YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO • PANSMIONE

( THIRTEEN ! )

Christmas was fast approaching, and Pansy and Hermione had fallen into an easy rhythm with each other. Once or twice a week they stole a kiss before parting to return to their dorms, and though they bickered and argued, it was always light hearted, filled with that happiness that only comes when you are two young people who have found each other for the first time. Pansy was happier than she had ever been before; all the jealousy and fear and pain and self-hatred that had twisted her from the core was slowly drifting away in the kind, soft, and also somewhat bossy (how had she not expected that?) presence of her girlfriend. And though she still woke up in the middle of the night to think about all the things she had done, and in her emptiest moments, to consider how much easier it was just to be horrible, she was able to close those thoughts away, and think of Hermione instead.

Girlfriend! How it thrilled her to think of it, of someone being hers, and she being someone's. She wanted to scream it to the world - look at me! Someone loves me! I AM WORTHY OF LOVE! - but Hermione wasn't quite ready to tell everyone about them yet. Ginny and Luna knew - and that was by accident. No one else could, yet. And that was okay, Pansy told herself over and over, and she had to be better now, but it didn't stop her from screaming into a pillow in frustration. Her adoration of Draco she had made so public, and she wanted the same for her ever-so-much-more-worthy adoration of Hermione. But she had to wait. And in the mean time...

"Hey, Hermione?" She corned the unsuspecting girl after class, attempting to appear cool and collected. "You know that Hogsmeade trip that's coming up?" When Hermione's face remained blank, she sighed. "You know, where everyone goes into that little village near here, something we've been doing since third year?" Damn it, the 'cool and collected' was already deep down a drain somewhere.

"Funnily enough, I do know what Hogsmeade is," Hermione said dryly, stuffing books into her bags, but she offered Pansy a bright smile. "What about it?"

"Why do you have so many huge books?" Pansy asked, hastily changing the subject. "I literally only carry around some parchment, a quill, and some ink."

"Well, you just aren't very well prepared, then," Hermione sniffed. "And don't think I don't know that you're changing the subject, Pansy. What about Hogsmeade?"

"Well, seeing as it's nearly the holidays, and, well, I'm assuming we're both going home and won't see each other - which will be sad but it's only two weeks - I thought that maybe, this weekend, in Hogsmeade, you might consider - obviously you don't have to, it's completely up to you, I never assumed that you would want to -" She glared at Hermione, who had raised her eyebrows in amusement, and seemed to be holding back giggles. "Would. You. Like. Too. Go. On. A. Date. With. Me." she gritted out, eventually.

Hermione threw back her head and laughed for a few moments, while Pansy's scowl deepened across her features. "Yes," she said, finally, between gasps of air. "Of course."

"Good," Pansy said shortly, and ran away before she could make a fool of herself further.

---

"Where are you taking me?" Hermione giggled, Pansy's gloved hands covering her eyes. "I know where all the shops are here!"

"I know," Pansy said, "but I can at least try to make it seem like a surprise." She guided Hermione through the snow, watching carefully as their feet pressed marks into the snow. "Okay, you can look now."

"Oh, wow, The Three Broomsticks!" Hermione gasped, dramatically.

"Ha ha," Pansy remarked. "Surprise, you idiot. Let's go inside before I freeze to death." Pushing open the door, she made a deliberate point of holding it open for Hermione - who didn't even notice, too busy removing her cloak, hat and scarf, which she coiled around the stand placed by the door. As she approached the table, she also pulled out a chair for Hermione, who then went and sat across the other side of the table. I guess she's just not used to me doing things for other people.