It Started With an Insult (Hermione x Pansy Parkinson)

Alohomora Always Works (part 1)

"Why? Why thank me?" I retorted, annoyed but also curious about what she would say. Granger seemed to think for a moment, and when she answered, she seemed to choose her words carefully.

"Well, I suppose I'm thanking you for even agreeing to this small competition in the first place." She looked as if she wanted so say more, but she didn't continue. I looked at her quizzically, still confused by her reasoning. I had lost my focus on Most Potente Potions, despite having desperately wanted to get my hands on it all day long. She hadn't answered my question, not fully. I chose to discontinue the conversation, as I was sure it would go nowhere. I slumped over the book awkwardly and tried my best to focus on the words in-front of me, revising what I had already learned for the thousandth time. I desperately tried to cling onto the words on the page, but I was distracted by something else.

I could feel Granger's gaze stare into me as I read. I made an effort to ignore her and continue with what I was doing, but it was so... distracting.

"Granger. If you have something to say then just say it." I said, raising my head and correcting my posture to match hers, returning her gaze. Granger's face colored when she realized that she had been caught staring. She hurriedly pushed her frizzy hair behind her ear, once again, and awkwardly opened her mouth to speak.

"Nothing, Im just... I was just wondering how many of the ingredients you had managed to gather." Granger bit her lip nervously as she said this, the corner of her tooth lightly gripping onto her rosy bottom lip. I felt my heart beat quicken as I processed her question, wondering if I should tell her the truth or lie to make myself look better. I pondered my response, and I opened my mouth to lie, but something about her earnest expression caused me to want to be honest with her. I coughed slightly to clear my throat.

"I have the rose petals and thorns," I started, avoiding her accusatory glare, we both knew where I managed to get those, "And I don't have any of the other ingredients yet, but I should have them by Monday, I think." I had to stop myself from revealing the fact that I had absolutely no idea where to find moonstone powder, and I'd had to bite my tongue to keep myself from telling her about my plan to steal pearl dust from professor Snape's personal store. Something about the way she kept steady eye contact with me while I spoke almost made me feel like I had taken a particularly strong dose of veritaserum, and my tongue felt... looser. Something about this thought caused me to writhe in discomfort.

Her deep brown eyes studied me curiously. "You think you'll have all the ingredients by Monday?" Granger questioned, avoiding my eyes and instead choosing to stare down at her hands, picking at her clear nail polish. I gulped nervously.

"Yeah, I do." I answered, trying my best to look as confident as possible. Granger frowned and shut her book in what seemed to be frustration.

"Merlin. I don't know where to get the bloody moonstone powder..." Granger confided. I was taken aback by the confession. Although I was struggling to find the same thing, I would've assumed that Granger would've been able to obtain it, and with ease. I couldn't seem to understand why she would tell me this. She looked at me expectantly, and I swallowed, unsure of what to say.

"Me neither." I heard my voice say the words before I could even fully process them. I could feel my cheeks warm as I realized that I had just agreed with her. I could tell she was just as surprised as I was, because her surprise was evident on her face before she quickly put on a mask of nonchalance.

"To be honest, I haven't been able to find pearl dust either. They had it in J. Pippins potions, but Mr. Pippin wouldn't sell me any." Granger continued to confide in me, causing me to squirm. What was this? Did she think we were suddenly friends because I confessed not being able to find bloody moonstone powder? I felt a small amount of guilt bloom inside of me as I thought about my plan to steal pearl dust from Snape's office. I observed Granger, and her distraught expression. Smart, intelligent Granger was distraught over something, and I knew how to solve her problem.

Hey :) If you're here before I post part 2 of this chapter, I apologize for the sudden ending. The chapter was getting super long and I like to keep them in bite size pieces. Im posting this before I go to bed so I'll most likely post part 2 in the morning, so it won't be too long of a wait, don't worry!

I also wanted to apologize for the accidental super long break I took. While I was actively writing the next chapter, for some reason it literally took forever (like literally a rate of a few sentences per hour at some points) (but don't worry I usually write way faster)

Anyway, so sorry for the abrupt ending but stay tuned for part two. For a more immersive reading experience I recommend reading part 1 and 2 in one sitting, but of course you don't have to/ may not be able to :)

Please make sure to vote/ comment/ share as it helps this fic reach a wider audience :)

- Bianca :)