authorsnote: just a little somethin' I threw together. this is one of my fav crack!ships, and I had great fun writing this.
do check out my other hp fics, I've got mad inspiration for this verse atm, and I hope you enjoy them! I hope you enjoyed this and do let me know if you did.
songrecs: peaches - justin bieber (the tiny desk version is phenomenal).
'I get my peaches up in Georgia'
The sun on her skin, the beams of light that dance over her freckles, the pretty shape of her face whilst bathed in sunlight, the grin she reserves just for her, coy, a little nervous and awkward – school days don't ever quite fade away, but beautiful.
She is a breath of fresh air, a spring flower in the meadow, a pretty peach hanging from the tree, silver sparkling at her ears.
Her long hair flows down her back, not quite the haystack it used to be, but still with a little frizz, a lot of bushiness if she doesn't brush it (sometimes she likes to do it for her), she has the freckles smattering her nose (which is always stuck in a book), and best of all the words for her, 'I love you'.
She remembers when she used to think she was too bookish, too frizzy, to unkempt. How wrong she had been.
Hermione is beautiful.
She is beautiful when sat at her desk, chewing a quill to ruin as she ponders over a new bill put across her desk. She is beautiful when she is lazing on the couch, her head in her lap, as she strokes her hair, the frizzy curls bouncing across her fingertips. She is beautiful when she moans, those perfect breathy little sounds leaving her lips.
She is beautiful, and she had been blind not to see it before.
'I get my weed from California'
She'd first seen it when they are both attending some event put on by the Ministry. 'Healing in the wake of the war' or some crap it's called. She only goes because it's expected, as the head of her family now (and the only one left), she has to attend, make a big donation and smile for the camera (the last she does less of now, she finds glaring helps). For her, as the new and up and comer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement she has to make an appearance to schmooze colleagues, though that she's terrible at.
"God, I hate these things" She laments when she goes for some punch, and it so happens Granger is stood next to her, grabbing one as well and she nods along.
"Me too"
They had both jolted back, they haven't spoken since school, and they hardly exchanged pleasant conversation then, and it wasn't as though they'd meant to converse, but they have, and so she speaks again.
"Forced here by work?" She offers, something neutral, polite, easy.
"Not exactly" Granger responds, for back then she was Granger, and she Parkinson, not Hermione, not Pansy as they are now. "I'm here to make connections' as Ginny says, to move up in my department"
"You don't need to do that" She says with a shrug, "You're not the type to get far by sucking up, you don't need to, you'll do it on your own" An actual compliment, what a surprise, and Granger looks just as shocked, just a little pleased. Pansy decides she needs to cut it, "Which is good, as you are horrific at networking"
Her look of surprise goes to being offended, and then she's off, storming over to Potter and Pansy smirks. There, balance restored.
'I took my chick up to the North, yeah'
The next time they see one another is at another event, but this time a lunch. 'Women for St Mungos' or whatever the hell it's called (she should know since she sits on the board). It's a nice lunch with darling finger sandwiches and just the appropriate ratio of gossip to fundraising.
She's surprised to see Granger there, though she has gotten moderately better at networking (though just barely), Pansy can't resist a word.
"Granger" She is over getting a drink, well, had decided she needed one when she saw the new Assistant Head of Magical Law Enforcement grabbing herself some punch. "Nice to see you've improved on schmoozing some, though word to the wise, you're still awful at it" Again, she can't just compliment, where's the fun in that?
"I am not" The brunette fumes back. She looks nice Pansy notes, dressed in blue, hair curly but not frizzy, fake diamonds at her ears that could just about pass for real if not for her experienced eye.
"You are" Pansy rolls her eyes as she takes a sip of her drink, waves to Daphne who is Granger's opposite when it comes to schmoozing – just the right amount of ruthless and flattery, a deadly combination. "Maybe next time don't shout at the Isadora Yaxley about the failings of House Elf liberation if you want her to donate to your pet projects"
"But she wasn't getting me" Granger insisted, and Pansy couldn't help but marvel that someone could be so smart and yet so stubborn and thus blind at the same time.
"And I'm sure yelling at her helped" Pansy cut back, and she found some delight in seeing Granger's cheeks go pink. That is what she blames on her next action when she takes Granger's arm.
"Come on, we can smooth things over" She misses the shocked look on Granger's face, and how her cheeks remain pink long after the embarrassment has worn off.
'I get my light right from the source, yeah'
It's Christmas next, Pansy is tucked away in a booth in the darling little coffee shop in Hogsmeade. Snow falls outside as shoppers rush from store to store. The shop itself is bursting, and only a sneer or two has kept her booth free.
She's just finished her own shopping and is on her second caramel latte as she glances up and notices Granger, nose red, hair a birds nest, hands full of bags, looking for some respite from the cold, and looking around frantically for a seat.
Pansy feels two odd warring desires then.
The first; to ignore Granger, glare at her if she comes near and to get on with her day. The second; to wave, offer a seat, and make conversation.
Thankfully, she doesn't have to pick, and it is the first time in her life Pansy is happy to relinquish control.
"Is this seat taken?" Granger is asking her, and Pansy is shaking her head, she isn't sure why she motions for Granger to sit down, nor is she sure why does she pay for the drinks at the end, but she does, and it's nice. She can use nice sometimes.
"Good to see you Granger" She grins as the golden girl blushes and takes a sip of her coffee to hide her smile. "How is work?"
"Stressful" Granger offers, her cheeks still pink, "Busy, we're currently forcibly undoing harmful werewolf legislation, and it's difficult"
Pansy nods, she keeps up with current affairs, she holds a seat on the Wizengmont after all (though rarely attends and thanks her proxy daily for not having to do so), and she knows all about Granger's current crusade, she knows as well it's not looking good.
"Well good luck" Pansy offers, and Granger nods, sipping at her tea with a red nose and a smile, "You've got my vote"
"Why?" Granger asks and that surprises Pansy. No Slytherin would ever ask 'why' after all such a question admits to not knowing something, and she is a little shocked for a second before she answers.
"Because it's you" She admits, and she manages to regain her composure when Granger's cheeks suddenly match her nose. Nothing like knocking someone else off tilt to bring her back to reality, it's always been her way, make someone else uncomfortable and she's no longer that, easy.
"Me?" Granger asks again, and Pansy just nods, puts down the money for their drinks and stands, without an answer or anything else, only smiles, and sashay's out.
Not because she wants to keep the upper hand by being cryptic, but because she isn't sure how to answer Granger.
Or is it Hermione? Not quite yet.
'And I see you, the way you breathe in, it's the texture of your skin'
Christmas day comes and goes, and Pansy spends it alone with a bottle of wine.
It's her first Christmas alone, the year before she, Draco, Theo and Blaise had sat around drowning their sorrows, ignoring the festive period, a few tears shed, some laughs had. But this year they all have plans, Draco's no doubt sat eating those weird plums his new love goes on about, Theo's in Egypt doing research and Blaise is at the Weasley's of all places. She was invited to all three, turned down all three and is nursing her glass instead. She picked out nice presents, she sent out cards, she's done her bit.
And now she's alone.
She remembers Christmas as a child. Mountains of presents, everything she ever wanted. She remembers her Father's disinterest, her Mother's disappointment. Some happy memories few and far between, presents were the way to make up for it.
Now her Father rots in Azkaban and her Mother in the ground.
At that slightly depressing thought she takes another gulp of wine, and another, and another, and is just finishing the bottle when KeKe pops in.
"I told you no Christmas dinner KeKe" Pansy admonishes, she has no desire to be celebratory at the moment, but KeKe shakes her head, ears twitching.
"No Miss Pansy, you have a guest"
Pansy's perfectly tweezed eyebrows shoot up then, as she glances at the door. She's hidden in her living space at the moment, practically sinking into the sofa, copies of Witch Weekly discarded next to her, a 2nd bottle of wine ready to go. She's hardly ready to take guests, as she hadn't expected any.
"Who is it?" She asks, sitting up, running her fingers through her bob, quickly straightening her top, "One of the boys?"
"No Miss Pansy" KeKe shakes her head, "It's a Miss Hermione, she says she's here to see you"
If she'd been shocked before, she is more so now, and she blames that shock, the temporary insanity on her next words. "Okay, let her in"
'I wanna wrap my arms around you baby, never let you go'
Granger comes covered in snow, nose red, hair a mess again, and with a gift in hand. She looks completely out of place in the Parkinson Manor, but Pansy finds she likes that.
"Granger" Pansy nods, and lifts the bottle of wine, topping herself off and pouring one out for Granger, indicating for her to take a seat as she does. Thankfully now she's not in pyjama's, she had KeKe stall whilst she slipped into something slightly more refined.
"Want to tell me what you're doing here?" She asks, for she genuinely has no idea. They may have been nicer to one another, and let's be real Pansy had bordered on flirting, but a Christmas Day visit? It makes no sense.
"I was at the Weasley's" Pansy nods, unsurprised. She'd seen in the papers the breakdown of Granger and Weasley, but it had apparently been amicable, and the ginger who'd blown it with her was now happily engaged to some unremarkable Hufflepuff, his loss clearly, who'd trade Granger for Sandra Bones or whoever?. "And Blaise mentioned you were spending Christmas alone"
She feels a flash of annoyance at Blaise, of course he mentioned it, she'd told him about her little flirtation with Granger. The bastard.
"And I was thinking about what you said the last time we spoke, and your card, and your gift" If Pansy hadn't trained herself not to blush at age 10 she knew she'd be bright red as Granger holds up said gift. "What do they mean?"
"They mean that you deserve real diamonds" Pansy offers, it's true. The pretty studs were well worth the cost, to see Granger in the real thing, what she deserves. "And I wanted you to have them"
"I can't accept them" Granger says, and Pansy scoffs and rolls her eyes before reaching for the box, and then leaning forward.
"Please" She says and ignores Grangers gasp (though feels an odd tingle), when she begins to clasp the studs to her ears, and then leans back to admire them – they look as pretty as she'd imagined (and she won't admit she'd imagined it a few times), "It brings me great pleasure to spend my evil Father's fortune, not that I ever could in several lifetimes" She shrugs, and grins as Granger looks mollified and fingers the earrings with a small smile. "They look good on you"
"I got you something too" Granger blurts out, perhaps because she doesn't know how to respond, or because she wants to give her gift, either way Pansy finds herself smiling as she takes the lumpy package.
It's not diamonds, it is in fact the most unfashionable scarf she has ever seen. It's green and purple, longer than it needs to be, and has the initials 'PP' stitched in silver. It's not her at all, and yet she finds herself winding it around her neck, where it clashes wonderfully with the little black dress she'd slipped on.
She loves it.
"Thank you … Hermione" She says, that was when she became Hermione…
"You're welcome Pansy" And she became Pansy.
And that was then when Granger with her Gryffindor courage leaned in.
That was when they became them.
'And I say there's nothing like your touch, it's the way you lift me up'
She always looks so beautiful in those diamonds. A pretty smile on her face. She buys her more, diamonds for her throat, rubies for her ears. She always protests that their too much, but she likes to see her wear them, sometimes with nothing else.
They go from a gentle kiss, to a proper date, to Pansy making little whimpers she wasn't even sure she was capable of, to being introduced to the Weasley's (and promptly rubbing it in Ron's face just what a gem he'd let go), to finding out just how incestuous their little year group is, with Draco and Luna married within a year, Daphne suddenly shacked up with Potter, and Weasley and Blaise soon on a Honeymoon too.
They all seem happy though, just as she is with Hermione, her diamond, her beautiful peach, her girlfriend, then fiancée (with a bigger diamond), then wife.
They are happy, as they kiss, as they dance together at dreadful Ministry events, even as they scream at one another (rare but it happens once or twice, Pansy can get insecure, Hermione stubborn), they are happy, truly.
Pansy didn't even realise it were possible to be so happy, as she is with Hermione.
She is beautiful, grinning as they picnic together, head in her lap playing with her curls. She is radiant as they kiss on the beaches in Greece, as they fall asleep under the stars, silver glinting at her ears and finger.
She is Hermione, and she is hers, always.
'And I'll be right here with you until the end'
sooo thoughts?
this was just meant to be a fun little oneshot and I hope you enjoyed! do let me know your thoughts - do you want to see more of this pairing? I was considering doing a few little spinoff outakes from this fic in more chapters, would anyone like that?
anywho, if you enjoyed do fav and review, and go check out my other hp fics!
speak soon