September
Percy Weasley. The most un-fun, uptight, rule loving pompous prat the world has ever seen. It's a wonder how his family tolerates him. She certainly couldn't.
Percy and Heather don't exactly get along. He strives for rules and logic and making sure everything is perfect, while she quite frankly doesn't give a damn for anything. He seems to be appalled by her look on life, so he asserts himself into her business as much as possible to make sure she's like him. This meant checking her homework for all her classes, he frequently asked how her day was going at random intervals, and offered to help with practically everything.
Saying that it was annoying would be an understatement.
One day Heather was talking to the girls, waiting for Potions to start, when she heard the very voice that makes her cringe.
"Students, keep in line! Go on, budge up there!" A flash of red hair came into her peripheral field of vision.
"Look, Heather, it's your favorite person," Erica sniggered. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked at the ginger.
"Maybe he'll ask you to listen to him again," Alyssa whispered. The other girls cackled wildly.
"How much you wanna bet? Twenty Sickles?" Tina nudged Erica with a smirk on her face. "Everyone knows Percy fancies you." She glanced at the prowling ginger moving the students in line. All the students in line were giving Heather and Percy knowing looks as he moved closer to them.
"The nerd who's in love with the slacker! What a beautiful combination." Erica chimed in. A cough behind Heather made them all turn around, startled. Erica immediately blushed, but the person who interrupted them luckily didn't hear the conversation.
"Excuse me, get in line!" Percy appeared behind Heather. His tall and lanky body provided a contrast between her short frame and him.
She turned around and muttered, "And who is it who's being bossy?"
Tina and Erica laughed. She raised an eyebrow at them, and they all cackled at Percy.
"I- I am. I'm a Prefect." Does he really think that's a real response?
"And?" She waited to see if he'd say anything else. Chances are that's his reasoning on why she should listen to him.
"And I asked you to please step in line. You have to follow the rules."
"I have to?"
There was a silence in which Percy's ears turned red.
"Heather, may I speak to you in private?" Percy forced out. She rolled her eyes as Tina and Erica laughed again. She followed the red headed boy to an empty classroom. When the door was closed, she turned to Percy with her arms crossed. What's his excuse for pulling her away from her friends this time? She glared at him while she waited for him to speak.
"Percy, what is it?" He brought her in here so he could stare at her? What joy. As if he doesn't do that enough.
"I- I- I-" He gulped. "Want to a-ask if you'll respect me as a Prefect."
Heather raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"
"I- I- What?" Percy blushed.
"I said, is that it? Are you going to say anything else?" She stepped closer to the door. Maybe he'd take a hint and move; but of course he just backs up so the door handle is pressing into his back. Snape's going to take points away if she's late for Potions again.
"Are you going to listen to me and follow the rules?" Percy pressed back against the door again. His eyes stared hard into hers.
"No." She frowned. "When do I ever listen to the rules? Percy, you've known me since we were first years. I don't see why you think that you're different." She stepped even closer to him. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go to class. I've got Potions."
Percy moved out of her way. Heather opened the door, about to leave, but at the last second she turned back and faced him. The shock in his eyes astounded her. She couldn't stop herself when she put her hand on his arm and said, "You're cute when you're flustered."
She turned and left the room without a second glance. She walked quickly down the corridor before she realized that Percy had Potions with her. And that he's her partner. And that she'd known him all her life and had never said anything like that at all to him.
What joy this will be! The girls were right about Percy; they always were. Percy's not that bad when you get him to loosen up. During one of his forced study sessions, he told a joke. She didn't laugh, but he knew she found it funny. It was earlier this year, during the first week of term, when she first noticed that he cared about her.
"Why don't you ever smile?" She remembered him asking her after a few seconds. He nonchalantly fiddled with his quill but she saw right through him.
"Why do you act like a pompous prat?" She retorted. She crossed her arms and stared at Percy. His horn rimmed glasses glinted in the candle light. He frowned.
"Heather, as a Prefect, I require respect-"
"And we both know that's not gonna happen."
He gave her a look. She gave him one back.
"Heather, I know about your family and how-"
She slammed my hands on the table, earning a stern look from the librarian, Madame Prince, and pushed herself close to his freckled face.
"You will NOT, under any circumstances, bring up- my family- again. Do you understand?" She's this close to Percy. She could see herself in the reflection of his eyes. She could see every freckle, every curl in his red hair.
"I- yes." Percy seemed shocked at her outburst. She stood up and gathered her things.
"This session is over." She sneered at Percy, and then stormed out of the library.
Her flashback was over as soon as she entered the Potions classroom.
Professor Snape glanced up at Heather and drawled, "Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Remington, for being late to class. Now sit down and get to work."
She said nothing as she went to her table to unpack her potion ingredients on the flat surface. Erica and Tina whispered at the next table over; Alyssa grinned cheerily at her. She glanced at the board with the instructions for the assignment. The potion for today is… Amortentia?
A love potion? Are you serious? And Percy is her partner... Just kill me now.
The door opened, and who else walked through it but Percy Weasley. He put his stuff down at the table he shared with Heather and glanced at her before he walked up to Snape and whispered something, to which Snape nodded too. As Heather got the supplies ready, Percy read over the instructions thoroughly. Speech was not needed as they added the ingredients. Heather turned the ladle occasionally, closely supervised by Percy.
"Percy, for God's sake, I can't work with you watching like that!" She whirled to look at him. He was so close she could see her reflection in his eyes. "Back up a bit."
The other students heard her whisper- shout at him and turned to watch. Everyone shared knowing glances once again as Percy reared up for his attack.
Sure enough, Percy frowned. "Back up a bit? I'm just making sure you don't add the wrong ingredients!" He snatched the ladle from Heather. He added another ingredient and stirred three times.
"Percy! Give me back that ladle!" She grabbed his hand. He paused, shocked that her slender hand was over his. She took her hand away with a start and grabbed for the ladle. Tina smirked at the quarrel between the two Gryffindors and nudged Erica to watch.
"What is this foolishness?" Professor Snape strode up to their table. Heather gave a nasty look to Percy. He awkwardly held the ladle behind his back. By now the entire class was watching the escapade.
"Nothing, Professor." Heather said in mock sweetness. "Percy was just going to give me the ladle when you walked up to the table." Percy gave her a dirty look. She responded with one just as dirty, if not more nasty.
"Mr. Weasley, give Miss Remington back the ladle and get back to work. The Amortentia is due by the end of class." Snape glided like an overgrown bat back to his desk.
"Your potions should be a lavender color by now," He addressed to the class. Everyone jumped and pretended to work. "It should have a very distinct smell that's different for everyone. And don't forget that if you spill the potion, it will stain your clothes."
Heather and Percy's potion was the perfect shade of lavender, and she could distinctly smell three different things: the scent of vanilla, of fresh lilies, and of… Percy Weasley?!
Maybe it was because he was so close to her; that's why she could smell him. It was a mixture of fresh parchment, books, and clean soap; the distinct smell of the pompous Prefect. She quickly dismissed the crazy notion and turned to face him to ask if he wanted her to take the small vial up to be graded.
Percy's foot was where hers needed to be in order to grab the vial, and she accidentally bumped into him as she reached for the vial to take the potion up to Snape.
And when she bumped into him, she somehow managed to spill the potion.
All over her hair.
My hair.
Immediately Heather felt a tingling sensation in her scalp. She picked up the ends of her long brown hair to see a wave of pink flowing through her hair.
My hair.
Percy gave a shout when he looked down to help her up. Snape looked up from his desk and gasped. The rest of the class looked back at the table. Percy helped her up gently, the potion getting on his hands. She whimpered, and ran a hand through her pink hair. It was pink. Not that she didn't mind pink, but she just… Oh, God, her hair was pink.
The rest of the class gasped when they saw her hair. How could they not? It practically glowed in the dim dungeon light.
"Miss Remington, what did I say about the potion staining your clothes?" The overgrown bat swooped to their table. He stood and tapped his foot.
"With all due respect, sir," She muttered. "These aren't my clothes." She grabbed onto the table to support herself. She was woozy from shock.
"Did you ingest any of it?" That bastard.
"No, sir."
"Then I see nothing wrong. Weasley, take her to the hospital wing, she looks like she's about to be sick."
Heather stared at the professor in horror as he walked back to his desk. Percy grabbed her arm and led her out of the dungeons before she could say another word.
"Don't say anything that'll upset him. He'll just punish you." Percy murmured as they stumbled in the dark. "He's nothing but a bully."
"No shit, Percy." The realization of the situation finally hit her as they made it up to the main floor. It's pink.
"Language, Heather."
"Shut the hell up, Percy."
"Heather…"
"Percy."
He gave her a look, but by this time they were at the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey glanced up as they entered the wing.
"Who's the sick one, eh?" She chirped. Percy pushed Heather forward. Heather gave him a look and he backed away from her before she could hit him.
"Well," She said, glaring at Percy. She pushed a lock of hair behind an ear as she continued. "Some Amortentia splashed my hair and now it's… pink. I was wondering if maybe you had a potion I could take to make my hair brown again."
Madame Pomfrey put some papers in her desk before she responded. "Did the Professor say anything about it? Amortentia stains. It will be very hard to make it brown again." She reached out to touch Heather's hair and she flinched. Percy cocked his head as this. Heather ignored him as Madame Pomfrey observed her hair. "Maybe if I give you a hair coloring potion…" She walked off in search of the potion.
"Percy!" Heather growled. "How dare you…" She walked right up to him and continued to chastise him in the errors in his way. Percy couldn't help but notice how… alive she looked. Her eyes were livid, her cheeks were flushed. She was radiant in beauty.
"Percy, are you even listening to me?" Heather waved a hand in front of his face. Even her name was beautiful- Heather. He loved how it just rolled off his tongue whenever he said it. "Percy, if you weren't in my way, then my hair wouldn't be pink right now! Ugh, you are such an idiot!"
Percy frowned. "Excuse me; did you just call me an idiot?" Perhaps he heard her wrong.
"Yes, Percy, I did!" He didn't.
"Oh, enough of this squabbling! You two can take your lover's spat outside when I'm through with you!" Madame Pomfrey had come back with a steaming goblet. Percy and Heather turned red and mumbled over each other -
"She's just a friend-"
"Not even friends, I don't even like him-!"
"Oh, hush! Here, drink this, and we should see the results in approximately two minutes. If it doesn't help, then you will just have to wait until the pink fades."
Heather all but snatched the goblet from Madame Pomfrey's hands. She gulped down the potion; it tasted like peppermint and basil, an odd combination. "If it doesn't work, then how long should it take to fade?"
"I'm not sure, dearie." Madame Pomfrey took the goblet from her and set a Muggle timer for two minutes. "We'll just have to see." She bustled off to her office.
Heather turned slowly to face Percy. She was furious, he could tell. He moved back behind a bed so she couldn't reach him.
Those two minutes were the longest minutes of her life. She waited anxiously, hoping that her hair would be normal once more. Percy was standing behind a bed, like an idiot, moving from one foot to the other. The timer suddenly rang, a clear and curt noise, and Madame Pomfrey came back from her office carrying a mirror. She took one look at Heather and cried out. Her heart sank. That can't be good.
Heather grabbed the mirror she was holding and gazed into it. Her reflection stared back at her, with her hair an even more shocking pink than before. Tears sprang to her eyes as she pushed the mirror back at Madame Pomfrey. Percy noticed the pain on her face with despair. He knew it was his fault. His foot was in the way because he was trying to smell her, for her scent (the smell of vanilla) was what he smelled in the Amortentia. He was only trying to make sure that his nose wasn't lying, and now look what happened.
"It will fade, I promise," Madame Pomfrey comforted Heather. She patted her back, obviously out of pity. Heather turned from the Healer abruptly and said shakily, "Thank you for your help."
She left the hospital wing without another word; Percy followed her when he decided it was safe and she wouldn't hit him. They walked in silence back down to the dungeons until he stopped and grabbed her arm.
"Heather?"
"What, Percy?" She shook him off.
"Maybe I should go in there and turn in our work." He brushed some hair out of her eyes. "You should go up to the common room to get ready for dinner."
She looked up at him, and stared into his eyes to try and see if he was trying to play a joke on her. She knew that he didn't want me to go back in there with Snape for fear of her temper. Heather didn't question Percy's motives. She nodded her head and turned to leave. She was half way down the corridor when he called, "And Heather?"
She looked back at him over her shoulder.
"I like the pink."
