a/n1: Hello there! Misses Nantai and viv-heart are proud to present their new collaboration story! We betaed each others parts and we are posting on ao3 as well (but with our own accounts). Enjoy! :)
Hermione turned into yet another of Hogwarts' many corridors. She was walking swiftly, her steps fuelled by her rage. She simply needed to get away from the sources of her anger, namely Ron and Harry.
She didn't even know where she was going, nor did she care. It had been a terrible day.
They had barely come back to school, and Ron had already managed to insult everything she stood for with his endless triads about how stupid S.P.E.W. was. It wasn't her fault he didn't understand the faulted workings of the Ministry and the wizarding society in general because he didn't know any other forms of government and society and wasn't willing to educate himself on that topic.
And Harry… She could go on and on about Harry. While he proclaimed Voldemort's return, he wasn't willing to face the consequences and take the threat seriously. Dumbledore had arranged Occlumency lessons with Snape for him, but Harry didn't even try to learn it, focussing on his hatred for the teacher instead.
Of course, Dumbledore chose the worst person he could find for the job, but Hermione wasn't surprised about his choice of teaching personal anymore. After all, they had had exactly one competent Defence Against the Dark Arts-teacher in five years and what she had heard from Bill and Charlie suggested that Quirrell's predecessors hadn't been qualified either. And Umbridge was just the cherry on top.
Hermione yelped as somebody ran into her, losing her balance and falling backwards.
She reached for her wand instinctively and pointed it at the person in front of her.
Opposite her, a girl she knew all too well was sitting on the floor, pointing her own wand at Hermione.
"Parkinson," Hermione said coolly as she scrambled to stand up again. "What an unexpected encounter."
"Granger," Pansy replied in an equal tone. "You could say that. Seeing Miss Perfect out of her bed after hours was certainly nothing I would have expected. What are you doing here?"
"It's none of your business," Hermione stuck her chin out and tried to bypass Pansy, but the other girl caught her arm.
"Oh it is," she said and Hermione glared at her. "I am a prefect and therefore I could dock points if you don't tell me what you are doing here."
"I am a prefect too," Hermione yanked her arm free. "I could dock points from you as well. But I am not in the mood for something as stupid as school rivalry or those damned points. It's not like Dumbledore decides who wins or loses anyway."
Pansy blinked at her in surprise. "Are you seriously criticizing Dumbledore right now?"
"Oh, come on. His choices of teaching personal are terrible and everybody knows it. It is a miracle he isn't criticized more!"
Pansy let out a low laugh. "Merlin, this is so surreal," she whispered, sinking to her knees. "This is just so wrong."
Hermione stood there, not knowing what to do, until Pansy looked up at her again. "What are you standing there?" she barked. "Get lost!"
Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, before she closed it again, taking a deep breath. She turned on her heel to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and marched back to Pansy.
"What do you think who you are?" she hissed at the girl still sitting on the floor. "You act like you can do whatever you want to without getting in trouble, not caring about other people's feelings. Newsflash: you won't get anywhere like that. Everyone thinks you are a pug-faced, stupid bint! Grow up, Parkinson!"
Pansy huffed at that and shot up to her feet, almost head-butting Hermione in the process. "You stupid cow!" she nearly shouted, catching herself in the last minute as not to alert any teachers or Filch of their presence, "You think you are so much better than me or anyone but guess what? They call you all kinds of names too! You act all high-mighty but everyone knows you are a stupid ugly snob, who pretends to know better but cries herself to sleep. I might be a bitch, but at least my friends and my house really like me!"
"How dare you! My friends like me too! And those who don't like me are mostly angry that I am smarter than them! Or are freaking blood purists! Like you and your friends, and trust me, I don't want to be liked by that kind of people!" Hermione glared at Pansy.
"Hah, that's exactly what I am talking about! You always think you are the smartest person in the room even if you aren't! Breaking news, not everybody who isn't flanking their academic success around is stupid! I am sure you can't even name the two students who have best marks alongside you!"
"Excuse me? I am number one!" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.
"Draco is still better at Potions and Theodore Nott is tied with you at Charms and Arithmancy. My marks in History of Magic are as good as yours. And I am sure there are a few others, but those are the ones I can name on the top of my head. Isn't that Longbottom guy pretty good at Herbology? Just because you have the best marks overall, it doesn't mean nobody can excel at various subjects. By the way, Draco is number two overall, some Ravenclaw number three and Theo number four."
Hermione gaped at Pansy, who smiled smugly.
"What, you have nothing to say, Granger? Are you that shocked that freaking blood purists can be smart?"
"Oh shut up!" Hermione growled. "You know nothing about me!"
"Then enlighten me!" Pansy replied calmly. "I've always wondered what makes you go."
Hermione snorted at that. "Right. That makes so much sense. You just want to get under my skin. I should hex you on the spot and leave."
"Sure. Because you want Umbridge to know that you were wandering the halls after curfew and attacking students. Sure."
"I don't give a damn about that crazy woman. And now get out of my way," Hermione passed Pansy, bumping her shoulder intentionally just to stop a few steps away, blood draining from her face as she found herself standing in front of a very annoyed looking Professor Snape, who had just rounded the corner.
"And what exactly are you two doing here at this time of night?" Snape sneered, not really making the impression that he cared for their reasons much. "50 points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin and you will find yourself in detention this Saturday! Be at eight in my classroom! And now go! Students shouldn't roam the castle in the middle of the night!"
Hermione bit her lip, hardly suppressing the tears that sprang into her eyes and started walking into the direction of the Gryffindor tower. While she got scolded a few times in the past years, she doubted she would ever really get used to it as it regularly brought her to the verge of tears.
Saturday evening found Pansy strolling lazily to Professor Snape's classroom. She wasn't too worried about the detention. Had he found her alone Professor Snape would have only docked five or ten points and maybe she would have gotten a stern talking to, but no detention.
But stupid Granger had to run into the only Professor in Hogwarts who hated Gryffindors more than anything else.
Arriving at the classroom Pansy saw that the Gryffindor princess was already there and a sneer formed on her face automatically. She wondered not for the first time whether the mudblood did even own a hairbrush and if anyone had ever told her that you should wear clothes that actually fit you and weren't just roughly your size. Maybe the muggles didn't care about stuff like that.
Pansy stood next to Granger without any greeting or more than a passing glance.
They were punctual but Professor Snape let them wait for nearly ten minutes before he opened the door and told them to enter. The snarl in his voice was unmistakable. Obviously Umbridge had been here during the day. Pansy thought she was still able to smell the woman's sickly sweet perfume.
"You will be scrubbing the tables today," Professor Snape said with a cruel smile and when Pansy turned around to the tables she realised with horror that there had been a potions accident. She wondered why they had to clean it and not the person who did it. Normally Professor Snape had a firm policy of 'clean your own mess'. Additionally it was Saturday and therefore it had to be on the table since at least Friday afternoon. Wonderful.
Pansy took her wand out and wanted to start when the potions master spoke up.
"Miss Parkinson, did I give you the impression that you were allowed to use magic during detention?" he drawled in his most silky voice. Pansy shuddered. That voice meant trouble.
"N-no, Professor."
"I didn't think so. You will find everything you need in the back of the room," Professor Snape said with finality.
Pansy went to the back after Granger and collected a bucket with water, a sponge and some potion that was labelled 'Spotfree'. She watched Granger start cleaning as if she did this every day. Maybe she did - who knew what muggles did all day.
But nevertheless Pansy copied Granger's movements since she had no real idea what to do with the things she had. She put a bit of the potion on the stained surface of the table, wet her sponge in the bucket and started moving the sponge across it. Somehow it didn't work though and soon the damned Gryffindor noticed.
"Never cleaned something, have we Parkinson?" Granger sneered and Pansy scowled.
"Of course not. That's what magic is for, isn't it?" she snapped and glanced at Professor Snape who seemed to ignore them.
Granger scoffed. "You purebloods are so narrow-minded, never contemplating what would happen if you had to live like a muggle for some reason."
"I would rather die than to live like a muggle!" Pansy spat and levelled a challenging look at Granger. "I am sure even your beloved Weasel would say that."
"Ron does at least know how to clean the muggle way. That is more than what can be said about you Parkinson," Granger said blushing and Pansy grinned. She had obviously hit a nerve.
"I don't need to clean, I have Ginna for that," Pansy said in an off-handed way she knew would annoy Granger.
"Stop bickering, both of you and go back to work," Snape snarled from his table. "And Miss Parkinson if you really think about taking NEWT potions you should start to learn to work with your hands."
Thoroughly chastised both girls went back to their work. This time Pansy tried to apply more pressure to the sponge and it actually cleaned of some of the stains on the table. Soon her fingers started to hurt and she wasn't even halfway done with her part of the classroom.
Granger was nearly done and all her tables looked perfectly clean. Overachiever. Pansy scoffed.
"You have to scrub harder on the more stubborn stains and use more potion," Granger said under her breath when she passed Pansy who stood at the back massaging her hand. The black haired girl looked up rather startled but the other witch just walked on and asked Professor Snape where she could get fresh water.
Pansy decided to follow Granger's advice since she was already nearly done and had to admit that it worked pretty well. She still didn't understand the use of this work, safe for humiliating her, but at least she was now able to work fast.
When she was finally done Snape allowed her to just vanish the contents of her bucket and gave her a potion. He told her to massage it into her hurting hand and arm in the evening and again in the morning. Luckily Granger was already gone or Pansy would have had to share.
Stepping out of the classroom she found Granger leaning against a wall just around the corner, obviously waiting for someone.
"You shouldn't be alone in the dungeons at night. A snake could think a lone lioness an easy victim," Pansy said with feigned concern dropping from every word.
"Thank you for your worry, but I can hold my own, you know," Granger answered coldly, her voice sounding so very different from all the other times they had fought.
"What do you want, princess?" Pansy asked, folding her arms in front of her and taking a wider stance.
"Which side would you choose, if you had to?" the Gryffindor asked calmly, ignoring the nickname.
"When? Where? Be specific, Granger!"
"Don't play dumb on me, you know what I mean."
Pansy watched the other witch closely. Her stance was defensive, she frowned and tried to seem intimidating. But her eyes flickered around as if she feared that someone would come. Deciding to find out why Granger had changed so suddenly Pansy cast a Muffling Charm Professor Snape had taught them all in their first night as Slytherins.
"I would be on my own side, if you have to know it," Pansy answered slowly.
"Why?"
"Because none of the other options are really inviting. The Ministry is a bunch of bumbling fools, Dumbledore loves his Gryffindors and doesn't care about Slytherins and finally the Dark Lord...I don't care much for muggleborns and muggles aren't even worth mentioning, but I don't think that it justifies killing them."
Granger relaxed visibly. "I thought so."
"What?" Pansy asked in surprise. Why would the Golden Girl of Gryffindor think a Slytherin wouldn't join the Dark Lord? Scarhead and Weasel certainly did.
"You are a Slytherin and as such you will support the side which is the most promising for your goals. We don't have to talk about the incompetence of the Ministry and Dumbledore and the Dark Lord only promises death and destruction if we assume he works the way he did in the First War, which leaves you with not too many options" Granger said quietly, gazing down the hall.
"What is it to you? Do you want to know who your enemies are? There are easier ways," Pansy said in a rather neutral voice. This was the first civil conversation she had ever had with the other girl.
"No, I want to find possible allies."
Pansy was sure Granger saw the surprise on her face. "I don't believe in Dumbledore anymore, he made too many mistakes and keeps too many secrets for my liking. I am on my own side as well."
"You are turning into a Slytherin, who would have thought," Pansy teased her, but it lacked the normal malice. Sure, this was still annoying know-it-all Granger, but she seemed different somehow.
"The only reason the Hat didn't make me one of you was because I begged him for either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Granger admitted. "I feared that I wouldn't be accepted in Slytherin."
Pansy had to admit that that probably would have happened. "But why are you asking the girl everyone knows is your arch-nemesis for her political position? Why not your friends?"
"Can we discuss this somewhere more private?" Granger asked.
Pansy cast a quick Tempus charm. Just as she had thought it was nearly curfew. "Not today, tomorrow. You got an idea where?"
Granger nodded. "Do you know the tapestry with Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach ballet to trolls?"
Pansy frowned but then remembered it and nodded.
"Be there at three o'clock. The boys will be at Quidditch practice then."
"Alright, I hope it is worth it," the Slytherin answered and only barely refrained from teasing Granger for scheduling her day around the Demented Duo.
They said good-bye and Granger vanished into the shadows. Pansy mulled over what the girl had told her, about not liking any sides in this war, about looking for allies. What did the Gryffindor Princess plan? She wouldn't betray Potter, would she?
a/n2: Well, what do you think? We hope you liked it, tell us in the reviews! :)