InsaneJournal

Who: Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson
What: Finalizing things
When: May 30, 1998 (Backdated)
Where: Tea shop in Hogsmeade
Warnings: None

It might have been challenging for most people to arrange a discreet meeting in Hogsmeade on Hogwarts visiting day without resorting to sneaking in back alleys and hiding in bushes, but Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were not most people. The owner of the tea shop where Narcissa had first met with Pansy to arrange this whole thing was more than happy to allow them to use the private room attached to the shop (for a suitable payment, of course), and had readily agreed to let the Malfoys apparate directly into the private room when additional money had been discreetly offered. A journal ward to Pansy had let her know what time they planned to arrive, and all that was left was for her to break free of her friends for a short while.

Lucius and Narcissa were seated in comfortable chairs sipping tea when Pansy arrived. Narcissa set her tea aside as the door closed behind the young woman and stood to greet her, just as if the cozy room were in Malfoy Manor. "It is lovely to see you dear. You look well."

It wasn’t too terribly difficult for Pansy to get away; just a little misdirection, an excuse or two, and everyone thought she was with somebody else. The ruse wouldn’t last forever, but with any luck this would be the last time she had to do such a thing. Soon, she wouldn’t have to hide her relationship with the Malfoys.

She slipped into the tea shop and was discreetly directed toward the back by a nod from the owner. As soon as she slipped through the door and shut it behind her, she visibly relaxed, her smile of greeting much more genuine than the expression she’d so-far been wearing. “Thank you. I don’t think I’m quite glowing yet, but all in good time.”

She waited for the adults to resume their seats before taking her own. “And you both are well? Thank you so much for coming.”

Lucius was pleased to see Pansy’s change in expression--it was, he thought, not unlike Narcissa’s or his own on coming home, after leaving tiring company. It was exhilarating being able to work at one’s full capacity, instead of slowing down for those around you--Pansy would do very well in the Malfoy family, he thought. He smiled as she took her seat. “Very well, my dear. Especially given our meeting with the solicitors earlier in the week...I think you’ll be glad to know that all the paperwork is filed to move things forward. Now we’re just waiting on the Ministry to process everything--though I expect, given our connections, that shouldn’t take long at all.”

Narcissa too noted the change in Pansy’s expression with approval. She imagined it had to be tedious keeping up the facade with all the people Pansy was forced to associate with every day at Hogwarts. The fact that she was able to--and that she knew she could relax here--spoke quite well for her future with the Malfoys. “We hope to have everything finalized before you leave Hogwarts.” That was only three weeks away, but-- “Even if it is still pending, you are welcome to move into the Manor then.” The paperwork was now a matter of public record for anyone who chose to look, and if Pansy wasn’t ready to talk about her condition just yet, Narcissa was certain they could come up with some excuse. It needn’t be obvious Pansy was staying there forever, not at first.

"That's wonderful news," Pansy said before taking a sip of tea. "This has all been much easier than I worried it might be."

She rather thought she would have little choice but to move into the Manor immediately; returning home to the father who hadn't cared enough to argue the point and the grandmother who was undoubtedly livid with the situation held little appeal, after all. Setting her cup down again, she nodded. "I would like that very much, if I would be welcome."

“Of course you would,” Lucius said warmly. “The legalities may not all be settled yet, but we do want you to think of yourself as part of the family.”

"Absolutely,"Narcissa agreed. "We will pick you up at the train station when school lets out, unless you'd prefer to make your own way home." Pansy was, for all intents and purposes, an adult at this point, not a child who needed her parents to pick her up at the train station so she didn't get lost.

The Malfoys picking her up at King's Cross would be a very public declaration, one that would undoubtedly be noticed. Whether that would be a good thing, Pansy wasn't sure. "May I think about it?" She asked, a little hesitant. "Not coming to the Manor, but whether you should come to the station?"

Lucius smiled again. "You don't need to ask, my dear. It's your future to be considered now as well as ours. If you'd like some time to decide, you can simply take it." Her consideration did her credit, of course. But she had a good head on her shoulders; it wouldn't hurt to encourage her a little, if she were truly going to become part of the family.

"There was one thing the solicitor asked about we didn't know the answer to. It is your decision. Do you wish to keep your surname or take ours?" They would, of course, be quite pleased if she chose to become Pansy Malfoy, but it would be understandable if she chose to remain Pansy Parkinson. The child would be a Malfoy regardless.

For a moment, Pansy hesitated. She'd been a Parkinson for seventeen years; the idea of parting with the name was strange.

But then again, what good had bring a Parkinson ever done her?

"If I am to be a Malfoy, it should be my name," she said, smiling slowly. "Don't you think?"

Lucius gave Narcissa a significant look. Of course that was what they would have hoped for, but it was a delight that Pansy had come to the same conclusion herself. He rather thought that they would not regret bringing her into the family. “It does have a bit of a ring to it, Pansy Malfoy, doesn’t it. Parkinson has a great deal of history to trade on, but I think you’ll find that Malfoy has both history and...current events, shall we say.” The name and their connections both could open a lot of doors for Pansy--and more importantly, they intended to open every single one of them. It was a shame about Pansy’s parents, but she was theirs now, or would be soon. All would be made right.

Narcissa returned Lucius’s look, more pleased than she could easily put words to that Pansy had come to that conclusion on her own. “It does sound rather lovely.” She imagined it sounded a little strange to Pansy--as pleased as she had been to be married, it had taken Narcissa a little while to get used to her new name--but it would grow on her, of that Narcissa was certain. “We will let the solicitor know.”

Pansy could hardly miss the look that passed between Lucius and Narcissa, and it made her own smile all the brighter. They were pleased with her; she'd me the right choice. What's more, she couldn't really the last time anyone in her family- her former family, she mentally corrected herself- had seemed that pleased with anything she'd done.

She allowed herself a moment to bask, then sat up a little straighter. "I think perhaps I should let you know that the head of the Floo Network Authority asked to meet with me this weekend,"she said, looking at Narcissa. "Mr. Rowle said that you, ah, pointed him in my direction." There was an implied inquiry there, but she didn't actually ask. If they thought she should know what exactly this was about before she met with the man, they would surely tell her.

“Yes.” Fletcher had followed through quickly; good news for their future plans, but slightly inconvenient now. There was little they could say without breaking the Vow they’d taken. “We can’t tell you why he would like to speak with you, but we’re certain you will present yourself well.” Pansy was intelligent enough to figure out what Fletcher wanted, of that Narcissa was certain.

If Narcissa couldn’t elaborate, there had to be good reason. After all, she considered this room secure enough to discuss the legal details of Pansy’s adoption into the Malfoy family. If whatever Rowle wanted to speak to her about was more secret than that, there really were not many options as to what it could be.

She nodded, ignoring a sudden pang of nerves at the idea. She could do this. She’d come this far; if Lucius and Narcissa believed in her enough to suggest one of their colleagues speak to her, she would do them proud.

“Of course,” she agreed, taking another sip of her tea to steady herself. “I won’t disappoint you.”

The truly delightful thing was, they knew she wouldn’t. Lucius reached out to press her hand between his own, reassuringly. “There isn’t even a question of it, Pansy. We know you will impress him, as you have Narcissa and I.”

"We wouldn't have suggested Mr. Rowle speak with you if we'd had even the slightest doubt, Pansy." Narcissa smiled, truly pleased. It was an expression no one other than Lucius got to see often, but one Pansy would get accustomed to quickly. She was working out even better than they had hoped. It was quite beyond Narcissa how Pansy's family had ever treated such a wonderful young woman the way they had, but she and Lucius would appreciate her properly.

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask us about? You can always ward or owl, of course, but some things are better discussed in person." Like some of the things that had come up during the last discussion Narcissa has with Pansy on the journals.

The comment reminded Pansy of that same discussion, and her gaze flickered to the door, wary of asking such a very delicate question in what was still, technically, a public place.

Still. Narcissa and Lucius thought it was safe, and they would know.

"Your...brother-in-law," she said after a moment, letting it hang there, the actual question left delicately unspoken. Just in case.

They’d put up privacy charms after apparating in, augmenting the ones the shop owner already had on the room, or Narcissa wouldn’t have brought it up at all. Still, this was a situation that had to be handled delicately. Telling Pansy who had killed Rodolphus Lestrange would be the ultimate test of her loyalty to the Malfoys.

She debated giving Pansy a long explanation, leading up to the big reveal, but Pansy was smart. She’d catch on before Narcissa got to the end if she went that way. It was better to just simply tell her.

Narcissa leaned forward a bit and looked Pansy straight in the eyes. “We killed him.”

It was very, very rare that Narcissa truly surprised Lucius, but he honestly had not expected that. He wasn’t displeased--he could guess her reasons well enough, and agreed with them--but somehow when he had imagined this conversation, it hadn’t occurred to him that she might just come out with it, plain and unadorned. There was something exciting about that--since he hadn’t planned for her to say it that way, he also hadn’t anticipated how Pansy might respond. It would be extremely interesting to find out.

Pansy should have been surprised; she should have been shocked. Narcissa had just baldly confessed to murder, for Merlin's sake, and of course she'd known- or at least suspected- that the Malfoys had killed, there was a stark difference between killing muggles and muggle - lovers, and killing a pureblood who'd gone to Azkaban for the cause of blood purity.

So she should have been shocked and a little horrified, but for the most part, Pansy found herself curious.

She held Narcissa's gaze, head tilted a little as she thought. "He was a traitor?"

“To us, yes.” Rodolphus had remained loyal to the cause, but he had betrayed Narcissa when he had kept the heirlooms of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black from her. He should have let her know when he’d retrieved them, or, at the very least, handed them over when she had asked that night.

She sat back in her and sipped her tea. “Rodolphus Lestrange came into some Black Family heirlooms--ones Bellatrix did not bequeath to him--and he thought to keep them from me. When we found out what he had and asked him about it, he denied any knowledge of what he had, until we… forced it out of him.” She straightened. “He was a thief and a liar and his greed could have been dangerous. He had to be stopped.”

Pansy listened to the explanation, expression shifting toward anger when Narcissa explained what Rodolphus had done.

"You protect what is yours,"she said when it was clear that Narcissa had finished. "The world would be better if more people did so."

"Well-put," Lucius said approvingly. "We do, indeed, always protect what is ours. And I hope you understand, Pansy--that includes you, now."

Narcissa sat back, pleased Pansy saw it that way. It was just one more indication that this was the correct decision. Pansy was exceeding their expectations in every way.

“What are your plans for the summer, Pansy?” She knew many of the students, especially the ones graduating, were planning to take holidays, but Pansy hadn’t mentioned anything. Nor had she mentioned what she planned to do with her future, other than move into Malfoy Manor. She could, of course, simply do that, but at their first meeting Pansy had indicated she had plans beyond being a wife and mother, and Narcissa doubted that had changed. “For that matter, have you decided what you would like to do once you’re done with school?”

Lucius's words made Pansy flush slightly and look down, pleased and a little shy about it. She was theirs, now. They were going to be her family, a proper family, the sort she always should have had.

It was a little embarrassing how happy that made her.

Narcissa's question was a welcome change of subject, and she looked up again, smiling. "Gwendolyn and I are going to go to Greece. One of the isles," she explained, and her blush lingered at the thought of her friend in a bathing suit on the beach. "And after..."

Her expression sobered, and she bit her lip just for a moment, hesitant. "Before all of this, I had been discussing possible careers with Ms. Doge. Something for the Wizengamot. I know the timeline may have to change, now, but...well, what do you think?"

“Greece is lovely in the summer,” Lucius said, thinking of a holiday they had taken some years back. “As for the Wizengamot, I think that’s a wonderful idea. It seems like a place where your talent could be put to use, and I’m given to understand there are a reasonable number of opportunities to work one’s way up the ladder there.” And, of course, it wouldn’t hurt the cause to have eyes and ears on the daily doings of the Wizengamot either.

“The Wizengamot would certainly be advantageous.” Not to mention socially acceptable for a witch of Pansy’s social standing. Narcissa approved on all counts. “You should speak to Ms. Dodge about it further. You will have several months yet before you have to stop working. It could be beneficial to get a foot in the door now..”

Pansy nodded. "I'll write her again, if you approve," she agreed, smiling and reaching for her tea once more. She was well-pleased with how this meeting had gone; hopefully her next, with Mr. Rowle, would go as smoothly.