These Lies of Mine

May 2nd, 1999

"Read my fortune."

Daphne eyes Parvati over the rim of her teacup. "Come again?"

"Read my fortune," Parvati repeats, tossing her plait over her shoulder. Daphne sets her cup down gently.

"Surely you don't believe in that nonsense, Parvati," she says, arching a single eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Divination was my favorite subject." Parvati stares back at the former Slytherin as though daring her to argue.

Daphne starts to say something, then thinks better of it. She doesn't want to fight. Not today.

She sighs, and Parvati grins.

"You're going to say yes, aren't you?"

"Yes, but only because I know you won't leave me alone otherwise."

Parvati holds out her teacup with a blinding smile, and Daphne allows their fingers to brush as she takes it.

Peering down, she sees several soggy clumps of tea leaves that have taken the shape of a bat, an ant, and what appears to be a flying bird. She racks her brain; if she's remembering correctly, none of those symbols are good. She frowns, turning the cup this way and that, but she can't see any other shapes.

She can feel Parvati staring at her, so she flashes the other girl a quick smile and clears her throat.

"I see an acorn-"

"Continued health," Parvati interrupts with a nod.

"-a...butterfly, yes, which means…" Daphne looks to the other girl for clarity.

"Happiness and success."

"Naturally. And lastly," Daphne pauses for dramatic effect, "a small heart."

"Love," Parvati breathes, and the blissful look on her face is worth every lie Daphne just told her.

Daphne nods, her throat tight. "Love," she echoes, leaning over to press her lips against Parvati's.

Her slender fingers tip the cup upside-down just before she captures the other girl's mouth with her own.

Word count: 303

A/N: Rather proud of this one, but let me know your thoughts! I'm always looking to improve my drabbles.

(Also, you may be thinking, "Why does she need ANOTHER collection of drabbles written for challenges and such?" And the answer to that is: because this whole collection is for a challenge too. :P)