Cormac saw him and waved him over, evidently not at all embarrassed that his bare knees were on display for everyone to see. "Michael! How are you doing, mate?" he said with a sheepish grin. He turned his attention to the woman beside him. "Oh. Terribly sorry. Pansy Parkinson, meet--"

"Michael Corner," she said, a genuine smile on her lips. She stepped to Michael, taking his hands in hers, and placing a kiss on his cheek. "What's it been? Fourteen hours?" she asked, giggling. Taking in Cormac's astonished look, she supplied, "We had breakfast together this morning."

That's one way of putting it, thought Michael, and he raised an eyebrow slightly. Registering Cormac's slightly bewildered expression, and then the narrowing of his eyes, Michael realized that perhaps it might be best to steer clear of the couple this evening. He liked both of them very much, but he had a feeling Cormac was less than happy to discover his date was on far more intimate terms with Michael than Cormac had supposed.

Corner. And Pansy? Breakfast--after what? Pansy's smiling? Merlin's lacy knickers. "Breakfast? Well that's pleasant enough," he managed to say. I'm wearing a dress for this woman and she's breakfasting with other men? That smarts.

Pansy turned her attention back to Michael. "You're here with your girl, then?"

"I am," Michael replied with a smile. He turned to Cormac, and his eyes twinkled with laughter. "I see I'm not the only one. You know, I do recall a certain friend of mine foretelling for me a future that included walking the streets with my girlfriend, wearing matching cloaks. Strange, if I remember correctly, I think he might have been mocking me."

"Don't forget the poodle, mate," Cormac answered grumpily.

Pansy smirked at the male posturing. "Oh, now, boys, play nicely." She gave Cormac's behind a light smack, winked at him, and turned back to Michael. "Where is she? Su, was it?"

"Yes, it's Su, and I left her in the Three Broomsticks," Michael explained. "Came out here for some cider." He lifted the mugs, and took a sip of his--it was delicious. Worth every Knut, Michael decided.

There was an explosion and a light behind them, and all three of them turned around to see the beginning of the fireworks show. The sky was pitch-black, and the first of the spectacular explosions of light were orange in color, and shaped in traditional Halloween symbols, much to the glee of the many children in attendance. A grinning jack o' lantern lit up the sky, followed by a skeleton that seemed to dance and jangle each of its bones. Soon the singular, intricate fireworks were abandoned in favor of an abundance of the ordinary sort--huge starbursts of red, and yellow, blue and green, screamed across the sky, reflected in their faces. Pansy's eyes shone red for a terrifying moment; Michael's pale skin took on a sickly green tone. The sharp, sizzling crack of sparklers buzzed in the air as Hogwarts students, from first years to seventh years, ran amok with flames streaming from the ends of their wands. Cormac watched Pansy stand completely still with her mouth slightly open and eyes sparkling, enraptured by the spectacle like a child.

Cormac nudged Michael behind Pansy's back. "Could you stay with her for a moment, mate?" he whispered. "I'll be right back."

"Sure, mate," Michael replied, more focused on the grandeur of the moment than anything Cormac was saying. He knew he ought to get back to Su; she was bound to be wondering were he was, but the crowds were too thick to move through anyway, and he'd only be looking after Pansy for a moment or two anyway. Cormac probably had to take a piss; poor bloke, trapped in that ridiculous costume.

The grand finale of the fireworks show was magnificent, each display more grand than the last, and Pansy clapped her hands, delighted, like everyone else in the crowd when it ended. The applause finally died down to nothing, and at once, a lone flash shot up in the sky, and green lights morphed into the shape that had caused more terror and alarm than any other in wizarding history. The skull with the snake slithering out of its mouth lit up the sky.

Pansy looked around wildly. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. She felt the fear bubbling up in her as if it were coming from her toes, and heard heard an ear-splitting shriek that continued for several seconds, before she became conscious of the fact that Michael had grabbed hold of her shoulders, and was shaking her, gently but persistently, saying, "Pansy, it's all right, it's all right" over and over. With a start, Pansy realized the scream was coming from her own mouth, and she froze, quivering.

She allowed Michael to put his arms around her as he tried to calm her down, but it was to no avail. She looked up at Michael with frightened eyes. "How? How is it going to be all right? It's not, it's not all right at all." Pansy closed her eyes and tried to control the hysterical sobs that threatened to come out of her mouth.

They both turned their eyes to the sky again as a great roar came from the crowd; Michael stared with a sickening, sinking feeling in his gut, as particles of the strangest shade of purple gathered in the sky like a swarm of angry bees. They clung together to form another shape; it was hard to make out at first, being foreign to the his eyes, and then Michael realized it was a peacock, its tail feathers spread with proud arrogance, and its beak razor sharp. The crowd was completely silent; it seemed as though the only sound was Pansy's harsh sobbing, as she trembled in his arms. The peacock wavered next to the Dark Mark, and then, with startling speed, the pointy beak spread wide, and with an eerily coincidental rush of wind, seemed to suck the Dark Mark in, consuming the terrifying skull and its accompanying snake. The terrified stillness of the crowd shattered like a pane of glass, and the screams grew loud again; to Michael's complete surprise, they were not sounds of terror, but instead shouts of exultation--was everybody cheering, Michael wondered, completely bewildered. I need to find Su now, was his next thought, but he was clutching Pansy in his arms, and Cormac was missing, and he didn't know what to do. He found himself stroking Pansy's hair, as he helped her through the streets of Hogsmeade, hoping the tide of the celebrating crowd would carry him back to the Three Broomsticks.

Cormac, pushing through the crowd, returned to where he had left Pansy with Michael. "Pansy?" he called. "Pansy!" he called again, his voice turning anxious. Turning in circles, his eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a beautiful raven-haired woman in white. He squinted; was that Pansy and Michael coming into view? No, it couldn't be. There was no way the sobbing woman he saw being cradled in the arms of an extremely concerned-looking man could be Pansy. He stared at them as they came closer, and his jaw dropped, his mind clearly not accepting what he was seeing. He caught Michael's eye and saw the look of relief that passed across his face as he realized he had found Cormac. Rushing forward to join Pansy and Michael, he asked Michael, "What in Merlin's name happened to her?"

Michael handed Pansy off to Cormac as gently as he could manage in his haste. "Did you miss the Dark Mark, maybe, mate?" he replied, somewhat sarcastically, worry creasing his forehead. "Or perhaps the eerie purple peacock that swallowed it right afterwards? Something's gone seriously fucking wrong this evening is what's happened...although apparently nobody but us have caught on. Everyone seems to think this peacock is some sort of good omen or something." He shook his head. Divination and its ruddy symbols. Ridiculous.

He stooped slightly to meet Pansy's eyes dead-on. "It's going to be all right, Pans. Cormac will take care of you." He pressed a kiss to her damp forehead, and then stood, the anxiety scrawled all across his face.

"I've got to find Su," he said, shaking his head. "Something's odd, and I'm going to find her. Take care of Pansy; she needs it." His voice was grim, and he gave Cormac a serious glance, before pushing through the crowds towards the Three Broomsticks, heart heavy with fear and worry--a complete contrast to the strangely happy tone of the other festival attendees.

Cormac held Pansy's face in his palms. What he saw there in her eyes made his stomach drop. Fear--raw, naked fear. "Pansy? Love? Please. Talk to me," he begged.

Pansy watched Michael go, and when she turned back, Cormac was in front of her, clearly concerned for her well being. She took a deep breath and skillfully stilled the sobs and schooled her face into an appropriate expression, dabbing at her eyes, the kohl liner she'd used earlier all but gone.

Pansy took a deep, cleansing breath. "It was just like all those years ago," she said calmly, looking into Cormac's clear blue eyes, shivering slightly. "It was terrible." She grabbed the front of his costume and pulled him to her, his arms encircling her instinctively. "Where were you? I was... concerned," she whispered.

"Dear Merlin, Pansy. I'm so sorry. I just stepped away to use the loo--the next thing I knew, people were screaming and running--I couldn't find you, Pansy. Gods, I'm sorry..." Cormac spoke in a strangled whisper.

"What was that peacock thing? Do you know? Is that supposed to take the place of the Dark Lord? Or is it something else?"

"The peacock? That was odd. I'm not sure what it all means." He held Pansy tighter into his chest. "I'm going to take us back to your place, all right?" On her nod he Apparated them to the front steps of her Manor. "Sorry," he said of the location, "I wasn't sure if your wards would let me in or make me splatter." He knocked on the door and Beren was there immediately, opening the double doors.

Before Beren could greet them, Cormac said, "There was an incident in Hogsmeade this evening that gave Mistress Pansy a terrible scare. I'll be taking her to her rooms. Please send up some tea and perhaps a Draught of Dreamless Sleep." Noticing Pansy was looking rather pale, Cormac scooped her up in his arms, walked past Beren and began to climb the stairs to her room. Pushing the door open, he carried Pansy over to her bed and gently set her down.

Beren knocked at the open door and walked in, carrying a tea tray with various sundries on it, and exited silently.

Lifting one of her legs at a time he slipped her sandals off her feet and placed them on the floor by her bed. He slipped off the golden cuff from around her upper arm and added that to the pile. "All right, love?" he murmured. Still staring straight ahead, Pansy just nodded sleepily. Cormac reached for the tie at her waist and pulled, trying not to groan too loudly as the robe opened, revealing a beautifully bare Pansy. He pulled the robe off her arms, pulled back the duvet and pulled it over her legs and up to cover her breasts.

Crossing the room, Cormac prepared some tea for Pansy and brought it to her, alongside the Dreamless Sleep potion. "Pansy? Love, here's some tea," he said, offering her the cup. I have some Draught of Dreamless Sleep, as well, if you'd like some." After watching her for a moment while she slowly sipped her tea, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Goodnight."

Her small hand caught his wrist before he could stand. "Stay," she said quietly.

He didn't need to be told twice. Cormac kicked off his own sandals and tossed his circlet of leaves off his head and across the room. He pulled off his costume and slid into bed next to her, taking her tea and placing it on the nightstand.

He was surprised, but not at all disappointed when she curled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. When she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Who could have done that? What does it mean?"

Cormac sighed and ran his fingers through her silken hair, enjoying this atypical moment of closeness with Pansy. "I'm not sure, but everything is going to be fine. I'll keep you safe," he said, pulling her in close to him and placing kisses on the side of her face. "Go to sleep, love. It's all right. I'm not going anywhere."


{Summary: Michael runs into Cormac and Pansy at the festival. After the Mark and peacock are seen, reactions vary.}