As Lavender Brown's body lay amongst the ruins of what was once her home, she watched a family grieve the loss of one of their own, wondering why fate had so cruelly dealt them such cards. From a young age, all she wanted was to love and be loved in...
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»»» "DID it work?"
Lavender winced at the piercing throb that had taken a claim to her head. It was almost as if someone had tried to press a wand through her eye socket; a dull yet prominent pain demanded every part of her attention.
"Lav?" Fred asked when his first question remained unanswered. He held out a hand, which she took gratefully. With the base of her palm pressing against her eyebrow, she let Fred pull her off the ground and steady her. It still confused her as to how easy it was for him to spot her. Even without the headache, it still took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the charm.
Fred regarded her. He held onto her elbow as she took a shaky step backwards. "Woah, okay, steady on. We have to be careful," he said in a hushed voice. "I think I should do the Apparating next time," he added but Lavender shook her head.
"We don't have time to discuss this now," she said before suppressing a groan.
"Time is all we have. We're dead for Mer-" Fred started to argue, but stopped abruptly when she stumbled forward. He wrapped his free arm around her waist, adjusting his grip on her elbow with the other one. "You know, I should have realised this ages ago," he said in her ear. Lavender pressed her lips together, wincing at the exertion shifting her weight required. "All this talk about the Yule Ball, you just fancied a dance with me."
Lavender snorted.
"That was not a denial," Fred commented, knowing that his companion barely had the energy to keep herself standing, let alone argue with him. He still smiled when her hand pressed against his chest lightly. "Where are we? When are we?"
"It's our cottage. We used to come here during the holidays," Lavender mumbled into his shirt. "It's the right time, I'm sure of it. That door leads to my bedroom," she continued in a wary tone.
Fred stared at the door, now understanding that a young Lavender was probably behind it. His chest tightened at the thought. He dragged his gaze back to the girl he was supporting when she inhaled sharply. It was a common tactic he had seen her use plenty of times before and he knew she was gearing herself up for the task ahead. Knowing that she was completely distracted, Fred took the opportunity to study her.
Whilst the Disillusionment charm might have made his vision of her more obscure, it was as if his other senses had heightened. Each time she exhaled, he could feel her cool breath on his neck. It wasn't long before his breathing had synced up with hers. Pressing his lips together in a tight line, Fred tried his hardest to picture George's reaction, especially considering the numerous nights he had teased him for being a pansy when it came to owning his feelings towards Lily.
Fred cleared his throat. "You up for it?" He asked when she leant away from him. Lavender nodded, standing taller and slowly pulling her arm out of his grip.
"What are you looking at me like that for?" She raised an eyebrow, noting how his outline turned away immediately.
"No reason," came his reply causing her to smile. "Oh shut up," he added as she followed him into the room, the amused smile still clearly present on her face.
