That night, Pansy sat up in her room while the others were at dinner.
She was upset about the bloody sight earlier, and she still had butterflies
in her stomache. But she was also confused- and the three feelings don't
exactly make a person hungry. She sat at the edge of her bed, reading a
book about curses and potions that she found earlier in the library. It had
somehow slipped out of the restricted section, lucky for her. She had the
book open on her lap, turned to page 215: Insta-Cut Potion.
She skipped the ingridients and read about the purposes aloud: "A small amount can be used to get rid of poison in the victim's blood stream. However, even a drop can be lethal. To use, smear potion- which should be a deep blue at this point- over the victim's skin. On contact, the potion will bubble and should turn any shade of green, depending on where the potion was applied. In a matter of seconds, the cut will appear. Note, this potion also numbs, so that the victim won't suffer any pain." She paused and looked around the room. "At least he didn't suffer. It must have scared the living hell out of him though. I almost regret bullying him all these years." She giggled.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" She called cheerfully, knowing who it would be. Sure enough, Draco emerged. "Hi, Draco!" She hurried across the room. "Look at what I found."
"It isn't like you to read, Pansy," Draco said, smiling as he took the book. He scanned the page quickly then looked back to her. "So you're sure this is what killed him?"
Pansy nodded. "It's really complicated to make, so I don't think anyone besides Granger would be able to do it without Snape's help. Don't you think?" She peered into his blue eyes. He shrugged. "Is everything alright?"
He shrugged again and said softly, "I think. I think I know who killed Ron."
Pansy tilted her head. "Who, Draco?"
He handed her the book. "All I can say is that at this point I don't think it was Neville. I think someone made Neville do and say all those things. Someone who would really benefit from seeing you miserable. But- but I don't know why she'd kill Ron."
"She? Draco, you don't mean-"
"Hermione," Draco finished. "Yes, I think that it's her. She hates you, she hates me. She knows how I feel about you. And she's smart, you said so yourself. She could have made it seem like Ron was beating you, then Neville, then kill Ron with the potion the Gryffindors, including Neville, made."
"But she's friends with Ron," Pansy said. "I don't see why she would kill him."
"You know how she feels about school, it's her life," Draco explained. "If Ron found out and threatened to turn her in, of course she'd kill him."
Pansy shrugged. "This is really confusing." Draco handed her the book back, she closed it, and set it back in her bag. She sat down on her bed and leaned against the headboard.
"It isn't exactly a walk through the woods, is it?" Draco said, crossing the room and sitting beside her. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "But I won't let her get you, Pansy."
Pansy smiled. "Thanks, Draco."
"My pleasure."
Pansy closed her eyes and wondered why Hermione would try to do something this drastic. She had obviously done something to piss her off lately. Then she remembered her dream. Should she tell Draco about how Neville and Parvati made the potion? She was sure he'd want to know.
"Draco," She started. "I dreamed that Neville and Parvati were doing it. I mean, making the potion together and having Neville change into Ron. Before it even happened." She opened her eyes to see his expression. He was looking down at her. "Do you believe me?"
Draco nodded. "Of course. I was just so proud of myself for finding a suspect with a motive that fit the crime."
Pansy laughed. "You did great. It was just a dream. And maybe it was really Hermione, I just thought it looked like Parvati."
Draco shrugged. "That's a possibility, I guess."
"So you really think it was Hermione?"
Draco shrugged again. "I don't really care who did it."
"Why not?" Pansy asked, surprised.
"Because I'm here with you."
Pansy smiled, shut her eyes again, and fell asleep.
She skipped the ingridients and read about the purposes aloud: "A small amount can be used to get rid of poison in the victim's blood stream. However, even a drop can be lethal. To use, smear potion- which should be a deep blue at this point- over the victim's skin. On contact, the potion will bubble and should turn any shade of green, depending on where the potion was applied. In a matter of seconds, the cut will appear. Note, this potion also numbs, so that the victim won't suffer any pain." She paused and looked around the room. "At least he didn't suffer. It must have scared the living hell out of him though. I almost regret bullying him all these years." She giggled.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" She called cheerfully, knowing who it would be. Sure enough, Draco emerged. "Hi, Draco!" She hurried across the room. "Look at what I found."
"It isn't like you to read, Pansy," Draco said, smiling as he took the book. He scanned the page quickly then looked back to her. "So you're sure this is what killed him?"
Pansy nodded. "It's really complicated to make, so I don't think anyone besides Granger would be able to do it without Snape's help. Don't you think?" She peered into his blue eyes. He shrugged. "Is everything alright?"
He shrugged again and said softly, "I think. I think I know who killed Ron."
Pansy tilted her head. "Who, Draco?"
He handed her the book. "All I can say is that at this point I don't think it was Neville. I think someone made Neville do and say all those things. Someone who would really benefit from seeing you miserable. But- but I don't know why she'd kill Ron."
"She? Draco, you don't mean-"
"Hermione," Draco finished. "Yes, I think that it's her. She hates you, she hates me. She knows how I feel about you. And she's smart, you said so yourself. She could have made it seem like Ron was beating you, then Neville, then kill Ron with the potion the Gryffindors, including Neville, made."
"But she's friends with Ron," Pansy said. "I don't see why she would kill him."
"You know how she feels about school, it's her life," Draco explained. "If Ron found out and threatened to turn her in, of course she'd kill him."
Pansy shrugged. "This is really confusing." Draco handed her the book back, she closed it, and set it back in her bag. She sat down on her bed and leaned against the headboard.
"It isn't exactly a walk through the woods, is it?" Draco said, crossing the room and sitting beside her. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "But I won't let her get you, Pansy."
Pansy smiled. "Thanks, Draco."
"My pleasure."
Pansy closed her eyes and wondered why Hermione would try to do something this drastic. She had obviously done something to piss her off lately. Then she remembered her dream. Should she tell Draco about how Neville and Parvati made the potion? She was sure he'd want to know.
"Draco," She started. "I dreamed that Neville and Parvati were doing it. I mean, making the potion together and having Neville change into Ron. Before it even happened." She opened her eyes to see his expression. He was looking down at her. "Do you believe me?"
Draco nodded. "Of course. I was just so proud of myself for finding a suspect with a motive that fit the crime."
Pansy laughed. "You did great. It was just a dream. And maybe it was really Hermione, I just thought it looked like Parvati."
Draco shrugged. "That's a possibility, I guess."
"So you really think it was Hermione?"
Draco shrugged again. "I don't really care who did it."
"Why not?" Pansy asked, surprised.
"Because I'm here with you."
Pansy smiled, shut her eyes again, and fell asleep.
