Title: Time Well Spent.
Author: thedarklordherself
Pairing: Pansy Parkinson/Harry Potter
Rating: G
Length: 6191
Genre/Content: Slow Burn, Realizing feelings
Warnings: None
Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: Eight years after Hogwarts, two paths cross, one case gets to be solved.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19850356
The French man bowed deeply to Pansy making her roll her eyes. Her "mother" cleared her throat to remind her to stay poised. She didn't need telling; her parents have drilled it into her since she was 8. She plastered on a fake smile, one that managed to make the boys swoon.
"I have brought you…" the man turned towards his house-elf, snapping his fingers impatiently as the little creature struggled to carry a box. Pansy frowned, having a distaste of people who treat house-elves terribly. They helped raise her, so the respect of the creatures, in general, would never falter.
"You shouldn't have," Pansy answered, getting up from her chair and walking over to the elf. She kneeled to the little creature's height and held her hand out as the gift was handed to her.
"Thank you." Pansy bowed her head, the house-elf bowing its head in response. He smiled back at her.
"You're welcome, Mademoiselle, Archie hopes you like it. Archie went all over the world to find it."
Pansy smiled, the translation potion working perfectly as she thanked the house elf in French. She stood back up now, curious as to what it was, the weight of it was shocking. If it were what Harry freaking Potter is after, she would have fun with it first before handing it over. Just because her parents agreed to help the Ministry out to save face, doesn't mean Pansy has to oblige so quickly. She caught eyes with the other wizard, seeing the shocked expression.
"Don't act so surprised," Pansy quietly snapped as she sat down next to her. The older witch chuckled, trying to pay attention to the suitor speaking of what the gift was.
"I'm surprised you can be so nice, Parkinson," they smirked. Pansy huffed, turning back to the man and smiled as he continued to explain Archie's adventure.
"It is a timeless gift; please enjoy. I do hope to see you again," he bowed and turned to leave, clearly pleased with himself. The elf nodded, and Pansy waved, getting a shy wave in return. They waited till the crack of the wizard disapparating happened.
Pansy clutched the weighted box to her chest, "Not so fast, I want to see it."
She moved it out of reach from the pair of hands trying to grab it, standing up and shoving the box roughly under her dress, between her thighs. She knew the Auror would never dare.
"Come on, quit acting like a child."
She smirked as her mother's face faded and Harry’s resurfaced. He reached in the dress robes pockets for his glasses.
"Looking good, Potter, dresses suit you."
Harry sarcastically struck a pose, "Better than you in a dress, now hand over the box. I want to make sure it's what we've been waiting for."
Pansy shook her head, "No, it's my gift. Didn't you hear Mr.Pompous say, 'a gift for you Mademoiselle’."
She burst out laughing as she mocked the foreigner's accent, "Saint Potta vants the box!"
"Can we act like adults, for Merlin's sake," Harry crossed his arms.
Pansy crossed her arms, "I want to see it. Better yet, I want to use it!"
She bent and pulled her dress back up, grabbing the box and hurriedly walked away. Harry nearly tripped over the long dress he had on. Lucky, he was able to wear trainers underneath. He followed Pansy out to the gardens.
"If you use it, then I have grounds to arrest you," Harry told her pointedly. She laughed and kept walking. Harry transfigured his clothes from a dress to jeans and t-shirt casual look. He was not about to parade around the gardens in a dress.
"Oh, I know a time we can go to!" Pansy practically skipped to her favourite spot. Harry walked at a reasonable pace, knowing he had no say anymore. It's not like he hadn't used it before, Hermione owned one. They should both be arrested.
"If I take you to one time, will you stop being difficult?" Harry sighed, curiosity to where she wanted to go bloomed before he could stop it. After third year, Hermione took him on various time-travelling adventures during their breaks. He might as well indulge Pansy and reward her for actually obtaining one out the forty-six there were left in the world.
"Define difficult," Pansy smirked.
"I'm serious. We have a long way to go to get all the others."
"You'll take me?" Pansy genuinely smiled like she won a grand prize, "How do I know you aren't tricking me?"
"Because I'm going with you. Think of this as a thank you for helping. I thought we would never get a crack in this case, and now we have the first of many."
Pansy narrowed her eyes but decided not to question it any further, she didn’t want Potter changing his mind.
"Alright, I want to go to the time Granger punched Draco. He denied it ever happened, but Nott insisted it was glorious. I want to see it."
Harry chuckled at the request, not minding at all to take her to that moment. He would have to avoid two sets of Harry’s and Hermione’s versus the one on that day to get Pansy to see one of his favourite memories. Luckily, he had his cloak.
"This is it though, no more time travelling after this." Harry held out his hand for the box, and Pansy handed it over, stepping closer as he untied the bow. Once the lid was removed, Pansy gasped at the exquisite gold time turner nestled on a velvet pillow. This one was the size of a teacup saucer. She had never seen one in person.
"Now, because of some complications I know of, we have to use my cloak."
"Oh, how nice of you, using your precious cloak on me, I feel honoured."
They stood close together, Harry spinning the time turner as Hermione had taught him. Pansy watched as the gardens went through many moons and suns. She was in awe.
"Alright, we are now in 1993," He shrunk the time turner and placed it in the pocket of his robes. "We are apparating outside of Hogwarts. Once there, I can pierce the protection spell, and we will be able to get in."
"Pierce the protection? You sure you can do that?"
"I'm not an Auror for nothing, Parkinson. I can get into anywhere I pretty much well please."
Pansy scoffed, about to make a snarky comment. He grabbed her hand, and she had no time to protest as the pull in her stomach started. They disapparated on the spot.
"I can get into anywhere I please," Pansy mocked in a high pitched voice. Harry rolled his eyes as she mimicked him. He started his last known spell to pierce the magical barrier. If this didn't work, they were out of luck.
"Where did you even learn to do this?" Pansy examined her nails, thinking about getting them done after their adventure. Harry let out a small huff, and finally, the barrier opened up like drawn curtains.
"Hurry up," Harry demanded as he grabbed her hand to pull her through. He was not doing that again. Surely, they can manage to sneak into the school just fine with his cloak, use one of the secret passages from the map.
They made it to the stone corridor leading to the path to Hagrid's hut. Harry was trying to remember where he and Hermione came running from, staying closer than necessary to Pansy in case they had to move out of the way. Pansy was getting antsy under the cloak. Harry's body pressed up against her was not what she was expecting to get out of this.
Soon, Draco, Theo, and Goyle walked towards the top of the hill. Pansy held her laugh, the three boys in their fancy clothes. She used to hold them in such high regard, just as they did her. But seeing them again and realising how silly they looked, their wealth making them look ridiculous, made her want to laugh out loud. She wished she could see how absurd she probably looked then as well.
Harry leaned forward towards her ear, "There we are."
Pansy froze, his breath hitting her skin shot an electric current right to her core. She tried to concentrate, the yelling of the third years began. Hermione was jabbing the end of her wand into Draco's neck, the fear clear as day on Malfoy's face was a funny sight to see.
"Don't Hermione, he's not worth it," Ron told her. Pansy frowned as Hermione lowered her wand, not expecting the witch to back down so quickly. That's not how Theo described it, making it seem like the three lions ambushed them. Gryffindor lost points from Professor Snape because of this, the older wizard taking the word of his godson.
Pansy was about to question Harry when Hermione turned away but quickly, spun with a right hook straight into Draco's nose. Pansy burst out laughing, Harry's hand immediately on her mouth, pulling out his wand to bubble them with a silencing spell.
The six students looked in their direction, all frantically scanning the area. Harry pulled Pansy closer, ready to do what was necessary to fix this. Pansy gulped, eyes wide, not moving as young Hermione pointed her wand almost in their direction.
"Homenum Revelio," the young witch walked towards their direction. She had a determined look on her face. Harry tried to bring Pansy closer, even with no more room. He was nervous that young Hermione was investigating.
He kept his eyes on her as she walked past them, into the trees. The Slytherin students told younger Harry and Ron off, threatening to tell their Head of House what happened.
"Mione, let's go," Ron called after her. Hermione looked around and back to Ron.
"You did hear it, right?"
"It sounded like a laugh, but there's no one there," Harry said, looking back towards Hagrid's Hut, "Guys, I think it's happening."
Harry used the moment of their backs towards them to start walking away, keeping Pansy restrained. She followed him backwards, trying not to stumble over his feet. He got them to the stone path, out of sight, removing the cloak.
"We have to leave before we get caught, can you manage to stay quiet? We have to go through the school."
"I can stay quiet," Pansy rolled her eyes.
"Okay, here," Harry pointed his wand at her, she froze from fear reflexively, he saw her tense up. Her body started to disappear as the Disillusion Charm worked its way down from her head to her feet. He knew why she was so nervous. He placed one on himself and folded the cloak stowing it away.
"Let's go." He grabbed her hand and led her towards the one-eyed witch passage to Honeydukes. He figured it was best to be out of the school as soon as possible.
Pansy let out a relieved sigh as they made it back to their time, her heartbeat barely slowing. She hadn't adequately processed that they were almost caught time travelling. Her parents would have been furious to find out that she was breaking various magical laws after they were trying to fix their reputation.
She looked towards the direction of his voice, the charm slowly revealing him. She looked down to her hands and saw that she was coming back into view as well.
"Of course I am," she scoffed, walking away to get a drink to calm her nerves. Harry followed her, determined to make it right for what he did. Usually, Pansy was smooth and bold. The fear that exploded from her and the vulnerable way she seemed to feel as he used the charm on her made him feel terrible. He should have asked before pointing his wand at her.
"I… er, am sorry," he rambled out. Pansy kept her pace, turning into the library where her father kept the harder liquor.
"For what?" she demanded, annoyed that he was following her. Harry fell silent as she stood by the drinks trolley, pouring herself a glass. She paused and poured a second cup. Harry cautiously approached the trolley, grabbing the second tumbler, letting the silence fall further.
They both sat down in the pair of armchairs. Harry wasn't sure how to continue his apology. He knew she was just as scared as he was about being randomly attacked when he was on the run. That time was dark, lonely, cold, and many other horrible adjectives to describe the worst time of their lives to date. He wouldn't have survived without Hermione and Ron.
While his time of being hunted had ended, it was like the baton had been passed to all former followers of Voldemort. It took years for Harry to come to terms with the idea that the younger generations of Death Eaters weren't as all in it as their parents had been. Hermione made him work with Pansy as a sign of forgiveness, assigning him as her family's protection. The Golden Trio was making amends with those they knew didn't have a choice.
Hermione helped Draco land a healer job, Blaise Zabini worked with Bill Weasley, and many other students from their time had a brighter future, despite their parents' actions. The only one they hadn't dared to try to get in good graces with, was Pansy Parkinson. The girl who demanded the school hand Harry over on a silver platter. Harry held a grudge for years.
Pansy held her grudge, mostly out of embarrassment at her actions. But there was no way she was going to tell that to the Wizarding World's darlings. There are only two reasons why Harry and Pansy have crossed paths almost eight years after they finished their time at Hogwarts.
First, there was an incident that involved both Pansy and Draco. They were sent gift baskets to their homes with notes attached signed by the other party. The attacker used the comfort of their friendship, knowing that it would most likely work to use one against the other. Draco ended up at St. Mungo’s after taking a bite of one of the sweets, rendering him on the brink of death.
Narcissa stormed Parkinson Manor, with several Aurors to demand Pansy’s arrest when they stumbled upon a devastated couple instead. Pansy was being treated privately in their home, her parents feared public places with their tarnished reputation. Pansy slipped into an unknown dark potion-induced coma after tasting one of the bottles of liquor from the basket. It took weeks to get her out of it.
Secondly, her father was receiving many letters, inquiries if you will, about his daughter’s standing for marriage. At first, it was innocent. Pansy was receiving various bouquets of flowers, loads of jewellery, shoes and dresses.
Then came an illegal artefact, a time turner, from a suitor who wouldn’t reveal his name but demanded Pansy take the portkey to meet the mysterious man at his home. Mr Parkinson decided to hand over the gift, knowing that working with the Ministry in any way helped anyone’s reputation. It was the first small step to redemption. The Malfoys were doing it, so why not them.
Hermione had learned of the incidents and told Harry that he needed to help them. It took a couple of days, Harry even offering to be Draco Malfoy's protection versus Pansy's, but once Mr Parkinson had told him of the gifts Pansy was receiving for her hand in marriage, Harry reluctantly agreed to work and temporarily live with the Parkinsons.
"It's okay," Pansy finally spoke, half a bottle later. Harry stood and grabbed the bottle, refilling both their glasses.
"I didn't mean to scare you," Harry said softly, tossing back the amber liquid. He was nervous speaking like this. He and Pansy had a rough line of communication. Today was the first time they had managed to work without it being stiff with tension, fear of each other and anger. It only took three bloody months.
Harry sighed at her tone, "you don't have to act tough all the time, Parkinson, everyone can feel scared. I forgot to ask permission to use a charm on you. I don't like anyone pointing their wands at me unexpectedly either. I know that feeling, not knowing what the other person is going to do."
Pansy frowned and bit her lip to try and refrain from snapping at him. Her cheeks were burning from the embarrassment that Harry Oblivious Potter could tell she had been scared.
"I don't need you feeling sorry for me, Potter. I was caught off guard, I'm fine."
Harry rolled his eyes, realizing that they hadn't made any real progress.
"I don't feel sorry for you, stop acting like everyone is. Grow up."
Pansy glared at him, "I have grown up, it's you who has some growing up to do. You don't know what I had to do to get here. To survive!"
"Don't I?!" Harry quipped, "Wasn't it you who tried getting me turned over? Don't think I forgot for a second what you suggested in the castle!"
"You have no idea what we were going through, what pressure I was dealing with!"
"Pressure? Do you not know who I am?! I've dealt with pressure all my life!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr Perfect Saint Potter, can't do anything wrong Potter, Saving the Wizarding World on multiple occasions Harry freaking Potter! You may have been fighting on the other side, but that doesn't mean it was frolicking through a flower field for me!"
"You chose, you decided, you knew what Voldemort was doing, and yet, you acted better than me and everyone else! You knew the consequences!"
"My parents decided for me, you bloody idiot! We had no choice. My father was forced as a pureblood. It was either join or die!"
"You didn't have to try and hand me over; you didn't have to be that person. You made yourself that person." Harry snapped.
"You were the ticket to anyone's freedom. You were the key to my survival, my parents' survival! Draco's, Blaise's, Theo's, every one of his followers who was stuck inside the school to play spy! You were the end of our war. We all were trying to do what was best for ourselves."
"That's where you're wrong," Harry stood up and placed the cup and bottle back on the cart, "I was trying to fight to save everyone, to make sure Voldemort didn't rule the Wizarding World. You were doing what was best for you. I'm not like you. I'm not like any selfish ex-Death Eater. I did what I had to do to save the Wizarding World."
He left the library to his quarters. Pansy's eyes filled with tears as she yelled every profanity she could in his departing direction. It felt like someone used a carving knife to open the wound from the war that had barely healed. She knew it was her fault, but would never admit it. She left to her wing, deciding to only speak to Harry when necessary for the case.
Two months had gone by, the pair now having thirty-seven of the forty-six time turners. Pansy was annoyed and tired of Harry being around. Her parents, on the other hand, adored him. Of course, they would end up liking Saint Potter. She wished she could stay with Draco, deciding Weasley would be easier to deal with than Potter. But her parents forbade it.
"There is a man from Bulgaria who invited Pansy to a ball at his palace." Her father said after swallowing a bite of his dinner. The other three looked in his direction.
"Is it wise we go to them, darling?" Mrs Parkinson was looking worriedly at her husband.
"I told him that Pansy would not be going alone and her bodyguard was also tagging along, that way it gives us a reason to bring Harry. He can come as her plus one. If you don't mind, Harry?"
"No, that's perfectly fine. I can have access to their residence. He is one of the bigger targets." Harry became excited. Pansy rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her food.
"Perfect. We leave tomorrow afternoon. I shall have the house-elves get our dress robes ready and new gowns for the ladies."
"Do you mind if I go see Arabella in the morning before we depart?" Harry looked down to his food, awkwardly asking for permission.
"Oh, Harry, you don't have to ask, sweetheart. You can come and go as you please."
Pansy rolled her eyes; You can do whatever you please, Harry, blah blah blah.
They finished their dinner, Pansy leaving to her room to make sure the house-elf was picking something to her liking and not her parents.
The next morning, Harry made his way to Pansy's wing, to check if she needed to go anywhere before he took off. Her parents requested he accompany her as often as he could to prevent any incidents.
"Pansy?" Harry knocked on her door, straining to listen for a response.
"Uh..er, do you need to do anything before we leave to the ball? I can come back to escort you if you do."
She groaned out loud. It was annoying at this point to be treated like a child, but then she sighed, thinking of getting out of the manor would do some good even if it were to Harry's muggle home. She went to open the door, Harry jumping from the surprise appearance.
"I'd like a new pair of shoes, preferably something I pick out myself. Shall we go?”
Pansy nodded, “your visit won’t be long, will it?”
Harry debated about bringing her along to his childhood home, how small and bland it was compared to her manor. He worried about her judgement. Harry wouldn’t change a thing about his upbringing, appreciating everything Arabella did for him, but that didn’t make it any more appealing to bring a pureblooded wealthy witch to his quaint home. He could hear the snarky comments coming from her mouth. It was like having Draco Malfoy to visit. It sounded like his worst nightmare.
“I’ll behave,” Pansy raised an eyebrow, seeing his silent turmoil. Harry was so easy to read.
“Okay, I suppose you can come. Arabella will probably like having someone else visiting as well.”
They walked to the living area where her floo was. She held out her arm, he linked his with hers, throwing a handful of powder while calling out their destination.
Pansy was surprised to see a tiny old woman rush to hug Harry. She removed her arm before being caught in the hug with them.
"Hello," Harry hugged her tightly.
"You should have sent me a warning that you were coming. I could have made breakfast." Mrs Figg strolled to the kitchen to prepare tea.
"We already ate, I just wanted to come to see you, make sure you were alright."
"I'm doing just fine, kiddo, I told you not to worry about me."
He watched her movements, sad that they are becoming slower each day that passed. She was already old in age when she took him in, saving him from his neglectful aunt and uncle. His aunt made an arrangement to pay her a stipend to support the separation. Later, Harry learned that his aunt and uncle hated magic, making him appreciate Arabella more. She was a squib, teaching him everything she could from books and lessons from her own parents when they tried getting her magic to work.
"Now, who is this beautiful girl."
"Oh, this is Pansy Parkinson, she is working with me on a case."
Pansy curtsied to the older woman, not sure what else to do. She took the seat next to Harry.
"Just work, you say?" Ms Figg smiled deviously, a rather funny sight for an elderly woman. Harry groaned as she went on about him needing to get married before Death decided to take her to the other side.
"You sure are taking your sweet time, Harry," Pansy teased along, glad that for once, the talk about marriage wasn't centred around her.
"Whatever happened to the redhead? She was a feisty one."
Pansy raised an amused eyebrow to Harry who rolled his eyes in response, "Redhead? Don't tell me you dated the female Weasel?"
"It was right out of eighth year; we dated for a year or two?"
"Thought you and Granger always had a thing," Pansy sipped her tea.
"Hermione is with Ron." Harry corrected her, chuckling, as Pansy isn’t the only one who thought that.
"Oh, the poor dear could have gone with someone smarter than the Weasel."
Harry looked at her surprised; the subtle compliment towards Hermione was unexpected, especially coming from her. Pansy continued talking with Arabella about suitable women for Harry, which became extremely embarrassing on his end.
"Had I known you were looking, I would have helped ages ago, Potter. I know Daphne or Astoria need a husband. Draco is going after one of them, not sure which one."
"As if I would willingly marry into the same family as Malfoy," Harry chuckled, Pansy, joining in. They continued going down the list, Harry rejecting every suggestion. He didn't know who he even wanted; all the women she brought up weren't his type.
"Well, I'll find someone and have father set up the meet and greet. My parents would love to know that you are actively on the market."
"Alright, that's enough talk about that. I just wanted to stop by. I was going to check in on Dudley before taking Pansy to the shops."
Mrs Figg smiled softly, hearing her son tell Pansy that she will deal with another family meeting. She could see it; wonder how long it will take the two of them.
"I will see you later, preferably for dinner so I can feed you again. Pansy, you are welcome at any time."
Harry nodded, Pansy, kissed the older woman's cheek and smiled broadly. They left the house, and Pansy linked her arm through Harry's, expecting to Apparate, but he walked down the stone path, to the other side of the road.
Pansy frowned as she heard a bark from a man on the other side of the door after Harry knocked. She felt him tense up, his arm squeezed hers in response to the angry tones on the other side. Harry shuffled nervously. He hated seeing his aunt and uncle, but they allowed him to see his cousin, poor bloke moved back home after his fiance left him. They became friends once Harry moved in with Arabella across the road, his aunt and uncle only allowing the friendship because they were related. Dudley was the first person Harry ever told about his magic.
The secret was kept, and Harry continued the friendship, since his lovely aunt and uncle decided Harry was nothing like his parents. Little did they know, their son loves everything magical and is dating a witch Harry introduced him to after the heartbreak.
"Whatever you do, just don't mention magic in front of my uncle," Harry warned Pansy, deciding not to say anything, fear pooling in her stomach from whatever muggle monsters were greeting them.
"Are we all ready?" Mr Parkinson called out as they all entered the foyer.
Harry allowed Mrs Parkinson to adjust his tie. He was feeling nervous about being caught inside the Prince of whatever's castle. He needed to make sure none of their covers were blown. The real objective was to retrieve the remaining time turners. This Prince was a frequent time traveller, always adjusting timelines to benefit himself.
"Do you mind?" Pansy handed the necklace to Harry, he took it without question and waited as she turned. She bowed her head forward, her hand moving her hair out of the way of the nape of her neck. Harry worked with the clasp; his fingers grazing her skin softly, her skin pimpled at his touch. She bit her lip, trying to ignore the unexpected feeling it brought.
"There you go," Harry told her, summoning her coat for her. She slid it on and linked her arm in his. It was becoming a habit at this point.
"Let's get going." Mr Parkinson pulled out a big old fashioned key, "This will put us right at the castle, so please, mind your manners."
Harry and Pansy nodded, she squeezed his arm, trying to suppress her nerves. She was wearing a time turner to entice the Prince. It was her job to get him to confess his crimes and reveal his collection.
"If you feel any danger…"
"I know to tap on my bracelet, and you will be alerted," Pansy finished for him. They both smiled awkwardly, her father telling them to place a finger on the key levitated in the middle of the four.
Three hours had gone by, and Harry was becoming impatient. The Prince had yet to come and talk to Pansy, which made things difficult. Pansy wanted to leave already.
"Why don't you go dance?" Her mother suggested. Pansy dared to throw a frown in her direction, only to drop it when her mother narrowed her eyes.
"Harry, my dear, would you mind? Pansy seems to be getting restless."
Harry nodded and stood, deciding some dancing would clear both of their minds. They both were tense, and it would not bode well with the Prince if he could tell. After all, Harry Potter was already getting some attention.
"This is going to make things worse. He isn't interested in me," Pansy placed one hand in Harry's and her other on his shoulder. Harry pulled her in closer to avoid their voices getting too loud. His hand placed on her lower back, and he reflexively intertwined their fingers. It's how he and Ginny used to dance.
"He is, but like any good Prince, he has to entertain. He's been eyeing you all evening," Harry pushed her out in a spin and brought her back in.
“You can’t be serious?” Pansy started to look around, Harry grabbed her chin to make her stay focused on him. Her cheeks flushed with his commanding action, his hand going to her lower back again.
“You don’t want to be too obvious; take my word. He’s definitely eyeing you, as are a lot of other men here. As they should be, you look gorgeous.”
They continued their dance, Harry being a better dance partner than she imagined. He seemed so sincere with the words he spoke. Pansy was trying to focus on her feet, and getting her heart to stop beating so quickly. It was just a compliment; she needed to get a grip. At least it seemed their qualms towards the other from months ago has vanished by this point.
Harry stopped abruptly, Pansy almost tripping over his feet, his arm snaked around her waist to catch her. They looked to the left and saw the Prince and his sister. They straightened up and both faced the royal siblings.
"Your Royal Highness," Pansy let go of Harry's hand, curtseying to the Prince. Harry bowed, taking the Princess’ hand, softly kissing her knuckles respectfully.
"May I have this dance? I'm sure Mr Potter wouldn't mind taking my dear sister for a dance, as well?"
The Princess blushed at her brother's words. Harry smiled and agreed, Pansy eyeing the Princess’ hand in his angrily for a moment before placing her hand in the Prince's. She followed him to the middle of the dance floor, the music changing to a waltz.
"I didn't know the famous Harry Potter did bodyguard work. I would think the English Ministry would have him on a higher pedestal."
Harry chuckled, trying to keep an eye on Pansy, "I, uh… was hired. Ms Parkinson was attacked."
"Attacked? Why would she be attacked? Was it during her time travels perhaps?"
His eyes fell to hers, losing sight of Pansy as the Princess smiled innocently. He spun her and brought her back into his arms. Were both of the siblings using the time-turners?
"That piece around her neck is beautiful, foolish girl parading around with it. Does she not know it’s illegal?”
Harry caught on to what she may be doing, “I didn’t know it if it was a replica or not.”
“Do you not know what a real time turner looks like, Mr Potter? Fakes are harder to come by," the Princess smirked. They continued dancing, Harry’s mind was reeling with what options he had; so far, there was nothing.
His bracelet wasn’t warming up, which meant Pansy was still okay. That is all that mattered out of this event. The Princess seems to be on the path of a verbal confession. That would be enough for Aurors to be able to search their castle.
One thing for sure, she knew about time turners. It was only one sentence away from confirming that they owned one.
Pansy scanned the room as the Prince twirled her out of his arms. She saw Harry talking very intimately with the Princess, blossoming a fit of very hard jealousy. The Prince pulled her back in, placing his hand back on her hip. It felt so awkward. Pansy smiled up at him, trying to make him talk about the Time-Turner.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yes, I am," Pansy smiled. He continued leading them around the room.
"That's a unique necklace you have there. My sister has something similar but not as small nor on a necklace. Hers are much too large for jewellery."
Pansy furrowed her eyebrows, confused by his innocent tone. Did he not know what it was?
"She has one of these? That's impressive. I didn't know anyone else had one."
"Yes, she has several actually, I don't know what it's for."
"Wait. What?" Pansy stopped dancing. He was now confused by her sudden standstill.
Pansy started to look around the room, trying to spot Harry, but he wasn't anywhere. She picked up her dress and hurriedly made her way to the closest hallway, they couldn't have gone far.
Harry followed the Princess to her quarters, his heart racing. She was about to show an Auror her illegal collection; surely, she knew the consequences. So, what was she going to do? Pansy was trying to woo the wrong royal. He hoped she’d caught on by this point. The bracelet on his hand wasn't warming up, meaning she was still safe.
"Harry?" Pansy called out, the Prince following behind her. She was ignoring his questions. "Harry!"
"Why are you looking for him?"
She pulled out her wand and tapped the bracelet. She felt hers grow warm, expecting Harry to pop up immediately. But, the bracelet cooled. She tapped it again, walking further into the castle.
Panic spread with every step she took, the bracelet cooling off as the seconds passed by, her call was ignored. It was then she paused. What if he was hurt? Or worse? People become dangerous when an Auror is on their trail.
"I'm sure my sister is taking excellent care of your… bodyguard…" the Prince slowed his words as she kept looking in all directions. Pansy was starting to launch into a panic attack. She wasn't within the safety of her home; her parents were out of sight. Harry wasn't at her side.
"It's okay, my sister wanted some time alone with Mr Potter, she requested it. You shouldn't worry."
Pansy finally set her eyes back on the deep blue eyes in front of her. She didn't find him attractive, wasn’t impressed with his slick hair, fancy robes or any of what stood before her. No, she wanted the green set of eyes, the emeralds that had been looking after her for the last few months, paired with the still unruly hair from their youth. The awkward and sweet demeanour he had, and the way he treated her, not like a pureblood needing to be wed, but as a person; as just Pansy.
Whatever the Prince's words were next were lost on her. She was overwhelmed with thoughts of Harry, how she was jealous that he was with someone else. She didn't hate him. New panic surfaced as she stupidly started to realize what all her feelings were.
"I have to go. I have to find Harry."
The Prince watched her walk away, stunned with her disregard for him. It was unusual. Women usually swarmed him and he hoped that this arranged marriage would come through. Pansy was an exquisite and gorgeous woman, pureblooded and high in demand. People from all over the world were asking for her hand in marriage.
But it seemed, she was already spoken for. He decided to let her find Potter on her own, angry with not getting his way. The Prince returned to the ball as Pansy searched for Harry.
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