Chapter 8:
Healer Brown, Lavender, was waiting for her as she walked into work. She noticed how none of her colleagues looked at her. They didn't want to be caught staring but couldn't help but stare. Lavender seemed to be aware of the stares but ignored them. Pansy smiled at her and tried not to stare too. She opened her office and let Lavender in first.
"I've been over the cases you sent my way. I have a concern about the Haldenman children," Lavender told her.
"Such as?" Pansy asked. Lavender shifted before handing her some notes.
"I believe it's the father who is in distress not the mother. The children seem to be scared of her, they always look at the father unless the mother is speaking," Lavender told her.
"Okay," Pansy said taking down notes. She ignored the files and mail that cluttered up her desk.
"I also talked to Mrs. Inarritu. She probably feels safer being away from her husband most of the time. This was just a test run, but I didn't really focus on mental health when training. Would you like me to find someone who would work with us?" Lavender asked.
"Yes, we do need a therapist," Pansy told her. They needed a therapist among other things. But hopefully if the fundraiser went well they would be able to expand their goals.
"I also saw a young Ms. Evans. I think someone should talk to her and visit her more often. She seems unsure of herself but is being abused. Emotionally and verbally abused." Lavender told her.
"Who has her case file?" Pansy asked while looking for her notes. She glanced over the names and file looking for an Evans. She pulled the file, it was an older case, before the shakeup in the department, Christina Evans, daughter of Herbert Evans. She hadn't gone to Hogwarts because her father had wanted to teach her.
"I remember her," Pansy muttered before looking up at Lavender.
"I saw her the other day. She could benefit from some help," Lavender told her.
"I will talk to her this afternoon. Hopefully we haven't left it too long." Pansy sighed, "The head of the department before us was, ah, not very hands on."
"I see, well hopefully we'll be able to do a better job." Lavender smiled. She got up and nodded before leaving.
Pansy sighed and started looking for the files. She could send someone else to check up on people Lavender had told her about or she could do it herself. She glanced at the stack of mail and the new/old case files. If she had time she'd check today after lunch but if she didn't have time she'd send someone else out. Pansy opened the first piece of mail- the pricing for catering from one of her inquiries. There were a few more replies to her inquiries which she could go over once everyone replied to her venue requests.
"Come in," Pansy said not looking up from her paperwork. She kept her office door open most of the time; she wanted people to talk to her.
"A Mr. Malfoy to see you," Maxine told her. Pansy frowned and stared at Maxine who tried to smile. Pansy felt dread lodge in her stomach- another person to assume, at least she was better at hiding it.
"Okay," Pansy said. She held out the files that needed to be processed for Maxine to take. Draco came in just as Maxine left. She glanced at her before plopping himself down on her chair. Pansy tried not to be annoyed.
"You could have asked to use the gardens," Draco told her. Pansy frowned and tried to hind it be sighing.
"I'm the girl that tried to give Potter to the Dark Lord, you're the son of a Death Eater. I'm trying to avoid that conflict." Pansy told him. Draco nodded. He glanced around her office and frowned.
"I'm going to decorate." Pansy told him as he open his mouth. Draco smirked.
"Dinner on Friday at half past six," Draco told her.
"Okay," Pansy smiled. She was going to hate dinner. They sat in a comfortable silence.
"You know," Draco said after a moment, "the Manor has the best gardens. You could use the West garden."
"I know, I would love to. But this is the first fundraise, we have to have it some place neutral. We need people to care about distressed witches and their families. We need people to help us help the community. I can't do that when everyone has an opinion about me. Holding it at the Manor would confirm those beliefs. No matter how much I would love to have it at the Manor."
"People are assholes," Draco told her. Pansy shrugged.
Pansy was surprised at how neat the Haldenman home was, medium sized, with a perfect front lawn. The houses around them were muggle- the Haldenman house looked like an unused plot of land to them. Pansy slowly made her way up to the door, she tried to take in everything. She knocked and waited before knocking again. A haggard man answered the door. He closed the door slightly when he saw who it was.
"How can I help you?" Mr. Haldenman asked.
"I'm Pansy from the Society of Distress Witches. I'm just here for a wellness check." Pansy told him. He stared at her before looking back into the house.
"Is your wife home?" Pansy asked after a moment.
"No, you should come back then," Mr. Haldenman told her. Pansy nodded. She needed a way to him to know she knew.
"Okay, here's my card just in case," Pansy said. She waited for him to take it before leaving.
Pansy made a note about needing a shelter for victims who would be displaced. Why would Mr. Haldenman believe they could help if they didn't have a place to put him. Then there were the parents who should have their children taken from them- who could take the children. Pansy sighed; the department had so much work to do. Dorcas Wellbeloved had started something great but the Ministry was ruining it. Pansy decided to do a wellness check on Ms. Evans then Mrs. Inarritu.
Ms. Evans wasn't home. Her father was, he had been charming until Pansy mentioned Challenging Charms. He had then started a rant on how women couldn't possible understand the complexities of spell work. Pansy tried not to take it personally but decided not to wait for his daughter to get home. Though Pansy wondered if Mr. Evans had been lying.
Mrs. Inarritu turned her away at the door. Pansy had just enough time to offer her card before she closed the door in her face. Pansy sighed and then decided to visit her mother. If she could check on these women then she might as well check on her mother. Maybe she just needed to look over the case against her mother and figure out the finances. Pansy promised herself a treat for doing this.
Parkinson House looked worn on the outside. The lawn was in need of care along with the landscaping. The roof also looked like it needed to be replaced. The yellow color or her childhood had faded; Pansy wondered what the inside looked like. Her mother barred her from entering any further then the entryway or living room. Pansy opened the door and the smell of rot hit her full force. She walked into the living room and found piles of trash. Ditty stood placing trash onto another pile. Pansy moved from the living room to the dining room. The family china was placed in the hutch, Pansy had sold them to pay off their debts. The family paintings too were back.
"Missus is here?" Ditty asked.
"Yes, I'm here to look at the books," Pansy told the elf. Ditty looked nervous before nodding. Pansy moved further into the house. The smell grew fainter the further she moved from the entrance. She couldn't hear any movement but her own and wondered where her mother was.
"This is way," Ditty told her. Ditty led her into the sun room- it had been Pansy's favorite room. The windows were wide and tall giving way to the view of the gardens out back. No matter the weather sun always seemed to be shinning in the room. There had been a few more sofas added since she'd last seen the room. The wallpaper had been redone too- inside of a pale blue was a dark red. The paintings of flowers were gone too replace with pictures of her father and brother. The bookshelves that had covered the left wall were empty of the gardening and other coffee table books. Pansy tried not to think where the things from the room had gone. Tea and finger food was laid out but moldy. Pansy tried not to wonder about the kitchen. She wasn't going to check because she feared the smell.
Pansy sat and Ditty placed the leader books in front of her. Pansy opened the first one and frowned; she opened the second and became alarmed. Her mother had bought back everything she had sold to pay for the pure-blood tax the Ministry had levied against them. She had also eaten up a fifty year old retainer for their solicitor. Her mother was 16,592 galleons in debt. Technology the deed to Parkinson House belong to Pansy, her mother lived and paid all other taxes on the house- that had been the agreement.
"What are you doing?" Pansy's mother's voice was shrill. Violet Parkinson was short with long dark brown hair and blue eyes that had bags under them. Her skin was pale sickly color and her body was that of someone who had once been skinny but was fat and hadn't gotten use to the change in body size. Her clothes were well put together, pearls on her neck, ears and clothes. Pansy knew looking at her mother that she was beyond reasoning.
"Looking over the leader, I talked with the solicitor today." Pansy told her. Her mother's eyes narrowed before she moved slowly to the sofa across from her.
"What did he say?" she asked. Pansy sighed and wondered how to word her response.
"He's sending me a list of solicitors better suited for the job" Pansy smiled. Her mother wouldn't be able to pay though, she didn't tell her that.
"So why then look through the books?" Violet asked.
"He mentioned that there was no money to pay him with," Pansy told her gently. The sofa creaked as her mother leaned forward.
"Do you want to know how I know you're lying?" Violet asked. Pansy stared at her mother and waited. The silence reminded Pansy that her mother wanted an answer.
"No" Pansy sighed.
"Some people are just born with the natural ability to feel lies. I remember when you were younger. Remember how fat you were? You'd always lie and say you hadn't eaten some snack," her mother sighed, "it's a good thing the elves knew to stop you from eating us out of house."
"Of course," Pansy agreed. She had to remind herself that she hadn't been a fat child.
"So, you need money?" Violet began, "what did you do this time? Were you with your slut friends? You know no man is ever going to want you."
"No, I just wanted to help," Pansy tried. Her mother scoffed and placed her hand upon her chest.
"Help?" she asked, "Help? Like the last time? You nearly sold our home. Parkinson House has been in the family since we have been wizards. You sold our legacy!"
"I understand but we had not money to pay the taxes. The Ministry…" Pansy began until Violet cut her off.
"The Ministry is trying to frame me. As though no other pureblood has poison and great artifacts in their house. We are Parkinsons!" her mother snapped.
"What have they charged you with?" Pansy asked. She could feel a headache slowly forming. She didn't want to feel responsible for her mother but she did.
"I've thrown the papers out. I know you can make the charges go away," Violet told her. Pansy thought of some many replies before sighing.
"I can help with the ledger and finding a solicitor but that's all I can do," Pansy told her. She needed to leave. Once her mother died she'd sell Parkinson House. She had already created a new vault for herself at Gringotts, once Pansy had realized her mother was using her money she gotten her own account. She hadn't been able to save much but it was all hers- she loved the feeling.
"If your brother were alive he'd help me. He loved his mother," Violet told her. She got up, grabbed the ledgers and walked out of the sun room.
Pansy was tired as she got into work. Maxine was already waiting with a smile. Pansy tried to smile back. She had had dreams about the debt her mother was accumulating. She tried not to think about it as she worked on the fundraising efforts or at lunch when she ate at her desk. She tried not to think about it as she flooed home and made dinner. She moved through the work week as a zombie. Pansy almost forgot about the dinner plans she had with Draco. He sent a reminder on Friday.
"Anything else for today Ms. Parkinson?" Maxine asked. Pansy frowned. She was still trying to work out some of the plans for the summer fundraiser. Pansy felt overwhelmed by owls from different venues, and people. She had finally figured out the perfect guest list- she just needed Clearwater to approve.
"No, well…if there is anyone else you think might be a good idea to add to the list," Pansy handed Maxine the list. Maxine stared at her before giving her a small smile and nod.
"Right," Maxine said. She went back to her desk which Pansy noticed was piled high with papers. Pansy frowned wondering if that was all from her. They needed another secretary for the department, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't happen soon.
She got home with enough time to change into something nice. She didn't remember how formal or informal dinner was supposed to be. Pansy decided, as she glanced at the mail on her counter, to be late. Draco would understand that while she accepted her apology she was still upset. Plus, mail was important, and no one could make a fuss about when she told them that was why she was late. The first letter was a list of solicitors who might be willing to work with her mother. She sent a quick thank reply to Mr. Tory the former solicitor to the family. She'd look over the names tomorrow, maybe. The second letter was weird. It was two sentences: Stay away from us. I'm watching you. Pansy frowned, she threw it out. The third letter was from Narcissa who had just visited Moscow with some friends. Pansy smiled and wrote back asking her about the trip. She gave a brief detailed list of what happened in her life too.
Pansy wasn't late as she hoped. The dining party seemed to be chatting in the living room. Potter and company stood near the uglier paintings. Granger and Draco were talking but stopped when she arrived. Draco smiled at her as if he knew what she had been planning. Blaise smiled at her while Daphne frowned. Pansy pretended not to see her. Astoria and husband were chatting and giving each other mooning glances. Pansy was surprised to see some people she didn't know among the group.
"Hey, didn't know you were coming," Blaise said giving her a kiss on both cheeks. Pansy tried not to roll her eyes.
"Draco asked me to come personally," Pansy sighed. She didn't care how Granger took it- she was the only one fighting romantically for Draco.
"I feel bad about last time," Blaise said. Pansy waited, Blaise would either apologize or they'd stand in awkward idle talk. Blaise sighed as though he knew what he had to do but resent it, Pansy tried to not be petty.
"I'm sorry," Blaise mumbled then added, "Today is going to be awkward with Daphne isn't it?"
"Who knows? Who cares? I've been buried under work," Pansy sighed. Blaise chuckled.
"Really? Planning a party hard?" he mocked.
"I've decided to use the Bulstrode Manor's grounds. Now I need to get the invitations out and find good catering and entertainment. Suggestions are welcome." Pansy told him. Blaise frowned and looked thought for before shrugging.
"I'd ask Astoria. I liked the music at her wedding." Blaise suggested. Pansy frowned and glanced around the room. She didn't want to ask Astoria, in fact she didn't really want to be here, but Draco had asked. She assumed this was his way of saying 'I'm sorry while still owing her a favor.
"Right," Pansy agreed. Blaise groaned rubbing his hand over his face.
"Really you're going to work while we're supposed to be having fun?" Blaise asked. Pansy rolled her eyes but said nothing. They stood in comfortable silence until Astoria made her way over. She was wearing purple dress robes that showed off her breasts. Her ears had two fat diamonds in them while her necklace was a thin chain and another diamond pendant. Astoria's hair was pulled up and in curls.
"Pansy!" Astoria said then hugged her, "So sorry about last time…"
"Right," Pansy told her stiff. She didn't like being hugged and she didn't want to talk about last time. She waited for Astoria to say something else. She smiled at them both.
"How is the house coming?" Blaise asked. It seemed he couldn't take the long pause; that was growing more and more awkward by the moment. Astoria's smile grew wider.
"It's going. Ron and I can't decide on what we want to do with the garden. I guess we'll live it for now though…" Astoria sighed.
"How is work?" Astoria asked. She glanced at Pansy but directed her question towards Blaise. He shrugged, held up his empty glass and walked towards the bar. Astoria then turned to her.
"Work is good," Pansy supplied.
"Oh, I heard from someone that the Society was doing a fund raiser. I guess they put you in charge of it all?" Astoria asked. She touched her curls gently waving the huge diamond ring for all to see.
"Yes, I'm going to use the Blostrode Manor…" Pansy told her. Astoria frowned but said nothing.
"Dinner is ready," Draco announced. He smiled at them before turning to talk to the dining room.
The large table was set with what Pansy remembered being Narcissa's everyday china. She knew though that unless you had grown up in the Malfoy family you wouldn't know that this wasn't the good china. The plates were gold plated in a fleur de lis pattern with small hand painted violets. The good china was much more intricate with the Malfoy family crest on them- given to them by a king of England. The food lay on the table with a vase of lilies in the center. A large duck, Pansy's least favorite, with asparagus, broccoli and boiled potatoes. The other side of duck and vase was beef wellington.
Pansy saw that each plate had a name on it, she glared at Draco before taking her seat. Potter was on one side while Astoria was on the other. Daphne sat across from her with Blaise on Daphne's right, Blaise looked as though he was holding back a laugh. Pansy sat but said nothing as she wanted to be served. She wasn't a fan of beef wellington or duck, so she'd have to just eat the sides. Once they were seated Draco waved his wand, setting food on everyone's plate.
"You're not having the duck?" Potter asked. Astoria was talking to her husband and Blaise while Daphne and Granger talked to Draco. Pansy had hoped to get through dinner by eating and then leaving while they waited for dessert. It seemed Potter was going to engage in her in small talk, she tried not to roll her eyes.
"I don't like duck." Pansy told him. She was going to be direct and give simple answers.
"Oh," Potter replied. He seemed to wait for her to say something, but Pansy continued to eat- talking while eating was rude.
"Oh, Pansy I heard you were looking for a band for the fundraiser?" Astoria asked.
"It's an option," Pansy replied. Draco snorted into his potatoes but said nothing.
"What's the fundraiser for?" Potter asked. He seemed interested, but Pansy saw the frown Granger gave him.
"Work," Pansy replied. Daphne sighed and gave Pansy a look which she didn't return. Her oldest and best friend had hurt her and hadn't or didn't seem sorry about it.
"Cormac and I are going to Paris!" Daphne announced. She had waited for Pansy to say something but the awkward silence and the uncomfortable glances everyone gave each other made her feel better. It was petty, but Pansy was feeling petty.
"Really, I didn't know you two dated!" Astoria said. She smiled at her sister.
"For a couple of months now," Daphne said. She glanced at Pansy again but Pansy took a bite of broccoli.
"He's an ass Daph, why are you even with him?" Draco asked. Astoria's husband coughed into his duck as Daphne turned a red. She glared at Draco before puffing herself up.
"I like him. He's really not that bad! He listens to me," Daphne sniffed.
"Really?" Potter asked. He was looking at her in disbelief, he was trying not to laugh or smile.
"Why is that so hard to believe? Because he was Sulghorn's favorite student? Or that he seemed to be bad at being team captain?" Daphne asked. Potter looked at her in amazement and confusion. Astoria's husband chocked on his duck while Astoria frowned at her sister.
"McLaggen is a…" Granger began before stopping. She shook her head then sighed.
"How has work been?" Potter asked Pansy. He ignored the continue conversation about Cormac between Draco, Daphne and Granger.
"Fine, why?" Pansy asked. She wondered if Clearwater hadn't told her something. Maxine had made it easy to ignore her boss or only communicate through memos.
"Just heard that there were a lot of changes," Potter shrugged.
"Right," Pansy nodded. She thought about the paperwork that would be on her desk on Monday. She thought about the files and reports she'd need to look at. She sighed, at least she didn't have to work Saturdays anymore.
"I didn't realize how many cases you had submitted on behalf of the department," Potter said. Pansy wondered why he was trying so hard. It made sense for her friends to apologize to her. Potter on the other hand- yes they'd had sex. It had been very good sex and yes she had thought that they were maybe becoming friends. But he'd told her that it wasn't true.
"We don't have to do small talk Potter," Pansy sighed, "We're not friends remember?"
"Right…" Potter said. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his glasses lifted into his hair.
"Could we try again? I had agreed to being friends." Potter asked. Pansy narrowed her eyes and glared.
"Why?" Pansy asked. Potter took a slip of the gillyweed water and looked thoughtful.
"Why not?" Potter replied. Pansy frowned, why not indeed.
"Because you think I'm a selfish bitch, Potter," Pansy told him, "I may not have many friends or be well liked, but I have enough dignity to know when to stop beating a horse."
"I was…" Potter began.
"An asshole?" Pansy interrupted. Potter sighed but he had a small smile on his face.
"Yeah, so we should start again." Potter told her.
"Because you want to be my friend so badly," Pansy snarked.
"I wasn't really trying last time. And someone reminded me that some people should get a second chance," Potter told her.
"Right, fine," Pansy sighed.
"Good, I'm Harry Potter." Potter told her.
"Pansy Parkinson," Pansy replied. He smiled at her, it made Pansy pause. He was handsome and if she wasn't careful she would be pining after him.
Hopefully I won't leave it so long, life got in the way. Thank you for all you favorites and reviews. See you soon, I've set a reminder in my phone!
