Title: Infatuation Part IV
Author: Amethyst
Author E-mail: AmethystJackson@hotmail.com
Category: Drama, Romance
Keywords: Pansy, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Draco, Gryffindor, Slytherin
Spoilers: For all four books
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gryffindors and Slytherins react to Pansy becoming a Gryffindor.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended
Author's Note: There will be one more installment after this. Thanks to all who read and reviewed – please continue to do so.
*****
Witch Weekly
Volume 593, Issue No. 1
Week of October 27, 2002
Welcome, readers, to another delightful edition of Witch Weekly Magazine! This week, Amethyst returns with a fourth segment on the life of Pansy Parkinson, the Slytherin Who Fell for a Weasley. Enjoy, and please review. We don't want her waving that sword around again.
Infatuation Part IV
By Amethyst Jackson
I panic, feeling the air around me constricting. My lungs are pressed tight, throat blocked. All I can see, feel, are the eyes on me, endless eyes, filled with hostility. I can't help but feel as if I've made a huge mistake. I'm not meant to be here, what was I thinking?
But then, I catch his eyes. They're absent of hatred, holding mere surprise at my arrival. I have the courage once again that I knew in that office minutes ago, that feeling that allowed me to do this without worry of consequence, leaving only that gut instinct that tells me this is right.
"I'm – I'm in Gryffindor now," I say, straightening my back.
"Do you expect us to believe that, you filthy snake?" one yells out, glaring at me.
"Yes, I-it's true. I'm –"
"Get out of here, trash –"
"Hey!" a voice interrupts, shocking me. "Leave her alone."
Ron defended me. I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"Don't tell me you believe this disgusting liar!"
"Hey!" another interrupts. I see Potter standing on the other side of the room. "I had better not hear anyone else insult her, ever. She's one of us now, and you'll treat her like a Gryffindor."
I smile, glad that Potter is on my side. He's quite a good ally.
"What's up with you? Pansy your girlfriend or something?"
"Pansy is not his girlfriend, you immature git," Granger snaps from her seat, sending me a half-hidden smile as she does so. "Come on," she adds, "I'll show you the dorm."
I cross the room quickly, getting no more catcalls, probably in respect to Potter. Whatever, at least I'm safe. Until I'm alone, that is, and then they'll attack me again. Even Gryffindors can be full of cruel animosity.
Hermione leads me up to the girls' dorms. I wonder what I can say to her, if I should say anything at all. It's not as if we have much in common, after all.
"Thanks," I say eventually.
Granger smiles. "Think nothing of it. I know you do love Ron, and I'm going to trust you because of that."
I look gratefully at her, deciding to broach another subject. "Are you and Potter…er --?"
She looks down at her feet. "Am I that obvious?"
"I don't think so. You were the only one to figure out that I was in love with Ron, after all. Maybe it's just something you can tell once you've fallen in love."
"I guess so. Harry hasn't noticed, or if he has, he isn't doing anything about it."
"Boys are completely oblivious. I doubt he can tell."
Before we can dig deeper into the mystery that is men, we reach my new quarters.
"You'll have a room to yourself," she says. "Dumbledore thought it would be better this way. You won't have to deal with Parvati and Lavender this way -- they can be pretty cruel. Consider yourself lucky. If you need me, my room's just across the hall. I'll make you a copy of the schedule as soon as I can, but for now, just remember we have Potions first thing in the morning."
I freeze. Potions. With my old house. And Snape. Oh, hell.
She half-smiles at me. "Worried?"
"You know how Slytherins are. I'm a traitor now."
"Don't worry too much. Only Malfoy's stupid enough to try anything with Harry on your side."
"Oh, he won't," I say with a small smirk.
She frowns. "Why not?"
"Because, I sort of told Draco I was going to do something big to get back at the Gryffindors. He'll think this is part of some elaborate Slytherin plan."
"Oh," Granger says simply. "Well, I'll see you in the morning. Do you want me to wait for you to go downstairs?"
I consider this for a moment. It's probably best not to let myself be out of the company of Granger, Potter, and Ron, but isn't that a little cowardly, to be afraid of being alone in this place?
"No. I'll be fine," I say.
She nods. "Goodnight, then," she says cheerfully as she walks out.
I shut the door, locking it with several spells and adding a few spells that will make it quite hard to be unlocked. God knows there's got to be a few Gryffindors around that are willing and ready to murder me in my sleep.
*****
I stretch out in my bed, opening my eyes. There's actually sunlight streaming in to wake me. There isn't a single window in all of the Slytherin dungeons. Perhaps they really don't realize what luxuries they miss out on.
Yawning, I make my way out of bed and go to my wardrobe, which has already been filled, thanks to the house-elves. I put on a pair of everyday robes, my thoughts elsewhere. A few of them have traveled down to the Slytherin common room, some are with the Potions dungeon, and yet more are a staircase away, in the boys' dormitory. I wonder what Ron is doing, if he's awake.
I sigh and leave my room, a tight grip on my wand. Perhaps Ron will be awake, downstairs, and we'll have a few moments to talk, alone. If he's not there, maybe at least one friendly face will be.
I descend the stairs quickly, temporarily forgetting to be on my watch. I need a chance to speak with Ron, to know how he feels about what I did, to see if it changes anything.
I step into the eerily cheerful common room and find that all three of the famous Trio are awake and huddled in a corner, talking. I hesitate, unsure if I'm wanted over there. They might be talking about something private; they might not want me involved in any of their conversations, private or otherwise. Their kindness may have been an act. However, Granger spots me, and gestures for me to join them.
Relieved, I head over to their corner. Potter and Granger greet me with smiles, Ron with a rather strange expression.
"Sleep well?" Granger asks, smiling kindly. It's a tad unnerving, considering the fact that when a Slytherin asks you if you slept well, it usually means they put some sort of potion in your pumpkin juice to give you nightmares.
"Yes, thank you," I say, unsure of how one responds to questions like these.
"Well," Granger announces rather loudly. "Harry and I really need to be going. We have a Potions project that needs working on."
Potter seems a bit startled by Hermione's statement, but catches on quickly, and they both head off, creating the desired effect: Ron and I are alone.
"Well," Ron says after an incredibly pregnant pause. "I didn't think you'd actually do it."
"Well," I reply, "I did."
Ron shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but this doesn't convince me of anything. How do I know this isn't some plan for the Slytherins to get at us, or worse, a plan for You-Know-Who to kill Harry? Honestly, if you're trying to prove that you're in love with me, this isn't doing it."
I can't believe this. I've given up everything, risked everything, ignored the hatred all around me, and it's not enough. Isn't love supposed to be more potent than that?
"I shouldn't need to prove it!" I cry out. "I love you, and you're the only one who can't seem to see that! Dumbledore obviously did, if he would let me switch houses so easily. Your two best friends know it; I would think you would be able to see it by now."
"Pansy -" he begins, but I shake my head.
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now, Ron," I snap, nearly running out of the common room.
Out in the hallway, I'm not really sure where to go. Perhaps it would have been better to run up to my room, but I can't very well storm back in. I might go down to breakfast, but will Potter or Granger be there? It's impossible to know where they may have gone after they left.
After taking a few steps down the hallway, I hear whispering. Looking in the general direction of the sound, I see Potter and Granger half-hidden behind a statue, quietly conversing.
Potter notices me first, and says something to Granger. They both come toward me, seeming to know something is wrong.
"Is Ron being a prat again?" Granger asks, voice laced with sympathy.
"Yes," I say, deciding that they know him well enough to guess what happened.
"Give him time," Potter says. "Ron's known for his ability to be a prat for long stretches of time, but he'll come around."
I smile, knowing it won't do to tell Potter that he isn't at all comforting.
"Come on," Granger says. "Let's go get some breakfast."
I follow them down to the Great Hall. The Slytherins don't seem too surprised to see me sit down at the Gryffindor table. Draco probably told them all about my 'plan' already. Ron joins us after five minutes or so, though he carefully avoids my eyes.
Eventually, it's time for us all to go to Potions. For some reason, I'm dreading it. None of the Slytherins care; they think I'm doing this for their sake. Perhaps I'm worried that Snape will flay me within an inch of my life. It's quite possible, of course. Snape's the only one they wouldn't have told about my 'plan.'
We enter the dungeon, and Potter and Granger make a point to sit together at the two-person tables, leaving Ron and I to sit together. I might as well.
Class begins and Snape comes dashing into the room, his robes billowing out to create the same old dramatic effect. Once at the front of the room, he glances right at me, eyes narrowing. It's a shame I never made out a will.
Surprisingly, he never even comments on the change. Class goes on as always, all of the Gryffindors, myself included, being harassed for tiny mistakes that wouldn't even be pointed out to the Slytherins. By the end of the hour, I've only lost five points; it's better than I had hoped for.
After two hours of Potions, we have Herbology. It's an odd class to have in the morning, but at least it's Slytherin-free. All I get is a raised eyebrow from Professor Sprout, much to my relief.
At lunch, Ron actually gets around to speaking to me.
"Why aren't the Slytherins mad at you?" he asks out of suspicion.
"I told Draco it was part of a plan. He must have told the others," I explain, knowing this probably isn't what he wants to hear.
"A plan to ruin Harry's life, right? That's it, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, that's what Draco wanted to hear -- you see Blaise has this thing for Harry and Draco wants to marry Blaise so he wants Blaise to get over Harry and he thinks I'm going to do that for him," I blurt out, wanting desperately to convince Ron that I would never actually do anything to hurt his friends.
Sadly, Potter overhears.
"Blaise likes me?" he says, incredulous.
"Well, yes --"
"Honestly, Harry, you know she only wants you for your fame and your money," Granger interrupts, sounding offended at the very thought of Blaise liking Harry.
"Calm down, Hermione. It's not like I would ever consider going out with her," Potter says, obviously amused by Hermione.
"Oh, don't worry. Blaise knows better than that," I say, trying to calm everyone.
Granger smiles slightly, though not so that Potter notices. I swear, those two need to put everyone out of their misery and snog.
We have the afternoon free, for some reason or another that Granger explained too quickly for me to catch. We sit around the common room, Granger getting straight to her homework, Ron and Potter playing a game of chess. Ron is an excellent chess player, better than I would ever imagine for a Gryffindor.
I never get around to talking to Ron again before dinner. Part of me is afraid; the worst possible outcome may only be rejection, but sometimes rejection is the most painful outcome.
After dinner, however, everything happens.
Granger finally approaches Potter, telling him she has something very important to talk to him about. They go off to Merlin knows where. They'd better have snogged when they get back.
This leaves me all alone with Ron.
"Ron," I say, distracting him from his book, which I doubt he realizes is upside down. "We've got to talk about this."
His face reddens. "Pansy, there's nothing you can say --"
"You know, Ron, I did this for you. You think I like this, having to lock my door with numerous spells at night just to protect myself from my 'house-mates'? Do you think I enjoy having that lovely grade drop in Potions? Do you think I'll be happy when my parents don't let me come home this summer? I really don't, but I did this because I thought it would be enough for you, to convince you. And even if you never loved me, at least you wouldn't hate me. What will it take for you to believe that I don't have it in for you and your friends? Will you finally see it when all the Slytherins realize I haven't got a plan, and I've got two houses against me? Will it be enough for you then?"
I honestly didn't mean to rant, but there it was. Sighing, I gather my books and start to head back up to my room, when he speaks.
"I'm sorry," he says, almost too softly for me to hear.
I whirl around, hoping.
"I - I guess I can try to trust you. But Pansy, you've got to realize, for years you and Draco and the rest of your house have done nothing but attack us, and it's hard to believe that you've changed. I'm trying."
"Thank you," I say. "That's all I want."
And it is.
*****
Still, to be continued.