Title: Awkward Situations
Author: Jmaria
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: J.K. is the Boss. She owns 'em
Pairing: Millicent Bulstrode/Percy Weasley
Words: 1571
Summary: Playing buffer isn't all it's cracked up to be
Author's Notes: Set seven years post HBP. Also, while it's part of the Miles to Go series, it's not part of the stagesoflove challenge. Just felt that it needed to be explored in order for me to write the Passion stage under 500 words.

Awkward Situations

It didn't hit her fully until she was standing in the crowded backroom of the Leaky Cauldron surrounded by majority of her former childhood enemies. She tugged at the gray zippered jumper she wore, more nervous than she cared to admit.

"You could have warned me," she hissed at Percy, her eyes flickering over to the gift table.

"What?"

"It's customary to bring a gift, Percy," Millicent snapped, her hands smoothing her black skirt. Percy merely gaped at her, and Millicent sighed heavily. "Look, I might have been placed in Slytherin house, but I was raised properly."

"I signed your name on my gift, Millicent."

"You what?" she spun to face him, blocking him from the rest of the room. "You just asked me not fifteen minutes ago to come with you. When could you have had time to sign my name on your gift?"

"I received the invitation last week, and I was waiting for the appropriate time to ask you," Percy sighed, his eyes landing on the woman coming up beside them. "Hello, mother."

"Percy! We weren't sure if you could make it!" Mrs. Weasley's voice wobbled a bit as she pulled him forward for a hug. "Errol barely made it back from trying to find you to deliver the invitation."

"The owl is quite old, mother." Percy looked pained, and gone was the confident and even sometimes humorous man she'd gotten to know in the last few weeks, and in his place the boy she'd grown to despise as a child.

"Oh, you've brought a - friend?" Molly's eyes landed on Millicent, jarring the younger woman from her thoughts.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Millicent gave the robust woman a tight smile, her anger peaked a bit by Percy's reaction to his mother. "I'm quite sure you don't remember me, so I'll just cut through the formalities. I'm Millicent Bulstrode."

"Bulstrode," Molly paled a bit.

"Yes. My parents didn't exactly travel in the same social circles as you and your husband."

She was fairly certain that Percy was frowning at her. He tended to do that a lot. She continued forward, putting on her best Slytherin act. Millicent was used to people's reactions to her name. She'd been her parents' daughter for twenty-three years after all, and her parents had been fair from saints.

"Are you - do you two work together?" Molly pressed, trying desperately to change the subject.

"No. Ministry work never interested me," Millicent smirked over at Percy, and licked her lips. "Of course, Ministry employees fascinate me."

"Oh," Molly blinked a few times before turning to Percy. "George and Alicia are at the head table."

"Yes, I thought I spotted him over there. I wasn't sure, it could have been Fred," Percy's shoulders relaxed a bit, and Millicent could have sworn she saw his lips twitching.

"And you haven't seen Bill and Fleur's littlest one, have you?"

"No, mother, I haven't."

Molly smiled at Percy before heading back over to the other guests. Millicent just smirked at him.

"That was interesting," Percy sighed.

"And awkward to boot. This is just going to be the best party ever," Millicent smirked as she made her way over to the small bar. "Two Butterbeers."

Millicent handed Percy his drink, ignoring the pointed glares they were receiving from his brothers. She turned to face Percy, blocking him from his brothers line of sight. Well, as best she could. The man was a bit taller than her.

"Tell me, do they still hate you?" Millicent asked.

"Hate - who hates me?" Percy blinked a few times, and she was reminded of her owl.

"Your brothers. I mean, you did defect to Fudge over them. I know I'd be a bit annoyed if you chose that imbecile over me." Percy actually grinned at her then, and Millicent felt a smile on her own lips.

"My dear, no one would pick Fudge over you."

"You're sorely mistaken, Weasley. I've had men pick You-Know-Who over me." Millicent saw a look that was akin to pity in his eyes. She didn't want his pity. "So, tell me Fleur got obscenely fat producing your mother's blessed grandchildren."

"Millicent -" he placed his hand on her shoulder, awkwardly trying to comfort her.

His palm was warm, even through her sweater she could feel the heat of him. She wouldn't have pegged him as having warm hands. He was looking into her eyes, concern in them.

"Percy," a deep voice jarred Millicent from her thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder to see what she assumed was one of his brothers. It took her a half a moment to realize she was looking at Ronald. "You gonna introduce us to your little friend?"

"Don't you mean his shag buddy?" Millicent said smirking up at Ron. "That's what we are really, not much time to talk when he's thrusting about. Screaming, but not much talking. Tell me, Ronniekins, is Hermione still a big prude in that area?"

Percy nearly spat out his butterbeer, his eyes going wide at Millicent's words. He'd never even pecked her on the cheek and here she was gloating to his baby brother that all they ever did was shag.

"What?"

"You know, it's funny Percy. I remember this time where he was all out begging Lavender for a snog in the dungeons, and I swear he called her Hermione. Of course, there were rumors that she didn't put out circling the Slytherin common room at the time, and even a pool going to see when Lavender would -"

"Millicent!" Percy clapped a hand over her mouth, just wanting to quiet her. Had she been this mischievous in school? And then she licked the center of his palm, her teeth nipping at his hand, but he didn't remove his hand. Percy turned to his younger brother. "Ron, you remember Millicent? She was in your year at Hogwarts."

"Bulstrode?" Ron's face looked as if he'd swallowed an entire lemon.

"Yes. We're -"

"Shag buddies, I heard." Ron shuddered before turning away from them.

"Millicent, can I speak to you over here for a moment?" Percy said, yanking her away by the arm, his other hand still over her mouth.

He led her into a private room just off the corridor that led to the backroom. He was angry, his eyes darkened as he looked down at her. Millicent did her best to keep from laughing. He didn't say anything as he let go of her arm and mouth.

"That was the most fun I've had in weeks, present company excluded," Millicent laughed, holding her sides. "Did you see the look on his face? I wish I had a camera to capture that image forever!"

"That was not fun, Millicent. It was -" Percy sputtered angrily.

"Bloody brilliant, I know," she grinned.

"You implied that we're lovers, insulted Hermione, embarrassed my brother, and spoke down to my mother. And you bit me!"

"I'm sorry, did you want me to cower before your great and powerful family and let them walk all over you?" Millicent frowned, her lips tightening. "Because I was under the impression that you didn't care what they thought. Half of them disowned you and the other half treat you like shit."

"I disowned them, Millicent, and that was during the war."

"And now that the War's over, you're going to let them treat you like shit all over again?" Millicent snapped.

"I never said that."

"No, when you asked me here with you, you wanted a buffer. Someone to pull the attention away from yourself and I thought I was doing a bang up job, Percy," she strode forward, her finger poking him sharply in the chest. "So I come, I play buffer, I don't even get a Firewhiskey, but I do get glared at by your brothers, one of whom came over purposely to bitch at you. So I try and be buffer and I get this as thanks?"

"I didn't ask you to be buffer!" Percy hollered, taking all of Millicent's steam from her. "I asked you because I thought it would be more enjoyable if I had a friend standing beside me. I didn't ask you to protect me, I asked you to be yourself! And you just -"

"And I just slipped on the old Slytherin skin." Millicent glared at him, her mouth drawn tightly and her eyes beginning to water a bit. "Guess it's not all forgive and forget for you either."

"Millicent, I didn't mean that!"

"Yeah, there's a lot of things you don't mean, Percy. Maybe you ought to figure that out."

Her hand was on the doorknob, but his pressed the door back hard against it's frame. She couldn't deal with this right now.

"Let go of the door, Percy."

"No."

"Don't make me hurt you," she stiffened as she felt his free hand grab her shoulder and pull her around. "Percy, I'm warn -"

His lips crushed against hers, his body pinning hers to the door. Millicent couldn't breathe. His hand snaked it's way down to her face, cupping it gently. She couldn't kiss him back, couldn't let him see her. She placed her hands on his chest, bracing herself as she shoved him away. He stumbled back, shock and shame warring on his face.

"Don't follow me," was all she managed to get out as she yanked the door open and apparated away to Hogsmeade.