Through The Veil「 The Veil Trilogy Part Ⅱ 」✔

[17] Idiotic Weatherby

I stood in front of the apartment and held Perce's letter in hand, checking the address written on it as well as the plate at the door. It matched and I was certain Percy would be inside as work hours at the Ministry had ended so I rang the doorbell and waited for him to open up.

A while later, the door opened and Percy stood there, visibly exhausted. He looked as if he hadn't slept since the day he had left the Burrow and his eyes had dark rings. Though seeing me there, his eyes widened and he took off his spectacles, wiped the glass, and put them back on.

"Kat?"

"Hi Weatherby," I managed a smile, "I wasn't expecting you to be so shocked to see me."

He opened the door wider, by now he didn't even object to me calling him Weatherby, "come in, I really wasn't expecting you to come but I'm glad you did."

I stepped in and saw that the place was meticulously organized just like Perce himself used to be. "Nice place you got here."

"Mister Crouch gave me a promotion," he mumbled, "the apartment came with it."

Though the apartment was nice and clean, to me it seemed very lonely and even Perce looked quite sad and tired. "How have you been?"

He shrugged, "fine, what about you?"

"The usual." 

He had gestured for me to take a seat and brought out two cups to make coffee. I had told him he didn't have to feel the need to treat me like a guest but he replied he was going to make coffee anyway.

I stood by the kitchen counter, watching him work as I thought about how to start the conversation.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked, pouring the frothing milk into the cups.

"Well, I wanted to see you," I replied, knowing full well that he would catch me at it.

"Oh yeah? I can't believe that you missed me, Katerina, so tell me what is it you want?"

I took in a deep breath, "we all miss you, Perce."

He stiffened but acted as if he hadn't heard me. He gave me the cup of coffee and then walked outside to the living room while I followed behind.

I knew talking to him about it would be difficult, I just hadn't known it would be so awkward too.

"Percy, why don't you come back home?"

He looked at me with his tired hazel eyes and sighed, "home?"

"Yes. Our home, the Burrow."

He reverted his gaze to the cup in his hands, lips pursing together in a small frown, "our home where everyone likes to disagree with me."

"Look, no matter what happens, we are all a family. And we all need you to be with us," I was trying my best to make him understand but deep down I knew he was very stubborn, "and everyone doesn't like to disagree with you, it's just that we all believe in what Harry said too. We can't just ignore the truth idiotically."

"So now you're indirectly telling me that I'm being idiotic?"

God, no...

"Of course not. I'm just saying that leaving home and staying away, ignoring all of us, it really hurts."

"Well then constantly being ignored, disagreed with, and humiliated also hurts."

I have no idea how to respond to that. Like yes, the twins tease him all the time, and disagree with him too but I hadn't known he would take it so deep to heart.

Seeing me speechless, he went for another jab, "besides Katerina, why are you defending them even? Have they sent you to bring me back?"

"No, I came by myself. They don't even know I'm here."

He nodded, "then keep it that way, and don't tell them you came to visit me either. I don't want you to pass on my address and I don't want you to come here again."

Wait, what?

"But Percy, why are you being so mean?"

"Why are you being so clingy?" He retorted, eyes flashing in irritation, "I am not coming back. Nothing you say is going to make me change my mind."

"Perce, you are family, we can't just..."

"Kat, I would only talk about family with people who are family and that too when I figure things out myself."

His final remark cut me to the core and I stared back at him as if shocked at what he had just said. I could be wrong but I knew Perce too well.

He had meant what he just said, he indirectly pointed out that I was not family...

And the awful part was that he was actually right about it.

I was not a Weasley by birth, I was just adopted. Or rather being taken care of temporarily by the Weasleys.

He must have realized the intensity of his words as he sighed, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as it was his habit to do so whenever he got anxious, "Kat, it's not like that... I didn't mean it that way."

But I could see his message clear in front of me so I placed the cup on the table and stood up, facing him with my arms folded. "No, you're right. You should talk about this with your family, not me."

"Katerina, listen," he had stood up too and took a step towards me but I backed off, "you don't understand. There's a lot I have to see for myself before choosing what side I am on. I can't blindly take anyone's word for it. And I can't stay at the Burrow because they keep on forcing me to believe it without any proof just because Harry Potter said so."

"And is this all due to the fact that we're believing in Harry and you're choosing to believe in what you are told at work?"

"You all are being idiotic for taking the word of a delusional fourteen-year-old who probably cheated to get into the tournament for glory and got rid of the other Champion so that he could win."

"Okay that's enough," my voice turned just as cold and unfeeling as his had been, "Harry did not cheat and he is not responsible for Cedric's death."

"Oh really? And how can you be so sure?"

He was looking at me as if challenging me, his eyebrow raised and eyes narrowed as if expecting me to turn speechless at that.

"I saw everything," the words escaped me at last, "I know the Dark Lord is back and he's the one who killed Cedric because I saw it all. In that vision due to which I was in the Hospital Wing when you came to meet me."

He froze in his place, eyes widening in alarm, "you what?"

I wasn't going to repeat what I had said, I knew he had heard me so I just walked off towards the exit.

"Kat, stop..." 

He came after me but I honestly didn't think I had enough strength in me to explain anything else to him. His cutting remarks had been enough for me and all I wanted to do was just leave the place and never come back.

"Katerina, wait..."

But before he could reach me, I had stepped out the door and crossed the street, knowing full well that it was the Muggle part of London and I couldn't disapparate there.

All I had to do was find a secluded dark corner to disapparate without being noticed.

However, I felt two hands grab each of my own and turned, surprised to see both Fred and George standing on either side of me.

That meant they had probably followed me to Perce's apartment and must have listened in on our conversation using the Expendable Ears.

I realized they had pulled me into a corner and we disapparated though the last thing I saw was a flustered Percy standing outside the door to his apartment.

He screwed up big that once. A simple apology was not going to fix things up between us. 

But I hope he would realize it soon and at least apologize to Mum who had been hurt most by his estrangement.

***