- - chapter twenty eight - -
i'd die for your love
Unluckily, word did travel fast at these events and Polly knew that there was a Weasley attending the event. She was furious because the entire evening was supposed to be about her family and how perfectly normal, they were and yet, her daughter had invited a wizard into the ballroom. She pushed away her feelings, knowing that she couldn't overreact because she had something up her sleeve which would make her feel ten times better about everything. She knew that something would happen that would throw her off-course and that was why she was keeping another trick up her sleeve, to use it just when everyone thought things were going to plan. More than once, her eyes were drawn to the red-headed wizard that had taken a comfortable position next to her mother, the old woman was foolish to be stood with him but probably had no idea what he was or how intolerant Polly would be if she spoke to him.
The Parker family were called to the front of the ballroom, stood at the edge of the stage because this was the part of the evening where the mayor would deliver a speech about the chosen charity and would reveal how much money had been raised during the event. James had the biggest smile on his face as he watched everyone gather around the stage for the speech, drinking his champagne a lot faster than he should be but he needed a drink to keep him going. Indigo was sinking as far back as possible, not wanting to be stood with her family and trying to blend in with the curtains that were hung behind the stage. Frank was busy waving to some of the guests, flashing his brilliant white smile and pretending that everything was fine despite the awkward tension between his family and Polly slowly made her way onto the stage, just to make the announcement for her husband to give his speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your beloved mayor, Mr Frank Parker." Polly said through the microphone before stepping down from the stage and kissing her husband on the cheek, applauding for him as he made his way towards the podium.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be with you all tonight. Not only am I a massive fan of charity but it is clear from the donations made that you are all kind donators yourselves. I believe that I am very fortunate, I have a nice house, I have a beautiful wife and two healthy intelligent children. When you have a position that I have, it is important to ensure that you are constantly giving back to your community." He paused and the audience clapped politely at his statement, playing the same game that they all played; where they pretended to be gracious guests but gossiped about the person claiming to be their best friend. "Tonight, we have exchanged pleasantries and tonight we have made a difference. It is my honour to pass over to my daughter, Indigo, to give her speech where she will show her gratitude for the work that this community has been admiring."
Upon hearing her name, Indigo's eyes widened because this hadn't been part of the deal and was the first time that she had heard about this. "What?"
"You heard your father." Polly fake smiled, knowing that the audience were all watching them and a bright spotlight shone down on them; letting everyone see exactly where Indigo was standing and the audience applauded for her, wanting to hear what she was going to say.
"This wasn't part of the agreement."
"You poured red slush over my head last year, Indigo, did you really think I wouldn't get you back?" Polly lowered her voice and spat into her ear, pushing her towards the stage.
"I would have preferred the red slush." She mumbled as her wobbly legs walked up the steps of the stage, and her hands became clammy; wishing that the ground would swallow her and she didn't have to give a speech in front of everyone.
"Indie?" Frank gestured for her to come on stage, not understanding what al the fuss was about because he assumed that she had wanted to do the speech. "Come on!"
She slowly steps onto the stage and glances around at the audience, not realising how many people were there until she was in front of them all and they were all staring back at her. It crossed her mind before that maybe her mother would try something to ruin things but she hadn't considered it to be this bad, Polly knew that her daughter hated large crowds and that was why she had gone into a business where she could own her little shop and keep her interactions to a minimum but now, she was being asked to deliver a speech which she hadn't prepared for, in front of a bunch of snooty guests that were already judging her based on what she was wearing and what she looked like. At this point, Indigo wished that she had done what James had done and downed every single drink that was on offer because drinking gave people confidence.
Indigo opened her mouth to say something but there was feedback on the microphone and everyone covered their ears, including her and she felt herself getting so embarrassed that she turned to leave the stage but then spotted her mother, shaking her head and she knew that no matter what happened, she had to give some kind of speech. "Uh, hi everyone. To be honest I wasn't expecting to give a speech tonight but I'm very honoured to be here, with my family to support this incredible charity and the hard work that they put in every single day of the year. I didn't really have anything prepared, so I guess I should just talk from my heart." As she said that, she realised that that was exactly what she was going to do and so, without worrying about what other people thought, she began talking from the heart. "You know, tell everyone what I'm thinking and I'm thinking that I should be honest. My mother thinks that she knows what's best for me, something I'm sure a lot of people experience but things are slightly different for me. Why? Because I'm different. And not in a special way, in a completely normal way, I'm different. And for years, my mother told me that that was a bad thing but it isn't! I know that now."
"Indigo, get off the stage!" Polly hissed, trying to grab her from the stage but Indigo just stood her ground and felt a surge of confidence now that she was in front of everyone. Her mother couldn't reprimand her in front of the guests, so she finally had the floor to say what she was feeling.
"No, mum, this is what you wanted, remember?" She replied, moving the microphone away from her mouth for a second before leaning back into it and continuing her speech. "For years I didn't have a voice but now I've been given the chance to speak and I need to get everything off my chest. You were the one thing that always brought me down, you insulted me, made me feel smaller than a speck of dirt on the bottom of your shoe but I don't care anymore. I've moved past this and after tonight, I never have to see you again. You don't matter. Because at the end of the day you are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake; you are the same decaying organic matter as everything else."
Not wasting another moment, Indigo pulled out the Dungbomb that George had gifted to her on her birthday; she had been keeping it in her purse for the right moment and this seemed like the perfect time to unleash it. She threw it directly at her mother and it exploded above Polly's head, coating her in a horrible stench. Frank and James were stood beside her and both of them covered their noses, gagging at the smell that it left behind. Polly was fuming and ran out of the ballroom before anyone else could smell the stench of the Dungbomb but she left a stench behind her as she ran out of the room. The audience were surprised to see the daughter of the mayor throwing a stink bomb at her own mother but loved the dramatics of the evening. Someone who was more than proud of Indigo for what she was doing was George, he was watching her from the back of the room because he didn't want her to know that he was still there. At first, he was shocked that she had used the Dungbomb because she didn't seem like the kind of person to enjoy pranking but then he remembered what she had said she had done the year before and remembered that he was dating the female non-magical version of himself.
Grandma was still processing the speech that her granddaughter had given, it sounded like something she had heard before but she couldn't remember what. "That sounds very familiar."
"Fight Club." George whispered under his breath, recognising the quote from his favourite muggle movie and feeling touched that she had used it in her speech. Maybe that was her way of letting him know that she was thinking about him. He was sure that he was never going to be forgiven for what he did but now that he heard her quoting his favourite movie, there was a part of him that wondered maybe she had forgiven him.
Indigo looked into the crowd and felt herself smiling, thinking about George's reaction, not only to her little prank but also to the quotes that she had mentioned. She did it on purpose. She had forgiven him about everything that he had done, she listened and she knew that Angelina seemed crazy. George was someone that she had trusted more than anyone else before and in return, he had opened up to her about things that he had never told anyone; she knew that what they had was real and knew that this wasn't the end of their relationship. She had no idea if he was still in the hall but if he was, then she wanted him to hear what she was saying because it was coming straight from her heart; she was being more vulnerable than she had ever been with anyone else and she was doing it in the middle of a charity gala.
"You know what? I wish that I had the confidence to do what these people do, they risk their lives every single day and they're not scared. Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way, I feel when I'm with you." She took a deep breath, glad that she had also managed to recite a quote from her favourite movie to make things even but this was the part that really scared her. "George, I don't know if you're out there or even if you're still here but I need you to know that I'm sorry. I should have listened to you; I should have known that you were telling me the truth because you always do. You're the only person that has ever been completely honest with me and that was why it was so hard for me to trust you. I know that I've messed up but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Everyone in my life has left at some point, please don't do the same."
After running from the stage, Indigo tried to avoid all of the guests and her own family because she didn't want to have to talk to anyone about what had happened on the stage. She had basically had a breakdown where she pranked her mother and confessed her feelings whilst she was supposed to be giving a speech about charity. Frank had rushed onto the stage when she left and tried to salvage the night by announcing the total raised in donations but it didn't really make a difference. All people were talking about was the drama that had unfolded in front of them; of course, they had no idea about the deal that had been made or the fact that Indigo was from a magical background. Despite pranking her mother and possibly ruining the chances of the deal being a thing, Indigo didn't care anymore because no matter what the outcome of the charity gala; she was leaving town and never coming back. She never wanted to see her mother again, she wanted to get as far away from her as humanly possible and never look back.
"Nobody puts Baby in the corner."
Indigo looked up from the seat that she had taken in the corner of the ballroom, hiding from everyone and yet someone had managed to find her and had managed to make her smile. "Have you been rehearsing that line?"
"No, but I have been practising my dancing."
"No way!" She laughed loudly, not believing for a second that he had practised his dancing just for the gala because that image was just hilarious. "Really?"
"Yes, Ginny's feet will never recover."
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." George didn't have a chance to further explain his story because the musician began playing a familiar tune that made Indigo gasp, she didn't think that the gala would play her favourite song and yet, she could hear it. Hungry Eyes began filling the hall and she knew that George was behind it. "Did you really request this song?"
He shrugged. "Just in case you refused to dance with me." They both chuckled quietly before George began talking again. "I heard your speech."
"I'm pretty sure everyone heard my speech." Indigo said awkwardly, running her hands down her dress. "Someone probably filmed it and it'll be broadcasted all over the world forever."
"Well, I heard it and I loved it."
She frowned, not expecting that answer. "You did?"
"Are you kidding? You slammed your mother in front of the entire community and you finally admitted that I was right. A win for everyone. I'm messing with you, I'm sorry about the way that things went down and I can only hope that you'll forgive me." He held out his hand, hoping that she would take it because that would mean not only would they dance to her favourite song but they would also take a second chance on their relationship. "Indie, do you trust me?" Instead of answering, she just raised her eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. "Come on, do you trust me?"
She pretended to think about it for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
"Then close your eyes and let me prove how trustworthy I can be." He told her and she listened, placing her hand into his and closing her eyes, he began leading her around the ballroom in a dance that she had only ever dreamed about. He wasn't lying, he really had been trying to learn how to dance and Ginny had been reluctant to help him until he promised that he wouldn't crack jokes about her and Harry's relationship anymore. Somehow, George was a better dancer than Indigo as he spun her around and dipped her; both of them smiled as the song came to an end but they didn't move from the dance floor. They just stayed in each other's arms and swayed to the next song that was played across the hall. George looked down and admired Indigo, glad that he finally had her back in his arms and even though he had sworn to go slow, he couldn't help but lean down and press his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered open at the contact and George stared into them, wondering if he had overstepped. "Was that, okay?"
"That was more than okay." She grinned, cupping his face and pulling him back down to her level so that she could kiss him even harder; with even more passion and they both smiled into the kiss, enjoying their own little moment. As they danced around the ballroom, nothing could ruin the moment as they spun each other around and enjoyed a moment of peacefulness where finally all was well.
a/n: i'm not sure when the epilogue will be posted but keep an eye out 👀 -lizzie ⭐️
date published: 09/10/21