Innocents Be Damned

Five Years Later

Pansy's hands shook as they rested on the wheel.

"You got this, Pans," Astoria encouraged. "It's just a car. You drove before the accident, and nothing happened."

"Yeah, and then I got in a fuckin accident," Pansy muttered. her eyes widened significantly as she looked in the rearview mirror. "Sorry!"

"No bad language words Mommy!" Sam giggled.

Pansy smiled at her three-year-old. "Of course not."

She turned back to her task at hand.

Her fingers twitched nervously, a bad habit from when she was younger. She never could figure out how to control that.

"We're gonna be late, Mommy!" Sam shouted, a huge smile on his face. "Let's gooooooo!"

"Right," she said, smiling at her son in the rearview mirror.

"Hey," Astoria whispered, leaning in. "I love you."

Pansy nodded, smiling and closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them again.

Slowly, she backed out of their driveway, and started driving down the street.

"Yay!" Sam squealed, laughing as Astoria turned around in her seat to make funny faces at him.

Pansy tried to calm her nerves as she drove. She knew how to drive, but she hadn't actually been in a driver's seat in five years, not since the accident.

She supposed she was better than Neville, though. Neville couldn't get in a car for six months after the accident. It took a lot of coaxing from Blaise to get him near one again, and three more months before he could drive.

"You're doing fantastic," Astoria said softly. 

Pansy relaxed at her wife's words. "Thank you," she murmured. 

"Of course. I'm always here for you, Pans."

***********************************

"Blaise Zabini, if you don't get your ass downstairs in three seconds, I swear on your mother and her six husbands I will murder you!"

"Love, not in front of the children, that would be a tragedy," Blaise laughed, stumbling down the stairs. "I had to change my shirt."

"You changed your shirt three times already. You look hot in everything, let's go. The twins are already in the car."

Blaise kissed his cheek. "You driving or me?"

"You, please."

"Of course." Blaise caught the keys that Neville tossed his way, and went to start the car.

Neville smiled as her grabbed his phone and locked the door. He hopped in the passenger seat and turned to face his kids. "You guys excited?"

Although the twins couldn't exactly talk yet, they both squealed happily at Neville's enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" Neville cheered, turning back around.

"You have too much energy for nine in the morning," Blaise muttered.

"You have too little energy for CHRISTMAS EVE!" Neville yelled, pumping his arms in the air.

"I hate you sometimes."

"You love me, bitch."

"No cussing in front of the kids!"

"Hey, they can't even talk yet! And besides, if Cassie's first word is fuck, Ginny's gonna lose her shit."