This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was orignall posted on 25 October 2020.
I always love writing these two together. Happy reading! xxDustNight
Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription. Any other mistakes you find are definitely me own.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.
Friends First, Partners Always
Rated T
Pairing: Pansy Parkinson/Hermione Granger
Summary: A little mishap with their wedding plans forces Pansy to take on the role Hermione usually upholds.
Prompt: #31DaysOfWriting October 15th: Role Reversal
#RollAThon 24 October 2020 HP Roll: Pansy Parkinson/Hermione Granger/Marriage Law
#RAREHPBINGO Square I4: Pansy Parkinson
#DracosDrabbles July 2020: Pansy Parkinson/Campfire S'mores/Mojito
"Everything is a bloody mess!"
Pansy rolled her eyes from where she sat on the sofa. She'd been sitting there sipping a freshly made mojito and watching as Hermione worked herself into a frenzy. The pair of them had been matched up as partners when the new marriage law was enacted by the Ministry a few months ago. For the most part, it was going well… That is until it came time to plan their actual ceremony.
"Instead of the mini cheesecakes we ordered for the reception, the bakery is giving us campfire s' mores!" Hermione shouted, throwing her hands into the air and continuing to pace.
"Isn't that a Muggle summer tradition?" Pansy drawled, taking another sip of her mojito and enjoying the way Hermione's eyes seemed to blaze. Initially, she and Hermione were far from friends, but now they were far more than that. They spent a lot of time together after the war finally getting to know each other as friends, and then as newly engaged partners.
"An American Muggle tradition, yes," Hermione replied, raking both hands through her already frazzled curls. Some were now even standing on end from her endless tirade. "I didn't even know it was on the menu, but I know we chose the mini cheesecakes."
Standing, Pansy set aside her drink and walked forward to take hold of Hermione's upper arms. Staring her betrothed in the eyes, she said, "I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to change the dessert menu, but I will get to the bottom of it and fix it, okay?"
"How can you be so level-headed about all of this?" Hermione asked, voice going soft as she slowly relaxed. She appeared close to tears, and Pansy didn't want her to cry.
"One of us has to be," Pansy replied with a smirk. "If it's not going to be you, then I guess it's my job to take care of you for once."
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Hermione gestured between them. "This marriage, I mean. I'm so afraid that it's going to blow up in our faces or we'll grow to hate each other again."
"Is that why you've been so frantic these past few days?" Pansy tipped her head as she asked this. When Hermione nodded, it all started to make sense. "Hermione," she began, a slow smile sliding onto her lips, "we are always going to have days where we want to rip each other's hair out, but we are friends first, and partners second."
"Shouldn't it be the other way around? Partners first?" Hermione looked confused by Pansy's comment.
"Hell no!" Pansy laughed and tugged Hermione in for a hug. Once the witch had enveloped the former Gryffindor in a warm hug, she said, "You're right, we were forced into the marriage by an insipid law the Ministry felt necessary, but that doesn't mean we have to lose our friendship over it."
"I can't thank you enough for being so level-headed during all of this chaos," Hermione said sincerely. "I know it took a lot for us both to drop our past prejudice to get to this point. I was afraid that this friendship we found would be torn apart because of the marriage law."
"It's not always going to be easy. Some days you're going to have to be the strong one for me," Pansy continued. Shrugging one shoulder, she added, "Probably more often than not that will be the case, but for the days when life appears too much for you, I'm going to be the strong one for you."
Hermione merely blinked once, then twice at Pansy after she stopped talking. "Pansy, I-"
"I know," Pansy said and then tipped Hermione's head back so she could lay a gentle kiss to her lips. Pulling back slightly, she whispered, "I know you do, and I love you too."
Hermione's smile grew. "Friends first?"
"And partners always," Pansy finished before kissing Hermione again.
They forgot about the dessert debacle for a while and enjoyed each other's company instead. There would be time to fix the bakery's mistake after they figured out a new dynamic to the relationship they were continuing to grow more and more every day.