Pansy Parkinson

[leahsm2]

I have an idea of having Pansy become a Death Eater during her Seventh year, but am not sure if that makes sense or not. She seems fully capable of mindless cruelty (which I'm sure in her opinion isn't mindless at all, but well supported by her being of a higher class and equipped by nature in ways that her victims are not) But still. Draco would have been growingly standoffish, I imagine, but with the war heating up and the anti-muggle legislation in place I would assume she would just consider it a right of passage.

And yet, I have a gnawing doubt, so any suggestions?

[OliveOil_Med]

I have some Post-Hogwarts Pansy questions:


When Do you all think Draco and Pansy broke up?

Do think they were ever that serious to begin with?

What do you believe happened to Pansy nineteen years after the Battle?

Do think she would ever leave the country, or would she remain in Britain?

How do you believe she would react to her child being Sorted into any other house than Slytherin?

What do you see as a potential career for her?

[Inverarity]

We never really learn much about Pansy, other than that she's based on the mean girls that JK Rowling hated at school. We can assume she's a pureblood (otherwise Draco probably wouldn't have dated her), and she was impressed by his association with Voldemort, so obviously she sympathized with the Death Eaters' agenda. But would she really have actively participated in Death Eater activities, and did she have the stomach (or the courage) to practice Dark Arts herself, and torture and kill people? I rather doubt that. I think she liked being a hanger-on, but she seems to be the sort who'd balk when it comes to getting her own hands dirty.

She's one of those characters with whom you could do almost anything. Her parents are never mentioned, and we never find out if she has siblings, so all we know about her is that she was a nasty "mean girl" as a teen. She might have been truly evil to the core, or she might just have been a spoiled brat. Maybe she continues being nasty and unpleasant as an adult, or maybe she grows up. Lots of people who were deeply unpleasant as teens become much more likeable adults.

When Do you all think Draco and Pansy broke up?

I'd guess Draco stopped being interested in romance, or toying with Pansy, when he was worried about himself and his parents being killed in HBP. He might have kept up appearances throughout DH, or they might have broken up before that, but unless Pansy was really, truly committed to the Death Eaters, I doubt they had much of a relationship, and I really doubt it lasted after Voldemort's death.

Do think they were ever that serious to begin with?

Pansy might have thought it was serious. I doubt Draco ever did.

What do you believe happened to Pansy nineteen years after the Battle?

It depends, again, on how "evil" you think she was, but in any case, she never actively supported the Death Eaters, as far as we know. I suspect she wound up marrying some other pureblood, but really, you could write her life going in any direction.

Do think she would ever leave the country, or would she remain in Britain?

If her parents were Death Eaters, or active supporters of Voldemort, then her family might have been disgraced. If not, they probably didn't leave. But I'm sure everyone at Hogwarts will remember her standing up and demanding they turn Harry over to Voldemort, and that might have been hard to live down.

How do you believe she would react to her child being Sorted into any other house than Slytherin?

On the one hand, she might be horrified. On the other, she might say, "Thank Merlin!" and hope her child escapes the stigma of being her son/daughter.

What do you see as a potential career for her?

Spoiled housewife. If not that, maybe she'd find some bureaucratic position in the Ministry. (I can see them assigning her to the Centaur Liaison Office...)

[leahsm2]

We never really learn much about Pansy, other than that she's based on the mean girls that JK Rowling hated at school. We can assume she's a pureblood (otherwise Draco probably wouldn't have dated her), and she was impressed by his association with Voldemort, so obviously she sympathized with the Death Eaters' agenda. But would she really have actively participated in Death Eater activities, and did she have the stomach (or the courage) to practice Dark Arts herself, and torture and kill people? I rather doubt that. I think she liked being a hanger-on, but she seems to be the sort who'd balk when it comes to getting her own hands dirty.

She's one of those characters with whom you could do almost anything. Her parents are never mentioned, and we never find out if she has siblings, so all we know about her is that she was a nasty "mean girl" as a teen. She might have been truly evil to the core, or she might just have been a spoiled brat. Maybe she continues being nasty and unpleasant as an adult, or maybe she grows up. Lots of people who were deeply unpleasant as teens become much more likeable adults.

We also know that she wanted to turn Harry over without a second thought in DH and was swiftly shown the door. I think this shows that if she is a Death Eater, DH must be ignored, but I also think that her own actions have been (however briefly mentioned in canon) enough. She's capable of massive cruelty in order to "what is right" which is obviously not "we" would think of as right, but would fit the prevailing opinion of those she surrounded herself with.

I hate to go off topic but the fact that her hijinks are supposed to be seen as deplorable, but the Marauders are held to a different standard (although Harry was rightfully horrified) seems a bit jarring to me, but again, off topic.

[celipsis]

I don't think Pansy ever would have become a Death Eater. If Pansy was your average modern-day American teenager (Muggle, of course) she would be that girl who starts smoking because she thinks that it's cool and that it will improve her image and standing in the eyes of her friends. Likewise, sympathizing with Voldemort's cause and anti-Muggle stand is the epitome of Slytherin "coolness". That is Pansy's reasoning.

Pansy wouldn't be able to abide by the Death Eater standard of living because however nasty and cruel she may be, like Draco, she is not a murderer. The atrocities that the Death Eaters commit are not something that she is truly able to comprehend from the superficial world she lives in. In her world, Voldemort and the Death Eaters are nothing more than a way for her to appear "cool" to her housemates.

I think she liked being a hanger-on, but she seems to be the sort who'd balk when it comes to getting her own hands dirty.

I completely agree. That's a great way to put it.

When do you all think Draco and Pansy broke up? Do you think they were ever that serious to begin with?

It seems to me that a large part of being Slytherin, particularly in Draco and Pansy's case, is maintaining an image. (No offense intended to any Slytherins, of course ) In the beginning of HBP when we see Draco and Pansy together, Draco's image is that of the affluent Pure-Blood, who is flying high and mighty after having joined Voldemort's ranks. Having a pretty girlfriend -- also (I assume) a pureblood -- helps solidify that image, so he keeps Pansy around. But his attitude of nonchalance in response to Pansy hanging on him suggests that he thinks Pansy should consider herself lucky to be his girlfriend.

I think Pansy also sees Draco superficially. She sees him merely as a hot, pureblood guy. She wants a relationship, and Draco fits the bill; in fact, she wants to keep him.

But as HBP progresses, Draco's desire to maintain that image dissipates. He has realized that he wasn't ready to abandon the carefree attitude that he employed until then, that he wasn't ready to become a Death Eater. It is around this time that I think he and Pansy break up -- or as I see it, that he breaks up with Pansy. I think Draco is forced to see that in his current situation, he can no longer afford to worry about girls or impressing his classmates. He has to stay alive, and to do that, he has to please the Dark Lord.

Somewhat related, I particularly like this quote from JKR:

Having talked the talk, [Draco is] asked to walk it for the first time, and it is absolutely terrifying.

~celipsis

[OliveOil_Med]

Pansy seems like the type of girl who would marry for money and for status. Who else do think might be seen as an eligable bachulor for Pansy to marry after she graduated from Hogwarts? Do think she would ever marry out of Slytherin if the boy was rich enough, or is her house pride too great?

[Inverarity]

Pansy seems like the type of girl who would marry for money and for status. Who else do think might be seen as an eligable bachulor for Pansy to marry after she graduated from Hogwarts? Do think she would ever marry out of Slytherin if the boy was rich enough, or is her house pride too great?

I think she'd be happy to marry a wealthy pure-blood from another house, so she could say, "See, I was not a Death Eater!" I suspect she'd be like all the "good Germans" who after the war claimed they were against the Nazis all along.

Let's see... who's an eligible pure-blood bachelor who would burnish her reputation and help her escape the stigma of having been a Slytherin during the war?

Got it: Charlie Weasley.

[BirdG]

I read one fic that had Pansy marrying Justin Finch-Fletchley. It was a beautiful story about how Pansy managed to look past his muggle roots and see him for the incredibly rich and eligible wizard he was.

[angel_of_lily]

Ooh - that sounds interesting. Do you know what it was called?

[OliveOil_Med]

I'm reviving my thread because I'm still looking for a potential future husband for Pansy to have at the time of the Epilogue. Does anyone have any suggestions they want to shout out?