Pansy Parkinson

Pansy Parkinson is a witch who was in Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was sorted into Slytherin house and appears to have been the girlfriend of Draco Malfoy during some of their school years. Pansy was a Prefect for her house and a member of the short-lived Inquisitorial Squad in her fifth year. When the final battle of the Second Wizarding War began at Hogwarts, Pansy spoke up in favour of turning Harry in to Lord Voldemort, only to have many of her schoolmates turn their wands on her.

Early School Years
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

- Pansy mocking Parvati Patil and Neville Longbottom

Pansy Parkinson began her education at Hogwarts in 1991 and was sorted into Slytherin House. During the first class for broom flying, which Slytherin shared with Gryffindor, Pansy teased Parvati Patil for defending Neville Longbottom when Draco Malfoy threw away his Remembrall.

Third Year
In 1993, Pansy was one of the Slytherins who mocked Harry Potter for fainting in the presence of Dementors. That same year, she started crying after Draco was attacked by the hippogriff Buckbeak, and was concerned enough to follow him to the hospital wing. Afterwards, she frequently fawned over him for the injury, which he exaggerated in order to get attention and in an attempt to get Rubeus Hagrid into trouble.

Fourth Year
"Stunningly pretty? Her? What was she judging against – a chipmunk?"

- Pansy about Hermione Granger when her looks are complimented in an article

In her fourth year, Pansy was among the students who fed Rita Skeeter false information on Harry, Rubeus Hagrid and Hermione Granger. She was highly amused by the Potter Stinks badges passed around by Slytherin students during the 1994 Triwizard Tournament, and laughed when Draco's Densaugeo hex accidentally hit Hermione when he and Harry started a duel in a school hallway. Pansy accompanied Draco to the Yule Ball that year, wearing frilly pink robes; by this time, the two may have been romantically involved. A slightly softer side of Pansy may have been shown when she clearly expressed (although tried to conceal) fondness for unicorns during a Care of Magical Creatures class.



Fifth Year
"Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle, anyway? Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?"

- Pansy taunts Angelina Johnson and the Gryffindor Quidditch team

In her fifth year, Pansy became a Slytherin prefect along with Draco, and joined the Inquisitorial Squad. She crudely remarked to Dolores Umbridge that it was difficult to understand Rubeus Hagrid when he spoke and that everyone hated his subject right in front of him. During Quidditch matches that year, Pansy directed her fellow Slytherins to sing Weasley is Our King to mock Ron Weasley, as well as other Gryffindor players. When she saw Harry Potter and Cho Chang out on a date on Valentine's Day, Pansy insulted them both, as well as the memory of the late Cedric Diggory.

When Dumbledore's Army members attempted to escape from the Room of Requirement, Pansy searched for female D.A. members in the girls' lavatory and grabbed the list of names as evidence. Pansy and other Squad members were jinxed during a student rebellion after Fred and George Weasley's departure from Hogwarts; Pansy missed a day of classes while recovering from a hex that made her sprout a pair of antlers.

Sixth Year
In 1996, on her way to Hogwarts for her sixth year, Pansy sat in the same train compartment with Draco, Blaise Zabini, and a few other Slytherins. Draco had his head in Pansy's lap, while she stroked his hair. Although upset by Draco's suggestion that he might not return to Hogwarts for his seventh year, Pansy seemed impressed by his implication that he had taken the Dark Mark and become a Death Eater. Harry Potter got the impression that she and Draco were cozier than ever during their sixth year.

Seventh Year
"Before Harry could speak, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of him had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking toward Pansy instead, and Harry, awestruck and overwhelmed, saw wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves."

- after Pansy suggests turning Harry Potter over to Lord Voldemort

During Pansy's final year at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort was in indirect control of the school through Severus Snape as headmaster and Amycus and Alecto Carrow as professors. As a Slytherin and, most likely, a pure-blood, Pansy was probably one of the favoured students.

In 1998, when Voldemort urged those inside Hogwarts to turn Harry Potter over to him, Pansy stood up in favour of handing him over. However, the other three houses rallied, drawing their wands, and Professor McGonagall dismissed Slytherin House first. Pansy presumably left Hogwarts with her housemates, and likely was not one of the few to return as reinforcements with Professor Slughorn. Instead, she may have been among the Slytherin students that Voldemort told Lucius Malfoy had come to join him.

Later Life
It is unknown what happened to Pansy after the end of the Second Wizarding War, although she did not end up marrying her adolescent boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.

Personality and Traits
"Hey, Potter! Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooo!"

- Pansy makes fun of Harry Potter

Pansy is a stereotypical "mean girl" and Draco Malfoy's female counterpart in many ways. She is described as "pug-faced" and appears to be the leader of a gang of Slytherin girls. She is often seen making snide and cutting remarks at the expense of Gryffindor students, such as making fun of Angelina Johnson's braided hair by wondering aloud who would want to look like they had worms coming out of their head. She was even callous enough to disrespect the late Cedric Diggory, shrieking at Cho Chang when she went on a date with Harry Potter in 1996: "I don't think much of your taste...at least Diggory was good-looking!"

Judging by the amusement Pansy expressed when Blaise Zabini made a rude comment about Ginny Weasley being a "filthy blood traitor", her association with the prejudiced Draco Malfoy, and the stance she expressed just before the Battle of Hogwarts, she is most likely a pure-blood who disdains Muggles and Muggle-borns.

Etymology
A pansy is a type of violet. 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. The face of a Persian cat, flat and squashed, is sometimes described as a "pansy face", and may refer to Pansy Parkinson's looks.

Behind the scenes

 * J.K. Rowling has said that Pansy did not end up marrying Draco because she 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."
 * In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film), Pansy Parkinson is portrayed by Genevieve Gaunt; in the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, she was portrayed by Lauren Shotton, and in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', she will be portrayed by Scarlett Byrne.
 * The way Pansy addresses Parvati Patil in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone suggests that the two were familiar with one another beforehand, though this is never explored.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Pansy Parkinson