A/N: Pansy beats Hermione during Arithmancy class. RxR. FxF.
Submission for:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments): Charms Assignment #4 - Write from the POV of someone in the same class as Hermione Granger. Prompts: 'table', no mention of the character "Harry Potter", "It's called magic."
Pick a Card, Any Card Challenge: Queen of Clubs: Write a Pansy vs. any Gryffindor fic
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Pansy scowled as mudblood Granger raised her hand for the seventh time today, waving it frantically in the air to get Professor Vector's attention. Could she be any more desperate? There were only 6 students in this class: her, 3 Ravenclaws, Draco and herself. Granger didn't have to act so eager as if the world would end if she didn't answer the question.
Professor Vector beamed at the know-it-all as she recited the answer word for word from the depths of her bushy hair. Pansy wanted to gag and she turned to see Draco feeling the same way. Granger wasn't the only smart one here but she loved to feel that way. All of them were equal competition, each one rising above the others every once in awhile. This was Pansy's best subject and Draco could crunch numbers that would make a normal person's head spin. Granger just always thought she was the best because as a mudblood, she felt she had something to prove. But if she still ended up as smart as Pansy, then she wasn't doing a very good job was she?
Everyone went back to their parchments trying to work out the most recent problem Professor Vector had placed on the board. They were to decipher how a stunning spell could travel at 2m/s from 50 feet away and still cause an extensive amount of damage to the target. She had been working out the problem diligently when a note was slipped under her hand. She looked around before quietly opening it under the table to reveal Draco's hasty script that he only reserved for notes: 'It's called magic.'
Pansy snorted out loud and turned to Draco who had a smirk plastered on his face though he too was still trying to work out the problem. She was about write a response on the note when there was a soft humph on her other side. Pansy and Draco turned to see Granger glaring at them and the note in her hand. Pansy sneered back at the girl and crumpled the note. Little miss perfect.
Pansy raised her hand this time and with a look of smug indifference, she calmly told Professor Vector the answer. Granger scowled when Professor Vector commended her efficiency and speed. Pansy accepted the praise graciously but not forgetting to give her greatest motivator a wide smile.
Professor Vector then addressed the class, "Now we will have a quiz of sorts. I'll ask a number of short answer questions, and we'll see who can answer them. The student who answers the most correctly wins 10 points towards their house."
Pansy grinned at Draco who returned it. This would be easy. They both loved competition and knew they stood a good chance of winning. But then big-mouth Granger had to say, "Professor, I hardly think that it's fair. There are 3 Ravenclaws, 2 Slytherins, no Hufflepuffs and just me."
Pansy laughed, "Scared, Granger? I thought you'd love the opportunity to show just how much better you were than the rest of us."
Granger glared at her and then turned swiftly back to Professor Vector. The professor looked into the bushy-haired girl's eyes and said, "It will be a good practice and it's just friendly competition, Ms Granger." Granger deflated a bit and Pansy smiled to herself.
Professor Vector summoned a list of problems and began calling them out:
"What is the blast radius of a Diffindo spell which first travels through a pool of water 6 feet in length?" Anthony Goldstein shouted, "9 metres," right after Pansy had gotten the answer on her parchment.
"What's the probability of a feather levitated 15 feet to land 2 feet away from its original place?" "0.451," Granger said with a little dance in her seat.
"How much magical energy is needed to sustain a steady stream of water at 80psi for 5 minutes?" "455 Joules", Draco said boredly, doing that one in his head.
"What conditions are necessary for a person to apparate from England to Australia in 2 seconds?" "A Westerly wind of 5.6 knots and the person spinning at a speed of 6.782m/s", Pansy said calmly, while writing the last few digits of her answer on her parchment.
Professor Vector continued calling out questions, everyone answering one or two but Pansy and Granger getting the most right. They were neck and neck, matching answer for answer. Tension rose between the two girls and the others sat back, Draco throwing his hands behind his head, as they realized that this was no longer for house points. This was for more than that. This was for honour and boasting rights.
"Sixty-four!"... "Blue with white stripes!"... "Left!"... "Down!"... "Right!"... "Sporckle!"
Granger jumped out of her chair, slamming her hands down on the table and causing her parchment to fall to the floor in a flurry. She pointed a finger at Pansy furiously, "That's not even a word, Parkinson!"
"Ms Granger!" Professor Vector admonished. "10 points from Gryffindor for such an outburst during friendly competition. Ms Parkinson is indeed correct. I've also reached the end of my list, and and I declare Ms Parkinson the winner with 15 correct answers. 15 points to Slytherin."
Pansy could actually see the girl breaking on the inside. Granger sank back in her chair angry and shocked, looking unsure whether to cry or not. Pansy had beat the little mudblood at her own game. She shared a triumphant smile with Draco. The bell rang and everyone rose from their seats except Granger. Pansy followed Draco making sure to walk past the distraught girl's desk. "Better luck next time, Granger."