lost and found
Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 3 for Puddlemere United.
Beater 1 Task: Write a fic inspired by the song 'Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)' by Cyndi Lauper
Prompts: (dialogue) "Pay attention to me." & (object) jumper/sweater & (object) glitter.
Written with love, for a love. I love you so much, Em! You're the most supportive person I know and I'm so glad to have met you last year! &hearts. for gge as well :3
Thank you to Ned for idea bouncing with me, and thank you to my lovely wife as well as June for the wonderful beta-love!
Word Count without A/N's: 2,673
(Confused.)
"Mum, are you alright?"
Lily looked up from her steak at dinner, eyeing her mum in concern. Ginny's face was blank as she was lost in her thoughts. She blinked as she looked down at her daughter, and smiled softly.
"I'm fine, love," she assured.
At times, Ginny Potter — no, now Ginny Weasley — didn't know what to feel about her divorce. Sometimes she was relieved, because she knew the spark that had been present years ago in her relationship with Harry just… disappeared.
But at times, she didn't even know what to feel. Most of the time she felt terrible; she felt like she was being selfish.
(After all, she always put her kids first. James, Albus, and Lily loved them both. Making them choose ate up her conscience.)
Sometimes, she felt like she was missing something in life. She was happy at the moment, but she didn't really like going out as much as she used to. A lot of her friends were, well, taken. She and Harry would often go out on double dates with Ron and Hermione, and now it didn't really make sense to do that.
She mostly stayed inside, focusing on her job as a reporter, and her ten-year-old daughter, Lily, one of her three everythings. The other two out of three, James and Albus, were currently at Hogwarts. And it was for the best that she just focused, until she could figure out things, of course.
(Sometimes, she despised her job. Because Merlin, the things that went through the papers about her divorce with Harry …)
(Distraught.)
Pansy Parkinson hated the Muggle world.
(Everything. Was. Perfect.)
At least, that's what Pansy Parkinson loved telling herself. It's what she always told herself. After the Battle of Hogwarts, she managed to build herself up, beginning a long and supposedly 'everlasting' relationship with her best friend at Hogwarts, Millicent Bulstrode.
(She hated how she was as a schoolgirl, and wanted to put those times far, far, behind her.)
Then it all fell apart when Millicent cheated on her. With a Muggle woman, of all people. But no, Pansy was supposed to not take this the wrong way because Millicent told her right away instead of sneaking around behind her back and Pansy could keep the house.
(Yes. Living alone in the house was certainly going to make her feel better.)
But, honestly. What woman wanted to hear the words 'I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work out.' After nearly twenty years of loving each other? And how could her Millie lower herself to a Muggle woman over her?
The whole idea made her sick to her stomach, but it happened, and it happened a week ago. Now she was alone again. Millie was the only one that really understood her. She practically grew up with Millie. After the war, everyone who wasn't in her friend circle treated her like someone who should be put at arm's length. She was a Death Eater's daughter, after all.
And that's why she couldn't believe that after all these years, thirty-eight years of being friends, Millicent Bulstrode would leave her to enter the Muggle world, with a Muggle woman. Oh, how she wanted to hurt the woman who took away her Millie.
She took a break from her job in fashion. She just needed some time to think. She needed some time to think about how she was going to continue and go on in her life.
(Reluctant.)
"Since Lily's at her two-night sleepover with Roxy and Lucy, I think you should go out tonight."
Ginny's eyebrow reached her hairline as she looked up at Hermione. "And where would I go out?"
Hermione took a breath. "Maybe we could go out to the Leaky Cauldron? Or the Three Broomsticks?"
Ginny curled her lip. "And deal with people questioning about Harry and I's divorce? No thanks, Mione. I don't want any publicity at the moment."
"We could go to a random Muggle place," suggested Hermione. "I think you should go out, Gin. You've been cooped up in this place for weeks on end."
"I leave the house," huffed Ginny, narrowing her eyes at her friend's statement.
"To go to the store and take Lily places," said Hermione pointedly, "You haven't done anything for yourself."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Says the current Minister of Magic with two kids. When was the last time you did anything for yourself?"
Hermione paused, as if trying to remember the last time she took time for herself. "Well, it has to be sometime in the last month at least —"
Ginny let a small smirk come to her face. "Don't criticize me when you don't even follow your own advice."
Hermione sighed, and Ginny frowned, noticing the dark circles under her friend's eyes. "Alright, fine. You've got me. But since we'll both go together, we'll both be doing ourselves a great service. Who knows — maybe you could meet someone… a guy… a girl…"
Ginny raised an eyebrow. She'd confessed to her friends before Harry and her got married that she was bi, but she didn't think it meant anything at the time. After all, she had had Harry. She looked up from the article she was working on.
"You're not going to leave me alone until I agree to this, are you?"
The look on Hermione's face gave her her answer.
"Fine," sighed Ginny. "I really don't think this'll benefit me, but if it'll make you happy, I'll do it."
(Furious.)
One of the reasons that Pansy was of the opinion that Millicent was the only one to understand her was because she knew that Millie wouldn't have put her in this situation.
"I absolutely cannot believe you three made me go through with this," snarled Pansy. "Why did I go through with this?"
"Because it's not healthy for you to be inside and moping all the time, Pans," explained Daphne patiently.
Pansy sighed in exasperation, pinching her nose and looking at the people surrounding her in disdain. "Remind me again why we chose a Muggle bar."
"Because you said that you were afraid of people judging you in a Wizarding one," reminded Daphne gently.
"Thanks, love. Can you also remind me why we brought them?" she sneered. She motioned toward Theo and Blaise, who were snogging. Again. For like… the gazillionth time tonight.
"Because they're our friends," said Daphne. She frowned for a moment, watching them snog. "Actually, fair point…"
Pansy sighed in exasperation as she took a small sip of her goblet of vodka. Music blared as people's voices grated her ears.
"This is your idea of fun?" she snapped. "What do people even do at these things?"
"Mingling," supplied Theo, with a smirk on his face. "Just talking, chilling —"
"Dancing," said Blaise, winking. Pansy eyed the people stumbling around the pub in disgust.
"I don't understand how anyone can talk over this music," she said, and she nearly had to yell in order to be heard.
"Dear Merlin. What are they doing here?" said Daphne, her eyes narrowed.
"Who?" asked Pansy curiously, looking up. Her eyes widened at the sight.
Ginny Potter (now divorced — Ginny Weasley), and Hermione Weasley.
"We literally chose a Muggle pub of all places to avoid people we know," gasped Pansy, in disbelief that those two would ever show up here.
"To be fair, we don't really know them," supplied Blaise.
"Nobody asked your opinion," bit out Pansy, taking a breath.
"Blaise has a point, though," said Daphne. "They probably don't even care that we're here. Let's just pretend they don't exist."
"I have a better idea. Let's just leave."
(There's really no way this evening could get any worse, correct?)
(Sympathetic.)
"This really isn't that bad," said Ginny, straightening her gold colored dress. Her voice was loud, and there was a slight slur in it.
Ginny looked around the pub that Hermione took her to, sipping her vodka. Hermione, ever the responsible one, literally just ordered water.
Hermione took a breath. "I mean, yeah, this is much better than sitting at a desk all day…" She drifted off, and Ginny grabbed her sleeve.
"Pay attention to me! We should dance," suggested Ginny.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Wow, look how much alcohol can change a person in an hour. Also, have you seen me dance?"
"You're married to Ron," pointed out Ginny. "Doing that basically guaranteed you a terrible dance partner for life." She tugged on Hermione's arm once more. "We should go dance! After all, we girls just want to have fun!"
"We're nearly forty."
"So?"
Hermione frowned for a moment, and Ginny looked in the direction her friend was looking in. "Is that… Millicent Bulstrode?" she asked slowly, her eyes widening.
"Who?" asked Ginny, knitting her eyebrows.
"She's was my year," said Hermione, "She was a pretty quiet Slytherin… but I thought she was married to Parkinson — she's with a completely different woman."
"Maybe they broke up?" suggested Ginny.
"Maybe," frowned Hermione. "You know what, forget it, love. Let's dance."
As the two went to dance, they heard an unfamiliar voice. An unfamiliar, pissed off, voice; a voice that was close to tears.
"What are you doing here? No, really! What the fuck are you doing here? I came here to forget about you, and you pick this place of all places to show up with your stupid lover."
"Pans, I didn't know you were going to be here —"
"Didn't know?" the other voice bit out, her voice slightly slurred. "No, of course you didn't know. You also didn't know how much I actually thought I loved you before you ran off with your muggle. And you know how I told you I was okay with this? Newsflash. I was never okay with this. You broke my heart. Sometimes, I miss you so much that I can hardly stand it. 'Fuck you' is honestly too kind for me. Just… go away. I never, ever, want to see you again."
And with that, the two girls both watched Pansy Parkinson run to the bathroom in tears.
"Wow," said Hermione after a moment. "I've never seen her act… human."
Ginny frowned. "That's awful, what happened to her. She looks great tonight, I kind of want to see if she's okay —"
(She did look great tonight. She radiated glamor, and Ginny didn't know if it was acceptable to pine after Pansy Parkinson of all people.)
"Gin, you can't," said Hermione gently, "She doesn't particularly… like us?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow, nearly stumbling off her chair. "When was the last time you talked to her?"
Hermione hesitated. "I… probably years ago?"
"Exactly."
(Distressed.)
Of all the places they could've taken her. Especially of all the Muggle places they could've taken her.
She had to show up. With her lover. Clearly, Pansy can't even enjoy a night to herself without being haunted by that… cheater.
She tensed when she heard someone stumble in. Pansy had one rule. If she broke it, she would never forgive herself. Never show true feelings, especially to people you don't know.
Then she bristled when she saw who it was. Ginny Weasley of all people. But she should be lucky, she supposed it wasn't as bad as the other one showing up. She hardly knew Ginny Weasley; she was a year below her back in their school days. And she's never admitted it (that would be social suicide, of course, and impossible), but she really did always find the younger woman attractive. The girl who always wore jumpers.
Pansy assumed that Ginny merely had to use the bathroom, so she took a shaky breath and stared at the mirror, trying to pay no mind to the redheaded woman.
"Are you okay?" Pansy jumped when she heard the gentle voice, but again didn't pay any attention.
(Ginny Weasley couldn't possibly be talking to her, correct? No. It was probably someone else that she was talking to.)
She slowly turned around to face the other woman. "I'm fine," she said, her voice stiff.
Weasley took a breath, and Pansy noticed she smelled of alcohol. Then again, she herself probably also smelled of alcohol.
"I heard you outside," said Weasley sincerely. "Yelling at Bulstrode. I'm sorry she did this to you. People like that really suck."
Pansy looked at Weasley, before sighing. "Yes," she finally said. "They really do. Is that what happened between you and Potter?"
Weasley stiffened. "Harry and I ended things based on a… mutual disagreement."
"There was no spark, sure. But he ended it first, didn't he?" asked Pansy bluntly. "I can see it in your eyes, Weasley."
"He did. The articles won't even leave me alone to think. It's kind of ironic, really, considering my job," she laughed bitterly. "How long were you and Bulstrode together?"
"Twenty years," said Pansy through clenched teeth, having no idea why on earth she was talking to Ginny Weasley. Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps the alcohol was. "Thrown down the drain."
"Looks like we've both suffered, huh?" said Weasley, shaking her head.
"Tell me about it," sighed Pansy.
She wondered if this would be the last time she'd be in a room with Ginny Weasley, just… talking. Though, then again, she's never exactly talked to Ginny Weasley. She's just admired her from afar. And she knew the other woman never felt the same way, she was in love with Potter after all. And she had had her lovely Millie at the time, so she never thought much of it.
(God. She always hated Potter.)
"Do you need a hug?" asked Weasley suddenly, and Pansy froze.
"What?" she asked.
"A hug," repeated Weasley.
Nobody ever offers that. Except Millie, when they were together. No — because everyone was too nervous to be around her to even think about giving her a hug.
Weasley didn't even wait for Pansy to respond. She slowly approached the black-haired woman, and enveloped her into an embrace.
Underneath the smell of alcohol, Pansy noticed the smell of perfume. It smelled good. "You smell good, Weasley," she blurted out.
Weasley smirked at that. "Nobody ever compliments my perfume. Thanks, Parkinson." She took a breath and stepped back. "I'd hate to see your night ruined just because of your shitty ex. We should dance together. Enjoy the night."
Pansy took a breath. "Weasley. My friends are out there. Your friend is out there. Do you know what would happen if we are seen together?"
"Take it from me," said Weasley. "I've learned long ago not to care what the hell anyone else thinks. If they'd really ditch you for who you choose to hang out with… Well, are they really your friends?"
"Are you sure you're not just incredibly drunk?"
"Do I sound drunk?" retorted Weasley, raising an eyebrow.
Pansy looked at the younger woman, who was currently giving her pleading eyes, and thought about the social rules she'd always followed ever since she was a little girl.
"Alright, Weasley. But if I wake up the next morning and find out I have no friends — that's on you."
(Elated.)
And so the two women spent the night drinking and dancing together, much to the confusion — but not rejection — of the people they came with.
"I had a lowkey crush on you at Hogwarts. You were always so pretty in your jumpers," whispered Pansy to Weasley, after her eighth bottle of vodka. She expected Ginny Weasley to push her aside, which would be good. Things could go back to normal after that. This night could just go into a gigantic trash can.
But what she didn't expect was for the completely drunk Weasley to grab her by the shirt, and kiss her. "We girls just want to have fun, right?" she winked, as they continued dancing and giggling to the music.
(And what she definitely didn't expect is that that drunk kiss would evolve into a slow-burn and budding relationship that blossomed like glitter.)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Assignment # 12 - Gardening: Muggle Chic Task # 10: Flowers - write about a character with a floral name.
Insane House Challenge - 401. (word) - Glamour - (Beauty)
365 Prompts - 111. (emotion) upset
Build a Zoo Challenge - toy - 18. (color) gold
Thirty Days of the Gays Challenge - (sexual orientation) bi (Ginny) & lesbian (Pansy)
Seasonal:
Days of the Year - Best Friend's Day - write a fic for one of your best fanfiction friends
Summer Prompts - (dialogue) "Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."
Color Prompts - (color) gold
Flower Prompts - Aster (word) attractive
Shay's Musical Challenge - 15. The Great Comet of 1812 - write about someone not sure where their life is going
Gryffindor Themed Prompts - (character) Ginny Weasley
Writing Club:
Character Appreciation - 11. (character) Pansy Parkinson
Disney Challenge - Let it Go - write about someone letting go of a negative emotion
Showtime - 5. Step One (word) impossible
Amber's Attic - 3. Caribou Lou - write about someone getting drunk.
Lyric Alley - 11. with hearts open wide
Ami's Audio Admirations - Hello and Welcome - write about an open-minded person.
Em's Emporium - 3. Ginny Weasley/Pansy Parkinson - write about powerful women.
Please R&R :)
-Ana
