
Hermione looked at them, trying to find some more information. She then let Harry free. "Well, we're all famished. We still need to talk after dinner."
Pansy looked around. The long house tables had been replaced by shorter rectangular and square tables, seating four to ten diners. The table Harry had chosen also included Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbott and Luna Lovegood. She noticed the rest of the Weasley family at a nearby table, but she could only see one of the twins. Judging by the long faces at that table, she was sure the other was either severely injured or dead. She cringed at the thought. She had never been a fan of the twins, yet she knew them, like most Hogwarts students. She hoped the missing twin was only injured.
Ginny moved to the empty seat at her side. "I thought you were with the Death-Eaters' spawn. How come you joined us?"
There was a certain hostility in her voice, yet the question was quite legitimate.
Pansy sighed. "Being in the same house with them I had to act as if I was one of them, yet I never was. Once my father disappeared and my betrothal was cancelled, I only hoped for the Dark Lord to be destroyed. I could do nothing, though. Now I can finally act as I always wanted. I've aligned my house with Potter and will now support him and his causes. I also need to apologize to you for everything that I did against you before. I just had to do it to survive."
"Isn't that what you're doing now?" Ginny asked pointedly.
"In a way, it is, only this time I have no Death Eaters threatening my family and no betrothal enslaving me. I'm head of the house now, and it is my choice to align with the light."
"Were you really betrothed to Malfoy?"
"Unfortunately, yes. It was dissolved when my father died."
Ginny shuddered at the thought. Pansy was sure that being a pure-blood, Ginny knew all the customs concerning betrothal. It was hard to accept Pansy's apology, but Ginny knew she would not have acted better under the same circumstances.
"I accept your apology, yet it may take some time before we can be friends, if ever."
Pansy smiled at her. "I can't expect any better than that."
Hermione, sitting on Harry's other side, adjacent to Ron as well, didn't take part in this conversation, although Pansy was sure that she heard and comprehended every word of it.
Ron didn't seem to pay attention to his meal, which was unusual even under these circumstances. "I'll go see Lavender at the hospital wing," he finally said, leaving half his food on the plate and hurrying out of the great hall.
Harry raised a brow at Hermione. "He only worries about Lavender since he found out that she had a near-death experience. He almost forgets about Fred," she said, showing no emotion.
'So, Fred is the missing twin,' Pansy thought.
"Weren't you and Ron…" Harry started.
"Nothing! If ever there was something, it was due to potions, just like your feelings towards Ginny." Her voice was harsh, almost hostile.
Ginny seemed to cringe, looking as if she'd rather be anywhere but there at that moment. Harry turned his eyes towards her.
"Mom always wanted you and Hermione to join the family. When I complained that you paid no attention to me, during your sixth year, she suggested using a potion, just as she had done with Dad, and offered it to Ron as well. He kept feeding you both the love potion until he left you. He then reconsidered and stopped, confessing to Hermione just before the battle." She lowered her head. "I'm really ashamed of this. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
"Who would I have fallen for if it wasn't for the potion?" Harry wondered loudly.
"It would have been Hermione," Ginny said, looking contrite. "I hope it is still not too late for you two."
Harry looked at Hermione, both seeming surprised.
"Everybody knew you two were meant for each other," Luna piped in, sounding as dreamy as always.
"Even the Slytherins were sure you'll end up together," Pansy added.
Harry looked confused, but Hermione's face turned determined. "We shall talk about it later, after visiting Lavender. Will you join me, Harry?"
"Yes, of course." He now turned to Pansy. "You can join us or wait in the apartment, if you like."
Pansy thought for a moment. "I'll come with you. Now, that we are allies, I need to get to know your friends as well."
She couldn't understand the glance Hermione gave her.
\/\/\/
The hospital wing was not a happy place even in the best of times. Less than a day after the battle it was quite depressing. All the beds were occupied and an additional ward had been opened for the more seriously wounded. Harry was glad to find that Lavender was not in that ward.
They found Ron sitting at her bed, holding her hand and talking softly with her. Lavender seemed delighted when she spotted Hermione. "You saved my life!" she told the brunette. "Had you not helped me, I would have been dead by now, torn to pieces by that monster. What happened to him?"
Hermione made a face. "Last I saw him, his head was a few feet away from the rest of his body, and his limbs were each in a different place, unattached to the body."
"Aw!" all girls grimaced. "A fit end for a monster," Lavender said a bit later. It was then that she noticed Pansy. She tensed immediately. "What are you doing here?" she asked, not in a friendly tone.
"I've asked for Potter's protection," Pansy answered. She was sure Lavender knew what this meant. The blonde nodded in understanding and then ignored Pansy completely.
Madam Pomfrey didn't let them stay long. They said their goodnight to Lavender, wishing her quick recuperation and left. Only Ron was allowed to stay longer.
Hermione and Pansy stayed with Harry until he reached his apartment.
Harry invited the girls to sit on the couches in the large common room which was part of the Royal Apartment. He then asked Kreacher to bring some refreshments.
Pansy turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, I need to apologize to you for the way I treated you throughout our school years. I've never really believed that nonsense I was obliged to utter, but I needed to act that way due to being in the Slytherin house and being betrothed to Malfoy since early childhood."
Hermione looked puzzled. "I understand the Slytherin part, but what does being betrothed have to do with it?"
Pansy sighed. Muggle-born and muggle-raised wizards were never taught all the intricacies of the magical society. "You see, once a girl is betrothed, she is practically owned by her betrothed. He may do with her whatever he likes. This includes entertaining his friends in intimate ways and acting in public just as he dictates. The magic of the betrothal contract forces it."
"You want to tell me that you had to sleep with other boys?"
"It would have been nice had it been really sleeping. I was forced to have sex with quite a few of the boys, sometimes with several at once, just like most pure-blood girls do," Pansy told her.
"But that's awful, besides being illegal. You were certainly under the age of consent! When did it start?"
"It started as soon as I had boobs – during our second year. Draco took my virginity in the common room, in front of all the older boys. Once done, he offered the other boys to use me for the rest of the evening. Several took advantage of his offer."
Hermione could hold no longer. She jumped to Pansy's side and hugged her tightly. "Poor girl! That was criminal! They should have been thrown in jail!"
Pansy nodded sadly. "That's in the Muggle world. In pure-blood families, that's just the way things are. I'm sure many in the other houses suffered a similar fate, although not as public. Even in Gryffindor."
"Are you sure?"
"There was a girl sorted along with you. She looked more developed, though. She left school during the winter break of the first year, I believe."
Hermione nodded.
"I'm not sure, but I've heard that she was betrothed to a Ravenclaw and he offered her to his housemates for a price. Her family eventually broke the betrothal and moved to another country."
"The poor girl! She was always so distant… Now I understand why."
This conversation seemed to break the ice between the two girls. Harry, who only listened, seemed furious with the bigoted pure-bloods and Pansy felt like he was determined to change this, if he could, but he also seemed glad that this brought the girls closer. While she was sure he hadn't cared much about her, Pansy was now his ward and his ally, while Hermione was…
She wasn't really sure. Hermione had been Harry's best and most loyal friend since the first year, as far as she knew. If it hadn't been for the love potion, they would have probably become an item during the sixth year, despite that book they disagreed about, but now…
Harry offered each of them some butterbeer and took some himself. It was a few minutes later that they put the glasses down. Hermione kept her eyes down and spoke. "I want to sleep here tonight," she said quietly.
"Well, there's an additional bedroom and we can…"
"I mean, in your bed," Hermione interrupted.
They both blushed. "But why?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked anywhere but at him as she spoke. "It took me some time to recover from the love potions and to understand my feelings. I was glad I didn't succumb to the potions and didn't give myself to Ron. It took me some more time to realize who I am in love with, who I want to be my partner in life, my mate, and the father of our children. It is you, Harry, and I need to catch up on all the time we could have been together but we weren't."
Harry knelt in front of her, lifted her chin and made her look straight into his eyes. "Hermione, you were always my closest friend, my most trustworthy ally, the one I could not live without. Even when I thought I was in love with Ginny, I was busy making plans on how to keep you in my life along with her. Now it's becoming clear to me. I only love you and I want to spend my life with you, raising our children together. Will you agree to marry me?"
Hermione left the couch and knelt at his side. "Yes, Harry! It's time we accept that we belong with each other for as long as we live. I'll be glad to be your wife."
They started kissing, forgetting completely about Pansy, who was watching this scene with fascination and a bit of jealousy as well. She remembered the time when she was much younger and still a bit naïve, how she hoped that Draco would love her this way. By now she knew those were just romantic notions of a young girl, yet it was wonderful seeing them come true with the couple in front of her.
Harry and Hermione stopped snogging as their knees started hurting. They sheepishly moved apart. Harry lifted himself, leaning on the couch for support, and then helped Hermione up, engulfing her in another hug as she stood up.
It took them a while to notice that Pansy was still there. Hermione blushed and put her head on Harry's shoulder.