Beauty and the Beast

“What was wrong with this one?!” Her father raged.

“He’s a moron that’s what.” Pansy said sitting calmly in her fathers study. “He’s by far the daftest of them all.”

“Pansy, this is becoming ridiculous. You have turned down every man that has offered for your hand. Either they are too old, too young, too analytical, or too stupid. One was too vain in his appearance, one did not care about his appearance. One overly smelled of cologne, one smelled as if he didn’t wash. One cared too much for magical creatures, one didn’t care at all. There is no appeasing you girl” He was losing all hope that his daughter would be married. “Eventually there will be no more men to offer for you.”

“That would be say for you, not me.” She said. “I have standards father, the only thing you look at with regards to these men is the size of their Gringotts account. I would be the one to live with this man and shag him!” She hurled at him getting angry.

“Don’t talk that that Pansy.” He said blushing slightly.

“Don’t talk like that?! What do you think this man you give me to is thinking of? These men don’t want me, they want your name and connections. Nothing more, they don’t care about me! The fact that he is getting a ripe young wife is a benefit. They’re all just as ambitious and money conscience as you!”

“I have had enough of this Pansy, it’s time you married. I’ve been more then generous with selecting fine men.”

“You are only selecting rich men, that’s all. Half of them are your age, the others are ugly and filthy or merely want a ornament on their arm. You would give me to one of them?”

“I want to make sure you are taken care of and provided for. That will be assured with a man of means.”

“There are a lot of men that can provide for me, what you are concerned with is a man who’s wealthy, and he has to be wealthy. A man of means be dammed, you want a connection with a powerful family and you are using me to obtain it. These men most likely give you a nice bonus for agreeing to marry me don’t they?” When he said nothing she felt her rage boil over. “I knew it! With a wealthy man giving you a nice present, it doesn’t matter what I want or how I feel!”

“Do not talk to me like that! I am trying to ensure my only child’s future by securing her to a man who can take care of her.” He slammed his drink down on the table. “Enough of this. Go on. Leave me be.”

Pansy exited the room. She would deny every man her father brought to her. Marriage was her choice and hers alone.


A week later the choice was taken away from her. “What?! You can’t do that!”

“Actually I can,” he said calmly at lunch, “a father can arrange his daughters marriage without consulting her. I have given you the option of selecting from those I found acceptable, but you have rejected them. Now I will find a suitable man for you. It’s a tradition, an abandoned one, but a tradition none the less.”

“You would give me to someone I hate?” She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Hate comes from experience. If you don’t know the man and you come to hate him that’s your own stubbornness at not trying. Now enough of this, marriages have been arranged for centuries, this one will be no different.” He carried on reading his paper, as if he was just refused a request for tea.


Over the next few weeks Pansy’s father received letter upon letter, each making offers for Pansy’s hand. Mr. Parkinson focused only on those men who could provide for his daughter richly. Only those with estates of significance were considered viable candidates. By offering a bride price in high amounts, he had a bidding war of sorts on his hands.

Pansy dropped into a depression. Traditional pureblood marriages of old did not require an ‘I do’ nor did they ask for willingness. The witch and wizard were joined and that was that. Many met their future spouse on their wedding day, and now Pansy had been thrust into the same scenario.

She had more reason to fear this arrangement then anyone else would have. The men who were petitioning for her hand were the very men she rejected and in most cases insulted beyond words. She had a feeling they had revenge on their minds rather then a cohesive marriage.

Her nightmares were filled with being given to a man who would beat her, rape her, force her to do who knows what. Would her father give her to a man knowing that this was the life she was heading for? It seemed what she was destined for and she knew of no way out.

She could run to Draco, but he was out of the country at the moment and seriously involved with someone. She doubted his girlfriend would appreciate Pansy asking him for help. Vincent and Greg were at guard training and were unreachable. She had no choice.

The offers had reached staggering amounts. Offers of seventy, eighty even ninety thousand galleons came in. Men from prestigious families and ancient lineages, all wanting his daughter as bride. He weeded out low offers, to him they meant nothing. His daughter would be given to a man who could keep her in the lap of luxury, keeping him happy would be her job.

He felt not one drop of guilt about what he was doing. His daughter should have chosen a husband long ago, now he was assuring she was married. To him, a man raised with traditional even archaic ideals, a young woman married and had a family. That was the way he was brought up to believe things should be.

It was his job as a father to arrange his daughters marriage, and he was going to do it. He would marry her to a rich man. Smiling, he looked down at the parchments, even as several more came through. He had only to pick one.


Three weeks later Pansy watched from the top of the massive stairs. The man was dressed in a distinguished manner, tailored and well put together. He must have been about her age. Blonde hair was all she saw, he was too far away for her to make out his profile. He shook hands with her father and followed him into his office.

Who was this man? She would have remembered him if he was her age, or so he appeared to be. He carried a shouldered attaché and didn’t once look for her.

“Well then Mr. Marshall, let us get down to business then.” Mr. Parkinson said taking a seat at his massive desk.

“Of course. The heart of the matter sir is that I am prepared to exceed all offers that have been made for Pansy’s hand.”

Mr. Parkinson’s eyes shot up. “All offers? There are quite a few offers and some are very advantageous to Pansy….and to myself.” He added tongue in cheek.

A knowing grin came across the man’s face. “I see then. I will, of course, exceed any offer made for Pansy, as well as any gift offered to you sir.”

Mr. Parkinson smiled, then retrieved a letter. “This is the offer I was considering. It is the best offer to Pansy, and as I said to myself. It guarantees she will inherit the bulk of the estate. As his sons are grown with fortunes of their own, naturally she will be the one to benefit. It also offers a bride price of one hundred and fifty thousand galleons.”

“That is a most generous offer, but you know as well as I, that his sons being grown as they are, can still challenge wills and in the end she may be left with nothing. If the gentleman is old enough to have grown sons, it would be a natural assumption that he is on in years. His sons may claim a mental deficiency brought on by advanced years, improper legal counsel, even coercion by Pansy or yourself sir. They could tie up the estate for years with legal contestations and investigations, she would have no access to it the entire time.”

“That’s a possibility but a very slim one.” Mr. Parkinson countered. “The premarital contract as well as his last will and testament are very thorough. My legal team has gone over all forms and parchments.”

“Yes, well my offer leaves no room for chances, as there are no children. Therefore any children Pansy has from the union will be the sole heirs. There will also be no premarital contract, so of course in the sad event that she becomes a widow, then all the holdings, properties, estate value, etcetera will go to her.”

Mr. Parkinson nodded. It was a much better arrangement for Pansy. “There is of course the offer of the bride price. You mentioned the last offer being one hundred and fifty thousand galleons?” Again Mr. Parkinson nodded. “Consider this offer to be three hundred thousand galleons.”

Mr. Parkinson’s heart nearly stopped. “You are prepared to offered that much for my daughter and you’ve yet to meet her.” He said not believing his fortune.

“Pansy’s reputation speaks for herself. She is well worth the galleons.”

After going over several parchments, and documents Mr. Parkinson found it very agreeable. Ben Marshall left nothing unexplained and had details answers for any question. He had brought with him a substantial estate, several properties, and a very profitable business. This was a man who would see Pansy in a comfortable living for the rest of her life. The part about no marital contract was also a benefit to his daughter, making her the sole beneficiary in the event of his death. “To me, Pansy is priceless, however your offer is too good not to accept. I would however like you to meet Pansy first.”

“That won’t be necessary sir.” The man said rising.

Mr. Parkinson took him by the shoulder. “Of course it is. Pansy should meet her future husband, it‘s only proper. I’m sure she will find you a fine young man.”

“Well sir, I’m…..” He started, but Mr. Parkinson had already opened the door.

Pansy’s curiosity kept her on the stairs until they both emerged after an hour. Her father looked at her and smiled. She rushed down to the stairs to her father’s side. Her father slid an arm around her shoulders. “My dear this is Mr. Ben Marshall. Your future husband.”

“Actually I’m not.” Mr. Parkinson’s face fell.

“You’re not? We just made arrangements sir, surely you are genuine in your offer?”

“Yes, we did, and the offer is authentic I can assure you, but I am merely here as representative to my employer.” He said.

“Your employer?” He asked.

“Sir, I apologize for the misunderstanding, I never did make a statement claiming myself to be a suitor. I am here making the offer my employer wished me to make. I was given instructions to counter all offers made, no matter the amount. The parchments you have seen on the size of the holdings and wealth are those of the man who wants your daughter for a wife.”

“And who might your employer be?” Mr. Parkinson asked.

“Mr. Ronald Weasley.”


a/n: i got the premise for this from a book by Kathleen Woodiwiss called A Rose in Winter. I own nothing from the novel either. it is one of my favs and i took the topic form there and wove it into this fic.