The Pansy Affect ➾ Pansy Parkinson ⚢

Chapter 6 - Shame and Hope

Holly's pov

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It was a cold morning, on the way to the Great Hall. My cheeks stung from the wind and my curls whipped violently around my face. The air smelled of fresh baked pasties and sizzling bacon. The vast stone hallway was all but deserted, that was, until the sound of footsteps disturbed the silence.
"She said yes!" Sophia screamed almost knocking me over as she ran down the corridor, her blonde hair flying behind her in the breeze, only kept in place by a baby blue Alice band.

"No!" I gasped in disbelief.
"Yes!" She gushed, a huge grin on her face.
I couldn't help the girlish squeal that left my mouth, as I jumping up and down.
"Oh i'm so happy for you, Sophia!" I said, warming her bitterly cold hands in between my gloves.

"Oh come on Sophia, tell me what happened already!" I begged shoving her gently, as we strolled towards the hall for breakfast.
"I'm not saying anything! Not until you decide to tell me about that boy you've been crushing over!"

I let out a groan of annoyance. Sophia had been madly in love with a pretty Ravenclaw girl for the past year and I had managed to convince her that the Halloween ball would be the perfect opportunity to finally ask her out.

Unfortunately for me, i'd never be able to ask the person I wanted to take.

"I'm not going to pry anymore because there'll be loads of people in the great hall, but as soon as we get to the dorm tonight? You're spilling everything!" I gave her a warning glare.

She stopped in her path with a jolt, fiddling with the knitted ends of her Gryffindor scarf. "Hey why don't we skip breakfast today? I don't think i'm hungry."

I let out a laugh. "Oh shut it Soph you're always hungry-" I stopped myself when I suddenly realised why she wasn't so desperate to enter the hall. We were too wrapped up in our happy bubble to remember that some of the students here had very strong, and very out of date opinions.

"Hey it'll be okay, you know that right?" I spoke softly.

She tried for a laugh, but the fear never truly left her eyes. "You'll stay close to me right? When we go in?"
I grabbed her hand. "Together, okay?"

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"You really thought any of us would care? You're still Sophia after all." Dean was saying as he held her hand over the table. He was desperately trying to comfort her as she nodded tearfully.

"I know, I know. I was just so worried you see and-" She stopped to hiccup as a sob spluttered out of her throat, and tears clouded her vision once more.

Merlin that girl is too emotional for her own good.

"Well it's a good thing really though, isn't it?" Ron said thoughtfully, through a mouthful of food. "Means we've got more in common now." He paused to gulp down orange juice. "We both like girls."

Laughter erupted around the table, Sophia wiped her tears with a smile and Dean gripped her hand with a look of pride on his face. Looking around the table at the people I loved, surrounded by joy and acceptance, I identified something I hadn't felt in a long while.

Hope.

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Pansy's pov

"Honestly it's disgusting." Marcus Flint stated over his copy of the Daily Prophet. "There's no other word for it."
Daphne Greengrass nodded, "Shameful really, you'd think they'd be more embarrassed."

"Oh come on you guys, that's a bit over dramatic, don't you think?" Milly tried, scoffing as she bit into a slice of toast.

Daphne looked as though she's just been slapped. "Really Millicent? It's a hideous violation of tradition. You can't seriously think it's acceptable in a dignified society."

"Oh you are so right Daphne! What was I thinking!" Milly rolled her eyes and elbowed me, as she fought the smile creeping onto her face.

After receiving a withering glare from Daphne, she spoke, "What?" She said as innocently as she could, whilst simultaneously kicking me under the table. "It really is sickening!"

Flint slammed his fork down on his plate. "Seriously Millicent? This isn't a joke! Leave it to these mud bloods and everything our parents worked for, everything our parents built will be torn down. They sit only a table away from us, pissing over everything we stand for, and you're laughing? Seriously?"

Milly looked down quickly, distracting herself with the end of her tie. "Right, sorry Marcus, you're right."

The table fell silent and right then, a familiar feeling settled in the bottom of my stomache.

Acceptance.

Acceptance that things would never change.
Acceptance that everything I had was conditional.

Acceptance that in the end, love would not win.

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chapter 6 - 800 words total. I haven't updated in ages i'm so sorry school just started again lol. This chapters also really shitty so expect heavy editing!! And someone told me that they like fics with faceclaims best because it makes it more realistic?? idk but i thought i'd chuck some in for the people who do like them, but if not just imagine the characters however you would like!! thanks again for reading i love you all lots.