Lavender Brown lay on her side, gazing out the window of her bedroom. There was a knock on the door. She was here.
"Come in," Lavender said, listening to her bedroom door open, followed by the familiar cadence of Parvati Patil's steps.
"Hey," Parvati said, sitting down at the end of Lavender's bed.
Parvati looked nice in a bright red robe. She always looked so beautiful but somehow she looked even more beautiful today.
Lavender tried to speak but she was lost in thought, pondering scars. There were different sorts of scars, Lavender Brown supposed. There were the ones Greyback had permanently left her with on her arms, from where he pinned her down, and there were the ones left in her mind. It was the latter that hurt the most even if it was the latter that made people leer at her.
She had barely slept in the two months since the battle. Nightmares woke her nightly. She dreamt of Greyback every night. She dreamed that he had finished her off that night or she dreamed that he was in her bedroom, preparing to do unspeakable things to her.
The worst dreams, however, were the ones where she became like him: a werewolf. She knew Madam Pomfrey and the doctors at St. Mungo's had given her many assurances that he could not have turned her given that the Battle hadn't taken place during a full moon and a werewolf must be transformed to turn you. Just over a week after the Battle, the full moon came and Lavender had been paralysed with anxiety, unable to sleep until sunrise.
At least there was Parvati, Lavender thought. Lots of people thought Parvati was merely Lavender's best friend but in many ways she was her only true friend. Lavender had never felt for anyone the way she felt for Parvati Patil, not even Ron Weasley.
Oh, she had liked Ron well enough. He was cute and making out with him was fun, though she had worried how he would've reacted if she had told him she was trans. Ron could be an arse sometimes. Part of her wondered if she had let herself become so infatuated with him hoping that she would get over her feelings for Parvati. There had been no such luck there.
Still, it had hurt to break up with Ron and even a year later it stung to see him with Hermione Granger, but for the most part she was over it. With Ron gone all year Lavender had no choice to focus on her feelings for Parvati.
Parvati was constantly by her side, there for comfort of the physical and emotional sort but Lavender never knew if Parvati really felt what she felt. At least, not until after the Battle. A small rumour had got passed around that Greyback had successfully killed her in some grisly fashion, and that Hermione Granger had only just failed to save her life.
So when Parvati had stumbled upon Lavender in the great hall having her wounds tended to, the look in her dark eyes was clear: it was love.
There were tears and they had held each other for a long time before their respective parents insisted on taking them home. The first week after the Battle was the worst. The nightmares were intense and Parvati wasn't around. The second week was better. Parvati started to come around to visit and the nightmares became more manageable.
Lavender wanted to tell Parvati how she felt and that she knew now that she felt the same but the words would never come. Lavender had begun to doubt herself. Perhaps, she had only seen what she wanted to see.
And then came her parents's decision, the one she couldn't avoid or ignore. She had tried avoiding telling Parvati what she had decided for as long as she could. But now Parvati stood, wearing a bright red robe, in Lavender's bedroom, smiling and not knowing what was about to happen.
Lavender was being quiet and it was making Parvati nervous. Even after the Battle and all her nightmares and anxiety Lavender had always remained her silly self. She had still found the energy to lounge around with Parvati and babble about symbols, prophecy and the meaning of happenstance.
But Lavender had invited Parvati over just like she always had but now she was just lying on her bed looking sad.
"What's the matter, Lavender?" Parvati finally asked, standing up from her place on the end of the bed and walking around to her.
Lavender pursed her lips, which were painted Parvati's favourite shade of pink, and then sighed.
"Mum and dad are taking me away," Lavender said.
"What?" Parvati said in shock, her chest feeling tight.
"They are taking me away to Australia. They want me to finish my education somewhere that won't remind me of what happened," Lavender said then wiped at her eyes.
Parvati sat down on the bed next to Lavender, reaching over to lightly run her fingers through Lavender's dark brown curls.
"You're of age now, Lav. You don't have to go," Parvati said.
"I know. You think I haven't thought of that?" Lavender said, sounding miserable.
Parvati frowned and closed her eyes.
"No, I'll suppose you have," Parvati admitted.
"The problem is that they are right. I know that if I go back with everyone else next year the nightmares will get worse. I know that it might be too much for me even if…" Lavender started then turned towards Parvati, eyes brimming with tears as she finished with, "Even if it means being away from you."
Parvati's heart fluttered momentarily at such a near admittance of Lavender's feelings before being quelled by current circumstance.
Parvati wasn't sure what to say so she instead took one of her dark brown hands and lightly brushed her fingertips against the cheek of Lavender's pale face. To her surprise, Lavender began to lean up. With tears streaming down her face, Parvati pressed her lips into Lavender's.
The moment seemed to go on forever but felt far too short when they parted. Parvati had never been filled with such pain and joy.
Part of Parvati wanted to leave immediately so she could go home, and go to her room and have a good sob alone. The thought of being without Lavender, who had been her constant companion for seven years, was unbearable and almost unthinkable. It hurt and she realised she would do anything not to feel this sort of pain.
"I'll write you," Lavender said.
"OK," Parvati said, trying desperately not to cry.
"I promise. I'll write every week, no matter where we go," Lavender said.
"When are you going?" Parvati asked, fearing the answer but needing to know.
"Sometime in the next few days. They want us to have a few months to settle in and acclimate to the culture," Lavender said.
Parvati burst into tears, despite her best efforts not to. She turned and clutched Lavender tightly. Lavender began to cry with her. Parvati felt like somehow Lavender had died that night when Greyback attacked her, it had just been a little slow.
But it wasn't death and she knew she needed to remember that. Lavender would be back and things would be great. They'll both be out of school and free to have whatever life together they want. She thought of the many nights she imagined the life they could have together, Lavender more sweet and lovely than any wife she could imagine.
They cried together for a few minutes before they both slowly began to taper off and things were silent again.
"I'll miss you," Parvati said.
"I'll miss you too," Lavender said and brushed a hand against Parvati's black hair.
"It's funny," Parvati said, suddenly remembering something.
"What's that?" Lavender replied.
"I had a dream last night about us. You had come back from some sort of trip and you were sad because you didn't think I loved you. And I woke up thinking how ridiculous it was that I couldn't love you," Parvati said.
Lavender looked worried.
"Dreams can be true, Parvati. You know it as well as I do," Lavender said.
Parvati frowned and shook her head.
"I've loved you for nearly as long as I've known you. I think about you every hour of every day. You're a part of me," Parvati said and reached down and squeezed Lavender's hand.
Lavender smiled as a tear fell down her cheek.
"You're a part of me too," Lavender said and she rested her head on Parvati's shoulder.
Parvati leaned over and kissed the top of Lavender's head before proceeding to brush her fingers through her curls again. Everything would be all right. Time apart would only strengthen their desire to be together.
Parvati hadn't told Lavender about the other dream she had the night before last. She had dreamt they were older. They were married and had a daughter and a house of their own.
Parvati knew dreams weren't always true but deep down she hoped that if only one dream she had was true, please let it be that one.