Malfoy Manor

"I guess it's just a little quiet escape where they won't be found. I can't imagine your parents make it in here more often than once every, oh, ten years. I mean, really, could you see them just going on a stroll through your house and the rooms for the fun of it." She looked around, noting that the room went rather far, connecting to another small room at the back. Without saying anything, assuming he'd follow her regardless, she made her way down the long room toward the back, curious what it was like. Once she'd arrived, it was only a little disappointing to find that it was much the same as the rest of the room with every surface covered in textures and colors and curves and gold. But the cabinet here looked different from the others, and there were scraped marks on the wall beside it. "What do you suppose...?" She looked at the cabinet, pushing it a little, stepping back quickly as she discovered it was mounted on rollers and slid out of the way, revealing a door and a dark old staircase.

Draco walked after her into the other room and watched as she rolled the cabinet aside. "Well that's not something I expected." He stepped closer and shoved the cabinet the last foot it needed to fully open the hole. Glancing back at her he grinned, "Let's go!" Reaching behind him he took her hand and pulled her forwards, using lumos to light their way. As they walked into the dark he moved so that she could stand next to him and he could roll the cabinet back so that it almost fully covered the passage entrance again. "Don't want anyone else joining us." He gave her an excited grin and took her hand again as they started down the stairs.

Pansy laughed and let him grab her hand, following as he started down the stairs. They were wide enough they could walk side by side, and in the light of his wand the stairs looked like they were carved from marble. Typical, even the secret passageways of Malfoy Manor were elaborate enough to require exotic marble steps. "Where could this go? There's cobwebs all over it." Her voice echoed eerily through the cavernous area, but soon fell silent again. Since she couldn't use magic outside of school, her wand would be as good as useless except for the fact that at the moment it made an excellent spider-web-destroyer-stick, which she used quite gladly as they descended through web after web. They continued down the steps, but one of them crumbled a little under Pansy's foot. She gasped as it pulled her feet out from under her, sending her sliding down a little bit as she simultaneously held tighter to Draco's hand to try and catch herself, but let go so she wouldn't pull him down with her.

Draco kept going down the stairs, occasionally ducking under webs that she had missed. "I have no idea where this goes, it feels like we've been going for long enough to get to the dunge-" all of a sudden she slipped and let go of his hand. Immediately his arm went around her waist to make sure she didn't fall onto her bum or go tumbling down the stairs. When she had gotten her feet back under her he didn't let go of her but he loosened his grip slightly. "You okay?"

Pansy was laughing as he caught her, feeling pretty stupid for nearly wiping out down the stairs. Though she'd let go of him, she was glad he caught her from falling, because marble steps probably would have hurt quite a bit. "I think the edges are a little crumbly. I'm fine." She turned to look up at him, feeling strangely safe with his arm around her middle. "Thanks." She wondered if it was happening again, if them being away from school was going to make everything perfect all over again, to get her hopes up once she's back in love with him, only to fall to pieces once they returned to school. Because honestly she was getting pretty tired of that cycle.

All he wanted to do in that moment was lean in and kiss her again but after what had happened the last time and the days after he didn't want her to be avoiding him again. He moved his arm from around her waist and linked it with hers. Holding his wand out he lit up the stairs again and they kept going down. At the bottom they reached a large wooden door. Pushing on it he couldn't get it to open so he tried pulling it. It cracked open a little and he let go of her and pulled harder. It swung open and there was a dark room ahead of them, his wand only lighting small crescent by the door.

Pansy followed him - more carefully this time - down the stairs until they reached the bottom. She stepped back as he tugged it open, peeking over her shoulder only to see darkness. She grabbed onto his elbow and walked through the doorway behind him, her thin fingers wrapping their way around his arm the further into the room they got. Sure, a dark room was all well and good and manageable, but not when she couldn't use magic. And who knew what could be hidden away in the secret passages of the old parts of Malfoy Manor. There was really no telling. "What is this?" She whispered, but it felt exceptionally loud in the silence and darkness. She rested her chin against the side of his shoulder, peeking around him to try and look at whatever his wand might be lighting up.

Draco slowly edged them into the room. He wished she could use magic too so they would have more light but unfortunately she couldn't. Taking a couple of steps forwards the light moved around the door and he saw some dark shapes that turned out to be large black cabinets. He saw a sconce on the wall and, dropping the lumos, cast a nonverbal incendio at it to make the room slightly lighter. As the room came into more focus he lit the sconces as they came into sight. "Well this is interesting."

Pansy put her wand back into her pocket, following him closely as he went into the room. Luckily the sconces on the wall were easily found and plentiful, every other one having a tiny mirror behind the candle to reflect the flame and light across the room. Though she'd pressed quite close to him when he stopped the lumos charm, she stepped away again when the candles were satisfactorily lighting the area. "I wonder what's in these?" She crossed to one of the black cabinets, reaching for the knob to open it, but hesitating just before her hand got there. She wasn't sure what would happen.

He walked over to join her by the cabinet, "I don't know. I guess we'll have to open them to see." He held is wand right by the door as she pulled it open. He had expected something evil to fly out and smack them in the face or for some sort of array of fascinating objects but instead he saw some old books with faded lettering and a note. He grabbed the note and let her read it with him. The back was sealed with an old wax of the Malfoy crest and he gently cracked it open.

Dear Malfoy,
I am not sure which of my descendants you are but if you find this room then it is yours. In my time I used this place to hide away and work on projects, spells and potions that I didn't want revealed to others but you can use it however you see fit. Know that this is the most private room in all of the manor and can thus be your private lair for whatever nefarious activities you get up to.
Use this room well and remember to only tell those you trust. I for one never told anyone about this room except for my one oldest friend. Even my wife knew nothing of it.
Take care and remain strong,
Cepheus Malfoy

"Interesting. Seems like your, uh, great grandfather? wants us to hang out in his cabinet." Pansy was skeptical, she'd admit it, but as she tugged the door open a little further and looked inside, it was more than it had appeared. The cabinet led into an adjoined room, smallish and cozy, but it looked perfect. There was a couch nestled up close to a small round fire pit, shelves lining one of the walls, stuffed with exceptionally old looking books, a desk in the corner with jars of various colors of ink and beautiful quills. An almost adorable, still fearsome looking bearskin rug, growling head and massive paws included, was sprawled out on the other side of the couch, between it and the bookshelves. "Wow." Clearly it had been meant for one person, and he had said in the letter, meant to be used as a hideaway, a study where no one could find you. It was brilliant.

Draco nodded at the great-grandfather comment and followed her into the little room. Walking around the edge of it he couldn't stop a grin from spreading across his face. "This is amazing." It was exactly how he wanted a room to be. Just how he would love a room. It was small enough that the fire was enough light to get by except for close reading and the couch, he sat down on it, perfectly soft. He relaxed into it and kept looking around, his eyes moving towards the bookshelf. "I can't believe this exists and I'm amazed no one has found it before."

Pansy, as expected, was already checking out the book collection. "Well, it's just your parents at home usually, and we've already established they don't even come into this part of the manor. I'd not be surprised if no one's found it since your great grandfather left that note just inside the entrance for the next nosy Malfoy heir to find." She turned around and walked up behind the couch, resting her hands on his shoulders and looking down over the top of his head. "Which apparently is you."

Draco smiled up at her as she leant over his head, "Well I can't imagine my father or grandfather being curious enough to find anything like this." He looked down from her and around the room again, "I guess this is our own secret hideaway now." He reached up and took her hand then got up from the couch. Walking over to the bookcase he didn't let go of her hand. Looking along the books he brushed a finger over them, taking the dust away. "I don't recognize any of these titles, do you?"

"Not really. I'd seen a few of them at Hogwarts, but never picked them up for one reason or another." She shrugged, watching him look the books over. He was still holding her hand, and she was torn between letting him or pulling away, but she was tired of always wondering where the line was, what she should allow him to do or not do. Pulling her hand from his, she crossed her arms and leaned against the bookshelf as she looked at him. "Draco, look. I've got to figure this out because I can't be left wondering what to do every time you take my hand. I want to make everything okay with us again, like it used to be, but then I start to wonder if holiday here will be perfect and we'll fall right back to the old ways again once we're back at Hogwarts. And if that's the case, I've got to know because I won't do that. Not again. You need to be honest with me about what's going to happen once we get back to school." Pansy hadn't expected to say all of that, to ask him to lay the cards on the table like that, but better here than somewhere they'd be overheard. And better now than torturing herself with it for any longer.

Draco turned to face her as she pulled away. He listened to what she was saying then let the words sit for a moment as he thought about it. He didn't want to rush into this and share his feelings but he also didn't want to muck this up and lose her forever. He stood up straight next to the book shelf and took a deep breath, "I want everything back to the way it was more than you know but I understand exactly what you're saying. At school I know I back away and I act stand-offish towards you but that was me trying to protect you. I want to actually give us a try Pansy, I really do. And I don't want to be that guy anymore but I can't promise I'll be able to change instantly. All I know is that now when I mess up I want to be able to stop and talk to you about it and put it in perspective. I don't want this cycle to continue either and as long as we make sure to talk before one of us blows off the handle I think we can make this work." He kept his eyes on her, hoping that this wasn't the end of it all.

Pansy nodded once he'd finished talking. It was all very much the same thing he'd kept telling her before. "It's just impossible for it to be how it used to be. We're not the same people we were last year, or even at the beginning of this school year. So much has changed. For both of us, really. I guess I've just been too stubborn wanting what we used to have to pay attention to the fact that life changes and we've got to change with it. And I miss you." She missed his friendship when they fought, she missed his company when she was bored or stressed or lonely. She missed daydreaming about what it would be to actually be with him, and in that moment it'd dawned on her about something else he'd said. That he wanted to give them a try. Well, he had said that before and the very next day they'd had their huge explosion, but they were growing up rapidly. Maybe last time was just a little test run. They could handle it this time, couldn't they? "So you really want to give us a try, then?"

Draco nodded to acknowledge what she was saying, "I miss you a lot and I know we can't be exactly the same but I do want to go back to where we could spend time together without fighting or this weird tension." He wanted to reach out and take her hand or at least move towards her but he didn't think that would go over particularly well yet, maybe at the end of this conversation. "Yes, I really do want to give us a try. You're amazing Pansy and you're everything I could want and I for one will always regret it if we don't actually give us a shot."

She felt like she should be jumping up and down and barely able to contain herself right now, because Draco had just told her he'd regret it if they didn't try to at least see if they could be together. But it was strange, she didn't feel like that at all. There was only a little happy warm glow from her stomach, a small leap from her heart, and she felt normal again. She did smile softly at him though, trying to figure out what to say to him. Maybe she wasn't actually over him after all. Maybe she just needed to give him another chance. A cautious chance, but a chance nonetheless. "Then why not." And without really knowing, or caring, why, Pansy moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him and resting her cheek on his chest. "Oh Merlin, I've missed you."

Hi.
Does this mean I get to do my scene soon?

Draco smiled and closed his eyes, resting his chin on the top of her head as his arms wrapped around her too, "I missed you too, so much." He kept his arms around her and moved so that his lips dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Thank you Pans, thanks for giving me, us, another chance." He felt as though his world was finally on it's way to rightness and he never wanted to jeopardize this. He knew that they wouldn't have a perfect relationship because they had changed and both of them were far too headstrong but at least now if they fought there was still a chance they could stop themselves soon enough before things got bad again, now that they knew where they stood.

Daphne Greengrass wrote:Hi.
Does this mean I get to do my scene soon?

Well..... just wait and see darling.

Pansy leaned back a bit to look up at him. "We'll make this work. I think we're both too stubborn to give up on it now." She just looked at him for a moment before she wondered about how long they'd been exploring and talking. "When should we head back to get ready for dinner? I know your parents wouldn't appreciate lateness, and I have to actually attempt to look nice as well." It was always expected for her to wear a dress to any and all dinners with the Malfoys. Proper manners and perfect pureblood etiquette was the only acceptable behavior at meals with them, no matter the occasion. It had always been like that when she visited, behaving as well as she could while in their presence, and then doing whatever she liked once she could escape. It was here that she'd gotten to be the little rebel she preferred, as she was too afraid of going against her own mother to be like that at home. Granted, things at her house were different now since she and her mother's last little visit, but she still knew what was expected of her from the Malfoys.

His smile didn't fade and all as he looked down at her but when she mentioned the time he felt a small surge of panic. Draco looked at the walls but couldn't see a clock. "I think we had better head up there now and get ready, or at least double check the time. I'm not even sure what time we're having dinner tonight for if the elves could find us down here to tell us. We can come back here after dinner, okay?" He held her close for another second then pulled away from her and held out his hand hoping she would take it.

"Alright." Pansy smiled a little at him and this time took his hand with more sureness than she had in a long time. Following him out of the cabinet room, which they were sure to close up just in case, they headed back up the staircase and slid the cupboard back in front of it again, moving through the over-decorated elegant room. They quickly called upon a house elf and asked about dinner, to which they were told it would be ready shortly and they could head down to the dining room as soon as they wished. A little panicked and nervous about being late, the two of them continued down the halls until they parted momentarily to go to their own bedrooms and get ready with a promise of whoever finished first heading to the other's room so they could go down together.

Pansy went into her room and headed over to the armoire, staring at the dresses she'd brought with her, considering each one a little before she was able to decide. Though, she put two of them back before she finally decided to just go with the third one she pulled out, not sure why she was having so much trouble picking what to wear. She supposed it was simply because she worried about looking nice for his parents, as they always expected so much of her and she actually feared them enough to want to impress them, despite the fact that the same could not be said about her own mother. She went into the bathroom and washed her face before changing out of her clothes and into the purpley-black dress heading back into the bathroom to brush her hair.