"Draco!" Pansy cried, pushing past Hermione and running to him. "Thank God you're here!" She stopped and remembered Hermione. "You. are Draco, right?" He leaned in and kissed her. "Good enough for me." Pansy stepped to Draco's side.
Crabbe and Goyle had their wands out, but Pansy had a feeling they would be using physical strength to punish Hermione, Neville, and Parvati.
"I know!" Hermione cried, dropping her wand in surprise. "Pansy, I know!"
"What are you talking about?" Pansy shouted angrily. "I'm sick of hearing that!"
"I know your secret," Hermione said softly, apparently much calmer. "I know what you did."
"What I did when?"
"The potion," Hermione told her, louder this time. "I was in the library when you made it, I was listening. You made a love potion!"
"For Draco?" Pansy asked as Hermione retrieved her wand.
"Not for Draco!" Hermione sat down on the bottom of the staircase. "For me!"
Pansy's mouth dropped open. "It wasn't supposed to make you fall in love with Draco, just anyone you can't have."
"You're damn right she can't have me!" Draco said angrily.
Hermione's mouth dropped open. "It's your fault! It's your fault my grades are horrible and I'm going to be expelled if I let you four live. How could you do this, Pansy? I never did anything to you."
"You like her boyfriend," Crabbe offered.
"That's her fault! That doesn't count!" Hermione protests.
"Hermione, just leave. We don't want to hurt you," Goyle said.
"Yes we do!" Draco cried.
"Shut up!" Pansy hissed.
"It's ok," Crabbe, who was standing just behind Pansy, whispered. "Professor Dumbledor and Snape are on their way."
"How'd you know?" Pansy whispered back.
Crabbe shrugged. "They tied us up in the Gryffindor common room. We had a pretty good idea where they were headed looking like us."
Pansy nodded. "Right." She looked back to Hermione. "I put it on you before. before I fell in love."
"You, in love?" Parvati asked, laughing. "Who's the unlucky bastard?"
Draco stepped forward, he didn't need to say anything. Parvati stopped laughing immediently.
"Sorry," She murmered.
"Don't apologize!" Hermione cried, she was now in tears. Pansy stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.
"Face it," She said loudly. "You can't have him. You don't even really like him. He's the only guy in the school you can't ever possibly get him, I did it to hurt you. To punish you for what your stupid friend was doing to me."
"But it wasn't Ron." Neville pointed out. "It was me."
"She didn't know that at the time, and you're still her stupid friend, aren't you, Longbottom?" Goyle said, smiling.
"How can you sit there smiling like an idiot at a time like this?" Pansy asked him angrily. Goyle shrugged and fought to keep a straight face. The portrait door swung open and Dumbledor and Snape entered.
"Miss Granger, Miss Patil, and Mister Longbottom," Dumbledor said slowly. "I would like to see you three in my office immediently to discuss your punishment."
Snape looked at Pansy. "What happened here, Miss Parkinson?"
"Do you want the long or short version?"
"Short, please." Snape said, watching Dumbledor lead Neville, Hermione and Parvati outside.
"Hermione tried to kill me because she can't have Draco."