Turning tables

pansy

pansy

Seeing Pansy Parkinson with the Hufflepuff's yellow tie is certainly a sight Lilith never thought she'd witness. But there she was, the tie around her neck, but her face as cold as it always used to be.

"What do you two think you're doing?" she snapped at the two older Gryffindor.

Lilith's  brain took a moment to process what she was seeing. She hadn't seen Parkinson since the year before, much less talked to her. She knew the former Slytherin had changed since then–she had to if she got in bloody Hufflepuff–but hadn't seen it of her own eyes.

Well, there was the occasion.

Now, Lilith stared in amazement at the girl. She had let her hair grow longer in the summer and it made her traits softer. She still wore makeup but instead of accentuating her jawline and cheekbones, it made her features seem relaxed. Or maybe that was just her natural face , Lilith wouldn't know.

The old Parkinson wouldn't have laughed along with the older boys. She would've laughed at the three of them and destroyed their self esteem in less than four sentences.

But now, Parkinson walked in front of the younger boy with her back to him, like a human shield. "I said, what do you think you're doing?"

The two boys facing her looked at each other and even from a distance, Lilith could see the fear in their eyes. Pansy might not be a Slytherin draped in green, silver and black anymore but she could still be terrifying.

"We were just joking." said the taller one, his voice quivering.

"Yeah, right Dan?" said the other more confidently, switching his eyes to behind Parkinson.

"I don't think Dan found that funny at all. Did you?" The girl turned her head a bit and the boy–Dan–shook his head right and left. Parkinson turned back and stared down at the two others. "That's what I thought. You guys stay away from him and any other Transfer, you get me?"

The boys nodded hurriedly and swirled around, walking away from the Hufflepuff. They went so quickly they didn't see Lilith until they were way to close and almost bumped into her. Their eyes met hers and when the two guys saw her expression, they muttered some barely audible excuses before going around her and running away.

Lilith watched them go before turning back to Parkinson and Dan. She found them with the girl crouched down to the little boy, talking to him calmly. She ventured closer.

"Are you ok?" Parkinson said, whipping a tear away from under Dan's eyes and the boy nodded.

He couldn't be older than twelve, a second year, and the two others had looked fifteen.

Cowards, thought Lilith.

"What's your name?" Parkinson asked, not paying attention to Lilith who was now just behind her. The Hufflepuff must've seen Lilith but decided to ignore her for now, giving all her attention to the crying Gryffindor.

"Daniel Hense." he said. He stood straighter as he presented himself, full of pride at his family name.

"Glad to meet you Daniel. I'm Pansy Parkinson." The boy shook the hand she gave him, too young to know what that name meant.

Finally, Daniel noticed Lilith and his jaw dropped a bit. He swept his tears away immediately. "You're Lilith Arstend."

Lilith decided to make an exception and play the hero role Daniel probably needed right now. "That's me. You were very brave just now, Daniel. A true Gryffindor."

The boy blushed and Lilith smiled. "I think you can defend yourself alright but if anyone annoys you, come get me, ok?"

Daniel nodded erratically before turning back to Parkinson and hugging her. The girl didn't have time to get over her surprise that he was jumping away.

Parkinson stood slowly and faced Lilith hesitantly. The two stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Parkinson spoke. "I have a list."

Lilith frowned but Parkinson kept talking. "Of people I owe excuses to. It's pretty long" she said, still looking at Lilith. "You're on my list."

Oh well.

"Why?" simply asked Lilith. "Is it really going to change anything, Parkinson?"

The girl shivered. "Pansy. Please call me Pansy. Parkinson represents everything I'm trying not to be anymore."

"Is your list part of that too?"

"Yeah. I regret so much. And I'm trying to change, Lilith, I really am. So yeah, saying sorry is part of that. I need to do it if I want to keep going."

Maybe it was the way her voice shook slightly or the way tears seemed to form in the corner of her eyes that made Lilith want to believe her.

So she didn't correct her for calling her Lilith instead of Arstend and waited for the apology.

"I'm sorry." Parkinson–Pansy–said, her voice now steady and clear. "I'm sorry I was horrible to you for years, I'm sorry I became a Death Eater, I'm sorry I stood for something so wrong, I'm sorry I said to bring Harry to him in the Great Hall that night, I'm sorry I helped kill so many people and I'm sorry for personally killing some of them. But most of all, I'm sorry that I used to think I was right to do all that."

Pansy had swallowed down her tears halfway through her speech and was now looking at Lilith with restrained hope.

"I forgive you." Lilith said with a strained voice. It was all she could've answered. And when Pansy's entire body relaxed, she smiled. "If you need help with your list, tell me."

Pansy nodded with half of a smile and waved at Lilith almost shyly as she walked back into the classroom she had first emerged out of.

Lilith was still in a trans all the way back to the Slytherin common room. She entered and smiled at what she saw. Susan was laughing, folded in half, with two other girls Lilith assumed were her dorm mates. Lilith was glad Susan made good friends easily, not that she ever doubted her capacities.

She glanced around, looking for Dean, and she found him curled up on a chair with a letter in his hands. Whatever was written made him furrow his eyebrows.

"Who's it from?" Lilith asked, sitting next to him.

"Seamus." Dean sighted. "He's being weird. I mean, I can't see his face but I think he's hiding something from me."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Lilith tried to comfort him with a half-smile.

"I hope. I knew being apart wouldn't do us any good."

Dean spoke without a second thought and the boy didn't know how he sounded. He talked about Seamus like they were dating and Lilith smiled internally at how cute they were without even realizing it.

"You'll see him at the Christmas break. Maybe even sooner!" She slapped his shoulder gently and got up. Dean nodded absently.

Once up the stairs, Lilith didn't have time to open her dorm's door. Before she knew it, Sophie was right in her face, looking furious.

"Get in." Sophie muttered, snatching Lilith by the sleeve.

"What the–" Lilith made a full turn on herself to take in the state of the room.

Sophie's clothes and her own were scattered everywhere on their side of the dorm from their beds to the ceiling, hanging from the lights. Only Annabeth's and Sydney's beds were spared from the utter chaos of tissue that seemed to have invaded to room.

"But you were there, how did they–"

"I was sleeping but I guess they used a spell to keep me like that longer." Sophie muttered, looking at the floor like it had personally insulted her.

"We'll have to do something about those two." Lilith picked up a tight black t-shirt and plastered it against her chest.

"Should we go see Professor Slughorn?" asked Sophie, seeming not happy at all at the prospect of talking to their Head of House.

"Nah. I got a better idea." And a smile split Lilith's face.