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.
She took a deep breath in and out, closing her eyes.
-Flashback-
"Penelope wait!"
Marianna perked up at Percy's voice, turning to where she heard it in the library. But to her surprise she was met with Penelope Clearwater, a fellow Ravenclaw, face to face with her. The short distance between their noses made Marianna uncomfortable.
"Hey Fudge, when will we get to meet your grandfather?" She asked excitedly.
Penelope wasn't a bad person, to be honest Marianna thought she was fun and bubbly and often wished she could be more like her. Yet in this moment, she couldn't be more annoyed with the witch.
"My grandfather? Why?" Marianna questioned.
"Yes the Minister silly! My boyfriend Percy was telling me all about him and how you will get him a job at the ministry?" Penelope gloated.
"Boyfriend?" Marianna asked, feeling her heart grow heavy in her chest.
"Yep, asked me this morning! So when will we meet him? Because if Perce gets a job I want one too, because we are mates and all right?"
"Penelope, she's studying right now... I'm sure she doesn't want to be bothered." Percy said nervously, attempting to pull his girlfriend away from the situation.
"Wait, Fudge was just going to answer me! Right love?" She asked cheerfully, but when she turned back towards Marianna, the girl was already tear stricken.
Percy and Penelope looked at Marianna wide eyed, unsure of what had happened.
"You are a right Prick Percy Weasley!" She yelled at the top of her lungs in the middle of the library.
Her words echoed throughout the walls and every student in the room had their eyes on them. Percy was speechless, feeling rather small with every pair of eyes on them. Marianna left her belongings on the table and pushed through the couple, running from the library while choking back sobs.
Marianna cleared her throat and began her explanation.
"Remember the day you asked Penelope to be your girlfriend?"
Percy had to think back about it, Marianna would be lying if it didn't bring her some small joy seeing how hard it was for Percy to remember his first day with his ex girlfriend.
"The same day you screamed at me in the library?"
"Excuse me, I'm telling this story!" Marianna huffed.
"You asked me a question!"
"Then answer without added commentary!" She yelled back.
"Alright, sorry." Percy noted, putting his hands up in defense and urging her to continue.
"Yes, the day I screamed at you in the library. Penelope came up all close to me, and you know how I don't like people invading my space." Marianna explained.
Percy nodded in agreement, yet he felt he couldn't suppress the smile he had while thinking about how his family and friends show affection to her all the time without her complaining. It meant she was comfortable around them.
"Then she went and talked about my Grandfather..... my stupid fucking Grandfather." Marianna huffed angrily.
Percy hadn't seen this side of her before, she was really truly angry.
"What's wrong with Minister Fudge?"
"Percy, you said no interrupting."
"It's important to the story, I need more information."
Marianna rolled her eyes, but she knew he was right.
"I hate him, he's an awful and terrible man. He's killed innocent Goblins, he is power hungry, not to mention he's physically and emotionally abused my father enough into thinking the same as him. Now I get a mini version of my grandfather as my dad."
"Alright, now explain why Penelope bringing him up is my fault."
"Percy, you are making it hard to stay calm and collected right now." Marianna admitted, annoyed with yet another interruption. Yet she wasn't at all surprised.
He put his hands up in defense again, zipping his mouth like a zipper and pretending to lock his mouth shut.
"My Grabdfather means everything to anything in my life Percy. He controls my life at home, my future, my happiness, whom I'm allowed to speak to, and who wants to speak to me."
She shifted nervously in her seat before continuing. Percy could tell she was getting slightly emotional. He laid his hand gently on her knee for reassurance. To his content, she didn't flinch or pull away, just smiled up at him warmly before taking another deep breath.
"Everyone likes me because of my grandad. They don't like me, they don't want to get to know me, they just want to know someone who is related to someone important. You and Oliver were never like that." She explained. Her eyes watering slightly when she spoke.
"That was until that day..."