"Hey Pansywancy," Ash called out and waved when she saw the girl with the black hair. "Why don't you and Daphne sit with us today? Like in the old times!" A couple of Slytherins started snickering while the people on the other tables looked over shocked, especially when they saw Pansy hesitantly walk over to join them, a slightly frightened Daphne following them.

"What do you want?" Pansy spat.

Ash looked at her fellow Slytherin confused. "I just wanted to be nice. You know, eat and talk together, like we did in the old times. We had so much fun together!" she smiled.

"Oh, bloody Merlin, we both know that you're lying."

Ash narrowed her eyes, "you should be careful with what you say. I do hope you did not forget your situation."

Pansy tensed, "of course I haven't"

Ash smiled again, "then, please sit down."

Pansy looked around herself and slowly sat down next to the girl that was blackmailing her.

After that nothing happened. Ash ignored their presence throughout the majority of breakfast, but then she finally turned back to Pansy.

"You know... I have this nagging feeling that I should tell you why I'm doing this. I know its stupid... But I just can't help myself. You know Pansy, what you did. Well, normally I would just laugh it off. You got me there, that's too bad, but its not like I can't take a joke. I probably would have just jinxed you back a bit and then everything would be alright again," Ash told her.

"However, unintentionally, you hurt me more then just letting plants erupt from my head. Those plants burst my eardrums. Do you know how much that hurt?" Pansy shook her head. "A lot."

"However, the biggest problem was that when I awoke from in the infirmary, I wasn't cured - which even surprised Madam Pomfrey. I really believed I've gone deaf. For about two hours I tormented myself, thinking I would never be able to hear Draco's, Tracy's nor Blaise's voice. I was even sad that I couldn't hear your voice. Do you know how much that hurts?" Pansy shook her head no again and Ash copied her. "Well, believe me. It hurts.

"So, you must understand, that I can't just let you off like that," Ash snapped her fingers. "Yet I don't want to be petty. Therefore, rejoice. I'll delete that recorded idiocy in time for you to go freely into the winter holidays, if you do anything I ask of you throughout this week. Does that sound fair to you?"

Pansy's eyes widened as she carefully nodded her head.

"Good girl," Ash said and patted her head. "What's your next class?"

"DADA"

"Oh yeah, we have that call together, right? With the Gryffindor's... hm..." Ash scrunched up her face in thought. "How about we start with something very, very easy? In DADA, I want you to go over to -" Ash straightened up and glanced at the Gryffindor table. " - Dean Thomas and convince him of your undying love for him"

Pansy gasped as her eyes widened. "Thomas?"

"What? You don't like him... well, would you rather convey your undying love to Longbottom or Potter then?" Ash suggested and saw the horror in Pansy's eyes. "Be happy I love my cousin too much, otherwise I'd really change your target to Harry." She turned to look at Tracy and Blaise, "What do you think? Longbottom or Thomas?"

Tracy and Blaise looked at each other before they sighed, "Thomas" they said as one, and Blaise explained, "We'd love to say Longbottom, but if you want to stay on the good side with your family we'll have to take Thomas."

Ash smiled at them and nodded. "There you have it," she said, looking back at Pansy. "DADA, undying love, Thomas. I hope you'll have fun."

Pansy looked at her pleadingly, quickly glancing at Draco for help - who in turn shook his head - before turning to look at Thomas in disgust.

"Don't forget, you've got to mean it. He's got to believe that you really are madly in love with him," Tracy hissed as she passed Pansy while walking through the door to the DADA classroom.

"No worries, Thomas doesn't bite." Ash said and patted Pansy on the shoulder before following her friend.

Professor Humbug hadn't entered the classroom yet, when the show began. Instead of sitting down on her normal seat, next to Daphne, Pansy went straight towards Dean's desk and sat down next to him. With an unsure glance back at Ash - who 'encouraged' her by sticking up her thumbs.

"D-D-Dean." she said, getting the boys attention.

"What do you want, Parkinson?"

Again Pansy glanced towards the Slytherin section of the class. Ash motioned her to go on. "Please, call me Pansy." Dean looked at her confused and glanced behind her at the Slytherins - who were pretending to ignore the scene, while trying to hold back laughter. "Dean," Pansy continued after a small pause, "I know I haven't been the nicest of people."

Dean crooked his eyes at her. "Alright. I was a bitch," she admitted. "But... you know how it is. Two different houses, getting to know each other when you're young. Teasing the ones we like..."

Dean looked at Pansy confused, "what, in Merlin's name, are you trying to say?"

Pansy took a deep breath, and tried not to look at Ash and the others before saying: "Dean Thomas, I'm in love with you," she shuddered and heard the Slytherins at the other end of the room burst out laughing.

Dean looked at Pansy in disgust and then looked at the laughing Slytherins. "Oh, fuck off Parkinson," he said, but saw determination in her face.

"No Dean! Listen," she cried. "They think this is a joke, but it isn't I truly love you."

Thomas groaned and looked at his friends. The golden Trio and Neville seemed to just as shocked as Dean at Pansy's confession.

"Good morning class," a voice interrupted the show before Dean could say anything. Quickly the whole class turned their attention to Professor Humbug who was standing at her desk. "Due to the fact that this is the last week of school, before the winter holidays, we really don't have much more to do. Therefore, I thought we'd use what we learned this year and try it out, like a kind of review," the Professor smiled. "The person your sitting next to right now, will be your partner for this week."

Most of the class cheered, but Thomas had a hard time not to groan, as Pansy glanced at a smirking Ash panicky, before she turned back to Thomas and smiled at him sickly sweet. "I can't wait," she said.

"Do you think that was to harsh? Or maybe to childish?" Ash asked Tracy when they returned to the Great Hall for lunch.

"No, it wasn't."

"But we're pulling innocent Dean Thomas into the mess, making him believe that Pansy loves him."

"Trust me, he'll be happy when it turns out as fraud."

"I guess."

"So what are we gonna do next?"

"Hmm, well I was thinking about making her confess something..."

"Oh come on, at least we know that its not true," Ash smirked at Pansy.

"True, true, we could also make you confess about that little fetish of yours... but we don't want the younger ones to get sick now, do we?" Tracy followed up and shuddered.

"Yeah, definitely don't want that," Ash agreed, eyes wide in horror. "Personally I wished I didn't know."

Pansy was standing in between the two girls with clenched jaws. "Then you shouldn't have read my diary."

"But it was so much fun!" Tracy chimed with a little tap on Pansy's head. "But back to the subject at hand. You know what to do?"

"...Don't you think that confessing my 'undying' love for Thomas was enough? - especially because I have to follow through on this the whole bloody week?" Pansy said in a pleading voice. "Do you really have to make me do this?"

Ash's face hardened, "Pansy, be honest. If you were in my situation. You'd probably have me skipping through the school naked, singing 'Barbie Girl', and make a move on Dumbledore . What I'm making you do, Pansy, is child's play. Furthermore," Ash added, "you'd have me make a fool of myself every second of the day, I'm just giving you a bit of vendetta once or twice a day."

Pansy glared at her words.

"So, now go out there and make me proud," Ash smirked and shoved Pansy into the Great Hall - following after her.

Pansy looked back at the two friends one last time before she climbed up on the Slytherin table and started yelling, trying to catch the attention of the student body. "People, Guys! Listen! I've got an confession to make!" she shouted out loud.

While watching Pansy, Ash sat down next to Draco. "In a way, I respect that girl. Whatever it is, she has the pride and honour to see it through," she said, leaning into Draco's chest.

Tracy glanced over at her. "You call that honour and pride?"

"What would you call it?"

"I'd say, she doesn't have any self respect."

Ash smiled. "No. That's not true. This is the first time that I actually see her show self respect," she argued and watched as Pansy stood on the table, the faces of the student body turning towards her.

Ash saw Pansy give her one last look and Ash smirked, just like Pansy did. "I knew she had self respect," she sighed, "But this will give me at least a week of detention."

"Alright, I hope you're all listening! I have a confession to make! As you might have noticed I've been behaving weirdly in the last few days." Murmur went through the crowed and Pansy eyed Ash, as she slowly stood up. "That was because - " Ash jumped onto the table and ran towards Pansy, hitting her full force when was about to say more.

Without stopping Ash ran down the length of the table - Pansy hanging of her shoulder - jumped down on the floor and raced out of the door.

When they reached the nearest girls bathroom she stopped and let Pansy down.

"Wow," Ash breathed heavily, "your heavier then you look." Pansy stared at the girl in shock.

"Why did you do that?"

"And let you confess that I'm blackmailing you?" Ash laughed. "That would mean expulsion for both of us!"

Pansy's eyes narrowed. "Oh do you think I wouldn't have shown them the tape?" Ash rolled her eyes.

Pansy's eyes shone with pride. "I stole that tape," she smirked. "Now if you would excuse me, I have to make sure your kicked out of this school."

Ash looked at Pansy as she passed her and wanted to go out of the door. "Are you sure that you want to do that?" Ash asked, just when Pansy touched the door handle.

"Why would I not?"

"Because I have the tape."

"I just told you that I stole it."

"No, no, no. You stole a copy of the tape. I have the original right here," she said and pulled out the recorder. Slowly she pressed play.

You should be careful with what you say to me. I've already hurt you once and will do it any time again... the recorder blurted out.

Ash saw Pansy look at her in shock. "But, but..."

"I always knew you weren't as stupid as you pretended. I made copies of the tape," Ash smiled and walked up to Pansy. "But I must say, I'm proud of you," she said and gave Pansy a peck on the cheek. "I never really did imagine that you'd have the guts to confess it in front of the whole student body. I believed that you'd go to a teacher. But I'm quite happy that you tried. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to save us both from expulsion."

Pansy stared a Ash in awe.

"But I understand that this wont be the last time that you'll do this if I continue to blackmail you... I guess we'll have to end this here."

"So you'll give me all the tapes now and stop blackmailing me?"

"No. I won't give you those tapes. Their my safety card that I am able to trust you not to say anything about this little incident. However, the blackmailing will definitely stop. No more pretending to like Dean, no more confessions, nothing. Deal?"

Pansy scrunched her face together. "Deal," she spat and pushed Ash out of her way.

Ash still had her back turned to the door when she heard the door fall close. Silently she sighed. "Well, that was a short blackmail," she mumbled to herself, before turning to the door and opening it. "Oh and Peeves. I'll get the bloody Baron to beat you up if you tell anyone what you've heard in here," she yelled into the bathroom before walking out and following Pansy back to the Great Hall.

"Oh hello Professor," she said as she bumped into Professor Snape as her rushed out of the door.

"Ah, Miss. Weasley, just the girl I've been looking for. What was that commotion with Miss Parkinson about?"

"Um, we had a little misunderstanding," she answered smiling.

"Well, both of you will have detention everyday until the Christmas Holidays start" he glared and stalked past her.

Ash shrugged and went back into the Great Hall to her friends. It could have been worse...