A/N: Hey, people! I'm back… again… Been a while. So this is another one-shot for the Word Count Game challenge by Cheeky Slytherin Lass (if you haven't checked out the challenge, look for it! It's in the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges (HPFC) forum!), and the other one I wrote for this (last week or two weeks ago, I think…) was "Snow", so go look at it. It's a bit miserable, so I figured I'd be less depressing in this one.

And this week's criteria are…

a. I've gone skiing before.

Prompts: Lavender Brown, whinging, Hogwarts Express

Ta-da. And that epic feat won me 350 words. :D Skiing's just that cool.

So this thing should be between 325 and 375 words. Enjoy!

Love,

Arwen ;)

Different

April 1998

Lavender Brown stared up at the ceiling of the Room of Requirement, swinging gently in her hammock. It was late April now, and the Room of Requirement was hosting a large percentage of the school's students, all of them fleeing from Snape's and the Carrows' oppression. She snorted to herself at that; it sounded so melodramatic, like something she would have said the year before when things at Hogwarts were so much lighter, full of unrequited love, crushes, and broken hearts... She missed Ron, although they had broken up…

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips as a memory from last year's ride home on the Hogwarts Express surfaced. She'd been sitting in a compartment with her friend Romilda Vane, staring vacantly into space, when Harry, Hermione, and Ron had walked past, talking and laughing. Ron and Hermione stood quite close together, looking quite happy. A wave of anger and jealousy swept over Lavender and she turned away with a scowl.

"It's not fair!" she burst out suddenly, startling Romilda. "Why's Hermione got to go and steal Ron? He was mine! She's been giving him the silent treatment for weeks on end, and now here she comes sauntering in trying to steal him! What about me?! He's my Won-Won!"

Lavender's fists were clenched and she stared venomously at the compartment door—but then she caught sight of her reflection: hair askew, reddened cheeks, and a petulant look on her face that was quickly being replaced by one of surprise and shame.

How could she be so incredibly selfish, still obsessing over teenaged romantic drama, when Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards who ever lived, had just been… been murdered? He'd be disappointed in her, she knew.

She turned back to Romilda. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I… I'm so self-centered! Here I am, whinging about Ron, and…" Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she couldn't go on. Romilda smiled sadly and said nothing, putting her arms consolingly around her friend.

"Everything's just so different now," Lavender sighed.

It all still is, Lavender thought now, dangling her arm over the edge of her hammock. But there's a change. We're fighting back now.

Smiling grimly, she rolled over and fell asleep.

A/N: Yay! It's 374 words… (not including the date and title, of course). Stupid me, as usual I just started writing and I didn't bother to check my word count until I was at around 390 words… :P Well, it's right at the high limit. Hope you liked it!