Challenge 80: ...or Treat? and Challenge 79: Trick
Title: Mistake
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Pansy, mentions of Harry
Summary: Pansy isn't even sure why she bothers anymore, until she receives a gift from Potter that makes her year.
Word Count: 707
Author's Notes: N/A
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
As Pansy headed home after another awful day, she wondered exactly why she bothered. Everywhere she went she suffered abuse; from passers-by on the street, those she knew from Hogwarts, and even her work colleagues. It had taken her so long to even be able to get a job that she couldn't afford to leave it, but it was dragging her down emotionally.
"Traitor!" a young woman yelled boldly at her from across the street.
By now, Pansy had learnt to ignore them, tucking her head into her coat and pretending as though she didn't care. She did, though, and she didn't understand why she should be abused for a silly mistake she'd made at school. Yes, she knew attempting to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord was a mistake, but she didn't know what else to do at the time. She was scared, shaking so much she wasn't able to hide it, and it was the only solution she could see.
Pansy had thought that when Harry Potter had actually given her a job -- and told her explicitly that he forgave her -- that the abuse would stop. He'd even made an announcement in the Daily Prophet that he didn't hold her responsible for her actions as a scared seventeen year old. It didn't stop, though. It seemed to make the women even more determined to make her life miserable, and she'd had to make her flat virtually unplottable so she didn't get any abuse at night.
Sighing, she started up the steps that led to her third-floor flat, a place that several years ago she would have laughed at the sheer notion of anyone living there. But now, well, now was a completely different story. Both her parents had been killed in the War, and soon after everything was over the Ministry had seized her finances. They said it was temporary, but she still hadn't got it back despite many appearances at the Wizengamot.
Walking into her living room, Pansy threw her coat onto the sofa and settled down, picking up the copy of the Daily Prophet that had been dropped off this morning but she hadn't had a chance to read yet. Just as she was half way through an article on the Death Eaters in Azkaban, she heard a tapping at her window and instantly panicked. The only person who knew her address was Potter, and thankfully, when she looked at the window, she noticed it was his owl.
Pansy rolled her eyes; he was probably telling her he wanted her to work late again tomorrow night. Sometimes, even though he'd said he forgave her, she wasn't so sure. He was constantly asking her to do overtime, and she was certain it was just to punish her, as it was always with him on his own. She crossed the room and took the envelope from the owl's beak, opening the letter and reading aloud.
Miss Parkinson,
I've attached two tickets to see Wizards On Ice this Saturday. I remember you mentioning you weren't able to get any, so as a thank you for the overtime you've been doing for me, I thought these would be an appropriate gift. You are free to take whomever you want, but I'll let it be known I've always liked a good ice show! Besides, I can't exactly see Malfoy there, can you?
Regards,
Mr Potter
Looking inside the envelope, Pansy found the two tickets Potter had been referring to, and she couldn't help but smile. She'd tried for months to get hold of some tickets, but every time had been told they were sold out, despite the fact that they were still on sale to everyone else. Finally she had something good to smile about, and though it wouldn't last long, she wasn't sure how she'd be able to thank Potter for such a small act of kindness.
Re-reading the letter and his note about ice shows, Pansy decided she'd take him to thank him. It might be awkward, and they'd certainly be all over the Daily Prophet the next day, but Potter was right, Draco wouldn't go to an ice show if you paid him.
Really, Potter was her only option, and she'd never been happier about that fact. Perhaps he did forgive her after all.
Title: I Can Handle It
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Pansy, Harry, Lavendar
Summary: After Potter's kind offer, Pansy has to face the music.
Word Count: 748
Author's Notes: A sequel to the above fic.
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
Pansy had just had an amazing weekend watching Wizards on Ice with none other than Harry Potter. Like she'd imagined, it had been a little awkward, but not as much as she'd originally thought it would be. He could be quite the charmer when he wanted to be, and some of his jokes were quite funny. It certainly helped eased the tension when she was given dirty looks by the ticketmasters as they went through the entrance doors.
It was time to face the music now, though, as she got ready for work. All over yesterdays Daily Prophet were pictures of her and Potter, and speculations as to why they were together. Some even suggested they were dating, though they were quickly retracted after several Howlers from women who were apparently in love with him.
However, she felt a lot better than she had in a long time and walked into her office smiling. Potter acknowledged her as he usually did, with no mention of what they had done over the weekend, though she supposed he had to keep that sort of thing under wraps as she was his employee.
"Enjoy your weekend?"
Pansy looked around; it was Lavendar Brown, sporting a callous smile, with two of her friends that Pansy didn't recognise.
"We saw you all over the papers. What were you doing with Harry?"
"That's none of your business," replied Pansy as she sat down at her desk.
"I'd say it is," said Lavendar. "Since Penelope here fancies him. You shouldn't even be working here, let alone going out at weekends with him!"
Pansy sighed inwardly, trying to ignore them as she grabbed a pile of papers on her desk.
"Speak when you're spoken to!" The voice was different, coming from one of Lavendar's friends.
"Everything all right, ladies?"
Looking up, Pansy had never been more relieved to see Potter in her entire life. He stood at the entrance to her office, and Lavendar and her friends jumped quickly around.
"No, nothing. We were just --"
Potter rolled his eyes. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Get back to work, please."
"Yes, Mr Potter," they said in unison, though as she left, Lavendar threw Pansy a look that told her this really wasn't over.
Potter leant against the doorjamb casually. "You okay? You don't have to take that from them, you know. Just let me know --"
"I can handle it," Pansy snapped back. "I have been doing for years."
"But still --"
Pansy shook her head. "I said I can handle it."
"All right," Potter said, sounding defeated as he left her office. She hadn't meant to be short with him, but it was extremely embarrassing having him come to her rescue when he was the very reason she was being treated so poorly.
*
As Pansy came through the main office just after lunchtime, she couldn't help but notice the giggles of the girls as she walked past. She didn't think there could be anything on her, as she just been to the bathroom, so she tried to pretend she didn't hear them as she made her way to her own office.
Just as she unlocked the door she let out a blood-curdling scream as a bucket of green liquid came tumbling down on top of her. She didn't know what it was, but it was cold and sticky, and if there was one thing Pansy hated, it was being sticky. Clenching her teeth together, she turned to face the main office, to see everyone laughing at her.
Potter came running out of his own office and rushed over to her. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, pulling his wand out of his pocket and spelling her clean.
"They did," said Pansy, pointing towards Lavendar and her girls. "Apparently, since Penelope fancies you, we can't talk."
Potter sighed. "That's ridiculous, though I'll be honest, I'm not all that surprised. Any woman I talk to gets abuse hurled at her, but I think it's worse because it's you I'm talking to." He turned his attentions to the entire room once she was clean. "I will not stand for any kind of abuse in my office, is that clear?"
Nods and murmurs floated around the room. Everyone had stopped laughing now, though a few were stifling giggles, most notably Lavendar and her friends. Pansy scowled at them, folding her arms across her chest tightly.
"Oh, and Lavendar?"
Lavendar looked insanely happy that he was talking to her.
"You're fired."
"Perhaps I can't handle it," Pansy whispered into Potter's ear as Lavendar stood up, completely miffed.
Potter smiled. "Yeah, didn't think so."
Points
707/30 = 23
+ 10 for ownership of Quill and Parchment
748/30 = 24
+ 10 for ownership of Quill and Parchment
67 Points for Hufflepuff
Fairy//Hufflepuff
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Pansy, mentions of Harry
Summary: Pansy isn't even sure why she bothers anymore, until she receives a gift from Potter that makes her year.
Word Count: 707
Author's Notes: N/A
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
As Pansy headed home after another awful day, she wondered exactly why she bothered. Everywhere she went she suffered abuse; from passers-by on the street, those she knew from Hogwarts, and even her work colleagues. It had taken her so long to even be able to get a job that she couldn't afford to leave it, but it was dragging her down emotionally.
"Traitor!" a young woman yelled boldly at her from across the street.
By now, Pansy had learnt to ignore them, tucking her head into her coat and pretending as though she didn't care. She did, though, and she didn't understand why she should be abused for a silly mistake she'd made at school. Yes, she knew attempting to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord was a mistake, but she didn't know what else to do at the time. She was scared, shaking so much she wasn't able to hide it, and it was the only solution she could see.
Pansy had thought that when Harry Potter had actually given her a job -- and told her explicitly that he forgave her -- that the abuse would stop. He'd even made an announcement in the Daily Prophet that he didn't hold her responsible for her actions as a scared seventeen year old. It didn't stop, though. It seemed to make the women even more determined to make her life miserable, and she'd had to make her flat virtually unplottable so she didn't get any abuse at night.
Sighing, she started up the steps that led to her third-floor flat, a place that several years ago she would have laughed at the sheer notion of anyone living there. But now, well, now was a completely different story. Both her parents had been killed in the War, and soon after everything was over the Ministry had seized her finances. They said it was temporary, but she still hadn't got it back despite many appearances at the Wizengamot.
Walking into her living room, Pansy threw her coat onto the sofa and settled down, picking up the copy of the Daily Prophet that had been dropped off this morning but she hadn't had a chance to read yet. Just as she was half way through an article on the Death Eaters in Azkaban, she heard a tapping at her window and instantly panicked. The only person who knew her address was Potter, and thankfully, when she looked at the window, she noticed it was his owl.
Pansy rolled her eyes; he was probably telling her he wanted her to work late again tomorrow night. Sometimes, even though he'd said he forgave her, she wasn't so sure. He was constantly asking her to do overtime, and she was certain it was just to punish her, as it was always with him on his own. She crossed the room and took the envelope from the owl's beak, opening the letter and reading aloud.
Miss Parkinson,
I've attached two tickets to see Wizards On Ice this Saturday. I remember you mentioning you weren't able to get any, so as a thank you for the overtime you've been doing for me, I thought these would be an appropriate gift. You are free to take whomever you want, but I'll let it be known I've always liked a good ice show! Besides, I can't exactly see Malfoy there, can you?
Regards,
Mr Potter
Looking inside the envelope, Pansy found the two tickets Potter had been referring to, and she couldn't help but smile. She'd tried for months to get hold of some tickets, but every time had been told they were sold out, despite the fact that they were still on sale to everyone else. Finally she had something good to smile about, and though it wouldn't last long, she wasn't sure how she'd be able to thank Potter for such a small act of kindness.
Re-reading the letter and his note about ice shows, Pansy decided she'd take him to thank him. It might be awkward, and they'd certainly be all over the Daily Prophet the next day, but Potter was right, Draco wouldn't go to an ice show if you paid him.
Really, Potter was her only option, and she'd never been happier about that fact. Perhaps he did forgive her after all.
Title: I Can Handle It
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Pansy, Harry, Lavendar
Summary: After Potter's kind offer, Pansy has to face the music.
Word Count: 748
Author's Notes: A sequel to the above fic.
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
Pansy had just had an amazing weekend watching Wizards on Ice with none other than Harry Potter. Like she'd imagined, it had been a little awkward, but not as much as she'd originally thought it would be. He could be quite the charmer when he wanted to be, and some of his jokes were quite funny. It certainly helped eased the tension when she was given dirty looks by the ticketmasters as they went through the entrance doors.
It was time to face the music now, though, as she got ready for work. All over yesterdays Daily Prophet were pictures of her and Potter, and speculations as to why they were together. Some even suggested they were dating, though they were quickly retracted after several Howlers from women who were apparently in love with him.
However, she felt a lot better than she had in a long time and walked into her office smiling. Potter acknowledged her as he usually did, with no mention of what they had done over the weekend, though she supposed he had to keep that sort of thing under wraps as she was his employee.
"Enjoy your weekend?"
Pansy looked around; it was Lavendar Brown, sporting a callous smile, with two of her friends that Pansy didn't recognise.
"We saw you all over the papers. What were you doing with Harry?"
"That's none of your business," replied Pansy as she sat down at her desk.
"I'd say it is," said Lavendar. "Since Penelope here fancies him. You shouldn't even be working here, let alone going out at weekends with him!"
Pansy sighed inwardly, trying to ignore them as she grabbed a pile of papers on her desk.
"Speak when you're spoken to!" The voice was different, coming from one of Lavendar's friends.
"Everything all right, ladies?"
Looking up, Pansy had never been more relieved to see Potter in her entire life. He stood at the entrance to her office, and Lavendar and her friends jumped quickly around.
"No, nothing. We were just --"
Potter rolled his eyes. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Get back to work, please."
"Yes, Mr Potter," they said in unison, though as she left, Lavendar threw Pansy a look that told her this really wasn't over.
Potter leant against the doorjamb casually. "You okay? You don't have to take that from them, you know. Just let me know --"
"I can handle it," Pansy snapped back. "I have been doing for years."
"But still --"
Pansy shook her head. "I said I can handle it."
"All right," Potter said, sounding defeated as he left her office. She hadn't meant to be short with him, but it was extremely embarrassing having him come to her rescue when he was the very reason she was being treated so poorly.
*
As Pansy came through the main office just after lunchtime, she couldn't help but notice the giggles of the girls as she walked past. She didn't think there could be anything on her, as she just been to the bathroom, so she tried to pretend she didn't hear them as she made her way to her own office.
Just as she unlocked the door she let out a blood-curdling scream as a bucket of green liquid came tumbling down on top of her. She didn't know what it was, but it was cold and sticky, and if there was one thing Pansy hated, it was being sticky. Clenching her teeth together, she turned to face the main office, to see everyone laughing at her.
Potter came running out of his own office and rushed over to her. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, pulling his wand out of his pocket and spelling her clean.
"They did," said Pansy, pointing towards Lavendar and her girls. "Apparently, since Penelope fancies you, we can't talk."
Potter sighed. "That's ridiculous, though I'll be honest, I'm not all that surprised. Any woman I talk to gets abuse hurled at her, but I think it's worse because it's you I'm talking to." He turned his attentions to the entire room once she was clean. "I will not stand for any kind of abuse in my office, is that clear?"
Nods and murmurs floated around the room. Everyone had stopped laughing now, though a few were stifling giggles, most notably Lavendar and her friends. Pansy scowled at them, folding her arms across her chest tightly.
"Oh, and Lavendar?"
Lavendar looked insanely happy that he was talking to her.
"You're fired."
"Perhaps I can't handle it," Pansy whispered into Potter's ear as Lavendar stood up, completely miffed.
Potter smiled. "Yeah, didn't think so."
Points
707/30 = 23
+ 10 for ownership of Quill and Parchment
748/30 = 24
+ 10 for ownership of Quill and Parchment
67 Points for Hufflepuff
Fairy//Hufflepuff