Black Notice

Pansy Parkinson was in the Slytherin Common Room when 'it' happened. She was working on her Transfiguration homework, hoping not to get too low a mark when Professor Snape entered the Room, looked about quickly with those sharp eyes of his and shouted her name when he spotted her.

"Miss Parkinson! My office, now!"

Wondering what it was that she had done to earn the anger of her Head of House, she slowly got up, shrugged to her friends, Millicent and her boyfriend Blaise, and made her lonely way to the office she was ordered to.

Once inside, she sat on the seat offered to students on detention and looked up at the Potion's Professor through guarded brown eyes. "Am I in trouble sir?" She asked.

"No, you are not. I am, instead, the bearer of bad news. Professor Dumbledore is sent letters every now and then which the Head of House is asked to give the student in question." With that said, Professor Snape put his hands into one of the pockets on his robes and pulled out a plain black envelope, Pansy's name written in silver across one side.

Her blood chilled. She knew what one of these letters meant. Someone in her family had died. She hoped perhaps that it was her Aunt Morag, whom she didn't like very much.

With trembling hands, she slowly reached out and grabbed the envelope from her Professor, slowly traced the silver letters with her fingers, as if trying to magic them into someone elses name. It didn't work. The name stayed hers, stubbornly so in her panicking mind.

Who was it?! Her breath quickened as she turned the letter over and slowly looked at the seal that she had so many times seen. The seal of the Ministry of Magic. The letter was indeed no joke.

Taking in a huge gulp of air, she broke the seal with her fingers and lifted the flap that showed the letter inside. It was the same plain black as the envelope, the same seal showing proudly in white ink. She didn't want to read the letter underneath it, but knew she must. She needed to know.

Going at a snail's pace, she lifted the letter out, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened her eyes as she exhaled.

The letter, if it didn't hold such horrible news would have been what she thought of as pretty. Written in white ink that almost seemed to glow, she read the words slowly and carefully on the page.

She almost collapsed as the truth sank in on what the note said. She dropped the note and buried her head in her hands.

Her parents were dead. Killed in some 'freak accident'. Pansy immediately knew that it was because her family had opted to leave the Dark Lord and their 'evil' ways behind them. Why else would her house burn down...even if the Dark Mark wasn't showing above the ruins.

A strangled sound of anguish escaped her as arms wrapped about her. Regardless of what everyone from other Houses may think, Professor Snape cared about his Slytherins.

The door to the office opened and Draco sauntered in, shattering what little control Pansy had over her emotions. She began crying fiercly onto Professor Snape's shoulder, soaking his robes with her tears.

"Who was it?" Draco asked coldly, as he spotted the black notice.

"Her parents, Master Malfoy." Her Professor answered just as coldly back.

Wit a grunt of disapproval, Draco sneered at her crying form. "Then she is of no more use to me..." With that, he strolled back out the door, shutting it behind him with a soft click of finality.

Pansy knew what he meant by that. Both he and herself were from prominent pureblood families and an arranged marriage had been set for them. While Pansy knew she wasn't the most attractive girl at the school, she had always hated not being able to choose who she wanted to marry.

With her parents now dead and knowing no other family member would take her in, she would be as low as a mudblood to the rich, snobby Slytherin's like Draco.

She soon left Professor Snape's office, heading towards the Slytherin Dorms, knowing she was now going to be shunned by most.

She hated that she was right.

A/N - Well, since it has been so long since I have updated any of my Harry Potter fics, I decided to write yet another short one-shot, but this one, if people want me to continue, could become a chaptered story, though it would be short. Thanks for all your opinions, if I get any, lol. R/r, please.