Team: HolyHead Harpies

Position: Keeper

Prompt: Write your Seeker's NOTP - Draco/Pansy

Hogwarts: Lithomancy

Task: Write about a protective character.

Word Count: 1759

For The Best

Pansy looked in the mirror and fixed her hair, taking her clips out and repositioning them. She could feel the nervousness building inside of her; it felt as though she had a thousand or more butterflies fluttering around in the pit of her stomach. Worries floated around in her mind as the ticking of the grandfather clock seemed to get impossibly louder the longer they waited.

What is Mr and Mrs Malfoy didn't like her? Draco had repeatedly told her it was impossible, and that whilst his father might have some objections at first, his mother would talk him around. Pansy wasn't so sure though.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Draco said, reassuring his girlfriend as they waited in the lounge for his parents. "Just be your charming self and my mother and father will soon love you as much as I do."

"Are you sure, Draco?" Pansy asked, smoothing down her dress. "And do you think I should have brought something for your mother? I shouldn't have turned up here empty handed. They're going to hate me; I just know it."

"Relax, Pansy," Draco instructed, as his parents came through the door, giving her an encouraging smile, which Pansy returned weakly.

Silence fell as Draco waited until his parents had taken a seat before speaking again.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like to officially introduce you to my girlfriend, Pansy," Draco said, clutching the dark haired girl's hand tightly. "She is from a good Pureblood family, as you know, and her family has always been a supporter of the Dark Lord's cause."

Pansy's eyes flickered from Draco to his mother and father who had equally shocked and appalled expressions on their faces. A sure sign that this meeting was not going to go the way Draco had hoped.

"Draco, what is this?" his father, Lucius, asked. "You know you have been betrothed since birth to Bellatrix's daughter. You should be honoured to have such a betrothal. Why are you bringing this girl home instead?"

Pansy's eyes widened and she turned to face Draco, struggling to keep the bewilderment off her face. She had known some Pureblood families still practiced arranged marriages, and it shouldn't surprise her that the Malfoys did, but it felt like this was something Draco would have mentioned to her at some point. She wanted nothing more than to defend herself, and her relationship with Draco, but any words she had died in her throat for fear of making the Malfoys hate her even more.

"Father, I have never even met her. How are we even supposed to believe she ex—?"

"You dare question your aunt," his mother snapped, cutting Draco off. "She bore the Dark Lord's child—granted not the son she had hoped for—but it is she you will marry and, in doing so, cement our alliance with him."

Pansy swallowed quietly as her every worry became justified, and it seemed Draco had been completely wrong about his mother. Mrs Malfoy seemed to object more to their relationship that her husband.

His father looked at Draco pointedly. "Your mother is correct. Would you prefer it if this honour went to someone like Crabbe or Goyle or, even worse, someone further down the chain like Yaxley's boy?" Lucius paused for breath before carrying on. "No, it will not do, you are going to marry Bellatrix's daughter and that is the end of this conversation. You can take Miss Parkinson home via the Floo network. We cannot have anyone knowing of your inadvisable dalliance with this girl."

Pansy didn't miss the look of distaste that crossed Mr Malfoy's face as he looked her up and down. She wanted for nothing more than for the ground to swallow her whole.

"You don't even know her name, do you?" Draco said in an accusatory tone. "You expect me to marry this nameless girl who no one has ever even met. I say no. I will leave with Pansy, but don't expect me to return until you realise that we are serious about each other."

Draco placed his arm around a shocked Pansy's waist and kissed her softly on the cheek before guiding her to the fireplace.

"Draco, don't do this," Narcissa begged.

"What other choice have you left me?" Draco asked, stepping into the fireplace. "If you can't accept that I love Pansy then our conversation is over."

Draco took some Floo powder from the pot and threw in front of himself and Pansy as he uttered the name of the Parkinson household, not once second guessing his decision.

~o~o~o~

Pansy took a sip from her cup of coffee and placed it back on the table in front of her, ignoring the fact that it had long since gone cold. Her mind was full of what had transpired the day before. Draco had given up everything for her because his mother and father hadn't approved of their relationship… had wanted him to honour a betrothal to a girl no one had ever met. She felt simultaneously guilty and joyful—the former was a feeling she was not used to.

A quiet crack drew her out of her thoughts and her head snapped to the doorway where a familiar, haughty woman stood.

"Mrs Malfoy," Pansy said quietly, "what are you doing here? If you've come to see Draco, he's not here. He went for a walk this morning."

"That's quite alright because it is you I have come to see," Narcissa replied, entering the room and taking the seat across from Pansy.

"Why do you want to see me?" Pansy questioned. "You don't like me. You made that quite clear yesterday."

"I like you just fine, Miss Parkinson," Narcissa replied coolly. "But you are messing with my son's future, taking him down a path that cannot be allowed, that I will not allow. Draco is betrothed."

"A betrothal he never agreed to," Pansy snapped. "If you are here to repeat everything from yesterday, you are wasting your time and my time, and you had better leave now."

"The future of wizardkind depends on this betrothal," Narcissa said. "If you hold Draco back from fulfilling his destiny by marrying my niece, becoming the head of a new dynasty and the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, you will be paving the way for chaos. Do you really want that on your conscience?"

"No, but—"

"That is all I needed to hear," Narcissa replied. "You will end you ill-advised relationship with my son by any means necessary. He is still young and the inner circle will forgive his actions and chalk it up to him being a hormonal fifteen year old boy."

"And if I refuse?" Pansy asked.

"Then you will disappear like all those unfortunate Muggles and Mudbloods," Narcissa threatened, smiling sweetly. "But that shouldn't happen because you aren't going to refuse, are you?"

Pansy could feel her self preservation instinct kicking in. Sure, she loved Draco but his mother had a point. Draco had his whole future mapped out and who was she to deny him the chance of greatness that awaited him?

"No, I'm not," Pansy reluctantly agreed, blinking back the tears forming in her eyes. "I will end it as soon as Draco returns. Your son will be home before the end of the day, I promise."

"Excellent," Narcissa replied, standing up. "I'll see myself out."

The blonde took her wand out of her robes and twisted on the spot, disapparating from sight.

I really should remind Mother and Father to put wards up on the house, Pansy thought to herself as she took another sip from her cup of coffee, thinking about how she could possibly break Draco's heart, and her own.

~o~o~o~

When the front door slammed closed late that afternoon, Pansy knew what she was going to say and it was going to break her heart to say it.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she went to greet Draco. She needed to get this over and done before she had a chance to change her mind and be selfish.

She pushed open the living room door, finding Draco slumped in the armchair with his head in his hands.

"Draco," she said softly, "we need to talk."

"What about?" he asked, looking up at her with red eyes. She knew what had caused them. He had been crying. Loathe as he might to admit it, she knew he missed his mother and father. Pansy knew she was doing him a favour, as well as protecting the future, with what she was about to say.

"About us," she answered. "I've been giving this a lot of thought since last night and I think we should break up."

"Because of my parents?" Draco asked, frowning. "Pansy, be strong. Don't let their disapproval come inbetween us."

Draco stood up from his seat, walked over to her and placed his hands on her arms. "Don't let them win."

"I'm not," Pansy said, shrugging out of his grip.

"Then why are you breaking up with me?" Draco asked, staring at her with his impossibly piercing grey eyes.

It was now or never. She had to say it even if it wasn't true.

"Because I don't love you!" Pansy exclaimed, her heart breaking as she said the words. "I never did. I wanted you for your name—the Malfoy name and the status that came with it. Now you don't have that, there's nothing for me. I don't want to be with someone who has been disowned by their family. There is no power, prestige or status in that… only dishonour."

"You don't mean that," Draco said in a hurt voice.

"I do. Run along home to mummy and daddy," Pansy ordered. "I don't want you here a moment longer."

Pansy fought to keep the fierce facade up as she glared at Draco. She wanted nothing more than to tell him she didn't mean it, that she loved him, but she couldn't. Everything she was doing was for the right reason.

"Go," she said. "Go now."

"I am," Draco snapped sadly. "Merlin knows why I wasted any time on you anyway."

With slumped shoulders, Draco made his way over to the fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder as he stepped into the fireplace.

"Malfoy Manor," he said in a clear voice, vanishing in a blaze of green flames.

As soon as he was gone, Pansy fell to the floor crying. "I'm sorry, Draco, I'm so sorry," she whispered to the flames. "But it was for the best."