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When she first met Hermione Jean Granger in sixth grade, Pansy Marie Parkinson knew she was fucked. She was conditioned at a young age to immediately see and categorize a person’s skin tone, and Hermione’s was a tone she wasn’t used to seeing; it was as if someone had taken chocolate syrup, added a generous amount of milk, and created a goddess. Up until that point, she had devised a fallible system of ignoring her so-called “deviancy”. It was in vain because Hermione’s beautiful dark brown hair curled tightly and brushed against her strong yet petite shoulders. Her chocolate-colored eyes were harsh and jaded yet filled with an optimistic determination like Pansy had never seen before. Her full lips were dry, but according to Pansy, they were the kind that weakened her knees and begged to be kissed.
Needless to say, Pansy wasn’t entirely thrilled about the prospects of harboring feelings for another girl, let alone one that was black. She had learned at a young age that, it she wanted to maintain a relationship with her family and her best friend, Draco, it would behoove her to establish her public opinions and her private opinions in a similar fashion as her family's most hated pantsuit-clad politician. (But if Pansy had to sit and listen to how much her parents vehemently hated “Killary” for another second, she would personally off herself or them; she wasn’t quite sure.) In private, she would acknowledge her own personal limited compassion and befriend fellow classmate, Blaise Zabini; in public, she was her parents’ daughter. And she did not associate with those people. But that wasn’t exactly a favorite term they prefered to use in familiar, like-minded company.
Unfortunately for Pansy, it was easy enough falling for Granger--Hermione, sorry. It was hard to switch between the two, what with having to make sure she never gave herself away in the wrong company. Anyway. Falling for Hermione Jean Granger was the easy part; her fierce, unwavering intelligence made Pansy’s heart soar, but she was also patient and stubborn. It also helped that Hermione was physically beautiful. The brunette didn’t much like ugly people.
It was harder for her to actually talk to Hermione, though, considering the circumstances. Pansy took a sadistic pleasure in being as wretched as possible to others, and in the past, Hermione had been the recipient of such jeers. So, Hermione hated her. Or so she thought. Regardless. Every single time she approached her at football games, the deep-skinned beauty would quickly shuffle away. It was infuriating. She eventually had to corner her in the bathroom, in hurried, hushed whispers, apologizing profusely and proclaiming her undying infatuation.
Of course, Pansy was pretty sure her affections went beyond a simple infatuation, but that was neither here nor there.
Thus, to their surprise, their affair started. It certainly was an affair; Pansy’s parents avidly supported Lord Voldemort, a police chief who vehemently hated anyone whose complexion was deeper than eggshell. He was responsible for the deaths of Harry Potter’s black mother and white father. She was surprised Hermione even looked her way, knowing how much she loved Potter like her own brother.
Their affair was whimsical; they would frequent movie theaters in a nearby state, and would find themselves in the corners of nonlocal libraries, and cuddled while reading books. And if Pansy knew anything, it was that Hermione was an amazing kisser that seemed to set her entire body on fire. Unfortunately, though, Hermione’s kisses were far and few between, given how secretive they had to be about their relationship. Afterall, even if they left the state, there was a chance that someone recognized Pansy and contacted her parents.
She once had a difficult conversation with her about the possibility of being discovered and being forced to break up. Hermione had been dismissive; nothing of the sort would happen. “We’ll find a way,” Hermione had said. “If we ever were forced apart, then we’ll just find our way back to each other.” Still, Pansy remembered feeling anxious about being outed. But she never brought the topic up again.
Other than the secrecy, everything was perfect and private until said bastard outed them at that stupid Patil party. Really, he shouldn't have done that. Though, how was he supposed to know that discussing Pansy and Hermione’s relationship in front of Cho Chang would be an issue? It wasn't like he dated her and knew what her and her best friend, Marietta Edgecombe, were like. They kept no secrets; if Chang knew something, Edgecombe would surely know soon after, and consequently, everyone in Hogwarts knew. That included Pansy’s parents. Not to mention it was hypocritical; he would have blown a gasket had Pansy or Hermione outed him and Draco. While Draco loved Pansy too much to hurt her like that, she couldn’t help but wonder why Harry didn’t extend the same courtesy to Hermione.
But it didn’t matter anymore. As soon as her mother and father discovered her illicit relationship, they screamed at her, grounded her, screamed again, took her phone away, screamed one more time for good measure, forced her break up with Hermione, screamed at her one last time, and immediately transferred her to Durmstrangs High School. It was a high homogenous school, and Pansy couldn’t help but miss Blaise and his boyfriend, Ron. (Pansy was jealous of them; when they were outed, Ron’s family were simply disappointed that he had been keeping a secret from them, and accepted Blaise into their family without a second thought.)
After high school, she attended a private university near home, which was ultimately a filter school for Durmstrangs. While she kept in touch with Draco, she resented him for seemingly choosing Harry over her. Though, when she pondered the situation of if having to pick between Draco and Hermione, she decided to forgive them.
But not after a good tongue-lashing.
She decided to study investigative journalism. She secretly followed Hermione on sock social media accounts, and she discovered that Hermione had become their state’s governor shortly after high school.
Pansy never dated; she had been on a few dates with men, but after experiencing Hermione Jean Granger, she realized she wanted something different. After that, she remained single for fear of being outed again. Then again; experiencing Hermione Jean Granger seemingly ruined any potential relationships at their conception.
After graduating from university, she knew she had to come out to her family. This ultimately was what had gotten her thoroughly disowned, but with her education paid for and a career underway with The Quibbler, she had no qualms about a nonexistent family. At that point, she had Draco and Harry, whose wedding she had unfortunately missed; when Pansy’s parents realized that Draco was marrying a black man, she was discouraged from remaining in contact with him. That didn’t stop her from sending a vase and lubrication, though.
She remembered going through the pictures of the wedding; the only person she looked for was Hermione. She was stunning in her maroon dress that accentuated the curves she remembered loving all those years ago. At that point, Hermione was studying law in a graduate program (according to her social media). Hermione decided to focus her energy on school and her new program about uplifting young black children and encouraging education. It sickened Pansy how wonderful and wholesome her former girlfriend was, but at the same time, she wanted to be her cheerleader again.
But it had been ten years since she had last seen Hermione, and while she had been initially hopeful that they’d rekindle their love for one another, Pansy had given up hope.
She had stayed in the state with Harry and Draco for years. It was a comfortable situation until Pansy wanted more. The girls in her state were terribly closed-minded, and while Lord Voldemort had been imprisoned, they still were fanatical, devout followers of him. While she loved her job, she didn’t feel challenged anymore. This prompted her to apply for dozens of investigative journalist positions all over the United States. The one that caught her eye was the esteemed Daily Prophet, which was based in Washington, D.C.; she accepted the offer immediately.
Thus, Pansy Marie Parkinson found herself in the country’s capital with the fruitless hopes of finding the one Hermione Jean Granger. Sure, she was more-than-likely already in a committed relationship with another woman, but the brunette was willing to take the chance. Anyway, this was Hermione Jean Granger; she was likely committed to her work more than anything. She had recently been elected a Representative, and was visiting the country’s capital for work.
It was the end of the year, and the New Year’s celebrations were taking place all over the city. Pansy wandered the streets in awe; her state seemed small in comparison. She eventually stumbled across a firework celebration over the Capitol. (That’s what the sign said, anyway.)
She wasn’t sure what possessed her, but she maneuvered around the crowd of excited families and adults as if being pulled by a string. She was dazed, simply wandering the historic land. She wandered until she ran into someone.
There was chanting; the year would conclude in ten seconds. “I’m sorry,” Pansy mumbled, hanging her head.
“It’s alright.” The voice was angelic, and more importantly, familiar. Jerking her head upward, she found herself face to face with Hermione Jean Granger after ten years. “Pansy,” she whispered.
She whispered back, “Hermione.”
There were three seconds left of the year. Before she could comprehend anything, their lips collided as the crowd erupted in cheers. The fireworks exploded, crackled, and burst with life as the two embraced each other, afraid to let go for fear of losing the other again. Finally, Hermione pulled away and whispered in Pansy’s ear, “I told you we’d find our way back to each other.”