The Journal of Regulus Arcturus Black

Chapter 16. Introducing Professor Slughorn

The last couple of days at Grimmauld Place was spent with Theo and Draco eventually talking to Pansy almost everyday. They never opened the door, wanting to make sure she was comfortable. Sometimes she would spend hours quietly knocking against it instead of talking. When the full moon occurred, Pansy was forced into a last-minute made cage in the cellars until they figured out what to do for her.

Draco was vehemently against it but Pansy had the final say and with a face covered by a large piece of fabric, she left on the night of the full moon to the cellars. She didn't speak to them the next day or the day after, but eventually got back to her usual self. When it came to the last day of the summer holiday, Pansy walked into the living room, sitting on the sofa between Draco and Theo and staring straight ahead.

Draco couldn't stop himself from looking at her face. It was definitely permanent damage, scars littered over her entire face. There was a dip on her left cheekbone where a chunk of her skin was ripped off and never fully healed. But she was Pansy and he still loved her.

"I hear you're going to adopt Theo," she said.

Theo snorted, leaning his head against hers, bonking it slightly before he sat up straight again and stared ahead at the fireplace that was currently unlit. "There's one way to put it."

Draco scoffed, "I am not adopting him. I'm bonding with Theo via blood."

"So... you're marrying Theo?" Pansy asked. Kreacher walked into the room and wordlessly handed her a mug of tea. Pansy cupped her hands around the warm ceramic and curled against Draco's side. He wrapped an arm around Pansy's shoulder and kissed the top of her hair, looking back at Theo.

"I'm sorry mate, but I don't think about you that way."

Theo rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. "Yeah neither you nonce- we're going to become blood brothers."

Pansy furrowed her brows, "blood brothers?"

Draco nodded. "Theo's going to emancipate the Nott name and then he'll go through a quick blood contract to state that we're officially brothers. We were planning on doing that anyway when we both became our respective Lord Malfoy and Lord Nott," he explained.

"But now we can do it earlier. Circumstances have changed," he shrugged, placing a hand on Pansy's knee. "I'm sorry Pans."

She sighed, "I forgive you. I don't think I really ever blamed you. Just myself for being so cowardly—"

"Pans," Draco started.

"Nah it's alright... If we all keep taking the blame we'll never move forward," she whispered. "There's going to be a war soon, let's fight about this thing later on okay?"

Draco nodded, "I'm sorry Pans."

"I also forgive you. I'm sorry lads..."

"Don't worry," Theo muttered.

"We forgive you."

Pansy nodded, sitting up slightly and taking a long sip of her tea, sighing in peace. Draco would not be surprised if Kreacher put a few drops of the Calming Draught in her tea just for this. His house-elf was very Slytherin sometimes. Draco got up and ruffled Pansy's hair much to her displeasure and marched off to find Sirius who had a grand time sulking away.

He found the man in the drawing room, sitting on an old armchair and reading the Daily Prophet with a pinched expression. 

"Sirius?" Draco called.

His cousin's attention immediately snapped away from the newspaper and Sirius sat up a bit straighter. His ankles crossed naturally and Draco felt his lip quirk up slightly. There were just some pureblood lessons that you couldn't ever really stray from. "I'm leaving for Gringotts. With Theo, we're going to get his name emancipated."