@slytheringirlsgang event: NON-SLYTHERIN AUS
pansy parkinson → gryffindor
“when the sorting hat screamed gryffindor the silence started to ring in pansy’s ears and everything became anger. there had to be a mistake, she was a snake not a lion.
after the years, she realised she didn’t have to stop being a snake, she just had to embrace the fact she now could spite fire.”
Pairing: Hermione Granger x Pansy Parkinson
Words: 1,520
You can also read this on AO3.
This is for the @slytherdornet and @hprarepairnet Summer Challenge and the @lightningeranet LGBT+ Challenge!
Pansy was used to break-ups. They didn’t usually bother her; relationships ended. That was life. But this time, it was different. She didn’t break up with him. He had the audacity to dump her first.
So naturally, the only way to cope was to go out and get some ice cream from the nearest grocery store.
It was 11:03 pm on a Wednesday, and it was still a whopping 83 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Pansy wasn’t sure how that was possible. Yeah, it was summer, but wasn’t it supposed to cool down once it got dark? She wasn’t sure how hot it was during the day to really compare, because she was closed off in her apartment with her AC blasting, her curtains drawn, and had romantic comedies playing on her cheap-ass TV in the background to try and help her forget about her shitty situation. Pansy never took blows to her ego well.
Which was why it was surprising that she would wear her pajamas to the grocery store in the first place. But she didn’t care. Not tonight. She just really wanted some Cinnamon Roll flavored Halo Top ice cream to take away the pain of knowing that her “breaking-up first” streak was broken by some jock by the name of Cormac. What kind of name was Cormac anyway? Pansy could never figure that one out.
She expected her trip to the store to be easy and simple. Or so she was hoping, but as she walked down the ice cream aisle, she noticed a girl there right in front of the Halo Top ice cream section.
Her hair was too bushy for Pansy’s taste, and Pansy was tempted to suggest different products she could use to solve her frizz problem. But she controlled herself. The girl was wearing cut-off shorts that showed off her long tan legs, and a pink floral top that was too flowy and almost covered up her shorts entirely. This made Pansy turn up her nose, but she would deny the fact that she kept getting distracted by this girl’s legs.
Pansy crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the girl to decide what she wanted. And to Pansy’s horror, she grabbed the last Cinnamon Roll flavored Halo Top pint.
“Excuse me,” Pansy snapped, “I was going to buy that.”
The girl turned around and looked Pansy straight in the eye. She raised her brow and flashed her an icy glare. It was then that Pansy knew it was hard for this girl to make that look. Her eyes were too brown and warm naturally. To make them look like ice had to be a challenge. For Pansy, it was as easy as breathing.
“Well, I was here first, and this is the only vegan pint in this whole store. I’m not going to give it up to you just because you demanded it.”
Pansy glared. The girl’s eyes turned colder.
“Why do you have to have vegan? Break your diet for one night. I’m going through a horrible time right now and need that pint.”
“Why is your time so awful? Did you get dumped so it ruined your incredibly large ego?”
The girl motioned to her pajamas. Pansy felt her neck heat up.
“That’s none of your-“
And to Pansy’s surprise, the girl started to laugh.
“You are so easy to read. This is so good. I’ll tell you what. I’m going to buy this vegan ice cream and keep up my special diet, because I’m not going to break it for some demanding stranger I don’t even know, and you can just buy another Halo Top flavor, deal?”
Pansy was stunned to silence. This girl was not backing down. No one challenged Pansy; she always got what she wanted.
With Pansy’s lack of response, the girl smirked.
“Well good. I’m glad we cleared that up. I’m going to buy this now. And I am really sorry about your break-up. It must be so hard on you being forced to humble your own ego.”
And to Pansy’s surprise, the girl had the audacity to mockingly pat her shoulder, with the Cinnamon Roll vegan Halo Top pint in her hand, before she walked off.
After that, Pansy stood in front of the freezer for a few more moments trying to collect her thoughts. She heard the sliding glass doors close after the girl who was carrying out her pint of favorite ice cream, and she realized then that she was pissed. When was Pansy the type to freeze up? What was wrong with her? She should have taken that bitch down.
But now she had no choice. Begrudgingly, she grabbed the pint of Birthday Cake Halo Top and walked to the counter to purchase it and wallow in her own self-pity.
Two weeks had passed since her ego was bruised by the bitch in the grocery store, and Pansy couldn’t let it go. First, a jock by the name of Cormac broke up with her before she got to break up with him, and then some bushy haired self-righteous vegan-loving bitch took her last Cinnamon Roll Halo Top pint and completely destroyed her in the local grocery store. How the fuck did that happen to Pansy Parkinson? The short answer was, it didn’t. This could not slide.
Pansy was great at holding a grudge, so what? Maybe she wanted to run into that bitch again to tell her off. Or maybe she just wanted another challenge. This girl was good for that. Maybe she could teach Pansy to up her game without even realizing it.
The thought of needing to up her game in the first place made Pansy internally grown, but something was clearly off for that to have even happened.
So she went to the grocery store every day after that night around the same time to hopefully run into that girl again. It was a long-shot, really. She could have been an out-of-towner there on vacation. It could have been a one-time thing. But Pansy didn’t care. She could not rest until this mystery of what was wrong with her game was solved.
Luckily, Pansy saw her there again on a Friday night at 11:14 pm. This time, she was wearing a tight red summer dress and strappy sandals. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and Pansy noticed the freckles splayed across her shoulder blades. She gulped, and she berated herself internally for gulping in the first place.
She could not get distracted. Not now. Not when she had to win this war.
Expressing fake confidence, Pansy strolled up to the girl and tapped on the freezer’s glass. When the girl recognized who she was, she rolled her eyes.
“Not this again,” the girl groaned, “There is no Cinnamon Roll Halo Top here tonight. Please save your breath.”
“I know there is no Cinnamon Roll Halo Top ice cream here tonight,” Pansy stated proudly, “I bought the rest of it last night, and they won’t restock it until Sunday.”
“I’m glad this is making you feel so important like you won some challenge,” the girl commented sarcastically, “Because it was a really big deal in the first place.”
Pansy glared.
“I’ll have you know, I’m Pansy Parkinson. I never lose, and I’m never taken down. And that Cinnamon Roll Halo Top ice cream is worth it. It is like fucking autumn in your mouth all year round.”
The girl gave her a deadpan stare, “And I’m Hermione Granger. And I can tell you that I don’t have time for your bullshit. Goodbye.”
And with that, the girl grabbed her pint of Halo Top and attempted to walk off, but Pansy grabbed her forearm.
“You can’t just walk away!” Pansy expressed, “We have to solve this!”
“I’m all about solving problems, but you’re just creating a problem here,” Hermione replied, “This is over ice cream.”
Pansy took a deep breath.
“But to you, this is about your ego. Again, I shouldn’t be surprised,” Hermione commented.
“How are you not intimidated by me?” Pansy asked, “What is wrong with my game?”
Hermione chuckled and tucked a curl behind her ear.
“What game?”
Pansy was about to glare, but then she noticed Hermione’s eyes soften. She was flirting with her.
Pansy smirked.
“Well, I have some Cinnamon Roll Halo Top back at my place if you want to try it out,” Pansy said casually, “And I know for a fact it is vegan.”
Hermione laughed.
“And you call that game?”
She playfully rolled her eyes and walked up to the counter. Pansy followed.
“Are you really going to make me chase after you?” Pansy asked.
“Only if you want to,” Hermione said, “But I was going to just follow you home. Since you offered, I mean. I'm not some stalker. I just really need more autumn in a cup. It is way too hot outside for my taste.”
Pansy bit her lip and smirked.
Sometimes it was okay to lose, as long as the game was challenging enough to give you a good time.
