Struggling Through New Beginnings

Chapter 31

Pansy watched Ron dance with Lavender Brown for the third time and turned away quickly to take a breath, so that she didn't cry and make a fool of herself. When a waiter passed with a full tray of champagne she reached out and grabbed two glasses. Finishing the first in only a few gulps, she placed the glass on the closest table and turned back to the dance floor. He looked like he was having fun with the flirty Gryffindor draped all over him and it made her heart hurt.

"Stop looking!" she berated herself and looked away from the couple to see Draco walking in her direction.

"Hey," he smiled at her. Then he followed her gaze when she lifted her second drink for another long sip, "Pansy, you need to stop."

"Stop, what?" she shrugged.

"Drinking for one." He took the drink from her hand and pulled her away from the table and out into the hall. Glancing into the first room, he reached into the empty sitting room and flicked on the light. He turned back to Pansy and frowned at her face filled with tears.

"Oh, Pans," he sighed and pulled her with him to the couch.

"What's so wrong with me, Draco?" she cried softly.

He tightened his grip on her hand, "Nothing. Not one damn thing, other than your taste in men."

"Don't do that!" she admonished him.

"Gods, Pansy, you're a wonderful woman who deserves someone who can see that. If he can't, then he doesn't deserve you! He deserves that slag, Lavender."

"Stop that! Don't blame him," she demanded as she pulled her hand away and fisted her hands together in her lap. "It's not his fault he doesn't want me. Look what I did."

"For Merlin's sake, stop that, dammit! Stop kicking yourself over one mistake. One! All of you keep telling me that I deserve a second chance and I did a hell of a lot more than that. You panicked. You were scared. That's all. You can't keep punishing yourself for it, Pansy. In the past eight years you have done nothing to deserve all the pain you are putting yourself through."

When she only cried harder he pulled her close and added, "Pansy, if he can't forgive you for being scared, then he's not the man for you. You don't need Ronald Weasley!"

The gasp from the doorway made them stand and spin quickly to it. Draco's face paled slightly, but his chin rose defiantly. Molly Weasley stared from one to the other, her mouth open in shock. And, Pansy moaned softly beside him before she slowly slid to the floor in a mortification mixed with alcohol induced faint.

Draco's shock almost kept him from catching her and he struggled under her weight as he lowered her to the floor as gently as he could. He called her name and slapped her cheek a few times to get her to come around, but she didn't respond. He didn't notice Molly come up beside him as he searched his pockets for his wand to bring Pansy around. He grunted in frustration when he remembered they'd been forced to leave their wands at school.

"Move aside, Mr. Malfoy," Molly said as her hand tapped his shoulder.

He looked up at her ready to protect Pansy from her wrath, but only saw motherly concern on her face.

"She, uh...she..." He had to blink twice to make sure he really saw the soft smile bloom on her face when she looked down at Pansy.

"It's okay, Mr. Malfoy, I'll take care of her. Go back to the party; it's about to wrap up."

"But," he began only to stop when she looked up at him and ordered in a very no-nonsense manner, "Go."

Her authoritative tone made him push back and begin to back out of the room. But, he worried about what Molly would do and say to Pansy when she revived her.