Your Immature Drama Queen Girlfriend

Two Weeks Later

"Okay, one more enchantment..." I concentrated, and the Devil's Snare changed to an aquamarine hue, a sure sign it was working. "There!"

"Ready to test?" Pansy called from across the Room of Requirement.

"Ready!"

She walked within reach of the plant. A small pinching on my feet indicated that we had been caught.

"Finite incantatem," I said, pointing my wand at the gnarled plants tying our feet together. Nothing happened.

"Let me try too, just to be sure. Finite!" Pansy said clearly. Again nothing happened.

"Success!" I said proudly, trying to do a little dance before realizing I was stuck.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Granger?" Pansy puckered her lips. "This is mistletoe. You have to give me a kiss."

I flushed, and didn't move.

"Aw, you don't want to kiss me?" She pouted.

"Not really," I said hesitantly.

"Why not?"

"It'll make things awkward."

"Well, too bad. I'm not feeling particularly keen on being stuck here forever, so deal."

Before I could retort, she had moved closer, and now her face was a finger's length away from me. And up a bit. She was unfairly tall.

I felt her breath lightly brush my face, and a few goose pimples popped up on my body. I wasn't really sure why.

Then her lips were pressed softly against my cheek. She pulled away before I realized what had happened or could register my emotions regarding it. But looking down at our feet, it hadn't worked to release us.

"Why did nothing happen?" I asked frustratedly, doing my best to ignore the peculiar fluttering in my chest. "You kissed me, so it should have worked."

"Not on the lips, though," she countered.

"And? I don't think the enchantment specified what kind of kiss." The fluttering grew a little.

"Actually it does. I added a personal touch."

"What touch was that?" I asked, hiding my nerves with snappishness.

"Anyone who's not attracted to the other can get away with a cheek or forehead kiss. You know, in case we get a few teachers before Draco and Harry. Or younger students who aren't comfortable with that sort of stuff."

"That makes sense," I said apprehensively.

"So clearly the two of us have chemistry, since a small kiss didn't work." She finished.

"Oh." Forget butterflies in my stomach, I had a flock of flamingos.

"Besides, that way we can see if Draco and Harry are compatible. Like a test. Since they sure as hell will try everything else before confronting their feelings and manning up enough to kiss on the mouth."

I managed a short laugh. "That's clever."

She studied me for a moment. "Wow, you are extremely nervous, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Apparently we like each other. I haven't crushed on anyone in ages."

"So you do fancy me?" She looked slightly delighted.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You're adorable. I thought you were supposed to be a daring Gryffindor, Granger."

Oh, she did not.

Without thinking, I stood on tiptoes, and pressed my mouth fiercely to hers. She seemed shocked, and was frozen against me. And then, for a breath of a butterfly's wing, she kissed back before pulling away. A drop of her minty taste remained in my mouth.

The mistletoe loosened and we both stood back. I collected it and pulled it into a Ziplock, which went inside my school bag. Only once we were leaving did I look at her. Her porcelain skin was the tiniest bit flushed, and she was turned away from me. One of her hands was absentmindedly tracing her maroon-lipsticked mouth.

If she was slightly pink, I was probably a tomato. My face was burning. But I felt a small beat of satisfaction replace the flamingos in my stomach, and I didn't admit to myself how much I'd enjoyed kissing Pansy Parkinson.