angsty little thing- thanks @percyweasleyapologist (og post here but maybe read that after this for maximum impact)
She was there, and then she wasn't.
That morning, Percy had woken up and thought, where's Penny?
He hadn't seen her since the night before last, when they'd patrolled together. They'd spoken, then, about Slytherin's heir and monster being on the loose. Penny thought it was targeting muggleborns. Percy had told her she was being paranoid. He was trying to reassure her, but truthfully, he couldn't be sure—what else did Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Hermione Granger have in common?
He'd gotten out of bed, thinking that he would stop by the Transfiguration classroom to see if she was there. She was McGonagall's favorite; no doubt the professor would let her use the room, even on a Saturday.
It was a nice day, though. Sunny, and the flowers by the Great Lake were just starting to bloom. Maybe she was there.
He stepped out of his dorm and started down to the common room's exit, intending to pick a few for her. Maybe she'll make a flower crown, he thought to himself, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the thought.
The moment he walked outside, though, he found himself face-to-face with a pale, shaking Ginny. Her eyes were wide and watery, and she flinched at the sight of him. What—?
"Percy," she nearly sobs, her face draining of the little color it had left. "Penelope... Penelope Clearwater, she's..."
"Oh? You've seen her around, have you?" he asks, confused but more concerned about his sister's current state than about wherever Penny might be at the moment. "It's alright, I'll find her later. What's wrong, did the twins—?"
"No!" Ginny cries, reaching out and grabbing the front of his jumper. "Percy, she's— the monster, it—"
"What?" Percy's eyes go wide, and he shakes his head. Grabbing Ginny's wrists, he looks down at her, suddenly feeling nauseous. "Ginny, slow down. What happened?"
She just shakes her head, pressing her lips tight together and taking deep, shuddery breaths through her nose. "She's in the hospital wing," she says, reaching up to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry, Percy. I'm so, so—"
Percy doesn't let her finish. Letting go of her, he sprints for the stairs, his heart starting to pound in his chest and tears already building in his eyes.
He's fairly certain he may have skipped at least four stairs at a time getting down to the hospital wing. Any other day, he would have sprained an ankle. He's fairly certain a professor had seen him, but he was too panicked to care now.
He throws the door of the infirmary open and freezes. On the bed closest to him—
A minute goes by, then another.
"Mister Weasley." Professor McGonagall stands up, her eyes red rimmed. Madam Pomfrey looks away from him, leaning down to brush a curl of hair from the motionless girl's forehead.
"No," he finds himself saying, slowly shaking his head. "No, no, no. Professor, she's not... petrified?" he asks, his fingers shaking.
"I'm sorry, Percy." Pomfrey shakes her head, wringing her hands out. "We found her last night. She's... she's gone, my dear. Gone."
uhh yeah i lowkey don't know how to end this sorry 😭😭 i got a bit carried away- also for the sake of this i'm saying hermione got petrified separately/earlier
also if anyone actually wants to write this as a full fic pls do!! i just couldnt get this out of my head djskhfskdhj
THIS AINT PROOFREAD BTW DONT CRUCIFY ME
