The Downfall of Pansy Parkinson
Disclaimer: have never owned, don't own, never will own
Chapter 4: Action and Consequence
"Parkinson, I want a word with you," announced Draco, sauntering up to where Pansy was sitting in the library. "I've spent most of the day looking for you, as it happens. I certainly wasn't expecting to find you here, which is why it's taken me so long to find you."
Pansy glared at him. "And?"
Draco sneezed. A split second later, three strong Stunning spells hit the female Slytherin prefect, courtesy of Blaise, Neville and Hermione, who had been hidden under the other piece of 'equipment' – Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak. Hermione had borrowed it from him, and fortunately for her he had been too engrossed in reading his favourite Quidditch book to inquire as to its exact use.
Blaise snatched up Pansy's fallen wand before she was swiftly and silently wrapped up in the Cloak. Draco and Neville placed her under Mobilicorpus and, each with one hand on her to ensure that they still had her, they left to lock her in the old broomstick cupboard near McGonagall's room. Draco carried a sleeping draught in his pocket. Just in case.
Once Neville returned under the Invisibility Cloak, somewhat out of breath from running back, Blaise drank the Polyjuice Potion, pulling an expression of complete and utter revulsion as she did so. "Ugh!" she hissed distastefully to Hermione (quietly, so as to avoid arousing the attention of the sharp-eared and highly suspicious librarian, Madam Pince).
Hermione nodded sympathetically. "It is rather," she agreed.
Moments later, she was looking at Pansy Parkinson. "Right. It's two twenty-eight. You've got until three twenty-eight to do what you have to do." She disappeared under the Cloak.
Blaise grinned wickedly. Oh, she was looking forward to this! She briskly strode out of the library, just like Pansy did when she 'got into a strop', as Millicent Bulstrode put it.
"Oi, Parkinson!"
Blaise stopped and spun around to face Theodore Nott. Inwardly she was desperately flustered and panicky, and she prayed that it didn't show. Over the summer, Theodore had undergone a huge transformation in the looks department and was now extremely attractive. Particularly to Blaise. "Y-yes?" she managed.
"You share a dorm with Blaise Zabini, right?"
Blaise forced a nod.
"Tell her I want to speak to her about something. It's private," he added, narrowing his dark brown eyes at her. "You tell no-one or I shall make absolutely sure that your life is not worth living."
"What's it worth?"
"I won't grass on your father. I know who he serves, what he's done. I've seen things."
Blaise nodded curtly, briefly, like she knew Pansy would. "Deal. Now let me past."
Theodore moved and Blaise hurried off. What she needed to do was focus. Find a Gryffindor. Preferably a first- or second-year; anyone older would in all likelihood fight back, which would not be good.
Do not think about Theodore! She ordered herself sharply. You've got less than an hour to pull this off, so focus!
She wandered the school for about fifteen minutes, Hermione close behind under the Cloak. They did not speak, in case anyone nearby got suspicious of "Pansy's" behaviour.
Turning a corner, Blaise had to work extremely hard to prevent a grin of sheer delight from spreading across her face. It can't get any better than this!
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, examining something, were stood in the front entrance hall. Even better, Professors McGonagall and Snape were not far off, repairing some damage that Peeves the poltergeist had caused to some statues.
Blaise strode swiftly up to Potter and Weasley, and put on Pansy's disdainful and disapproving superior-to-you-all sneer. "Well, well. What do we have here? Potty and the Pauper."
The two Gryffindors immediately blocked whatever it was that they had been examining, from her view. Weasley stepped forward. "What do you want, Parkinson?" he demanded.
"No loitering in the corridors. That's…oh, ten points from Gryffindor," replied Blaise, smirking exactly like Pansy when she got one over on someone. "Each."
"You can't take points off!" protested Weasley angrily. "Only teachers can do that!"
"Actually," countered Blaise, knowing that the housepoint total would not actually be affected, as she herself was not a prefect (yet), "prefects can take points. Looks like someone isn't doing their job properly. Another ten points from Gryffindor for failing to carry out your prefect duties and for not knowing your responsibilities and privileges. Tut tut."
"Why, you little…" sputtered Weasley, brandishing his wand at her. Potter, glaring at the person he believed to be Pansy, reached out to prevent the redhead from doing something that would get him into trouble and cost Gryffindor housepoints.
"And for that little stunt," said Blaise nodding at Weasley's still-raised wand, "you will pay. Tarantallegra!"
Weasley's legs promptly began jerking about in an uncontrolled dance. "That's – not – fair – Parkinson!" he cried furiously between gasps for breath.
"You're right," said Blaise agreeably. "Finite Incantatem. Rictusempra." This was aimed at Potter, who fell to the floor in response to the tickling hex. Blaise, catching sight of Snape and McGonagall beginning to bear down on them, ended the hex, dropped Pansy's wand and fled. She tore down the corridor that eventually led to the library, then took off down the corridor that would take her to where Pansy was being kept under close guard by the two boys.
"Done?" asked Draco as Blaise fell to the floor, breathing hard from her dash.
"Yep," replied Blaise between breaths. "Hexed…Potter and…Weasel. Snape and…McGonagall…saw me…do it."
"Perfect."
Hermione appeared from under the Cloak and gave it to Blaise. "Put this on," she instructed. "You've still got twenty minutes before the potion wears off."
"What are we going to do about Pansy, though?" asked Neville. "I mean, she won't remember anything about the incident because she didn't actually do it!"
"Leave it with me," said Blaise confidently. "I know how to transfer memories – and I'm good at it."
Draco looked hard at her. "You'll want to be careful, then. Last time I checked, most memory-transferring was illegal."
Blaise waved him off impatiently. "I'm perfectly capable. Don't you trust me?"
"Did I say that?"
"Just get on with it," Hermione ordered. "Come on, into the cupboard! Now!" She practically shoved them all in, locking the door behind them. "Lumos." The wandlight revealed Filch in very close proximity to them on the Marauder's Map. Almost unconsciously, everyone held their breath, even though Filch would not be able to find them.
When the caretaker had disappeared along the corridor that led to the Ravenclaw quarters, Hermione turned to Blaise. "Do what you have to do."
"I'll need silence. Parkinson needs to be completely out of it – Draco, bung that sleeping potion you've got down her throat just to make absolutely sure. She needs to be flat on her back, ideally on the floor so she can't fall and break the bond between us mid-transfer. Done? Good."
She began murmuring strange, foreign words, moving her wand in grand gestures over Pansy's unconscious form. Then she placed her left hand (not her wand hand) on Pansy's forehead, touched her wand to her own forehead on the temple and, whispering the same sentence over and over again, pulled a shimmering blue thread from her temple. Moving slowly to ensure that it did not break, she touched the thread to Pansy's temple.
Eyes closed, she was still for fifteen minutes while the memories were transferred from her mind to Pansy's, whilst taking care to remove her own opinions from the memories. With this spell, the memories transferred would be completely removed from Blaise's mind, so it would be as though she had slept for that period of time.
When the process was over, she touched the thread at Pansy's end and attached it to her wand, moving it back until the thread no longer existed. Remaining perfectly still for a few more minutes – by which time the Polyjuice Potion had worn off and the others were once again looking at the curly-haired West Midlander – Blaise finally ended the spell with a firm, "Done".
"What now?" asked Neville anxiously.
"Now, we take her back to the library, wake her up from under the Cloak – Neville, you don't need to be there and we can't really fit four under the thing – then scram."
"Sounds good to me," said Draco, getting to his feet. "Coast clear, Granger?"
"Completely," replied Hermione as they wrapped Pansy up in the Cloak once again. "Now let's go before we get into trouble. We must have broken about thirty school rules."
It was a brisk journey back to the library. Neville split from them once inside, heading for the Herbology section. The other three carried out their task and, the moment "Enervate!" passed Hermione's lips, they slipped off to join Neville. Pince had seen the four enter as a group, and it would look very odd indeed if Draco, Hermione and Blaise were nowhere to be found in the library.
Shortly before dinner, Draco and Blaise were stopped in the corridor near their common room by Snape. "Miss Parkinson came to me earlier with a very odd tale," he said softly. "If you would care to accompany me to my office?"
Exchanging nervous and worried glances, the pair nodded. Blaise was wondering if she had somehow messed up the spell – although she had no memories of what she had done while under the Polyjuice, so that part of the spell had worked. Draco was more concerned over his own status as Prefect.
Upon reaching his office – where McGonagall stood, arms crossed over her chest – Snape sat down behind his desk and regarded the two sixth-year Slytherins intently. "I have been informed by Miss Parkinson that you two did something – she failed to specify what – to her. Professor McGonagall and myself earlier observed her carrying out acts most inappropriate for a prefect."
Blaise pulled a disgusted face. "She wasn't shagging Twigg in the common room again, was she?"
Snape arched one eyebrow. "I am unaware of that, Miss Zabini, but thank you for informing me of it.
"I am not at liberty to specify what this act was – although it has nothing to do with Mr. Twigg. Have either of you anything to say for yourselves?"
"We were studying," replied Draco. "All afternoon, for the big Herbology test Professor Sprout's giving us on Tuesday. In the library with Granger and Longbottom. Madam Pince saw us there."
Blaise nodded fervently.
"Excuse me," cut in McGonagall. "I shall fetch Miss Granger and Mr. Longbottom." She swept out of the room.
"If your alibis all fit, Miss Parkinson is likely to be removed from office and another, suitable candidate selected," Snape informed them. "Do sit." He gestured to the empty chairs on the other side of his desk, and the two sixth-years obeyed.
It was not long before McGonagall returned, having spoken with her Gryffindors and also Madam Pince, who had supported the alibis of all four. "Not left the library all afternoon," she said.
The bell for dinner rang at that moment, and Snape dismissed them, obsidian gaze levelled at Blaise's back.
On the way, she and Draco met up with a relieved-looking Hermione and Neville, and the foursome made their way to the Great Hall, splitting to join their respective Houses. Dumbledore announced the date of the final Hogsmeade visit before being spoken to by Snape. The headmaster clapped his hands once again. "Once final announcement. Due to inappropriate behaviour, Pansy Parkinson has been removed from the position of sixth-year Slytherin girls' prefect."
Gasps of shock rang out through the Hall, and all eyes turned to the Slytherin table. Pansy was not present.
Dumbledore waited for silence before continuing. "After careful consideration, a replacement has been selected." He smiled down on the top of the Slytherin table. "Congratulations, Blaise Zabini. If you would like to collect your badge from your Head of House?"
Blaise threw her arms around Draco so violently that he almost fell backwards off the bench. He pushed her towards the staff table, where Snape was now standing, his face wearing the closest thing to a smile that anyone had ever seen from him.
Blaise dazedly stumbled up to the platform, applause ringing in her ears. "I don't have to make a speech or anything, do I?"
Snape shook his head. "Just be a proper prefect." He shook her hand, a curious, knowing smile on his face, and gave her the much-coveted badge. She thanked him and hastily departed back to her seat at the Slytherin table. Leaning in to Draco, she whispered, "He knows what we did," as he placed an arm around her.
Draco, smirking, nodded in agreement. "But you deserve it. Now you and I can mean business."
Blaise simply grinned and nodded. She had got what she wanted, and she would enjoy it.
END
Author thanks:
Lord Elrond of Hogwarts: I know what you mean about Blaise's mind. I love it too!!
Lucidity: they were teasing Neville when they suggested going after him. By the time you read this you'll have found out what Blaise's plan really was. Ron doesn't know about the map. Harry, however, is vaguely in on the plot and let Hermione use the map – he doesn't like Pansy either!
Dark Borg Drone: and here's the final instalment. Hannon le!!