The Houses Competition
House: Hufflepuff
Class: Muggle Studies
Prompt: (Event) Family Dinner/Meal
Category: Drabble
Word Count: 848
Warnings for slight hints of homophobia and a slight bit out of character. I would like to take this time to thank everyone who beta read this story for me. It truly means a lot that you would help me like this. So, thank you very much!
Pansy had been feeling confident about her decision to introduce her girlfriend of almost a year to her parents. That is until now, when she found herself and Ginny sitting down to the family meal that had been prepared by the house-elves. She could already tell that her parents were looking down their noses at Ginny. Mostly because she was poor and from a family of Blood Traitors.
"Pansy," her mother said, looking at her in concern, "you said you wanted us to meet someone. Is he running late?"
Pansy sighed. This wasn't going well and the meal hadn't even started yet. She jumped a bit when she felt a hand on hers. Ginny was smiling at her encouragingly, but Ginny didn't understand.
In fact, the Weasleys had been rather accepting of her and Ginny's relationship. They actually treated her like she was a part of her family already. She knew that her own parents wouldn't be that accepting. They had their own Pureblood values to think about and how this would make them look like as parents.
"Pansy, your mother asked you a question," her father said sternly, beginning to pick up his fork and knife to tuck into his dinner.
Ginny nodded at her. If only Pansy could be as brave as her fiery redhead was. If only Pansy could just take control of her life, things would be easier. This dinner wouldn't seem to drag on forever and ever that was for sure.
"Are you hiding something from us, young lady?" her mother asked, looking at Pansy in concern. "You aren't…."
Pansy scoffed. The first noise she'd made since they'd been led into the dining room for dinner. How could her mother think that low of her? Pansy was about to say something to this effect when Ginny jumped in.
"You have a very lovely home, Mrs. Parkinson," she said, smiling at the older dark-haired woman as she started to eat her steak. "It must have taken a lot of effort to get everything just right."
"It did," her mother sneered. Not even a thank you for the compliment before her attention turned back to Pansy. "Is there a reason that Miss Weasley had to join us for dinner?"
"I'm actually the person you're supposed to be meeting tonight," Ginny said, taking hold of Pansy's hand. "No one is running late or anything. Except for maybe you."
It felt like time stood still after Ginny's words faded into nothingness. A silence had fallen over the entire table and Pansy's father put down his fork and knife. No one moved. No one spoke. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Finally, Pansy's mother broke the silence that had become quite deafening. "Pansy is this….this thing that Miss Weasley said true?" she asked, trying to keep her voice equal. More than likely keeping the anger out of her voice. Ginny had basically just told Pansy's mother that she was breaking one of the older woman's largest beliefs.
"It is," Pansy said, fidgeting with the table cloth with the hand that wasn't being held by Ginny. "We came here tonight to announce something very special for us. We would like your permission to…."
"So there's no young man coming tonight?"
Pansy shook her head. The feeling of time grinding away at a slow pace kept intensifying as she looked at her parents. She knew this might be the way that they would react. But she was here and she was going to say what she had to say. It was now or never.
"No, Mum," she said, standing up from the table and prodding Ginny to do the same. "We came here tonight to ask your permission to get married. Ginny's parents are fine with it and agreed to hold the wedding. But we would really like it if you could see it in your hearts to come too."
Pansy's mother was about to say something when her father cut her off. "This girl makes you happy?" he asked, looking between Ginny and Pansy.
"Very," Pansy said, hoping her father was going to grant them permission. "I can't imagine my life without her."
Silence pervaded the dining room before her father looked over at them. "Then I suppose you have our permission," he said, snorting. "You'd have married her with or without our permission. I know that much. Now enough talk about weddings, it's giving your mother a fit."
They settled back into the silence from before, the meal becoming even more awkward as they went. No one spoke after that. No one truly knew what to say. And when the meal was finally over, Pansy was more than happy to leave. She'd never wanted to get out of a place fast enough.
"That went well enough," Ginny said, smiling as they Apparated to the small flat that they shared in Godric's Hollow. "At least now we've got permission to be together and you can finally stop hiding."
But one thing was true. Pansy was finally free to be herself, and she would.
I hope you all enjoyed Meeting the Parkinsons as much as I enjoyed writing it.
