Author's Notes:

A few tweaks here and there over the original fest piece. Enjoy!

Pansy had hold of Cormac's arm with a grip that would make a constrictor proud.

"Well, at least you won't die from poisoning, like the rest of the lovers who'd upset her this year," she commented as they took the corner to head down the next flight of stairs in a hurry. "Spontaneous explosive combustion is a bad way to go, too, though. So, I don't envy you."

Her ex-lover scrambled to keep up with her as another fireball exploded against the wall where his head had just been the moment before. "Wait, what?"

"I told you dumb blondes would be your end some day, Cor," she lectured him as they dusted another level. One more to go and then the lobby... "Why don't you men ever listen?"

"But she's a cute blonde!" he argued while panting for breath and holding onto his towel for dear life. "And a Quidditch groupie!"

Pansy tsked as they hurried towards the front exit of the building. "Honestly, you jocks need to learn to keep it in your pants. You know what your team's cheerleaders are like, don't you? Philandering sets her kind off!"

"What kind? Pans, what are you talking‒?"

Before he could finish or they could reach the door, another flaming ball exploded nearby, cutting off their escape. A raptor-ish scream echoed through the foyer as Gabrielle leaned over the third floor balcony and snarled at them.

"Holy fucking shit-logs!" Cormac cried, as a third fire globe was lobbed at them. They both managed to duck in the nick of time to avoid it. "She's gone mad!"

"She's a serial killer," Pansy dryly pointed out. "Of course she has."

His eyes blew wide. "She's a what?"

By then, Pansy had managed to turn at the right angle and point her wand up at the raging Veela. With a powerful force of will (and a bit of smug satisfaction), she cast a strong Stupefy at Gabrielle, knocking the witch back.

However, the spell did not render the woman unconscious, as Pansy had planned.

"Damn, hadn't counted on that," she said through gritted teeth.

"‒Which is why the Magical Creatures portion of the Auror test is so important to pass," Potter pointed out, appearing out of the smoke and flames like a saviour on high with a team of brown-cloaked Aurors flanking behind him. He grinned at her as his men hurried past to tackle the perp to the floor. "Veela are immune to Stupefy. Only incarceration with iron chains work on them." He winked at her. "Knowledge is power."

With a negligent cast over his shoulder, he had the fires put out and had the smoke disbursed.

"Still, nice job putting the pieces of the Cuisinere Killer together," he praised her. "Good instincts and sound detective skills are just as important as academics, or so I'm always telling Hermione."

Sensing the danger was now past, Pansy glanced up as the Aurors cast enough spells to knock the wind from Gabrielle's sails long enough to slap some magical iron cuffs on her and drag her to her feet. Bye-bye, bird bitch, she thought and gave a small wave as the furious Veela killer was hauled away by the Men In Brown. Her screeching and swearing to castrate every man there echoed through the lobby until the front door shut behind her and cut off the sound.

"Technically, it was La Cuisinière Killer," she pointed out, exasperated at having her thunder stolen. "And how long have you known I was working this case, anyway, boss?"

The Boy-Who-Conquered adjusted his glasses on his nose and shrugged. "Only a week or so. Your bored doodling in the margins of your debriefing notes for the department was quite insightful." He smirked at her as his gaze bounced between her and Cormac. "By the way, I never knew forty-two was your favourite number."

Her cheeks felt on fire again. "It's not!" she hotly contested, glaring at him and Cormac both...and their matching shit-eating grins. "Anyway, am I getting a field promotion, or not, Captain? I did solve this case, after all."

Potter stared hard at her, and for a moment, she swore he was looking into her very soul. "I think we can accommodate a new desk out on the floor," he finally agreed.

"And dig up one of those sexy brown capes for me," she said, daring him to defy her.

He nodded. "Monday morning, come to my office. We'll swear you in." He held his hand out. "Welcome to the force, Auror Parkinson."

~.~.~.~.~

The week following "La Cuisinière Killer's" capture was a wild and busy one. In between supplying testimony and writing reports and learning the ropes with her new partner, "Four-Fingered" Finnigan of all people (because he'd lost a pinky in the war), Pansy hadn't much time to celebrate her promotion.

So it was that the knock on the front door of her flat on her first official evening off-roster came as something of a surprise.

The visitor was even more so.

"Hey, baby, looking beautiful as always," Cormac greeted her with that delicious smile that made her belly flip. "Thought I'd bring this back to you, since you seemed so keen on having it." He held out the scarf she'd accidentally left at their old place two years ago when she'd moved out.

"Thank you," she replied, reaching for it.

He tugged it out of her hand, however. "Wondered if you wouldn't mind trying it on for me…for old time's sake." His gaze was warm and appreciative of her, despite her casual state. "Maybe with a few less clothes on, though. And lying back on those black satin sheets you always had on your bed, legs spread, wrists tied down. Covered in chocolate sauce. What do ya say?" He waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned. "We do have cause to celebrate."

Well, he wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but he certainly was bold, and that was something she'd wanted from him all along, wasn't it?

Tugging his arm and pulling him into her flat, Pansy stretched up on tiptoe to reach his mouth and wrapped her arms around him.

"Sure, baby, I'm game for a good party. How about this first time we skip the dessert part, though, and stick with the main course instead? I've never been much for sauces, you see…but I'll take meat and two veg any day."

~FIN~

Author's Final Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this silly short journey through Cormac and Pansy's wacky relationship with me. If you liked them as a couple, drop me a note and let me know. I might consider more stories with them in the future, as they're growing on me.

Please review!

XOXO,

- RZZMG