Prompt #557 – Fresco – Partnership – slashluv18 – Harry Potter

[slashluv18.livejournal.com]

Title: Partnership
Fandom: Harry Potter
Prompts: #557 – Fresco
Warnings: None
Pairings/Characters: Percy/Pansy
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 522
Summary: The two of them are forced to work together.

Pansy walked into the office and wrinkled her nose at the sight of the person who sat behind the desk, in front of the Fresco painting.
The man looked just as pleased. Or unpleased as the case might be. "Parkinson."
"Weasley," she returned.
They stared at each other, but Percy was the one to break eye contact. He made the excuse that he had to shuffle some papers, but Pansy knew she was the victor of their little stare-off.
He stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of her. "Okay, let's put it all out there. I don't like you. And you don't like me."
"You or your family," Pansy couldn't help but add.
Percy glared. "We have to work together in order to get everything ready for the Wizarding Peace Conference. So, let's just make the best out of a bad situation."
"Fine. How do we split up jobs?"
Percy sighed. "You're superior told me you have good people skills. I'm not sure how that is even possible, but I'll trust his word."
Pansy crossed her arms. "And?"
"People don't like me when they first meet me."
"Of after they've known you for a long time," she added. Pansy just couldn't help herself.
Pain flashed in his eyes, and she was surprised she felt slightly bad for her mean words. She shrugged it off, though. It was the truth, and he knew it.
"Right. So, you should handle the communications. I'm good with paperwork, so I'll do all of that. This way, we won't really have to deal too much with each other."
"Works for me," she agreed and promptly left the office.
Despite how different their jobs were, they did still have to talk to each other and finalize plans.
And even though they had both been unhappy with the partnership, they were both pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the company of the other person actually was when they allowed themselves to relax.
Percy found himself dreading the time he would no longer have a reason to talk to Pansy, and even though she didn't know the sentiment was the same, Pansy felt the same way.
Percy was handsome in an intellectual sort of way, and when they talked, Percy seemed to actually care about what she had to say. And that was a novelty as most Pure-bloods deemed the words of witches as nonsensical and unimportant.
Pansy didn't want to say goodbye to him or their partnership, but she didn't know how she could bring it up without looking like a fool.
Thankfully, despite his serious and studious nature, Percy was still a Gryffindor and brave as a lion at heart.
One day, during their last week of working together, Percy said, "In two days, we'll no longer have any excuse to talk to each other."
"I know," she hesitantly remarked, wondering where he was going with it.
"That's why I'm asking you out to dinner on Friday night."
"Like a date?" she asked, afraid to hope.
"Like a date," he agreed.
Pansy smiled. One partnership might be ending, but another one was just beginning.