A/N: I know, I haven't uploaded in almost a year, but panoramic happened and my kids are now homeschooled. My brain doesn't work quite the same any longer. I've had this saved on my computer for ages, just as a started to possibly something more. When I read it, it felt good as a OS. So here it is, I hope you feel the feels, but if you don't I guess that's okay too.

Peace, Love, & Slyther,

Gimi aka Jess

The garden at the manor was as regal as the dark-haired beauty remembered. The majestic white peacocks wandered between the hedges, an invisible barrier placed upon their path to keep them from the guests. She could see the twins running up and down the barrier trying to find the weakness. Pansy smiled at this, her girls loved those bloody birds.

Her smile dropped as she saw her former husband walk up to Celestina and pick up the four-year-old before she ran, head first, into the barrier, upset she could not breach it and determined, all the same, to get to her beloved pets. Her sister, Carina, had given up moments before and ran back into the crowd of wizards.

Pansy watched, from a distance, as her husband, she could not bear to think of him as anything less, even though their marriage had ended the year previous, watched as he began to calm the tearful child, bringing her close to the barrier and allowing the young girl to reach in and pet the top of his prized bird.

The knife that had lodged itself within her heart began to twist and she spotted the wild-haired brunette carrying her daughter toward the rest of her family. Hot tears filled her eyes, as she watched the couple with her daughters, watched the photographer snap endless photos of the happy couple on their wedding day. As her once-perfect life as Lady Malfoy slowly slammed shut. Her life was in shambles, while Draco's was just beginning.

Contrary to most pureblood marriages, she had always thought her's was a happy one. She and Draco were not a contracted marriage, unlike most of the purebloods in their circle, they were a love match, childhood sweeties. Married right after his last year of Hogwarts. She had refrained from attending to plan their dream wedding.

They married in late July and it was perfect. By September she was pregnant and they were both deliriously happy.

Four years, that is all the happiness Pansy was given. Her family was no longer hers, no, now they were hers. The girl she had despised her whole life. No, not despised, feared. Pansy was old enough to realise now, she had not hated Hermione Granger. Not until she had taken her husband away from her. No, in school, it was fear. The fear of this, not taking her family, but of muggleborns replacing purebloods. She knew now that there was no difference in blood, but it still hurt that her fears became a reality.

As the couple stood there, she could see the happiness and contentment around them, stabbing her once again. She could see for herself, how he stood, relaxed next to his new bride. Even though she still loved him, she could not remember if he had ever been that content with her… maybe at the birth of their twins. As she filed through the images of their marriage within her head, she could only remember the stiff and regal postures that were the norm amongst pureblood matches.

She watched the brunette settle in the crook of Draco's neck, their arms around each other, watching the twins giggle at the birds. Tears had already made their way down her cheeks and Draco smiled at his bride and kiss her forehead tenderly, the joyous noise from behind them, empathising the occasion. She continued to mourn as her friends, Theo and Blaise, went to them, Theo grabbing the children's hands and leading them back to the party.

Blaise, ever the observant, stared right at her. Pass her enchantment and the border of the security barrier. She could tell that he knew it was her, he was her closest confidant aside from Draco, familiar with her disillusionment charm. She assumed that her charm must be fading because of her emotions and she was beginning to shimmer around the edges, as always happened when emotions got the best of her. Being a Slytherin, she was good at concealing, but not from her friends, from her family. Blaise smiled sadly in her direction, mouthed, "I'm sorry", dropped his head and walked back under the marquee.

Pansy let out a slow breath, wiped her eyes and took one last look at those bloody fucking birds, smiled at a discarded glove that belonged to one of her daughters and turned her back from her old life. Her daughters were more important than her feelings. Tomorrow they would come home to her, she would give herself today to be sad, but tomorrow, she would shoulder on. Draco was her past, tomorrow the future was unknown. She would go on. Pansy Parkinson was a survivor. She had survived the Dark Lord, she'd survive Draco Malfoy. With a low pop, that was not heard within the happy party, the dark-haired woman disappeared, leaving the space she was no longer a part of.