It Started With an Insult (Hermione x Pansy Parkinson)

A Midnight Rendezvous

I placed my wand and my cloak on my bedside table, preparing myself for the duel with Granger. I gulped, trying to calm my nerves, and reached under my bed to grab the gag gift my father had given to me on my thirteenth birthday. It was a book titled Hexes and Spells to Use On Your Worst Enemy. Silently thanking my father, I opened it.

The first page I opened to showed a depiction of a pointy nosed witch repeatedly vomiting slugs. I watched, mesmerized as the witch threw up a slug, paused, and threw up the same slug over and over again. I smirked, remembering the time in our second year when Weasley had attempted to hex Draco and had accidentally hexed himself. Slugulus Erecto, I mouthed the spell, making sure that I knew the pronunciation. I reached for a quill and an ink pot and copied page after page of hexes, spells and charms onto my arm. I grudgingly knew that I was no match for Granger, with her memorized spells and whatnot. I glanced at my watch, and jumped up when I realized that it was already 11:50. Wanting to be the first one at the library, I hurriedly put on my cloak and tucked my wand into my pocket. My dorm mate, Daphne Greengrass looked at me quizzically.

"Pansy, where are you going? Filch'll catch you." She questioned.

"I'll be discreet- just go to sleep, I'm meeting someone." I responded.

At this, Daphne wiggled her strikingly blonde eyebrows at me and smiled cheekily. I could feel my face heat up.

"No, not like that..." I gave up trying to explain myself as Daphne waved me off.

I climbed out of the Slytherin entrance and made my way to the Hogwarts library, pausing and listening for Filch or Ms. Norris at every corner. By the time I had made it to the library, it was exactly 12 o'clock. I waited outside of the library in anticipation. I was growing more nervous by the second. Had Granger indeed tricked me just like Draco had tricked Harry? I was beginning to contemplate going back to my dorm when I heard her, my heart skipping a beat.

"Oh, you're out here." Granger remarked, peeking her head out into the hallway from inside the library. I rolled my eyes. Of course the ever punctual Granger had gotten here before me.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come." She stated. I scoffed.

"Alright then, lets get on with it." I reached for my wand, drawing it on her. I hastily checked my arm for a good spell to use, when Granger interrupted my focus.

"Pansy, what are you doing?" She asked, furrowing her brow at me. I paused, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" I retorted, growing more self conscious of my extended wand.

The girl looked uncomfortable. "I... I just... I wanted to offer to help you." I was taken aback.

"Help me with what?" I sneered. "I don't need help, especially not from a mud blood like you!"

Granger's expression grew dark. "I should have known..." She muttered. "Follow me," she motioned at me to follow her, which only caused me to grow more infuriated. Who did she think she was?

"Don't tell me what to do." I jeered at her. The girl let out a frustrated sigh.

"You Slytherins, you're always so.. so conceited!" She spat. "I know you switched the essays, and I saw you in the library trying to study for potions, only you fell asleep, and-"

I hastily put my hand over her mouth, muffling her words. I noted how warm her face felt. "Shhh! Filch will hear you! Do you really want to be caught out of bed by him in the first week of school?"

Granger swatted my hand away, staring daggers into me. "Don't just do that!" Her face was red from what I could see in the darkness. At this point we were still standing in the hallway outside of the library, the exact spot in which the mud blood had cast a hair loss spell onto me.