Pansy
September 2, the same morning
Pansy woke up at her usual time, 5:30, in an unusually good mood which was strange because she was not a particularly happy person. As she sat up in her bed and stretched she looked over the dark room which she shared with two other witches. In the Slytherin-dorms it had only been her and Daphne as Millicent and Tracey had roomed together in another dorm. Usually you shared a room with two other witches in those dorms too but as there were only four witches in her year and no one had wanted to live alone, they had lived in pairs. The seventh- year Slytherins usually got their own dorms though. Pansy knew that the currently sleeping Gryffindor in the bed next to hers had been one of three Gryffindor witches in their year so she assumed that those three had roomed together and the girl was therefore used to being woken up at a normal time to have time for a shower, clothes, hair and makeup. Apparantly not.
She together with Daphne had woken up the sleeping witch and gotten themselves ready. But as they were almost ready to leave Pansy took one look at Granger and almost fainted. She hadnt done her hair or makeup. It would be humiliating to go down to breakfast looking like that.
-"Well, I am ready to go." announced the witch in question. Daphne who was the sweetest girl Pansy had ever met tried to get her to change her mind with a soft "Are you sure, we can wait" to which Granger just raised an eyebrow to and Pansy who was not known for her sweetness said "Granger, you look fucking terrible, Daph is just to kind to tell you." She waited a second as the addressed witch once again turned around and faced her with a daring glint in her eye but an otherwise blank look. It was almost scary how much she looked like Draco in that moment and that was something Pansy never thought she would ever think about her.
-"Since you seem to be incapable of getting yourself ready at the moment, I and Daph will be taking over." she continued and she didnt even wait for an answer before she had tied the brightest witch of their age to a chair and were working on her hair. The unruly locks truly had amazing potential if it was treated right and that was exactly what Pansy planned to do. With only a few spells the frizz was gone and after a few more the curls were neat and defined. She decided to put it up in a half up, half down kind of vibe and critically asessed her work. After deeming it respectable enough she started on the makeup and noted that Daphne was doing an amazing work on Grangers nails, they were cut, shaped and were currently being colored with a golden colour. She worked at the makeup for a couple minutes before topping it off with a little mascara and a touch of lipgloss. Stepping back, it was almost as if they were looking at another person and she heard Daphne take in a deep breath beside her. She thought to herself "Well now she is officially part off the group" and looking at Daphne she could see it in her eyes that she thought the same.
When the three of them finally looked respectable they walked down to the Great Hall and ate breakfast at Ravenclaws table. Far too soon breakfast was over and they separated from their new friend to go sit with their friends in Slytherin.
The group of snakes as they usually called themselves as they were in fact snakes, ordinarly had a lot to talk about but now as they waited for the letter with the name that was going to decide their entire futures it was mostly quiet. Theo and Blaise made a few tries at a conversation but in the end they just remained quiet, only thanking Slughorn shortly when he delivered their schedules. Internally Pansy was conflicted. There was a part of her that thought it would be best if she was matched with someone from their group because she knew them and they didnt hate her as almost everyone else except for maybe Granger but she also knew that she would never be happy in a relationship with Draco, Blaise or Theo.
After the Headmistress had held her speech the whole hall became silent, everyone was awaiting the end of their free lives, if they had ever had a free life. Pansy wasnt so sure, she knew for a fact that she had never, ever been totally free. But she also knew that she had never been as deprived of it as Draco and even Potter had been their whole lives. When she spotted the owls though, she didnt pray for herself, she prayed for Daphne, for the guys and even for Hermio- Granger. She prayed that they would be happy, that they would be respected and that they would find love. It was weird, she thought. Pansy had never been the selfless person, she was a Slytherin all the way, but now, she knew she had resorted herself to a loveless marriage since she was a little girl and she didnt think this would be any different.
The grey owl that landed in front of her quickly flew away after she removed the letter from its leg. Without saying anything and with the letter still in hand she looked at the others and saw that each and everyone of them did the same. They savoured their last moments. But this couldnt go on for long and she knew it, so she opened the letter.
Pansy Paloma Parkinson
As you know you are required to marry your most compatible match before August and then concieve a child within 2 years from recieving this letter. A second child must be concieved within 4 years from the day you recieve this letter. You may not have a divorce and as the woman you will take his last name. If you do not follow these rules you and your match will be spending the rest of your life within the walls of Azkaban.
Your matched percentage is 86.1%.
The name of your spouse is "Harry James Potter" and therefore your married name will be Pansy Paloma Potter.
We wish you the best of luck
The ministry of magic, Minister of Magic- Kingsley Shaklebolt
-"Fucking hell" she grumbled and she knew she acted very unladylike but she just couldnt bring herself to care in the moment. She, Pansy Parkinson would have to live in his shadow for the rest of her life, and if she wanted to get a job or do something it would only gain success because she was the Chosen ones wife. She couldnt care less about his blood-status and that the Parkinson line would technically end with her if you had the same opinion as her parents, no, she just didnt want to be overshadowed by the man who was supposed to be her partner.
When she looked up at her friends she saw that Daphne looked disgusted, Blaise was smirking, Theo looked confused and Draco looked even paler than usual. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were panicked and full of despair, not the kind of despair you felt for yourself, no, he looked like he had looked when he had had to torture little kids.
-"Oh, I definetly got the best of the bunch, for me I mean." bragged Zabini. "Ginevra Weasley, the youngest Weasley and only daughter of the Weasley and Prewett line, we also have a compatibilty of 93.4%. So who did you get Daph?" Next to him Draco looked almost ill, and on the verge of a panic attack so Pansy put her hand on his and softly whispered "Your match cant be worse than mine" which Draco only shook his head to, as if he didnt belive her.
Daphne answered sadly "Well, Blaise, I guess we will be siblings for real, I got Ronald Weasley, sixth son, with a 65.2% compatibility." Pansy who had apparently for some reason been named comforter tried to comfort her as well but she knew she wasnt that good at it "Oh, no, his table manners, but at least you will have the big family you have always wanted." Daphne looked at her like she was crazy, "Well would you want Molly Weasley as a mother in law?" Draco snorted at the other side of the table "Daph, not to be mean, or to try to make your situation seem less bad, but my match is going to have to have Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy as father and mother in law." That effectibly quieted her start at a rant but it also made everyone grimace, no one wanted to have them as parents in law.
Trying to lighten the mood Theo said "I got Luna Lovegood with the absolute lowest percentage, you know the girl we bullied since her first year, and who was held captive at Malfoy Manor, right and my own father tortured her, that will be a fun reunion." Even though he said it as a joke, those who knew him could her the nervous edge to his statement. To try to calm him just as she had tried with Draco and Daphne she said "Well atleast she will probably get along with my match, you have heard of Harry Potter right, Yeah apparently I am stuck with him because our compatibility is 86.1%, and oh right, he is also the boy that everyone thinks I offered up to Voldermort, fun right."
Theo seemed to calm down a little but Draco seemed to tense up even more. Daphne who seemed to have regained her ability to speak, sweetly asked "Who did you get Draco?" and he drew in a sharp breath. It seemed like he was about to get up and leave but he answered bitterly "Oh, me? I got the girl who has the most right to hate me in the entire fucking universe. Hermione Granger, the Golden Girl, brightest witch of her age, ring any bells? But that is obviously not all, our compatibilty is the highest score out of every single match. Plus as you know people still think of me as a Death Eater so her name is going to get dragged in the mud and since my parents is my parents they are probably going to force us to have an extremely public relationship. She deserves the whole world, Salazar the whole damn universe for everything she has done, and she got me. The worst alternative avialiable. And you all know how my family-magic works. Right, also she was tortured in my home, in front of me, by my own aunt and I didnt save her."
Blaise then said "But Draco you used the spell that takes away some of the pain. You did everything you could."
"It wasnt fucking enough, she is traumatised for life" There Pansy cut in "Draco stop it, I have tried to be the sweet one today which for one, why did I do that and second I am horrible at it, but Hermione is a strong girl, we have seen it. Me and Daphne, as we said, share a dorm with her, and she fits right in with the two of us. Yes, she takes potions to sleep sometimes, but dont we all, and sometimes she is going to have nightmares and panic attacks but almost everyone does. And, you know what Draco? You are the best one to help with that, you are the one that helps us with everything, our rock. So just be her rock, because yes, she needs one, but she isnt more brokn than you are. Just be you, and start with being her friend. Now, be the Draco we know. I would like some comforting and I think the others do too, so lets get to class and then after Pomfreys lesson we can get pissed in your dorm"
With that they stood up and Pansy dared to look over at the Gryffindor table and Granger and her friends. There she met a pair of beautiful green eyes before looking away and continuing out of the hall. She couldnt help thinking that she wouldnt mind staring into those eyes for the rest of her life before reprimanding herself for getting so soppy, first with her friends and then with her future husband, the Gryffindor king. As they walked out they heard a dreamy "Congratulations all of you, especially you Hermione, the highest match" Thinking about her friends pairings she hoped they all would be okay. She was a little worried for Daphne and Theo but thought Draco's and Blaise's matches fit right in with them and also the group. She couldnt bring herself to think about herself though.
Funny to think, the entire Golden trio had been paired with snakes. Hopefully they could together destroy as many as possible of those pureblood traditions.