Interlude 3

In Which Pansy Fucks Up a Potion

Pansy Parkinson craved power and pleasure like a fish craved water.

Fifth year brought a shift in the power that Pansy held.

It all started when the American transfer student Lou Ellen Blackstone was transferred into Slytherin. One by one, she stole Pansy's posse out right from under her, excepting Tracey Davis. Then, for the final blow, she stole Draco Malfoy.

"Who the fuck does she think she is?" ranted Pansy to Davis who nodded eagerly. They were shopping in Hogsmeade, enjoying the first trip of the year.

"I heard from Parvati Patil, who heard from Cho Chang, who heard from Alicia Spinnet, that Blackstone kissed the dead looking one, di Angelo, I think his name was," said Davis, her eyes glinting excitedly.

"No way! And then she just goes and hops on Draco's arm? The fucking slut." said Pansy with a scowl.

"Yeah. And yesterday I heard her talking to Millie about how she wants to be Minister for Magic, or something or other."

"Seriously?" said Pansy, quirking an eyebrow, "She's from America. Why does she care about British wizarding politics?"

Davis shrugged, "Who knows. I think she may have been born and raised here for a time."

Pansy nodded thoughtfully. From the corner of her eye, she saw Blackstone traveling quickly down the street with di Angelo and the other American transfer student Jason Grace. Narrowing her eyes, Pansy watched them carefully. They were headed towards a very shady inn known as the Hogs Head that she had just seen Granger enter along with the youngest boy-Weasley and Potter.

There wasn't any good reason for any of them to be entering the pud, least of all at the same time. Still, it could be a coincidence.

And she would have written it off. After all, there was no good reason to stick her neck out and get involved. If Granger, Potter, and Weasley were up to something, Pansy wanted no part in it. The group lacked any subtlety, and any plan of theirs was destined to end in disaster. Potter had already gotten one teacher killed, another obliviated, Lupin fired, and their last one kissed by dementors.

But as she was about to return to her shopping Pansy spotted Blaise Zabini strolling down the street with Millie, also headed towards the Hogs Head.

So, Blackstone had gotten Millie involved in Granger's antics.

Well, that settled it. Pansy was going to find out what it was if it killed her. Davis, thoroughly uninterested in Pansy's ambitions decided to head towards Zonkos with the Greengrass sisters leaving Pansy on the street to watch as thirty other students all crammed themselves into the Hogs Head. After she was sure that no other students were arriving Pansy stole down the street staying as unseen as possible.

Rogues stayed alive whilst knights perished in the battle.

She found a window to snoop by just in time to hear Draco yell, "Oh yes, lets go toss jinxes around in the library! That'll work out great!"

Why would they be tossing jinxes around Thought Pansy suspiciously, while fiddling with the owl charm on her necklace. What on earth was Granger up to?

"Well I don't see you suggesting anything." someone, probably Angelina, snarled.

"I don't know, an empty classroom?" Draco spat. You tell them, Draco! Thought Pansy.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Malfoy," said Weasley, "But that might actually work. McGonagall might let us use hers."

"Or Professor Snape," said Draco smirking. Someone made a disgusted noise that sounded like a cat being strangled.

"Right well, we'll try to find somewhere," said a voice that could only be Granger. She sounded stressed, as if people weren't doing what she wanted them to do. "We'll send a message to everybody when we've found a time and place for the first meeting."

There was the sound of a bag being rifled through, and something like a parchment.

"I-I think we should all write our names down, just so we know who was here." said Granger nervously. "But I also think we ought not shout around what we're doing. So if you sign, you agreeing not to tell Umbridge-or anyone who isn't in the group- what we're up to."

Like idiots, they all signed.

Twats, thought Pansy, Don't sign anything that Granger gives you. The bitch is as shrewd and vindictive as I am. She's probably cursed it. Not to mention that Blaise, Draco, and Millie have just incriminated themselves in what sounds like an underground dueling club whose goal is to undermine Umbridge. Draco… Blaise... Millie… What are you two thinking?

She couldn't understand what they had to gain from this. Sure, Umbridge was a hag, and a terrible teacher, but based off of the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse, they only had to put up with her for one year. One stupid year, and then they could start fresh. There wasn't any need to stick your neck out. Umbridge had all the power and she would crush anyone who stepped out of line.

Blackstone was leading Draco, Blaise, and Millie to their doom.

Less than fight minutes later the streets erupt in fire and screams.

There was an old owl roost near the Ravenclaw tower that hadn't been used since before the first wizarding war. It was dusty and disused, but it was a good spot if you needed a place to snoop and people watch from a distance. So, essentially exactly what Pansy needed.

Ever since the Heliopath attack in Hogsmeade Blackstone, di Angelo, and Grace spent their evenings in a secluded grove near the Forbidden Forest. Pansy tried to stalk them there to find out more about them- the show of wandless magic they had put on had been incredible. Di Agelo, however, seemed to be able to sense her, but not before she heard them talking about going to a Camp Half-Blood.

So, she decided to put a pair of Omnioculars she had stolen from Draco to use. Using them, she watched as they sparred and fought every afternoon after classes. They were quite good, she had to admit. Plus, it was fun watching Grace sword fight with Nico. While Nico was somewhat dead looking, and a bit too skinny to be her type, plus the shadow manipulation abilities were a bit creepy for her. Not to mention the skeletons. Grace was tall with broad shoulders, and rippling muscles…

Concentrate.

Today was unusual though as the trio didn't head for their secluded grove after meeting like normal in the courtyard. Instead, they all grabbed hands and-

Circe's tits!

They disappeared, Nico's shadows swathed over them like an inky black billowy blanket and they disappeared. That shouldn't be possible. You can't just disapparate in Hogwarts. At least, nothing human.

What exactly are you people? Thought Pansy with a frustrated growl, more determined than ever to find out who Blackstone really was. Who would know how to apparate while still inside of Hogwarts? But, it can't be apparition, can it?

If it was impossible to apparate inside of Hogwarts, then it must be some other sort of magic, because apparition whilst still in Hogwarts ground was impossible.

"Professor Snape? What sort of magic would be involved in manipulating shadows?" said Pansy later that day when she managed to get Snape alone.

Snape, who was grading papers in his office barely glanced at her. Instead he continued to scribble on sheets of parchment, his greasy black hair hanging over his face, hiding any sort of reaction he might have to the question.

"What, Miss Parkinson, could have provoked this sort of curiosity?" said Snape in a quiet drawl, then looked up towards Pansy, his black eyes staring back into her own.

"Oh, just something I read. But it didn't go into much detail. I thought that it might be something interesting to study." Pansy lied smoothly. There was a prickle in the back of her head.

"Of course," said Snape in a deadpan voice. "I'm afraid that if it is impossible to learn. Umbrakinesis is something only a lucky few are born with."

Umbrakinesis.

With that discipline in mind, Pansy attacked.

Pansy Parkinson was not known for her studious habits. In fact, Pansy Parkinson abhorred reading, writing, and anything involving the two. One thing she loved, however, was gossip and delegation. Making other people do her work for her gave her more time to focus on things she actually liked; gossip, art, and music.

With that in mind, she decided to hunt down seventh year Ravenclaw, Wilson Perkins. He was, for the most part, outside of Granger's (limited) social circle, as well as Blackstone's. He was also obsessed with Pansy.

"I need your help!" said Pansy throwing a pout to Wilson in the library. She batted her eyes, then played with her hair a little bit, enjoying the way Wilson shuffled nervously as his pupils dilated. Bat your eyes and play with your hair. It was a tactic she had figured out how to use on the Prefects when she was younger. At least, the male ones.

God, she loved it. It made her feel beautiful and powerful, like a goddess. Like the her mere presence brought men to their knees in worship of her.

"Uh-echm…" The, Wilson cleared his throat and straightened, thrusting his chest out. What's wrong?" said Wilson, his eyes widening.

"Well, it's not so much that there is something wrong," said Pansy, giving a small sigh. "But I need to learn about Umbrakinesis. It's for a project- but I have no idea where to start! And you're just about the smartest person I know… can you help?" She then bit her lip while looking up into Wilson's eyes for good measure.

It worked like a charm. Who needed love potions when you had good old fashioned seduction?

With Wilson Perk on the hunt for information on Umbrakinesis, it gave Pansy time to stalk Granger, and find out more about the club she had started. Illegal club, now that Umbridge had banned them.

Through guile, and some helpful information from a couple of first year Gryffindors, Pansy discovered that Granger had been researching Protean Charms and that apparently the Weasley twins were trying to throw a Halloween Party. Wilson filled her in on what they did when he dropped off some notes on Umbrakinesis. According to him, they connected objects together- when something was written on one object, it appeared on the other connected object.

"Oh, Wilson! Thank you so much!" said Pansy in a simpering voice, while placing a hand on Wilson's arm. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Oh- uh…" said WIlson, blushing like mad, "Well, I really liked that one drawing of a fox that you made…" his voice trailing off to nearly indecipherable murmurs. Something about a nose.

With a smile that probably looked more like a smirk, Pansy dug through her bag and handed him the drawing, then planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, for which she was rewarded with more stutters and blushes.

Granger was likely using the Protean Charm enchanted objects to communicate wherever they were having the secret meetings, as well as when. It was a high level spell, but if anyone could do N.E.W.T. levels spells in fifth year, it would be Granger. Actually, it would shock Pansy more if Granger couldn't do the spell.

As for the Umbrakinesis... Well that was an interesting read. It was actually fairly common amongst magical creatures, but was an almost unheard of skill in humans. In fact, most humans that did have the skill were not human at all, but Half-Breeds. Not to mention they were generally extraordinarily powerful necromancers. This was something that Pansy considered with a frown. di Angelo didn't look like a Half-Breed; he looked human. As did Blackstone and Grace. However, the display of magic they put on during the fight with those flaming horses was… extraordinary.

Not to mention the Infiri…

Oh, of course no one saw di Angelo summon them, and his wand didn't show any evidence of summoning Infiri. Pansy had seen the summoned skeletons following his directions like undead minions, however. She knew that it had been him. And if his wand hadn't been used to summon them, that meant that he had to have done it without a wand.

But how? Thought Pansy with mild frustration. He's worse than me at everything except vanishing spells and potions! With this in mind, Pansy decided to spend some time following di Angelo with the hope that she could actually catch him demonstrating more of these strange powers. But as she was beginning her hunt, she realized this would be next to impossible with Nico's ability to sense her presence. She would have to catch Blackstone and Grace whn they weren't with di Angelo.

They would often sit at the same table, blatently ignoring traditions of sitting at your proper houses table, with theeir heads hunched together and whispering things. But everytime Pansy tried to get close enough to listen in, she would either be overcome by whispering, or di ANgelo would warn Blackstone and Grace.

Yes, she would have to separate them.

Or…

Suddenly, an idea formed in Pansy's head. A grand scheme to get di Angelo, Blackstone, and Grace into the same room, listen to whatever they were scheming about, determine if the were a threat to her and Draco, and maybe find out what Granger had planned.

Pansy's plan was simple enough. She knew that the Weasley twins were wanting to throw a Halloween Party. However, they were apparently having difficulty tracking down a room and the ability to ensure that students wouldn't be caught walking about at night.

It was one thing getting the Prefects on board, but the newly enlisted Inquisitorial Squad made matters even more complicated.

Pansy needed the Weasley twins on her side because she needed an item they could make. Specifically, and Extendable Ear. Her problem? The Weasey twins were not her biggest fan right now because of a certain… song… she wrote about their brother during a recent Quidditch game.

They just don't appreciate good music thought Pansy as she sauntered up to Twin #1 during study hall with what she hoped looked like an innocent and unassuming smile. Twin #1 was holding a strange silver object that looked like a giant needle, and Twin #2 was wrapping a delicate gold thread around it using his wand. They threw identical scowls at her as they noticed her arriving.

"Seat's taken," growled Twin #1 when Pansy sat across from them.

"Oh," sigheed Pansy dramatically, leaning her head back a bit and making sure to puff out her chest. "That's too bad."

"Didn't you hear George? You can't sit with us!" said Twin #2.

"Oh… Well, I suppose you'll never figure out a way to get past the Inquisitorial Squad." said Pansy, throwing her hair back, and moving to leave. "I suppose that Halloween Party you're throwing will just have to wait till next year. Oh wait…" Pansy trailed off. There would be no next year for the Weasley twins. This was their final year.

The twins glared at her, the #1 whispered into #2's ear. #2 whispered back in a heated tone, but then paused as #1 said something indecipherable back. #1 then rolled his eyes, and crossed his hands in front of his face.

"What do you want?"

Two nights later Pansy was sitting with Draco at a table with a several Inquisitorial Squad members, her pocket weighed down with an extendable Ear that had an extra long cord. She didn't know how far she would have to be from the Transfer Trio's little clearing to safely listen in on their fights.

The party was fun too. Pansy had dressed up in a black dress with black lace sleeves, and cat ears to boot. She hadn't used face paint- too tacky, in her opinion. Granger had attended in regular clothes, but somehow managed to get Weasel to kiss her. The two stared at each other with such outrageously sappy looks that Pansy just had to look away.

Pansy couldn't help but roll her eyes. Why did people insist on being so bland and boring? Hell, at least Longbottom was fighting with di Angelo. That was a little interesting.

Speaking of… di Angelo was now approaching their table looking drunk. Pansy couldn't help but smirk; she had overheard the Twins discussing spiking the punch bowl with firewhisky and had decided to avoid it entirely. Maybe if it had been vodka, but firewhisky was simply vile. Draco had decided to drink it, though, despite her warnings, and now looked as drunk as Nico.

"Hey," said Nico, plopping down next to Draco with a thump. "How you doin', blondie?"

Blondie?

"No one ever-" said Pansy, about to banish him from her presence, but Draco flung an arm around him.

"I am doing good. How is you?" said Draco, giving a giddy giggle. Ugh. Pansy rolled her eyes. Why did Draco have to be a happy drunk. It was much more fun to watch things fall apart, then it was to watch people actually get along.

As if the universe decided to grant her wish, Nico gave a side glance towards where he and Longbottom had just been arguing, Nico smiled maliciously and whispered something in Draco's ear. Draco then looked at Longbottom, grinned and started attacking Nico's mouth with his own. Pansy had to grin too when she saw Longbottoms give a scanalized expression and stalk furiously out of the room.

After five minutes, however, Draco and Nico were still at it, and now they were giving each other such sappy looks that Pansy could feel her favorite piece of arm candy slipping away. Not that she cared who Draco was getting it on with, but it meant that she wouldn't be able to use him to boost her status until Nico was cast away like he cast away Millie. That meant that she would need to find a new piece of arm candy.

Maybe she could use Wilson. He was cute enough.

Rolling her eyes, Pansy tossed that thought aside, and decided to pour herself a glass of the firewhisky punch combination. Shuddering like a chill had suddenly overcome her, she drank some of it- God, it was vile.

Wilson was cute, but he didn't have the right connections. She had learned from Zabini's mother that proper arm candy had connections you could use to better yourself. It would need to be someone cute, good connections in the ministry, and preferably well off. Someone like…

"Oh, Cormac, you're hilarious!" cried the shrill voice of Lavender Brown from a group of girls gathered around an old record player. They were giggling while Cormac was telling some joke about Quidditch.

Pansy smirked while she considered her new target. Cormac McLaggen was definitely cute; handsome, really. Blonde, tall, and robust, he walked the halls with a casual confidence that seemed to radiate confidence. He was a Gryffindor, so people liked him by default, and his Gryffindor status could potentially lift Pansy's status as well.

Slytherins, for reasons unknown, tended to have a reputation for being manipulative cunts. Which…Maybe wasn't wrong per say.

Yes, Cormac McLaggen was perfect. Her only problem? Brown was currently digging her badly manicured nails into his arm while he- Ugh, he was smiling at her, stretching, and flexing his muscles. The bitch! She was stealing her prey away from her.

This was not going to stand.

Pansy wanted to walk right up to her and smack her away from her man, but she knew that would not go down well. Up front confrontation was something Gryffindors did, and did well. Brown, being a Gryffindor, was sure to win that fight. No, this had to be done sneakily.

With a shrewd gaze, Pansy searched the party for a way to get Brown away from Cormac without a direct confrontation. When she saw the Ravenclaw Patil twin an idea formed, and she walked up to her, effortlessly painting worry on her face.

"Patil! I'm so glad I found you!" said Pansy, examining Ravenclaw Patil's outfit. She had a hideous butterfly barrett stuck in an admittedly cute, intricate braided bun. She was wearing a silky looking top, and a denim mini-skirt that made Pansy want to cringe. Grace, who liked to wear jeans and t-shirts when not in his Hogwarts uniform, had started an unfortunate denim trend amongst the Hogwarts students. "I love your barrett!, by the way!"

"Oh… Thanks… it belonged to my grandmother when she was my age." said Ravenclaw Patil.

"Vintage! I love it." said Pansy, giving Ravenclaw a smile, and hoping it wasn't too asymmetrical. Sometimes it came off as predatory, and that wasn't the tone she wanted right now. "Listen, I was in the hall the other day, and saw something a little… concerning."

"Concerning?" said Ravenclaw Patil.

"Well, I saw Brown with Ernie MacMillian and they were laughing and had their hands just all over each other!" said Pansy, widening her eyes. It was no secret that Ravenclaw Patil had been crushing on Ernie Macmillian. They shared most classes together, and often studied together in study hall. Plus, Pansy saw they way Ravenclaw Patil played with her hair and crooned her voice whenever the two of them talked.

"What?" said Ravenclaw Patil, shooting a furious look at Brown, while Pansy inwardly smirked victoriously, taking another swig of the disgusting punch. "Lavender! We need to talk right now!"

While Ravenclaw Patil was distracted with Brown, Pansy swooped in on a confused looking Cormac and claimed her prize. It didn't take all that much effort to lead him into a dance while she saw Ravenclaw Patil and Brown arguing from the corner of her eyes. And what a wonderful dance it was! Cormac was graceful, and a natural schmoozer- if a bit arrogant and burlish. It was the first time Pansy felt herself being swept away in the moment.

"Bloody hell, Parkinson," said Cormac, whispering hotly into her ear as he led her away from the party. "You're fucking gorgeous."

Pansy knew it was a lie. Brown was gorgeous. Ravenclaw Patil was gorgeous. Granger was simply drop dead beautiful (or at least she was when she cleaned up her rat's nest of a mane.) With an upturned nose and asymmetrical face, Pansy was far from pretty. Perhaps, if her asymmetry was anywhere else, Pansy could hide it better, but as it stood Pansy had to work harder than the other girls to get what she wanted.

She compensated for her lack of beauty, like Granger compensated for her Mudblood status.

But, for that night, she allowed butterflies to fly in her stomach as Cormac led her away to the disused girls lavatory. Luckily, Moaning Myrtle wasn't around to see her make love to Cormac on a fluffy red blanket he transfigured from multiple rolls of toilet paper. It wasn't the first time she had ever had sex (that was with Blaise at his summer house in Italy,) but it was the first time she had truly enjoyed it. After they were finished, and lying next to each other in post-coital bliss, Pansy let herself giggle at the thought of the unfortunate student stuck in the bathroom without any toilet paper to use.

"What are you giggling about?" said Cormac, looking a bit insulted.

"Just picturing the next student who uses this bathroom, and their reaction when they realize there's no toilet paper."

Next to her, Cormac bellowed out such a loud laugh that Pansy had to shush him for fear of being caught out after hours. "Sorry, Parkinson, but I didn't think about that. They'll just be stuck in here drip drying, I guess. Or they'll have to try and convince moaning Myrtle to get help."

Against her wishes, Pansy snorted. She hoped Cormac didn't notice how much her snort probably made her resemble a pig, what with her upturned nose. Instead, Cormac touched her cheek with the back of his hand, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and away from her cheek.

"You should come with me to Madame Puddifoots the next time they let us go to Hogsmeade." said Cormac with an easy smile. "Think of it. I'm sexy, you're gorgeous- together we'll rule the school."

Pansy scoffed and turned her face away, blushing. She suddenly felt very exposed, lying there on a blanket on the bathroom floor with unmentionable fluid leaking out of her vagina, and her breasts bared and illuminated by moonlight that was shining through the bathroom windows. "You probably use that line on every girl." said Pansy, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"I'm serious. I like the way you smile."

"Please- my smile is crooked." said Pansy, sitting up. She didn't want to be here anymore- not while Cormac was lying to her in an effort to get more sex.

"You smile like you know how the world is going to end." said Cormac, sitting up as well and making Pansy stop. The butterflies returned.

"That's because I do know how the world is going to end." said Pansy, allowing herself to smile again.

"Oh?" said Cormac, kissing her already snog swollen mouth. "And how is it going to end?'

"In a blaze of holy fire that I created." said Pansy while Cormac gripped her hair and attacked her neck.

"Will I survive it?"

"Tell me something that convinces me to let you live, and you just might."

"You wouldn't let me live for my superior lovemaking skills?"

"Hah!" said Pansy with a laugh. "I need a better reason. If I'm as beautiful as you say, surely I'd have the pick of the lot."

"Woman, you wound me!" said Cormac with a snort. "Fine… Hmmm… Well, Grandfather always said we were descended from Hecate. Something about my great-great grandmother being her daughter, or something like that."

Pansy almost rolled her eyes. As if.

"Hmmm…" said Pansy, examining Cormac's bare chest that was framed by twin beams of moonlight, almost resembling torches. "Well, demonstrate your 'Superior Lovemaking Skills' again, and that might just get you put in for consideration."

Cormac threw her a wild grin, and once again, they made sweet, blissful love.

A few days later Pansy snuck out of the castle in the early hours of the morning to set up her Extendable Ear configuration. She hoped the length of the cord -nearly fifty yards- would be long enough for Nico to not notice her. She set up the ear in bush near their hang out spot by the Black Lake, and stretched in through the forest till she could sit on the outskirts and pretend to read a magazine underneath the shade of a tree if anyone got suspicious.

It worked.

Using her set up, Pansy was able to listen in on every conversation they had. Most of it was crazy talk about Gods, but she caught some interesting tidbits. Most notably about them believing Potter about the Dark Lord being back, and some sort of plan that Dumbledore was in on to guard Potter. Well, maybe not that interesting. Potter got caught up in life or death drama every year.

It was a few weeks after she set up the Extendable Ear that she listened in on anything that made her start to wonder if the bit about Gods and Goddesses wasn't so crazy after all.

From her perch in the abandoned Owl Roost, Pansy saw the three of them sneak off using Nico's Shadow Travel again. She had thought nothing of it until after Care of Magical Creatures later that day when she saw them reappear from the Forbidden Forest looking very sunburnt and covered in gross slimy stuff, and then sneak off to their hideout by the Black Lake. Deciding to skip Defense Against the Dark Arts (she would cry to Umbridge later on that she hadn't been feeling well,) Pansy took her spot by the tree and listened in.

"So, let's all agree to never seek out Helios again." said Grace wearily. There was a shuffle, as if he were leaning against something.

"Agreed." said di Angelo. His voice was tight and pained, "Ugh. I don't think I've ever had a sunburn this bad. Lou Ellen, pass me the Ambrosia, would you?"

"Yah. Just be careful. We probably shouldn't take to much, considering the sun burn is already making us feverish." said Blackstone. There was another shuffle, presumably it was her passing whatever this Ambrosia was to di Angelo.

"Mmm.. Good point. Also really lame." said di Angelo, sounding as if he were chewing something. "So, I guess Fudge really does have an army of Heliopaths. That's gonna be super fun."

"Don't remind me." moaned Grace, "And how is Fudge a son of Momus? Who even is Momus?"

Blackstone sighed heavily, "Really minor greek personification of political satire and mockery and blame. He appears a couple times in Aesop's Fables. He supposedly helped start the Trojan War."

"Ah." said di Angelo, "I guess it makes sense."

"How?" said Grace.

"Well, Helios commissioned him to help shift the blame on the drought in California away from him." argued di Angelo, "That's why he gave him the army of Heliopaths in the first place."

"So how does that help us?" Grace asked as there was another shuffle that sounded like a body moving painfully. "Ugh. Let's skip the DA meeting tonight. I hurt. Everywhere. My skin does not react well to sunburns."

"Sing it, sister." said Blackstone. Pansy agreed internally. She too, had been not feeling up to par. Her stomach kept cramping; It felt like she was about to get her period any day now.

Thank god, too. Thought Pansy.

"We should go, if only to show solidarity. We can hang out with Lavender and Parvati. They're usually easygoing when practicing." said di Angelo. "As for how it helps us… Well, I'm not sure yet. Not sure if it does. If anything, it makes it more complicated because he'll have the advantage of literally being born for politics."

"Why can't anything be easy?" said Grace, hissing in pain and shuffling again. "And, Lou Ellen, please tell me that it's possible to get the smell of Giant Spider guts out of hair. I'm taking Hannah out flying later tonight."

"Take like two showers, and bathe in cologne." said di Angelo. "That's what I'm going to do."

"Ew." said Blackstone, "Just use baking soda, Jason. And for the love of everything good in this world, do not bathe in cologne. I swear, Tartarus probably smells like Axe."

"It actually smells like-"

"Oh right. Sorry, Nico."

"Yah."

There was an awkward pause until Grace broke it with a loud, "Why are there ginormous carnivorous spiders next to a school?"

"I dunno," said Blackstone, "Maybe they were here first? Maybe it's also why the Forbidden Forest is called 'Forbidden.'"

"What if a student wanders into the forest and happens upon them?" said Grace, "They could get hurt!"

"Then they should have paid better attention to the name." said Blackstone, sounding utterly unconcerned. Then, in a teasing tone, she said, "So, Nico, How're you and your boyfriend doing?"

"He's not my boyfriend, Lou Ellen."

"Coulda fooled me. And Neville."

"Hades… What was I thinking?" said Nico, groaning. "I fucked it up. Why am I like this?"

There was a sympathetic sigh from Blackstone, "It's alright. We've all been there."

"No you haven't."

"That may be true, but still…" Blackstone admitted, "So just break things off with Draco, and Neville should come around."

"I already tried that. It just made Neville angrier." said di Angelo.

"Is that why you were snogging Draco in the hallway yesterday?" said Grace, his voice drippng sarcasm.

"That was after I tried to reconcile with Neville. I was upset, and Draco was comforting me." said di Angelo in a sputter. "I'm hungry. Let's go to the kitchens, and see if the house elves will make us taco's."

Blackstone laughed, "I thought you hated him. Wasn't he, and I quote 'A gaping dickhole'?"

There was no reply, just the stomping of boots on damp, early November grass.

Pansy quickly walked away with her newly uncovered information before the three discovered her. Thoughts swam through her head as she walked. Minister Fudge couldn't really have a whole army of those weird fire ponies, could he? And even if he did, what could he be using them for? Was he attacking Potter? Fudge had been saying some slanderous things in the Prophet lately- a tried and true tactic for bringing down your enemy in the public eye.

But that wouldn't make any sense. The public slander was working to turn the public eye against Potter. Most wizards and witches though he was mad as Xenophilius Lovegood. Killing Potter with a magical creature that could potentially be traced back to Fudge was a dumb move as it would only serve to prove Potter right, and make him a martyr. It had to be a different reason…

That left Pansy with a chilling thought. That the trio of American exchange students were, in fact, demigods. Potter wasn't the fire ponies target, the American exchange students were. Potter was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Along with several other students, including Draco.

It was all very upsetting, and left Pansy wanting to focus on something else to keep from thinking about it. Like stalking Brown and Ravenclaw Patil to get more information on this 'DA', which was likely the renegade dueling club that Granger had cooked up.

It was a fat bust. While the two had fought for a few weeks after the Halloween PArty, byt now they had made up. Brown and Ravenclaw Patil mostly cried and talked about how sorry they were for fighting with each other, and how Ravenclaw Patil 'would never believe anything that Parkinson bitch told her ever again.' Then Brown talked about how she was actually grateful, 'because Cormac was a giant bore who mostly just groped her tits, and didn't have any worthwhile conversation.'

That part Pansy didn't understand. The groping was the fun bit.

Feeling a bit defeated, Pansy decided to take a break from stalking Granger, Brown, and Ravenclaw Patil for a few weeks. Considering that Draco, Blaise, and Millie were all in the DA, she didn't care too much for getting information on it and turning them in. Call Pansy Parkinson a bitch all you wanted, but she was a loyal one. She wasn't going to snitch on fellow Slytherins. And too much information was dangerous. If Umbridge discovered she knew something about it, well, who knew what methods she would use to coax her secrets out?

So, for the next three weeks, she decided to stick to listening in on the Exchange trio through her Extendable Ear set up- not that she discovered much else. They mostly practiced their fighting skills which caused a lot of distortion in the Extendable Ear, causing Pansy to miss a lot of what was being said. She did catch that her theory that the demigods had been the original target, however; Momus had told Fudge that Hecate planned to send demigods to Hogwarts.

And it was a lovely distraction from the period that still hadn't showed.

It wasn't until Pansy ran to Myrtle's bathroom after catching a whiff of Cormac's awful aftershave one Saturday evening that events came to a head.

While on her knees, retching into a toilet because the aftershave was really that terrible, Pansy heard a crash as the three American demigods literally fell from the shadows into Myrtles toilet. They were filthy- covered in soot and dust and sporting fresh burns from head to toe. The smell of burnt flesh was overpowering, making Pansy nauseous again.

"Fuck." said di Angelo. "Well, at least it wasn't the forest this time. I'd hate to fight those spiders again."

"Same. At least we got rid of Fudge's Heliopath army and destroyed that awful stat-." said Blackstone, then paused as she heard Pansy retch again as the smell of burnt flesh overpowered her.

"Hello?" said Grace, peering into the cubicle that Pansy was occupying. "Oh, hey Pansy. You're also here..."

How dare he be so familiar? Thought Pansy, then remembered he was American, and that's just how it worked over there. Barbarians.

"This a girl's toilet." rasped Pansy, "Go away."

"Pansy? What's wrong? Are you sick?" said Blackstone, looking worried. "I can get Madame Pomfrey."

"I'm not sick." said Pansy, clutching her stomach. "Go away. Please." Why, oh why, did she say please? Pansy Parkinson never says please.

As if the universe's sole purpose was to prove her wrong, Pansy felt her stomach heave and she continued to retch into the toilet, though by now it had mostly devolved into dry heaves. She felt a tender hand on her back.

"Come on… Just get it out." said Blackstone, then Pansy heard Blackstone gasp. "Holy Hera!"

"What the fuck, Blackstone?" snapped Pansy, shoving her away. "Can't you swear like a normal person, instead of like a retarded freak? I said go away!"

Blackstone glared at her for a second before rolling her eyes. "Sorry if you don't like my swear words. But fine, I'll just leave. I guess you won't find out why you're so sick. Well, unless you don't already know."

With that, Blackstone, Grace, and di Angelo turned to leave as Pansy's kneeled on the floor in confusion. "What do you mean?" said Pansy, with a small quiver in her voice.

"Meh. You'll find out within the next few months."

"Tell me, or I'll tell everyone why you're really here! I know about Dumbledore sending you here to act as Potter's guard dogs, and Fudge's secret Heliopath army and-"

With a "Shhh!", Blackstone slammed her hand over Pansy's mouth. Despite her disadvantaged position, Pansy smirked, glad that it had worked. In reality, she sounded as batshit as Luna Lovegood.

"Nico, Jason… could you give us some privacy?"

"Well, there is no other way to say it." said Blackstone, looking a bit sympathetic. "Pansy, you fucked Cormac McLaggen, and now you're pregnant."

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

"What the fuck, Blackstone. If this is your idea of some kind of sick-" started Pansy as she started counting back to when she first missed her cycle. When she realized she was nearly three weeks late her blood ran cold.

"What the hell reason do I have to lie? A simple spell will prove I'm right. Madame Pomfrey can perform it easily enough."

It was true. Calm down, Pansy. She might still be wrong. Periods are capricious bitches. They don't always come and go like clockwork.

"You think I'm going to let Madame Pomfrey anywhere near me if I'm pregnant? Umbridge'll find out and throw me out!" said Pansy, hating how shrill she sounded. It was inelegant. Unwomanly.

"You don't know that…"

"Yes I do." said Pansy. She had stood up by now, and was starting to pace. "She's trying to control the school, and girls getting knocked up behind her back is a show of freedom and rebellion that she'll squash like a bug. She'll find a way to make an example of me. Educational Decree Number 26, remember?"

No, this would not do. She refused to suffer the humiliation of being marched out of Hogwarts like a common whore

"Help me abort it." said Pansy, her voice slathered with thick, disgusting desperation.

"What?" said Blackstone, her eyes widening, "No- I can't do that!"

"What the hell, Blackstone?" said Pansy, her voice turning shrill again. "Do you hate me that much?" Of course she does. Everyone hates me. Thought Pansy as she stared at the horribly upturned nose and asymmetrical face reflecting in the grubby bathroom mirror.

"I don't hate you, Pansy." said Blackstone pleadingly, "But, as you've obviously figured out through… However means you figured it out, I'm the daughter of Hecate."

"And?"

"My mother is the goddess of childbirth, as well as magic and crossroads. I'm just not-"

"Are you the goddess of childbirth?" Pansy countered. Abortion potions were complicated as they needed to target the fetus without killing the mother too. Far beyond her skill. In fact, Granger was the only other student she could think of that might be able to brew it.

But she would rat Pansy out in a heartbeat. Other than the potential of blackmail, Granger had absolutely no reason to help Pansy, and every reason to see her burn in a glorious blaze of fire. Pansy was reluctant to try and blackmail her as if Granger stood her ground, Pansy wasn't sure if she would carry out the threat. It wouldn't just be Pansy facing possible expulsion, it would be at least thirty other students- including apissed off Granger with nothing left to lose. Not to mention Draco, Blaise and Millie.

Only use blackmail you're willing to use, Pansy thought to herself, Otherwise, you may end up looking like a fool.

No, she had to get Blackstone to brew the potion. It was the only option.

"Obviously not." spat Blackstone, "But I'm her daughter and- look, it doesn't matter. The point is, I'm not brewing the potion. Why not you try Hermione?"

Pansy scoffed, not dignifying the question with an answer she couldn't figure out how to answer with words.

"Alright, fine. I can ask Nico to take us into London. They're sure to have some version of America's Planned Parenthood, or something like that." said Blackstone in a voice that was far too calm for having just suggested Pansy let muggle doctors anywhere near her with their barbaric metal instruments.

"No. You know what? I'll figure this out myself!" said Pansy, shoving Blackstone away as she tried to put a hand on Pansy's shoulder. "Thank you for being entirely unhelpful."

Fuming, Pansy stalked the halls and headed towards the library. There wasn't a Hogsmeade outing anytime soon- the nearest being in February because of the unfortunate fire-horse incident. That meant buying an abortion potion was out of the question as any mail was sure to be searched.

She would have to figure out a way to brew it…

Maybe Wilson… No. The lovestruck Ravenclaw was a wonderful library rat, but he sucked at brewing potions. And there wasn't anyone else with the proper skills that Pansy had good enough blackmail material on that she was willing to use.

Pansy would have to brew it herself.

The potion bubbled and hissed in Myrtle's bathroom, an angry red color that reminded Pansy of fresh blood. She huffed with irritation. It was supposed to be an amethyst color.

This was her third attempt to make the potion after finding and copying the recipe in her notebook two days ago, and she wouldn't get another for two weeks as Christmas break was right around the corner. Not to mention she was nearly out of her stolen supplies.

Pansy stood up and paced, accidently knocking powdered Quinine leaves into the cauldron. It hissed and turned an even brighter red and started to boil and smoke furiously. Behind her, she heard the bathroom door open as she began to back away from the potion.

"Pansy, get down!" someone tackled Pansy from behind and pulled her away from the potion and into a cubicle just as it exploded into hot, boiling, red liquid.

It was Millie. Traitorous, conniving, Millie, who traded Pansy for Blackstone like she traded clothes.

And now Millie was lying on top of Pansy inside of a toilet cubicle. She huffed and repositioned herself with not a small amount of effort. Millie was a big girl, far larger than Pansy's small frame. And now she was staring at Pansy with unbridled anger, waiting for an answer.

"What?" said Pansy, standing up and glaring at Millie, then exiting the cubicle. "Thank you…" she added when she saw the red liquid spattered everywhere.

Just six weeks ago Pansy had been lying on this very bathroom floor, wrapped in Cormac's embrace, her skin tingling with excitement and ecstasy. Now she just stood there feeling cold and numb, pregnant with Cormac's child.

Not child, Pansy reminded herself, 's feeding off of me. It's a parasite. Her stomach quirked a bit, and she bit her lip to keep herself from any thought that humanized the thing growing inside of her in any way.

While Pansy was busy warring with herself, Millie nodded and waved her wand, muttering Evenesco. The liquid vanished, causing Pansy to blink and raise her eyebrows in surprise. When had Millie gotten so good at vanishing spells?

Shaking her head, and telling herself she didn't care, Pansy started to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" said Millie haughtily.

"Leaving."

"No, you're not." said Millie in a far more commanding tone than Pansy expected, surprising her enough that she actually stopped and turned around. Millie glared at her, but instead of confusion there was only a clear cut knowing.

Millie knew. She knew.

"I-" For possibly the first time in her life, Pansy was speechless. With a bit of effort, Pansy swallowed despite her throat being as dry as a desert.

"What were you thinking, Pansy?" said Millie, the commanding tone replaced with something akin to sadness, maybe pity. Pansy couldn't tell, which gave her a clear picture of just what her relationship to Millie was. "Lou Ellen told me she was worried about you. She said- she said you wanted- Pansy- exploding potion aside, you could have poisoned yourself. Why?"

Pansy felt her eyes burn. Why couldn't they understand? "Why?" she whispered, "Because I refuse to get kicked out for enjoying myself. Maybe... Maybe if I had been up to my usual antics like that stupid song I wrote about stupid Weasley I would care less, but I didn't hurt anyone this time! At least, not- Argh! I'm always fucking up! Always! But Cormac and I- It felt good! I liked it! Why-"

Blinking away tears, Pansy started to wrap her arms around herself, only to be surprised by Millie hugging her.

"Come on, let's go to Lou Ellen." said Millie, stroking Pansy's dark hair, as she hugged her closer. Pansy responded by clutching her back, finding that she enjoyed the hug. "Maybe she won't brew the potion, but we'll figure something out. We're three relatively clever Slytherin girls; together we'll conquer the world."

"Okay… Fuck, why am I crying? I never cry. The last time I cried was when Draco got attacked by that stupid hippogriff." said Pansy, hating the way her voice was quivering and shaking. There were a lot of words that described Pansy. Emotional was not one of them.

"Hormones?"

"Fuck homones."

"Agreed."

Next up is the final chapter for Part 2. Afterwards I'll be taking a couple months hiatus to work on a couple different works, one of which will be a Lavender Brown fic based on this reddit post:

r/HPfanfiction/comments/99s775/discusion_lavender_brown_vs_the_goblet_of_fire/

Apologies for the wait. This was a fairly challenging chapter to write as Pansy has a very different personality from my own, and I was trying to stay as true to how she is described in the books, without bashing her as bashing is something I absolutely abhor.

JK Rowling described her as the Ant-Hermione, which made me go with the idea of her being good in areas where Hermione struggles, while also having striking similarities to her- most notably having the same insecurities when it came to their looks, as well as having a fair amount of intelligence, if in different areas (Hermione's being in books, where Pansy is far more socially attuned), and a hidden ruthlessness.