A/N: A late Christmas present for my friend Batmarcus. My first fic of 2016. Inspired by a song of the same name.

Defying Gravity

Lavender was angry, and within reason as well.

Parvati had been a total bitch – who did she think she was, just expecting her to go to the Yule Ball with whoever her Indian friend deemed good enough? She knew Parvati wanted the best for her… but this was getting ridiculous!

The brunette would like to have her friend's approval of whoever she went with, of course, but Parvati's approval was not the most important thing when choosing her date.

How dare she? Ugh.

Well, Lavender thought, it was time to, figuratively of course, defy gravity. She didn't need Parvati's leadership, at least not anymore, seeing as she was capable of independent thought.

Something had changed within her… something was not the same. The Gryffindor girl was through with playing by the rules of someone else's (Parvati's) game.

A dull grey little cemented seat had been her chosen destination as she observed the other students of Hogwarts. The boys were cute, and it wasn't that she didn't have a number of suitors who had asked her, but she hadn't accepted any offers.

Ron and Harry wandered into her view. They were arguing, it seemed, and Harry looked up. Their eyes met. He shot her a friendly smile before returning his attention to his best friend.

Last she heard the boy who lived didn't have a date… she could ask him?

There was no way he would ask her, he was too shy and would need a push, she had noticed that. There was also nothing stopping her from doing it.

Besides – perhaps Ron would go with Parvati. It wasn't as if Parvati had a date yet… the Indian girl was waiting for the ginger to ask her. Ron was cute, and she could see why her friend had a crush on him.

It was time to trust her instincts, just shut her eyes tightly and take a leap of faith.

It was time to defy gravity.

The short girl leaped from the seat and walked over to the two boys. They both were shocked to see her appear in front of them all of a sudden.

"Hey, boys," She smiled widely, "So, do you two have dates yet?"

She didn't have tact – she was a Gryffindor, after all. Ron's mouth went open and closed, like a fish on dry water, and Harry just stared in shock.

"Uh… no…" Harry said after a few minutes, "Why?"

"Well, Harry, will you go with me?" She asked, keeping her smile in place. Both boys' jaws dropped.

"What?" Both boys asked in unison.

"And Ron, will you go with Parvati?" She added.

"What?" They asked again. She giggled at their expressions – it was one of the cutest things ever.

"Please?"

"Is this a joke?" Harry finally gasped out, looking around, "Who put you up to this?"

"I'm serious. I need a date, Parvati needs a date, and I thought I'd ask you two. Or rather, Ron, for you to ask Parvati."

Ron grinned, then disappeared from them, presumably to go find Parvati. Harry stared after him in awe – either at his newfound bravado or the fact that his best friend had just abandoned him for a girl.

"Well?" Lavender asked, arching an eyebrow at the dark haired boy. He wasn't normally this slow… Harry smiled at her.

"Of course, I would love that." He answered, the smile still in place.

. . .

"Lavender, what did you do?" Parvati demanded, her hands on her hips, "Ron Weasley asked me to the dance!"

"Why do you assume I did something?" Lavender asked lightly, flipping to the next page in her copy of Witch Weekly.

"Did you?" Parvati sounded like she knew the answer anyways, but she needed a confession… either in order to thank her best friend or to yell at her. Both were options when it came to Parvati Patil.

"Yes, but at least we both have dates now." Lavender shrugged with a smile at her best friend, glancing up briefly from her magazine.

"You have a date?" Parvati shrieked with a smile, "Who?" Well, Parvat seemed thrilled for both of them… it seemed that ways, anyways.

"Harry Potter."

"You're going with a champion?" The Indian girl was ecstatic, "That's fantastic! And I'm sorry… I was awful to you earlier."

"I'm used to just doing what you say, and I think it's time to stop doing that." Lavender shrugged, flipping another page. There was a photo of Viktor Krum without a shirt – his abs were divine and she would really like to touch it.

"Yeah, so do I. You're actually really awesome, you know that?" Parvati sat down next to her and glanced down at the magazine, her gaze flickering appreciatively over Krum's physique.

"I've had a feeling, but you've just confirmed it." The shorter girl said with a wink, and both of them laughed and hugged, Krum's abs forgotten.

. . .

"Harry Potter, are you telling me that you don't know how to dance?" Lavender demanded in a harsh whisper in front of a Hogsmeade shop, "You're a bloody champion. How can you not know how to dance?"

"Who exactly would be there to teach me?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, "I was raised by muggles, remember?"

"I didn't really know that…" She said soberly, "But I know even muggles dance, Potter. Didn't they teach you?" A look from him shut her up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about that, but since we're dancing first, I would suggest that you teach me how to dance or find someone who will." The seeker said kindly.

"I'll teach you, but first we have to buy a dress for me," She pulled him into the shop, "And we have to make sure that it suits your dress robes as well as hide it from every other girl so we don't have the same dress."

"Of course, that would be a travesty," Harry laughed, letting the girl escort him to a private fitting room. It was a fitting room in a fitting room, one where she could get dressed in private and he could wait for her. She pranced out in a few dresses, asking his opinion, but finding fault in most of them. ("These make my hips look huge", "Harry, this neckline is way too low!" and "This isn't really my colour, I look like a golden retriever!")

Three hours later they found the perfect dress. It made her look beautiful, and it fit perfectly with his robes.

The girl treated Harry to lunch since he had to wait so long for her, saying "That's pretty!" or "You look fantastic!" for 33 dresses.

Dress 34 was her "soul dress", Lavender said, her soul mate in dress form. It was baby blue with silver trimmings. It had thin straps and ended on the floor; it went from her bust to her waist in straight lines, and came together at her waist and from there it came out, like a ball gown, with thin silver stripes over the skirt.

"You're going to look amazing." Harry assured her.

"You've been saying that quite a lot." She said, teasing him, biting into a piece of fried calamari.

"But that one made all the others worthwhile." He said earnestly, and she squeezed his arm in thanks. He was a real gentleman.

. . .

D-day.

She had managed to keep her dress a secret from all the other girls, but not her date (like Hermione had, and they had secretly started a bet: she was either showing up alone or with someone no one would expect – she was Hermione Granger and continuously managed to surprise them).

The short girl stared at herself in the full length mirror, she looked very good. Her curly hair had been piled on top of her head with two thin strands of hair on both sides of her face. Her eyes were brought out with her thick eyelashes and a light shade of brown eye shadow. A pair of dangly earrings adorned her ears.

She looked beautiful, even if she had to say so with herself. Harry would love this.

Waiting until everyone had left, she made her way down the stairs. She and Hermione had the same idea, and the two Gryffindor girls stared at one another.

"Wow." They said at the same time, and shared a smile.

"Hermione… You… you look amazing… I… your collar bones look very good in that dress." Lavender was at a loss for words. Hermione never cared much for her appearance, but this… this was…

This was just like Hermione Granger! Lavender couldn't help but smile. The bookworm blushed at Lavender's reaction.

"You look fantastic too, Lavender. The colour really suits you, and it makes your neck look really elegant." Hermione said excitedly.

Then the two girls burst out laughing at their silly compliments. "Come on, let's make entrances."

Hermione faltered, her shyness kicking in. Lavender rolled her eyes impatiently and dragged Hermione out of the Common Room. She would just have to persuade her house mate while on the way – Lavender couldn't exactly be late. Not after she threatened Harry with severe pain if he dared to be late, especially after all the awkward dancing lessons the pair had. At least her champion could sort of waltz now – she just hoped they did waltz, otherwise she told Harry just to jump up and down on the spot and move his head up and down. That would look awkward if it was a tango or something like that…

"You look fantastic – your date is going to be speechless, and you deserve this." The shorter girl assured her companion.

"I don't know, Lavender…"

But it was too late. Lavender gave Hermione a gentle push around this corner of the grand staircase, and the other girl started shyly, but then smiled and walked down nervously.

Her date was Viktor bloody Krum! Oh, Merlin, had the bookworm touched his abs? She would have to ask her. The look on Krum's face made Lavender wish she and Harry hadn't gone dress shopping together. She wanted that reaction too.

Then it was her turn. She, however, walked down the staircase with confidence, her eyes on her date, whose expression was something near what Krum's had been.

He met her at the bottom of the staircase.

"Wow."

"Harry, you've seen the dress." She reminded him.

"Yes, but… Lavender… this… oh, Merlin, I want to kiss you." He said. Then blushed.

"Harry Potter – do you have a crush on me?" She teased him. He laughed.

"I don't know – but you have been a good friend through all of this, and I cannot thank you enough. But this – you look better than I ever imagined." He said softly as they fell into line of champions behind Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang. "That and you are not exactly what I expected you to be like."

She vaguely considered asking him what he expected her to be like, but the answer was evident… she was a gossip, no use denying that, but that was all he had known about her.

"Same to you, Potter." She winked at him as the line moved. Her arm was linked through his, and he pulled her chair out for her – ever the Gryffindor.

Through dinner the duo chatted – and Lavender knew she liked Harry Potter. Whether she liked him in that way was still something she didn't know, romance could wait, for now all they both needed were friends.

Then the dance came. She had to drag him to the floor, seeing he hadn't been paying attention to the other champions.

The Gryffindor boy nervously took her hand and pulled her close.

"Dazzle me with your dancing skills, Potter." She demanded playfully as the music began. And he did – he was leading, he didn't step on her toes and he kept looking at her.

Luckily they did have to waltz, otherwise they would have had to make the chicken dance work.

. . .

Later, after the pair had danced their lungs out and feet off, they collapsed on a couch in the Common Room.

Her shoes were off and Harry had taken his robes off, both relaxed and exhausted.

"Thank you, Lav." He said, patting her arm. She laughed.

"No problem, Potter – we should do this again some time."

"I am not watching you try on 34 dresses again." He said stubbornly, causing her to laugh again.

"I mean hanging out, you idiot."

"Yes, I would like that too." Harry grinned.

And that, Lavender thought, is how her friendship with Harry Potter began.

Parvati later wanted every tiny detail of the evening and was disappointed when she heard they hadn't kissed or declared eternal love for another. The other girl seemed to have enjoyed the evening as well, though she admitted that Ron hadn't danced much, but they elected to take a walk in the gardens.

Lavender Brown's last thought as she fell asleep well past midnight was that it was one of the best nights of her life.

. . .

Fin