Pansy Parkinson

## History

### Early Life

Pansy was born in 1979 or 1980. She was a member of the Parkinson family and a possible descendent of Perseus Parkinson, a former Minister for Magic. Her family is listed as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. As Pansy was born after the directory was published, it is unknown if she was pure-blood herself.

## Physical Description

Harry Potter thought of Pansy as 'hard-faced' or 'pug-faced' on more than one occasion. This opinion may have been influenced by his enmity with her friend, Draco Malfoy, and her Head of House, Professor Snape.
However, Rita Skeeter described Pansy as 'pretty and vivacious' in her article about Hermione Granger during her fourth year. This could simply have been flattery on Rita's part, or because in her fourth year, Rita seemed to hold grudges, that most likely were not personal, against Harry Potter and was rude to numerous others.

## Personality

Sadistic, mean-spirited, and petty, Pansy often bullied and teased Gryffindor students, as well as other students in general. She might have targeted them in particular because of Harry Potter's aforementioned hostile relationship with Draco Malfoy (and also his general unpopularity among Slytherins), but it seems that by all appearances, she just had a fondness for tormenting others in general. Pansy apparently had some sort of friendship with the Gryffindor Parvati Patil at one point, or at least respected her to an extent, though this possible friendship appeared to have fully evaporated by the time of their fifth year. During their first Flying lesson in the 1991–1992 school year, Pansy disapproved of Parvati defending Neville Longbottom (after he injured himself during the lesson), saying she '*never thought Parvati would* *like fat little cry-babies*'.

Similarly, Pansy and her fellow Slytherins joined Hufflepuff in supporting Cedric Diggory, whom they considered to be '*the real Hogwarts champion*' for the Triwizard Tournament during the 1994-1995 school year, but this was likely done less out of kindness or respect for Cedric, and more out of a desire to denigrate and antagonise Harry Potter (who Pansy and most Slytherins looked down upon). However, she *did* later refer to Cedric as 'good-looking' when she saw his former girlfriend Cho Chang with Harry, indicating that she liked his handsomeness if nothing else.

Hermione Granger once described Pansy as '*thicker than a concussed troll*'. This may not have been totally inaccurate, as Hermione typically showed respect for genuine talent and skill in people, even if said people had upset her, as Professor Snape did on a few occasions. Therefore, if Hermione had no such praise to give, it indicates that Pansy probably did lack talent or intelligence, though the fact that she was made a prefect and got a high score in at least her Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. should be considered.

Pansy most likely lacked common sense and rational thought, as her extremely unwise suggestion of handing over Harry Potter to Voldemort resulted in the entirety of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw threatening to magically assault her in retaliation, meaning she was likely unable to consider the consequences of her selfish actions. Her actions also made her appear very cowardly, since Pansy did appear to be very frightened and anxious about the situation, but failed to demonstrate any bravery or decency in response.

Judging by the amusement Pansy expressed when Blaise Zabini made an offensive comment about Ginny Weasley being a '*filthy blood traitor*', her association with the then-prejudiced Draco Malfoy, as well as the stance she expressed just before the Battle of Hogwarts, she was most likely a prejudiced pure-blood supremacist herself.

## Relationships

### Draco Malfoy

Pansy got on seemingly well with Draco Malfoy during their school years. They were both sorted into Slytherin house and each had dominant personalities, both being leaders in their house. By her third year, Pansy had developed tender feelings for Draco, appearing quite concerned by his injury to his arm caused by Buckbeak during a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, after which she rushed out of class to the hospital wing to visit him. She was often seen fawning over him and Draco seemed to greatly enjoy her attention.

By 1994, possible romantic feelings between the two had developed, as they attended the Yule Ball together. In their fifth year, Pansy and Draco were both made the Prefects of Slytherin, and both had joined the Inquisitorial Squad. On the Hogwarts Express journey to school for their sixth year, Pansy and Draco sat together, with Draco's head in her lap as she stroked his hair. They were clearly affectionate. Draco did not confide in Pansy about the mission Lord Voldemort had given him that year. However, this may have been due to the Dark Lord's command that Draco and his mother not speak of the mission to anyone. After Draco was sent to the hospital wing because of Harry's *Sectumsempra* curse, Pansy immediately visited him.

Sometime after Pansy and Draco had finished their education, their friendship ended. Draco's changed views on pure-blood supremacy, caused by the events during his last year of school, may have contributed to this. He eventually married Astoria Greengrass, who had a more tolerant stance about Muggles and Muggle-borns, much to his parents' chagrin. Draco and Astoria also had a son together, whom they named Scorpius.

## Skills & Abilities

* **Defence Against the Dark Arts**: Pansy attended N.E.W.T.-level Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, during the 1996–1997 school year. She must have achieved either an 'Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding' at O.W.L. in this subject, showing her proficiency in this field.
* **Potions**: Pansy took N.E.W.T.-level Potions in her sixth year, meaning she must have achieved either an 'Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding' grade in the subject at O.W.L.-level.

## Possessions

* **Wand**: Being a Hogwarts student, Pansy owned a wand, which was of an unknown length, wood and core material. Like most wizards and witches in Great Britain, she likely purchased it from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, London, prior to staring her first year in 1991.
* **Watch**: Pansy owned a small wrist-watch, which she used to tell the time at Hogwarts.
* **Prefect badge**: Pansy owned a Slytherin Prefect Badge, due to her becoming a Prefect at the start of the 1995–1996 school year, which she would have worn during her Prefect duties.
* **Potter Stinks badge**: Pansy wore one these derogatory badges in 1994 to mock Harry Potter about his participation in the Triwizard Tournament.
* **Dress robes**: Pansy wore dress robes that were pale pink in colour and very frilly to the Yule Ball on 25 December 1994.

## Etymology

* A pansy is a type of violet. Its name is derived from the French word *pensée*, meaning 'thought' or 'remembrance.' In William Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, the juice of the pansy flower is used as a Love Potion. In folklore, the pansy represents separated lovers. The slang term *pansy* can also refer to a cowardly person, or a weak and effeminate male. The face of a Persian cat, flat and squashed, is sometimes described as a 'pansy face', and may refer to Pansy Parkinson's looks. Pan was the Greek god of the wild, forests, nature, etc. His name means 'all'; however the literal meaning in Ancient Greek of 'Pan' is 'rustic'.
* Parkinson is an English surname meaning 'son of Parkin', with Parkin itself being a diminutive form of the given name Peter, which comes from the Greek *petros*, meaning 'rock' or 'stone'. The idea behind giving an antagonistic character the name Parkinson may derive from Parkinson's disease, a brain disease that causes degradation of motor skills and speech.

## Trivia

* J. K. Rowling has said that Pansy did not end up marrying Draco because Rowling always hated her: *'I loathe Pansy Parkinson. I don't love Draco but I really dislike her. She's every girl who ever teased me at school. She's the Anti-Hermione. I loathe her.'*
* Pansy has been portrayed by four different actresses in the film series. According to a forum, Katherine Nicholson was listed to portray Pansy as a background extra in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* and in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*. In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Pansy Parkinson was portrayed by Genevieve Gaunt. In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, she was portrayed by Lauren Shotton; however, the role was uncredited and was a non-speaking cameo. In *Half-Blood Prince*, *Deathly Hallows: Part 1*, and *Deathly Hallows: Part 2*, she was portrayed by Scarlett Byrne.
* Pansy was not in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, where, instead of Pansy, a Beauxbatons student appeared at the Yule Ball dancing with Draco Malfoy.
	+ Also in the fourth film, Hermione Granger's pale pink and frilly Yule Ball dress bares the same appearance as Pansy's Yule Ball dress in the novel, which is ironic considering how the two witches were sworn enemies in the books.
* Pansy's name continues a pattern of flower names in the series. For instance, in the generation of the First Wizarding War, there was Lily Evans, Petunia Evans, and Narcissa Malfoy, the first names of whom are all known to be flowers. In the generation of the Second Wizarding War, there was Pansy, Fleur Delacour, and Lavender Brown, again all flowers. In the generation after the war, there was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's daughter, Rose, and also Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's daughter, Lily. Also, Madam Pomfrey's first name is Poppy, another flower.
* In *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2*, Pansy gets sent to the dungeons along with all the other Slytherins as punishment for wanting to give Harry to Voldemort. This part is controversial with the fandom, as it is not consistent with McGonagall's character to send students to the dungeon.
* There has recently been a fandom theory questioning Pansy's motives for wanting Voldemort to take Harry during the Battle; whether it is the obvious idea that she is a cruel person, as the series often shows, or whether she is genuinely hoping that if he is handed over, Voldemort will not attack the school.
* For all of her many obvious character failings, Pansy was still made a prefect in her fifth year. Her Head of House, Snape, had high expectations, and he might not have selected her if he was disappointed with her (he later gave two of her fellow Slytherins, Crabbe, and Goyle, detention for not passing their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. exams). However, it is unclear whether a Head of House always chooses prefects, and in fact it might not be so; Harry Potter asked Albus Dumbledore why he did not make Harry a prefect, which Dumbledore replied that he felt Harry already had enough weight on his shoulders, indicating that Dumbledore had taken notice that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were made prefects, which then implies that Dumbledore had been the one to make them prefects, but not Harry. Thus, it is possible that someone else made Pansy a prefect in lieu of Severus Snape (though which teacher would wish to do so and why is a mystery).
* Pansy's role in the films is minor, compared to her appearances in the books. Her 'gang' of fellow Slytherin girls makes no appearances, and her rivalry with Hermione Granger is not depicted.