Chapter 3

"I know it's Pansy and I know I shouldn't care, but I think I actually feel bad for her," Harry had just finished telling Ron and Hermione what had happened in the compartment next door.

"Blimey, mate, don't waste your time. I mean, after all it's emPansy/em," said Ron as he draped his arm casually over Hermione's shoulders.

For a second Harry forgot about Pansy because he felt the stab of a different emotion that was not pity, it was jealously. He wasn't jealous that Ron was with Hermione because after all he didn't see her that way. He was more jealous of what they had: love. This was something that he had never had. After all, his parents had been murdered when he was one and the Dursley's were far from a loving family. He snapped back to reality when he heard Hermione speak.

"Yeah Harry, she's as bad as Malfoy. All they've done for six years is make our lives a living hell. Why should you care?"

"Yeah, you're both right," said Harry defeated. "But still," he plowed on, "call me nosy if you want, but what could possibly have Pansy so miserable, I mean you should have seen her."

"You're right Harry…you are nosy," said Hermione. "Just forget about it, it's none of our business." Hermione then looked at her watch. "Ron, it's just about time for the Prefects meeting, we should get going," she said sweetly. "You'll be alright, Harry?"

"Yeah, of course," he said convincingly. "You guys go ahead, don't worry about me."

Ron and Hermione left the compartment and left Harry alone to think some more about how miserable his life was at the moment. Voldemort was now almost at the height of his powers and Harry knew the only place he would be safe is at Hogwarts with Dumbledore. Still he worried, though he let no one actually see. He was very clam and collected on the surface. Then something interrupted his thoughts, Ron and Hermione walking out of the compartment hand in hand. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever have that. Most of the girls at Hogwarts spent their years thinking that Harry was either the heir of Slytherin or that he was crazy and delusional for making stories up about Voldemort coming back. Then everyone found out that he had been telling the truth all along. This should have helped, but now instead many people were afraid to get too close to him for fear they might be considered his ally and therefore a possible target. Harry just kept having miserable thought after miserable thought. Then a different picture came into his mind, Pansy…crying. Despite what Ron and Hermione had said he still felt a little bad. Then he found himself mentally arguing with himself.

'I wish I knew what was wrong with her.'

'Why? She hates you and you should be doing the same.'

'I know but-

'But nothing. Does she have to live with people that hate her and treat her like a house elf?'

'No, but nobody's life is perfect.'

'Nobody's life is perfect but I'll bet hers is as close as it gets. It's not like she has someone after her who wants to cause her serious bodily damage like, oh say…death!'

"Yeah," he said out loud to himself. "She doesn't know what it's like." He decided to spend the rest of his time just looking out the window and imagining himself on his Firebolt snatching the snitch right out from under Malfoy's nose.

She was furious. Of all the people who had to catch her crying, it had to be him…Harry Potter. She knew her threat was no good. She could just imagine him right now telling Weasley and the mudblood all about it. Who did he think he was? It was not his business to be spreading things around. He had no idea what she was going through. Pansy gathered her hair roughly and began to place it in a messy bun leaving a few locks of hair down to frame her face. "So what if the Dark Lord's after him. Can't he just join him and be done with it?" said Pansy out loud. 'Yeah, like that'll ever happen,'she thought. 'He'd just as soon kill himself. Hey, one can only hope.' She continued out loud, "Still, it's his own fault. What did I do to deserve-." Her thoughts were cut off when professor McGonagall's magically magnified voice rang throughout the train.

"Will the remaining prefects please report to the front of the train for the meeting. Thank you."

"Great, I forgot about the stupid meeting." Pansy took a small mirror out of her pocket and looked at herself. Her hair was okay but her eyes were somewhat red and puffy. She didn't know any spell to fix that so she dried her eyes and tried to put on a good smirk. She decided that it was convincing enough so she put on her robes and left the compartment. When she got to the front of the train she entered the compartment that had a small sign on it reading Prefect's Meeting. She took a breath and opened the door. Everyone turned their heads to look at the new comer. Once they saw who it was, most of them turned away except for Ron and Hermione. They didn't want to make it obvious that Harry had told them but they wanted to see if there was the slightest difference in her attitude. Pansy noticed that a few people weren't there, one of them being Draco. She opted for a seat towards the back of the room by the window. As she began to walk she noticed Hermione looking at her. She also noticed that Ron was holding her hand. 'Oh how sweet, the weasel and the mudblood,' she thought. As Pansy walked, she realized that she would have to walk right by Hermione to get to her desired seat. She might even have to brush passed her.

As Pansy walked by she said, "Keep your mudblood on a leash, Weasel. I don't want her touching my new robes, she'll get them dirty."

As she neared her seat she heard Ron say, "They're already dirty, Pansy. After all you are wearing them."

There were some poorly hidden snickers around the room. Pansy had just decided which hex to put on Ron and was halfway through pulling out her wand when the door of the compartment opened again. She reluctantly put her wand away and sat down when she saw that it was McGonagall along with the other missing prefects. Pansy couldn't help but notice that Draco still wasn't there.

"Well, is everyone here?" she said. "Where is Mr. Malfoy," she added when she was finished looking around. "Miss Parkinson?" she added expectantly.

"I don't know where he is," said Pansy in what she hoped was a casual voice.

McGonagall gave her a stern look which she returned with an innocent smirk. Then McGonagall placed her wand tip to her throat and said sonorus. With her voice magically magnified once more she said, "Will Mr. Malfoy please report to the prefects meeting. Now." Several people giggled once more.

In about a minute Draco came striding in. He wore his best smirk and walked right passed everyone and sat next to Pansy. She was the only one who noticed that his robes were hastily put on and his hair was not quite as perfect as it always was. She knew what he had been in the middle of when he received the professors message. Pansy turned to Draco and whispered, "You might want to wipe off that lipstick." Draco hastily rubbed his lips with the sleeve of his robe then smirked at Pansy.

In Pansy's opinion the meeting was too long and dull as usual. She spent the entirety of it imagining how thoroughly she would curse Ron if she ever got him alone. Then she nearly gagged when Hermione had been made Head Girl. Pansy wasn't expecting that she, herself, would get it but she had hoped that it wouldn't be the mudblood. Surprisingly, Ron got Head Boy. Draco was outraged, and it was all Pansy could do to stop him from hexing Ron right there. The meeting took so long that by the time McGonagall said they could leave the train was just pulling into Hogsmeade station. All Pansy could think was 'Thank Merlin we're finally here.'

She couldn't wait for the feast to be over. She was hungry and she enjoyed all of the food, but there was something she wanted more: sleep. All she wanted was to have a good nights sleep without worrying that her father would strangle her in the middle of the night. She couldn't wait to feel the soft, green, silk sheets and the comfortable pillow. She was even excited for classes to be starting the next day.

The Slytherin common room may have seemed dark and cold to everyone else, but to Pansy it had seemed kind and inviting. She climbed the stairs to her room with a genuine smile one her face. She changed into her pajamas and got into bed, thankful that she would be away from her father for a while.

Thirst woke her. She sat up in her bed and poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher that was on the night stand next to her bed. With the first sip she took she thought it tasted a little different but she finished it anyway. Then she saw them. Someone was emerging from the shadows next to her bed with a cruel and twisted smile on their face. Then she realized who it was.

"Father! What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring you a gift," he said with that twisted grin.

"A-A gift?" she said uncertainly. "What gift?"

He motioned towards the pitcher of water then said, "It's very difficult to come by, as you can imagine, but I got it just for you, sweetheart." He twisted the word 'sweetheart' cruelly.

Just then she felt her throat tightening. It was hard to breathe. Then it dawned on her: poison. She was dying and she knew there was nothing she could do about it. The last thing she would see was her father's evil face.

She woke up coughing.