My Sincerest Apologies- Percy Weasley

8

A soft knock sounded against the door. Marianna almost didn't register it as a knock it had been so light. It was almost as if the person didn't want it to be heard in the first place.

"Come in." She yelled from her spot on the window seat. She marked her spot in her book with a finger.

Percy peaked through the door, spotting her across the room.

She sighed rather audibly before opening her book again.
"Tell Oliver I said no thank you, I've never been good at charades."

"Me neither, but that's not why I'm here." Percy noted as he walked further into the room, taking a seat on Ginny's bed as he faced the girl.

Marianna didn't reply, she didn't even look back up at him. She just continued reading her book.

Percy cleared his throat.
"S'that a good book."

"It's alright." She answered curtly, still not look towards him.

"Fudge...."

No reply.

Percy stood up.
"Fudge?" He said more sternly.

Still no reply.

"Marianna!" He yelled as he tipped her book away from her face.

"What?" She replied flustered, slamming her book shut and tossing it aside.
"What's so important?"

"I think you know we need to talk."

"Do we really? Wasn't it much easier when we didn't." Mariana replied.

Percy wasn't sure where this newfound confidence came from. Sure she was dismissive towards him before but never on this level.

"Yes, I know we do. Because everyone's sick of me at the moment and it's because you are cross with me still and I'd like to know why so I can hopefully fix it." Percy explained as he climbed into the window seat with her, crossing his legs to match her posture.

Marianna knew he meant well with the statement, yet it still sounded off to her.
"You want to fix our friendship so your friends and family won't be mad at you?"

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, mostly at himself.
"What? No, Merlin why am I so bad at communicating?"

"Because you want the other person to understand your point of view rather than fixing why they were upset in the first place." Marianna noted.

Percy wanted to argue but then he thought about it, and she was more than right.

He'd always use the excuse of being justified in his actions that he never stopped to think of it was even worth it half the time. Sure reporting his brother's candy selling business was the right thing to do, yet he knew how hard they worked on those sweets.

When he told mum and dad about Ginny's secret pet dog she had found and hidden away, that hurt Ginny more than it helped anyone.

Maybe pompous Percy wasn't so far off as he thought.

"You are right."

Marianna hadn't thought she'd ever hear those words out of Percy's mouth. She almost thought she imagined it.
"What?"

"I said you are right, I'm sorry. I'd like to hear your side of the situation now. I won't interrupt you or speak until you are finished." Percy stated in a confident and serious tone.

He was leaned further forward than he had been when he first sat. Marianna blushed profusely as she tried to find the right words to say while she was so nervous. She'd waited for this moment for so long yet she wasn't even slightly prepared.