Pansy Parkinson walked down the hallway alone, as usual. Her stringy
brown hair was pulled behind her back in a loose ponytail and she had
hastily applied a layer of tan eyeshadow. It didn't improve her looks at
all, and for all the good the makeup had done she could have smeared mud
over her eyelids. She wasn't ugly, just plain. Well, maybe that's a bit of
an overstatement. She wasn't the kind of girl that could easily catch a
boy's eye. Her skin was milky white, her lips were thin and a pale pink,
her eyes were too small and round colored a dark shade of brown, and her
nose was small and upturned. She was short for a 15 year old girl, about 5'
even, and incredibly skinny.
She had a black book bag slung around one shoulder, filled to the brim with textbooks and notebooks. She found a secluded chair in the library- how she hated the smell of the dusty books and the sight of the other study crazed students- and reached into her bag. She found a thick volume about Potions and flipped to the page she had earlier marked with with a piece of cloth. The section was about love spells, she momentarily thought of turning to the section on beauty spells, but then remembered what she really needed. She slowly flipped through the pages until she came to Winning One's Affections.
"Rosemary, thyme, ylang ylang oil," She whispered the ingredients aloud. "Hair from the prospect. Mix the four together, burn every night for nine nights. When you and the prospect are alone, burn the oil in sight. If no results after ten days, prospect should drink the mixture."
"What're you reading?" A voice said from behind her. Pansy turned around and saw Draco Malfoy standing behind her, looking at the book. She slammed the covers together.
"Nothing." She said quickly.
"Love potion?" Draco asked her quizzically. "Are you in love, Pansy?"
"No, no, of course not." She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "What on earth would give you that idea?"
"The fact that your book was just open to a page on love potions." He smirked. "Who is it, Pansy?"
"Why should I tell you, Draco?" She hissed and put a hand up to her messy ponytail. She absent mindedly tried to smooth it out. "I don't think it's really any of your buisness. Do you?"
Draco took a step back and scowled. "I was just curious, that's all."
Pany sighed and frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm in a bad mood today. I have so much homework, and I can't concentrate."
Draco took a seat beside her. "I know the feeling. Why don't you steal the answers from someone?"
"I'm trying not to get expelled this year, Draco," Pansy grinned at him. She pulled her hands back. "How awful is my hair?"
"It's fine," He leaned forward and looked at her closely. She momentarily wondered if he could be reading her mind. His gaze was so intent, it seemed a likely possibilty.
"Why don't you go and ask Crevey to borrow his camra to take a picture of me? I don't have all day to sit around and be gawked at by the likes of you, Draco Malfoy."
Draco blushed slightly and settled back into his chair. "You're wearing make-up." He announced loudly. A few Hufflepuffs at the next table looked over. Pansy scowled at them and they returned to their work. "You must really like this one."
"Well, I have had a bit of a crush on him for a while. Since 1st year, actually." She wished she hadn't said the last sentence.
"Do I know him?"
"Too well, as a matter of fact." Pansy bit her lower lip nervously. "I really should not be talking to you about this."
"Why not? Don't you trust me?" Draco pretended to look hurt.
"I don't know if I trust you on this particular matter, it's nothing personal. If you knew who it was, you'd rather I'd not told you."
"Does he return your feelings?"
Pansy laughed, and looked at Draco. "Are you serious? Would any boy in his right mind so much as look at me?"
Draco opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head. "You have no self confidence, Pansy," He scolded playfully. "You have a lot of potential under that harsh shell."
"Potential for what? Changing my looks?" She laughed again. "I've accepted I'm uglier than something you'd find on the bottom of your shoe."
"I don't think that."
"Everyone else does," Pansy blushed again. Was he complimenting her? "The point is he doesn't like me, or even remotely care about me. He probably doesn't even know that I exist."
Draco shrugged. "I'm sure he does. You can sit here moping around all day if you want, it isn't at all my problem." He turned and walked off.
Pansy scolded herself mentally. What was she thinking? Should she just tell Draco? The thought had never crossed her mind. She could trust him. On most things. She hadn't lied about that. But there was no telling how he might react to the news of. her crush. Would he totally freak out? Knowing Draco, that was probably what would happen.
Pansy dropped the Potions book back into her bag and left the library. The librarian glared at her as she passed, and Pansy was kind enough to send a nasty look back at her. She walked down the deserted hallways and heard the echo of footsteps- most likely Draco's. However she was in no mood to talk to him. Instead, she headed towards the Gryffindor portrait.
She had a black book bag slung around one shoulder, filled to the brim with textbooks and notebooks. She found a secluded chair in the library- how she hated the smell of the dusty books and the sight of the other study crazed students- and reached into her bag. She found a thick volume about Potions and flipped to the page she had earlier marked with with a piece of cloth. The section was about love spells, she momentarily thought of turning to the section on beauty spells, but then remembered what she really needed. She slowly flipped through the pages until she came to Winning One's Affections.
"Rosemary, thyme, ylang ylang oil," She whispered the ingredients aloud. "Hair from the prospect. Mix the four together, burn every night for nine nights. When you and the prospect are alone, burn the oil in sight. If no results after ten days, prospect should drink the mixture."
"What're you reading?" A voice said from behind her. Pansy turned around and saw Draco Malfoy standing behind her, looking at the book. She slammed the covers together.
"Nothing." She said quickly.
"Love potion?" Draco asked her quizzically. "Are you in love, Pansy?"
"No, no, of course not." She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "What on earth would give you that idea?"
"The fact that your book was just open to a page on love potions." He smirked. "Who is it, Pansy?"
"Why should I tell you, Draco?" She hissed and put a hand up to her messy ponytail. She absent mindedly tried to smooth it out. "I don't think it's really any of your buisness. Do you?"
Draco took a step back and scowled. "I was just curious, that's all."
Pany sighed and frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm in a bad mood today. I have so much homework, and I can't concentrate."
Draco took a seat beside her. "I know the feeling. Why don't you steal the answers from someone?"
"I'm trying not to get expelled this year, Draco," Pansy grinned at him. She pulled her hands back. "How awful is my hair?"
"It's fine," He leaned forward and looked at her closely. She momentarily wondered if he could be reading her mind. His gaze was so intent, it seemed a likely possibilty.
"Why don't you go and ask Crevey to borrow his camra to take a picture of me? I don't have all day to sit around and be gawked at by the likes of you, Draco Malfoy."
Draco blushed slightly and settled back into his chair. "You're wearing make-up." He announced loudly. A few Hufflepuffs at the next table looked over. Pansy scowled at them and they returned to their work. "You must really like this one."
"Well, I have had a bit of a crush on him for a while. Since 1st year, actually." She wished she hadn't said the last sentence.
"Do I know him?"
"Too well, as a matter of fact." Pansy bit her lower lip nervously. "I really should not be talking to you about this."
"Why not? Don't you trust me?" Draco pretended to look hurt.
"I don't know if I trust you on this particular matter, it's nothing personal. If you knew who it was, you'd rather I'd not told you."
"Does he return your feelings?"
Pansy laughed, and looked at Draco. "Are you serious? Would any boy in his right mind so much as look at me?"
Draco opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head. "You have no self confidence, Pansy," He scolded playfully. "You have a lot of potential under that harsh shell."
"Potential for what? Changing my looks?" She laughed again. "I've accepted I'm uglier than something you'd find on the bottom of your shoe."
"I don't think that."
"Everyone else does," Pansy blushed again. Was he complimenting her? "The point is he doesn't like me, or even remotely care about me. He probably doesn't even know that I exist."
Draco shrugged. "I'm sure he does. You can sit here moping around all day if you want, it isn't at all my problem." He turned and walked off.
Pansy scolded herself mentally. What was she thinking? Should she just tell Draco? The thought had never crossed her mind. She could trust him. On most things. She hadn't lied about that. But there was no telling how he might react to the news of. her crush. Would he totally freak out? Knowing Draco, that was probably what would happen.
Pansy dropped the Potions book back into her bag and left the library. The librarian glared at her as she passed, and Pansy was kind enough to send a nasty look back at her. She walked down the deserted hallways and heard the echo of footsteps- most likely Draco's. However she was in no mood to talk to him. Instead, she headed towards the Gryffindor portrait.
