eternally mine | pansy parkinson✔

e l e v e n

TW: minor mentions/descriptions of sexual assault, please read with caution

Christmas was approaching at a quick rate. The air grew colder by the minute and the castle gradually became beautifully decorated.

Nina had been to Hogsmeade every week, pocket full of money, and always returned with something tucked secretly under her arm. Dessa had began complaining less and less about transfiguration, though nobody truly noticed.

Adeline sat next to her in the Great Hall, her mind full of noise bouncing in every direction. Saturday mornings were usually peaceful for them but something about now had been unusual. Nina picked quietly at her food, shoulder nearly touching Isaac's. Dessa stared at them, her plate untouched completely with a dazed look.

"So, how many presents have you bought, Nina?" Dessa smiled at her, leaned on the table. "And how many are for Isaac?" A smirk laced her lips as Nina turned a deep shade of pink and dropped her head. Isaac looked at Dessa, his eyes widened.

"I've not bought that many, Dess," Nina fired. "Only about three for each of you." Adeline gaped at her as the words fell off her tongue.

"Abuela sent me money a few weeks ago," she said.

"Can I have your abuela? My own mother forgets my birthday," Dessa groaned.

"Your mother has six children in total," Isaac smiled. Adeline choked on her drink as Dessa rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, I am very aware of that," she huffed, "My darling sister, who works for the Ministry now by the way, never lets me forget." Adeline patted her shoulder.

"Adeline's dad gives good shit, ask him," Nina said.

"That's great advice, Nina."

Adeline shook her head at them and turned her gaze onto her plate. She tuned everything out, effectively zoning into the vast abyss of her mind. The voices around her nothing but mere echoes now.

Until something brushed up against her back.

She shook back into reality, glancing over her shoulder. Pansy stood behind her, her hand placed strategically above Adeline's, a slip of paper in her grip. She looked down slightly, the corner of her lips slightly pulling into a smile as the paper hit Adeline's palm. Before Adeline could process it, she was walking away.

She held the paper tightly, Pansy's eyes imprinted in her mind. A blush crept onto her cheeks slowly as she ran her fingers over the edge of the note under the table. Dessa glanced at her, scanning her intently.

She pushed herself off the seat and looked at Nina. "I'm gonna go to the library," she said. "I'll see you guys later." She flung her bag over her shoulder and left quickly, her hair swaying lightly behind her.

"She's been acting strange," Nina looked at Adeline. "I hope she's, you know, doing alright." Her eyes were overflowing with worry that Dessa might not be in a good headspace. Though, Dessa hated when she did that.

"I'm going to go back to the common room," Adeline said. She met eyes with Nina as she rose to her feet, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Adeline made her way to the corridor, the noise slowly growing quieter with every step she took. Her feet had barely crossed threshold when a cold hand latched onto her sleeve and yanked her to the side. She caught herself on the person, their clothing soft on her skin. Adeline took a step back, throat closing up instantly.

"Hello," she choked. Pansy stood in front of her, hand still gripping the cloth of her sleeve.

"Did you read it yet?" Her demeanor was cold, though her eyes told a different story. They were full of hopefulness and sparkled in the light of the morning sun blazing through the windows.