Pansy Parkinson

Pansy Sophronia Parkinson
Nicknames/Aliases: Panzer (though only used by Sam Tennant)

Occupation: Works in administration for St. Mungo's. Her job consists mainly of paperwork and filing the occasional human resources complaint.

Home: Lives in London, a few blocks from Mungo's, in a small townhouse with a stamp's width of a yard that she's forever lamenting.

Finances: Very middle-class, if that. Rookwood had older children from a previous marriage and those children took most of his assets. Pansy did not protest, not desiring anything near her to remind her of her husband's presence. As a result, she is forced to work to earn a living for her and her children, her father having quietly removed his support after she announced her second pregnancy. She has worked since that time.

Household: Son (oldest): Ajax Edward (Rookwood) Parkinson* - "Jack" Jack is nine years old and the child of an unknown Resistance family. Augustus Rookwood never hid his parentage - Pansy and August took the child in at the age of two because they believed that he was unable to have children. Despite her anger at her former husband, she loves Jack dearly because his sarcasm and his spark remind her of herself and she secretly fears the day when she will have to give him up to the patriarchial institution of her father.

Son (youngest): Peter Clive (Rookwood) Parkinson* - "Pete" Peter was born shortly after Augustus' death in 2001, making him seven. His paternity has been questioned quietly by many in pureblood circles but no one has ever been able to prove conclusively that Rookwood did not father what appeared to be a late baby and Pansy isn't talking. Pete is a sweet, shy child with an artistic talent and Pansy shelters him for different reasons than his brother.

External
Appearance: Pansy is one of those women who peaked at Hogwarts. Never really pug-faced (that nickname was brought on by the way that she completely grimaced every time she saw Potter), she matured into a rather ordinary woman who often appears irritable or tired - when she laughs, she looks lovely but it is ephemeral. Her hair naturally is a bright auburn but she continually keeps it charmed dim. After all, Weasleys have red hair. To both her parents, it was a rather plebian hair color and she's been encouraged to keep it darker since her teen years.

In terms of dress, Pansy keeps herself neat. While she does not have the money to dress expensively, she takes care with her appearance when out in public. Matching sweaters and long skirts are her trademark, with robes worn on formal occasions. At home, she's much more relaxed, generally donning a t-shirt and sweats to run with her boys and pushing her hair into a sloppy ponytail.

Pansy often looks irritable, probably because she is. She's unhappy except when she's with her boys and it shows in her movements, too brisk to be anything but curt, and a perpetual scowl.

First Impression: "Is she always this angry?"

Internal
Political Views: Pansy acts politically conservative, mainly for the reason that it's politically expedient. She does have an interest in what the Order is doing. A large part of this has to do with her adopted son. Her fear is that the Light will take him from her at some point - as she's had him since he was young, she doesn't know that she could bear it. Yet she isn't entirely comfortable with the Death Eater government - it scares her in ways and she is bright enough to understand its dangers.

Quirks/Habits:
 * Paces constantly, particularly when distressed.
 * Bites her nails down to the quick.
 * Likes to do her own dishes - likes the feeling of warm water on her hands. Likewise, has a strange liking to wash them although it's not OCD.
 * Dislikes red hair.
 * Likes to collect information about other people - considers it something of a safeguard.
 * Sometimes flips her hair. Would never own that.

Strengths: Strong will, often able to bully or manipulate people into doing what she wants. Efficient.

Weaknesses: Love for her father, need to be accepted by her peers, uncontrollable anger, stubbornness, pride, somewhat dependent on her children to support her own sense of self.

Fears and Philias: Mildly astrophobic (fear of thunderstorms). Harbors resentment and fear towards the Resistance borne of a surety that they will take her son.

Hobbies/Interests: Loves going to sports games with her son, reading contraband Muggle literature, playing exploding snap and gobstones (though she's no good at the latter). She also enjoys dueling but finds it difficult to get a good partner.

Favourite Belongings:
 * A small diamond heart locket Samuel gave her.
 * Her battered, small collection of contraband novels.
 * A stuffed bat (Hellespont) that she's had since childhood, though Pete claims it now.

Favourite Places:
 * the Woolwich foot tunnel
 * Madame Malkin's
 * the Prime Meridian (she just thinks it's fascinating)

History
Pansy married young, and unhappily, to Augustus Rookwood, a wizard decades her senior. She was considerably inexperienced when she married, having been allowed to do little in the war by her father or aid in the effort itself. The marriage to Rookwood separated her from her friends further - her elderly husband surrounded her with his peers, not approving of those she had liked in school. Even the Malfoys were suspect to August - he disliked Lucius' ingratiating ways and believed that they were not worthy of his attention, nor truly loyal to the Dark Lord.

The Rookwoods took in one of the children who had been stolen from Resistance leaders because of their belief that August was unable to sire his own children for the marriage due to age. While Pansy wasn't pleased at being a housewife, she found some slight meaning in her son's happiness. She used her extra time dragging Jack with her to places around town, spying on rallies and wondering about the activities of the Light until her husband caught her and quickly put a stop to that activity. Fearing for her son's welfare, Pansy decided to stick to the status quo and instead focused her energies on reading and independent study, preparing herself for a life that she would one day live without her husband.

But she couldn't be contained. While the war raged, she had purpose and her husband a reason to be away from her side. At its conclusion, she was forced to deal with her own family and found it not to her liking. More and more, she began to steal away during the daylight hours, leaving Jack with the house elves so that she could find breathing space for herself. Those flights led, eventually, to her affair with a muggle, Samuel Tennant. She viewed the dalliance as relatively secure - August did not know and the fact that he was a muggle kept him from interfering with her personal affairs. What Pansy hadn't counted on was falling in love with him and genuinely enjoying his company. When she became pregnant, she knew that it was his child but declined to tell him.

Augustus died before she could divorce him, which put her in a strange position. It was generally suspected that the child was not his, yet no one would come out and say as much. With a stiff upper lip, she decided to raise her children alone.

A conflict with her father, however, resulted in the Obliviation of her lover and the loss of her children's inheritance to the Rookwood children from her husband's earlier marriage. Too sick to fight, Pansy elected to break away from the purebloods and live the life that she needed to live. She used the limited connections she had left to step into a low-level position at St. Mungo's, working first as a secretary, then gradually climbing her way up to administration, where she now mainly deals with human relations.

Meta
Journal: thesegraces

PB: Lauren Lee Smith

Player: Gwen