Lansy One Shots

Ribbons

Summary: Pansy needs to talk, and Luna is happy to listen.

Ship: LunaLovegood/PansyParkinson

All credit goes to bluedragonamber on Ao3

--------------------

Pansy returned to Hogwarts for her eighth year because she had no idea what else to do with herself. Her parents had been neutral during the war for their own benefit, and she had never had a very close relationship with them. They were her parents, and she was their pureblood heir. She respected them, but affection between her and them had been rare, especially once she'd gone off to school. Even the fact that she had survived the Final Battle did not seem to rouse much of a reaction in them. They took it for granted that she would be going back to Hogwarts to finish her schooling, and so that was what she did.

Her mother had always said that her daughter's dramatics were a curse from Pansy's grandmother on her father's side, and her father always blamed her grandmother on her mother's side.

As a child, the only thing that Pansy had wished for that she had not received was for her parents to admit that they had created her instead of blaming various other relatives for everything about her they didn't like. In Pansy's case, that was basically everything that made her who she was. She had done her best to be what her parents wanted her to be, but she was never pretty enough, never smart enough, never cunning enough, and never calm enough, to please them.

Now that it was clear that Draco was not going to marry her, they were disappointed that they weren't going to be able to get rid of her as soon as they had hoped. Pansy didn't blame Draco really. The war had changed them both, and she could understand why Draco would want someone like Astoria Greengrass, someone who had been pulled from school before things got difficult, someone who could give him the sense of normalcy he craved. Astoria could give him everything that Pansy, who had lived through it with him, could not.

Pansy was tired for reasons that had everything and nothing to do with the war.

As Pansy wandered down to the Black Lake, she was surprised to see another girl sitting on the grass in the shade of a tree. She recognized Luna Lovegood immediately. Draco had not been forthcoming about exactly what had happened to Luna during her imprisonment at Malfoy Manor, but what he had said had given even Pansy pause.

"She's stronger than you think. I don't think I've ever seen someone as strong as she is, except maybe my own mother. Don't let her strangeness fool you, Pansy. I think, if you let her, she'd be a really good...well...friend or something for you."

Draco rarely praised anyone so coming from him, that meant a lot.

Luna looked up as Pansy walked over to her. She smiled, and Pansy found herself unable to deny that the girl was pretty in a gentle way that did not have the edges and angles of Pansy's own insufficient (according to her parents) beauty.

There was a time that Pansy might still have greeted Luna with a sneer and a cutting remark. But it had been a long time since anyone had smiled so genuinely at Pansy, and she decided that she wasn't in the mood to wipe that smile from Luna's face.

"Is this shade taken?" Pansy asked.

Luna's smile widened. "Of course not. Come sit down. The lake is very pretty right now."

Pansy sat. For a while, they just relaxed in silence. Normally, Pansy would have started a conversation immediately, usually a superficial conversation about herself and the latest gossip. But this time, she just didn't feel like it. It was...nice...she decided, just to sit with Luna and listen to the birds and the frolicking of the squid.

Luna finally said quietly, "Pansy, is something wrong?"

Pansy didn't answer immediately, and Luna didn't push her.

Then Pansy said, "Yeah, Luna. Yeah, there is."

Luna nodded then pulled a brush and a handful of hair ribbons from her bag.

"Daddy sent me these ribbons yesterday, but he sent me more than I could ever wear. I think these green ones would look nice braided into your brown hair." She held them out to Pansy. "Would you like to try them?"

Pansy was startled. Was Luna really offering to brush her hair? None of her so-called female "friends" had ever offered to do that. Really, she knew that she should say no. What would her housemates think of her? But then again, very few Slytherins had come back. Draco and Blaise were the only students in her year to return. The younger students were sparse as well, and it all made for a very empty common room. As for her parents...

Pansy swallowed hard. Her father would never think to send her hair ribbons or anything else. They had given her money. She could buy them herself. And she remembered insulting girls who wore their hair in braids. But still, she couldn't help but wish it had been her father sending her something...not because he was obligated to, but because he wanted to.

Pansy shifted around to sit directly in front of Luna. "Okay," she said.

Luna's fingers gently carded through her brown locks, carefully working through each tangle before starting to rhythmically work her brush through Pansy's hair. Pansy's hair was thick, and it had always been a bane of her existence. She envied Luna's soft, fine hair. Luna, however, didn't seem to mind Pansy's hair. Her hands deftly managed the brown mass, coaxing it into a French braid with interwoven green ribbons.

Pansy was almost sorry when Luna finished, and before she could stop herself, she was reaching out for the brush.

"Luna, may I brush yours?" she asked hesitantly.

Luna smiled even wider, reached into her bag, and pulled out a handful of lilac ribbons, placing them in Pansy's hand.

"I'd like that," she said and turned around so that Pansy could reach her.

Pansy had never brushed anyone's hair except her own. But she took her cue from Luna and gentled her usual brisk strokes, making sure not to snag the brush on tangles and inadvertently hurt the younger girl.

It continued like that for a few moments. Finally, into the quiet, Luna spoke.

"Pansy, would you like to talk about it?"

A few more moments passed. And then, Pansy started to talk.

When she walked in with Luna that evening, Pansy caught Draco's eye, daring him to say something snide.

He just shook his head and smiled. It was the first time she'd seen him smile since the battle.

She smiled back. And then Luna clasped her hand, looking at her uncertainly. Without hesitation, Pansy led Luna to the Slytherin table and sat down beside her.

Minerva McGonagall, watching them, smiled gently too.