Life as I Knew It

Chapter 8--Meeting Millicent Bulstrode

Professor Dumbledore stood to accompany Pansy to the Great Hall, but then he sat back down. "Oh, I quite forgot about the other transfer students. You go on ahead; I trust you know the way. Just send in the next one."

"Actually, I was the only one to come with Professor Snape."

"Really? That's wonderful news." He stood again. "Then let us join the celebration."

In the entire walk to the Great Hall, Professor Dumbledore did not once touch Pansy, nor did he leer or make an inappropriate comment. For these reasons, when he asked her if she would stop by his office from time to time, Pansy did not feel nearly as uneasy as when Snape had offered private lessons. In fact, she agree to do so, anything to help restore normalcy.

When they arrived at the beautifully decorated hall, Dumbledore escorted Pansy to the Slytherin table. He amplified his voice. "This year we have only one transfer student, and she has been sorted into Slytherin."

No one applauded her, which did not bother Pansy at all. The students at the other tables all went on with their conversations. The Slytherins all looked at her with curiosity. There was no unbridled hatred, so Pansy was fairly happy with that reaction. She knew that she would not have been very welcoming if a transfer student had shown up when things were normal.

Pansy took a quick glance at the Gryffindor table. Hermione was talking animatedly, while Harry brooded and Ron stuffed food in his face. It was odd to realize that the only people who knew her were sitting at that table. That was no matter, though; she was a Slytherin, as she always had been. She would just have to make friends with her classmates all over again.

At the end of the table where Pansy was standing, sat Millicent Bulstrode with room next to her for another person. Millicent had been her friend, or at least loyal lackey, in the past. "Can I sit here?" Pansy asked, trying to sound nice. It was a little difficult, as nice was not her forte.

Millicent grunt in what Pansy took to be assent, and Pansy held out her hand. "I'm Pansy Parkinson."

Millicent shrugged. "I've never heard of you."

Pansy did not see any reason for Millicent to be rude about it. "Well, that's not odd, is it? I'm a transfer student."

"But you must be related to someone or a childhood friend or some such nonsense. Why don't you sit with one of them?"

Pansy wondered if that was how it worked before. After all, the transfer students must have had some connection to the school. "Well, I don't. Why do you assume that? Because I'm British?"

"No, because your kind always do. Every other sixth year had at least one old friend or American cousin transfer in last year, except me. You don't have to sit with me; they would have slid down for you."

Apparently in this Pansy-less world, Millicent had no friends. Pansy had never been particularly kind to the larger girl, but they had been friends, and Pansy was indignant on her behalf. "I'm the only transfer student this year, and I don't know anyone here, really. So how about we pretend that you and I were childhood friends?"

Millicent snorted. "No one will believe that. Besides, I don't need your pity."

Pansy considered where to go from there. Millicent did not seem all that open to friendship, and that just was not acceptable to her.

Millicent spoke again. "Although you are a bit unfortunate looking. You might not be able to get better friends."

"Excuse me?" Pansy took umbrage to this remark. "I am not unfortunate looking."

Millicent nodded up the table at Moonshyne. "Look at her. You won't fit in if you're not perfect. You might be stuck with me as a friend after all."

Pansy looked up the table, but she was not paying attention to Moonshyne. For the first time, she noticed all her other classmates who were gathered around Moonshyne. Daphne was sitting on the fringe of the group, which was normal enough, but everyone else had changed. Pansy supposed this should not have surprised her anymore, but these people had been her friends, and it was more distressing than most of the previously noticed changes. (Snape's transformation was, of course, still the most distressing of all.)

First and foremost, Sally-Anne Perks was nowhere to be seen. In her place, next to Sally-Anne's best friend, Tracey Davis, was Morag MacDougal, who Pansy had known as a particularly annoying Ravenclaw. According to her scarf, however, Morag was a Slytherin now.

Pansy did not know how she was able to recognize Tracey, who looked completely different. The Tracey she had known had beautiful auburn hair that could sparkle in the smallest amount of light. That was her only good physical feature. She too skinny and too tall; she had never developed the way other girls did. She wore robes that were too big, in hopes of creating the illusion that there was something of substance under them. She ate a lot at meals in a vain effort to gain weight, particularly in the chest. The only thing Pansy did not like about her was that she complained about how her metabolism was "too fast" more often than was necessary. Pansy's own metabolism was definitely too slow. Somehow, though, Pansy knew that the platinum blonde with tight robes clinging to her full chest was Tracey Davis. Her facial features were refined just enough to make her look gorgeous. As Pansy looked from face to face she realized this was true of everyone sitting with Moonshyne, except Blaise Zabini, whose features did not need refining. Although after a second, she noticed that his skin was considerably lighter than normal.

Pansy turned back to Millicent. "Well, I think Moonshyne is unfortunate looking."

Millicent covered her mouth as she laughed. "Everyone loves her hair, but I think it looks stupid," she whispered.

Pansy saw the opportunity. "Me, too. So, can we please be friends?"

Millicent nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like that a lot, Pansy Parkinson."