I grabbed an ice pack and wrapped it in a cloth, sitting down in a chair and holding it out to Bill.
He had gotten into another fight with Percy later this day when he had the audacity to call me a Mudblood again.
Bill took the pack from my hand and held it up to his eye.
"Bill, I appreciate this, I really do. But I don't like seeing you hurt." I said.
Molly came into the kitchen and set two cups of green tea on the table, looking at us. "Drink your tea. Get better, Bill."
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley." I smiled at her.
She smiled at us and nodded, heading into the living room where her husband was, looking through the latest edition of the Quibbler.
I smiled at the two adults. "I wish I could have that."
"What do you mean? You can," Bill said, setting the ice pack down on the table.
"No, Bill, I can't. My blood status is always going to be a factor of who wants to be with me." I said.
"Dani, that's only a part of you. When you find the right person, he will love you with all his heart. Blood status doesn't matter when you're in love." He said.
I turned to him and smiled. "Sounds like Bill is in love. Who is she?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Doesn't matter. She'll never feel the same about me."
". . . It's Fleur, isn't it?" I guessed.
"Maybe,"
You know that saying: "my heart dropped into my stomach"? Well, that saying should be demolished because what I felt was so much worse than that.
"Oh. Okay, cool." I said, forcing a smile. "I'm happy for you, Bill."
He looked confused for a second, but shrugged it off. "Yeah. T-thanks."
"Uh, keep ice on that eye. It'll heal soon." I said, finishing up my tea and getting up.
"Hey"—he gently grasped my hand and I looked back at him as he stood—"is everything okay? You've never just shut me out like that."
"Bill. If anything is wrong, I will tell you. Okay?" I said, taking my hand back.
He looked into my dark eyes and shook his head. "No, you won't. Dani, I've known you all my life. You won't tell me what is bothering you because you feel like it is your burden to carry."
I sighed and closed my eyes, shaking my head slightly. "Bill, stop. I-I don't want to talk about it now."
He hesitantly nodded and stepped back. "Okay. If that's what you want, Dani. I'll stop."
"Bill, I-I didn't mean it like that—"
"Then what did you mean it like?" he asked, dragging a hand over his chin.
I scoffed and shook my head. "I just can't. I can't hear you talking about her."
"Who?" Bill asked.
". . . Fluer. I want to punch you whenever you talk about her." I said.
"Well, you were the one who brought her up. Not me." Bill said, following me outside into the pink evening sky.
"Okay, I get it. Just stop!" I said, turning to him.
"Why don't you like her? I thought you did." Bill said, taking my hand and holding me there.
"I don't want to talk about it." I repeated.
"But you just said—"
"I don't like her because she likes you! I am causing myself pain every day when I look at you and pretend that I don't have any feelings for you, Bill! I do. I have feelings for you. Real feeling!" I admitted, stunning him into silence.
"Dani . . ."
I pulled my hand from his and brushed past him and an equally as shocked George, Fred, and Ron who stood by the door with their mouthes wide open.
———
A knock was heard on my door and I just curled up in a ball on my bed, a fuzzy blanket wrapped around me.
The door opened and a familiar head of curly red hair came in, closing the door and coming over to stand by the foot of my bed.
"What do you want, Percy? You want to humiliate me further?" I asked, pulling the covers over my head.
"No, actually. I came to see how you were doing." He replied.
I pulled the covers down slightly and peeked my eyes over the blanket. "Since when do you care about me?"
". . . I thought about all I have done and I see why you hate me. I've been a jerk, and I want to apologize."
". . . . are you expecting me to forgive you?" I asked.
"No. I'm fine if you don't. I just want you to know that I'm . . . sorry." Percy said.
I raised my eyebrows. "Wow,"
He chuckled softly. "Yeah. Wow. Well, I'll leave you be now."
". . . Percy, wait." I said once he got to the door.
"Yeah?" He looked at me, his hand still on the knob.
"Thanks. For this."
An actual smile formed on his face and he nodded once. "You're welcome," he said and walked out.
A very confused Molly walked into my room and sat on my bed, rubbing my arm. "Was that Percy I just saw?"
I smiled a little. "Yeah. Yeah, that was."
She nodded and sighed. "I heard about Bill, Jordan. I'm so sorry."
"Its okay . . ."
"No, it's not, Jordan. Bill is a lucky person to have an amazing woman like you interested in him." She smiled encouragingly.
I uncurled myself from the blanket and sat up, leaning against her side. "Did you see him? After?"
"Yeah. He is in the living room with Arthur, just staring into the fire and muttering things to himself." She replied, stroking up and down my back. "He'll come around, dear."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive. He can't stay mad at you for more than five minutes." She said with a slight chuckle.
A small smile tugged at my lips. "Thanks for coming in here, Mrs. Weasley."
"Of course, dear." She hugged me and kissed the top of my head. "You can talk to me anytime."
———
"Hey. Can we talk?" Bill asked when he finally came around my room at 9.
". . . I guess we should." I replied, picking my dragon up and setting her in the small hammock Charlie made for her hanging above the nightstand.
He came into my room and closed the door, sitting on the side of my bed and turning his head to me. ". . . how long?"
"How long?" I repeated, not having the brain capacity to think more than what he verbally asked.
"How long have you felt this way?" He elaborated.
". . . last year." I replied quietly.
"Wow. That's . . . quite a long time. And you've kept this to yourself all this time?"
I nodded. "Yeah. No one knew . . . until today."
He reached his hand out and took my hand, setting it in his lap and smiling softly.
"You want to know something?"
"What?" I asked with a frown.
"I wasn't talking about Fleur . . . . . I was talking about you."
I pulled my knees away from my chest and looked at him with a blank expression. "What?"
"When you were talking in the kitchen—"
"Yeah, I know. I'm just . . . what?"
He chuckled softly, his thumb running over my knuckles. "I don't care about your blood status. Or what Percy thinks of you. You've been my best friend for all these years, and every second we spent together, you have been trying your hardest to erase that part of you."
". . . what are you saying with this?" I asked.
"I don't want you to erase that part of yourself, Dani. Because that is the part of you that I love the most."
"You . . . love me being Muggle-born?"
"I love you, Dani. Don't ever change who you are for others. You're perfect to me." He said with a smile, stroking his thumb across my cheek and bringing his lips onto mine.
*incoherent fangirl screams* IT HAPPENEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! OTP OTP OTP OTP! *giggles like a love-struck schoolgirl* don't mind me. Just having a moment. Aaaaaaaanywho, I really really hope you liked this chapter! And thank you, missmoony73 for leaving comments on this story! Reading your comments really brighten my day :)
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