A Deal Made on Impluse

Monday morning was a dread. The moment Ginny opened her eyes she was met with a flood of anxiety. She lay in stillness for a few moments until the lingering nausea from the night before had passed.

Hermione was already up and dressed, getting ready to walk out the door when she noticed that Ginny was awake. She paused at the door, hand on the doorknob, “Everything will be fine today Gins,” she slipped out of the door a second later.

Ginny covered her eyes and groaned.

She got up, quickly dressing in her uniform and sliding her Mary Jane heels on. She fumbled with her tie three times before finally getting the knot correct. It was loose but it would have to do for today because there was no way she would get it any tighter with her shaky fingers.

She grabbed her stack of books, corresponding with the three classes she had today, and headed out of her dorm.

Her first class of the day was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Usually, she would dread this class, the professor bore her to tears, but today she was dreading the end of class.

Why? Because, luckily, this was one of the classes she did not have with Pansy Parkinson. Unfortunately, the next class, Charms, was where her luck ran out.

The DADA professor, much to Ginny’s dismay, released the class for the day, meaning Ginny was now sluggishly making her way down the hall to Charms. She wished Merlin would bless her with the stomach flu or something to that degree at this moment. Anything to get out of having to go to class.

She reached the massive carved door of her class. Heaving a sigh, she pulled the handle and made her way inside, hesitant to meet her fate.

She immediately found Pansy, in her usual seat three rows back from Ginny’s. The woman was distracted, talking with friends. Ginny took the opportunity to hurriedly make her way to her seat and slouch into her chair.

The professor entered the room beginning the lecture. He droned on about making a teacup dance around the desk for over an hour. Ginny tried to listen, she really did, but she could feel laser eyes drilling into the back of her head.

She was too scared to turn around and see what was causing her these feelings for fear of finding Pansy Parkinson staring back at her.

The professor wrapped up class shortly after 1:00 pm. It was lunch and then Ginny had her last class later in the day. She rose from her seat intending to skip lunch and make a mad dash for her dorm.

She was so stressed out, maybe sketching or painting could help. Yes; that is what she’d do. She’d go to her dorm and take her stress out on a canvas. Maybe she would even skip her last class and just have Hermione bring her dinner. The prospect of spending the rest of the night tucked away in the corner of her room with the easel sounded all too enticing.

She quickly gathered her things from her desk, not bothering to tuck away her notes or pens, just piling them on top of her books and fast walking to the door.

As soon as she crossed the threshold into the hall she heard it. Her name was being called from the room she’d just left. She paused, recognizing the voice right away. She’d been playing that voice on repeat all night long What can I do for you Weasley and Okay. It was Pansy’s husky voice.

Ginny was tempted to run but she remembered that Pansy had done her a favor yesterday, so instead she paused, slowly turning on her heel to face the woman.

Now, so close behind her, Pansy stood. Just slightly taller than the redhead she looked down into Ginny’s eyes, a glint of humor in her own.

Ginny’s palms began to sweat.

“What can I do for you Parkinson?” Ginny threw her words from yesterday back at her.

“Can we talk?” Her eyes gleaned around the corridor noting the other students shuffling around, some of them noting the unusual fact that the pair was talking, “Somewhere private?”

Ginny’s heart stopped in her chest. What could Pansy want to talk about? Was she not also stewing on what happened yesterday? Shouldn’t they both just pretend the kiss never happened and go back to how things were before yesterday afternoon?

“Sure,” Ginny reluctantly squeaked out, “Where?”

“Your dorm?” Pansy surprised Ginny by suggesting.

Ginny just nodded, turning around and heading down the hall, hoping the girl was following. Or maybe she hoped she’d lose Pansy in the chaos of the lunch rush; students flying through the hallways heading towards the dining hall.

Unfortunately, much to Ginny’s dismay, the woman kept stride with her.

They made it to the portrait door in record time for Ginny. Usually, she was legerly with her walk back to the dorm, stopping to talk to her peers or getting distracted by one of the castle’s ghosts and their antics.

She muttered the password to the stubborn old librarian in the painting. The door swung open revealing a dark tunnel leading into the cozy octagonal-shaped common room lined with red rugs and tapestries depicting scenes of knights in shining armor and spindling forests.

The fire from this morning was still roaring, warming the room to an almost uncomfortable temperature. The heat only added to Ginny’s nerves. She still didn’t look back to see if Pansy was behind her, she could hear the click of her shoes in the empty common room.

They made their way to the stone staircase. Ginny paused her foot on the first step. Once she went up these stairs there was no turning back. She would truly be isolated with Pansy Parkinson, the woman she’d kissed yesterday; the only woman she’d kissed.

Despite her nerves she continued on, something in her gut telling her to go onward, to hear Pansy out.

They were met with yet another door, this one Ginny unlocked using wandless magic. The pair stepped inside her and Hermione’s shared room.

The redhead stood uncomfortably in the middle of the room, watching as the brunette wandered about looking over Ginny’s shelves of paints, music, and nicknacks. Then she moved to Hermione’s selves, pulling off a book to read the back cover.

Ginny cleared her throat after a minute, “So… what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Pansy put the book down, spinning around to look at Ginny. She walked over to Ginny’s bed plopping down on her back to look at the ceiling.

Pansy blew out a breath, almost a sigh, “I think we should date.”

Ginny choked on the air. What did she mean date? She said that so casually as if it was normal for Pansy fucking Parkinson of all people to suggest that she date Ginny Weasley.

“I… I’m sorry, what?” Ginny gasped out.

“Sorry,” the woman sat up from her position on the bed, facing Ginny once more. “I think we should fake date.”

Pansy said it in a tone that suggested that the insertion of the word ‘fake’ cleared up all confusion. It did not. At least not for Ginny. She was at a complete loss for words.

Pansy looked at her shocked state for a few moments before standing to lightly grab the redhead’s hand. She gently pulled her to the bed and sat her down on the edge. Ginny complied, too lost in confusion to do anything else.

Pansy pulled out the desk chair flipping it backwards to straddle it facing Ginny. Her necktie was loose as if she’d pulled at it in frustration. Her button-down shirt was untucked from her skirt and her knee-high stockings were beginning to slip down her calves.

Ginny couldn’t look at the woman for too long or her thoughts would get her into trouble. Trouble like agreeing to Pansy’s plan before even hearing it.

“What do you mean fake date?” Ginny emphasized the last words as if to remind herself what they were talking about.

“I mean exactly what it sounds like. We pretend to date.”

“But… why? Why would we pretend to date?” Ginny’s confusion is palpable, like a breathing being dancing around in the air.

“Because you have an ex-boyfriend who won’t leave you alone. If we pretend like we’re in a relationship he’ll back off, I’ll make sure of it.” She supplies.

Pansy had noticed Dean’s actions over the last couple of months? Had anyone else noticed? Her brothers certainly hadn’t. Dean was probably lucky that they hadn’t; too caught up in their own romantic drama to notice their little sister’s leach of an ex.

“You noticed Dean?”

“Of course I noticed. He was outside most of your classes harassing you for the last two months. He almost makes it impossible not to notice.” Pansy surprised Ginny by saying.

She didn’t think anyone had been paying that much attention to her, let alone her issues with Dean. Hermione and Draco were the only ones who knew, and that was only because Hermione was her best friend and Draco was her best friend’s boyfriend.

Merlin, it was embarrassing that she had noticed. Dean was embarrassing. Ginny could not believe she dated him.

“What about you? What would you get out of us fake dating?” Ginny asked still confused about the woman’s motivations and trying to change the subject.

“Well I get to tell Dean to shove off whenever I want,” she laughed, “and I get to prove to my parents that I am actually gay, despite their doubts.” Gone was the laughter. Now grave seriousness replaced it.

“What do you mean?” Ginny whispered.

Pansy seemed to be hesitant to explain but continued nonetheless, “My parents think me being gay is a phase. It’s obviously not but no amount of words seems to be convincing enough for them.” She sighs and Ginny doesn’t think she’s heard a sadder sigh in her life.

“Maybe dating a girl will prove it to them.” Pansy finishes.

Suddenly Ginny wants nothing more than to leap from the bed and wrap the girl in the tightness of a hug. She doesn’t think Pansy gets enough of those.

Ginny stays where she is, however; she doesn’t even know the brunette that well, she doesn’t need to scare her off by pulling her into a bear hug only a Weasley can truly give. Especially not when this plan is starting to sound enticing.

No, no definitely not. Those thoughts will lead nowhere good. Ginny could not start down that road.

“How would we even convince them that we are dating? They’d never see us.” It didn’t make sense to Ginny. How were they supposed to convince her parents that they were together if they were away at Hogwarts the entire time?

“They are having a New Year’s Eve gala.” she rolls her eyes at the word gala, “You come to it and they can see that this whole gay thing is one hundred percent not going away. Then, we date for a couple more months and the good old-fashioned rumor mill will get the information on us back to them. Hopefully, with any luck, they will be convinced.” She sucks in a breath.

Ginny gnaws on her bottom lip, weighing the pros and cons of this crazy plan. It might help get Dean off her back and it would help get Pansy’s parents off of hers. It’s crazy, that’s for sure, no doubt about it, but… it just might work.

“How long would we fake date?” she needs to know every detail before she agrees to this. Matter of fact they should probably come up with some rules as well, so as to not blur any lines. Not that Ginny thinks she’ll have a hard time not blurring lines, definitely not.

“How about we revisit that question in a couple of months? See where we are sitting with our individual problems and adjust the timeline from there.” Pansy has this whole thing figured out Ginny thinks.

Ginny stares hard and Pansy. Debating back and forth. Should she, should she not? After a few moments of intense staring from both girls, Pansy never breaking eye contact with her. Ginny answers the original suggestion, “Okay. I’ll do it. But I have some rules.”

Merlin was Ginny easy to convince, how embarrassing. She just hoped this didn’t go wrong.

“Yes ma’am. Hit me,” Pansy gives her a salute, some of the playfulness returning to her eyes.

Ginny rolls her eyes, “No kissing. At least not all the time.” Ginny starts.

Pansy doesn’t say anything quite yet, just has a questioning look in her eye.

“I want to save those things for real moments in my life. I know it sounds stupid it’s just-” Ginny is cut off by Pansy’s reply,

“It’s not stupid. I get it, no kissing unless necessary. What about touching? No one is going to believe we’re dating if we don’t kiss let alone touch.”

Pansy makes a good point. Ginny ponders the question, deciding what she’s okay with and what she’s not.

“How about this, we can touch, and give chaste kisses, on the cheek and such. Sound reasonable?” Ginny questions if these parameters are good.

“Okay, I can work with that.” Pansy nods, “Any other rules?”

Ginny pauses. She hadn’t thought that far, only that she didn’t want to blur the lines with too much kissing.

“Uhm, I don’t think so,” Ginny tells her.

“Great,” she slaps her hands on the back of the chair, standing up, going to make her way for the door.

“Wait!” Ginny rushed to stand.

Pansy turns back raising her eyebrows waiting for an explanation.

Ginny walks up to her, coming next to the door, “Who should we tell about this… arrangement?”

“Probably no one, if we want it to be convincing,” Pansy says.

“But Hermione,” Ginny trails off.

“Aah, the golden girl,”

“She’s my best friend. She’s going to know if I’m lying.” Ginny tells her.

“Tell whoever you want Weasley, just try to keep it under wraps, alright? It would be terribly humiliating if someone found out about this.” Pansy looks down at Ginny, a teasing glint in her eye.

“Okay,” Ginny whispers, feeling like the air has suddenly been sucked out of the room.

The girls look at each other, momentary heat sizzling between them.

“I’ll see you later… girlfriend,” Pansy whispers, breaking whatever moment they had between them a second ago.

She’s gone before Ginny can muster any sort of response, the door already closed.

“Bye,” Ginny whispers to the emptiness of her room.