Hermione woke up the next morning to the sound of sharp, rapidly falling raindrops stinging her window. Thunder roared in the distance and rough gusts of wind caused the outer shudders to smack at the stone Hogwarts walls violently. She let out a frustrated sigh and began to change into her school uniform, ignoring the silent snoring of Ginny Weasley and bright flashes of lighting that illuminated the entire room. Hermione softly laughed to herself as she thought of how the approaching storm was just an imminent threat of what was to come in the Room of Requirement, another long day of studying across from Pansy Parkinson.
Pansy smiled to herself as she woke from her peaceful slumber. She loved waking up to the sounds of thunder and rain. The girl couldn't stand the sight of bright, sunny, cheerful weather.
Late, as usual, Pansy began to collect her things. Sifting through her laundry, she found several of her schoolbooks and her wand. She quickly grabbed some clean clothes, slung her tie around her neck, and threw her cloak over her shoulder. Instead of making a mad dash out of her room and to her class like most students would do when running fifteen minutes late for first period, she simply took a slow, leisurely walk to the Room of Requirement, making sure to take some time to enjoy the tumultuous weather.
"You're late." Hermione said as soon as she saw Pansy walk through the door.
"Well, punctuation has never been my forte." Pansy replied casually as she took her seat in the old desk facing Hermione.
"Where is that ghost that is supposed to be watching over us?" She asked.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him either. I read that some ghosts have trouble emerging in poor weather." Hermione said with a hint of worry in her voice. She had no idea what Pansy may do while they were alone together unsupervised.
"…well in that case…we'll be alone without that nosy corpse lingering over our heads and there is no way I'm going to spend my time in here doing any of this shit." Pansy casted her books aside and began to take a mild interest in the ceiling with her arms folded behind her head and a bored expression on her face.
Hermione scowled and reached for another book before realizing that she had finished all of her homework the night before, leaving her with nothing to do but rest her head in her hands and audibly sigh.
A few moments later, Hermione sighed again. The boredom was finally starting to set in.
"What are you doing?" Pansy asked, annoyed.
"Sighing."
"Well, stop. It's beginning to sound like you have a slow leak."
Hermione frowned and looked away, thinking up a list of things she would rather be doing now and who she would rather be doing them with. Playing cards with Malfoy, having a dull conversation about Quidditch with Harry and Ron, even selling prank candies to first years with the Weasley twins – anything but sitting here, in this quiet room, across from the one girl she loathed.
"There are about a million other things I would like to be doing other than this too you know." Pansy announced after noticing the dreamy look in Hermione's eyes.
"Such as? Shoving our fellow students into puddles of mud? Snogging Draco in a broom closet?"
Pansy let out a low growl and restrained herself from the great urge to beat Hermione Granger to a pulp. The seemingly placid and rather mild comment greatly angered her. She was surprised at its affect, as she had heard much worse from the other girls.
"Any matters regarding Draco and I are none of your business, mudblood."
"Why can't you come up with another insult? It's beginning to lose its affect you know."
"Hmm… if you're growing bored of that particular one, I can come up with some others if you like." Pansy flashed a fake toothy grin, exposing her sharp white canines and causing Hermione to visibly shudder.
Pansy shifted her attention to the desk before her, carving her name into the soft, rotting wood.
"What are you doing?!" Hermione asked alarmed.
"Why must you know, dyke?" Pansy smirked at Hermione's shocked reaction at the insult. The girl began to sputter incoherent syllables and her face turned a bright red.
"'Dyke' it is then." Pansy grinned and returned to her carving.
"Why do you insist on being s-such a r-rude, indecent human being?" Stuttered Hermione. All Pansy could do was smile and resist the temptation to burst out laughing at the girl's jumbled slur.
"Why do you insist on being such a bitch?!" Hermione cried, incredibly angered by Pansy's response. It echoed off the walls and surprised both of the girls. A deafening roar of thunder went unnoticed. Pansy had never heard Hermione use a swear word, and Hermione didn't realize she had it in her.
Pansy glared intently at the other girl and then looked down, ashamed. She was beginning to feel like she was pushing Hermione off the edge. Bullying the bright, clumsy Gryffindor was becoming less amusing and the darker-haired schoolgirl was even beginning to regret what she had said earlier.
"I-I'm sorry." Hermione said when she noticed the absence of Pansy's usual retorts and the sad look on her face.
Pansy looked up and then diverted her eyes away from Hermione's.
"I didn't mean to-"
"Yes you did. Now go back to your precious books and leave me alone." Pansy interrupted.
Hermione continued to look at the girl sadly. She regretted what she called her, but she knew it was justified. She always wondered how such a pretty girl could be so evil at times.
The truth was Hermione couldn't deny she had feelings for Pansy, no matter how much she tried. And the quick look of hurt in Pansy's eyes tugged at her heart. Hermione usually wasn't one to suppress her feelings, but with Pansy it was different. Pansy wasn't like all of Hermione's other silly schoolgirl crushes. Not like Fleur or Padma and Parvati. She wasn't a cute French girl visiting from another school or a catty twin. She was a vain, misunderstood, gorgeous tormented soul who Hermione, despite what she thought she felt, was beginning to fall for.