Cho sometimes wonders what would have happened if they hadn't met, by chance, by fate, in that bookshop.
Lavender thanks her lucky stars they did.
They live together in the Longloves' neighborhood (Luna and Neville moved into Luna's father's house after he passed away, the service had been beautiful and perfect for him), and their anniversary is coming up. Not their wedding, mind you - though they celebrate that as well, this more private day is a remembrance of the day they met for the first time. It was a few years ago, in February …
Potions ingredients replenished - check.
More owl and cat treats - check.
Got the dress robes fixed for that charity event Hermione's organizing - check.
Cho glanced at her watch. She still had a half hour to kill before Madam Malkin would be done with the robes (how, exactly, they had gotten magically ripped, Cho had no clue - but the Dept. Of Experimental Magic came with a well-known list of dangers, and having your best set of dress robes summoned and ripped to bits was the least of it). Madam Malkin was still the best in the business, but at her age, some slowing down was to be expected. She decided to go into Obscurus and Whizz Hard first, because she wanted to avoid the tail-end of the midday rush, but after realized she'd already handed over at least half of her book-buying budget for the outing, she hastily beat a retreat into Flourish and Blotts, worried about a first-edition of the 1932 Standard Book of Spells in mint condition her eyes kept falling on.
A bell tinkled as she walked in, but the shop seemed empty save for the witch at the register. Seeing it wasn't another student, the witch went back to her crossword.
She wandered into "Oddities and Commodities," perusing the shelves…
The bell tinkled again, jolting her out of her daydream. She returned to the spines, trailing a finger on one until -
"Oh my goodness!"
"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!"
Flowers. Candy. Some new makeup. Bubble bath mix (Lavender's favourite: the bubbles are charmed to look like fruit, and when they pop they fill the water and the air around the bath around them with delicious scents).
This Valentine's day was going to be all about her. Not yet another Valentine's day dedicated to loving someone and getting nothing in return. No. She was loving herself. She was treating herself.
What about a new book? She had to visit Flourish and Blotts anyway for some new maintenance spellbooks. She liked a neat house, and those spells are life skills, not some witch-only craft. Ugh. Wizards.
She popped into the shop. After choosing the cleaning book, she went into the "Romance" section for something to read in the bath. She traced her finger on the spines, looking for the latest installment in the "Something In the Potions" series, looking for number eight -
"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!"
"Oh my goodness!"
Lavender was the one who had sworn. Cho's five million books scattered onto the floor, and Lavender immediately knelt down to help get them back together. She made a face at Magical History During Icelandic Pre-Christian Adaptation and Cho immediately snatched it out of her hands, blushing. Lavender noticed she shoved it to the bottom of the sizable stack.
"Thanks," Cho said quickly, as they got up. She seemed mortified as they got in line, and Lavender chuckled internally at the price Cho was racking up. She brushed past, seeming like she wanted nothing more than to leave, but Lavender grabbed her arm lightly.
"Where are you going?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I... Um, well-" Cho stuttered.
"Do you want to grab an ice cream with me?"
"In February?"
"You're right," Lavender agreed demurely. "A sundae, then? We can split one."
"What does that-"
But Cho's protests were ignored, and Lavender manhandled her into Flo's.