"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Said Pansy when she opened the front door of her Manor House in the Lake District of England. She threw her arms around Johnny's neck and embraced him in a tight hug. From inside the house, Johnny could hear screaming.

"What's happening?" Johnny asked her, his arms tightly around her waist as he talked in her ear. "Nice style, by the way," he looked Pansy up and down. Pansy had cut her black hair in a low bob with a fringe, and traded her bootcut jeans and cardigans for fishnets, leather jackets and Doc Martens.

"Thanks," Pansy lightly blushed, still holding Johnny in her arms. "My parents have gone to Paris with my older sister and her husband and left me here with my niece and my younger brother."

"I'm not good with kids," Johnny said unsurely.

"Good, because we're not looking after them," Pansy grinned, taking Johnny's bag off of his back and throwing it into the hallway along with her own leather jacket. "Gimbel! We're going!"

There was a loud pop and suddenly a small creature with big eyes and bat-like ears appeared in front of them, wearing nothing but a old pillowcase.

"Where is Mistress Parkinson going?" The House-Elf, who Johnny now knew as Gimbel, asked, staring up at the two expectantly.

"I'm going to show Johnny the gardens and then take him out to the lake," said Pansy, grabbing a Polaroid camera off the table by the door. "We'll be back later."

"Yes, Mistress," Gimbel bowed lowly.

"It's so peaceful out here," said Johnny a few moments later when they started walking through the gardens of Parkinson Manor. The sun was sweltering hot that day and in Pansy's opinion, Johnny never looked more handsome than when the sun would reflect off the light bead of sweat on his forehead or his blue eyes.

Pansy couldn't help it. When Johnny walked forward ever so slightly, bending down to look at the ducks in the lake, Pansy raised the camera to her eye and snapped a photo.

"Don't! I look horrible!" Johnny laughed, trying to snatch the Polaroid from Pansy. "Pansy!"

"You look handsome, shut up," said Pansy firmly. Her firm exterior broke though when a small red tint rose to Johnny's cheeks and a shy smile overtook his features.

"I'm sweaty and I haven't slept in days," Pansy frowned at him.

"Why?"

"Because..." Johnny trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Because of the Dark Lord?" Pansy finished for him. Johnny nodded, biting down on his lower lip. "Fuck him," said Pansy bluntly, causing Johnny's eyes to widen before the two broke into giggles. "These next two weeks it will just be us," said Pansy. Unfortunately Blaise and Theo were going to Italy with their parents and Daphne was vacationing in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

With their hands linked, Pansy led them down to a small dock just down from the Manor and Johnny helped her into a rowboat, before climbing in himself.

"Where to?" Johnny asked when he pushed the boat away from the dock, grabbing the oars.

"See that island in the middle of the lake?" Johnny nodded, rowing in that direction. "My father likes to take my mother out on the boat on days like this," said Pansy. Johnny rowed them out to a small island in the middle of the lake and helped Pansy out. There was a little shed in the centre of the island, with two dangling egg chairs outside it. Inside the small shed was a wine cellar and a small bar filled with soft drinks and spirits and a little bookshelf with a record player.

"It's lovely," said Johnny in awe, as Pansy flicked on the fairy lights that overhung the egg chairs. The sun had began setting, and Johnny settled in the egg chair with a can of coke. Pansy climbed into the chair next to him, a small book in her hand. "Read to me,," said Johnny, resting his head back on the pillows. Pansy looked up from the book, smiling slightly as she climbed into the chair beside him, pulling a blanket over the both of them.

"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

"She was the youngest of the two daughters of a most affectionate, indulgent father; and had, in consequence of her sister's marriage, been mistress of his house from a very early period. Her mother had died too long ago for her to have more than an indistinct remembrance of her caresses; and her place had been supplied by an excellent woman as governess, who had fallen little short of a mother in affection."

Pansy read aloud, the fairy lights lighting up the pages as the day turned to night. It was an hour later when Pansy heard the soft snores coming from Johnny. The brunette had his arm securely wrapped around Pansy's shoulder, pulling her into him, ensuring the blacked haired girl wouldn't fall out of the chair. Pansy smiled softly, kissing Johnny's cheek before placing her head under Johnny's chin and closing her eyes.

Two weeks later, Johnny awoke in the guest room of Pansy's house in a fright when the door burst open and Pansy, her younger brother, Lucien, and her niece, Avery flooded in the bedroom.

"Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear, Johnny!
Happy Birthday to you!"

It wasn't Johnny's birthday for another month, but Avery insisted she wanted to be able to celebrate her new best friend's birthday with him so they put together a little something for Johnny. Pansy even wrote to Daphne, Theo and Blaise to tell them to send any birthday presents they had now.

"You scared me!" Johnny laughed as Avery, the small nine year old, climbed onto his lap and hugged him tightly, while Lucien stood at the end of the four poster bed with five neatly wrapped presents in his hands, and Pansy closed the door behind them, carrying a tray of various breakfast assortments.

"Gimbel helped us with these," said Pansy, setting the tray down on the bedside table. She leaned over the bed and wrapped Johnny in a tight hug, placing a gentle kiss to his cheek, causing Johnny's cheeks to flush.

"You really didn't need to go through all this effort for me," said Johnny, his cheeks still tainted red. Avery giggled at Johnny.

"Nonsense," Pansy patted his cheek.

"So, presents first or breakfast?" Lucien asked, dropping the presents on the bed. Johnny grinned, hands shooting out for the first present as he ripped the paper open. The first present was off Blaise and his mother. They gifted him a new pair of converse shoes, with a small note from Blaise joking about Johnny's beaten up pair.

The next present was Daphne, Astoria, Cygnus and Keira, who had gifted him a new blue denim jacket with different bands like Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Rolling Stones and Status Quo patches sewn on.

"Ours next!" Avery clapped her hands excitedly.

"Pansy took her sweet time picking this out for you," Lucien said in a teasing tone, smirking at his sister who looked at him with wide eyes and told him to shush. Johnny laughed at them, unwrapping the present to see a new cassette. "Wish" by The Cure had been released in May when they had been at Hogwarts and Johnny had been saving his pocket money for it, but the Parkinson's and Avery beat him to it.

"You shouldn't have," said Johnny in shock, hugging all three of them tightly.

"In Aunt Pansy's words, you're worth it," said Avery, causing Johnny and Lucien to laugh as Pansy blushed furiously.

"You've got one left," said Lucien, holding up the last present.

"Hand it over then," Johnny ripped the paper open to see a black leather diary, T. M. Riddle inscribed on the front cover.

"Who's it from?" Pansy asked, taking it out of Johnny's hands and flicking through the empty diary.

"Dear Johnny, we hope you have a wonderful day and hope this present reaches you well and you'll put it to good use," Johnny read from the note in the packaging. "There's no signature."

"Perhaps it was the Malfoy's," Pansy said jokingly. "They're on holiday with Theo and Blaise after all."

"Always knew them Malfoy's were weirdo's," said Lucien, earning a slap around the ear from Pansy. "What? Why're they gifting Johnny some random guys diary?"

"The Malfoy's are your nieces family," Pansy hissed, glancing at Avery who was playing with a ring on Johnny's finger. "Let's leave Johnny to eat his breakfast, honey, we can see him later," said Pansy. Avery nodded, kissing both Johnny and Pansy on the cheek before running out of the room, Lucien following after her.

"You and I are going to Diagon Alley later," Pansy added when they were alone. "For school stuff," Johnny nodded, smiling widely as Pansy set the tray on his lap. "Enjoy," she winked, before leaving Johnny to his breakfast.

After Johnny was done, he showered and got dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a white dress shirt with shiny black dress shoes and the denim jacket the Greengrass family gifted him. He put a gold watch on as well as a few rings he had been gifted over the years, one of which Dumbledore had given him at the end of last term.

It was a plain silver ring, but on the top it had a triangle with a circle in the centre and a line going through the centre of them both. Johnny didn't know how Dumbledore had found out about his true heritage, he assumed Harry told him, but the Headmaster said it belonged to Johnny's grandfather some fifty years ago and he wanted Johnny to have it.

"You look... wow," said Pansy when Johnny entered the living room of the manor. Pansy wore her black Doc Martens that stopped at her ankle, fish net stockings with grey washed denim shorts and a Alice Copper t-shirt tucked into her shorts with a black leather jacket with silver studs along the collar and arms.

"And you look great," said Johnny, causing Pansy to smile shyly. Johnny laughed, a faint red tint appearing on his cheeks as he grabbed his wallet off the sofa. He knew his Muggle money would be useless in Diagon Alley, but he was hoping to have a look around Muggle London afterwards. Using Floo Powder, Johnny and Pansy made it to Diagon Alley, seeing it as busy as it usually was.

"Shall we?" Johnny asked, holding his arm out for Pansy.

"We shall," Pansy nodded with a smile, linking her right arm through Johnny's left and gently laying her left hand on top of Johnny's bicep. They made it to Magical Menagerie, where Pansy spent half an hour picking out a cat before she settled on a ginger tabby cat. They then went to Sugarplum's Sweet Shop, where Pansy insisted on buying Johnny a big bag of Tommy Tucker's Tongue-Twisting Twizzlers.

"You really don't need to pay for all this," said Johnny when they sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, the brunette licking his mint chocolate ice cream.

"It's your birthday, of course I do," Pansy rolled her eyes, her tabby cat hanging around her neck like a scarf. "Shall we have a look at that!?" Pansy asked excitedly, pointing at a sign outside of Flourish & Blotts.

GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.

"We can actually meet him!" Pansy squealed.

"I'd rather shit in my hands and clap," Johnny put it bluntly.

"Come on!" Pansy groaned and grabbed ahold of Johnny's hand. They joined the queue behind a familiar redhead family.

"Johnny," Harry breathed, awkwardly holding his fist out for a bump, which Johnny more awkwardly accepted. That moment with Quirrell and Voldemort flashed before Johnny's eyes as he awkwardly patted his shoulder. The Weasley's (minus Mrs. Weasley, who greeted Johnny with warm hugs) greeted both Slytherin's with icy cold glares, causing both to glare back.

The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies... Don't push, there... mind the books, now..."

Pansy and Johnny squeezed inside alongside three-quarters of the Golden Quartet. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."

Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.

"He's so handsome!" Pansy gushed, and Johnny looked at her as if she had grown two heads.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.

"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet--"

"Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron - and then he saw Harry - and then Johnny. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Johnathan Grindelwald and Harry Potter?"

"How the fuck do so many people know?" Johnny mumbled to himself, but Pansy overheard and giggled as the crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's and Johnny's arms, and pulled them to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand and had his arm wrapped tightly around Johnny's shoulders for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys.

"Nice big smile, boys," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, the both of you and I are worth the front page."

When he finally let go of Johnny's shoulders, Johnny could hardly feel his arms. He tried to sidle back over to Pansy and the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders again and clamped him tightly to his side, Harry on the other.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!"

"When young Johnathan and Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography - which I shall be happy to present them now, free of charge -" The crowd applauded again. "They had no idea ," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that they would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. They and their schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry and Johnny found themselves being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Pansy was standing next to her new cat.

"You have these," Johnny mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own--"

"Bet you loved that, didn't you?" said a voice Johnny had no trouble recognising. She straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Drac, who was wearing his usual sneer, but he wasn't looking at Johnny, but straight at Harry. "Famous Harry Potter," said Draco. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny Weasley. It was the first time she had spoken in front of them. She was glaring at Draco.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Draco. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart's books.

"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as he his to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Pansy, crossing her arms over her chest as she sneered at the redhead. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Pansy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket while Draco and Johnny stood protectively in front of Pansy, the latter of which reached behind him and intertwined their hands.

"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."

It was Lucius Malfoy. He appeared behind the three Slytherin's and placed his hands on Draco's and Johnny's shoulders, sneering in just the same way.

"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"

He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.

"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower."

There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please - please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all--

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up--"

"Let's go," said John, dragging Pansy from the shop.