Gone Awry

"Hey Pansywancy," Ash called out and waved when she saw the girl with the black hair. "Why don't you and Daphne sit with us today? Like in the old times!" A couple of Slytherins started snickering while the people on the other tables looked over shocked, especially when they saw Pansy hesitantly walk over to join them, a slightly frightened Daphne following them.

"What do you want?" Pansy spat.

Ash looked at her fellow Slytherin confused. "I just wanted to be nice. You know, eat and talk together, like we did in the old times. We had so much fun together!" she smiled.

"Oh, bloody Merlin, we both know that your lying."

Ash narrowed her eyes, "you should be careful with what you say. I do hope you did not forget your situation."

Pansy tensed, "of course I haven't"

Ash smiled again, "then, please sit down."

Pansy looked around herself and slowly sat down next to the girl that was blackmailing her.

After that nothing happened. Ash ignored their presence throughout the majority of breakfast, but then she finally turned back to Pansy.

"You know... I have this nagging feeling that I should tell you why I'm doing this. I know its stupid... But I just can't help myself. You know Pansy, what you did. Well, normally I would just laugh it off. You got me there, that's too bad, but its not like I can't take a joke. I probably would have just jinxed you back a bit and then everything would be alright again." Ash told her.

"However, unintentionally, you hurt me more then just letting plants erupt from my head. Those plants burst my eardrums. Do you know how much that hurt?" Pansy shook her head. "A lot."

"However, the biggest problem was that when I awoke from in the infirmary, I wasn't cured - which even surprised Madam Pomfrey. I really believed I've gone deaf. For about two hours I tormented myself, thinking I would never be able to hear Draco's, Tracy's nor Blaise's voice. I was even sad that I couldn't hear your voice. Do you know how much that hurts?" Pansy shook her head no again and Ash copied her. "Well, believe me. It hurts.

"So, you must understand, that I can't just let you off like that," Ash snapped her fingers. "Yet I don't want to be petty. Therefore, rejoice. I'll delete that recorded idiocy in time for you to go freely into the winter holidays, if you do anything I ask of you throughout this week. Does that sound fair to you?"

Pansy's eyes widened as she carefully nodded her head.

"Good girl," Ash said and patted her head. "What's your next class?"

"DADA"

"Oh yeah, we have that call together, right? With the Gryffindor's... hm..." Ash scrunched up her face in thought. "How about we start with something very, very easy? In DADA, I want you to go over to -" Ash straightened up and glanced at the Gryffindor table. " - Dean Thomas and convince him of your undying love for him"

Pansy gasped as her eyes widened. "Thomas?"

"What? You don't like him... well, would you rather convey your undying love to Longbottom or Potter then?" Ash suggested and saw the horror in Pansy's eyes. "Be happy I love my cousins to much, otherwise I'd really change your target to Harry." She turned to look at Tracy and Blaise, "What do you think? Longbottom or Thomas?"

Tracy and Blaise looked at each other before they sighed "Thomas" they said as one, and Blaise explained, "We'd love to say Longbottom, but if you want to stay on the good side with your family we'll have to take Thomas."

Ash smiled at them and nodded. "There you have it." she said, looking back at Pansy. "DADA, undying love, Thomas. I hope you'll have fun."

Pansy looked at her pleadingly, quickly glancing at Draco for help - who in turn shook his head - before turning to look at Thomas in disgust.

"Don't forget, you've got to mean it. He's got to believe that you really are madly in love with him," Tracy hissed as she passed Pansy while walking through the door to the DADA classroom.

"Do worries, Thomas doesn't bite." Ash said and patted Pansy on the shoulder before following her friend.

Professor Humbug hadn't entered the classroom yet, when the show began. Instead of sitting down on her normal seat, next to Daphne, Pansy went straight towards Dean's desk and sat down next to him. With an unsure glance back at Ash - who 'encouraged' her by sticking up her thumbs.

"D-D-Dean." she said, getting the boys attention.

"What do you want, Parkinson?"

Again Pansy glanced towards the Slytherin section of the class. Ash motioned her to go on. "Please, call me Pansy." Dean looked at her confused and glanced behind her at the Slytherins - who were pretending to ignore the scene, while trying to hold back laughter. "Dean," Pansy continued after a small pause, "I know I haven't been the nicest of people."

Dean crooked his eyes at her. "Alright. I was a bitch," she admitted. "But... you know how it is. Two different houses, getting to know each other when your young. Teasing the ones we like..."

Dean looked at Pansy confused, "what, in Merlin's name, are you trying to say?"

Pansy took a deep breath, and tried not to look at Ash and the others before saying: "Dean Thomas, I'm in love with you," she shuddered and heard the Slytherins at the other end of the room burst out laughing.

Dean looked at Pansy in disgust and then looked at the laughing Slytherins. "Oh, fuck off Parkinson," he said, but saw determination in her face.

"No Dean! Listen," she cried. "They think this is a joke, but it isn't I truly love you."

Thomas groaned and looked at his friends. The golden Trio and Neville seemed to just as shocked as Dean at Pansy's confession.

"Good morning class," a voice interrupted the show before Dean could say anything. Quickly the whole class turned their attention to Professor Humbug who was standing at her desk. "Due to the fact that this is the last week of school, before the winter holidays, we really don't have much more to do. Therefore, I thought we'd use what we learned this year and try it out, like a kind of review," the Professor smiled. "The person your sitting next to right now, will be your partner for this week."

Most of the class cheered, but Thomas had a hard time not to groan, as Pansy glanced at a smirking Ash panicky, before she turned back to Thomas and smiled at him sickly sweet. "I can't wait," she said.

"Do you think that was to harsh? Or maybe to Childish?" Ash asked Tracy when they returned to the Great Hall for lunch.

"No, it wasn't."

"But we're pulling innocent Dean Thomas into the mess, making him believe that Pansy loves him."

"Trust me, he'll be happy when it turns out as fraud."

"I guess."

"So what are we gonna do next?"

"Hmm, well I was thinking about making her confess something..."