She didn't sleep at all that night. With every time she adjusted positions for comfort, she thought of a new way Draco could come in and save the day. She had told him where it was and everything… Couldn't he just get his father to get him an Invisibility cloak? At least then he could sneak into the ceremony and zap Senus into a thousand pieces.
But each sounded just as unlikely as the next. Senus had planted guards all over the wedding, some even disguised as guests. He was worried, she knew it, that Draco would come and spoil his transaction. Pansy had decided that a transaction suited it better than a wedding, since he was only marrying her to get his hands on the money she had in her Gringott's vault.
When the sun started to rise, Pansy reasoned that it was no use trying to sleep. She didn't feel at all tired, but was certain it'd kick in later. She'd have to take some kind of draught to keep her awake, but she'd worry about that later.
First, she got up and soaked in a hot bath for almost an hour, wanting to stay in there for the rest of her life. She could miss the wedding and everything, just to soak in a steaming bathtub. The water had begun to grow cold, so she got out and quickly pulled on a slip. She didn't plan on getting dressed much, since she was just going to change into her wedding dress.
She could hear the bustle of movement in the home, just slightly. Maids and servants got up early to get things ready. And what with the reception being held at the Parkinson Manor, they had to make things perfect.
By seven, she heard a pounding on her door that distracted her from combing her hair. Without waiting for a response, the door opened and her mother entered, looking groggy.
"The wedding is at six this evening, as you know," Regina began. "You are forbidden to leave this house today. There are plenty of things you have to get done. Now, come down, breakfast is nearly ready. And put something on…you look like a skank."
With that said her mother exited the room and shut the door with a snap.
Feeling rebellious, Pansy pulled on the black silk pajama pants that she had accidentally taken from Draco. She left the slip on as a top and headed down to breakfast. This was the first morning in years that she had not come to the table wearing a fancy dress with her hair and makeup done.
Pansy seated herself, placing the cloth napkin on her lap merely out of habit. Her mother looked up from the Daily Prophet.
"Renadele will be coming over to do your hair and makeup. I've hired a few professionals to give you some face masks, manicures, pedicures, that sort of thing. And then Halle will be coming over to do last minute adjustments on your dress. You've been losing weight, and I'm worried it won't be tight enough."
"Or that it actually will fit me, and not suck the air from my lungs," Pansy retorted quietly, munching on eggs and biscuits.
Regina pretended not to have heard her, carrying on with her reading as usual.
As soon as breakfast was over, a few women came over dressed in frilly, brightly colored dresses and a bit too much makeup on. They led Pansy into one of the spare bedrooms, which they had converted into somewhat of a beauty parlor. At least they hadn't transformed her father's study.
"Such a pretty lass, she is," one of the odd-looking ladies announced in a heavy Scottish brogue, scrounging around the makeshift parlor for something.
"That she is! We'll use the green mask then, yeah?" the other replied, pulling up a batter of quite disgusting looking mixture. Pansy felt the need to wretch, because it wouldn't look much different.
The larger of the women grabbed Pansy's hair in a fist and tied it at the back of her head with a ribbon, keeping it out of her face.
The other woman didn't waste any time shoving the disgusting paste onto Pansy's face, rubbing it in and layering it.
"Now, ten minutes will do it." She set down the bowl and smiled toothily at her.
"What?" Pansy snapped cruelly, in no mood to be friendly. Especially to someone who'd just shoved puke looking stuff onto her face.
"It's just…I remember my wedding. You must be so excited!" the smaller, though not small, woman had tears pricking her eyes. Pansy rolled her own, glaring tightly at them.
"I'm not," she replied gruffly. The women pretended not to hear her, and Pansy was beginning to get annoyed. Whenever she snapped or said something out of order, she was just being ignored. A step up from being yelled at, but it was still weird.
Ten minutes passed in a flash, and the women scraped the goop off her face and put it in the rubbish bin, cleaning off the last bit with a washcloth.
Pansy brought a hand up to her face, surprised to have it feel extremely smooth.
"This next one's for your pores. Some ladies get a bit nervous on days like this, such magnificent occasions, that they end up sprouting pimples. And we can't have that, can we?" the larger woman grinned, revealing a bowl of soup looking goop this time, purple in color. Pansy felt the need to wretch again.
This one was applied much smoother, and it dried within seconds of touching her face. Before long, she had a few layers of dried stuff on her.
"Another ten minutes, but don't talk. You'll break the mask if you open your mouth."
Pansy did as she was told, glad for an excuse not to have to the odd women for at least ten minutes. When it finally passed by, the women peeled off the dried mask and tossed it away to. Once a quick dabbing on her face by the wash cloth had been performed, Pansy reached up and touched her face again. It almost felt like fabric, it had become so soft.
"All done here," the women said in tandem, grinning like maniacs as they gathered their things and scurried from the room.
Pansy took her time in coming downstairs, letting her hair out of the painful knot that the other woman had pulled it into.
Regina was waiting down the stairs, with an Asian woman who smiled lightly.
"This is Huin. She's going to give you a manicure and pedicure," Regina told her, looking disdainful of the girl beside her. Her mother had always been a racist, but Pansy didn't care.
She went back upstairs into the spare room, watching in boredom as Huin conjured a chair, which had a little tub at the bottom of it. She sat down, her feet falling into the tub. In seconds, it was filled with steaming warm water.
Huin set straight to work, first removing the calluses from her feet and trimming the nails. It took her almost an hour to perfect them, finishing the last bit of polish and running cold water over them, which apparently helped them dry. A drying spell was dangerous for it, because it might smear the polish.
She had to sit barefoot over at another table while Huin went straight to work on her hands.
"You have rough hands," the girl said in perfect English. "Sort of like a man's."
Pansy wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not. "Err... I used to be sort of a tomboy, you could say. Until I graduated."
Huin didn't look very interested. "I see."
And that was all the conversation they had. It took her just as long on her fingernails as it had her toenails, and they matched perfectly. It was nearly ten-thirty, and Pansy was glad to have a little break. Renadele had owled to say she had to pick up some more eyeliner, so she'd be late.
"Well, let me see," Regina barked madly, snatching Pansy's hand and observing the job. It was absolutely perfect. "Hm. Very well. Huin, I will have your pay delivered to you by mail."
The girl nodded simply, bowing her head and leaving the house.
"What's left?" Pansy asked, eager to end the primping. Little did she know, it had hardly begun.
"Renadele will take care of your hair and makeup, and then Halle will fix up your dress. Then you have to pose for photographs, and then it will be nearly time to get to the hall," Regina listed off, letting Pansy's hand go at last.
Pansy groaned miserably. Regina ignored it, as Pansy suspected she would.
"I'll just go read then," Pansy muttered, getting up and leaving the room. She turned up to the servant's quarters, finding Diana quickly and directing her back to Pansy's room.
"I'm doomed," she groaned to the housemaid who had earned her friendship over time.
"No, not quite… Draco has a chance. And even if you marry Senus, well, he'll be busy with work. You can always be with Draco."
Pansy sat down in her vanity seat. "Draco will get tired of not being able to marry, and have kids. He'll be lonely, and it'll end in no time."
Diana looked sympathetic. "Don't worry about it. Did he say he'd come?"
"Not directly. But if he cares about my well being, he will. I hope."
She sat there in silence for a while, until she egged Diana on into talking about Ryan Dwell. She had a lot to say, so Pansy listened intently.
Ryan had become her
friend while they worked together in the house, and before long,
she'd marched up to him and told him she wanted more. So he'd
kissed her, and one thing had lead to another.
"And here I was
thinking you were a coward," Pansy joked, and Diana playfully
smacked her arm.
"Hey, watch it. I wouldn't want any red marks for my beloved Senus, would I?" Pansy said sarcastically, and Diana rolled her eyes.
"Pansy!" A voice called from downstairs, and Pansy knew it was her mother's.
"Hm…Satan calls," she muttered, waving goodbye with a wiggle of her fingers and heading down the stairs. Renadele was waiting in the front room.
"Oh, look at you! Pretty as a flower, aren't you? No pun intended!" Renadele announced cheerfully to her, throwing her arms around Pansy like they were old friends. Awkwardly, Pansy patted her back and stayed still until the woman released her.
In a flash, she had been yanked upstairs back into the beauty parlor room. The pedicure chair was gone, and in its place was a giant vanity mirror, with a chair in front of it. On the counter of the mirror was several assorted makeup items, ranging from blush to fake eyelashes.
"Such soft skin… Got masks, did you?" Renadele attempted to make small talk while she started on Pansy's hair.
She began with a simple straightening charm, and Pansy realized how much her hair had grown. It was even longer now, but it looked nice, compared to what it had once been.
Pansy grunted in response, and the overzealous makeup artist took this as a yes. She started pulling the hair back tightly, though left some hair around her eyes.
Pansy winced as her hair was yanked into a tight ponytail at the back of her head. Renadele began with perfect curls with just a wave of her wand, fixing the hair somehow so that it looked like a short ponytail of thick ringlet curls. Next, she moved onto the hairs left in front. She began by parting it above the arch of her left eyebrow, and performed separate curling charms on each bit, leaving it in soft waves around her face.
"Isn't that just about perfect?"
Pansy stared at herself, her eyes drooping. She could really use that potion just about now.
"Just about," Pansy snapped in response, but Renadele didn't seem to mind.
She got started on her makeup shortly after adding a few minor adjustments to Pansy's hairstyle.
She spent ages on Pansy's makeup, adding item after item, making Pansy feel like a little doll. What felt like days later, she was allowed to look at herself.
Apparently, makeup had been applied to make her look tanner, which did its job nicely. She had a bit of black around her eyes but also a sparkly white, which made her extremely dark eyes stand out even more. Her lips had been lined with perfection, then added a pink to them. Her cheeks had a bit of pink tint to them, and her normally blonde eyelashes were now thick, black, and long.
She couldn't complain and say anything looked bad. Actually, she could almost think she looked beautiful. But the reason why she looked this way was to look good for Senus, and that always made her feel like she should be taking off the makeup and looking terrible for him.
"Why the long face, dearie? You look dazzling!" Renadele bragged, leaning her face up next to Pansy's and smiling prettily. "Anything you don't like?"
Pansy wished she had something she didn't like. Everything looked so nice, but so opposite of her. She wished she could rip the hair down and dip her face in water, just to be back to what she once was.
"No."
Renadele looked beyond herself with happiness. "Wonderful!"
Pansy just glared at her reflection, standing up. At that moment, a few sharp raps beat against the door, and Pansy knew it was either her mother or Senus. Hopefully not the latter.
The door opened, and Regina stormed in, giving Pansy a quick once over. She then moved over, surveying the hairstyle from every angle. Satisfied, she nodded her head once and Renadele began to gather her things.
"You have two hours before Halle arrives, since she's 'forgotten' about one of her customers scheduled for this afternoon. You had better not get that hair or makeup messed up even a little bit."
Pansy nodded, not in a mood to argue with her. It was close to one o'clock, and Pansy went on a search for a maid. She needed a potion to keep her from falling over and going to sleep right there in the hallway.
She trudged up to the servant's quarters for the second time that day, seeing a frightened looking maid coming out of one of the doors.
"Excuse me," Pansy began, surprising herself with her politeness. "Could you get a Wakening Draught made up for me and delivered to my room?"
The maid nodded vigorously, and Pansy retreated to her bedroom. In there, she retrieved the letters Draco had sent her, reading them over and over again. It felt comforting to read them, placing his voice with the words and pretending he was actually there.
A couple of gentle knocks sounded at the door, and Pansy called the visitor in. It was the same maid, carrying a acid colored vial. She offered it to Pansy.
"Thank you." She wrapped her fingers around it, lifting it from the girl's little hand and downed it in one gulp. She'd had it before, though the taste was still just as shockingly horrible as it had been the first time she'd taken it.
"Anything else I can get for you?" the maid squeaked. Pansy shook her head and the girl rushed from the room as fast as she could.
She knew she intimidated the maids, merely because she's the boss of them. Well, Regina mainly because she paid them, but they were still supposed to answer to all members of the house.
She busied herself with random things, mostly finishing up the last chapter of A Summer in Paradise. It was her second time reading it, but it seemed to get sweeter each time she did. She wished she had a relationship like Carrie and Jacob had in the books, but knew it wasn't possible.
Pansy heard her mother's voice welcoming Halle in the foyer downstairs, so she placed the book down and moved down the steps, careful not to muck up her hair.
"Ah, the little Bachelorette! Not for very long though, hm?" Halle grinned, making her way up the stairs to the spare bedroom, setting up in there. Pansy followed glumly, choosing not to respond to Halle's comment.
"This won't take long, dear. Just making sure that your recent loss of weight hasn't affected how the dress fits you. And if it does, we'll make a few quick adjustments and that will be all."
Halle helped Pansy into the dress, seeing it fit a bit loser in her stomach section. She said nothing, carefully using her wand to make it tighter. Pansy felt quite like she couldn't breathe. Regina, who was standing off to the side, surveyed the image.
"It looks tight enough. I considered putting you in a corset, Pansy, but you're skinny enough as it is. The photographer will be here in a few minutes."
Pansy nodded, slipping into the expensive heels that she had picked up with Senus and taking a few steps in them. She had experience with heels, and the bottom of the dress allowed her to move her legs enough to walk normally.
"Beautiful," Halle complimented. "I believe my work here is done. Excellent hair by the way!"
Halle gathered her things and left with a tiny pop. Pansy turned to her mother, who led her downstairs. A pudgy man with an enormous camera waited in the hall besides a maid.
"Can I take your coat, sir?" the maid asked gently.
"And get your germs on it? This is an expensive coat, missy." He glared at her and she nodded, hurriedly leaving the room.
"Pansy, this is Mr. Sisilla, and he'll be doing your pre-wedding pictures," Regina introduced her, smiling.
Mr. Sisilla grinned horribly. He took a few minutes to position Pansy perfectly on the steps, then took the photograph. It nearly blinded her eyes.
"Don't worry, lass, it happens to everyone. A bright flash, this one has." He lifted the camera again, snapping it again. Pansy prepared herself, keeping her mouth straight and emotionless. He snapped about ten or twenty more, Pansy lost count, and then repositioned her.
She was to smile this time, which she did uneasily. It seemed like a very reserved smile, shy and fake. Her mother encouraged her to look happier, and Pansy did her best.
After about ten more positions and hundreds more pictures, she was free to go. There was a little spot blinding her a bit, but she managed to make it to a chair and sit down.
"So close, dear," Regina said, heaving a sigh. "I'm happy it's finally come. Even if it was sooner than I expected."
Pansy ignored her mother's attempts to make small talk.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about Senus." Pansy didn't respond again, so her mother continued. "As long as you don't upset him, I think you two can have a very happy marriage. You shouldn't be upsetting your husband anyway. The reason women are made is to please their husbands and create children."
Pansy was sure she'd read those exact words in one of the books she'd been forced to read earlier that summer. She remained silent, knowing her Draco would come. He could do something. He had connections.
Regina gave up trying to get Pansy to speak and left the room, entering her office and slamming the door behind her.
Pansy returned to her bedroom and laid her head gently on the desk, careful not to mess up her hair or makeup, and fell asleep.
She dreamed of her wedding, walking down the aisle and taking her place beside Senus at the front. And just as she was being asked for her vow, Draco leapt from the crowd, pulled off his disguise and saved the day. It sounded dreadfully like a fairytale, but she was content in dreaming it for then.
Just as she and Draco had arrived back at his manor, she was being shaken vigorously by him. And then she realized it wasn't him at all, but a servant attempting to wake her up.
She sat up, stopping herself from rubbing her eyes at the last second. How long had she been sleeping? She didn't even remember laying her head down.
"Madam Parkinson wishes your presense downstairs. She says it's time for touch-ups and then you'll be off to the wedding."
Pansy nodded to the servant and waved her arm. He left the room silently and Pansy walked over to her mirror. She didn't look much different, except her eyes a tad red and a bit of sleep in them. She got that out careful enough, smoothing her dress and walking downstairs to meet her mother in the hallway.
Diana was there, smiling in approval. Pansy smiled lightly back, and Regina looked horrified that she would do such things in front of an inferior.
"The maid will tidy up your hair and makeup. We're nearly late."
Diana moved over to Pansy, performing a quick few spells on her that perfected everything, probably better than Renadele had done.
"He'll come," Diana whispered to her, and Pansy nodded, glad her mother wasn't paying much attention.
"Let's go," Regina ordered, opening the door and letting Pansy out. They apparated within a few seconds of each other, arriving at the Brooke Event Hall just outside the door.
Pansy was whisked inside, then led to a room near a giant pair of arch doors, supposing that the wedding guests were waiting in there.
"Here, you look tired," Regina pointed out, pulling a vial out from her pockets. It was the same stuff Pansy had earlier, but in a bigger vial.
She downed it quickly, using a refreshing charm on her mouth as soon as it was gone. She felt immediately more energized, and nervous. What if Draco didn't show? No, he would. He would.
Genevieve and Dallas looked nice, and were arranging their bouquets in their hands. A woman popped her head in the door and motioned for them to come. Pansy watched them go, feeling glad Dallas had not said anything pertaining to Draco.
Time was ticking by, and Regina left the room to take her seat, leaving Pansy all alone in the giant room.
The woman opened the door again, motioning for Pansy to come. On wobbly legs, she obeyed and stood in front of the closed arch doors, waiting.
The ushers opened it from the inside, revealing the bride standing there. Her veil was pulled down over her face, but the dress could still be seen and her perfectly creamy skin.
She began the walk down, each row standing up and observing her as she did so. She felt so many eyes on her that she wanted to just faint, and the dress was so tight. At last, she reached the front to see Senus awaiting her, looking fashionable.
He pulled the sheer layer of the veil back, revealing her face. And then took her hands in his. The guests sat back down, and the priest began his speech, talking slowly and turning his head to each of the couple in turn.
Pansy's eyes drifted behind him, to where two groomsmen stood, and then near her, where Genevieve and Dallas watched the wedding occur intently. Genevieve caught her eye and glared, so Pansy turned quickly back to Senus.
Anytime now, Pansy told herself, her eyes continuously flitting towards the doors to see if Draco would be coming.
At one time, she stared at the door for some time, and Senus squeezed her hands fairly hard to grab her attention back.
Time for the vows, and Draco still wasn't around. Maybe her dream would come true, and he'd step in just before she answered the priest.
"I do," Senus replied clearly, and the priest's attention was directed towards her.
"Pansy Parkinson, do you take Senus to be your lawfully wedded husband, through sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"
She gulped. Draco's last chance. Senus squeezed her hands again tightly.
"I do."
No knight in shining armor. He wasn't coming.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Senus, you may kiss the bride."
Senus leaned in and planted what Pansy had mistaken for a delicate kiss on her lips, then pulled back and started leading her down the aisle.
She was Mrs. Pansy Yitel. It was all over. No chance of being freed.
Authors Note: Don't worry my dears. This isn't the end.
