Ron was fuming. Viktor bloody Krum, he scowled as he thundered down the hall. It was nearing curfew and not many people were on the corridors but Ron had no intentions of returning to the Gryffindor common room and listening to Hermione prattle on about how oh so wonderful her day with Krum had been. As he slowed slightly, he heard a sort of chocked hiccup come from a nearby corner. He frowned further and tried to squint past the shadows. Looking as hard as he could he could just make out a human silhouette.
"Hello?" He said.
"Go away you ugly brute," snapped a harsh, but feminine voice.
Ron tried not to take it personally, but seeing as whomever it was could probably see him perfectly, there wasn't really any other way to take it. He was tempted to walk away, after the day he'd had there was no need for him to stay, but whoever it was sounded upset and he couldn't justify leaving them no matter how rude they were.
"Look, I just want to help," he said, leaning back against the wall, "I'm not going anywhere."
"If a teacher comes along you'll get in trouble."
"I don't really care."
Ron heard a sniff and then everything was quiet again, he bent his legs so that he was now sat on the floor leaning backwards, his head facing the ceiling and his mind running away with thoughts of Hermione and Krum. Ten minutes later he banged his head loudly against the wall.
"Agh. Bloody stupid quidditch players," he said, forgetting that he had an audience.
"Tell me about it," the girl said quietly, "But I didn't know you were into quidditch players."
"I'm not," he said darkly.
"Lucky you," she muttered.
"Look," said Ron, "I really do want to help you know. Just let me know how."
"What do you do when you really like someone but they just keep using you?" The girl asked, so quietly that Ron barely caught her words.
"Tell them that they're a prick," Ron suggested bluntly, "Look if that's what this is about, you can't let them get to you. Anyone who uses girls isn't exactly a nice person."
"I'm not exactly a nice person either." The girl gave a snort.
"Yeah well. Me neither," Ron said sighing, "None of us are really I guess."
"Come on. Of course you're a nice person, you're a Gryffindor; you're all brave and noble and chivalrous." He heard the shudder in the girls voice and laughed.
"Yeah, and greedy and jealous and possessive too." He banged his head against the wall, "And thick."
"Whatever." She said, "This isn't a self-pitying contest. Look I've told you what's wrong. Now go away."
"I'm not going anywhere. I want to help. Have you tried making him jealous? It'd be a lousy thing to do, but you say you're not a nice person, so…"
"How?" She sounded interested.
"I don't know; get a fake boyfriend or something. Or a real one, they work too," he added in a mutter.
"Who is going to want to pretend to go out with me?" she snorted.
"Uh. Well I could I guess? It'd suit my purposes too." Maybe if Hermione saw him with someone else she'd come to her senses, besides it was only a fake relationship. He could tell Hermione the full story if it blew up in his face…
"You wouldn't say that if you knew who I was."
"Try me," Ron dared.
Out of the shadows stepped a figure in green robes, with black hair and a hardened face, slightly red from crying.
"Parkinson," Ron said in shock.
"Weasley."
Uum."
"See." She said, her eyebrows raised, "I told you that you'd change your mind."
"I haven't…" Said Ron, "I'm just surprised."
"Why? Were you unaware that girls like me had feelings?"
Ron smiled, "Something like that."
"Well we do. So are you up for this or not? I'd say you're pretty desperate, having seen the way you watch Hermione with Krum – you're like a little kitten who's had his mouse stolen away."
"Let's do it," he said. Ron Weasley was not a kitten.
Pansy smiled lightly and Ron had to admit it was an improvement on her usual smirk, she held out her hand and he took it, the two of them walked down the corridor together. Getting caught walking together in darkened corridors hand in hand was surely the best way to start the rumours after all. As they walked Ron hummed quietly and noted that Pansy's hand was sweaty in his. It was funny how things could change in a night.
A/N Thanks for reading! Leave a review? This was written for Flutter of Angel Wings', A Different Pairings Challenge. The different pairing that I was given as you might have noticed was Ron/Pansy and my prompts were whispers, shadow, humming and nervous. I had a hard time coming up with something slightly believable for a pairing with these two, so let me know how I did please!