The war ends at Malfoy Manor, where the war became real to so many of them.
The war ends after days of rioting in the Alleys.
The war ends, but not soon enough.
Pansy (not Pandora) has already had to kill her fiancé, one of her two best friends.
Pandora (not Pansy) has already become a full, sentient personality, capable of wresting (or keeping) control even when Pansy wishes otherwise. Capable of recognizing Pansy in the shadows behind her.
But the war does, in fact, end. Pandora (not Pansy) surrenders at Malfoy Manor, after Voldemort falls to the green light of a Killing Curse. She kneels, drops her wand, prays Pansy knew what she was talking about when she claimed freedom was more likely if Voldemort lost than if he won. This is the only time Pandora ever prays, and she does not do it aloud.
Or perhaps she does pray aloud, when she speaks on Pansy's advice, just the once: she asks to see Aldon Rosier.
The request doesn’t stop her from being arrested. Of course it doesn’t: Pandora is a war criminal. Those in the middle of the fighting don’t (shouldn’t) trust her not to be a danger to Aldon, after everything they know she’s done.
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Aldon comes to the cells after the ‘enemy combatants’ have been processed (arrested, divested of wants, searched, etc.), dressed sharply in muggle clothing with his gun easily visible. He asks 1) for a complete list of arrestees (no one argues with this request), 2) if there have been any interesting requests from the arrestees (there are ‘intense discussions’ among the cell supervisors about what counts as interesting, but not about whether Aldon should be answered.), and 3) to see a certain few people (Lina Avery tries hard to refuse.) Pansy (Pandora) Parkinson is on the list. So is Caelum Lestrange. Aldon does not explain why he wants to see the people on his list until he believes his foster mother will succeed at blocking him. Then, and only then, does he privately admit to her which of the listed people were informants, and who he merely listed to keep it from being obvious who his informants were. Lina lets Aldon see his real informants, but not the distractions. Aldon takes what he can get.
Lina also tells Aldon that any informants he wants to bring back to Rosier place, he must bring one at a time, and he can’t carry their wands on the same trip that be brings them. Aldon complies. He brings Pansy back first. Lestrange refuses to join them.
Rosier Place is nice, as are the rooms Aldon gives her. All around her she can see that this place became a fortress; most of those fortifications remain. Which makes sense. The war only just ended, if it is even truly over. Despite her surrender, Pandora isn’t sure. Pansy, who still hadn’t tried to take control back in any real sense, thought it was probably over, but remained too numb to argue about it.
Pandora and Pansy keep to themselves, mostly. If someone speaks to Pandora and isn’t hostile, she’ll engage in conversation, but she doesn’t initiate. Aldon is busy for the next few days, but he finds her in the sculpture garden Saturday evening. They stand for a moment before Pansy gives Pandora a prompt for the second time since the Rookwood’s trial. Pandora listens to Pansy and speaks: “Do you need me anymore? For anything?”
“Information, if you can give it up,” Aldon tells her. “Any kind of information—but I’m not sending you back there, if that’s what you’re talking about.”
Pandora nods slightly. “I don’t know what I’m going to be. Who I’m going to be, now that this is all over.” To Pansy, she thinks, Aldon thinks it’s over enough for us. Pansy acknowledges the thought.
Aldon laughs again, bright and sharp. “Who does, anyway? I sure as hell don’t.”
Pandora sleeps poorly that night.
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On Sunday morning, there’s a knock on the door to her suite, and Pandora stiffens. No one’s met her here besides Aldon and the house-elves. The house-elves don’t knock and Aldon’s knock sounds different than this. Pandora has no way to defend herself.
“Come in,” she calls, just loud enough that whoever it is ought to hear her.
Harriet Potter enters. Pansy perks up – one of her best friends from before has come to see her. Pandora is more wary – the last time she saw Harriet Potter was on the battlefield. But she welcomes Harriet in. What else could she do?
Harry pauses, as if she’s not sure what to say, or perhaps she knows and is afraid to say it. Pandora wants to hurry her up, to tell her to spit it out. Pansy advocates patience. Pandora, who still has more control over the body, is about to ignore Pansy when Harry finally gets over herself and starts to speak. “Maybe I’m the last person who should be giving this as advice,” says Harry. “But you should probably take off that mask you’re wearing, if you do want it to come off.”
Pandora laughs. “You’re one to talk.” She shakes her head. “But it’s a bit past the point of being a mask. You – yours was an act. I had to make a separate person, who didn’t know any of the things Voldemort couldn’t find out I knew.” Pandora tilts her head. “Or, Pansy had to. I’m who she made.”
“As a substitute for the Occlumency you didn’t know?” Harry asks.
“So Pansy tells me.”
Harry pauses again, for longer than last time. Pandora wants to interrupt, but isn’t sure what to interrupt with. Pansy and Pandora alike notice the change in Harriet’s breathing, in the slight unfocus of her eyes, but Pansy is the one who understands why. She’s meditating, Pansy tells her constructed other-self. And what do I do with that information? Pandora replies. Pansy’s mental self gives a small shrug, and then Harry interrupts their mental conversation. “I … would prefer the details not be widely known,” Harry says carefully, “but I have some experience with having two sentient beings within one mindscape. Beyond my core-diving in first year, I mean.”
“And did this experience go well?” Pandora asks.
“Well enough. I’d need a promise that this information doesn’t go beyond the two of you to share more, but it – it might help?”
This time, it was Pandora’s turn to pause. Outwardly, at least. Internally, Pansy and Pandora engaged in a heated discussion. At the end, Pandora announced: “You have both of our word. Please, explain.”
Harry nodded. “Meet you both in your mindscape? I really don’t want to be overheard.”
Pandora nodded consent. Harry sat down, then went through her own core to Pansy’s. The core was still quicksilver, but the clearing had changed. On one side, lush grass still grew, with thick trees and branches beyond it. The trees were taller than they had been years ago, and the garden had a greater variety of flowers, but it was recognizably the same mindscape. The Pansy Harry had known when she was Rigel stood on that side.
The other side remained full of plant life, just different plants. Wilder. Where Pansy had daisies, Pandora had roses 'bred' more for their large thorns than for the still-present flowers. Where Pansy had a prettily pruned bush, Pandora had Devil’s Snare. Nothing on Pansy's side was truly dangerous -- nearly every plant on Pandora's side could be.
Harry told both of them about Dom. Pansy already knew the story of Harry’s kidnapping and imprisonment, to the extent she had been allowed to, but the full story was news. “I can’t in good conscience recommend what I did with Dom to you two. The Dominion Jewel was an invader when it arrived. You made Pandora, and she's part of you in a way the Dominion Jewel won't ever truly be part of me. And I'm not certain which of you would win if you did fight that way. But you will need to find a way to co-exist. Showing Dom some important memories helped him understand where I was coming from, and what I needed. I think – I think that would be a good way for you to start answering Pandora’s questions about who and what she is, Pans.”
Pansy nodded. “Will. Will you stay? Please?”
Harry looked at Pandora. Pandora shrugged. “As long as you need.”