Pansy couldn't believe this was happening, especially to her of all people! She was the Slytherin Queen, proud and untouchable. Yet she sat in the library, – she hated the library-watching her former enemy from across the room.
After Potter killed Voldemort, they all re-started their seventh year. Pansy was glad, because at the moment she had nowhere to go, her parents being Dementor-kissed and her house being destroyed. In a way she didn't really mind, she never got along with her parents anyway, refusing to join the Dark Lord and all.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when the object of her attention turned a page and quietly resumed reading. Pansy couldn't fight the upcoming feeling of butterflies in her stomach, as she watched the Know-it-all Gryffindor and former member of the 'Golden Trio' study for the up-coming Potions exam.
Hermione Granger had obviously felt someone watching her because she looked up and caught Pansy staring intensely at her. She flashed her a smile and Pansy smiled slightly back while blushing and quickly getting busy with the book in front of her. A few seconds later she realized that her book was upside down and hoping no one noticed, she turned it around and started studying, only coming so far, when her mind wandered back to when she first discovered her infatuation with one of the saviors of the wizarding world.
- Flashback-
Pansy was walking down an empty corridor on the second floor when she suddenly heard loud voices coming from a classroom at the end of her path.
Being a prefect, she knew it was her duty to check what was going on in there and since it was near midnight, send whoever was in there to bed. Since the end of the war, Pansy became a little more patient and overlooked a few things from time to time.
When she peeked through the half-open door, she could make out two silhouettes and the voices of everybody's-darling Granger and the Weasel boy.
'Probably a lover's spat or something', she thought and started to retreat when Ron grabbed Hermione's arm, spun her back around and yelled "I'm not finished, so don't you dare walk out on me, Hermione!" Hermione replied, obviously surprised and angry: "Let go of me this instant Ronald Weasley, or you will regret it!" "You wouldn't do anything to harm me, because you still love me. Just admit it already!"
Pansy could see that Hermione was struggling but it didn't seem to have any effect at all. "I already told you a million times that I stopped being in love with you when you cheated on me with Lavender – again. So no, I won't admit it because I don't love you anymore. Now let go of me!" She screamed the last part, but when the Weasel boy raised his arm to hit Hermione, Pansy reacted automatically and yelled "Stupify", her wand pointed at Ron and watched him haul through the room, crashing into the wall and falling to the floor unconscious. Pansy slowly turned towards the other witch, who looked frantically from Pansy to the unconscious Ron and back to Pansy. She knew that she never talked to Hermione before, let alone helped her in any way, but here she was, just changing it.
'Stupid, now you have to deal with her! She's probably going to blubber all over you and you have to be a friendly and selfless person and listen to her complain about her life or something.'.'Oh would you just shut up?', Pansy battled with herself, before taking a step in Hermione's direction, curious concern showing on her face. "You okay?", she asked, knowing that instant how stupid her question was. Hermione just nodded absentmindedly and stared through her, before snapping out her her stupor and asking Pansy: "Why did you help me?" 'There you've got it. Now you have to explain yourself and you have no idea why you did it. Well, find a way out of it for yourself. I'm not going to help.'.'You are me, you moron, you are helping just the same!', Pansy replied to herself before turning her attention back to Hermione.
"Couldn't exactly watch the heroine of the war and brightest witch of our age getting beaten up by some piece of crap now, could I?", Pansy replied sarcastically. To her surprise she found, that she thought of Hermione as quite attractive and that this was more likely the reason 'Please don't they that out loud!', she thought. She already knew that she was gay, but what scared the shit out of her and simultaneously gave her a funny feeling in the stomach, was Hermione hugging her and mumbling a 'Thank you' into her neck. Pansy could feel every curve of Hermione's body pressed into her own and luckily said person pulled away and hopefully didn't hear Pansy's labored breathing. Pansy was thankful for the darkness around them, otherwise Hermione might have seen the heavy blush, that would've put a Weasley's blush to shame. Pansy cleared her throat and said "No problem. But if you need someone to talk to who's not in your little circle of heroes, I'm around." With that Pansy turned on her heels and walked away quickly, leaving behind a very confused Hermione to deal with the still unconscious Weasley.
'If there's ever been the world's most stupid person, you've just dethroned them. Congratulation!'
-End of Flashback-
That was about two month ago and after finally accepting her attraction to Hermione, she started using every excuse to look at the other girl, watching her every move and trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible of the Gryffindor. Sometimes, when she had to do her prefect-rounds with Hermione, they talked a little, but she other girl never mentioned the incident in the classroom and Pansy didn't even dare to ask about it. She didn't have to, because she knew the brunette hadn't spoken to Weasley again even though he tried to apologize countless times.
Three weeks ago, Pansy met Hermione in Hogsmead and dared to ask her ('Just do it, coward!'), if she maybe wanted to grab a Butterbeer and talk a little. To her astonishment, the brunette agreed and so they sat at the 'Three Broomstick' all afternoon, chatting about anything and nothing and finally getting to know each other. Pansy realized that she was seriously crushing on the girl, experiencing that Hermione was fun to talk to and a totally different person than in class.
What she didn't know, though, was what the 'Golden Girl' was thinking about her. Often she wondered if Hermione was watching her at the meals or if it was just wishful thinking and her imagination running wild.
Yesterday the even bickered! 'I mean, hello? I don't do bickering' She just couldn't tell if that was friendly bickering or if Hermione was really flirting with her.
Tonight she was waiting for Hermione to show up for their curfew-rounds and thought that she was slowly going completely insane. Even Draco seemed to have noticed a difference in her and it didn't happen too often that he pulled his head out of his ass to sniff fresh air.
So when the brunette turned around the corner, her heart began to beat wildly in her chest before she noticed that Hermione must have been crying. "Hermione, what's wrong? What happened?" Pansy immediately asked, holding the other girl at arms length, searching her face for answers. Hermione's eyes glistened with tears and her face was covered in red stains from crying so much. Pansy still thought she was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen, though it hurt her deeply to see the brunette like that. Hermione replied "Ron.", before fresh tears started to run down her cheeks. Pansy couldn't help but pull the crying girl into her arms, slowly rocking her back and forth while heavy sobs were wrecking her body. When the sobs were dying down Hermione started speaking again. "Ron got back together with that slut Lavender. Told me I was worthless and just a distraction to him, 'till she would get back together with him. Said we're not friends anymore, since I'm not important to him anyway." Hermione couldn't get any farther as she started to cry again. Pansy slowly guided them down to the ground, sitting with the sobbing brunette in her arms, carefully rocking them back and forth and drawing soothing circles on her back.
"You know, he's a jerk! You are NOT worthless and he's an idiot for giving you up for Lavender. She's in no way better than anybody, at least better than you! You're smart, funny, kind, brave and beautiful. You're all a person could wish for and never ever doubt that!", Pansy said, realizing a little too late what she got herself into again.
Hermione wiped her eyes , looking at Pansy with an unsure smile on her lips, and asked "You really think I'm beautiful?" "Stunningly beautiful.", Pansy replied. 'Are you nuts? Do you know what you just said to her? This is gonna be awkward, my dear...' But Hermione's smile just got bigger and she whispered and 'Thank you' before snuggling back in the crook of Pansy's neck.
Said person sighed in relief and then barely stopped herself from jumping up in surprise, when she felt the brunette's lips kissing her neck lightly then her pulling away. Pansy opened her eyes slowly, though she didn't remember that she'd closed them, and met Hermione's uncertain gaze, her face only centimeters away. What the black-haired girl saw took her breath away: Love. 'Could that be real?' Then she felt herself being pulled closer to Hermione's warm body, felt her breath on her lips. Pansy slowly closed her eyes and the remaining distance. When their lips met, it was everything she dreamt of and so much more. An electric shock went through her body and she knew in that instant, that she couldn't stop even if her life depended on it. Hermione's lips were soft and full, and her taste was intoxicating, more so when she opened her mouth and their tongues touched hesitantly for the first time. Pansy never ever wanted to breath again if she just keep on kissing the girl in her arms.
After what felt like hours and at the same time like seconds they parted, breathing heavily, and Pansy looked at the brunette in wonder, then grinned and said: " So that's why you're not in love with the Weasel?" Hermione just giggled and answered "Guess so." "Well, good for me then.", Pansy whispered and leaned in again, their prefect duties long forgotten. She had better things to do tonight.