Heartchains

Chapter 5 (I think???)

**Omg I'm so sorry!!!!! I'll make this one really long to make up for the absence!!**

Pansy hurried away. She ran into the closest bathroom she could find. She locked the door behind her and slid to the floor. Sobs racked her body. Why did she come back? Her heart ached. She got up and walked over to the sinks. She ran her fingers through the cold water and then through her hair. Her perfect hair. Her now imperfect hair. She looked at her revolting reflection. Merlin, she really did look like a pug.

"Pugsy Pansy." She said darkly, laughing slightly at the sheer stupidity that hurt her so deeply.

"What did you think they'd do?" Her reflection seemed to taunt. "Forgive you with open arms? Well, sorry sweetheart, but you'll never be forgiven. Not by your classmates, nor your teachers, nor your friends."

A sob escaped her mouth and she sat back down on the cold floor. What if she just died here? What if she just stayed here until she died of starvation? And even with her brain reminding her of all the people who would miss her, the people who wouldn't far out-weighed them. And if she got lonely being stuck in a bathroom until (and maybe after) she died? Well, Myrtle was always looking for someone to talk to.

A loud knock broke her from her reverie.

She startled up, onto her feet just as the lock undid (pesky unlocking charm) and a bush of hair entered the room.

"I knew you'd be in here." Hermione Granger said. She looked awfully relieved, which made Pansy nervous. Why would a Gryffindor, and of all Gryffindors, Hermione Granger, be relieved to see her, Pansy Parkinson, queen of Slytherin and evil extraordinaire?

"Y-you did?" Was all Pansy could think to say.

Granger's face softened. (Softened! Can you imagine?) "You ran out of the Great hall."

Pansy just gaped at her. She usually would have composed herself by now but she just couldn't find the strength.

Hermione continued.

"I watched you run and I figured you'd run into a bathroom. I would've followed you straight away but Professor McGonagall called a meeting for all Eighth years. We have a new dormitory, you see, and she gave us maps and everything-"

Pansy was half-listening to Granger drone and half-waiting in apprehension for the real reason for Granger's presence to be explained.

"-and we don't have any houses anymore-"

"What?" Pansy interrupted. "No houses?"

Granger huffed and said "Only us Eighth years. It's for inter-house unity. She wants us to make friends and destroy old rivalries. Apparently, she thought the whole house thing was really absurd." She laughed. "I tend to agree." She looked at Pansy, and then did something Pansy never thought she'd deserve. Not in a million years. Granger smiled at her.

"She gave us maps. And since you weren't there, you didn't get one. I thought I'd bring it to you." She handed Pansy the map.

"Why didn't anyone else want to give it to me?" She asked, knowing the answer and really, just wanting to see what Granger would say.

And as suspected, Granger turned a brilliant shade of red. "Oh, uh, I wanted to."

"Really?" Pansy asked, not believing it for one second. She scoffed darkly. "Thanks, Granger." She spat, not meaning to but she just didn't know any other means of controlling her emotions. If she stayed here, she was going to start crying again, something no one (especially Granger!) needs to see.

Pansy tried to push past Granger, to exit the bathroom.

"No." Granger said, stopping her. "I want to talk to you."

"Leave me alone." She hissed, backing away from Granger's touch.

"No. Tell me what's wrong with you. I know something's wrong and bottling it up is not going to help."

"YOU LEAVE ME ALONE." She yelled. "You- you- you m-." She stopped. She couldn't say it. No. She couldn't say the word that once flew through her lips so carelessly. Pansy crumpled into a ball of sobs.

She was fully prepared for Granger to turn around and leave but to her shock, Granger knelt down next to her. Pansy felt an arm wrap around her back and, against the screaming defiance in her brain, her heart won and she surged into the arms that were held open for her.

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Pansy didn't know how long she indulged in this embrace but what she did know was that when she did detach herself from Granger's (or was it Hermione now? What do you call the person who lets you sob into their shoulder?) shoulder, she noticed how soaked the latter's cloak now was.

"Sorry," Pansy mumbled.

"Don't be," Granger said.

"I meant for everything," Pansy confessed. She had planned to do this anyway. Might as well do it now. "Everything." Se repeated.

"Like I said, don't be. It was war. You obviously didn't want to be on the side you were in and it's not your fault for trying to protect people."

"What?" Pansy asked, shocked from the lack of hatred in Granger's voice.

"When you said for everyone to grab Harry? You were trying to get the war over with. Harry even went on his own after that."

Pansy was too shocked to speak.

"Are you ready to back to the dorm? I already know where it is because I helped build it."

"Of course you did," Pansy said before she could stop herself. She froze, awaiting Granger's retort.

Instead, Granger laughed. "There's your snark." She got up and held out her hand for Pansy. Pansy took it cautiously.

Once Pansy was up, Granger let go of Pansy's hand. Her hand felt cold now. She wished Granger would hold it once more; she pushed away the thought. She did not need yet another unrequited crush.

As they reached the dorm, Pansy's heart started racing. She remembered how everyone reacting to her in the Great Hall. And that was with teachers. How would they act when she was alone?

Granger must have seen the look on her face because she stopped and pulled Pansy to the side.

"It'll be fine. I'll hex anyone who dares to bother you."

What did Pansy do to get Granger on her side?

They entered the common room and it went silent.

"Hermione? What are you doing with that bitch?" A voice popped up. Pansy recognised it as the second youngest Weasley. Pansy waited for Granger to leave her and walk over to the voice but once more, Granger surprised Pansy.

"Sod off Ron." Granger spat. Who knew she could say things in a tone like that? Pansy was mildly impressed.

"Oh yeah?" Weasley said, standing up.

"Stand down Ron." Potter said, putting a hand on Weasley's shoulder.

Pansy strode over to the list of rooms and their mates. Since so few returned, apparently there would be two to a room. Pansy scanned the list for her room-mate and found it to be empty. Of course. Who'd want to room with her? They probably crammed her into the smallest room too. She absent-mindedly found herself searching for her friends' names and their roommates. She almost laughed when she saw Draco's. Oh, Draco will be enjoying this year, getting to spend it with the speccy git that lived (twice). In fact, Pansy thought, Draco might really enjoy it, considering how much he talks of the scarhead.

Pansy felt a presence behind her and she turned. There was Granger. And boy, she looked mad.