Written for the Houses Competition, Year 3 Round 2
House: Hufflepuff
Position: Prefect
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Setting] The Great Hall at Hogwarts
Word count: 1346
Beta: Aya
Note: This is set to the scene from the movie (Deathly Hallows Pt. 2), not the book. Sorry for confusion.
Pansy may have seemed like a mean, spoiled rich pureblood girl, but inside, she was a different person.
And as the days passed by, her true self was starting to show, no matter how hard she tried to keep it hidden.
She pretended that she was supportive of You-Kno–Voldemort, but really, she couldn't stand what he was doing to innocent souls just because they were born different than him and his supporters. She couldn't help but feel disgusted in her own skin, she was just like the Death Eaters; pureblood, wealthy, and part of a supremacist family.
She hated having to wake up and deal with those horrible creatures that she had to call her Muggle Studies and Dark Arts professors, but they were nothing compared to that monster of a headmaster that just sat back and let this all happen. It didn't matter how old you were, your blood status, or your grades; they tortured you if you didn't follow orders or opposed Voldemort. From little, frightened first-years that didn't know better, to seventh-years who were brave enough to challenge their professor's beliefs, they all were tortured ruthlessly, until they were screaming from the pain so hard that their vocal cords wore out.
Pansy couldn't stand it. All those years that she spent walking around with her head held high, picking on Mudb–Muggle-borns, following Draco and his friends around like a puppy, may have given her a bad reputation that can't be saved. But inside, she never wanted this to happen. She never hated Granger enough to see her and her kind be tortured till they were knocked out.
And as the days went on, she felt herself become weaker, more compassionate, more self-loathing for being forced to torture her peers. Her hands became less steady every time she went to cast an Unforgivable. Her voice more uneasy. Her face paler. She tried her best to hide this, as she knew she would be punished for hesitating, by forcing herself to smile as cruelly as she could manage and making herself look like she was enjoying seeing the screaming, writhing body that was in severe pain coming from her wand.
Hers.
She was causing this person unbearable pain. And they couldn't fight back.
She deserved to be in their place, for them to be causing her pain.
She was a monster.
But yet, she wasn't.
She felt sympathy for these innocent souls. She wanted to stop this madness. She was afraid that she might kill someone, as if she would never be able to forgive herself now.
She just wanted to sneak out of the castle and run away from this living hell. She couldn't stand being here anymore. She wanted the war to stop. She was vocal about supporting Voldemort, but it was all a cover. She never always supported Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but ever since this started, she had secretly been on their side.
And as she walked up with her Slytherin housemates to the Great Hall, where Snape, er, Headmaster Snape, had summoned all the houses to in the middle of the night. Once they had reached the Great Hall, in burst that monster that she used to call her Head of House, walking through the aisle of students. Once he reached the front of the room, next to the Carrows, he stared upon all of them in a manner similar to that of a vulture. He cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone to lay eyes ahead on him. Pansy's heart started beating faster. Why did Snape call them out here at this hour?
"Many of you are surely wondering, why I have summoned you at this hour." He leered. Pansy suddenly became even more nervous at the tone of his voice.
"It's come to my attention, that earlier this evening, Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade," Snape continued. Her breath hitched. She couldn't believe it. Harry Potter was here. He was finally here, to fight Voldemort, to end this war, to end all this suffering.
"Now…" he drawled creepily as he began walking through the aisle once more, staring threatenly at everyone he passed by. "Should anyone, student or staff attempt to aid Mr. Potter, will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transcription. Furthermore, any person found have knowledge of these events, who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally guilty." Her heart fell. Maybe there wasn't much hope after all.
"If anyone in here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward. Now!" he snapped. Everyone broke into a stir, people were panicking, everyone suddenly became nervous, even the Slytherins whom Pansy had been trying to hide her emotions from all this time.
"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a security problem, Headmaster. I'm afraid it's quite extensive." A voice suddenly spoke from the Gryffindors. Everyone gasped and turned towards the voice. A figure stepped forward in a Gryffindor cloak, unrecognizable from the neck down, which was covered with the cloak, but the face which was exposed, was the face of the boy that Voldemort has spent the last three years going after.
Harry Potter was standing there, much to the dismay of Snape and the Carrows, and to the shock and relief of everyone else, including Pansy. She didn't dare question how in Merlin's name he got into Hogwarts, she just cared about the fact that he was here to defeat Voldemort for once and for all. She knew he was going to win. She didn't doubt him.
After he spoke this sentence, through the big doors of the Great Hall, burst in the Order of the Phoenix. They stood at the entrance, obviously intimidating Snape, who stared at them in complete shock.
"HOW DARE YOU STAND WHERE HE STOOD!" Potter shouted. Pansy stared in shock at his bravery to stand up to the Headmaster that she herself was too scared to look him in the eye. She watched as Potter kept yelling at Snape, making the latter tense up before pointing his wand at Potter. Almost as soon as he drew it, Professor McGonagall pushed Potter out of the way. Pansy decided that it would be wise to move to the wall, so she wouldn't get hit with anything. Apparently, she wasn't the only one that thought that.
She watched as McGonagall cast spell after spell at Snape to the point where he just gave up and escaped through the window. The room burst into cheers from almost everyone, including some Slytherins. Pansy made sure no one was looking, before shaking her fist in victory, but she knew that that was just a duel won, the rest of the battle was not won yet.
As the celebrating calmed down, she heard a booming voice sound through the room. She didn't need to pay attention (not that she would, anyways, as she was certain that she would faint if she listened) to know what it was. The voice belonged to Voldemort.
And he was asking for Potter.
And something rose up in Pansy, something she couldn't control.
Something inside her told her that dignity was more important than joining the fight and said the words that would make her dead to any one of Potter's supporters.
"What're you waiting for? Someone grab him!" those words flew out of her mouth faster than she could control. She immediately regretted saying it, because the She-Weasel walked right up to Potter, shielding him as if Pansy were to reach out and grab him and hold him until someone arrived to take him to Voldemort.
Soon, almost half the school surrounded Potter, making Pansy feel more and more bad about herself.
But luckily, due to that comment, McGonagall went on and sent all Slytherins back to the dungeons, so now she won't need to risk her own life. All she'll need to do is say a prayer and hope that the battle is won by the right side.