Written for Ultimate Patronus Quest (crocodile: Write a femslash pairing), 365 Day Prompt Challenge (ParvatiLavender), and Great Prompt Mixup Challenge (title, ParvatiLavender, scarf, and "Please don't hate me because I love you.")
Parvati adjusts her scarf, covering the last traces of her exposed flesh, shivering. She would much rather be back in the common room, warm and cozy by the fireplace, not out here in the cold and the mist.
But Lavender has asked her, and Parvati could never turn her best friend away.
"What's so important that you couldn't tell me in a place that has heating?" she asks when she reaches the lake.
Lavender keeps her eyes fixed pointedly ahead. "Because if this fails, I have the option of easily drowning myself," she answers.
Parvati waits for her to laugh. When she doesn't, she frowns. "Bit dramatic, isn't it?" she asks.
Lavender shrugs. She still doesn't look at Parvati. Parvati bites back a groan. She doesn't like it when Lavender is like this, all deep and reflective. She prefers the giggling and gossip, the carefree warmth that they've shared for years.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Parvati asks. "Because I sort of can't feel my face right now."
"I love you."
Parvati feels her body flood with warmth in spite of the biting cold wind. She swallows dryly, unsure if she understands, so afraid to hope. "I love you, too," she says carefully, laughing softly. "You're my best friend, after all. You know that."
"Not like that, Parvati," Lavender says, and Parvati watches the blush creep into her cheeks like berries in cream. "Please don't hate me because I love you. I tried not to. I tried to just love you as a friend, but it hurts too much. And I've been scared to death to tell you, but it's killing me, okay?"
Parvati takes her hand. Lavender finally looks at her, and Parvati sees the tears that cling to her lashes. She swallows dryly, but the lump in her throat doesn't go away.
She's dreamt of this moment. She'd always thought that she'd be the one confessing to Lavender, that she'd be the one so afraid of rejection. Lavender's courage, her determination to take the first step, is just one more reason for Parvati to love her. "I love you, too, Lavender," she says quietly. "As friends. As more. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Lavender's lip trembles. She doesn't speak for several moments, as though she's afraid that Parvati will laugh at her and tell her she's only joking. "You really mean it?" she asks, her voice shaky.
Parvati leans in, kissing her. She's kissed boys before, but this is the first kiss that's ever felt right. The world seems to stop for a moment, and everything else fades away until there is nothing left but the two of them. "Does that answer your question?"
Lavender bites her lip, nodding. "Yes. I think it does, actually," she says, her blush deepening.
"Good. Now, can we get back to the common room? I'm freezing," Parvati laughs, her teeth chattering to emphasize her statement.
"If it's not too forward, I hear that body heat is an excellent source of warmth," Lavender says, wrapping an arm around Parvati.
Parvati grins. "You're awfully bold today, aren't you?" she teases.
"Well, I was put into Gryffindor for a reason."
