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Hermione Granger’s perception of a lot of people had changed over time, but few changes were as drastic as the one in her perception of Percy Weasley.
Just like his siblings, she had not been overly fond of him when they were both in school. He was studious and was very focused on not breaking the rules, but he was overly focused, to a point where even Hermione was annoyed by his stern nature. Of course, she had not realised how lucky she was to have friends that actually made her have fun every once in a while – something Percy severely lacked.
He also wasn’t close to his family, and the girl he was dating in his last year of Hogwarts – Penelope Clearwater – was the opposite of affectionate, something she had assumed suited him just fine.
After Hogwarts, he followed his dream of working for the ministry, something that distanced him even more from his family.
It took until the Battle of Hogwarts for her to realise that Percy was insecure. Scared. And still very much attached to his family and the Order. When Fred had died, he did his best to awkwardly comfort his siblings and his parents, even though his face betrayed his anguish. He was quite awkward doing it, and Hermione realised that he was not used to physical touch at all.
So, her perception of him changed from stern and distant to awkward and insecure. It still was not the nicest description to give of someone and she was aware of it – but it was a perception of him that she liked a lot better than the one she used to have. His awkwardness somewhat endeared him to her, in a strange way.
He once made an offhanded comment when they were both at the Burrow, where she admitted how she used to feel as though she didn’t belong in the wizarding world. His features did not even twitch when he huffed and told her “You are the brightest witch I have ever met. If you don’t belong here, who does?”. It was a simple statement, and yet it had shifted something between them. She had never felt as accepted by Percy as at that moment.
After this meeting she made an effort to get to know him better, after all, if he accepted her this easily, she should do the same.
In the following weeks, she noticed that he was the quietest in his family even though it often seemed as though he’d like to add something to a conversation but then would force himself to stay quiet. He also seemed to recoil from physical touch, staying away from everyone, members of his family included.
It took her a while until she realised that he felt as though he was intruding on his own family. And he didn’t have friends either, from what she could tell. His relationship had ended shortly after he left Hogwarts. So it seemed that Percy Weasley had no one but his family and he felt like a stranger even around them. A lot of it seemed based on his guilt about how he behaved when he was younger – but he didn’t seem to realise that they didn’t hold it against him.
She had to admit – Percy was actually rather nice. He was stiffer and more constrained than his siblings, but he was clever, well-read, and did not belittle her hobbies but instead listened fascinated when she spoke about whatever research she was doing.
After a few more months they started visiting each other in their respective flats, not just when they both happened to be at the Burrow. And it did not take Hermione long to realise that she had developed feelings for Percy – something she would not have thought possible a year prior.
She was sure that her feelings were reciprocated, but Percy was just as shy about physical contact with her as he was with everyone else. Waiting for him to do something about the situation did not seem to work. So, one day when they were at his flat, sitting at the kitchen table, she spoke up.
“Why don’t you ever hug people?”
Percy raised an eyebrow at her and responded slowly, “I… I am not used to people wanting to hug.”
“No?”
“No.” He looked a bit sad and his eyes were filled with longing, but he clenched his jaw shut before he could admit that he’d actually love to be hugged. Or kissed. Especially by Hermione. He just felt so… inadequate. He was still surprised she even wanted to be friends with him, of all people! And his experiences with physically affectionate people were limited, to say the least.
Hermione was watching his expression carefully though and did not miss the longing in his eyes.
She got up and walked around the table until she stood next to Percy and extended a hand. After a second of consideration, he took it and she pulled him to his feet. Then she very slowly and deliberately wrapped her arms around him. Percy was frozen for just a heartbeat, then he put his arms around her as well and took a deep breath.
“You deserve to be hugged.” She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her. Then she looked up at him, their faces now merely inches from each other. “And kissed.”
Percy stared at her – wide-eyed – when Hermione closed the small gap between their faces. Her lips were soft and Percy savoured every second of it and closed his eyes.
After a heartbeat or two, Hermione pulled back slowly and continued.
“Often.” Her face was lit up with a gentle smile and Percy felt his lips lift at the corners while he stared at her in awe.
She went in for another kiss and Percy never wanted to let her go. Of all the people in the world, he did not think there was anyone he’d rather kiss than Hermione Granger.