I met up for brunch with Daphne, Millicent and Tracey. It was an ice-cream parlour that sold some foods that could be eaten for lunch. We mostly met up here because we used to get ice cream a lot during the holidays when we were younger and didn't quite have a new meeting place and this place happened to sell food for lunch. I have to admit, ice cream's a bit of a kid's thing and it got more tiring the older we got. I don't think I ever looked forward to anything ice cream as much as from the pre-Hogwarts years or beginning Hogwarts years, and this was a popular parlour owned by witches and wizards in a more magical part of town that was very popular with younger children, but had a few our age and older.
We weren't really eating though. We just wanted a nice place to sit and chat, and we didn't mind the food and drinks that came from the place. The ice cream parlour - Anamnesis - spelled out in large black letters upon a mostly pink, beige and white interior, was a place for high class people and knew exactly what we wanted so they didn't mind. There were many booths, medium levels of privacy, and no shortage of seats for people. I don't think they've ever been bought out and this was one of the largest ice cream parlours around. We could practically stay there all day if we wanted to, the main requirement was that we were wealthy or accomplished individuals, and once they knew this, they were happy to let us have the place to chat. Anamnesis meant recollection and remembrance, like this place was a reflection of the ice cream parlours that used to be more frequent in England before many shops changed with time.
It was one of the few that were up. The wealthier side of town and businesses did a better job at upholding some old traditions, but times had changed for sure.
"Blaise was there. Apparently he's managed to keep it in his pants and not date, no fuck, he just fucks, anyone ever since we graduated from Hogwarts," said Daphne. Blaise Zabini was Slytherin's sex god. Master of flirting and knowing no limits, he's flirted and probably fucked the most girls out of anyone in the year. He fucks girls from outside of Hogwarts as well. I have no idea how he's meeting them but he just does. His family's wealthy and they come from a long line of purebloods or halfbloods though, so he has a good name and is considered a valuable person to associate with. I can't cut connections with him in socialite circles even though he's a scumbag sex god and well...
"Do you like him?" asked Millicent, digging into her ice cream sundae.
We had all ordered them and were probably going to have lunch at some point after, then maybe some more scoops of ice cream. It was a day of mostly chatter and talking.
"No. That's just what he wants to think. Of course he's fucked around, you just don't know," said Tracey as she ate some toppings.
Tracey's talkative, chatty, and usually with a bit of a mean twist. She loves digging deep into other people's secrets, but she does it in such a chatty cheerful way you'd hardly notice. She's a bit of a hit and miss sometimes. Sometimes she digs into something deep and juicy, other times she mostly just chats. She doesn't do it purposefully, she just likes chatting around. People both love, fear, hate, want to hear the secrets of, Tracey.
"I don't know. No one dislikes him," said Daphne as she made a scoop on her birthday cake flavoured sundae. She liked that flavour the most and got it, even though we'd never actually went to an ice cream parlor on her birthday. It had been a running joke since third year that we would go sometime but we'd never fulfilled it. Somehow when her birthday came around we just had bigger events and activities in mind than going to the place we usually went to, but for a birthday instead. All of our sundaes were in tall glasses that looked like they could be filled with milkshakes instead, and we dug into them with small dainty spoons. The temperature was cooler here in the parlor so they didn't melt.
That was true. He was a sex god, and well known for that, but no one disliked him personally.
"That's true. He's well known for being a sex god, but no one dislikes him," I said.
"Why wasn't I invited? Was it because I'm a halfblood, not a pureblood? I bet conversation was boring," said Tracey as she dug into her nut delight sundae. She loves all things chocolately and nutty.
Tracey both entertains and annoys me. Her personality can be entertaining at times, but she misses the mark when it comes to her secrets.
Pureblood wealthy socialite families didn't worry about wealth that much. We all had it, in the family for generations, we were mostly still going to be rich, even if we made a big loss, we would still likely live the rest of our lives comfortably. We also had some protections against losing our wealth, most people did. What could really kill us was not not having enough money for things, or being fooled out of it (we were a bit ahead of that), but rather secrets. We couldn't be controlled by wealth, but we could be controlled by secrets. So there was a lot of attempts to get people's secrets, a lust for other people's secrets, and probably, some carefully guarded secrets for the most of us. We dealt and traded with secrets - real secrets, and that was half of what truly kept our family's in line with each other, so none of us were too ahead, and what ultimately decided the small reshufflings of power between us.
It was possible to rise and fall within one generation, though of course, there was the struggle to get back in from the next generation, so everyone was sprung up tight with heaps of tension generally, and that was pureblood society. Feuds, rivalries, hatred, of the past carried over multiple generations. It was actually commonplace in this world.
Tracey annoyed me because she didn't seem to understand it. She was just a talkative malicious at times halfblood who happened to land in Slytherin because of her thirst for secrets, that sort of tendency, and she happened to land in our crowd, where secrets were premium. But she had never picked it up the entire time, never picked up how important it was to all of us, and just kept playing around like secrets were just her childish plaything, which they probably were, without recognising the true meaning it held for all of us.
"Yeah it was all purebloods there. Not a single halfblood was seen, except of course couples our parents age, there for business. But all the single people were purebloods," said Daphne.
Truthfully purebloods were a little more magically powerful than halfbloods and muggle-borns on average. If someone was particular about power they would try to marry into a pureblood family and ensure their children also did the same to conserve magic as much as possible.
Not all pureblood family's were wealthy. Only a few were, most were average, some were quite poor like the Weasley's.
There were some wealthy families in wizarding circles. They tended to be purebloods and halfbloods, though at the top end, purebloods, because it took time to understand how wizarding society truly worked, and many muggle-borns and halfbloods had no chance of understanding and making a lot of wealth all in one generation. By the time they understood it more they would marry into a more prominent halfblood or pureblood family and be absorbed into the old surnames that had welded power and wealth for generations if they were smart about it and lucky. So generally, the wealthy families were all in the magical world for generations, and mostly purebloods.
There were also socialites. Some families were wealthy, but they worked like crazy, lived just to make more money, had no life outside of it, and sounded so boring and awful if you talked to them. No one wanted to be them because people wanted to be wealthy to live a good life, not a life of crap. The socialites were families who didn't work, because they saw it as labour beneath them. And instead spent all their time having entertaining social events - balls, maserquades, murder mysteries, hunting parties, sporting events, horse races, all a manner of luxurious and exotic events. They lived of their money basically.
They were looked up to for the beautiful polish of their lifestyle.
Some events and connections drew mostly purebloods. Some mostly wealthy people. Some mostly socialites.
When it came to marriage it ended to be mostly purebloods for the Sacred 28 family's, a group of 28 family's who had been magical for centuries and centuries. There was just too much scandal if we married out. It was just safer this way.
Draco, Daphne, Millicent and I were also from a Sacred 28 family. We tended to sort into Slytherin because we were cunning and ambitious and that happened to be what Slytherin selected for, though not all of us wanted to marry another Sacred 28 family purely due to pureblood reasons. Tracey was the only halfblood and boy did it show, if her casual use of 'secrets' was anything to go by, a hit and miss most of the time.
"That's just what you think. I bet the couples have something interesting," said Tracey.
"They don't. What happens in one generation stays in one generation. And what happens in our stays in ours. It's just how these things work," I said.
Since secrets were so big if an old scandal were to break out it could drastically change a lot of things. People in our social circles put great effort to wrap things up neatly and so it was against any of our wishes to unleash old scandals from the past again. It was generally common for purebloods to not meddle with their parent's business, or how their own love affairs, friendships and feuds played out from them, and just dive into our generation and our current reality and try to make the best of that...
It was uncharacteristic of us to focus too much on the old generation.
"Yeah, do you want to look like a joke?" said Daphne at Tracey.
"Oh come on, you guys are no fun!" said Tracey. She doesn't get it.
"Did you see Draco? It's his ball," said Millicent as she dug into her sundae. She was the only one who ate it in a bowl. She loved food.
I used to dislike Millicent when I was younger, she felt a bit slow to jump to conclusions and a bit simple-minded and thick sometimes. She sometimes said things that annoyed Daphne and I because of how slow, blunt or rude she was, but she seemed to get better as she got older, and was now more bearable than before.
"He danced a lot near the centre the whole night. Where the hell were you," I snapped, a little angry. Towards the end of the night I did break of from Draco for a bit to talk to both Daphne and Millicent. I assumed they saw me arrive and leave with Draco when I talked to them so I'm annoyed Millicent didn't seem to register this.
"Eating. The food's by the side," said Millicent simply, as if she was answering a question.
"I saw and danced with lots of people," said Daphne as she ticked them of her fingers, "Draco, Blaise, Goyle..."
Goyle was a pureblood but not a Sacred 28 family. To be considered a pureblood you had to have all magical ancestors for the last 4 generations. Some family's ebbed in and out of being purebloods. They were for some generations, but with marriage to a halfblood or less, they would not be considered purebloods again for many more generations. Some family's were consistent purebloods for some generations, but it was rare for it to last longer than a few. The Sacred 28 were family's who had been all pureblood's for centuries and centuries, and kept the surname for all that time as well. We were family's that didn't fade in or out so to speak, even though many of us married the occasional halfblood. It was really muggle-borns that bought on a lot of drama and scandal for us.
The Sacred 28 wasn't anything official, it was just a list that was published in some wizarding newspapers or books, similar to the way Witch Weekly might have a '10 hottest wizard's to date' column, or a '10 most pureblooded family's column', and even some published books liked to throw out a reference to the Sacred 28 family's list.
It was an unofficial thing, but still, reputations bought power.
"You danced with Draco?" I said. My heart twisted a bit. There I was again, thinking Draco had eyes for me only, but then to find out he'd been courting lots girls all at the same time. It must've been towards the end when Draco and I split apart for a while to talk to different people separately, and then came back together again. I lost sight of him for a bit, and I was busy talking to others. I wouldn't have seen anyone he danced with. He could've also done so to be polite. It is polite to dance with more than one person at these events and I did dance with a few other boys as well, though I hadn't remembered their names nor how I felt much.
I don't know why I'm so rattled. It's perfectly normal to dance with more than one person otherwise it's impolite if you weren't formally engaged or married, and even then, it was still polite to dance with others, it was a social event afterall, so Draco and I could've been doing everything like normal but yet...
I always felt a bit shit when it came to Draco.
"Yep," said Daphne, then she rattled of a list of names of the other girls who danced with Draco. Which wasn't helpful to me at all because I'd never known of any girl Draco had feelings for. I was his only official relationship, even though it was a few short weeks in fourth year. He had never mentioned any particular feelings he had for any girl. He had never mentioned any particular feelings he had for me, he just didn't mind me being around him for those years. It wasn't like I could be relieved he wasn't dancing with a particular girl, or be glad he was dancing with someone I knew he didn't have feelings for at all.
"I'm not sure I want anyone to get married," said Millicent, "we're getting older."
A waitress came to take our order and we all ordered some lunch. I recognised her as Patty Pattison. Anamnesis was a family business and Patty was a middle aged witch who'd worked there for as far back as I could remember. She knew her place among the children of the wealthy that came here. She was a wallflower, but one that could keep secrets.
"Who do you think is gonna get married first?" asked Tracey once she'd left. Patty didn't bother any of us, but we'd preferred to talk mostly between ourselves.
"Draco. He does everything first," said Millicent.
"That's true," I said, but I couldn't help a slow sad feeling at this. If it was true, which it probably was, then it meant Draco and I's potential romance was probably going to be remembered in history in our generation and gossiped about, because we might be the first couple to get married. There was an even greater sense of bittersweetness if for all the courtship it wouldn't work out in the end.
But some part of you still wants it to. Some part of you hopes Draco will admit he loves you and has only ever loved you, that you'll fling your arms into him, he'll pick you up and spin you around in some countryside idyllic (that you both own or something), and that it's a romance that was built to last forever and ever. If Draco would let you, you'd run so happily to him...
"Maybe. He's so stuffy probably," said Tracey, "my pick is Blaise. He gets action all the time. It'll fall into place for him. Invite me if you guys ever have an event that accepts halfbloods. I so want to marry into a pureblood family. If there's dark secrets you're hiding them all well from me in all our years at Hogwarts. Your lives seem so glamorous," she said with a wistful sigh and a loud laugh as if it was really so simple she could joke about it.
"We will at the next ball which is mine," I said. My family tended to hold larger events when we did. Purebloods and halfbloods invited. Maybe even a few muggleborns but they had to be of distinguishment and respect of us.
Patty came with our lunch. Sandwiches, soup, pies, nothing very interesting. We thanked her and began eating. She took away our empty ice cream sundae glasses.
"Great, my life is interesting," said Tracey, "are you looking forward to the lunch tomorrow?" she asked.
The thing about being a pureblood, wealthy, a socialite, was that many people wanted to be associated with you, do business with you, including unofficial unrecorded business, but still business nonetheless, or some form of a transaction, and that there were more people wanting to work with you, than you possibly had time for. Most of my days at Hogwarts were dealing with Slytherin girls who liked to suck up to me. Or non-Slytherin girls who liked to suck up to me, and believe me, there were more than you would possibly believe who tried their shot. Most of my time was dealing with people dumping their problems on me as if I had the answers to their life's problems or queries, as if I was wiser somehow despite being the same age. Most of my time was dealing with people involving me in tricky situations because they thought I could help out, or be some sort of saving grace.
Either way, I was involved in a complex dance and tangle of networks, connections, everything, none of which I particularly wanted.
There were always more people at the bottom clamoring to rise to the top, than there were people on the same level or above me.
Which was why I cherished Daphne, Millicent and Tracey so much.
Because by virtue of being dormmates at Hogwarts, we were a little closer and I felt a tiny cusp of real friendship with the four of them.
And when I hung out with them, I got a bit of a break from everybody else and all of that madness. It was like an in-built break, an in-built group of friends, these Hogwarts' dorms. And why I put up with Tracey even though she was a bit of a hit and miss.
Because she was better than some of the other options. Because seeing the three of them together was better than some of the other options.
They were my refugee, my break, the people for whom I could let my mask slip down a little bit further than all the rest, for whom I had to put on a mask, play a particular role, oh so carefully lest I fall.
"Yes, it's lovely to meet everyone again," said Daphne, as she scooped some of her tomato soup. Tall, hourglass figure, blonde, bubbly, she was the one who most fit the socialite description out of all of us besides me, and she had a bubbly, sociable (I suspect) mask.
The lunchdate tomorrow was with the Slytherins in our year and some other friends in each of the houses except for Gryffindor, I didn't like the Gryffindor girls much this year, they were all mostly insufferable, and even a few people from years above and below. It was going to be a big event, probably with a lot of sucking up, that anyone who was wealthy, a socialite, or pureblooded, were going to have to weather. So Daphne and I the most.
I wasn't looking forward to it beyond hoping to fulfill the usual expectations and I didn't think Daphne was either but she hid it in her usual way.
"What is there to talk about?" asked Millicent. She had a point. Most of us were becoming socialites and not working official jobs, the things we were doing with our time and money we weren't sure we wanted to say. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs mostly weren't being socialites. Slytherin seemed to attract more ambitious and cunning people, who ultimately ended up as socialites, so the socialites of the wealthy or the pureblooded tended to go to Slytherin. We had less in common with the other two houses actually, even if we were both wealthy or pureblooded.
"Nothing. But they're the ones that wanted to meet up," I said, "they just want to tell other people they're still meeting up with the Slytherins from their year at Hogwarts. We give them name. Makes them look good. Sucker-ups."
I'd often if Draco Malfoy saw me in this way. But then it got complicated because the Malfoys and the Parkinsons were two of the wealthiest family's in England, far wealthier than any of the other wealthy family's - by a long long shot. Surely, he couldn't see me as just a suck-up wanting to move up, but as someone who had equal right to date him? But then...what was the reason for his rejection, or not quite acceptance of me...
"They hated us during our time at Hogwarts. You could practically see their hatred and jealousy, but they can't let us go," said Daphne, a bit of mirth to her face. Out of the four she was the one who thought the most like me though we had our disagreements, and the one most similar to me. We were also slightly closer. If I had to pick, Daphne might be my only real friend, and even then, I did not fully trust her. I did not fully trust anyone beneath the sociable facade.
"When they suck up to us. It's good for us. Right?" said Millicent in between mouthfuls of food. She was tall and sturdy with curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her fashion sense was expensive and up to date, but dull and boring.
"It sickens me," I said as I picked up another forkful of potato.
"Everyone sickens you," said Tracey, "but it's okay. I won't tell too many secrets or entertaining story's tomorrow. I don't want to make myself be too attractive to them. Maybe they'll leave you guys alone too by extension."
She said it with the same tone as if she didn't understand what attracted those suck-ups to our group. Did she honestly think they just wanted to hear her stupid hit and miss tales? But Tracey, whether by her Slytherin nature, or the fact that she did hang out with us three pureblood wealthy socialites for most of her Hogwarts years, also showed the same aloofness towards the other Hogwarts students somehow, and she always clung on tighter to us.
When I wanted a break or refuge from the rest of the world, Tracey at least offered it with the simple fact that she saw the four of us as a set group, and still showed some hesitance towards strangers, so she was good for that reason. Outside of us Tracey had the most friends and chatted around, probably being a pain or annoyance up other people's ass, I didn't know, but when with us, we were a defined group of four.
"We'll have to see them several more times throughout the year," said Daphne with a sigh, "we'll probably get more used to the schedules and everything the further out from Hogwarts we get. I don't miss Hogwarts. The only place we really had for ourselves was the common room and that was tiny. Hogsmeade is a hovel compared to these villages. The school had the bare necessities and was quite small and cramped for the number of students. Though we were lucky to have it during a time when there were less students, even if it was because no one wanted to have children during the First Wizarding World war when we were born. But Hogwarts was nothing for us. I'm so glad I get to spend most of my days doing luxurious things now."
There we were, starting the same complaints many of us had over Hogwarts when we were there.
"I know," I said, "what's the point of Hogwarts anyway? We all had brilliant tutors before and during, and it's not like we needed the education from Hogwarts anyway. I mean, we needed to learn, the knowledge was important, but we don't need the OWLs or the NEWTs. It didn't have the same meaning for us..."
"Yeah, Hogwarts was kind of poor," agreed Tracey. Although she was a halfblood she was just about wealthy enough to complain about Hogwarts with us.
"I forgot, what job are you getting post-Hogwarts?" I asked Tracey, remembering that she wasn't a socialite like the three of us. Millicent, even though some students at Hogwarts had not thought she was a socialite at first, had come from a long line of family's where they didn't work, and was just as much of a socialite as the rest of us.
Daphne and Millicent both laughed a bit. Even though I said nothing funny at all but the truth.
Tracey was too lost in thought at an answer to take offense at it however. "Real estate agent, I like talking to people," she said.
You'll never be selling houses to the rich people though. It's hard to do business with us. You'll probably have entertaining story's to tell though.
"Ah that's right. You love looking at houses," said Daphne.
Tracey would look the part as a real estate agent. She was above average in height, slim, with straight brown hair that she sometimes wore slightly curled, glasses, and a serious looking face. Her fashion sense was normal if not a little chic, she'd definitely fit in well.
We talked for a bit more before we left. In a way, it felt good to see everyone again, refreshing after the monotonous three months mostly spent at home, but I felt sad as well.
Author's Note: Previously I wrote a story that featured these characters with the same characterisations but took it down for personal reasons. I wanted to write again and still have the same headcanons so if they're a little familiar it's cause my headcanon's the same :)
This chapter's to give more of an idea of what Pansy's friends are like but there'll be more about them as the story goes on.
