A/N: Percy realizes that he never truly appreciated Dolores Umbridge.
Submission for:
The 5 Drabbles Competition: Percy/Dolores. Prompt:(poem) Requiescat by Oscar Wilde
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
He came to the cemetery alone, kicking up the snow underfoot. She had died six months ago, her body found unresponsive in her cell in Azkaban. It had taken him a while to find where they eventually buried her and even longer to get the courage to visit.
Why was he even here? She was evil, a supporter of the Dark Arts. She was vicious and manipulative, using everyone to get her way. She was hideous, a toad of a woman to those who had ever seen her.
But the thing is, she had never shown that side to him. She was kind and concerned about his well-being, she never forced him to do anything he didn't want to and though she wasn't attractive, it hadn't been enough to turn him away from her during his time as her assistant.
But now, she was gone and there was a feeling of guilt he could not place. Did he feel guilty that he had tried to forget about that low point in his life? Did he feel guilty that she probably loved him much more than he ever felt for her?
He stood before her headstone and placed a single red rose. Maybe it was because it had taken her death for him to realize that she was the first person to see him as Percy Weasley.