Pansy woke up in Luna's arms smiling. She pulled the blonde's arms tighter around her in the darkness and felt Luna's body crushed up against hers, sharing the sleepy warmth of the bed. She hadn't had any nightmares for the past few weeks. Pansy didn't care if Luna was a good idea or not anymore. Luna was hers. The sex had only gotten better. Pansy shuddered a little involuntarily at the thought of some of the kinks they had tried. She hadn't known there were so many ways to use a wand. Or that she'd crave them all so much. Luna had taken to sleeping in Pansy's room with her. At first Pansy had grumbled about it, out of habit, but she grew to love sleeping with someone beside her. It made everything a little bit better.

Luna stirred in her sleep a little, snuggling in closer to Pansy. Pansy thought that she could lay like this forever and never want to do anything else again. She couldn't remember ever being this happy before. Something about Luna's weird habits had captured her heart and fixed it. Suddenly a hissing sound came from the door. A beautiful viper patronus appeared, regally slithering across the tiled floors.

"Pansssy, your mother and uncle ssssomehow found out about you and Luna," the snake hissed in Draco's voice. "They came to the Ssslytherin common room looking for you. It sseemss that they are out for blood. Be careful. They went to the Great Hall to ssspeak with McGonnagall. They blame her for not dissscouraging your behavior."

She jumped up with a start as the viper disappeared. Her mother had found out. Her heart sank instantly. Even though she was an adult, she still relied on her mother's hospitality and good graces to survive at the moment. Her mother could end this relationship just by threatening to cut Pansy off. Luna's eyes were wide and awake.

"Family is the people you choose to be around, Pansy," she said solemnly, "Not just the ones that we are blood related to. You don't need your mother. You don't need anyone but yourself, really. You are stronger than she is. Don't forget that."

Pansy looked at her pleadingly, begging her to understand that it may not be that simple.

"It is that simple, lover," Luna said, reading her mind. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, which betrayed a hint of fear. "It can be this simple. It can just be you and me."

Maybe Luna was right,Pansy thought. She had never stood up to her mother before, but she knew there was nothing in the world more important to her than Luna. She never thought she would have to sacrifice the family that she had left, but maybe she would be willing to.

She walked back to Luna and sat next to her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"It can be this simple," Pansy repeated, trying to get herself to believe it. "Or, we could just stay here, never leave and never have to deal with this."

Luna laughed softly.

"You can't run from the past without facing it first," she stated mystically. "That's how you get crumpled snorkacks to hunt you down and eat your emotions." Pansy shook her head, amused despite her terror.

"Come with me, then," she said, rising. Luna nodded and they quickly slipped their robes on. Luna grabbed her hand and they started towards the door. Pansy noticed that the other girl's hand was the only thing keeping her standing up. Her legs trembled, and she felt she was going to be sick. Deep breaths, she thought. Think about Luna. Think about Luna. Students were milling about, whispering behind their hands as they saw the two girls holding hands and walking down the corridor. Luna didn't seem to notice them, but Pansy couldn't stop noticing them. This would be a difficult path, being with Luna. There would always be the points and stares. The quick glances away. She wondered if she would ever get used to it. Luna, Luna, Luna, she chanted, and Luna gave a small yelp as Pansy squeezed her hand even more tightly.

She clung tightly to her anchor as they approached the Great Hall. They ceiling was covered in clouds today, as gray as a tombstone. Her tombstone, once her family was done with her. Pansy heard her mother's screeching voice as she approached the headmistress's table at the back of the hall.

"YOU ALLOW BLOOD TRAITORS TO ENGAGE IN UNNATURAL BEHAVIORS WITH PUREBLOODS, TAINTING FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN PURE FOR GENERATIONS. YOU BRING A GREAT EVIL UPON THIS PLACE, MINERVA MCGONAGALL, AND YOU SHALL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH IT. I'M PULLING MY DAUGHTER OUT OF THIS IMMORAL DUNGEON AND SENDING HER TO BEAUXBATON!" her mother screamed. Her face was red, and her hair was sticking up at odd angles. Pansy thought about how put together she usually was and gulped. Her uncle stood beside her, looking a bit green. It was clear that this wasn't his fight. She reluctantly allowed Luna to lead her forward, hoping the woman wouldn't notice her yet.

"Students that are overage are permitted to behave however they would like, Madame Parkinson," McGonagall said through pursed lips. "I will not stand in the way of an adult witch who would like to follow a different path than the one her death eater parents planned for her."

For once Pansy was incredibly grateful for the headmistress's no-nonsense strictness. She noticed Pansy, and gave her a curt but almost satisfied nod. Pansy thought this might be the most kind gesture McGonagall had ever given her. At McGonagall's nod, Madame Parkinson turned around to see where she was looking. As she caught sight of Pansy and Luna her eyes narrowed.

"You," she hissed at Luna, pulling out her wand and advancing forward, "What did you do to my daughter? Do you have her imperiused? Did you slip her a love potion? My daughter is no dyke. You undo it this instant or I will hex you to the end of time."

Her wand flew out of her hand as McGonagall disarmed her.

"How DARE you threaten students in my school?" she asked, puffing out her chest. "How-"
"I can handle her, Professor,"Pansy interrupted her, with a shaky voice. McGonagall didn't lower her wand, but allowed Pansy to step forward.

"Mother, Luna Lovegood didn't do anything to me. She's not the first woman I've been with. I've fucked many before her. Nobody made me a dyke, mother, and you can't speak to my girlfriend that way." Pansy had meant to sound defiant, but her voice came out a squeak.

Luna squeezed her hand in reassurance and Pansy continued, "There was no need to come to Hogwarts to make a spectacle of yourself. I don't want to have anything to do with you if this is the way you are going to treat my friends and professors now. If you would still like to communicate with me, please do so by letter while I am at school." Her voice grew a little stronger as she spoke, even as her mother's face turned purple at her words.

Her Uncle Romulus turned to Madame Parkinson timidly and said, "Persia, if this unnaturalness makes the girl happy, perhaps we should let her have it. There are other ways to procure an heir, and she is one of the last of the new generation left. Family is everything." Her mother lividly took her Uncle's wand and pointed it at Luna.

"Incend-" and then she was on her back, with ropes covering her body.

"The ministry will be here soon to deal with this," McGonagall said distastefully. "In the meantime, Mr. Parkinson, I suggest that you get out of here before you get yourself into the same fate as your sister-in-law."

Her uncle scurried from the hall avoiding her gaze. Luna stroked her hair comfortingly, spinning her around. And then Luna was kissing her, in front of the students eating breakfast, and her mother, and McGonagall. And she was everything that Pansy wanted. She heard clapping around them and realized that the students were clapping for her, well her and Luna. She opened her eyes in amazement, not letting go of her hold on Luna, or letting her lips pull apart. For a moment she could have sworn she saw McGonagall clapping too, a small smile on her lips. They had put on quite the performance.

"Room of Requirements?" she whispered into Luna's ear.

"If you insist on privacy," Luna said with a grin, leading the way out of the hall as cheers sounded behind them. It was going to be an

interesting year.