I recommend listening to the song "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry while you read this.
Of course, nothing belongs to me.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song…
Her cousin was playing the piano. Her mother filed into the front row. Her father's picture sat on a chair beside her mother.
And she lay.
Parvati came in next. She slid into the pew behind Lavender's mother. Tears were already streaking down her face.
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even gray, but she buries her baby…
She was crying, sitting next to a photograph, faced with her cold daughter. She shook alone. Shoulders sagging under her grief, thinking to herself her baby was too young to die.
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time…
The three she thought might be there weren't. But who could blame them with their own family deaths.
But she was important too.
She was a flower shining in morning dew.
She was laughter at inappropriate times.
She was beauty and bravery.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song…
The preacher said a prayer. He praised her. Called her pretty, young, and dependable. Said she was a good daughter. Mourned the loss of her to her mother. Mourned her mother's loneliness.
Her mother thought he was hollow because he didn't know her. She filled her house with laughter when her father died. She brought her mother out of her self. She was the life that had been torn from her.
And now her life was torn from her again.
And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I've
Never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand, there's a
Boy here in town who says he'll love me forever,
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time…
Dean and Seamus sat themselves behind Parvati. They had been four. They had been the four in Gryffindor that people only thought of as those kids in Harry's year. But they were friends. They bonded over late nights around fire whiskey and young games of spin the butter beer bottle.
They were supposed to get jobs in the Ministry together, go to galas at Christmas, live near the other. Parvati was going to be Lavender's roommate. They were going to live in the very heart of London. They were going to get married together, have kids, grow old, relive their Hogwarts days like it was only hours ago.
They were only hours ago…
So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done…
Both boys were crying. She wasn't vapid. She was clever. She was the picture of a happiness they both longed for when Hogwarts was no longer safe. She was strong. She fought where others fled.
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'…
Speech after speech. Neville was there. He brought Luna. He gave a speech. Said Lavender was always kind to him. Said Lavender gave him the pep talk that helped him ask Ginny to the Yule Ball. He said she deserved so much better than dying.
Parvati stood to speak but dissolved to tears so quickly she barely made it up the aisle before Seamus could catch her before she collapsed.
Dean stood. He gave her mom a hug. He whispered things about her daughter that only she should have the privilege of hearing. How he loved her. How he thought they would get together just as soon as the war was over. How he was missing her shining eyes and golden hair.
He missed the sound of her voice in the pre-dawn light. The way she told a joke she wasn't sure people would laugh at. The way the quiver in her voice tightened his chest.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song…
The procession outside was slow, cold, and wet. The rain broke early in the day. Mud was tracked everywhere. Sheets of water soaked them all in minutes. They set the casket down on the rods just above her open grave. The closed semi-cylinder gleamed in the gray light.
The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them…
They lowered her down. Her mother sank to the ground, clutching at a picture of her father, trying desperately to glimpse her daughter's face one more time.
Parvati's father held her back.
The rest of the procession threw a white rose into her grave. Saying their own goodbyes, avoiding Lavender's mother's eyes. Desperation clutched itself there.
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time
So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls.
Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed this. I've never done a song-fic before but I hope it turned out ok. Let me know what you think.
When I orginally read the books I didn't think Lavender actually died. I just thought she was hurt a bit like Bill. But the movie made me really sad for her death. Then I heard this song on the radio and I thought of Lavender and it gave me goosebumps...
Anyway, Read and Review! Thanks : )