Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
The Woman with the Scarred Face
He knew from the moment their eyes first met that he loved her and that one day they would be married.
Never would he pursue her like an insane stalker but like someone who just wanted to start with friendship.
He never knew why he'd taken so long to notice her - although, she jokes and says he was neck deep in his books and hadn't looked above ground when she was around.
She was quiet when she needed to be but so driven by ambition and passion that it was extremely intimidating. He'd watch her get into heated arguments with the other librarians and huff and puff when she though people were being stupid. He'd laugh when she lost her temper and stormed off to her office and slammed the door.
But the day they met, it was a turning point for him. All his brothers had beautiful women who looked perfect and he often wondered if this was what the average woman looked like or if they were the exception. He started to only see the outside beauty because he faced nothing else and hadn't come to realise just what beauty was.
But then he met her.
It was past midnight and his candle was almost dead, he was working fast and furiously to catch up on some worked he'd missed after his boss threatened to fire him if he didn't take his sick leave and recover from a very bad bout of flu. The library had closed hours ago but he was still hidden in a corner and could hear someone was also still there. He wasn't alone. Eventually he heard a pair of heels behind him and a weary voice speak.
"I'm sorry Sir but you really have to leave. I'm closing the library and putting up the spells."
"Give me five more minutes; I just need to finish this paragraph." He pleaded, not even looking up
"You can take the book with you!" she snapped irritably
"I don't need to, I'm -" he was haltered in the middle of his sentence when she snatched up his parchment and book and started walking to the door. Without hesitating and scrambled to his feet and after shoving everything in his bag he ran after her.
"Leave, NOW!" she yelled, dropping the book and parchment on the floor just outside the library. However, he didn't move an inch. He just stared at her. She was the definition of beauty, it really was a wonder he'd never noticed her before, considering the amount if time he spent in the library.
"Stop staring at me!" she snapped.
He could understand why she had said that, apart from it just being plain creepy and rude, she was heavily scarred. From under her right eye all the way down the right side of her neck. It looked like she'd been attacked by a bear or dragon!
"I'm so sorry!" he said hastily, "You're just so beautiful!"
Her jaw fell open; she had not been expecting that. She snapped it shut, swallowed and whispered, "Thank you."
For a moment they just starred at each other, eyes locked. This, he thought, was what beauty was. Not what his brothers saw and what he'd come to accept as beauty, this was the true meaning of beauty, the inside was glowing on the outside, cancelling any concerns she may have had.
"You don't get told that a lot do you?" he asked bitterly, it was an insult to her; she was stunning and should be told.
"Having your face ripped apart by a Hippogriff sort of takes away the complements one would usually get."
"That's not right! You're really gorgeous."
He was already in love, she wasn't afraid of conflict and was passionate and humble and friendly and definitely stunning. He would marry her one day!
"I'm Audrey." she said as she stuck out her hand to shake.
"Percy." her replied, taking her hand and kissing it instead of shaking it.
He then picked up his books and left.
He knew! He just knew.
Finished
A/N: I was leaving the lounge last night and as I left I heard one line coming from a crime show: The Woman with the Scarred Face. And the idea just came to me! I couldn't hold it in...I showered, got ready for bed. Did a bit of reading, forgot all about it and at 12:30am, when I could barely keep my eye open, I typed this.