This is a gift for Fire the Cannon.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Percy Weasley/Penelope Clearwater
Warnings: alternate universe; het; soulmates; soulmate identifying marks; emotions; misunderstanding; and breakups
Prompt: (Scenario) Percy and Penelope are stuck inside together during a blizzard.
Summary: Through bad luck, Percy Weasley found himself snowed in with his ex-girlfriend who broke his heart.
To Love a Lion
027. Let It Snow
"It's really coming down out there," Penelope Clearwater stated, her tone filled with annoyance.
Percy Weasley remained quiet as he watched his ex-girlfriend. What was he supposed to say? Yes, it was snowing pretty heavy outside. It had been snowing like for the last hour and it seemed to be letting up any.
Penelope sighed. "The least you could do is talk to me," she muttered.
His brown eyes narrowed. "What I am I supposed to say?" he snapped.
"Something," Penelope replied him. "Anything!"
"I have nothing to say to you," he told her. Anger and annoyance filled him.
Penelope's blue eyes filled with tears. "You used to tell me everything," she whispered, her tone sad.
The anger and annoyance faded, replaced by longing and heartbreak. Percy knew Penelope was love of his life. He had known that since they first spoke. The very Words were etched on his left shoulder blade. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. Are you alright?
Sighing, Penelope shook her head. "You really don't have anything to say to me?" she asked, her tone pleading.
Percy had a lot of things to say to her – a lot of things to ask, really – but none of those seemed to matter. What right did Penelope have to him when she broke up with him – discarding him like he was trash – and spoke of find true love when she had his Words on her left shoulder blade? While Percy had never seen those Words, he knew they were there. Soulmates had one another's Words in the same spot. Percy's Words appeared on her eleventh birthday, almost ten years ago.
"You know I had to break up with you," Penelope whispered, her tone remained pleading and tears slid down her cheeks. "Why are you shutting me out like this?"
Taking a deep breath, Percy tried to ignore the annoyance he felt. The more she talked and pleaded, the more annoyed he grew. As far as he was considered, Penelope lost the right to be his friend when she broke up with him. He didn't know why she ended their relationship. Penelope refused to say. There was small chance that he was being overly harsh, but Percy didn't care at the moment.
"Remember when we went to Hogsmeade in December of our fourth year?" Penelope asked. She shook her head with a teary laugh. "It snowed six feet that afternoon. We had to floo back to the castle because we were snowed in the Three Broomsticks."
Percy remembered that day. It used to be a fond memory – one of the many he treasured about Penelope. That was the day he kissed her for the first time, leaning over the table at the bar. He was blushing and stuttering mess. Penelope laughed after their kiss, making Percy doubt his kiss abilities. After her laugh, Penelope smiled and she kissed him.
In fact, that was his first kiss. That night, Percy dreamed of all the firsts he would share with Penelope. They were soulmates and they were going to be together forever.
"Jasmine was singing that Muggle song," Penelope recalled, humming the tone before sining a little, "It does show signs of stopping. And I've brought some corn for popping. The lights are turned way down low. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"
Penelope stopped singing, staring at Percy. Her blue eyes were filled with sorrow. She sighed again, shaking her head. "I do love you, believe it or not," she whispered.
That was something she lost the right to say.
"Really?" demanded Penelope. "You're not even going to say anything to that?"
"What do you want me to say?" Percy shouted, anger in his voice. "You have no right to say that to me – not after what you did."
"We had to breakup, you know that," Penelope shook her head. "We're not supposed to be together. You were the one talking marriage and children, and I decided it was time to be a grownup and end the relationship before someone got hurt."
"Who was going to get hurt? We were happy together and in love. No one was hurting."
Penelope's blue eyes narrowed. "It was only a matter of time until one of us met our soulmate."
Those words filled Percy with rage. They were soulmates, but apparently Penelope wanted a different soulmate. "How's that working for you?" he demanded. "Have you found someone better than me?"
"There's no one better than you," Penelope whispered, her voice soft. "There never will be."
The admission filled Percy with glee and sadness. There was no one better than him, but Penelope still ended their relationship.
"Even though it hurts, our breakup was for the best," Penelope told him, her tone returned to pleading. "Someday you'll meet your soulmate and I'll be a distant memory. I love you, but your soulmate will love you more and you deserve that."
"How can you stand there and say that?" Percy demanded, anger building in his tone. "At the very least you can be honest with me. You can lie to everyone else if you really want."
"I am being honest. You deserve the chance to be with your soulmate."
"I was with my soulmate and you ended our relationship."
"What are you talking about?"
"I knew you were my soulmate the moment we met – when we were eleven. You had that large stack of books and you walked into me as you were leaving the library. Don't you remember my Words?"
"No, I don't," Penelope answered. "I only have a Word – as in it's one word long."
"Ouch."
"H-how did you know that? I've never told anyone."
"I remember everything about that moment. It's the moment we met."
Penelope shook her head as her right hand clutched her left shoulder. "We were eleven. How was I supposed to know you were my soulmate?"
"Instinct. I felt our magic connect. Haven't you taken the Anima Test?"
Penelope shook her head. "I'm scheduled to take it after the holidays. Have you taken it?"
Percy nodded. He had taken in July after they graduated. He would have taken it sooner, but the test cost ten galleons and that was money his parents didn't have. Bill had paid for the test as a gift.
"C-can I see it?"
Percy shrugged. He wasn't sure if he wanted to look at it anymore. It hurt too much.
"What does this mean for us?" She sounded hopeful. "I've missed you."
Her question caught him off guard. Percy was still struggling to understand everything. It was a case of misunderstanding or something. Percy knew they were soulmates and he wanted to talk about their future together, but Penelope hadn't known and she ended their relationship so they could both be with their soulmates.
"If you didn't know, would you want to be with me?" he asked. "If I wasn't your soulmate, would you want to get back together?"
"That's hard to say," Penelope admitted, breaking her lip. "I love you, I miss you, and I wanted to get back together. But I had to put my feelings aside. My family has married soulmate to soulmate for generations. I don't know if I'm brave enough to break tradition just to be happy with someone else."
Silence fell over them. Percy looked out the window. It was really coming down out there. The snowflakes were large, the winds were blowing harsh, and it didn't even seem close to ending.
"I love you, too," Percy whispered.
Penelope smiled.
There was hope for them, yet.
This was written for
The Drabble Game: Ashleigh / Fire the Cannon
Request: Percy/Penelope in (Scenario) Blizzard: Character A and Character B are stuck in a place together.
Are You Crazy Enough to Do It Challenge
Prompt: 371. (Restriction) Can't use the word said.
Colors of the Rainbow Challenge
Blue: Write about a character learning the truth about something.
The FRIENDS Competition: The One With 472 Prompts
Season One, TOW The Candy Hearts: Write about two exes meeting again.
If You Dare Challenge
Prompt: 019. There's always a price.
Once Upon a Time Character Challenge-itition
Robin Hood: Write about a character receiving a second chance at love.
Gift for Ashleigh / Fire the Cannon.
Count: ~1,300
