This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 29 May 2019.

Beta love goes to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription. Any other mistakes you find are my own and I'll deal with them whenever. Much love, xxDustNight!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.

Prompt: HH Bingo Square N1: "Good women can be wild too." r.h. Sinbr /

Song Recommendation: 'Walk Me Home' by P!nk

Five years after the fall of the Dark Lord and still, the Wizarding World was no better than before. At least, in regards to complete acceptance of Muggle-borns taking positions of power or value. It also was apparent that if you were related to anyone slightly affiliated with the Dark Lord, you were pretty much bound to stay low on the ladder as well. Halfbloods and Purebloods who were free and clear and of the light were the only ones moving forward in their chosen careers at this point in time.

Both Pansy and Hermione worked as interns at the Ministry where it was completely evident that neither of them would be placed in positions that genuinely mattered until the old ways were dead. Every Friday night they would end up at The Leaky Cauldron for drinks just to unwind from the horrid week now behind them. They spent more time together than Hermione did with her other friends these days.

Tom, the owner, gestured to the two witches that it was the last call. Hermione nodded to him, effectively ordering one last drink for the both of them. When the tumblers of Ogden's Finest was placed in front of them, Hermione closed out their tab and then picked up her own to drink.

"To yet another week in the books," she muttered just loud enough for Pansy to hear.

"You mean another torturous week serving under the pricks who think they're better than us," Pansy retorted, clinking her glass and then taking a sip. She rolled her eyes and added, "Don't give them more credit than they deserve. We work for a bunch of bigoted gits."

"Yes, that," Hermione agreed, taking a drink now too. "It's certainly not what I envisioned when the war was over." They sat in silence for a few more minutes, both knowing it was getting late. Soon, Tom would tell them they had to head on home. Hermione wasn't ready for that yet. When she was alone, her mind drifted to the most awful of thoughts.

Once upon a time, she loved going home to her little flat in Diagon Alley, but now she hated being alone. She was starting to hate everything that was going wrong in this world. If left alone, she would work herself into a frenzied fit of anxiety over the fact that she wasn't making a different liked she'd always hoped. Pansy still lived with her Pureblood family, but she did spend quite a bit of time in the city these days. Maybe Hermione could convince her to come back with her tonight.

Stumbling to her feet after throwing back the remainder of her drink, Hermione gave Pansy a coy smile. "What do you say, Pans, time to leave?"

Pansy shrugged a single shoulder. "Might as well. This place only makes me feel worse anyway." She gestured to the few others that still lingered in the pub. They looked just as drunk and depressed as they did. She slapped a couple sickles down on the bar as a tip and then stood and looped her arm through Hermione's. "Come on, then."

Outside, the cool night air helped to break through the haze that the alcohol had created for both of them. Their arms were still looped together as they walked the dark and quiet street. Hermione's flat wasn't too far away so she didn't worry that anything would happen to them on the way. Besides, they were both well equipped with spells, both Dark and Light.

After some time, Pansy broke the silence. "My parents asked me to quit my job again," she admitted.

Hermione paused, which caused Pansy to jerk to a stop next to her. "Seriously? What did you tell them?"

Pansy shrugged. "I said absolutely not, but in all honesty…"

"You're not considering leaving the Ministry? Eventually, they're going to have to promote the both of us to real departments," Hermione told her friend, her heart beating rapidly at the idea that Pansy would give up all the hard work she'd put in at the Ministry.

Swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat, Pansy said, "They make us jump through so many hoops, it's unreal. Some days I wake up, and I can't imagine that it will ever get any better, Hermione."

Not knowing what else to do, Hermione threw her arms around Pansy and held on tight. Muttering into her shoulder, she said, "Please, don't give up yet. We can do this. You're going to break barriers and get into the Department of International Magical Cooperation and travel the world just like you've always wanted."

Sliding out of Hermione's embrace, Pansy tried to smile. "And you are going to kill it in the Magical Law Enforcement and become the first witch Minister for Magic."

"I don't know about all that,' Hermione said blushing. "I've barely got my feet in the door with the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Don't argue," Pansy teased, once again looping their arms. "I see great things for you in the future."

"I wish everyone else were as optimistic about that as you are," Hermione said as they resumed walking. "Harry and Ron seem to think I'll be sorting files in the basement for the foreseeable future."

"That's because Potter is the Savior and Weasley is a Pureblood with his daddy and brother already comfortably situated within the Ministry," Pansy pointed out, rolling her eyes. They were nearing Hermione's flat now. The two witches could see it in the distance. "Don't let them get in your head. You know what you want to do, so go for it."

Hermione thought about that as they neared her doorstep. Pansy had quickly become one of her best friends over the past few months. Hell, she was closer to her than Harry, Ron, and Ginny was these days. They spent a lot of time together and had much more in common than she ever thought possible. There were times when she found herself lost in Pansy's dark eyes or wondering what it might be like to cup her cheek.

Coming to a stop, Hermione decided that Pansy was right. She knew what she wanted (maybe), and she was going to go for it. As their arms dropped back to their sides, Hermione took a deep breath and faced her friend. "Look, I don't want to be alone tonight. Do you want to come upstairs and have another drink and maybe, you know, stay over?"

"Why, Hermione Granger, are you asking me in for a nightcap?" Pansy teased her Slytherin smirk curling onto her features. Inside, her heart was pounding, hoping she wasn't misreading the situation. It had been a very long time since she'd had someone stare at her with that particular look in their eyes.

Hermione hesitated, biting her a lip as she thought this through. Finally, she relaxed and smiled at her friend. "That and maybe something a little more." She blushed again but Pansy's smirk turned into a real smile, and she took a step closer.

"Look at us," Pansy said gesturing between them. "A Pureblood outcast and a Muggleborn who helped save the Wizarding community but still can't make a difference because of her blood. The papers would go crazy with that story if you know what I mean. Are you sure you want to take this step with me?"

"It might do the world some good to see it the way we do," Hermione said honestly. She smiled softly and cupped Pansy's cheek. It was just as soft as she imagined. Now, she desperately wanted to kiss Pansy, and she wasn't sure if the other witch wanted that too.

They stood there on the doorstep, staring into one another's eyes for what seemed like an eternity before Pansy finally sighed and took charge. She captured Hermione's lips in a kiss that they would both remember forever. Hands entwined in hair and lips and tongues explored. It was everything a first kiss ought to be, and they were experiencing it together as the world around them stood still. When at last they separated, Hermione cleared her throat.

"So am I to take that as a yes?" she asked a bit shyly.

Pansy merely threw her head back and laughed. "I don't care what happens with the rest of the world, Hermione. You're the only thing that's good in this world, and I want to spend as much time as possible with you." She leaned forward and kissed her once more. When she again pulled away, she took Hermione's hand and squeezed gently. "It's a yes. Now open this door so we can have that drink you promised… And something more."

Hermione simply smiled and did as she was told. Tonight was the start of a new future for both of them. It didn't matter that the world around them wasn't what they wanted it to be. What mattered was what they did to change that, and this was the first step. They were good women who were about to run wild and take what they wanted for the first time in a very long time.