Disclaimer: not mine, etc.

Author's Note: i decided to do a Pansy fic after reading a fic that suggested that prehaps Pansy's lifestyle wasn't really her own choice. i decided to delve a bit deeper into the idea, and here it is. faces in the dark will be updated at some point.

Prologue: Wish Upon a Star

Part 1:

It was Pansy's last night at home before going to Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the very first time. She had no idea what to expect, but she couldn't wait. Anything had to be better than the life she was living. She read books all the time; they were her only solace from the horrors of her eleven-year-old life, and drunk in the rich fantasies that gave her hope. In her younger years, she had told her family about her dreams, but soon gave up. Dreams were scorned upon. They were a wealthy Slytherin family, followers of the dark lord. She had known from the start what her fate would be, that she would grow up, become a death eater, marry Draco Malfoy, create a heir for the Malfoy line, and die. That was life. It seemed like a lot for a kid to deal with, but it was something Pansy had grown up knowing and silently accepted, understanding that there was nothing she could do to escape it. Despite this understanding, she still read books, living vicariously through them, and dreaming vibrant dreams at night. She had always known she would be going to Hogwarts, coming from a pureblood family, but as the day grew closer a seed of hope began to blossom inside her. Glancing out the window, she saw a shooting star, and made a wish with the kind of faith only eleven year olds have.

Part 2:

Pansy laid in bed, staring at the ceiling in the oppressive darkness of her room. Tomorrow she would be returning to Hogwarts. She had to admit that her life there was better than the one she had at home, but she had long ago lost her dreams, stopped reading her books. Going to Hogwarts was no longer a move towards something better, but simply a transition. Neither place held anything for her. Seeing a shooting star through her window once again, she rolled over and went to sleep.

more A/N: i know it's short, but i thought you might like to get the general idea. chapter 1 has already been started, so it should get posted hopefully in november. as always, review help speed things up.