Game of Emotion

She watched the boys from her perch on top of the wall, a dark cloak covering her from sight. They were leaving again, probably sneaking off to have an adventure.

'Why doesn't anyone ever bring me on things like that?' She wondered, fingering the hood that was pulled down over her hair.

She'd been watching them sneak out for years now. No one ever bothered to look up when making sure no one else was around. Of course, it seemed like no one really bothered with her anyway.

She was young, and pretty. She was however, a girl, and that made her less attractive as friend material.

Traditional families stank. It always seemed that there was some protocol or other that had to be observed and adhered to, never seemed that she could really do anything of her own prerogative.

Sometimes, the boys would take the girl with them. The great Hermione Granger. Most intelligent of all at Hogwarts. Know-it-all supreme.

Hermione.

'What does she have that I don't?' She thought furiously, kicking her legs a bit against the wall, careful not to lose her balance. 'Sure Granger's gotten prettier over the past few years, but they aren't friends with her because of that. I'M not exactly a hag either!' She frowned, and let out an inaudible sigh of frustration.

It was hard to be everything people wanted you to be. Sure she was pretty, and had a caring elder brother, but sometimes she just felt.... stifled.

People at Hogwarts really did not expect much of her. Just expected her to be beautiful, and to get good grades, to be very bitchy, and nothing else. When she went home on the holidays, her mother always went over the lists of eligible young men with her. Sure, it had been fun when she was a third year. Spending time thinking of this or that handsome young man she could marry. But, sometimes it was just... frustrating.

'And no one can see, no one can see what I go through. No one can be, no one can be what I feel.'

She was not in any way neglected. Her parents loved and were proud of her and her siblings.

'But is it so wrong of me to want more?'

Her hands beat out a steady rhythm against the rocks. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. A constant tattoo in time with her conflicting thoughts.

'Will I ever be good enough?' Tap-tap-tap-tap. 'Ever find someone to love?' Tap-tap-tap-tt. Her hands ceased. Someone else was out there, someone could have heard her.

What if it was a teacher? Her parents would be furious if she were caught not only out of bed, but outside the castle to boot.

Panic/Anger/Fear, her thoughts began to tumble over and over.

'Will I be expelled? Mother and Father will be so angry. Who is it? Who is it? Oh God! Who on Earth is it?' She trembled, and had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling over. Falling from this height would kill her for sure.

'Is it me? Is it you? Should I say what I feel? Know what is real? I can't go on the way I'm living.'

Why was it taking so long? She scrunched her eyes shut as the sound got closer. Then she realised, the footsteps had stopped.

'For I am, another girl who dreamed of things she wanted. I am, a girl who wanted everything she hoped for, then she was let down. Look down.'

She opened her eyes and peered past her hood. Her eyes met green eyes. She trembled. Harry.

Oh by all the Gods and Goddesses, it was him. What would she do? What would she say? He wouldn't take kindly to her watching him, she just knew it!

"Who are you?" Harry called up to the figure.

She was scared, and didn't know whether to answer him. But why was he back?

*

Harry had had a strange feeling as he and Ron had been leaving Hogwarts grounds. Normally, they would have used the passage inside the humpbacked witch, but Filch had discovered it, and had been guarding it for the last six nights.

It felt like eyes, like someone was watching them walk. But that could not be right. After all, Filch was inside, as was his blasted cat. None of the teachers would be outside, so... what did that leave? Soon the feeling stopped.

Harry turned to his friend. "Ron, I uh, dropped something. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Although Ron protested that he would stay, Harry sent him on his way with a "We wouldn't want to miss our reservations, now, would we? I'll see you later, Ron."

Ron walked off with a glare, and a grudging "I'll be seeing you then."

Harry walked back to where he had first noticed the feeling. He looked around for any signs of people. Nothing. Well, obviously they weren't on the ground. So maybe....

He looked up. Sure enough, there was a dark cloaked figure, perched on the broad expanse of wall.

'No pain, so it's not Voldemort.' he thought, narrowing his eyes.

The figure abruptly looked up and gasped.

'It's a girl.' Harry realised. 'And I guess I'll have to make the first move, since she doesn't look like she's going to move.' "Who are you?" He called out clearly, voice carrying slightly on the breeze.

With a slightly shaking hand, the figure slowly pulled the hood back to reveal...

"Pansy Parkinson?" Harry exclaimed in shock.

*

Pansy sniffed, before remembering that She was a Slytherin. He was a Gryffindor. She was obviously superior! That, and Draco would probably be very irritated if he ever found out that she'd backed down from Harry, er, Potter. "What of it?" She asked in a shaky, yet challenging voice.

Harry's shock melted into irritation. "I just wanted to know why you were spying on us!"

"I wasn't spying." Pansy began haughtily, "It's not my fault if I were seated on the wall when you suddenly walked past with Weasley." She took the opportunity to nimbly climb down the wall. "I do not spy on people, Harry Potter, and you'd better remember it!" Suddenly she turned, and began to march away from him.

"See that you don't start then!" He called after her, walking off in his own direction.

"Stupid Potter." Pansy muttered as she walked back to the Castle. "Thinks he's sooo bloody special." She walked inside, and took a secret passage down to Slytherin Dungeons. 'He is cute though.' Wait, where had that thought come from?

A secret smile stole over her lips as she glided almost-silently into her Dorm. Wouldn't everyone just die if they had heard that thought.

She'd show that Harry Potter.

Pansy Parkinson was no one's spy.

*

Harry seethed all the way to Hogsmeade. Of all the people he had to run into on his belated birthday celebration, it was Pansy. He let out a sigh before walking into the Three Broomsticks. Ron, Seamus, Dean and ex-Gryffindor Oliver Wood were seated around a table near the fire. Hermione had regretfully declined, saying she "had to meet her Arithmancy Partner." It was strange how often Hermione met her partner. Maybe she had a boyfriend..no. She would tell them. Well, him at least. Ron was sometimes a bit... excitable.

Drat that Pansy Parkinson for ruining the perfect day. Just because she was pretty, she thought.... Huh? Since when had he thought that she was pretty?

Suddenly he felt his lips turn upwards into a small smile. Who would have thought it?

Everyone would just keel over if they had somehow heard his thoughts.

He'd show that Pansy Parkinson.

Harry Potter was not someone to mess with.

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J