Set just after the Final Battle.
Chapter 1: Scars and all.
Lavender screamed "Reducto!", and watched as another Death Eater crumpled beneath her spell, his head exploding in a spray of gore. Turning she headed for the stairs, they were slippery with blood and bits of those who had fallen, and she was holding on to the side to keep from falling when she heard an earth shattering crack as another curse connected with the underside of the stairs and they collapsed and she hurtled towards to the rubble below, where she felt a crack in her legs she crumpled to the floor, she struggled to crawl from the stones as a nightmare of fangs and claws came out of nowhere. Who ever it was sank their teeth into her side, and their claws raked across her chest and leg. A strange feeling set fire to her blood, and she felt the curse flow into her and she heard a scream of "NOOOOO" from a familiar voice, Hermione maybe? Lavender couldn't concentrate on anything, all she could feel was pain and her body getting colder, her vision was fading until suddenly, everything went black.
Lavender wasn't sure where she was, or if she was even asleep, she felt pain surging through her body, through it was dulled, she was sure she was asleep. She heard voices, vague quiet voices talking "it's been two weeks!!" exclaimed a young man's voice, Lavender couldn't place the voice, it was familiar and warming. "She lost a lot of blood Seamus" came a woman's voice "she has been under heavy sedation while we tried to fix her broken bones are heal some of the scars, she's lucky to be alive Seamus. She's lucky Hermione was there to get –him- off her, otherwise I dread to think the state she would have been in. we're hoping she wakes up soon though." Lavender listened to what was going on around her, she heard Seamus' name twice, she had to be hearing things, he couldn't be here, she was imagining things, though something in her memory jolted:
**Flashback to two weeks before the final battle**
She was at Breakfast when her owl flew in with that days copy of the Prophet, she rarely read it but she got it in order to keep tabs on Harry, Ron and Hermione, she knew if anything had happened to them it would be printed everywhere. It was like the man hunt of the century, One party of Harry and the other after he who must not be named. Her owl also carried that weeks copy of the Quibbler, she picked this up and flicked through it and saw an article about muggleborns who were on the run, she paused and read it "It is with great regret that we report that several bodies were found in the earlier hours of Sunday morning amongst the dead were Ted Tonks and Thomas Brown, both men had refused to register as Muggleborns and had fled, rumour has it that they met a group of snatchers, several people managed to escape, a Hogwarts student Dean Thomas was said to be amongst those who escaped. Our condolences are with the families of those who died"
Lavender just stared at the paper and whispered "No" she had been sat near Seamus who had heard her. "Lavs? You ok?" he asked her but she didn't hear him. Her eyes started to sting and grew damp, she had stood up and ran out of the great hall as the tears started to pour heavier. Throwing the door open she sobbed loudly and got as far as the stairs before she couldn't go any further, her tears just wouldn't stop. She curled up on the stairs and cried, she didn't even hear the doors open and certainly didn't see Seamus come out of the now open door, what she did notice is being pulled into a pair of warm arms and then stroking her hair in a soothing matter. "its ok" the voice said, it was now she realised she it was Seamus. She sobbed even harder, she didn't deserve to have him comfort her, she had been rotten to him last year, and she hated herself for it. "he cant be" she sobbed into his shoulder. "he can't." Lavender just cried into his shoulder. "both. Gone. Alone." She sobbed even harder. Her mother had been murdered not long after her dad left, she had been expecting that one, her mother was a blood traitor to the Black family. Lavender had been bullied a lot this year as it was widely published the Carrows knew and most of the Slytherin's realised that she was related to them, though a lot of her house hadn't figured this out, or she had denied it, Seamus had known all along, she had told them while they were dating. He was the only one that knew her outside of here. Her father's was just a shock. Totally unexpected, Lavender felt her head being moved and found herself looking straight at Seamus, in his beautiful emerald green eyes as he spoke "you will –never- be alone Lavs, I'm here. I'll be here always" and he kissed her on the forehead and let her continue to cry into his Shoulder.
*** End Flashback***
"I'll be here always" these words made Lavender try to speak, though her eyes were still shut "shay" her voice was quiet and the throat was very dry. Both Madame Pomphrey and Seamus froze and turned to look down at Lavender, she hadn't moved but both of them could swear they had heard her speak. Seamus moved closer to the bed and took on of her bandaged hands into his and kissed it, "I'm here Lavs" he was sure he had heard her say his name, even if he hadn't he wanted her to know he was there and wasn't going anyway.
Feeling the pressure on her sore hand and hearing his voice again her eyes fluttered and opened slowly, Blinking as she got used to the light, she didn't recognise where she was, she tried to sit up a bit but couldn't she was too sore, she looked up at the Matron and asked "where am I? what happened?" her voice was still very gravely. She looked down at Seamus who looked like he was about to burst into tears of happiness. The Matron looked down at Seamus and said "Do you want to tell her? Or shall I?" Seamus looked at the Matron with a pleading look on his face "can you. At least you can explain everything to her better than I can." His voice was all shaky and it sounded like he was struggling not to cry. The Matron walked around Lavender's bed and drew up a chair with her wand and took a deep breath as she sat down. "ok, this is going to be a lot to take in so I am going to go slowly ok." Lavender nodded her head and tried to grasp onto Seamus' hand for support, realising what she was trying to do he took her hand into both of his and kissed it again. The Matron looked at her with a look of pity on her face. "Your in St Mungo's Lavender. What do you remember of the battle?" Lavender thought back her memory was very foggy she didn't remember much "erm. I remember shooting a curse and a death eater falling, running, falling and then pain" she shuddered. She wasn't sure how long ago this was or if this was even real but she watched as the Matron nodded and she took another deep breath "well, that is true from what I have been told, you were stood on the stairs when they collapsed under a spell and you broke both of your legs, as you were trying to get away you were attacked, by…by" she paused, Lavender looked at her, frightened by what she was about to say. She looked at Seamus with tears in her eyes but his were closed and his grip on her hand had tightened for a moment. The Matron coughed and cleared her throat before continuing "by Fenrir Greyback" Lavender's heart sank. It had been a full moon that night; she knew it had because she remembered pointing this out to several people before the battle began. "Will I…am I….?" she asked as her tears started to fall out of her eyes, petrified but knowing the answer, she couldn't bring herself to look down at Seamus now. The matron nodded her head and Lavender sobbed. She felt Seamus release her hand and he moved to the top of the bed and sat on it and placed his arms around her and said "hey now. Don't cry, please. We will figure something out. I promise." The Matron summoned a box tissues and handed them to Seamus who dabbed away the tears on Lavender's face. "we've prepared the wolfsbane potion for you to take this month but there is something else we want to try as well but we want to see how you react to the wolfsbane first, as not everyone reacts the same to it. Sometimes it allows people to have total control, some none. Though it will affect your every day life, Seamus told me that you have seer blood in you. Is that correct?" asked the Matron, Lavender nodded her head at this, it was true she had some seer blood in her, but not a lot, she was not able to make prophecies but she was able to foresee Weather, falling objects and stuff like that and she was very gifted at Tasseomancy and reading Crystal balls but that was it. "Well that will have been enhanced as will all of your other senses. You will be able to sense if there is Magic around you when there shouldn't be as will other things. You may also find you have a shorter fuse than ever before." Lavender just sat there in Seamus' arms taking all this in she felt Numb. "What was it you wanted to try" she managed to ask. The Matron smiled "well they have been working on a method for you to be able to keep your mind, Occumlency. If you can learn it you should be able to keep your own mind, and the Wolfsbane would just help with the pain. If it worked it would mean you would still be you just once a month you would transform into a wolf for a night." Seamus sat up a little straighter at this, and Lavender felt a tiny ray of hope. "Well I'll try anything" Lavender said, this time her voice was steady and even.
The Matron stood up and said "I'm going to get your first potion and give you two some time" Lavender and Seamus watched as she walked out of the ward door and Seamus stood up and want and sat in the chair, he looked worn out. "Shay, when was the last time you slept?" she enquired, she was worried about him, Seamus smiled at her one hand on his temple, the other reached out to hold her hand "Dunno, I might have caught a wee kip on the chair here but I didn't wanna leave you." Lavender blinked at him. "how long have I been here for?" this was the one thing Madame Pomphery hadn't told her. "Just over two weeks. Everyone has been sending owls wanting to know how you were." He explained to her. He had been bombared with owls from the Ministry and their class mates wanting to know what had happened. Parvarti was here almost every day to check up on her best friend as well. "Two weeks? And have you even been home?" she was shocked that she had been out that long. "Aye, for like 2hours, I needed some clean clothes. The healers put me a bed up owa there, I wanted to be here when you woke up. I told you, "I'll be here always" he responded. Lavender felt overwhelmed, she didn't deserve this, him being nice to her, especially after last year, She knew she had hurt him bad, Dean had told her. "Shay, I don't deserve this" she paused and looked at his confused face " you, being like this, being here for me. I was a bitch. I hurt you. I know I did. You can't deny it. Dean told me." Seamus cursed dean quietly under his breath before moving his chair closer to Lavenders bed and looked at his hand. "Lavs, look. We never said we were dating or anything, Yes I was hurt but I understood and I could never be mad at you, never. I just wanted you to be happy and you were, at first at least. I could see how much you were hurting towards the end and wanted to be there for you, regardless of how I felt about you. I'm here for you. Always. I'll take you however you come, Lavender." He paused and took a breath "I – I love you." he muttered quietly at his hands, Lavender had started silently crying as he spoke, as he looked up to Lavender's face and saw the tears he stood back up and went back over to her bed and put his arms around her "What's the matt…." he didn't have time finish his sentence as Lavender and silenced him with a kiss. "I love you too shay" it had took this for her to realise that she actually did love him, he was the one who was always there for her when she needed someone most. "No matter what?" she asked. Seamus smiled at and kissed her again he pulled her into a gentle hug, making sure he didn't hurt her and whispered in her ear. "Scars and all"