The Invitation

One Month Earlier 

Pansy stuck her head over the cubicle and peered down at Hermione. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by books and papers, her wild curls twisted into a knot, a wand poking through to hold it in place.

“Psst,” she said under her breath, but there was no response.

“Psst,” again, still nothing.

“Oi!” she shouted, the entire office Immediately turning toward the noise. “Don’t be nosy,” she growled, narrowing her eyes at the office as though she wasn’t the one making a scene.

“Hermione Jean Granger, I swear, if you ignore me again, I will hex you.”

“Huh? Pans, I’m in the middle of a thought, and…”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know, golden girl and future Minister of Magic,” Pansy mocked, rolling her eyes, and flourishing her hands dramatically, as if conducting an orchestra.

“Listen!” she continued, now coming around to Hermione’s side of the cubicle—though, Hermione wasn’t sure why she hadn’t just done that from the start. “I have another lead on the circus. Come with me?”

Hermione glanced up, her train of thought now completely derailed. She looked at Pansy, noticing the familiar dark eyeliner and eyeshadow, her black pixie bob flicked up at the ends. Hermione was positive Pansy enchanted it to look more menacing. Her gold jewelry—around her neck, wrist, and fingers—was the only splash of color against the otherwise black ensemble. Black skirt, black jumper, black boots. Somehow, she always looked both professional and sexy. How does she do that? Hermione thought to herself, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

“I’m not going to another club,” she groaned, taking off her glasses and swinging her legs to cross them in front of her. “Besides, it’s not the one you’re looking for anyway. You know that club is invitation-only.”

“Yes, but how do you get invited, you ask?” Pansy replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. “By being seen in the clubs where the people who go… frequent,” she finished with a broad smile and a flourish, as though ready to take a bow.

“No! Last time we went to some dodgy club, we nearly got swept into a dangerous underground betting ring for magical creatures and had to fight our way out."

“Nearly... being the operative word in that sentence,” Pansy said, deadly serious, like it wasn’t the most terrifying thing in the world.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t grow up in the magical world. So, dangerous, illegal underground fighting with creatures is kind of scary,” Hermione shot back, raising an eyebrow as if that was a perfectly reasonable point.

“Oh, shut up,” Pansy retorted with a wave of her hand, her lips curling into a sly smile. “You met old Voldy, didn’t you? Several times, actually. And didn’t you wear a locket with his soul in it? That’s terrifying, and you’re over here whining about magical creatures fighting each other. Get over yourself.”

Hermione winced. “I didn’t exactly choose to wear a locket with a piece of his soul in it, you know.”

“Yeah, but you sure managed to survive it. I’m betting a little underground brawl wouldn’t be that bad for you, not when you’ve survived that.”

“I wasn’t planning on getting caught in that underground ring, Pansy. You know, it wasn’t on my ‘to-do’ list.”

“Yeah, well, work wasn’t on my goals either, yet here I am. Paying penance and in service to the … Man!” she joked, but there was an edge there too. “I know, I know.” Pansy leaned closer, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone. “But it was kind of thrilling, wasn’t it? Just a little? The danger, the thrill, the fact that we actually got out?”

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, but there was a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips. “I really don’t think I need more thrills in my life right now.”

“Pfft, you say that now, but deep down, I know you miss the chaos. You’re not the same without a little danger,” Pansy teased, nudging her playfully. “You love the adrenaline. And maybe... just maybe... that’s why you keep coming on adventures with me”

Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“True,” Pansy agreed with a shrug, “But you love it.”

“Remember my goal,” Hermione said, her voice exasperated. “I can’t have the Daily Prophet splashing pictures of our... escapades all over the front page just before my election.”

“I know, I know, if you want to be Minister of Magic by the time you’re 30, you need to learn all the roles here to get there, la la la” Pansy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That’s not how others have achieved it, you know?”

“I’m not like others,” Hermione replied, exasperated. “There has never been a Muggle-born Minister for Magic. I have more to prove. I can’t just…”

“Marry your way there?” Pansy smirked, slouching in Hermione’s desk chair, the small space between them shrinking even further as she casually kicked her feet up onto the desk.

Hermione shot her a look, half exasperated, half amused. “Pansy, I need to concentrate.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” Pansy said, raising an eyebrow. “Theo’s available, you know?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Theo’s gay.”

“No, he’s Bi,” Pansy corrected, leaning back with a smug grin.

Just as Hermione was about to dismiss her, Theo sauntered over, pushing his glasses up his nose with a lazy smile. “I’m gay, actually.”

Pansy blinked, confused. “I’ve seen you with girls!” She scrunched up her face, eyeing him skeptically.

“That was last week,” Theo shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m gay this week.”

Pansy snorted. “That’s not how it works.”

“How would you know?” Theo raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening.

Hermione gaped at him for a moment before shaking her head with a grin. “You two are ridiculous. I’m trying to concentrate on my work here, and you’re both distracting me with… whatever this is.”

Pansy winked at Hermione. “Relax, Granger. Theo’s just giving you a preview of the fun you could be having, if you didn’t bury yourself in books all day.”

Theo chuckled. “Pansy’s right. You’ve got to live a little.”

Hermione sighed, smiling despite herself. “One day, you two are going to be the death of me.”

“Well, it won’t be today,” Pansy replied with a wink. “Come on, lighten up. There’s a whole world outside these walls, waiting for you.”

Hermione stood up, putting some of the books on her desk and leaving the rest scattered across the floor, smiling at her friend. She shook her head, still marveling at how their friendship had blossomed over the years. Godric knew how they had ended up here, in this odd, unexpected place. If someone had told her a few years ago that she’d be planning girls' nights out with Pansy Parkinson, she would’ve laughed in their face.

But here they were, and honestly, Pansy was her go-to friend now. She was the one Hermione could be totally honest with, no filters, no judgment. It was funny how things worked out that way. There had been a time when Hermione would’ve considered Pansy nothing more than a rival, a girl from a different world. But war had a funny way of making strange alliances. It turned out that school had been such an isolated place for both of them—especially in the middle of the war—where every move you made was just a reflex to protect yourself. In the end, no matter your house, your bloodline, or your old grudges, survival meant everything.

Hermione never held it against Pansy that they’d been on different sides back then. She knew too well how the lines between right and wrong had blurred in that madness. But now, it felt like nothing but distant memories, moments that belonged to a life that was over.

“Alright, alright, fine I’ll go,” Hermione muttered under her breath, grabbing her coat. She was already used to the rhythm of their unexpected friendship. Pansy, for all her sharp edges, had proven to be someone who would actually listen, someone who got it, in a way that others didn't.

Pansy tilted her head as she watched Hermione pick up the rest of the books scattered on the floor, her lips curling into a knowing smile. “How many books?”

“Old habits die hard,” Hermione replied with a wink, grabbing the last book from the floor and stacking it neatly on the desk. She turned to Pansy, feeling that familiar warmth in her chest. “Ok I’m ready.”

“Good, because I swear, if I have to drag you out of here kicking and screaming, I will,” Pansy said, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

“Theo, you coming?” Pansy smiled sweetly, too sweetly.

“Hell no! You two are chaos gremlins after a few giggle waters. Definitely not” before Pansy could argue he strode away, clearly knowing the only way to win with Pansy was to be anywhere but in her presence.

“Well that got rid of Theo” she said knowing 100% his reaction after the turtle incident. It was still raw.

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn’t fight the laughter that bubbled up. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And you love it,” Pansy shot back without missing a beat.

Hermione couldn’t help but agree. Somehow, Pansy had become her anchor in this post-war world. They were two very different people in a world that was still trying to piece itself back together, and yet, that difference was what made it work. What started as an unlikely friendship had transformed into something she never saw coming. What was once a superficial alliance born of necessity had become something real.

And for all the seriousness of her life—the research, the obligations, the weight of the world—Hermione had found a way to let go, if only for a few hours, when she was with Pansy. Tonight, would be no different.

She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “Okay, okay. I’m in. But I’m not doing anything too crazy tonight. We’re just going out, having fun, and getting back before dawn, got it?”

Pansy rolled her eyes dramatically. “Fine, fine. We’ll go easy on you tonight, but next time? You’re definitely coming to the other club with me.”

“Right, because that’s a safe idea,” Hermione said, half sarcastic, half intrigued. She had to admit, a part of her was curious about the mystery surrounding it.

“Trust me,” Pansy said with a grin, locking eyes with her. “It’ll be unforgettable.”

As they walked out of the office, the buzzing energy of the night seemed to pulse in the air. They didn’t know where the night would take them, but Hermione was beginning to realize that maybe—just maybe—the adventure that Pansy was promising could be exactly what she needed.