Change of Heart
Competition Info:
House: Hufflepuff
Year: 3rd
Prompts: Bad guy turning good [Trope], Pansy Parkinson, [Speech] "You're going to be trouble, aren't you?"
Word Count: 1064
From birth, Pansy was taught to be a certain way. She was taught to be cruel, prideful, and most importantly, powerful. Her parents taught her how to be someone who can make an impact on the world, how to be important. It's not only her ego that makes her the way she is.
She grows up hating mudbloods, because they are ruining the Wizarding World, aren't they? Although it doesn't seem like it, it makes sense to her. In some way, it seems logical to hate them. She throws the slur carelessly, feeling superior.
Pansy makes a lot of enemies this way. The only people she trusts are her parents and a few friends from the Slytherin house. Other than that, Pansy views them cautiously, yet with an air of arrogance. She didn't care about them, at all. And for a while, it doesn't seem like this is going to change.
After the Dark Lord came back, Pansy felt uncertain. This was something she should've been looking forward to, but she ended up feeling frightful. The Dark Lord was no laughing matter; as someone who's been close to that side, the dark one, she knew just how dangerous it could be. So, was she fearful for her own life out of self-preservation?
As the days passed by in her fifth year, she pondered this question. But as she looked at her classmates, she thought about what Hogwarts would be like under the Dark Lord's control, how everyone would be effected. And it was bad, really truly bad. She wanted to keep seeing everyone there, even the ones she swore she hated, like Potter, Weasley, and the mudblood.
Perhaps Pansy didn't have to be on the opposing side of the war she knew was steadily approaching. Maybe she didn't have to be on the dark side with the others. Her fellow Slytherins may be dumb enough to continue on the path, but she wasn't.
Under Umbridge's almost tyrannical rule, a group began to form, though Pansy only heard of it through whispers. A group of students who would teach themselves how to fight, in order to prepare for war. Pansy knew this was her chance, but she also knew it would be hard to convince them she was there for the same reason she was. Also, she was pretty sure she was going to have to talk to someone beforehand, Granger, most likely. She tasted the name in her mouth, not used to using it instead of the slur. Pansy accepted that the slur had been just that, and that she wouldn't use it anymore.
Pansy came to talk to Granger in between classes, figuring that was the best time to do it. Potter and Weasley were not around her, which was to Pansy's benefit. She had a feeling they wouldn't understand her and just be too judgmental.
"What do you want, Parkinson?" Granger stated harshly, preparing for disgraceful words to fly out of her mouth.
"I heard about your little group," Pansy informed her. "Dumbledore's Army, isn't it?"
Granger's face paled, but she managed to maintain her composure. "What about it?" she asked.
"I want in," Pansy stated simply. She carefully watched Granger's expressions, and she knew that she would think there was something else involved, some ulterior motive.
"Why would you want to join?" Granger asked slowly, blinking as if it truly confused her. Was it such a strange idea that Pansy believed in their idea?
"I think we aren't learning enough," Pansy said, after a moment of silence. She was trying to find the right words. "And I want to be on your side of things. The light, if you think of it that way."
Silence. Granger was just staring at her, in an almost bewildered and curious way. Yet, there was also a hint of pride. "You're going to be trouble, aren't you?" Granger decided to ask, finally not defensive.
"Most likely," Pansy snickered.
Granger let her in, and she attended the next Dumbledore's Army meeting. She could tell Granger talked to Potter and Weasley first, probably so there wasn't some kind of meltdown once she arrived. The other members were surprised, but adapted well to the change.
Hopefully, Pansy thought to herself, others will make the right choice too.
She was never as close to the trio as she had wanted, and she also didn't contribute as much as she wanted to. Once it came down to it, her parents let her make her own decision as to which side to support. Although they personally didn't agree, they still loved and protected Pansy. They understood her reasons.
In the war, and especially the final battle, Pansy had been fighting on the good side, throwing spells at Death Eaters, some she could even recognize. It made her feel uneasy, having that kind of personal connection with some of them, but she pushed it aside because this was the right thing to do.
She felt the same feelings as everyone else when Harry was limp in Hagrid's arms. She felt despair, sadness, and hopeless. Without him, there really was no chance for the war to end. And when he showed himself to be alive, Pansy felt a spark of joy right in her heart. They were going to win.
And when they did, Pansy felt accomplished and correct. This was the way things were meant to go.
After the war, Pansy is traumatized from the things she had to see. She lost many friends and even some family members in the war. Her parents had been imprisoned for being Death Eaters and committing crimes. She saw them right before they were sent off to Azkaban, and they smiled grimly at her. Although it had been their decision, Pansy wished she had worked more to convince them to switch sides.
As Pansy walked away from the trial, someone followed her. They rested their hand on Pansy's shoulder gently. "You made the right choice," they said.
It was Granger. Granger who had been open and accepting when Pansy had changed sides.
"I know," Pansy sighed.
Nobody said choosing the right side was easy, though. Pansy felt lonely after the war, as if her entire life was on the decline now that it was over. Yes, she had done the right thing, stayed on the right side, but what was there to do now?