Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Election day - part 5
Pansy was sitting on the ledge of her window, as she did lately. Grassy field stretched in front of her house, short and green grass, fading into long and neglected near the edge of the estate.
She rested her chin on her knees in a curled up position and thought about past times. Seams there was some of that old Pansy left inside, and seeing Granger had brought her out like and allergic reaction. That little Pansy was influenced and delusional in many ways but she had spirit and a passion for life.
Seeing Granger again reminded Pansy of that, made her feel alive again, a little bit. Pansy had struggled to avert her mind from the notion that she wanted to run into Hermione at least once more.
Pansy heard a small bell ring, she knew what it meant, dinner time.
"Go away, I'll be right down." She yelled trough the closed doors, feeling guilty right away for this unnecessary crudeness toward the house-elf whose small footsteps could be heard fading out.
When she ran down it was a same old scene, her parents on opposite sides of the table, eating in silence. She felt disappointed, unexpectedly. For some reason she thought Granger would be there at the table, now that father had won the election… but apparently not.
Pansy walked up to her mother and kissed her cheek. "Mourning!" She said and took a seat next to her.
"Maybe it's mourning for you dear, but I've been up quite a while now."
"Again with that…" Pansy mumbled looking in her father's direction. He was now busy reading the daily prophet trough small glasses mounted on his nose. A paper he rarely read, but now that half of it was the new Minister of Magic, he had a motivation to read it.
"You want to come tend to the garden with me today?" Pansy's mom asked.
"No, I think I'll… sleep some more." Pansy finished reluctantly.
"All you do is sleep, you need to get out of the house dear. You're so pale…"
"Don't start now." Pansy pleaded quietly. "Let's just eat."
"Alright, alright." Her mother accepted.
Minutes passed by and the question begun to itch Pansy more and more. She knew after dinner her father would go off to the Ministry and wouldn't be back for a day or two at least. She felt her heart rush as she approached this deadline. They where already having desert.
Pansy cleared her throat. "So where is that Granger girl anyway?" She asked facing her mother, trying to make the question sound as casual as possible. She made sure to sound it off loud enough, so her father would get involved in answering, for when she spoke to her mom she was usually almost whispering.
"Yes Darius? Didn't you mention she'd be your advisor or something?" Her mother asked her husband.
The Minister smiled and set down his paper on the table. "I suppose I did, but seams she had other plans. I offered her the job and she refused." He said as if convinced that was the truth.
"Strange… who in the wizarding world would refuse… and after going trough all that trouble with getting you elected?" Pansy's mom wondered.
"I don't understand it either." Pansy's father said dismissively as he stood up. "But I do have good news as well. Draco Malfoy has agreed to take the job, he'll be over for dinner tomorrow… and Pansy…" He said facing his daughter, possibly the only time during the entire dinner. "…make sure you wear something more decent, will you.
"Alright." Pansy accepted reluctantly, looking down at her comfortable silky white nightgown. She griped it firmly under the table and grinded her teeth as her father left the room. She wasn't thrilled about seeing Malfoy again, that much was clear to her as well as her mother.
"I'm going to the ministry, good day."
"Bye." Pansy's mother responded fleetingly and looked over at her daughter. "Pansy…"
"She you later mom!" Pansy said cutting her off and ran upstairs to her room. She remained in that room next to her father's office, over the weeks she got used to it and didn't want to change rooms again. Nobody asked her to do so either, her father now rarely used his office room as he was conducting most of his affairs in the ministry. Pansy was glad for this.
She even filled that spying hole with some paper. She didn't want to hear any of it. She chose to rather ignore what her father was up to. Her father might have been someone she aspired to be, more so once than now. He had power and authority that she admired, but he wasn't a good man, she was aware of.
This latest thing with Granger, she thought, that was probably a lie. She figured something had happened, and if there was somebody to blame, it was probably her father and not Granger.
Granger probably wasn't capable of such trickery, in Hogwarts she was just… Hermione Granger, no other way to describe it. Pansy paused, sitting down and leaning on the window as the wind blew trough her hair. She wondered how it was possible to have good memories of someone you don't like, like the time she poured that potion all over Hermione's bushy hair.
Not far from the Parkinson manor, Hermione thought about the same incident as she relaxed by pool with a glass of martiny in her hand. She had given her muggle chef and maid a day off, so she could be all alone in her huge mansion, she felt like being alone today.
Everyone was laughing as her as she ran out of the dungeon classroom that day. The green gooey liquid was dripping off her head as she ran up the staircase, stumbling several times. She had to wash her hair 20 times that day just to get it all out. She considered it the worst day of her life for a while, but it wasn't that bad actually, she realized and it brought a small smile to Hermione's lips. "Good times…" She whispered silently and took a sip of her drink.
That was stupid and childish, and she much preferred it over the way grownups played, like the thing Pansy's father had done. How things have changed, so much, so fast, Hermione wondered. Some for the better, she thought, reminding herself of all everything she owns now, but that was a weak consolation. She was nostalgic for the Hogwarts days, however good or bad they were. Though it bothered her that she dwelled over Pansy related incidents instead of adventures and dangers she faced with her friends.
That was a glorious moment, Pansy recalled with melancholy and nostalgia, nestled on the window ledge. Seeing Granger run off all soaked with gooey potion, and all the Slytherins cheering. It was just perfect, of course she'd pay for it a day later. In the after-class commotion of the hallway Granger had elbowed her in the ribs. It hurt for a whole week. Pansy recalled being really worried about it. She even wanted to see visit the nursery, but in the end it passed like everything else. It was just a bruise like any other.
Pansy sighed, and got up to close the window when she heard a sound. Something was hitting the window just outside her room. She peered her head out, when suddenly a crazy owl flew onto her head. Pansy fell to the floor and struggled to get the damn bird off her head. When she managed to do so the owl flew off into an unknown direction.
End of ch5-