A/N: Written for the Convince Me Competition (Round eleven, Parvati/Lavender) and the Ultimate Patronus Quest Challenge (Magical Creatures, H: 22. Unicorn- Write a Soulmate!AU)
Her whole life, Lavender had loved hearing the tales- her parent's bickering before it became love; the whirlwind courting her aunt and uncle had shared; her grandparents storybook love story.
Lavender had listened and she had laughed, delightedly shaking in giggles over the pancakes her mother had made for breakfast. She had plotted, too, dreaming a little girls desire to have that kind of love also; loud and glorious and hers.
Lavender had always been herself: bold and brash, beautiful and petty, selfishly loving because that was always the way she had been. Lav had been a dramatic child and she would always be. Some things would never change.
This wouldn't change either: Lavender curled up on her balcony, wishing on stars to fall in love.
Lavender had born without words but they had materialized two months into her life: "Woah! I'm so sorry, I thought you noticed me… I can fix it!
It was a promising and a sealing of fate. She would be cared about. She would be loved.
On the day Lavender went to Hogwarts, her father cried. He was a Hufflepuff, kind and loving, a crier because people had always been the most important thing to him. Her mother, a Slytherin who had never quite borrowed her husband's morality, rolled her eyes and kissed Lavender's head exasperatedly.
When the train pulled out of the station, her mother was wiping the corners of her eyes and her dad was laughing teasingly. They were bickering already, fondly after all those years. Lav blew them a kiss and within seconds, the station disappeared from view.
Lavender sat in the one of the compartments in the front of the train, alone. She wasn't worried, people had always found her. No, the only thing she was worried about was her hair: a piece had uncurled already, and what a horrible time it was for that to happen- so many first impressions to make!
Lavender bit her lip unconsciously. There had to be something she could do, it was no good to just stress over it! Suddenly, a thought hit her: there was a charm her mom always did. She remember the words and the wand motion, but would it work?
Well, it was worth a try. Lavender turned so that she was facing away from the entryway and said, "Crispum." It worked at first: the strand seemed to be curling around her wand and Lavender smiled smugly.
That's when disaster struck: at the corner of her eye, Lavender noticed movement and turned quickly. It seemed to be in slow motion- the startled way she jumped back and the way a lock of her burned hair fell to the floor, leaving her clutching her partially bald head.
"Woah! I'm so sorry, I thought you noticed me… I can fix it!" Said the girl and Lavender took the time to take a good look at her. The girl was tall with smooth, dark skin and thick but smooth hair that was braided in an elaborate braid reaching to the ends of her back.
So busy was Lavender in admiring the girl that words didn't register for a second. Lavender gasped, reaching her hand out as the words on her arm glowed a bright gold.
"You're my soul mate!" Lavender exclaimed excitedly, hair forgotten. The girl gasped also now, her hands clasped to her mouth. Her robes had slipped, revealing the matching words on her arm.
A satisfied smile spread on Lavenders face. "So soul mate, how do you propose we fix this?" Lavender asked, giggling and pointing to her hair.
The girl laughed, a twinkling, bell-like sound that warmed Lavender's heart. "I'm Parvati Patil… have you ever heard of a dragon braid?"
Parvati Patil slumped into one of the infirmary chairs.
"How is Lavender, dear?" Professor Trelawney asked kindly, reaching over to stroke Parvati's hair.
"They can't stabilize her condition." Parvati mumbled, blinking the tears out of her eyes. "They're not sure if she'll make it, Greyback injured her so badly…"
Professor Trelawney grabbed Parvati's hand, tracing over the lines or her palms.
"She'll make it, dear," The professor said, more confident then Parvati had ever heard her be, "the fates have promised it."
The thing about Lavender Brown that Parvati had discovered, was that she had no shame. Lav didn't care if telling Hermione to quit nagging them was rude, or that telling Ron Weasley that he had no table manners was offensive.
(Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, who had been sitting close enough to hear it, had burst into laughter, shaking with humor until they were both on the ground.)
The best thing about Lavender's honesty, however, was that Parvati believed her when Lavender whispered, "I love you."
Lavender pulled Parvati down the stairs, catching her when she stumbled. Parvati blushed, pressed against Lavenders smooth back. She was so close that she could smell the fruity scent of Lavenders hair.
Lavender was clueless of the turmoil going on in Parvati's head, however, and continued to tug her best friend down the stairs, grabbing Parvati's hand unconsciously. Parvati's blush deepened.
Upon arriving downstairs, Parvati felt like she had stumbled into a war zone. Ron and Hermione were deep into a fight, screaming and gesturing like their lives depended on it. Lavender laughed at them, plopping down next Seamus and Dean.
"Who's winning so far?" Lavender asked eagerly, nodding towards the fighting couple. "Hermione," Said Seamus at the same time as Dean answered, "Ron." The two turned to look at each other before saying "Harry."
Parvati looked over at the now empty spot where Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley had been standing and thought that she just might agree.
Lavender was still watching the fight with a one-track mindedness attention. Parvati laid her head on her soul mates shoulder and said quietly, "I'm glad we don't argue like that."
Lavender turned to face her with a mischievous grin. "Why would we argue? We're perfect for each other.
The Carrow's were monsters. Lavender had never met anyone nearly as disgusting or stupid as the two of them. Honestly, even Seamus's charms skills were better than any of the so-called lessons they provided.
And then there was Snape- the greasy git who had let the Carrow's takeover punishment! Lav could deal with his bad hair and his bad teaching but torturing children? That was too far.
"We need volunteers." Neville Longbottom stated at that nights DA meeting. He had grown, sprouting up several feet and gaining muscle. Lavender was impressed, though not interested. "There's something in Snape's office that we need."
"I'll do it!" Lavender exclaimed, shooting up onto her feet. Parvati let out a horrified gasp and Lavender tried not to feel too guilty.
Neville's eyes searched hers and he seemed to find what he was looking for because he nodded. Lavender smiled grimly and took Parvati's hand.
"It's going to sting." Parvati warned, reaching down for more Skele-Gro.
Lavender winced. Parvati and Hannah were good medics but Madame Pomfrey could barely sneak out the Skele-Gro they needed, let alone any pain-stopping potions.
"On the count of three." Parvati said, slipping the potion into Lavender's hand and planting a soft kiss of her forehead. "One, two, three!"
Lavender chugged it down and screamed.
When she awakened, it was nighttime and Parvati was curled up around her. The bed that the Room of Requirements had provided was warm and comfy, so Lavender closed her eyes and fell back asleep.
"Ms. Patil." The healer said, shaking Parvati's shoulder lightly. "Ms. Patil!"
Parvati woke up with a gasp. "What's wrong?"
The healer smiled. "Ms. Brown is stable and awake. She would like to see you-"
Parvati didn't bother listening to the end of the sentence. Abandoning her books and clothes, Parvati ran to the room Lavender was stationed in, barging in.
And then she saw her- Lavender's face was clawed to pieces, shredded where there had once been smooth skin. But she still smiled anyways, dimples rising and eyes crinkling, and Parvati knew at that moment that they would be okay.
Together, they could get through anything.