||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 36

It wasn't always easy to live being a rich pureblood witch who had to live up to expectations and do what people wanted of her all the time. It was tiresome, really. Keep your head high, back straight, look proud to be who you are. Look for a wonderful, rich pureblood husband, preferably Slytherin. Go to that party, represent your bloodline with pride and poise. Sometimes she just wanted to be herself, and not be judged for it. Like, she wanted to wear sweatpants and wake up at noon, eat a whole large bowl of ice cream without bothering to be lady-like, maybe have a glass or two of firewhiskey just for a change. 

Of course, things had changed after the war. She left her parents' house to get away from all those horrific memories and to start afresh.

Pansy sighed as she walked down the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley, her heels click-clacketing on the stone as she walked. Her purse was gripped tightly in her right hand, and she walked with her head held high, hoping that she looked like a picture of elegance and poise. She spotted the cafe she was looking for, and crossed the street to enter it.

She cast a wary look over her shoulder to make sure her assistant hadn't followed her. Merlin, that boy got on her nerves sometimes. It had been awfully hard to convince him that she wasn't going somewhere as a reporter, but to visit a friend. In the end, he had conceded, but only after receiving reassurance that she would grant him a day extra to turn in his paperwork. 

Pansy stood uncertainly at the door, scanning the people seated at the various tables. At a table near the end, she found who she was looking for. She hastily made her way to it, ignoring the ecstatic cry of a young girl who seemed very starstruck by her.

"Narcissa," Pansy said as a way of greeting. She didn't miss the nervous air that surrounded the elder witch, and the way she only smiled tensely at her in reply. Pansy sat down opposite to Narcissa and placed her bag on the table before pushing it aside.

"I can't thank you enough for agreeing to meet me, Pansy," Narcissa said, sounding a tad bit earnest.

"It's my pleasure," Pansy said, "you look troubled, is everything okay?"

Of course, she knew that things weren't okay. Pansy had read the report in the Prophet, about Draco and Granger. It had been quite a surprise to see that Gryffindor's Golden Girl had taken allegiance with the Slytherin Prince. They made an unlikely pair. Theo had been equally scandalised.

"It's about Draco," Narcissa began, and Pansy could see that she was struggling to remain calm and composed, "I trust you heard the news?"

"Yes, I read it as well, and I got your letter," Pansy confirmed.

"I don't think it's true," Narcissa said, placing down her teacup and widening her eyes a little.

"You don't?" Pansy asked, willing her to continue speaking.

"No," Narcissa said firmly, "Draco would never do that. Hermione would never have kept it from me if he had been living with her, unless there was a particular reason. A reason strong enough that they stayed hidden."

"You're saying they were framed?" Pansy asked, arching an elegant brow.

"Yes, Potter thinks so too," Narcissa said, beginning to sound feverish, "he said that they hadn't even collected enough solid evidence before they ordered a dead-or-alive. He suspects that there is someone deliberately trying to get Draco in trouble."

Pansy pursed her lips and thought. She remembered the news article, about how it had made Granger sound like a whore or something, how it had said that Potter had attacked Weasley. Pansy began to see that several things didn't add up. 

"Forgive me for suggesting such a thing, but could they have been Imperiused?" Pansy asked hesitantly.

"It is a possibility," Narcissa said, "but we don't have any suspects, or anything for that matter. In fact this whole thing is just driven by the fact that Hermione would never do something like this. And, Draco would have come back to me."