Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is also trope-centric issues concerning emotional outburst. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: I'm not peeved with people thinking that loving someone obligates that person to love them in return. Not at all. Why do you ask?
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 15); MC4A (Year 4)
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Bucket Listing (Y); Ship Sails; Shipwreck; Zed Era
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 15 – Assignment 04
Subject (Task No.): Religious Education (Task#8: Write about someone ambitious.)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: 365 [333](The Burrow); Fantastic Beasts [01](Molly Weasley); Auction [D25-A2](Hermione/Percy)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (Prefect Keeper)[Bingo (5E - Hanahaki Disease)]; Hunt [Fa Set](Dinning Room); Chim [Loride] (Royal Purple); Fire (Heats Abound); Garden [Lawn Sculptures (Flowers)]
Representation(s): Hermione Granger/Percy Weasley (one-sided); Percy Weasley/Penelope Clearwater/Oliver Wood
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Turtle-Duck; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Sneeze Weasel; Mother Hen; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Brooms Only; Three's Company; Lovely Coconuts; Lyre Liar; Muck & Slime; Rock of Ages); Chorus (Pear-Shaped; Peddling Pots; Tomorrow's Shade; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Abandoned Ship; Head of Perseus; Surprise!)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: TY (Ntaiv; Kulonbozo); Mea (Ennui; Rampant); LiCK (Narcissus; Poppy; Amaranth; Yarrow); FR (Satisfaction); O3 (Oust)
Word Count: 853 words
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Destined to Understand
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Hermione had wanted Percy Weasley for so such a very long time. If she was honest with herself, she had wanted him from the very first time she had met him after her Sorting and they had spent the evening discussion classes and potential assignments. True, it had been a child's wanting then, and nothing like the burning want of a woman towards a man. It certainly wasn't love of any sort, especially not of the sort that led to flowers.
But then, she had thought for years that she had had a chance with him. She thought she could take her time about pursuing him. After all, no matter how much she liked him and considered him ideal husband material, she had been a child. Then there had been a war happening, and she had gone with Harry to seek out the horcruxes. After that, she had needed to finish her education and establish herself at the Ministry. Just like the man she loved, she had ambitions to go along with her intelligence.
Hermione had always believed that she would have time.
She didn't believe the rumors that Percy and Oliver were more than the sort of friends who sniped at each other. She would have denied that they were friends at all if it wasn't for the number of times she had seen them studying together or going over plans together. Oliver often ended up carrying Percy to their dorms, when he had passed out while studying. Likewise, it wasn't uncommon to see Percy herding a very distracted Oliver to meals or to bed.
It was a foregone conclusion that when Percy had left the Burrow the way that he had, that he would go to Oliver's flat. Just because Percy had reconciled with his family after the Battle of Hogwarts, it didn't mean that he had to move back into his childhood home. Hermione had thought nothing how they continued living together.
Then Percy had come to Sunday brunch with both Oliver Wood and Penelope Clearwater and the ridiculous claim that he dating both of them. No one in the extended Weasley family had realized that Penelope had even kept up her correspondence with Percy, let alone that she had apparently been living with him and Oliver for the last six months.
Hermione could only stare at the trio in shock, feeling her heart cracking at the lost opportunity. She felt like she was choking on all the words and declarations she had left unsaid over the years. It tasted oddly floral.
Molly didn't have the same issue with not being able to speak. In fact, she was making her feelings on Percy's wildly inappropriate relationship known at the top of her lungs. More than one person present had already shuddered in recognition of the resemblance between the Weasley matriarch and the portrait of Walburga Black that had screamed obscenities at all of them at least once.
Hermione coughed to clear her throat. The single cough turned into another and then another. Finally, she managed to bring up a strand of blossoms. Each bud was tightly furled and a deep pink that was almost purple. Royal purple edged each delicate petal. She recognized it as a stem of oleander blossoms. She had memorized a book of flower meanings when she had been a little girl, long before finding out that she was a witch.
Oleander meant destiny and understanding.
"I love you," she whispered. Because she was still catching her breath after her coughing fit, the words were as soft as the beat of an owl's wings. She coughed, making a few petals flutter to the table in front of her, and tried again. "I love you!"
The shouting stopped as she drew all of the attention of everyone. Hermione forced herself to rise from her seat and face the man she loved but had never told. She squared her shoulders and drew a deep breath. It turned into a cough that held another spray of pink oleander petals. Still, the meaning of her flower bolstered her confidence that her declaration would fix everything.
"I love you, Percy Weasley," she declared. Her voice sounded rough from the flowers that were even now building up again. "I have since I was a first-year."
"That's… nice," Percy said, sounding more than a little confused. He exchanged looks with Oliver and Penelope. Oliver shrugged. Penelope looked like she was literally biting her tongue. Percy looked back at Hermione before continuing. "I'm afraid that I don't see why that matters. I'm already in a relationship that I'm happy with. Even if I wasn't, I just don't feel the same way, Hermione."
"She's got flowers for you," Molly scolded.
"Which does not obligate me in any way," Percy countered. "Someone should take her to St. Mungo's soon, though. She'll need treatment before too much longer, especially with those flowers being oleander."
Molly started shouting again. Hermione lost the thread of it as she began choking again. If anyone had bothered to ask, the tears running down her face was from the force of her coughing.