Disclaimer: I do not own Lavender, the Patil twins or Hermione, nor anything related to their world.
A/N: This story follows canon through year six, but has an AU year 7. This was written for Paris in December's "Timed Tiers" Challenge.
Lavender crept through the old, abandoned house. She really wished that she had brought back up with her, but the tip had been a fluke, and she was concerned that by the time she reached the Order and they put together a decent force, the Death Eater would have remedied that fluke and their prisoners would be either dead or gone. That was a chance that she wasn't willing to take. The Patil twins had been missing for the last two weeks, and having overheard that it was a pair of girls, Lavender had no doubt in her mind that she was risking her life to try to save that of her best friend's.
A sharp creak of the floor boards made her freeze, her heart pounding rapidly, before Lavender reconciled herself to the fact that it was her who had made the noise. Knowing it would reveal her presence to enemies, but praying desperately that she was correct in her analysis that the building was clear, she whispered her spell. "Homenum revelio."
The spell revealed the existence of two people, no doubt the girls she was looking for. Abandoning some of her early caution, Lavender hastened her away down the hallways and stairs into the rotted cellar. She lit up her wand to examine her surroundings, and the light fell onto a crumpled figure. With a slight cry, she dashed forward to examine the head of dark hair.
The Patil twin was unconscious, and with the damage that had been rendered on the poor girl, Lavender couldn't tell which she was. Running her hand gently down the left side of the jawline for the recent scar that Parvati had received. Nothing. So this one was Padma. Smoothing the dark hair gently down, Lavender turned to allow the wandlight to fall on her best friend.
It was Hermione.
Lavender feel as though the basement has suddenly frozen. It was supposed to be Parvati. Hermione had been captured nearly a month ago, the blonde had been certain the know-it-all had already been slaughtered for her muggleborn status. How was she still alive? Why was she here?
Eyelids slid weakly open to reveal brown eyes. The wrong brown eyes. The brown eyes that were too light and surrounded by skin too pale. Eyes that studied her for several long moments, trying to make out the new arrival. Finally cracked lips opened and spoke a name. "L-Lavend-der?"
A slow fury grew inside Lavender. She had risked her life for the rescue of her? This boyfriend-stealing self-important member of the famous Golden Trio. They had been getting along just fine without her, at least the rest of the Order was. Harry and Ron may still be disturbed by her absence, but they just hadn't come to terms yet.
No. The sudden realization came that while she may not have come for Hermione, Lavender did still come for Padma. She would not leave the innocent girl to suffer here at the hands of the deprived. "Hello, Hermione." Lavender replied coolly, turning back to try to establish Padma's injuries.
A mangled hand reached past her and gently stroked the dark hair. Glancing back at the other captive, Lavender realized that Hermione had previously broken her own hand, likely to get it out of the manacle for... for what? To be able to touch Padma? Oh yes, that had to be, because... "She's here because of you, isn't she?" Lavender bit out.
Hermione weakly nodded her head as she continued to stroke her girlfriend's hair. "They kept me alive to try to gather information on Harry, but I wasn't giving them enough. I valued Harry's safety over my own pain, so I wouldn't speak," she explained in a soft, hoarse voice. "When they captured Padma and Parvati, one of the Death Eaters had heard of our relationship. I could tolerate my own pain, but I... I couldn't tolerate hers. I had to talk." Hermione whispered miserably.
"What happened to Parvati?" Lavender demanded of her.
Hermione limply shook her head. "She was alive and unharmed when they took Padma and I away. That was the last I saw of her."
Lavender sat in silence for a moment, digesting this new information. There was still a chance her best friend was alive. She needed to get out of here before the Death Eaters arrived and she was captured also. Focusing on Padma, she began to release the manacles and prepare the girl for transport. As she worked, she spoke to Hermione. "I never forgave you, you know."
A glance to her right showed a confused looking girl. "For stealing my boyfriend," Lavender explained. Hermione was weakling shaking her head in disagreement, but the blonde didn't give her a chance to defend herself. "You took him from me, then you broke his heart by leaving him for Padma. Why couldn't you have just let me keep him? I was happy. I was in love."
"I didn't try to steal him, he left on his own. I didn't get to know Padma until later, after Ron had already done it. He understood though." Hermione rationalized, as though Lavender cared about listening to her.
Using her wand to lift the unconscious young woman, Lavender frowned at Hermione. "I don't care about how right you think you were, I only care about the fact that you were responsible for my broken heart. So I want you to see how that feels. I'm taking Padma out of here, and telling everyone that you were already dead. When Padma wakes up, I'll gently break the news to her, and then it'll be my shoulder she cries on, and I'll be the one to comfort her. I'll be there for her, her constant source of support, and then we'll be together. I want your last moments of life in this hellhole to be thinking of the love of your life in the arms of another."
Hermione looked confused. "But you're not... you don't like girls."
Lavender laughed. "I do tend to prefer to date boys, but I'll do anything to make you heartbroken and miserable, like you caused me to be." Gently carrying Padma out of the room with her wand, Lavender turned her back on Hermione and walked away, leaving the quiet, broken sobs behind her.