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Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition / Season Five, Round 1

Team: Puddlemere United

Position: Chaser 3

Prompt: Write your Chaser One's NOTP: Ron/Lavender

Bonus Prompts:

2. (word) yesterday

5. (dialogue) "I'm happier than I've ever been before."

9. (song) Dollhouse - Melanie Martinez

Word Count (not including title and author's notes): 1679 (Google Docs)

Reclaiming Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, in a far away castle filled with wondrous magic and adventure, there lived a little witch who believed in true love.

Named after the beautiful lavender in her mother's garden, she grew up eagerly listening to every story she was told about falling in love and living happily ever after. It was her greatest dream to meet her very own Prince Charming.

'When do I get to meet him, Mama?' she would ask, without fail, after every story.

'One day, you will meet him,' her mother would reply with a knowing smile. 'You will know when it happens and, once you do, you will always be able to find each other.'

Oh, how she could hardly wait for that day!

As the little witch grew into a strong and fair young woman, she just knew that her One True Love — a handsome and chivalrous wizard — was somewhere, waiting for her. Every night, she dreamed of meeting him and imagined the things they would talk about and do together.

Would he make her laugh and smile?

Would he dance with her all night at their first ball?

Would he love beautiful gardens and flowers as much as her?

Then one day, they found each other. Never, even in all of her wildest dreams, could she have believed that he had been right there with her — growing up in the very same castle — until she turned around one day and fell in love.

For one bright and shining moment, they had been truly happy together. Everything was absolutely perfect and the young witch loved her wizard. And then it all abruptly ended. Suddenly alone, she still clung to the fragile hope that they would find their way back together again.

But even that far-flung chance was crushed under the weight of reality.

Despite the witch living in a dark and dangerous time, it was not a spell that ended her remaining hope. No, it was with a flash of teeth and the howl of a Dark wolf that destroyed the little witch's belief that she would one day have her 'happily ever after.'

For who could ever love a werewolf?

.oOo.

The days and weeks agonizingly drifted by and Lavender Brown grew hopeless. Soon after arriving, St. Mungo's had felt less like a place where she could heal and recover, and more like a prison. She soon grew used to constantly being shuffled here and there by healers, who always seemed to be running tests. They never stopped to answer her questions nor seemed to notice that she was scared of what the future held for her.

She learned to keep her thoughts to herself.

In the beginning, her friends and family had tried to see her everyday, but their visits rapidly became very sporadic. And Lavender soon saw what everyone else could not.

Winning the war had changed nothing. Her parents, both purebloods, tried to include her in their perfect lives; she quickly discovered that she no longer belonged. Maybe it was because she was now on the other side, but she liked to think that she had grown up. She saw the fear in their eyes, the distaste for her … condition, and felt her heart break a little more with every visit.

Parvati, her closest friend, and Professor McGonagall would also occasionally visit. Lavender saw the pain, though different from her own, in their eyes and decided to keep her struggles to herself. She smiled to her parents and laughed with her friends.

It was such a disgustingly perfect picture and she couldn't break free from it.

One morning, Lavender found herself perched on the edge of her bed, barely listening to a word the healer was saying. Honestly, why did she have to pay attention? By this point, she could recite back to them what they were telling her, verbatim, without even trying:

Next week is your first full moon. We have a special unit for transformations. You will be escorted there and back. We will run diagnostic tests afterward, as the first time is always the hardest. Remember, try and remain calm during the process.

'Remain calm,' my ass. She snorted at the thought. How can they seriously expect me to 'remain calm'?

The healer momentarily paused mid-explanation and gave her an odd look, which she easily ignored, before continuing.

Lavender promptly tuned him out again. She could see the fear and assumptions in his eyes — in all of their eyes. She knew what they were really saying:

Next week, you will gain the stigma of being a full werewolf. We are going to place you in cell when you … change. Do not try and escape because you will be under full guard. We need to study you because that's all you are good for now. Remember, nothing can change your situation, so accept it now, wolf.

Lost in heartache and her thoughts, she didn't hear the healer's question.

"—alright, Miss? … Miss? Miss!"

"Hm?" she replied in a distracted tone. She lazily looked up and met his eyes.

"Do you understand what I am telling you?" the healer said with an exasperated edge in his voice. "I need to know you understand."

She looked back down at her feet. "Yes," she quietly responded.

"'Yes,' what?" he prompted testily.

Lavender's eyes snapped back up to meet the healer's in a heated glare.

"Yes, I understand," she growled.

"Good," he said, seemingly without a care in the world, and made a note on a roll of parchment. "You may now see your visitor."

He promptly left the room. Lavender's mind was trying to play catch up with what he had just said. What visitor? She hadn't seen her parents in over a week; it was unlikely they would visit again and so close to the full moon. Parvati and McGonagall had just visited a few days ago. No one else had bothered to visit her.

So why would that change now?

She watched, both curious and anxious, as the door to her hospital room swung open. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

Ron Weasley, her ex-boyfriend and love of her life, stood before her.

"Hello, Lavender," he said softly.

"Get out," she instantly replied. His eyes widened slightly and he appeared startled at her tone. She glared at him and he shrunk slightly under her gaze.

What had he thought would happen?

"Get. Out." Lavender repeated firmly. "You broke my heart! Why are you here? You have no right to be here!"

She knew Ron didn't deal well under pressure. So she really shouldn't have been surprised at what next fell out of his mouth…

"IkissedHermionethreeweeksago," Ron shouted out in a jumbled mess. It took a moment for Lavender to understand what he had said. When she did, her eyes narrowed.

"You. Are. A. Prat!" Lavender shouted. "Is that what you came here to do? Rub the fact that you finally got together with her in my face?"

"This is not going how I planned," Ron said to himself. He ran his fingers through his hair frantically. Lavender scoffed.

"Oh?" She continued shouting at the man cowering in her room. "How did you plan this, Ronald? Did you want to bring her with you and … and…" And she suddenly burst into tears.

It was too much; it all was. The painful smile she put on everyday, while the pieces of her already broken heart shattered even further, hurt beyond measure. What somehow hurt even worse was the fact that her ex-boyfriend (who she still loved with all her heart) was apparently bragging about his new relationship to her face.

As she continued to cry, she felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder.

"D-Don't t-t-touch me!" she sobbed.

"Lavender," Ron said, "I kissed her and then immediately told her we couldn't be together."

Did he seriously just say what I think he said?

"Really, it was rather tactless," he continued. "I probably should have been a bit more gentle about it. Although, it was true that we couldn't be together. Because when I talked with her and kissed her, I didn't feel complete. Lavender, you're the only girl I've ever felt that with."

"What?" Lavender whispered. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I was an idiot and couldn't figure it out?" Lavender let out a small laugh at the explanation. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She sighed in contentment. She really, really missed this.

"I also didn't know you were alive until yesterday," Ron said quietly. "It was after visiting hours and the scary desk witch wouldn't let me see you. But the moment I heard that you were alive… Lav, I can honestly say that I'm happier than I've ever been before."

"But you left me," she murmured into his shoulder.

"I won't leave again," he replied immediately. "It may have taken me longer than it should have, but I know in my heart you're the woman for me."

Lavender took an unsteady breath. She wanted so badly to be with him, but she had to tell him about her condition. He had the right to know. Someone must have already told him, but Lavender felt like she needed to do it, regardless.

Still, she didn't think she could survive if he didn't accept her.

Deep breath in…

"I'm a werewolf, Ron," she confessed. She felt his arms tighten around her, but she could tell it was out of comfort instead of fear.

"And I'm ginger," he replied, his voice light and easy. "I think we can make this work."

.oOo.

Once upon a time, in a land of beauty and magic, a witch and wizard fought for the Light in a war. Though they had been torn apart, they slowly found their way back together — just as the witch always knew they would.

Time and love healed their scars. And while their journey had been altogether unexpected…

They lived happily ever after.

The End.