The Parkinsons
Pansy's parents are joining us for dinner. Then of course, they'll stay with us on vacation. They always make me nervous somehow. Especially Pansy's mother. Persephone Parkinson is just very- well, to be honest, a bit vicious. Caspian Parkinson however is an entirely different person.
I am flying with Pansy outside. She looks very graceful on a broom. The thing about Pansy and flying is- she always keeps saying she's horrible and she does not even enjoy flying, but she is quite good and always looks very much at peace in the air.
For some reason, when I fly I always get very distracted by thoughts. Like seriously, what is going on between father and mother? I would not want them to divorce. I did not like what father had done and true he could act quite insensitive towards us and get carried away with hatred towards the Weasleys and muggleborns, but most of the time he was just father. Father who taught me how to ride a broom. Father who taught me astronomy with mother watching, adding stories about her family, which had a tradition of naming their children after stars. Father making mother happy, letting her giggle and endlessly twirling her around when they would dance.
People are far from black and white- and the more you get to know them, the more you ignore their faults.
"Dears," my mother then calls us, "Come and join us before Pansy's parents arrive. They won't be long." Pansy's mother was not fond of flying.
We are sitting around the table. Mother looks slightly bored whenever Persephone starts talking, I do not think mother likes her a lot, though she would not admit that anytime soon. Besides, mother is too fond of Pansy. She'd never do anything that could possibly estrange her from Pansy, like cross her parents.
Dinner is a bit tense.
Mother looks very dignified as she replies to the latest thing Persephone said. Pansy's mother always seems to notice something about everyone that is just not-good-enough, especially things concerning her daughter. "Well Persephone," mother says, "You have always had an eye for detail like an hawk." She then clears her throat, gives me and Pansy an exaggerated exhausted look. "Caspian, you are ever so quiet. Why don't you tell us about work at the ministry. I heard it was quite a debacle."
Caspian nods and happily launches into a story about how this french wizard had this horrible english translation and a fight almost broke out in a national wizarding peace conference. Caspian was very expressive, which was a rare trait in most people I met. He always made large hand movements when talking, regularly killing a glass or slamming something from the table. Which I thought was brilliant. He did not have a very interesting job at the ministry, but he had a very kind demeanour.
Then an owl arrived. The poor creature looked exhausted and stumbled while trying to land on the table, resulting in a softly hooting owl and a few vegetables on my lap and a broken dinner plate on the ground. I quickly took the letter and gave it some vegetables, which the owl happily ate. The owl looked quite old, like it was long past its best days.
Persephone looked horrified at the owl and took her wand. "Look at that," she crowed, "maybe we'd better put it out of its misery."
Protectively I hug the frail, old owl to my chest. Mother then intervenes. "Persephone is quite right," Narcissa then calmly interrupts, "Draco, Pansy, why don't you take the owl upstairs and give it some water and owl treats and let it stay with Artemis?"