Beauty and the Beast

The next morning Pansy rose late, but still early enough for tea. She took it in the study with Ron as he was going over parchments. The mask was securely in place and Pansy found herself wondering. Why bother to wear it if the secret was out. As they sipped tea and snacked on small sandwiches, she spoke. “Ron?”



“Yes?” He asked looking up.



“I was wondering, why wear the mask when….”



“When everyone has already seen what’s under it?” He asked. She nodded, smiling. “To be honest, I don’t like the stares.” He told her.



“I thought the cornerstone of Gryffindor house was bravery.” She said.



“Do you like being stared at Pansy?” He asked with a slight edge.



“No but…..”



“Well, I don’t either.” He went back to his parchments. Pansy let the topic drop. She didn’t want to demand something from him. He was the one being looked at so he should be comfortable.



“I accept you Ron, all of you.” She said softly.



“I know Pansy and I appreciate it.” He told her, reaching out and taking her hand. “I really do.” She smiled at him. He deserved to make his own choice when it came to his scars.



They settled into a quiet afternoon, Ron with parchments regarding creature deals, Pansy with her nose in a book. She was becoming a commonplace in his study while he worked. A sight he was used to seeing as he dealt with long hours of going over numbers and offers.



“Sir?” Ron looked up to see one of the maids.



“Yes?” He asked.



“There’s a Mr. Parkinson here to see you.” Pansy nearly dropped her book and looked at the young girl.



“Mr. Parkinson?” She asked. Not sure, but hoping to Merlin that had misheard.



“Yes ma’am, Mr. Parkinson’s.” She said.



“Ron, what’s he doing here?” She stood moving close as Ron stood also. “Did he tell you he was coming?”



“No, he didn’t send any letters or notice.” He said, taking her arms.



“Did you answer his first letter?” She said getting angry that he would show up here.



“Yes, I told him a visit was not possible.” He answered. “Where is he now?” He asked the maid.



“Still in the foyer sir?”



“In a few moments send him in here.” The maid hurried off and Ron looked to Pansy. “I’ll be back in a few moments dear. Trust me.” He hurried out the outside door to his study and moved quickly out of sight.



Pansy sat in her chair wondering what he would do when her father entered. “My dear.” He greeted and held out his arms.



Pansy kept her arms crossed over her chest. “Mr. Parkinson,” she greeted, “Mr. Weasley will be here in a moment, please have a seat.”



“Mr. Parkinson is it? There was a time when you called me father.” He said sitting down.



“That was before you sold me.” She said.



He laughed. “When are you going to get over that? I happen to know you have been happy.”



“Who told you that?” She asked.



“The young maid as a matter of fact.” Pansy stared at him. “She smiled brightly when I asked her. She said……..good Merlin!” His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Pansy looked behind her and saw Ron had entered and he wasn’t wearing his mask.



She thought that she should be angry but she couldn’t bring herself to be angry. Ron might be uncomfortable with the stares and her father was being quite rude about it, but Ron had done this for her. Knowing it might make her father leave faster, he had put himself in a position to be gawked at for her sake.



Her face broke out in a smile. “Hello handsome.”



He gave her a wink and sat on the arm of the chair she was in. “Mr. Parkinson. I wasn’t aware you were coming. Did I not receive an owl you had sent?”



“Uh….no….I admit I didn’t send one.” He said, still staring and making no effort to look away.



“Oh, and why not?” He said taking Pansy’s hand in his and resting it on his knee. He deliberately rested his gloveless hand on top of hers, in full view for her father. Pansy had decided right then and there never to mention his mask again. She had come to respect him so much, and if he wanted to take it off that was his choice. It didn’t matter to her anymore.



“Seeing as how my daughter had yet to write to me and invite me to see her new home, I took it upon myself to take the initiative.” He stated.



“Yes well, I thought I made it clear in the response I wrote you that Pansy didn’t care to have you visit. She is as you can see still upset with you.”



“My actions have apparently paid off, wouldn’t you say.” He said. “It is customary for fathers to arrange marriages for their daughters to suitable men. Your own parents marriage was arranged as I recall Mr. Weasley.”



“Actually you recall incorrectly. My grandparents were both friends and sought to join the families through my parents. They only expressed their wishes, and gave my parents the choice to marry. I can also add that no money changed hands either.”



Mr. Parkinson took on a stubborn face. “Money you readily admit to paying.”



“Yes I did, there was no other way to gain the right to her hand.”



“The offers and contracts were the deciding factors.” Mr. Parkinson defended.



“Not entirely. I know a few of the men who petitioned for Pansy’s hand. Several of them had no children and also offered to marry with no contract, thus leaving her and her children, if she had any, all the property and money.”



“They’re holdings were not as vast as yours. That’s why they were rejected.”



“Again untrue. Two of them men have estates not only in England but in other countries as well. The fact that they offered a small bride price as you call it or none at all, was an insult.”



Mr. Parkinson just glared at Ron, while Pansy glared at him. “Would it not go without saying Mr. Weasley that a man who was willing to offer so much to gain her as a wife would then be willing to take great care of her.”



“I suppose.” Ron admitted.



“Then you can understand my motivation.” He said.



Ron smiled. “Yes. Money.” Mr. Parkinson bristled. “There were men offering to leave her all of their estates but they were rejected. The common factor between them all was they none had offered anything to you.”



“Knowing you would give so much to be able to marry her, meant that you would not neglect her. Seeing her as something of high value meant my daughter would be cared for adequately. A man who would beat her and risk losing her would not have offered so much.”



“Or paid you so much right?” Pansy said. “The choice should have been mine and mine alone, not yours.”



“Forgive your father for being raised with old fashioned beliefs.” He said sarcastically. He wasn’t asking forgiveness at all. He could defend his point as long as necessary and simply see women’s views as nonsense. She wondered how her mother standed him for so long.



“Well now, enough of this, it seems we can go around in circles with this topic. What’s done is done. I have ordered a meal, and it would be impolite not to invite you to dine with us, dad.” If the emphasis on the word ‘dad’ was enough to rattle his nerves at the weddings, Ron’s use of it without the mask sent a chill down her father’s spine.



Pansy kept her arm on her husbands and let him walk her to the dining room, where three places had been set and the maid had just finished pouring wine. She quickly left the room when she saw them arrive.



Ron held out a chair for Pansy and then seated himself. Pansy normally had a different chair but she saw immediately her husband’s strategy. With her father seated where he was, he had a view of Ron’s face and hand, and as she thought had trouble keeping his eyes off him.



Pansy felt like laughing, but held her composure. All through dinner Ron and her father spoke of business, since he had been well aware of Ron’s position from his profile. They had just been served desert when a maid entered and whispered to Ron.



“Would you excuse me for a moment, I have to sign off on something for one of the hands. It won’t take long.” He leaned over and kissed Pansy on the cheek.



When he had left her father started in right away. “I apologize Pansy for giving you to him. If you wish a divorce I will certainly contact my legal team.”



Pansy looked up at him. “Why? Ron treats me wonderfully, why would I ever want to leave him.”



“Pansy how can you stand to look at that. It must drive you mad.” He said staring off at the door.



Pansy raged internally. “I have an even harder time dealing with the face I am looking at now.”



“Pansy, I won’t make you stay here if you don’t wish.” He reached out a hand to take hers but she pulled away and stood up , causing her chair to tip over behind her.



“I can go item by item over the atrocities you have laid out for me but now you go to far. Ron has given me a life I doubt I could have had without him. He is a man of integrity and honesty and I gladly admit that I’m falling in love with him.”



“With a man that’s…..”



“All you see are his scars, but I see his heart and it’s beautiful. To be honest with you father, his scars don’t seem that bad to me. You see them as horrific but to me they are simply wounds and nothing more.”



“Listen Pansy……” He stood, but she had enough of hearing the man‘s face.



“I wont listen to anything you have to say anymore!” She screamed.



“Pansy,” Ron was by her side in a slit second, having just returned, “what’s the matter?” She was crying now and glaring daggers at her father.



“Do not come to my home any more! I will tell the staff not to admit you and if need be set up wards to keep you from setting one foot on my property!”



He grinned as if a child was throwing a tantrum. “This is not your….”



“This is my house! What belongs to my husband belongs to me and I don’t want you here!” The screeching of her voice echoed and she turned and fled the room, making her way upstairs to her bedroom.



“I will leave you to talk some sense into her Weasley.” He moved to leave the room but Ron blocked his way.



He called to one of the maids. “Fetch Mr. Parkinson’s cloak. Pansy does not wish you to return and I agree. I do not like seeing my wife upset sir, so kindly keep your distance.” He turned and left, leaving Mr. Parkinson staring at his retreating back.



As he mounted the stairs and hurried to his bedroom. Inside he saw Pansy face down on the bed bawling. “Don’t cry, he’s leaving.” He climbed on the bed and took her shoulders.



She let her husband ease her up and into his arms. She cried her heart out. “How could he have said such things?”



“What did he say that upset you so much?” Ron asked.



“He offered his legal team.” She said. Ron chuckled. “It’s not funny.” She said lifting her head.



“Yes it is. That man can’t do anything right. He thought Marshall was offering for you only to discover it was me, he planned a reception and invited his friends only to realize we would leave right away, he thought he would get me to invite him to see the house and he didn’t, then he arrives and see exactly who you married and drew out your rage by offering to help you leave. Don’t you find it funny that the man tries to do what he thinks is a good idea and it always backfires in the worst way.



She would have seen the humor in it if her fathers words hadn’t hurt. “He wondered how I could stay with you?” She said through her tears.



“Do you think it’s so hard to stay here with me?” He asked. She shook her head. “Then it doesn’t matter. I told you before your opinion matters, none other.” She forced a smile and let him hold her. “Now you know why he never remarried. What woman would have him?”



Pansy let out a giggle. “Do you feel better?”



“No,” she said, “I left without eating my cheesecake.” Ron was out of the room in a flash and back in moments with the rest of the cheesecake, two spoons and the bottle of wine they started at dinner.



Cheesecake naked in bed with her husband was a joy Pansy could see herself coming to love. As Ron licked off the strawberry topping from her body, she knew she would never be able to look at cheesecake the same again.