This is for the New Femslash pairings challenge by Trastamara Trash on HPFC! My assigned pairing is Astoria/Pansy and I had to use the prompt "violet". This is AU. (subject to changes because still unbetaed) I decided to combine it with another challenge I have been wanting to answer to :
The Different kisses/different gestures challenge from
Bree-utiful :
Kiss on the shoulder = "I want you"
Laughing while kissing = "I am completely comfortable with you"
…
-Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good.- Woody Allen
…
Who was the badly informed who said that work and fooling around was not a good mix?
…
Astoria Greengrass was walking at a speedy pace behind a diminutive man with balding hair and egg-shaped glasses, wearing a blue and white striped tie two times too short, and a beige washed out business suit with a polka-dotted red and mauve silk handkerchief hanging out from the left chest pocket.
God this man has no talent to dress himself up in the morning, she thought. It's fortunate this is not a fashion magazine!
Her straight black heels were tapping in a hurried cadenced motion. He was certainly fast for his undersized legs, and if she wasn't a girl that kept herself in perfect physical shape she would have probably broken a sweat from the quick march. Employees coming across them in the crowded sinuous corridors seemed used to this flowing movement in the building, avoiding them adroitly as they passed. She huffed audibly when her guide took a quick turn at the right and she almost bumped directly into him when he abruptly stopped in front of an office with a square of not see-through, blurry glass in its door and a sign underneath reading :
The Daily Prophet
Management and Publicity office
"This is were you are needed Miss Greengrass, everything will be explained to you inside, though you might want to accompany me so I can show you the Coffee room for employees first, you may want to come in with a few hot cups already prepared. They might appreciate that. Just a thought."
What does he take me for, I am used to this, I've been doing this kind of work for four years now, it's certainly not a simple columnist that will enlighten me on how to do my job correctly !
"Thank you kindly sir, but I'm sure I can find my way around and make out where the Coffee room is if my new boss does need something."
"Alright, then you know where my office is if you need me. Though you seem to say you're quite okay by yourself"
He bestowed a doubtful, indulgent grin to her, his little head bobbing from side to side like those silly gadgets Muggles sell in tourist shops that represent celebrities or famous hockey players.
"Yes, exactly."
She offered her best professional and detached fake smile to him and snapped her heels towards the door in where her new immediate future awaited her. With her usual confidence she seized the handle, turned and opened wide, a formal smile ironed on her attractive face, and made her way inside, purse and briefcase trapped tightly under her right arm.
She walked through rows of work tables, knowing exactly where she had to go. As she went by, quite a few of her new co-workers looked up. Some men ogled at her, one allowed himself a wink and a cheeky smile, a male secretary and two female ones came close together in some sort of caucus and started to hearsay about the newcomer, not even bothering to keep their voices down.
"Is that the boss's new assistant?"
"Yes, darling, that's her. I know precisely who she is actually; she comes from a wealthy family, the Greengrass. Rumour has it she declined her heritage to not have to marry without love into another pure-blood family, and she hasn't talked to her parents for years!"
"There's more to it, my dear, I heard she was even out of the country during that time. She completely threw everything out the window and disappeared to New Zealand, apparently."
Astoria had already passed the little talking group from a good two meters, but she decided to come back in her steps to address them. She leaned over the top of the man's desk, a good hint of her cleavage visible from the opened buttons of her clothed bust. She was still smiling.
He choked on the sip he had just taken from his coffee, the woman was indeed very seductive.
"Actually, it was Australia. If you waste time gossiping about people instead of doing your work, bother at least to get your sources right."
She smirked and winked in the direction of the two ladies next to him. She then pulled back and made her way to where she was headed in the first place.
She could still hear a few appreciative remarks in the distance:
"Wow, she's sexy."
And in the more vulgar register:
"Gee's Man, I'd get some fries with that chick!", followed by thick laughter.
She did not even sigh exasperatedly or roll her eyes to the ceiling; she was so used to this by now she did not even bother. Men were disgusting pigs but she enjoyed using her skills to manipulate them, never giving anything back in return. Women were the only human beings she appreciated enough to be on friendly terms with or sometimes even more than that : truth was her romantic escapades had happened mostly in the company of women during the time she had spent abroad and even some time before that while in school. That was one of the reasons she had not desired to marry that annoying prat, Malfoy. Though she still occasionally dated men, she knew that her sexual orientation was to women; therefore she could not spend her whole life locked up in an insincere relationship with some bloke, even less be someone's good-for-nothing, appealing wife. She had career ambitions and would do anything within the rules to achieve them; she did not need praise from her parents or anybody else, it was herself she wanted to prove her worth to.
Pushing these thoughts away she rapped her fingers on the door she had finally reached, imprinted with the name and the title Sir Arthur M. Doily, Manager in chief of the Daily Prophet : her new boss. Preparing her entry she smoothed the lines of her skirt and stepped in, someone was sat in a very wide office chair behind a large mahogany desk, she could see their hands on the arm supports, though she could not see their face or body. She announced herself more officially with a polite :
"Good morning, sir, I am glad to finally meet you in person."
She had her hand held out waiting for the individual behind the desk to stand up and come shake it but when she saw who was in the room it came as a shock. A very pretty young woman of about twenty-four, with a wide smirk that made small and cute little dimples appear near each corner of her mouth, with mid-length black hair framing her face to perfection and falling in bangs around her face and deep aquamarine eyes, stoop up to welcome her. And it was a very familiar person.
"Parkinson? Is that really you? What… do you work here?" She could not help feeling self-conscious as she was standing before this gorgeous woman, who triggered her insecurities because she was suddenly coming back like a ghost from her teenage years, actually one of the last persons she would have expected to meet here.
"Hello, Astoria, glad to meet you again after all these years. I'm your new boss, and please call me Pansy; I'm not quite old enough to be Mrs Parkinson and just Parkinson reminds me of my school days, not so much fun." Pansy had an amused grin on and rounded the desk to shake Astoria's soft hand.
"You? Isn't Mr Doily…"
"He's on holiday because of his liver sickness. Healers say he may have to be totally out of work by July. He's sixty-nine and very appreciated here but it seems his retirement is coming close. I was his assistant-in-chief; I'm now the new manager-in-chief in this Publicity office. I must say you are very welcome here, I read your references. No need to say the work you did in Australia is incredible."
Astoria's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe, first, that a woman two years older than her and still in her twenties had gotten this quickly such a prestigious post, and then that that young woman was Pansy Parkinson, the former not manager-in-chief but bitch-in-chief at Hogwarts. To top everything, the former bitch-in-chief was being friendly and nice to her. Unbelievable. She tried to regain control as rapidly as possible though, she didn't want to seem like a fool in front of her new boss, after all.
"Thank you, Pansy. Australia has given me a lot."
"Is that why you went there, for a job opening?"
"I went there to find a job, yes. I had not a clue what I would do, at first, I also went there for personal reasons."
"Well, when you'll feel comfortable, I'd be happy to hear them. You did leave the scenery abruptly a few years ago. It left everyone confused."
"Indeed, I'll keep your offer in mind Pansy."
Not a chance in the universe I'm telling you Parkinson, don't dream.
"Ok, that's settled then. Ready to work?"
Astoria smiled politely and nodded, following Pansy who started explaining her how things worked in their office and presenting her to the people she would be working with, showing her files they were presently working on and the most urgent projects. In just half a day's time Astoria already felt at home; the Publicity world was really her universe. She found many similarities with the publication she had worked for in Australia. She was specialized in the advertising of periodicals, magazines and journals. It was her thing and she loved it. Pansy seemed to love it too because she looked really in her element there. Everyone obeyed her and she got her way around things firmly but without the impatient and short temper that was particular to her younger self. Those traits were no longer present in her, it seemed, and it was definitely a good thing, for Astoria and everybody, that Nasty Pansy had been replaced by Smiley Pansy.
As was her habit, Astoria stayed late in the office, until 7 at night. Unlike all other employees who always rushed home when the "call" of 4:30 was heard, she had nothing waiting for her in her apartment and no parties or friend's houses to attend too, she did not want to laze around either; she truly enjoyed work above everything else in her life. It had become her drug.
"Astoria?"
She looked up at the feminine voice coming from her right. She had thought she was the last one there.
"Pansy? Oh, sorry, I thought I was the only one here. I was about to go, actually."
"I did not know we had so much in common."
"What do you mean?"
"You're a work addict like me, aren't you?"
"I would not say that precisely but…"
"Don't justify yourself, I quite like that trait in people, especially from a person working for me. The best work comes from such efficiency."
Her boss was smiling down at her, her cute dimples forming again at her mouth's corners and she looked very enthralled by her new assistant's competence. Even more, she seemed to appreciate the entire sight of her, her cheeky grin looked like the one of the cat before he got the milk.
"I admire something else in you because I like my work partners to be well-dressed and have taste in how they present themselves also. It's essential in Publicity. You look good and speak well : the client buys."
Astoria blushed a pale shade of pink before answering.
"That is… certainly true."
"You may go now, as much as I appreciate your staying late you need to be in good shape tomorrow morning also, you're coming with me for a presentation to the big suits."
"Really? Thank you Pansy."
She stood up and gathered a few things and her coat and purse before walking towards the exit.
"Hey." Astoria turned her head back. "Take this with you. A read for your night table." Pansy threw her a closed dark document that came from a filer. She caught it in flight and put it into her bag.
"Is this for tomorrow?"
"Yes, do you have time to attend to it?"
"Of course" She smiled at the idea of not having nothing to do anymore before going to sleep tonight.
"Just what I said. I like people like you." Pansy smirked and went away without a goodbye to grab her own things from her bureau.
"See you, Pansy" Astoria whispered to the empty room before going home. This job would be positively better than what she imagined at first.
…
The next day, Astoria arrived early with two enormous boiling hot cups of Starbucks' lattés and a little paper bag containing biscottis. She dropped her load softly on her boss's desk.
"I thought you might like coffee before the big show, boss." She said to Pansy, who had her small square glasses on and looked like she was deep down in concentration over papers and papers she had prepared for this important meeting.
She nodded absently, not looking up, having not listened and just thinking Greg or Tom had dropped another stack of paper unto her already loaded desk. She listened more attentively when she heard small footsteps echoing towards her door though, that were unmistakably light and feminine. This person wore heels. She finally looked up, intrigued.
"Astoria, that was you? Sorry, I was wrapped in thoughts and imagined it was no one important... wow, you brought coffee, marvellous idea. Please sit, I need a short break from this bureaucratic mass, my mind can't function right now."
"Thank you, I'd love to sit with you."
She sat herself across the attractive woman and presented the biscottis to her.
"They are italian hard cookies, have you tried them? The coffee is a latté, I didn't know what you liked exactly."
"A latté is perfect." Pansy pressed her lips hungrily to the burning liquid, savouring the sip she took. "Aaaaah, what's better than a good coffee to wake your woman up, that's what my father always said. And the cookies?" She took one, dipped it into her latté before making quick work in munching the poor piece of biscuit. "Mmmm" she said between bites, her mouth full. "That's really good!" She did not stop until she finished the whole bag, in which there had been five of the little wafers.
Astoria chuckled and Pansy looked at her questioningly.
"What's funny?"
"It looks like you haven't eaten this morning." Astoria was smirking, she thought Pansy was extremely cute right now and thought she could just take a bite of her, in this instant.
Pansy shook her head in an adorably cute motion.
"Haven't. Forgot."
She gulped down the rest of her latté and stood up, her whole outfit coming into sight. She was as thin as a finger, it looked like she forgot to eat often but slimness suited her, she had the body type for it and Astoria did not believe she would have gained any weight even if she had tried. She wished she had such a quick metabolism; the hours of gym she had to do to burn a single spaghetti with meatballs and two glasses of wine was too depressing to think about.
"I'll have to help you feed better than that in the morning, it seems then. As your assistant that's part of my work to provide for you the best dispositions." Her tone was flirtatious and her seductive smirk certainly seemed to have an effect on Pansy because she looked away and blushed, waiting to come up with a good answer. Nothing came, so she changed the topic.
"We still have 30 minutes. I assume you read the file so you know we have an electronic presentation to go with the out-loud one, how about we go over it together to check if everything is in order before we go?"
"Yes Pansy, sure."
The meeting went by very well and everyone was impressed by Pansy. The big suits visibly thought she was a very apt replacement for old Doily, maybe even better. He had experience but she had nerve and communicative dynamism. And fresh ideas to top. Pansy was pleased as well and complimented Astoria for her flawless assistance and witty remarks.
"You've done so well, I would make you my associate manager if there wasn't a two months long experience needed for it in the establishment's rules."
"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you."
"I'm just honest… I've got to run, I have other business to attend. Pass by Phil's desk and he'll tell you what's next on the schedule for you." Pansy winked at her and left her in the corridor without an outspoken goodbye as usual, but Astoria knew, at least hoped, she would see her again later in the day. Her company was very enjoyable she found, for a superior at least. She did not acted like one, she acted like a friend and it felt good. Astoria figured perhaps she'd tell her the truth about why she had left after the Battle of Hogwarts one day.
…
A month passed by and Astoria continued to amaze and impress, while everybody agreed Pansy was the brightest executive and best thing that had ever happened in this office. Astoria and her had become close in an office manner, not seeing each other outside work hours but occasionally sharing a meal at noon and often having light-hearted, friendly talks. Astoria thought she might do a little something to show Pansy she appreciated working with her on a Wednesday morning in December. She went by the florist's shop she knew to be the best in the neighbourhood and picked out what she'd been looking for.
She deposited the pot of violet and bluish-purple flowers on Pansy's desk and smiled.
"Just a little something that made me think about you."
"Oh…thank you. What a nice attention. They're very pretty, you shouldn't have. They're violets, right?"
"No… pansies, derived from the French word pensées, which means thoughts, or remembrance."
Pansy's lips curled up in a smile.
"Really?" She seemed amused. "So, do you always make gifts that are related to the person's name directly?"
"I do try to have some thought behind the choices I make in this field, indeed."
"It's certainly very thoughtful. Thank you again. And I haven't seen such pretty little flowers in a long time. Do you actually know that in Shakespeare's A midsummer night's dream, they are used in the making of love potions?"
"You…you read Muggle Litterature?"
"Well of course, didn't you pick up I wasn't the same prejudiced person I was back in school?"
"Indeed, that's… good." She had understood that but it still felt odd to hear the former straight-forward defender of Voldemort's values talk about Muggles appreciatively.
"You seem to already know a lot about the meaning of your name, Pansy. If I'd have known about what you just told me, I may have used the flowers to prepare an alternate version of my gift."
"So you're also the type to try to induce people by using potions, then? You're full of surprises."
"I'm not usually; my body is habitually enough enticement for them." Astoria winked and trailed a hand into her hair, smacking her lips together seductively.
Pansy gasped. She could say Astoria had become a friend somewhat but never had she openly flirted with her like that, though she had often hoped she would. As her boss she could not make the first step if she did not desire to be accused of sexual harassment towards employees. Astoria smirked and turned to walk back to her own desk again, undulating her hips and taking deliberate slow steps away from her boss's desk. She could not move away any further when a small hand grasped her wrist with surprising force.
"I'd like to be the judge." The words were whispered huskily into her left ear, making her shiver.
"Pansy?" Astoria made to pull away a little to face the other woman but a strong arm pressed her backwards into its owner's body and she felt the form of perky breasts pressing in her back through both their office clothes. Even through the layers of fabric she could feel the nipples of the woman behind her had already hardened from her teasing and from the sudden significant lust present in the room.
"I'm not a very patient girl, Astoria, as you may not know. If you tease me like this you know what you gonna get?"
"No…"
Instead of answering, Pansy preferred immediate action. She pulled slightly on the material of her assistant's loose blouse to reveal a suntanned shoulder.
"Mmm, I think I love what Australia did to your bronzing."
She pressed her thin violet tainted lips to the gold coloured skin. In this gesture it was obvious what Pansy wanted… her. As she continued to trail hard kisses from her shoulder blade to the side of her neck, Pansy murmured sentences like incantations.
"You're too sexy for your own good… and mine, you know that?"
Astoria let her head fall back on Pansy's shoulder offering her neck completely to her.
"And how am I supposed to work when you are teasing me in this way?"
Pansy's arms were roaming her sides as her lips descended close to her lips, on her right cheek.
"I think I'll have to release my tension now, in this precise office."
A deep powerful kiss made her moan in her boss's spider-like grip, hands were now travelling on her backside. Pansy smirked in the embrace. She liked to role-play on authority and Astoria seemed very open to it.
"You brought this all on yourself, you naughty little tease, you know that? Now what you're getting is exactly what you deserve, don't even try to think of getting away from it now."
Astoria whimpered and groaned. Her silk underwear had dampened between her legs and the sexual tension was making her overwhelmed with need and lust.
"Wanton slut."
She gasped and pressed her petite frame back into Pansy's form even more.
"You like being spoken to by the name you truly deserve, don't you?"
"Oh… yes!" She finally found control over her senses enough again to talk.
"You like it to hear someone tell you what a depraved, badly behaved, impish whore you are."
"Yes, Pansy. Oh fuck yes."
Pansy bit down into her assistant's neck making her trash around under her grip in pleasure.
"How would you feel if… I fucked you on this desk right there?"
"Mmmm mmm"
"I think that's what you want, yes?"
"I…I don't want it, I need it."
"I thought so."
…
Two young witches with dishevelled hair came out of the boss's office half an hour later. Some people looked strangely at them, raising an eyebrow but no question was asked. At least they had taken time to straighten their clothes and make-up before coming out of the door, and Pansy had the good idea to cast a Muffliato before she ravished her sexy assistant. No clear hint could tell what they had been doing, except if someone had seen the love bite on Astoria's neck, but her long blonde mane luckily covered it.
…
A few weeks later, their relationship was still very new and passionate, and they began to enjoy each other's company more and more. Becoming more intimate but also more tender, feelings of love slowly beginning to enter their hearts.
They had agreed to allow themselves a break from work at 6: 30 in the evening, when everybody had already gone home. Astoria went into Pansy's office right away to kiss her ardently. The dark haired young woman responded as eagerly but after a few seconds, Pansy began to laugh in the embrace, like that, out of nowhere. Even when Astoria looked at her pointedly, frowning, asking her if she was mocking her, she couldn't stop herself sniggering.
"Sorry, it's just the sudden thought I had, it's hilarious."
"What did you think about? I don't appreciate people laughing in my face, especially when I'm trying to turn them on."
"I was thinking about Draco." Another eruption of laughter.
"What about him? Is he of any interest in the present situation?"
"No it's just that… does he even know he has turned two women gay?"
Astoria giggled, finding the thought very amusing indeed.
"You really think he's the reason you're gay?" Astoria was smiling.
"Well, he may have had something to do with it, yes. He was just everything an odious, obsessed and self-centered man would be. Though I can't deny he was handsome, almost in an unmanly way, which makes it even more funny. He had a lithe frame, silky hair and soft skin only a woman could have, maybe that's why I liked him at first actually." She chortled. "Anyways even though he once broke my heart I must be grateful to him cause he helped me reveal my true self; I only love women and I'm proud of it."
"As long as you love me, I don't mind the rest."
The looked deep into each other's eyes, emotions visible between them and they kissed again and again, until night was falling on the streets and out their window and every single person had exited the building.
"How about take-out Chinese and heading to my apartment?" Pansy suggested. She was sitting on the floor with her head pressed back on the front panel of her large desk and Astoria was in the same position right next to her, they were holding hands.
"Sounds lovely. After you boss."
She winked as Pansy just nodded. They both stood up. Pansy put an arm around the other woman's shoulders, kissing her forehead before they disappeared into the city.
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