A/N: This is my entry for The Fanfiction Championship - Euro 2012 Style and The Monthly Characters & Prompts Competition. A big thank you to Yellowtail555 for being kind enough to beta it for me :) For the championship I used the characters Seamus and Lavender and the prompts 'Fix You' by Coldplay, flames and falling apart. For the competition I used the character Seamus and very loosely used the prompts broken, glass and bed as well as the quote: "In any relationship in which two people become one the end result is two half people."
Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me - it belongs to the amazing JK Rowling. If I did own Harry Potter, Seamus/Lavender would most definitely be canon.
Seamus stared at Lavender as she slept. Is that what you called it when someone was unconscious?
He ran a hand lightly over her hair; her honey brown curls a mess, stuck to her forehead with sweat and blood. Her face was crumpled, as if she was still in pain. Madam Pomfrey had covered Lavender's wounds with bandages, but most of them were red with the blood that was still seeping out. Her hands lay limp at her sides, one still clutching her wand like a lifeline. Seamus took the other in his, stroking her knuckles gently with his thumb. The promise ring he'd given her only days before gleamed in the half-light, still residing on her ring finger. Madam Pomfrey had warned the students to be very careful with Lavender, and Seamus had a feeling that the elderly nurse would rather he not hold his girlfriend's hand, but he felt that he had to. It was his way of showing her comfort - he had to be there for her. And to be honest it was also a way of comforting himself. He could feel her pulse beating in her wrist - a steady reminder that she was still alive. Still alive. Seamus winced at the thought that she could be dead right now, his stomach churning as if he was about to be sick and his head pounding. The events of only hours ago - though it feels like days - flashed through his mind, forcing him to relive the most terrifying part of the battle.
Seamus followed Dean, running as fast his legs could carry him and shooting off curses whenever a Death Eater was in sight. He was blocking out the noise of the battle as best he could, but it wasn't easy. Moans of pain and the shouting of spells surrounded him. Suddenly a scream pierced through the air, rising above all the other sounds. Seamus recognized the voice in a heartbeat. Lavender. He ran in the direction of her cry, running even faster than he knew was possible and nearly getting hit by a curse in the process. He reached her in time to see her attacker, Fenrir Greyback, vanish with a puff of smoke. Lavender fell to the ground, her face ashen and blood gushing from her open wounds. Suddenly it was as if the world had stopped spinning. As if in slow motion, Seamus sank to the ground beside her, not caring that he was staining his pants in blood. His head was pounding and he couldn't think straight. Seamus felt Dean's hand on his shoulder and heard him say something that was surely reassuring, but just sounded like mumbling in his ears. All Seamus could hear clearly was Lavender's scream echoing through his mind.
"So you're staying with her?" Madam Pomfrey asked, breaking the silence. Seamus nodded.
"Yes."
Dean, Parvatiand Padma had already gone up to bed. All the students who weren't seriously injured were staying for the night in the Gryffindor common room. Dean had tried half-heartedly to persuade Seamus to join them, knowing how stubborn his friend could be and that he had already made up his mind. Parvati had been torn between going up to bed or staying with Lavender. Seamus had pushed her to join her sister and he could tell she had been grateful, albeit feeling a bit guilty.
"Okay," Madam Pomfrey replied, clearly not happy with the situation, but understanding all the same, "But don't count on sleeping in too long. We want to get Lavender to Saint Mungo's first thing tomorrow morning."
Seamus nodded once more, too tired to respond. Madam Pomfrey nodded in return, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before slipping away. Seamus let out a sigh, turning back to Lavender. Still alive. He thought once more. Madam Pomfrey had told Seamus that the fact that Lavender was only unconscious was a miracle. Greyback had gravely injured her - to the point where most would have died. Seamus had smiled sadly at that. Lavender was always so strong. She had a real fire in her - even if people didn't realize it at first glance. The prospect of never seeing those flames again terrified Seamus. If Lavender never woke up... he shuddered. He'd fall apart, shattering like glass and broken beyond repair. He would be only half of a person - Lavender being the only one who could make him whole again. But all that mattered right at that moment was that Lavender was still breathing and that she could be fixed. Seamus leaned forward, stroking her cold cheek. Her skin was ghostly white - to the point where it was unnerving - but Seamus could still see the old Lavender behind the pallid complexion and all of the bandages. The one who's sky blue eyes lit up when she laughed and the one with the smile that never failed to make him smile too. The one who had spirit and always stood up for what she believed in. Seamus suddenly felt overcome with emotion. But he refused to cry. Not when there was still a chance - when there was still a flicker of hope. Instead he whispered the first words that came to mind.
"I promise I'll fix you, Lavender. I promise."
It was the most important promise Seamus had ever made. Even more so than the promise he'd given Lavender with the ring. It was a promise that he couldn't even imagine breaking. Seamus placed a tender kiss on Lavender's forehead, before pulling up a wooden chair. He sat down as comfortably as he could and closed his eyes. Sleep came almost instantly, washing over him like a tidal wave. It was a deep sleep, one that was filled with dreams. Some were nightmares - reliving the moment Lavender fell over and over again, but most of them were just dreams of her. Her smile, her eyes, her heartbeat.
I promise, Lavender. I promise.
Thanks for reading! :) Reviews are greatly appreciated.
