Confessions Of A Fat, Ugly Slytherin

Two cubicles over from the one that Millicent and Pansy shared, Harry Potter leaned over and whispered something into Ginny Weasley's ear, making her laugh, while half-hidden behind one of the stacks Cho Chang watched them with an odd, closed expression. She continued to watch as the two Gryffindors got up and left the library, arm in arm, and her eyes were still fixed on the door long after it had closed behind them. Nudging Pansy slightly, Millicent murmured, "I wonder what Chang thinks of the future Mrs. Potter?"

Pansy set down her quill and looked over at Cho dismissively. "Huh. No contest there. I still can't understand why she ever hooked up with Pretty-Boy Diggory."

Interested, Millicent set down her own quill. "What d'you mean?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's old news by now. Last year, Blaize heard from Lisa Turpin - you know, the skinny Ravenclaw in our year, the one with the heart-shaped birthmark on her arm - who heard from - "

"All right, I get the picture," Millicent cut in. "What did they hear?"

"Well," Pansy said after an impressive pause, "apparently Padma Patil heard Chang talking to her friends about Potter. So Padma told Turpin, and - "

"And Turpin told Blaize," Millicent impatiently. "What did they hear?"

Pansy shrugged. "Oh, just that she liked him. Nothing too earth-shattering. But then Diggory asked her to the Yule Ball before Potter did, and so she went with Diggory, and then she stayed with Diggory until he... well, until he died." She winced. "That sounds like the plot of a bad romance novel, doesn't it?"

"Did she ever talk to him? Potter, I mean?"

Pansy shrugged again. "Who knows? Probably not. You know how Ravenclaws are. And anyway, everyone knows how Potter used to practically walk into walls whenever she came within ten feet of him. If she had ever told him how she felt, he probably wouldn't have ever become Weasley's knight in shining armor." She punctuated the last words with a hearty sneer. "Of course, whether it's the sister or the brother is anybody's guess. I mean, have you ever wondered about just how close their relationship is? They're practically joined at the hip."

Millicent snorted. "Honestly, Pansy, you can't judge everybody by Crabbe and Goyle."

"Or Finnigan and Thomas?" Pansy inquired sweetly.

Millicent stifled a snicker at the thought of what was easily Hogwarts' most flamboyant relationship. "True. But I was thinking of Granger. Haven't you ever seen how Weasley looks at her when he thinks that nobody's watching? It would be almost touching if it wasn't so sappy."

"Oh, right, the great Hogwarts Love Story." Pansy rolled her eyes derisively. "Anyway, Potter got together with Kid Sister Weasley, and now Chang's left spying on him from behind bookshelves. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Mmmm," Millicent agreed absently. "I wonder why she never said anything?"

Another eye-roll. "Honestly, Mil, does anyone ever know why Ravenclaws do anything? Maybe it would have violated some obscure code of honor. Maybe she's not allowed to talk to anyone with green eyes. How should I know?"

Millicent looked at her with mock-horror. "You mean you don't know everything? God, Pansy, I'm shocked."

Pansy swatted her on the arm. "Shut up, you."

They grinned at each other.

"I'd better get back to this," Millicent said, picking up her quill again. "McGonagall's already given me an extension, and if I turn it in late she'll skin me alive."

"That was a stroke of genius, though," Pansy said admiringly. "Getting the extension because you were in the hospital wing, I mean. How did you ever make your skin flash turquoise and purple like that?"

Millicent smiled sweetly. "Trade secret."

"Thanks, Mil. It gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to know that you'll always share your feelings with me."

"Anytime."

As the two girls turned back to their homework, Millicent couldn't help but sneak the occasional glance at the still-staring Cho Chang. Her eyes had not moved once during their conversation, and when the two Slytherins had gotten up and were leaving the library, three hours later, her eyes were still fixed on the door.