Seven Reasons Not to Love

Part Six - Pansy's Poison

Pansy stormed from the meeting room and slammed the door behind her. Blaise was an idiot. An absolute idiot. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have to do this to Draco. And she wouldn't if she could only think of a way round the problem. But she couldn't. Blaise would be angry if she didn't do it now as well. Stupid girl. If only she hadn't been so stupid. Pansy grabbed her bag from the common room and stalked off to eat breakfast. Her mind was still focusing all her irritation on Blaise, but a small voice in the back of her head kept on reminding her, it was you who killed Luna...it was you who let Weasley see...you who were the careless one. One mistake was enough. If anyone found out that it was Blaise and Pansy's fault the enemy found out then they'd be thrown out of the Seven for sure. And maybe killed. After all, mistakes are not tolerated.

Pansy sat away from the other Slytherins she knew, right at the end of the table and pretended to be reading her potions book so they wouldn't disturb her. As she ate her toast she opened up a wooden box intricately carved with roses and thorns all the way around the edge. She carefully lifted the top layer out and slid open a hidden compartment underneath. She took out the dried hemlock and put it in her pocket, before restoring the top compartment and putting the box back in her bag. She sighed, staring at her book, but not seeing the words.

An hour and half later she was in potions, quietly brewing her freezing potion. Draco was in the dungeon too, but he had taken care to sit away from the Slytherins, and had chosen a seat just in front of Hermione Granger. Pansy remembered thinking this odd, until she realised that he was avoiding all Slytherins, and would be too absorbed to notice he was sitting near a Mudblood anyway.

Pansy put the last drop of bat blood into her potion and, picking up the hemlock leaf she'd prepared she got up to get a vial from the front of the class. She collected it and as she passed Draco's cauldron she looked at him. Catching his gaze the moment before he looked away, she saw an angry expression behind his eyes. She lifted her shaking hand and, feeling like she might be sick any moment, dropped the leaf in, making for her seat. However, before she could sit down there was an explosion, a scream, and pink smoke engulfed the entire room. She heard Professor Snape's yelling before her vision began to swim, and everything went blank.

When Pansy woke, she still felt drowsy. Opening her eyes, she saw white ceiling tiles above her, and knew she was in the hospital wing. She blinked a few more times, taking in the calm before the feeling of nausea engulfed her again. She sat up, and saw that Professor Snape was pacing in between all the beds. Pansy looked at each bed in turn, seeing other members of her class lying in various states of consciousness, and she wondered what had happened. All she knew was that she had put a hemlock leaf into Draco Malfoy's freezing potion. How could it have effected the entire class? She looked back at Professor Snape. He looked more angry than she'd seen him in a long time, and she pulled her sheets closer around her, closing her eyes and willing herself to look guilt free.

When it seemed the entire class had regained consciousness, and sat up in their beds Professor Snape turned to them and surveyed them. Everyone was silent immediately.

"Well," he said. His voice seemed constricted. "I don't suppose any of you fools is going to own up to causing this trouble." There was silence, and Pansy chances a glance across the room. Everyone was looking confusedly at Professor Snape. She looked back at him.

"It seems that one of you, and because of the confusion caused by the potion, I cannot tell who, decided they would play smart and use hemlock leaf to turn one of the potions into a miasma cloud. Do you know how dangerous that is? I doubt it," he began to pace as he spoke, his voice getting tighter. "If I hadn't moved quickly you would ALL be dead!" Several of the students gasped, Pansy included, and she brought her hand to her face. A shiver ran down her spine. She'd nearly killed the entire class. She didn't remember reading anything about adverse effects of altering the freezing potion...but then, thinking back had she properly read up on it? She couldn't recall.

"Now, I hope the severity of this incident has sunk into your thick skulls, and that you will never again think of taking it upon yourselves to add ingredients you have no clue about the effects of to a potion. Do you understand me?" There was a murmur of consent, slightly quieter than usual, probably due to the shock, and Pansy glanced at her watch. And she suddenly remembered. Weasley had to be found, and quickly. If she didn't do it soon, he'd be able to go for help; the spell would completely wear off. She slid her legs over the side of the bed.

"If any of you have information, I urge you to come forward. And to the idiot who thought this would be a joke, I can only tell you that expulsion from the school will be your most lenient of punishments, especially if I find the culprit is in my own house. Yes, what is it Granger?"

"Professor, I...er...I think, when we were in class. Pansy Parkinson dropped something into Malfoy's cauldron as she passed." Granger looked at her bedside table and Professor Snape whipped around to face Pansy. She felt her throat clench as though someone was strangling her, and let out a strangled cough.

"Is this true Miss Parkinson?" Professor Snape demanded, his voice quivering. Momentarily panicked, Pansy simply shook her head slightly. Then regaining herself, straightened.

"No sir, of course not. She just wants to get me in trouble..."

"That's not true! I saw her!"

"No you didn't you little liar," Pansy said, her voice high and afraid. "I didn't do it sir!" She looked at Professor Snape, pushing back the tears that were fighting to spill over. Professor Snape looked between the two of them, his expression uncertain, then he turned to Granger.

"Five points from Gryffindor for your telling tales, Granger..."

"I'm not Professor! I saw her do it! I did!"

"Well...perhaps the potion has had a worse effect on you, you seemed close to the initial explosion. I will dock no more points but if I hear another word from you then I might change my mind. You can all go, except for Granger, Malfoy, Thomas and Finch-Fletchley." He nodded to Madam Pomfrey, who went to tend Malfoy, and then strode from the room. Pansy slowly slid off her bed and collected her bag, which had been brought and placed at her side. She looked across the room, seeing the other students were staring at her, and threw a nasty look at Granger before stalking out of the room.

Pansy hurried along the corridor, knowing that Weasley would have been summoned to classroom C on the ground floor. She had to get there quickly and get him down into the dungeons where they could keep an eye on him. She broke into a run, dashing across the hall and to the room, stopping briefly outside to check no one was around. The door was slightly ajar, and she slipped through and stepped into the middle of the room. A second later, everything went black.