On any account, Pansy Parkinson was not obsessive. She just happened to be very attentive. If only she could be as attentive towards divination as she was toward Hermione Granger.

Contrary to popular belief, there was not a single bone in her body that held any dislike toward the girl. If she had it her way, she'd sit next to her in every class, study with her in the library, and even join SPEW. But, being her cool and levelheaded self, she realized that it might come off as a little strange. To say she fancied Hermione Granger would be a terrible understatement. She wanted to shove the girl up against a wall and snog her senseless. She was slightly infatuated, though she hated that word. It sounded so…well for lack of a better word, creepy. Perhaps a better word for her condition would be enamored. She had developed a little crush on the girl back in first year. While everyone was fawning over The Boy Who Lived, Pansy was paying more attention to his bushy haired sidekick. Now her innocent little crush had turned into full blown lust, and dare she say, perhaps love.

She had known she fancied girls from an early age. The only ones who knew were Draco and her cousin Wilhelm. That's part of the reason she was so close with Draco. He really was very trusting, even though he could be an arse at times. In exchange, Pansy pretended to fancy him, to make him look good. But Pansy knew that he really had his eye on the youngest Weasley. Although, Draco didn't know of her attraction to Hermione. There were just some things that were better left unsaid.

She really hated having to insult Hermione on a daily basis. But she had to keep up a cold façade. After all, she was a Slytherin, and although it was a horrible standard to uphold in her opinion, every house had their own qualities. For Gryffindor it was bravery and loyalty. For Ravenclaw it was cleverness and intellect. For Hufflepuff it was kindness and amicability. And for Slytherin it was cunning, craftiness, and most importantly complete disregard for others. And besides, if she didn't she was afraid that she would blurt out her true feelings one day and humiliate herself.

Pansy really didn't know why that dreadful old hat had stuck her in Slytherin. She had asked to be put in Hufflepuff. She knew that she wasn't very brave, so Gryffindor wasn't really an option. And though she was rather intelligent but not very studious, so she didn't think Ravenclaw was the right place for herself. Almost every Parkinson for the last two hundred years had been in Slytherin. But even at the tender age of eleven Pansy knew what was entailed if you were sorted there. Most of the Slytherins followed the Dark Lord and ended up being Death Eaters. She had thought Hufflepuff would be a very nice place to be. She was a very friendly child, and Professor Sprout seemed like a very nice woman. And to be honest, the idea of residing in the dungeons with a bunch of little pureblood extremists scared her. Hufflepuff seemed like a safe place to be.

But, here she was in her sixth year, sitting in a cold, damp, dungeon. The Slytherin Common Room, her common room. The hat had told her that she had potential. That she was clever and nothing could get in the way of what she wanted. At first she thought that the old hat was crazy. But, she had a thought in the back of her mind constantly, a small thought, that still managed to nag her at all times. She wanted Hermione Granger and Pansy Parkinson always got what she wanted.

It was her free period, she had potions next. Pansy was watching some of the fourth years play gobbstones in front of the fire. She looked at the clock and decided to head to class. She still had five minutes to spare but she'd rather be early than have to risk being caught up in hallway traffic and incur the wrath of one Severus Snape.

When she strolled into the musty classroom she was greeted by the sight of none other than Hermione Granger, engrossed in her textbook. Pansy laughed to herself, she found this incredibly adorable. She took the seat in the back corner. Daydreams quickly overtook the dark haired girl, as they often did in Hermione's presence.

She was pulled from her thoughts by an agitated voice, "Do you have a problem Parkinson?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I said do you have a problem, you were staring."

She blushed slightly and awkwardly chuckled, "No, sorry Granger, I tend to get lost in thought and stare into space, it's a horrid habit."

Hermione softened a bit, taken aback by the sincerity of Pansy's words, "Just don't let it happen again."

Pansy smiled and Hermione smiled back.

But much to Pansy's dismay, students started to trickle into the room, ending their moment. Not a moment later, Snape stormed into the room, his robes billowing behind him.