"Who's Watching?"

Three weeks later found Ron and Pansy becoming even closer. During the time they spent together they got to know each other more. They spoke of family and their ambitions. Ron wanted to be an artist and Pansy wanted to write.



It was at this time one evening when Lavender found Ron in the common room reading another magazine.



“Ronald.” He looked up and frowned. Lavender’s eyes were bloodshot and he nose was red. She had been crying.



“Yes?” He wanted to avoid an argument if possible. The last thing he needed was to start her crying again.



“I spoke with the headmaster today. My parents came to the school.” She said.



“Everything alright then?” He asked. When parent involved the headmaster nothing good came from it.



“My parent have decided to move to Paris. They spoke to Dumbledore about having my records and reports transferred to Beauxbatons.”



“I see. When do you leave?” He asked.



“In two days.” She moved closer and looked down at him in his seat. “I will miss you Ron.” A tear slid down her cheek.



“I’m sure you will make friends quickly.” He knew it was true. All the girls at the French school were just as fastidious as Lavender about hair and makeup and clothes. She’d fit right in.



“That’s it? You won’t miss me in the least will you?” The tears began and Ron knew now was the time to come clean. She needed to know outright so she could understand and they could leave each other in good conscience.



“Lavender sit down,” he gestured to the armchair beside him, “I want you to know something before you go. I think you have a right to.” She sat and looked at him. “I know that it seems as if Pansy is the reason we couldn’t try again but she’s not. It would be the same whether or not I started dating anyone. Lavender the reason we didn’t work is because you expected me to be something I’m not.”



“I never expected anything like that Ron.” She seemed slightly angry.



“Yes Lavender, you did. You expected me to be wherever you were, to give up the things I enjoy to spend time with you. I never drew when I was with you. I love to draw, but I couldn’t because every time you were around you asked why I was wasting time.”



“They’re just doodles Ron.” She argued.



“No they were, not to me. You got upset when I went to quidditch practice.” He told her.



“I went to every practice to watch you.” She said leaning forward.



“And you complained afterward about having to waste the time when we could have been doing something else.” She fell silent. “Face it Lavender, you need a man who can’t live without you being near him. I want a woman who’s secure enough to be my partner. I want someone who can do her own thing while I do mine, but still know I’m hers.”



“I thought I was.” She told him.



“You wanted me to be this ideal image that you had in mind, and that’s not me. I don’t care how your hair looks or what outfit your wearing. Things like that don’t matter to me, but it made a lot of difference to you. If I didn’t notice the smallest change in your appearance you thought something was wrong.”



She looked off to the side, not meeting his eyes. For several long moments neither spoke. She looked at him and then rose. She took a few steps toward the girls dorms then stopped. “Goodbye then Ron.”



He stood up and walked over to her. She was avoiding his eyes, but at least he could see her face. “Don’t leave thinking I didn’t care about you because I did. I just want you to find the man that wants to be at your side every moment.” She smiled at him. She actually smiled at him, and for once Ron was glad to see it. “Maybe in Paris you will find a man of romance novel caliber.” He gave her a hug, which she returned. Ron could tell she let a few more tears fall even while she chuckled. He held her until she calmed.



Then she pulled away and walked to the girls dorms. Ron sat down but had lost interest in the article. Feeling a sense of relief he left the common room and went to bed.



The next day Lavender was only around at mealtimes. The rest of the time was spend packing and preparing to leave. The tears with her friends in all houses could be heard everywhere.



“Are you upset that I spoke to her?” Ron asked on one of their walks.



“No, not at all,” she assured him, “I’m glad she was able to leave without any unresolved issues. It seems like she’ll be alright now.”



Ron chuckled. “You seem happy for her?”



“I am. You know the girls at Beauxbatons, they are all duplicates of Lavender.”



Ron gave in to a laugh. “I know, and with all those romantic French men, she’ll have her pick. I do think she finally understand though?”



“I think so too, you were very upfront about how it was with her.” Pansy said. “And she laughed didn’t she, when you made the romance novel joke.” Ron nodded. She agreed with him, there shouldn’t have been any unresolved issues.



“It’s a good feeling though.” He said, clutching her waist tighter. “I know I wanted her away but I don’t like being the reason girls cry, so her finally getting the picture is a huge relief.” The feel of her hips moving along his as they walked was a joy he had come to treasure.



“I wish I knew such relief. Blaise won’t listen to reason.” She said. She was beginning to get frustrated. She held tight to Ron as they continued their leisurely walk.



Blaise watched the couple from a stone pillar not far from the grounds. His rage was growing daily. He had thought eventually Pansy and Ron would grow tired of each other and forget whatever it was they were engaged in, but they hadn’t. If anything they were growing closer.



He had seen the red head looking at Pansy when she was distracted. He watched Weasley’s blue eyes roam over her body. Blaise himself had looked at Pansy’s body many times. He would have liked to see her without her clothes on, but no matter how he asked or what he promised, she always refused to even take her shirt off.



The fact that she might have granted the weasel that privilege and not him was enough to make him want to destroy something. Pansy had long been his and now he had no control over her. Things were fast getting out of hand and Zabini couldn’t take it much longer. Breaking the branch he had been holding, he left for the inner grounds.



Just as he suspected, Draco was near the giant fountain with Crabbe and Goyle. “Hey Draco, have you got a minute?” Crabbe and Goyle gave the blonde a nod and took off. They didn’t think much of Blaise and the way things were going with Pansy, their opinion of him wouldn’t improve.



“What’s on your mind Blaise?” Draco asked but he had a fair idea of what that was.



“I want to ask you about Pansy?” He said, sitting next to him.



“What about her?”



“I need to know what’s going on with her. You and ‘bull head’ are her closest friends, you can give me insight.”



“Why not ask Millicent, girls talk to each other more then gents do.” He really didn’t want to discuss Pansy with him.



“There is no way I’m approaching ‘bull head’, I’ll end up walking about without my fellow.” Draco laughed at the image, but Blaise had no idea how close to reality his joke was.



“So what is it you want to know?” Draco asked.



“How serious is she about the weasel?”



“They appear pretty serious to me.” Draco said.



“I know how it appears but I want to know the real reason she’s doing this.”



“Did it ever occur to you that she may actually like Weasley?” Draco said, delighted that Blaise was so frustrated.



“Come on, do you believe that? She takes him over the alternative?”



“What alternative?” Draco asked with a knowing grin.



“Me, of course. She has a decent Slytherin, yet she chooses to hang about with that wanker.” He didn’t understand how Draco failed to see this. “You can’t tell me you approve of this.”



“It’s not up to me to approve. Pansy is my friend, and to be honest I hate seeing her upset.”



Blaise fixed Draco with a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”



“It means Pansy is a lot less stressed and angry since she left you. Face it Blaise you didn’t exactly treat her well did you.”



“I treated her just fine.”



“Girls don’t want to be treated just fine they want to be treated special. The way he treats her Blaise. She likes it, and you’ll be hard pressed to come up with something better.”



“What can that poor wanker give her? Come on, you must know something that she wants.”



“Is that what you were trying to find out, what present to buy her?” Draco rolled his eyes. “Blaise you really don’t know anything about her do you?”



“Draco it’s the same with any girl, buy her a nice present and she’s happy.”



“Not Pansy. If you had taken the time to get to know her at all when you dated then you would know she doesn’t like it when anyone tries to buy presents to get what they want.”



“She’s a girl Draco, it can’t be that hard. She must want something.”



“Your problem Blaise, is that you think all women can be bought.”



“You thought the same thing not to long ago you know.”



“Yes, the difference being that I grew up in the past year or so. Not all women can be bought, particularly the ones who are worth it.” Draco rose and let his house mate wondering at his behavior.





After dinner Pansy hurried to meet Ron. She took his hand and unable to stop her laughing and pulled him into the same niche they were in when they agreed to pretend.



“Alright then, alright, what’s so funny.” He said smiling brightly at her. He had come to love her laugh.



She calmed down enough to talk but never lost her smile. “Before dinner Draco talked to me. Blaise had gone to him asking if there was something I desperately wanted that he could buy for me.”



“Buy for you?” Ron’s eyes shot open in surprise. “He’s getting desperate.”



“Yes he is. Draco said he thinks all it takes is something you won’t be able to buy for me.”



“Oh man.” He let out a chuckle.



“I mean I like presents just as much as the next girl Ron, but if it’s one thing that leads off my list of absolutely boorish behavior…”



“Absolutely boorish behavior?” Ron laughed.



“Yes……one thing that leads off that list is people who think other people can be bought or bribed. I can’t stand it. It shows lack of just about everything, trust, character, integrity, innocence, you name it.”



Ron nodded. “You have a point there. It reminds me of the time old tradition of men buying their wives jewelry when they’ve cheated.”



“You see what I mean?” She said laughing.



“Yes I do.” Together they shared a laugh as they walked around the halls.