Re: The Three Broomsticks

[Draco Malfoy]

Pansy knows her boy very very well because he put his menu down after a cursory glance, deciding on a shepherd's pie and pumpkin juice. The waiter walked back over when he saw their menus were down and they ordered. He noticed a smile on Pansy's face and smiled back, "What is it? You've got that victory smile on your face." He loved that he had known her for so long that he could almost always read her emotions and she could read his, even if it got them in trouble sometimes.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Indeed, Pansy couldn't hide the smile on her face after he ordered something that exactly fit the description she had figured he would choose. She ordered her pasties and handed the menu back, her smile widening when Draco asked her a question. "Nothing, I just guessed correctly what you'd get for dinner. I figured you'd get something with a lot of meat and potatoes, and shepherd's pie it was." She shrugged a little, glad that even after their most recent falling out, some things never changed and she could still read him like a book. Apparently, just like he could still read her.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco chuckled, "Good guess. And the shepherd's pie here is even better than at Hogwarts. I think it's because here they add extra carrots." He shrugged, ready to enjoy his delicious meal as soon as it arrived. They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Draco spoke again, "Pans, I'm curious. If you weren't a Parkinson and couldn't spend the rest of your life rolling in piles of gold what would you want to do after school?"

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"They put cheese on the potatoes here, too. They don't usually do that at Hogwarts." She smiled a little, because cheese did make it better. She let her gaze wander around the interior of the building until he spoke up again. At his question, she paused, thinking hard. "I honestly don't know. I've never really thought about it, I suppose. I've always been told what my future was and so I was taught not to waste my time daydreaming about things that wouldn't happen. I would be married and I would be a wife and nothing more." She shrugged, trying to give the question proper thought so she could answer. "I... I suppose..." She was stumped. Completely stumped. "I've never even realized there might be something different I could do." If they hadn't had their fight and such just prior to this, Pansy might have just fallen in love with Draco a bit more simply for the fact that he had just showed her that there were whole other options out there for her that she hadn't thought of, that what her parents told her to do, or just being a pureblood daughter, wasn't the only thing she could do. He'd offered her freedom, deeper than even she had planned with running away. She'd still have been a rich Parkinson in another place, but to be something else? Pansy was baffled.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco leaned forwards as she was speaking, all of his attention on her. He didn't notice the waiter walk over and put their drinks down, he was too busy thinking about what she was saying. "So you don't have the one thing? What was your plan after you ran off?" He was amazed that she didn't have an answer and also intrigued. She was the one of the two of them who always talked about escaping their parents and being their own person but right now she was the one who didn't have an escape plan, a way out and a way to make herself self-sufficiant without her inheritance. And yet he wasn't judging her for not having an idea of what she would do. He'd only realized this year that it was really his passion and dream to pursue potions but that didn't mean he had any idea how to actualize that fantasy.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy could only shrug silently, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I don't know. It was all laid out so perfectly. Every bit of it. All except for that. I don't know why." She looked at him again, thoughtful, still reeling from the realization that she truly had no dream job, no idea of what she wanted to do with her life given the complete freedom to choose anything. "Honestly, Draco, maybe it hadn't even occurred to me that I could do anything, something besides just being the daughter who ran away from her rich parents. I guess I was so brainwashed to be what they wanted me to that I didn't even give what I wanted to be a thought other than the fact that I needed to get away from them." She chewed on her lip a moment, her gaze falling to her lap again with a slightly bemused smile. "Pathetic or what?"

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco shook his head, "It's not pathetic at all really. I get it, I mean we both know that I'm not about to break free anytime soon. So now that you're thinking about it is there anything you would want to do? I mean anything at all, even something stupid like working in a muggle zoo." He shook his head again, not sure where that idea came from. "I mean I would probably end up doing something in potions if I had a choice, if it was okay for Malfoys to have an actual job."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy thought a while, but could only shrug blankly. "I have no idea. I guess it's lucky I am who I am. I've no clue what I'd want to do, even anything silly or absolutely impossible - I don't know. I've always just wanted to travel. Be able to pack away everything I need into one bag, and move around as a pleased. A new place every week. And you can't really hold down a job with a life like that." Sure it might be a little crazy, wanting to be that free and move around that much, but can you blame her? She couldn't even go play in her own backyard without her motives being questioned as a kid. Of course she's going to want to get away. And it'll take one damn convincing boy to get her to settle down in one place.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco chuckled, "No not really. Being a nomad would be fun, but don't you think you'd get tired and want to come back at some point?" He hoped she would want to because he didn't think it would be okay for him to go haring around the world to visit her every time she moved. The waiter walked over and put their food down in front of them. Draco grinned and picked up a fork, "Mmmm looks delicious." He took a bite and groaned, "Perfect."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"I don't think so." She shook her head, smiling politely at the waiter when he sat her plate down in front of her. "I've been stuck here for so long, and besides, I don't think I've really got much to come back for. You and dad are really about the only ones who'd miss me." She picked up her for and speared one of the pasties, before deciding perhaps she ought to cut it first. "I guess coming back here or not depends on who manages to rope me in and get me to settle down." Pansy laughed, because the very idea of someone making her settle down seemed crazy. She blew lightly on a piece of her dinner, cooling it off so she wouldn't burn her mouth and look like an idiot.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco shook his head, "There has to be some way to get you back here. And if you find some amazing guy out in India or something and stay out there I'll never forgive you." He gave her a playful glare before another bite of his pie distracted him and his face softened into a state of bliss. Food always made everything better He smiled at her over the food, "I'm glad we're doing this Pans," He clarified, "Trying us again. This week has been nice."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"Well, India's a bit too warm for me, but I hear Ireland's quite nice." Pansy smiled and shrugged at him when he said there had to be a way to get her back here. If he was married, then she couldn't honestly say she would want to see him. It would hurt too much, to see him with someone else, to see her Draco in love with some one else. It was at the same moment that he said he was glad they were doing this that she realized she'd just thought of him as her Draco. Pansy knew she never had and never would stop caring for him, no matter what happened between the two of them. Though she didn't quite trust him as much as she had before, and though she didn't want to get too close too quickly, she knew she wouldn't want to let him go. "I'm glad too. I've missed it." They ate a little in silence, and Pansy smiled. "I can't even have silences this comfortable with anyone else."

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco never thought about it but if he had then he would have known that he thinks of her as his Pansy and has for a long time. Even before they were dating he had been possessive of her, not really sure why for a long time but then again he had never actually considered it. They would always be each others', no matter what happened they had been through so much together that even their fights wouldn't really be able to separate them. He smiled when she spoke up again, "I can't have comfortable silences with anyone else at all. It's nice being able to sit here and not have to expect anything."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy loves being 'his Pansy'. As strange as it is, she likes sort of feeling like she belongs to him. "It is nice." She fell quiet again, the two of them just enjoying their dinner together. She shifted to cross her legs under the table, accidentally brushing her foot against his leg. She blinked up at him. "Oh, sorry." She bit her lip and glanced down, taking another bite of her dinner. There had been a time where her foot would be brushing against his leg on purpose, his hand most likely on her knee. But that had all changed for now, and she thought just maybe it was for the best. Maybe them starting over could give them the time to really deeply connect with each other even better. Something beyond their childhood friendship, deeper than whatever they had before. Without the distractions of each others lips, maybe they could bring their brains and hearts closer first, something essential to any wishes of longevity with the two of them.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco blinked at her when she apologized for hitting his leg. He remembered the first time they had been on a date and what had happened in that alleyway afterwards. He already knew that the same thing wasn't going to happen again but he had to smile a little at the memory. "It's fine. How're your pasties?" He would never ever say that he wanted to fight with her but last time they had fought it had resulted in them forging a closer bond and he just hoped this would end up the same way. Not that they did last time, but this time they were definitely not going to rush into anything and though he would never admit it to any of his male friends he did like the slow pace. It was what a relationship should be and even though he had the smallest pangs of jealousy when Blaise talked about the girls he'd been with whenever he saw Pansy again they went away.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy finished chewing, taking a sip of her water. "Delicious as always. And your shepherd's pie? I'm going to venture a guess it's satisfactory, since you've all but three bites left." She took another look at his plate, tilting her head a little. "Then again, knowing you that's more like one bite. One and a half at the most." She smirked a little, taking another small bite of her dinner, half of it gone, though she was already getting quite full. Pansy was honestly enjoying this, just eating dinner, no expectations of anything afterwards but walking back to the castle and saying goodnight, no pressure from him for her to 'properly thank him for the date' as many boys would have expected. And perhaps that was why they worked, why she kept giving him second and third chances. He understood her better than practically anyone. Draco knew how she worked, how she thought, he read her emotions and knew when to push her and when to stop, and even when they fought, it was because they were both so stubborn and just wanted to make each other understand through their bullheadedness.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco chuckled and in true boy style picked up the last of his pie and got it all eaten in one more bite. He took a sip of his juice and smiled at her. "It was great. The pies here really are excellent." He eyed her plate but seeing as she hadn't really eaten all that much of it he refrained from stealing just yet, wanting her to eat more of her dinner. They really had an odd sort of relationship because in many ways they had protective streaks worthy of siblings, always making sure the other was okay and annoying them to do things that were better for them. Draco knew that even when he was forced by his parents to marry someone else it wouldn't ever be like this, this type of bond was rare and had come from years of effort and mutual devotion. Some days it really felt like they knew each other better than they knew themselves.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy laughed when he did just as she expected him to, eating the entire rest of his dinner in one massive happy bite. She took another bite or two of hers and decided she too was finished, quite full enough and happy. Noticing him eyeing her plate, she grinned and pushed it over toward him. "I'm done and it's a shame to let it waste. I know you want it." She rested her elbows on the table, putting her chin in her hands as she let her eyes wander around the little interior. The really obnoxious students had left, no doubt heading toward Honeydukes to stock up on masses of sugar they didn't need. It was sort of peaceful in here now, and Pansy was genuinely enjoying herself for the first time in a long while.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco smiled at her and took her plate, tucking into her meal rather happily. "Thanks Kitten." He didn't realize he had used the familiar pet name and picked up another piece of pasty. "Wow this is really good." He looked at her and saw her eyes wandering around, following her gaze over his shoulder to see who else was around. The place was a lot emptier than when they had arrived, the loud students gone to do something else. He looked back at her as he swallowed his, well really her, food. "What're you thinking about?" He picked up another bite, almost done with the last of the pasties already.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

A smile spread across Pansy's face upon hearing the familiar nickname. It felt good, being called kitten again. Just one small thing, but its return just felt right. She let him eat her food in peace, still just looking around at nothing in particular. When he asked her what she was thinking about, she blinked and looked back at him, smiling again when she realized the plate was nearly empty already. "I don't know. Nothing really." She shrugged lightly, leaning back in her seat a little. "Just that I actually genuinely feel happy right now. And it's a really good feeling that I've not had for a really long time." She dropped her gaze from his face, a little embarrassed at the admission though for what reason she wasn't sure.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco's smile widened a little when she said she was happy and he took another bite of the pasty to hide it. Before everything had happened he would have reached across the table and taken her hand or moved his foot rest against hers. Small physical gestures were so common place between them but now he thought about it before he did anything and inevitably decided against it, not wanting to see her reaction and watch her pull away. As long as he didn't try to initiate anything she wasn't going to reject him. When he had finished chewing he spoke again, "I'm happy too. Everything is starting to feel right again." He picked up the last of the pasty, a little sad that the meal was ending.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy of course didn't notice his widened smile, as she was quite intent on staring at her hands in her lap for a few moments. She flicked her eyes up to meet his when he spoke again, a little smile once again spreading across her lips. "It is. Like things can happen as they should have all along." She noted the slight sadness in his expression as he ate the last bite, and made a mental note that a detour to Honeydukes would be nice on their way back to the castle. As if he'd been watching and waiting, the waiter appeared not too much longer with the bills for each their dinners, placing them on the table. Of course he said to 'take your time' but it was clear that he didn't truly mean it. It was getting later and the more he could clean up now, the sooner he could leave.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco nodded at the waiter and pulled over the checks. Signing the paper he charged it to the Malfoy Gringotts account. Handing it to the waiter he took another drink of his pumpkin juice. "So do you want anything else while we're here? New books?" He smiled at her, knowing that she would likely at least want to stop by, after all she's finally get time to read again now.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy smiled a little when he took both the checks, still the same gentleman he'd been before, perhaps even more so now that they were starting over and it was almost like he had to win her heart again. She picked up her cup and drank the rest of the water out of it before nodding at his suggestion. "You know I'll never say no to books." She gave him a smirk and pushed her chair back from the table, waiting for him before they headed out the door and down the main street, slipping into the book shop where Draco can post next.

[Seamus M. Finnigan]

Seamus sauntered into the pub, jittery with excitement. He had to keep cool, that was one of the most important things. There was a free table way in the back, and he rushed over before anyone else could take it, ordering two butterbeers along the way, and sat patiently waiting for Lavender.

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