Black Notice - Chapter Two
It was breakfast too early for Pansy the next morning. She had little sleep throughout the night and her face was all blotchy and red from crying. To shame her even further, Millicent, whom she had thought of as a friend, had turned her back when comfort was most needed.
Slowly she climbed off her bed, knowing it would just be worse if she avoided meals. Though the thought of food in her stomach made her feel slightly ill, the thought of being completely abandoned was enough of a motivator to get her going to the Great Hall for breakfast.
As she feared, all the Slytherins avoided her like the plague with the exception of the two youngest grades who were still getting used to the Slytherin way of life...if they weren't already. They were far too young to hang out with though.
She was hit with a longing to just go home and forget about the rest of her time at Hogwarts. The truth hit her even harder. Her home was no more. It had burnt down to nothing, just like her life here, now.
Tears formed in her eyes as this thought nudged its way into her head. She lowered her eyes to her plate and began to pick at scrambled eggs while slowly chewing on a dry piece of toast.
Her tears were shed silently, while the people were busy laughing and having a good breakfast about her. One by one her fellow Slytherins got up and left, going back to their dorms to get ready for their lessons that day.
Soon she was alone apart from a few stragglers, mostly from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
Two of the Gryffindors were Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley. It hadn't been lost to most of the Slytherins that the Golden Saviour, Potter was still grieving over the loss of Black. Pansy had been quite surprised when Draco had told her that the criminal was Potter's Godfather.
She felt somewhat of a kinship with the Gryffindor now. With her own parents so recently deceased and his long dead, she wondered what life was truly like for him living with Muggle relatives?
Would she have to live with Muggles herself if she couldn't stay here over the holidays? The thought sent a chill down her spine. She would have no idea how to act or think around them if she did. Furthermore, Potter hadn't said any good things about the relatives he lived with....perhaps they were as strict or uncaring as Draco's parents were?
Shaking her head of such thoughts, she slowly got to her feet and made her way back to her bed, where she managed to find her Transfiguration book that Millicent must have dumped there the night before. The thought that her due homework wasn't finished almost made her panic. What would her parents think if their only daughter owled them to say....
Gone. Her family. Her home. Her life in Slytherin for the past five years. Her friends. Now it seemed even her schoolwork didn't like her.
She refused to let the tears welling in her eyes fall this time. She would not give any Slytherins who might still talk to her a reason to back away. After all, it is a most un-Slytherin thing to do....crying that is.
Taking some deep breaths, she reasoned that McGonagall would have been told of...recent events in her home life and she would be exempt from the homework she had been only halfway through until called to her Head of House to recieve the darkest news of her life to date.
Sighing, she made her way to McGonagall's class, Transfiguration being the first lesson today and shared with the Ravenclaws.
She was shunned the whole lesson, making the inquisitive Ravenclaws curious about why. The class seemed to drag on slowly and she sighed in relief as the bell rang, indicating second period had started.
McGonagall called out her name for her to stay behind, telling her that she wanted to talk privately to her.
"Miss Parkinson. I have been informed of...recent events and I wanted to tell you that if you ever want to talk that the teachers here would gladly listen." McGonagall announced, making Pansy shift uneasily on the spot.
"Thanks Professor....I am sorry for not finishing my homework." Pansy apologised, looking down at her toes as she said it.
"There's nothing to be sorry for. It is understandable that you didn't finish. If you did, I would have been even more worried than I am." McGonagall looked closely at her then and stated what she had observed during the class.
"Why were you sitting alone? I thought that your friends would be swarming about you like teenagers have the habit of dong if another has suffered such a loss?"
Pansy laughed then, a shrill noise that didn't have the slightest bit of humour in it and a little more hysteria than she wanted. "I am Slytherin Professor. What friends?"
With that said, Pansy turned about and walked out of the door leaving behind her a worried Professor.
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"I am worried about Miss Parkinson. She is not taking the news of her parents' death very well. Perhaps you should speak to her, Severus."
With a frown that was very common nowadays for him to wear, the Potions Professor nodded and looked at Minerva. "How was she in classes today?"
"Every one of her schoolmates kept away from her. She needs someone right now. Poor dear."
"Master Malfoy came into the office after I had delivered her the letter. I had no choice but to tell him who had died. He undoubtedly told everyone else. She will be shunned by the rest of the Slytherins."
Minerva's face fell into a sad frown. "Is there nothing you can do?"
Severus shook his head, no. "If she had friends that were true or loyal to her, they will start talking to her again given time. Until then, she will be alone."
"If? Such a small word, but with such a big meaning. Would it hurt her to find friends outside of her own House?"
Severus looked to the Head of Gryffindor House, a thoughtful expression on his otherwise dour face. "Perhaps. For the time being, I will talk to her."
With that said, the Potions Professor steeled himself with thoughts of what he would have to tell the young woman of his House.
A/N - And another chapter has been written! I was astounded to get 5 reviews for the first, since it was a Pansy story and not many have been written about her. Yet. Hehe. Anyhoo, feel proud, I got this to you all even though I am in the middle of NaNoWriMo...alright, I am almost to my 50 000 words and am nowhere near finished my story. I am very proud to be able to write somethign so big...and it is only 6 chapters long so far...
Well, thanks go to Sly-pansy, sugarbabe1, Lilybee2003, Barbara Kennedy and SSC for reviews. I love you guys for liking a good ol' Pansy fic when so many others would be scared away.