Author's Notes: Muaha… You're all wrong. And Raisa, you pronounced it correctly. It is indeed See-Nus.

Pansy was still in disbelief as they boarded the carriage which was meant to transport them to the reception. It was customary that two white horses pulled a carriage after marriage in the Yitel family, and Regina had not objected to it whatsoever.

Senus looked to her, a sickly smirk on his features.

"Looks like your precious Draco isn't as brave as you thought."

She turned to him, a hard glare decorating her face. She hadn't meant it, but Draco…Well, how dare he bring him up? She felt like crying miserably and just locking herself up, not bothering to talk to anybody for the rest of her awful life.

Before she knew it, Senus was kissing her roughly, biting her lip to where it bled. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. When he at last freed her, she wiped a streak of blood from her lip and crossed her arms. She wanted to pout and throw a temper tantrum, but it wasn't in her power. What good would it do, anyway? She was married to the worst man in the world.

Why hadn't she married Joel Gazelle or Steven Reynolds? Next to Senus, they seemed like extremely great guys. She leaned her head against the window, watching the world pass by.

They arrived at the reception in good time, and Senus lead her inside. A polite applause erupted from the audience as they entered. Pansy's husband wore a horrible smile, raising his hand and waving at them. Pansy could practically see her mother glaring at her, so she faked a tiny upturn of her lips, raising her hand a bit.

She didn't have the heart to pretend anymore. She hardly grasped onto the crook of Senus's elbow as he practically dragged her inside, to the center of the large dance floor.

"The bride and groom's dance," a man bellowed under the Sonorus charm. Senus placed one hand on her side and the other with her hand, pulling her closely to him. She set her hand weakly on his shoulder, staring at the crowd as she danced.

They were all watching with the same expression. Dull. They'd done this before. They'd seen enough weddings. And every one of them knew that it was betrothal. Because every one of them knew what a psycho Senus was. But they smiled and clapped, 'oooh'ed and 'awww'ed, merely because they knew they weren't the ones having to live with him and put up with him. As long as they both shall live, or in other words, a death sentence.

When the song finally ended, the string courtet playing out their final notes, Pansy was extremely relieved to let go. Senus began talking to an older looking man with a fierce passion, and Pansy took the opportunity to get some snacks. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and her stomach felt horribly empty. Perhaps food would distract her from Draco. Or she'd just wretch it up.

A few others were gathered around the long table filled with little snacks, ranging from mints to fruit, all along it. She picked up one of the expensive bowls, scooping in some raisins and a few rye chips.

"Pansy!"

She turned her head, recognizing the voice, but couldn't pinpoint whose it was. There, standing farther down the table was Millicent. She was grinning wildly.

She looked magnificent. She must've lost ten pounds since Pansy had last seen her. She still had broad shoulders and thick bones, but she looked much thinner than she had in school. All in preparation for her wedding, Pansy presumed.

She could've cried at the sight of a friendly face. She set the bowl down, throwing her arms over Millicent and hugging her tightly, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Oh, Pansy," Millicent sighed in sympathy, patting her back. "I really thought Draco was going to do something. I guess his blood means more to him than you."

"What do you mean?" Pansy asked, pulling away. Her stomach rumbled, so she picked up the bowl again and scooted close to her friend.

"You don't know?" Millicent looked shocked. "His parents heard all about his rendezvous with you, from one of the servants, so they went off on him. Threatening to disown him, and saying he was marrying one of your cousins. He owled me all about it and asked me to tell you, but my owls kept returning. I thought you'd sent them back, but then I remembered that your Mum took away your owling rights."

Pansy nodded. "I thought his parents might be relieved. Dallas is horrible, and they know me."

"Yeah. Yeah, I thought so too. But they just blew up. He said he'd never seen his father look angrier."

So he'd nearly gotten disowned because of her? It wasn't exactly good news, but it comforted her in an odd way.

Millicent looked to her watch. "Pansy, I'm really sorry about this. I've got to work extraordinarily early tomorrow, so I need to go. Try and owl me, all right?"

Pansy hugged her again, sniffling miserably and nodding. She would owl her, definitely.

For the rest of the reception, Pansy was hounded by people she didn't even know. They must've been friends or relatives of Senus, because they kept shaking her hands and commenting about how pretty she was. Some of them kissed her cheek, wishing them a long and happy marriage. Well, one thing would come true. The long bit.

Finally, Pansy and Senus stood on either side of the door. It was time for the end of the reception. On their way out, each guest shook hands, bumped cheeks, or hugged either the bride and groom. And they would thank them for coming.

When at last every guest had left, Senus proffered his arm once more. They took the same carriage to their new home. All of Pansy's things had been transported there by some servants. As a wedding gift, Regina had given them some maids and servants, plus a couple of spare elves to start off their mansion in.

On a newly built sign near the gate was 'Yitel Estate', and Pansy knew she was going to hate it. They were dropped off, and she hadn't a chance to look around before she was lead inside.

"Wonderful, wasn't it?" Senus asked without requiring an answer. He took off his coat, handed it to a house elf, and turned to her. "Come, I'll show you the bedroom."

Her heart sped up to an incredible pace. This was it. She was going to have to willingly give herself to him. Stiffly, she followed him up the steps and through the first door on the left. The room was huge, with an enormous bed, two enormous dressers, bookshelves, decorations, and large windows overlooking the grounds. There were four doors in the room, and Pansy wondered what led to each of them.

Senus wasted no time.

……..

In the morning, Pansy awoke to feeling extremely sore. Senus had been rough, and she knew that she had bruises. Senus was missing from the bed, and in his place was a bit of parchment.

Gone to work. Be back at five.

Senus

Pansy felt so relieved to know that she didn't have to see him until five. It almost distracted her from her pain. She took a long, soaking bath, examining a long purple bruise across her stomach. Luckily, no visible marks but a cut on her lip from the ride to the reception. Once she was out, she pulled a bathrobe over her form and went out into the hallway. She felt like the whole place was empty, and it was so large.

A maid was bustling along the hallway, with grey hairs sprouting along her bonnet and wrinkles on her face.

"Excuse me," Pansy said, and the maid looked up suddenly. "Is there a stable here?"

"Yes, ma'am. We've got six horses, ma'am, and a couple of other animals 'round there. It's just off behind them gardens." The woman pointed outwards to the right, as if it were really going to help.

"Thanks." The maid started to walk off, but Pansy spun around. "Is a maid named Diana working here?"

"Not that I know of. I can 'ave the charts checked for yeh, ma'am."

Pansy nodded in gratitude. "And who will care for my hair while I'm here?"

The maid looked lost in thought for a moment. "There's a youngen named Hannah that ought to do the job. Unless you're looking for something real fancy…"

"No, just a simple braid. Can you have her come to my room in twenty minutes?"

The old woman nodded, and Pansy retreated to her room. She looked through several drawers before coming across her stable clothing. Her mother deeply disapproved her being out in the stables, and had bought the clothes against her wishes. Just a simple pair of riding pants with a shirt.

Maybe this whole being married to Senus thing wouldn't be so bad. He'd be gone until five each day, and she could do whatever she wished until then. Perhaps she'd say she felt sick tonight and go to bed early. It felt comforting thinking that when she woke, he'd be gone.

She slipped into the riding clothes, pulling on shoes. They were sort of like tennis shoes, comfortable and flat. She washed up a bit, when a knocking came from outside the door.

She opened it, seeing a young looking maid standing there. She had dark black hair and dark skin, chocolate brown eyes and her maid ensemble looked far too big for her.

"You must be Hannah."

The maid nodded. Pansy opened the door, allowing the girl in and moving to sit in front of the new vanity, which was much fancier than her last.

"I'd like a braid," Pansy requested, and the maid nodded again.

"Zis I can do." Her accent was so thick that Pansy hardly understood what she had said. But the maid began working on her hair. A quick drying spell, straightening spell, and then pulling it into a maid. Hairs fell around her face a bit, shorter than the rest, looking acceptable.

"Thank you," Pansy muttered, heading out through the back door and outside. It felt nice, being out there with the morning air. She went straight to the stables, past an impressive garden.

Grouped around it were some stable hands, apparently on breakfast break. They had sandwiches or something like that in their hands and were eating away. One stopped to open the barn door for her.

"Will you be needing any help, ma'am?" he asked.

"No." She felt confident that she could handle the horses in the barn. She'd been riding for almost half her life, only leisure.

She looked at each of the horses in turn, reading the chart beside their stall. One of them was dappled gray, and had grabbed her attention. She brushed him, suited him up, and led him out to a large arena.

As soon as she had mounted him and started him off at a brisk trot around in a circle, one of the stable hands caught her attention.

"Ma'am, you've got a visitor."

She sighed, calling the horse to a halt and tying him up to a post for the moment, pulling off her gloves and heading towards the house.

On her way, she saw someone heading towards her that made her stop. She nearly fell over, halting mid-step.

It was Draco. Striding towards her, his usual tame blonde hair sweeping about in the wind. He was dressed like a muggle, with jeans and a sweater. Even in the summer, he scarcely wore cool clothing.

"I guess his blood means more to him than you."

She remembered Millicent's words and her expression tightened. Draco reached her at last, looking sorrowful.

"Pansy," he began without his usual drawl. "I'm sorry. I tried to get in… You have to know that. I had the Polyjuice Potion brewed. I was going to hex Senus into oblivion and come in and save you last minute. I came hours earlier with the intention of hiding out in his dressing room until he came."

"So what stopped you?" she snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Guards. They flooded the place, all over every door and in front of every window. I swear. I tried to pass by, looking like Senus and all, but they said they needed some kind of password. I imagine that Yitel expected me to do something like that. He'd sent me a few threatening owls that I replied to. I assured him I would stop his wedding. But I couldn't. You have to understand."

She stared at him, searching for a sign that he was lying. But she didn't see any. It didn't mean he wasn't though.

"It wouldn't work anyway. Senus and I are married, officially. There's nothing that can be done now." Pansy turned around and started back towards the stable. She bit her lip to stop from crying, but the tears were still threatening to fall.

"Pansy!" She could hear him jogging towards her. He reached her at last, looking solemn. "Let's get disowned. Look, my shop is bringing enough profit to help us for a while until you can get a job. I can't marry your cousin, because I'll have to see you at family gatherings with…him. And I'd rather be with you than have money."

"But I'll still be married to him. There's nothing I can do."

"Divorce! It's all the rage for mudbloods. If you tell him you're going to leave the family to be with me, he'll be forced to sign the papers. There's no way he won't. He wouldn't be seen with a disowned girl."

She considered this, reaching the stable at last. She loved Draco. She really did… It was worth it. She hated her family, and if having a lot of money made her this depressed… then she'd rather be poor.

"Okay, okay. What should I do?"

He smiled a true genuine smile. She loved it when he smiled, since he did so rarely. "I'll have the divorce papers owled to you."

"What if he hurts me when he sees them?" she asked worriedly, stopping in her tracks. What if Senus killed her?

"Have him meet you at the Ministry to have the divorce official. He won't hurt you in front of Ministry officials."

She nodded. "I'll get the papers and then have him meet me there. Right. All right. This is going to work."

"Of course it is. I thought it up. I'll have those papers sent to you immediately."

He leaned in, planting a kiss on her cheek delicately, then apparated off with a small pop.

She tried to ride again, but found herself far too distracted. She had a stable hand put the horse up and returned to the house. After a quick shower, she dressed and went downstairs for some food.

For the rest of the day, she explored the Gardens. At nearly five, she came back in the house and busied herself with reading the Daily Prophet. The door opened, just over five o'clock, and she heard Senus bustling around in the foyer.

"Pansy?" he called out.

"In here," she replied simply, not looking up from her paper.

The door opened and he entered, looking tired but somewhat relaxed. "When will dinner be ready?"

"Sometime around six or seven, I suppose."

"Go find out."

She thought about refusing, but set down the paper and left anyway. After a bit of creative exploring, she found the kitchens. Inside, house elves were busily cooking. But once they saw her, a few came over.

"Would madam like some tea?"

She shook her head. "When will dinner be ready?"

"Six-thirty, madam."

She left quickly, returning to the parlor and answered his question. He grunted in response, deep into reading her newspaper.

Just then, something hit the door. Pansy suspected it was a knock, but it was only one and they could've used the chime. Peering into the foyer, she saw a letter on the doormat.

"What was that?" Senus grunted.

"I hit my toe," she lied quickly, picking up the letter and slipping it into the folds of her attire, hiding it from view.

After dinner, while Senus bathed, she read the letter in one of the spare bedrooms. It was just a divorce form, requiring two signatures on the bottom. She hurriedly filled out her name, spouse's name, all that. The reason for divorce made her pause a moment.

Fight too much, don't get along, and want to be with other people.

On the line for date of marriage, she wrote down yesterday's date. That wasn't going to go over well, but she would tell that betrothal was being used in her family line if it meant leaving Senus.

She stowed the letter in the top drawer of a desk, returning to her bedroom. It was almost eight, and Senus had no intention of going to bed.

"A few colleagues of mine are coming over for drinks. I expect you will stay upstairs and not bother us."

An idea popped in her head. "Actually, I was hoping I could drop by and see a friend."

Senus snickered. "Your sweet little Malfoy boy? I don't think so."

"No, Millicent. I promised her I'd drop by sometime, and I'm sure she's still up. I won't go see Draco. He was a waste of my time."

He looked satisfied, and waved her off, leaving the room. She went out the back door and apparated right outside Millicent's house. After a few quick knocks on the door, she heard the bustling of someone coming.

Crabbe answered, seeing Pansy and smiling. "What a surprise," he said without any enthusiasm. "Come in."

She nodded gratefully, stepping in. Crabbe fetched Millicent, who led her to the kitchen for a bit of coffee.

Pansy told her about Draco stopping by and her plans to be disowned, then marry Draco.

"Won't that mean he'll be disowned as well?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. I guess I do mean more to him than his blood," Pansy replied smiling beyond herself.

"That's wonderful! I'm lucky my parents won't mind if I still hang about you. How is your Mum, anyway?"

"She's all right. Ecstatic that I finally got married, really," Pansy answered grimly. "I'm hardly eighteen."

"I know. But so am I, and I'm getting married. I've got to work again tomorrow morning, so you won't mind if we finish this up later, will you?"

Pansy shrugged, standing up. "No. I'll see you another time. Shortly."

When she arrived back at the Yitel Estate, it was almost nine-thirty. She felt tired, probably from waking up so early. Senus was still in the parlor with his friends, so she went on up to bed.

The next morning, Senus didn't have to work. It was Saturday, after all. She got up earlier than he did and prepared for a visit to the Ministry.

By the time she was ready, he was up.

"Senus, we've got to visit the Ministry today."

"For what?" He asked, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure. We won't be long though," she lied, but perfectly as she ran a hand through her hair.

"And how do you know all this that I don't?" he muttered gruffly, turning on the bath water.

"It was one of those owls that diminish after it's been read. I didn't know," she carried on calmly.

"When?"

"We have to leave at one," she answered, and he left into the bathroom without another word.

She grinned broadly to herself, moving to the spare bedroom she'd occupied the day before and placed the letter in a pocket of her outfit, waiting patiently for one to come around.

At last, the clock hit one and made a loud chiming noise. Pansy and Senus apparated separately to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, approaching the front desk.

"The appointment is on level three, room twenty-nine," Pansy said before Senus could ask the secretary. She smiled politely.

In silence, the married couple went up the lift three levels, then to room twenty-nine. The man inside was expecting them. Draco had sent Pansy an owl the night before saying he'd scheduled an appointment.

"You must be Pansy," the man stated. "Arnold Hayes." He shook each of their hands in turn.

"So what's this about?" Senus demanded gruffly.

"You don't know?" Arnold questioned curiously. "Pansy, did you tell him?"

"We're getting a divorce, Senus," Pansy told him calmly. He stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair.

"We are absolutely not getting divorced! You'll be disowned, and I won't sign it!"

Arnold sighed. "Mr. Yitel, it is mandatory. You must sign it. Did you know muggles sometimes take two years for divorces to actually come through? It's a mess. Here, two signatures and we'll have it done within minutes. We'll destroy the file and we'll burn the marriage certificate."

Senus was breathing heavily and his face was red from anger. "You're mistaken. We're not getting divorced. Come on, Pansy." He grasped her arm tightly and pulled her up.

"Mr. Yitel! Sit down and let go of her!"

He did as he was told, sitting down and gritting his teeth.

"Now, sign it and this will all be over. I see Pansy has already signed her own line, so now it's your turn." Arnold pushed the papers toward him.

Senus read over it, nearly crushing the quill in his hand. Actually, he did crush it, so Arnold handed him another one.

After a few minutes of staring angrily at the paper, Senus signed and threw the quill at the ground, standing up and leaving the room. The door slammed tightly with his exit.

"I can see why that ended. But only a day being married. Sad. Off you go. I'll have your marriage files terminated and can I have that certificate?"

Pansy reached in her pocket, retrieving the certificate. Arnold held it up and burned it with his wand, letting the ashes fall onto the table. He zapped them away, smiled to her, and told her she could leave.

Once she was outside the Minstry, she felt free. She apparated to the Estate, planning to gather her things. But on the porch were a few bags. She peered in one, seeing her clothes and toiletries crumbled inside it.

Nothing could put a damper on her mood. She scooped up the bags with difficulty and apparated to Diagon Alley. From there, she levitated them to Draco's quidditch supplies.

He was behind the counter, smiling foolishly at her. He set the bags down, scooped her up and kissed her, right there in the middle of the shop. A few of the shoppers grinned knowingly, while others grunted at the sight.

"You should've seen him. He was so angry," she explained to him, just as an owl flew him and dropped a letter out in front of Pansy. On the cover, she saw clearly her mother's handwriting. "Here we go."

She opened it carefully, pulling out the letter.

Pansy,

I can't believe what you've done. I spent so much money on that wedding…On you. And now you're throwing it all away for that little wimpy Malfoy! You know what this means. I will have you disowned, and I expect the clothes that I rightfully own will be delivered to my house. Even the ones you're wearing.

Regina Parkinson

She sighed, crumpling the letter and throwing it in the rubbish bin.

"I need to borrow some clothes," she said quietly to Draco, who looked confused. He didn't ask, just apparated to his manor, leaving her in charge of the shop.

She just rang up a few customers before he arrived, carrying a pair of jeans, which she was sure were going to be too big. He also had a T-shirt that would be extremely tight on Draco.

Pansy smiled gratefully, accepting them and going into the backroom, changing. She gathered up the clothes she'd been wearing and stuffed them inside the bag.

"I'm going to go make a delivery. I'll be back."

She gathered up the bags in her arms again, apparating outside her previous home, where her mother currently resided.

She rung the door chime, and her mother opened the door. It was unusual for her to do so; usually a house elf took care of that.

She looked a fright, with her hair out of place and her face looking blotchy. She snatched up the bags, slamming the door in her face.

Had her mother been crying? She had left her with nothing. Except her precious Professor Lupin.

Pansy cringed, apparating back to Draco's store.

Within a few weeks, Draco was disowned as well. They married in a small church cheaply. School friends attended, but no parents or relatives. Pansy didn't expect them to show up.

And that was how it ended. Pansy became Pansy Regina Malfoy, and they lived on. Draco's shop pulled in enough money to get them an apartment for a while, until Pansy got a job. Eventually, they would have children. But their children would not be subjected to the pureblood ways. Because both had learned their lesson.

….

Author's Notes: I hope you liked it. And if you didn't…Well… I know it's not one of those fairytale endings, but it's realistic. It's one of those stories that purebloods can tell to their children to keep them from being biased against mudbloods and halfbloods. How nice!