Pansy found it hard to sleep that night and was not surprised to find
herself awake again after what seemed like the hundredth attempt. She
listened to the quite breathing of the other girls in the dormitory and the
wind outside. It was very late now. She began again to think through all
the unaccustomed thoughts she's been having lately. What was it about
Hermione Granger that made it so impossible to go on with things as normal?
In potions earlier she felt like she just wanted Hermione to take an
interest in her, to see her as a person of many layers and not just that
bitch from Slytherin. But she didn't even know if she had layers or
deserved someone to see her in that way. And if she did, what then? Would
they kiss? Run off and elope together?! She had to suppress a snort of
laughter. All the thoughts conflicting in her head made her want to laugh
and cry at once. Then, deafening in the stillness of the dormitory, she
heard a voice. A voice that made her feel as if she'd been suddenly
drenched with icy water. She lay as if bound to the bed as Jenny's still-
familiar voice spoke: "Pansy, I couldn't help but overhear. What all this
about you turning into a lesbian?"
Pansy shook with fear but tried to remain firm, after all that was how she
got rid of Jenny the last time.
"Jenny, I don't know why you came back but please go away. I have enough
things to be dealing with at the moment," she said silently.
"Oh but I wasn't gone, I was just hanging about here, plumbing the depths
as it were" Jenny's calm voice continued, filled with malice, "You're a
very two dimensional person, Pansy, I know, I live here. How can you expect
darling Hermione to recognise you for a real, complicated person when it's
as if you've been cut from paper?"
"Leave me alone, get OUT!" Pansy felt rage flooding through her now.
"It's not even interesting paper" Jenny added gleefully.
Pansy had had enough of this. She was a 16 year old girl, practically a
woman. She didn't have to take this crap from a figment of her own
imagination. "Jenny, you have no right to do this to me. I own my own mind
so you better do what I tell you and leave. I told you before I'm too old
for an imaginary friend- or enemy"
There was silence in Pansy's mind for a moment before Jenny continued
speaking in a horrible sickly sweet voice; "Pansy dear, that is never what
I was. You cannot control me and I don't like the way you've taken to
speaking to me. I also do not like this Hermione person's hold over you.
I'm a wee bit possessive that way. You had better forget about her or I'll
kill her"
If Pansy had been speaking out loud her voice would have been rising with
panic but she knew these threats were ridiculous, so she tried to finish
the argument once and for all; "Jenny, you are NOTHING. You're a companion
a lonely child made up and guess what? She doesn't need you anymore. You
can't frighten me with your stupid threats. You have no way of harming her
so leave me alone this instant. I control my mind"
Silence answered her and with relief she felt her heavy breathing start to
ease when suddenly she noticed she was now standing near the foot of her
bed, a dagger-shaped letter opener clutched in her hand.
Her screams woke everyone in that wing of the castle.
