Breaking Protocol {Percy Weasley}

Chapter Forty-Two

"Percy...no, wait. Percy!" Clara ran after the boy as he exited the Great Hall, finding privacy away from the staring eyes and whispering. He stopped in the corridor as Clara grabbed the sleeve of his uniform, yanking him to the side.

"You listen to me." She said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let me explain why I--"

"I think you've said enough, Clarissa." Percy said, smoothing down the crease she had created in the sleeve of his robe. Clara narrowed her eyes at him.

"When did I say it was alright for you to address me like that?" She asked. Percy just stared back at her, his face a blank sheet.

"It is your name, correct?"

"Well, yes but--"

"Then I don't see why I cannot call you Clarissa, Clarissa." Said Percy, standing with an extremely straight posture when a group of students walked by. Clara sighed.

"Alright, none of this." She said, grabbing Percy by his collar and dragging him behind her. Percy stumbled after her, his scarlet curls dropping in front of his eyes as he had to lean over to match Clara's height.

"Clara! What are you doing?" He shouted as the small girl proceeded to drag him, wrinkling his white button-up shirt and untucking his grey sweater vest. Percy struggled under her grip, but she did not let go of him until the two were outside, standing on the muddy ground and completely alone.

"How can you be so intelligent, yet so daft?" She all but yelled. Percy frowned, about to open his mouth to respond but Clara shut him up with a frustrated wave of her hand. "Asking me to marry you, are you insane?" She was now so worked up, her words faded in and out of English, her native language spicing up the rant. "Percy, for Merlin's sake, you know how much I adore you. Haven't I proven that throughout this whole damn semester?"

"Well, actually you've--"

"LET ME FINISH!" Percy stayed very quiet as Clara took a deep breath, calming herself down. She then took Percy's hand in hers, looking up into his baby blues.

"We're in school." She said, tracing her thumb in circles on the back of Percy's hand. "In fact, this is the craziest time of year. It's nearly May and our first exam is on the sixth of June, the stress is unreal." She combed her fingers through her hair, trying to find the right words to say.

"This is a big decision to make, Percy. I don't think you understand how much you are committing to when you asked me to marry you. You cannot base your decision off of me doing one thing for you. A haircut is nothing, but marriage is...it's something."

"Clara. This is what I want." Percy said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. Clara shook her head, pulling his hand away from her hair.

"This may be what you think you want now, but what happens if you wake up tomorrow and you've changed your mind? Will you just shrug it off and go through with it because, after all, it was your idea?" Clara shook her head. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want you to marry me because you think you have to. I don't want you to graduate from Hogwarts, wanting to take on a job in say a different country but then decide against it because I'm staying in England to be a curse-breaker."

"You want to be a curse-breaker?"

"This is hypothetical, Percy." Clara said, sighing. "What I'm trying to say here is...I want you to have a free life. To not be afraid to do something all because of a thoughtless decision you made."

"It isn't thoughtless--"

"Isn't it?" Clara rested her hands on Percy's shoulders. "Tell me, Percy. How much thought did you give it before you popped the question?" Percy frowned, looking away from Clara. Not able to answer her question. "That's what I thought." She said, sighing and backing away from the boy.