It Started With an Insult (Hermione x Pansy Parkinson)

The Woman in the Potions Shop

Cold. I felt cold. And exposed. I shifted slightly in confusion at the realization that I wasn't covered by my usual thick blanket. The sharp, frigid air bit at my exposed knees and hands. It soaked through my cotton button up shirt and into my core. My button up shirt... why was I wearing my school shirt to bed? I stirred, becoming conscious of the cold and solid surface underneath me. My eyes fluttered open in concern, and I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. I was in a corridor, somewhere nearby my dorms.

Bewildered, I sat up and assessed my surroundings. And then I remembered. The pearl dust. Granger and I had stolen the jar of pearl dust from Snape's office, and then almost got caught. My heart leaped at the memory. I felt a pang of anxiety, had he noticed us? I took a deep breath in and out, feeling myself relax a little. I glanced over to where Granger slept, just a few inches away from me. I had drifted to the floor as I slept, but Granger remained seated, her back leaning against the wall. She looked just as peaceful as she had earlier that night, when she had fallen asleep beside me.

I did my best to remember the night before in embarrassment, my memories fuzzy and jumbled. I knew enough to know that I should feel embarrassed. My stomach dropped at the memory of Granger and I giggling together like little girls. I wiped my bangs from my face, my face heating as I continued to think about what had happened. I guessed that it was about four am, and a quick check of my wrist watch against the dim lighting provided by lanterns confirmed my suspicion. My heart thudded in my chest as I slung my leather satchel, the one containing the pearl dust around my shoulder and walked away, leaving Granger deserted in the lonely corridor.

...

Hermione awoke to the sound of light, childlike footsteps on stone. She stirred slightly, registering how uncomfortable and stiff she felt. Her tailbone felt sore, and her bed felt cold... and solid. Hermione jolted fully awake with a start, realizing with alarm that she had fallen asleep while sitting against a stone wall. Alarmed, and finally alert, she observed her surroundings. Of course. She felt herself flush as the memories of last night flashed before her eyes. Fuzzy and confusing, but definitely there. Her and Pansy must've fallen asleep after being drugged by the potion... At the thought of Pansy, she turned to her side. Expecting Pansy to be there, and instead finding nothing, she sighed in frustration.

Had she dreamt the entire thing? Her face burned as she thought about her intoxicated confession. Maybe it would be better if she had dreamt the whole thing... but if she had dreamt the entire ordeal, why was she sitting in a corridor and not in her own bed right now? She sighed, standing up and smoothing her skirt. A trio of Slytherin first years nervously made their way past her, sneaking glances at her curiously. Hermione avoided eye contact with them, and assuming they were headed for breakfast, she did the same.

Hoping that Ron and Harry would have simply assumed she was in the library studying, she didn't bother to come up with an excuse for her absence. Parvati and Lavender would at most be mildly curious as to where she had been, but for the most part they didn't care what she did. Hermione preferred it this way. Ginny, on the other hand, was more observant than Ron or Harry, and would ask questions about her wrinkled uniform and untidy hair. Hermione sighed, deciding to do her best to avoid Ginny for the day.

...

I had managed to sneak back into my dorm undetected after carelessly falling asleep beside Granger in the corridor. Or so I thought.

I woke up that morning, for the second time, with Daphne's worried expression peering down at me. Startled, I jolted upwards, crashing my forehead into Daphne's.

"Ouch," She complained, rubbing her head gingerly, "Merlin, Pansy." She furrowed her brows at me suspiciously. Thankfully, I had changed into my pajamas before I had crawled into bed only a few hours ago, and I wasn't sleeping in my uniform.