Title: At Second Glance

Author: Miss Anthrope

Disclaimer: Characters used belong to JK Rowling; the dialogue and other information not taken from her books are proudly mine.

Rating: K for Kooky

Warning(s): No mpreg, slash, or lemon.

Author's Note(s): My own take on the plot bunny "The Good Ship: Forced by circumstances, a shared broom ride reveals some startling revelations", and my second attempt at a story concerning these two characters. I've read a lot of fics about them and I hope the dynamics that I've written are more or less believable.

Dedication(s): To the other members of the Pansy Defense Forces, may we continue to recruit more people to our worthy cause! Oh, and also to those people who have really been supportive of my other fics, hope you like this as well.

"So you've never really ridden a broom before?"

"No."

"None at all?"

"Yes."

"But what about in first year? Didn't we all have to get lessons from Madame Hooch?"

"If you can recall, you'll realize that I wasn't there. My parents got a Healer to write me an excuse slip for the year."

"But what about when you're—"

"Potter, can you just shut up already so we can get this over with?" An irate Pansy Parkinson glared at her new Potions partner, efficiently stopping any of his questions. It was already nearing midnight and the two were nowhere near collecting the ingredients they needed for tomorrow's class.

"Er, I suppose," Harry mumbled as he swiftly mounted his Firebolt. "Did you remember to bring the containers and the list?"

Pansy nodded, handing her satchel for him to check. "I've also included my Potions book in case we might need help on how to gather." She couldn't help but groan as she watched another group of people heading back to the castle and getting some sleep she wanted so badly.

"I guess we've got to hurry then." Turning his attention to her, Harry slowly rose a few inches from the ground before offering a hand. "C'mon, Parkinson, let's get going already!"

"And how exactly do you propose I get on? If you paid attention to our early conversation, you'd know that I have positively no idea how to ride a broom."

"Right then. Well, just grab my hand with your right—you might want to move a little closer—then sling your right leg over." For a few more seconds, Harry continued with his instructions before Pansy was finally able to settle herself properly. "Good, now hold onto my waist tightly—"

"I will do no such thing!"

"Unless you want to fall from several feet in the air, you're just going to have to, Parkinson." He could see from the corner of his eye as the Slytherin weighed out her options then doing as told. "Just remember to hold on, alright?"

"We're not going to go too high are we, Potter?" Pansy hated the noticeable trembling in her voice as she felt the broom fly higher in the air. If it weren't for the nauseous feeling building up in her stomach that kept her eyes shut, she would've been in awe at the sight of the moon that seemed much closer than before.

"No, I'm just bringing us high enough so I can scout for a good place in the forest to get what we need."

Feeling a small spark of bravery at his words, Pansy turned her head slowly to the side before opening one eye. The view she saw was breath taking but was overtaken by her fear of heights, finding the ground much too far for her liking. Harry heard her yelp before tightening her hold on him and burying her face into his cloak.

"Did something happen to you?"

"N-no. I just thought of taking a look and, um, we're up pretty high."

He could feel a bubble of laughter making its way to his throat as he compared the girl he had been acquainted with for five years and the one behind him. It wasn't everyday that someone would be able to see the vulnerable and more human side of Pansy Parkinson.

"If I'm seeing correctly, there's a clearing nearby and we should be able to get the ingredients there. I'll land us in no time."

Pansy couldn't even verbalize the relief she felt as the Firebolt gently went for a landing not even two minutes after Harry had spoken. The moment her shoes touched ground, she immediately tried to dismount only to find that her partner was already off and ready to help her.

"So, what is it again we've got on the list?" They were just unpacking their materials and kept their wands nearby incase of an emergency. They were in the Forbidden Forest after all.

"'Acquire the following no earlier than a day before the potion is to be made: A minimum of ten daisies, five caterpillars, and seven leeches. The Abyssinian shrivelfig and rat spleen will be provided for you and your partner in the classroom. Remember that the more you are able to gather, the more chances you have to repeat your potion if needed; however, note that it is up to the two to find more of the ingredients provided during class.'"

"So, how do you want to go about this?"

"I think we should just split the work. I can look for the daisies and the caterpillars and you can collect the leeches."

"Sure, I get stuck with the blood-sucking leeches while you go pick flowers and the harmless caterpillars. That's fine and fair."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Potter!" Pansy scooped up two glass jars along with some gloves and a pair of tweezers. "Besides, you're the Boy-Who-Lived. I'm sure you can handle seven leeches on your own."

"And what about the shrivelfig and the rat spleen? Should I be the one getting that too?" Harry watched with narrowed eyes as the dark-haired witch made her way to the grassier area where he could already see some of the white-petal flowers in full bloom.

"You're forgetting who your partner is. I'm in Slytherin, remember? We're all naturally good at Potions. Rest assured that we're not going to need to repeat anything for something as simple as a Shrinking Solution."

"And by 'naturally good', I take it that you mean Snape 'naturally' favors his house and so gives his student 'good' grades."

"Please, Potter, as if I need to be Slytherin to get an O in his class." Pansy unintentionally yanked a daisy too hard before throwing it away upon noticing that she snapped the stem in half. "I might not be good in Transfigurations or a Granger in Charms, but I know what I'm talking about when it comes to Potions."

Time elapsed between the two as the partners silently went about their work, Harry finally forcing himself near the edge of a marsh and fighting off more than his fair share of mosquito while he was at it. Just as he was screwing on the cover of his jar, he heard the sound of light footsteps behind him.

"Are you finished?" Pansy asked stiffly as she returned the glass containers in the bag along with the clean instruments she'd used.

"Yeah, and we should get back before we get caught by Filch." Harry levitated the leeches with the others before mounting his broom again. "I think Professor Snape only gave us an extension of up to two o'clock for the curfew."

Silently taking his offered hand, Pansy hauled herself once more onto her seat before regaining the feeling of uneasiness as they took off. The travel was quiet and lacked the calm that had been there during their first ride. Guilt had been tugging at Harry since he had made his last comment and it was to his disadvantage that he had never really been good apologizing, and more so to girls.

"Look, Parkinson, about what I said a while ago—"

"Don't start—"

"I didn't mean to accuse you of getting high marks just because you're Slytherin." Harry chanced a look in her direction and noticed that Pansy seemed to be carefully mulling his words before forming any response.

"I'll be honest with you this one time when I say that you aren't completely mistaken there. It's obvious to everyone that Professor Snape is biased and gives more allowance for errors to Slytherins; I'm pretty sure that Crabbe and Goyle aren't deserving of their grades as much as those Ravenclaws who have their eyes practically glued onto their textbooks just trying to pass. It's just that what other people don't understand is that not all of us are like that. Contrary to popular belief, I don't force other students to do my homework for me whether I'm here in school or not, and I actually enjoy Potions since it's the only thing I'm naturally good at."

Pansy felt the wind brush against her cheeks, the cool sensation a telltale sign that they were flushed from her small speech. She didn't know what made her say those things and why it just had to be to Potter; he wouldn't care anyway and now he'd probably go straight to Dumbledore and tell him about Snape being so biased that even a Slytherin confessed to it.

"I didn't know that you enjoyed Potions."

Of all the things Pansy had been expecting from him, that certainly wasn't it.

"Actually, I never really thought anyone liked Potions." Harry landed them near the castle doors and helped her down again. "I guess you're the first one I've met so far."

"Er, I suppose." Pansy peered at her partner curiously; the sudden change of mood from serious to relaxed catching her off guard. "I guess that ever since my mother let me help her prepare things with her, I've always just liked it."

"Well that's lucky. I always seem to get things wrong somehow by either mixing up the ingredients, not following the right sequence, or I just have no clue what to do with the instructions."

"We're partners now anyway— at least in Potions. I'm sure you'll improve with my help, and it's not like I'm going to let you do most of the work now that I know how bad you are at it."

For once, Harry found himself actually getting along with a Slytherin. Pansy really wasn't that bad when he thought about it; sure they argue and she could be unfair and stubborn at times, but things could change and there could be more moments like that when Harry would manage to see a different side of her he never really thought existed.

"We'd better get going, Potter. Looks like we're one of the last pairs to finish." Pansy hitched the bag higher on her shoulder, watching in the distance as another dark-haired boy walked determinedly away from the Forbidden Forest and a partner who was hot on his heels. She slowly pushed against the heavy wood before stepping through the threshold of Hogwarts.

"Tomorrow then, Parkinson."

"Same to you, Potter."

Harry stood across Pansy and waited for Hermione to enter while the other girl caught up with her housemate. Taking his friend's belongings from her, the two fell into a comfortable silence when they climbed the grand staircase; his eyes, however, were directed to Pansy as she turned a corner hand in hand with Blaise Zabini.