A/N: Written for the A Quest into the Unknown Challenge, the Deadly Hallows Path, using the following prompts (bolded are ones that are in here):

Word: Picnic / Song: Oceans – Jay-Z / Quote: "Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success" - Author Unknown / Character: Lily Evans / Pairing: Lavender/Seamus / Dialogue: "Quit staring, will you?" / Object: Sandwich

Also written for the Favourite Era Bootcamp, prompt #001 – warmth.

A Picnic as the World Falls Apart

It was strange, that they were going on a picnic while the world fell apart around them, but nice somehow. The quietness called like a siren's song, and Lavender felt she would have fallen back onto the grass and slept if Seamus wasn't by her side. And she would have loved to as well, but the green robes were everywhere, as well as the shadows they cast. And with the Carrows behind them and Voldermort's threats hanging above their heads, the rag-tag stragglers of the other houses could do nothing save fight futile currents and wait for hope to bloom again.

Lavender sighed, moved a little in Seamus' embrace and lifted a pale finger to caress a newly scabbed scar. 'I'm sorry,' she said softly. 'I'm good at Divination and not much else…and lot of good that does.' She said the last part with a bitterness unbecoming to her.

Seamus shifted as well. 'Don't say that,' he protested, a little weakly. 'You did this, right?'

He pointed to the scab, which from 2am until that morning had been bleeding without pause. Neville's bright idea to numb the area and then plug it had saved him from bleeding out before Lavender's wandwork finally managed to prompt some healing for the wound.

'I don't know what the hell those Carrows did, but none of us could stop it. I'm no good at Healing Spells anyway, but not even Neville…' He trailed off, thinking of the empty beds in their dormitory. 'I miss Dean.' A pause. 'And Harry.'

'And Parvati,' Lavender added, 'and Hermione.' She paused as well. 'They've left us with this, this small hope of ours.' She left the wound, arm falling back into her lap. 'I feel I should have been nicer to her.'

'Hermione?'

She nodded, and Seamus frowned a little. 'I could have been nicer too,' he said. 'I could have believed them sooner, instead of hiding behind my fear. I could have done more.'

'You're doing more now.'

'And so are you.' Seamus took Lavender's chin in hold. 'There are too few of us Gryffindors, but we're all doing our part. We can't rely on the Hufflepuffs like Bones to do the healing for us when curfew keeps us trapped. And you find out things no-one else can. If you hadn't, Creevey would have been a lot worse off.'

'I had help from the Ravenclaws,' Lavender said, a small smile creeping across her face, 'and the Slytherins too…although they didn't intend it. It's satisfying to know where their bragging has left them though.'

'They deserve it.' Seamus' tone darkened. 'Too many people are getting hurt for no reason at all.'

'There are reasons,' the other said quietly, 'we just don't understand –' She grabbed a sandwich hurriedly, much to the other's surprise.

'Lav –'

'They're watching,' she hissed, before offering him a bite.

He took it, watching her chew the second and thinking how the food tasted like cardboard in his mouth. Hogwarts might have been safe once, but no more.

'Is yours any better?' He forced him tone to be lighter, leaning forward. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the green-clad black Lavender had seen before him, watching them closely.

Well, they would surely be entertained, even if the two of them were all the more hurt because of it.

Lavender looked at him, before giving a jerking nod and parting her lips. It wasn't enough to see anything but the pink of her tongue behind; Lavender was conscientious of her appearance after all. She swallowed dryly, before suddenly leaning forward and covering the distance between them.

Seamus accepted her, licking the bottom lip a little, but not asking for entrance. She didn't give it either; both of them hovered, barely touching, both watching…

And then Seamus leaned back, and Lavender forward, and they were kissing properly as they both saw the Slytherin grow bored and leave them. 'One day,' Lavender whispered as they finally came apart, eyes brimming a little, 'you and I can have a real romantic date without all this around us.'

Seamus nodded; he wanted that as well, but there was too much throttling them all. 'Have you heard how Corner is?' he asked instead.

Lavender nodded. 'More or less okay,' she said. 'The same as you, in other words.'

Seamus paused. 'If you see him,' he said finally, 'tell him thanks from me. I couldn't have made it past the Carrows without him.' He paused. 'Do they know?'

Now Lavender smiled and shook her head. 'Polyjuice Potion, courtesy of Macmillan, and some solid alibis proved to be a fullproof plan.'

'Hmm...' They descended into silence. 'We really should finish our picnic.'

'I suppose we should.' Though she wished they could stay a small forever.