She had fallen into steady routine as she milled around her old home. Her mother was often gone before she woke up and Pansy enjoyed the peace and quiet of the morning. Her father rarely left the house, but he kept to his study for the better part of the day. Occasionally he would call her in for idle conversation as she passed the door and she was thankful for her father's company at times. It was a welcomed break from her mother's constant scrutiny.
Pansy had changed her wardrobe to fit her growing condition and although the baby bump was hardly recognizable, she stuck to looser fitting shirts just for the sake of things. Her mother often raised an eyebrow at her daughter's odd habits, but Pansy usually left the room before her mother could even open her mouth. It was a miserable way of life, but she had no idea what else to do. She often thought about crawling back to Blaise, but she knew he would never take her back. She had done the unthinkable.
Getting a job and a tiny one bedroom apartment would be her best bet and Pansy scoured over the Prophet daily for a decent job opening. She had always wanted a position of importance at the Ministry, though when she had mentioned it to her father he seemed to think she lacked the discipline and potential. So she was left to look for something lower on the list and even those were difficult to come by.
She sat at the dining room table with the paper spread out before her and a quill in one hand. Her eyes were heavy and dry from hours of reading and her hand was sore from crossing things out and scribbling notes in the side column. Her spine stiffened as she heard her mother's footsteps approaching and she glanced sideways as the woman's shadow fell over her. Without a word, her mother settled herself into the seat beside Pansy and folded her hands in her lap.
"I saw Blaise today," Her mother said slowly. With a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes, Pansy lifted her head and tucked her hair behind her ears as she searched her mother's cool expression.
"That's nice," She tried to keep her voice void of emotion. She didn't want her mother to know that she was hurting and that she missed a man that would never love her. That was her own personal weakness and she wanted to keep it to herself.
"He was with another woman," Her mother continued. Pansy felt a lump rise in her throat. "He asked about you."
"Did he?" She could feel the heavy pause fall upon them and she swallowed hard. Slowly, she set her quill down and sat back against the high-backed chair. She knew what was coming next before the woman even opened her mouth and she realized that she had been prepared for this moment from the very beginning.
"Do you think I'm stupid, Pansy? I suspected it from the moment you arrived. I know my daughter and I can see it in your eyes. I can certainly see it in the way your eating habits have changed," She frowned. "You know your options. I will not have you ruining the very name your father and I have worked to uphold for all of these years."
"I am so sick of hearing about my options," Pansy slapped her palms down on top of the newspaper. "I am not a little girl anymore. I am a grown woman and I can make my own decisions. I don't care about what options I have. They have all been considered and I've picked the best one for me. I don't need Blaise and I certainly don't need you or father."
"Do you think you can support yourself and a child? You don't even have a job," Her mother snorted. "Blaise is a well established young man. He has a wonderful job and a stable one at that. He can provide for you and the baby."
"But he doesn't want to," Pansy said coldly as she folded up the newspaper and stood up.
"You need to marry him," Her mother urged, standing up as well. "Or your father and I will disown you," She added with narrowed eyes.
Pansy sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. "I will be gone by the end of the week. So you can save your breath," She glared at her mother for a long moment before walking past her and up the stairs.
"How do you think his mother will react?" Her mother called after her. She paused on the staircase and looked over her shoulder.
"That is not my problem. But I'm sure I will be a lovely gossip piece for the two of you," She sneered.
