My Ex- Friends Wedding

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, ponies or any type of cattle.

The sea was lapping gently at the edge of the waves, inviting her in. The sun shone down brightly, fighting against the wind to create heat on her skin. Children ran alongside the water shouting and screaming tirelessly.

Lavender Brown huffed angrily and pushed her designer sunglasses down onto her eyes. Stupid children, years ago this had been a private beach, easy to apparate to and far away from any of the muggle resorts. Lavender had enjoyed coming here, alone or with a few friends to enjoy a quiet summers day. But then of course the council discovered the empty space and turned it into another holiday resort. Lavender had stupidly made herself return, partially forgetting the reason that she hadn't for the last few years.

Not want to leave straight because of a little sound she quickly cast a spell around herself, removing the noise and reached for her magazine. The faces of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger grinned out at her. 'Witch Weekly is pleased to announce the engagement of War Heroes Granger and Weasley. The childhood sweethearts have been together for five years and plan to marry in the spring.'

Lavender let the magazine fall to the sand as she lay back on her sun bed. The bastard. It could have been you, a small voice whispered in her head. Yes, Lavender thought, it could have been, if the bitch hadn't gone seducing him behind my back. She reached over and grabbed a bottle of suntan, squirting some on her flat stomach. As she did she reflected, for what must have been the tenth time today why it wasn't her on the cover. It wasn't fair. She had liked Ron the longest, noticing his change in statue over the

many years they had been in the same classes. She had been the one who spent ages trying to get him to notice her. Of course when he finally did it was only a ploy to get Granger. She had known that. But at the time it didn't seem to matter. He had been with her. Her boyfriend, the one who rejected the clever one.

But it hadn't been enough. She had seen the way he looked at her, the longing glances when he thought no one was looking. She couldn't take it. They way they laughed together, with Potter. The way he had pretended to be asleep when she went to see him in the hospital wing but was always awake for her. I deserved more than second best, Lavender thought smugly to herself. I always deserve more.

The phone at her side gave a bleep as a message flashed up. Lavender reached for it, yawning slightly. Work, as usual. She considered the possibility of turning her mobile off and denying all knowledge but the chance of discovery was too great. After all, journalists take no prisoners. Lavender pushed herself up and gave the sea one more hopeful glance. Another time perhaps. One in which there wasn't a story to write or an editor to please.

Rita filed her long neon pink nails as she tapped her leopard skin heels on the floor. She did not like being kept waiting. Especially by someone she had hired on a whim, whose Newt's really did not earn her any job, let alone one as great as the gossip columnist of the Daily Prophet. She relayed this message most clearly to Lavender, taking care to comment on her outfit and lack of high heels. Lavender bit her lip. Now was not the time to point out the fact that it was Sunday. Or her day off. Once she had grovelled enough for Ms Skeeter's liking she was permitted to take a seat. Rita gave her one more disdainful look before speaking.

"Do you know why I have asked you to come here today?"

Lavender sighed. No doubt her work was not up to standard.

"No Ms Skeeter."

"Then I assume you have not read this."

Rita's taloned hands brought forth the Witch Weekly article that Lavender had been studying so closely. Again the faces of Granger and Weasley smiled up at her in a far too cheerful manner. Lavender's face narrowed. This is not good however it would not do well to place any great emphasis on any point of view, Ms Skeeter as she was, as unpredictable as the weather.

"Yes I have."

Rita smiled. Instead of warming her face it appeared to make her only more serpent like in Lavender's estimation. Her reply seemed also to reflect the same undercurrent of malice.

"Yes, I thought you would have done."

She tapped her nails on the desks as she re-arranged her feet.

"I understand you were quite intimate with Mr Weasley at one point."

Lavender nodded, her superior's knowledge of even the most trivial matters of gossip had ceased to give her the same sense of paranoia that it used to. Ms Skeeter it had emerged would always be the gossip queen, even when she was editor rather than reporter. Her skill for extracting useless pieces of information from pointless people and turning them into fact remained as sharp as it had in the years before her 'sabbatical' from journalism. Lavender had found that Ms Skeeter's job was far more difficult than it appeared in her few years filling her crocodile print shoes. Rita's smile deepened.

"It will be the biggest wedding of the decade you understand. Two of the Golden Trio, brought into marriage and proving to the wizarding world that love and truth still remain after the nasty mess of the war."

She wrinkled her well powdered nose slightly.

"…Of course they have given Witch Weekly full coverage… but rights it should be the prophet's…but well…"

Rita shuddered slightly.

"Miss Granger never liked me."

Lavender raised an eyebrow; this was news to her. Of course in fourth year some rather nasty rumours had been published but, after all what else was a gossip column for? Rita glanced over at Lavender and frowned.

"I want those pictures, and I want them legally. But of course I shall never get them. The dislike runs too deep I fear. The wedding is even being held out of the country, I hear, to be extra careful. One of the boy's brother's keeps a house somewhere in Europe. He is in charge of press."

Rita shuffled in her seat, her clothing being far too small to be comfortable. She had not aged well. Her addiction to tanning spells had left her the colour of a Satsuma, a wrinkled one and her chocolate habit had dragged her along the scales, though she would never change her dress size. Lavender sighed. Had she been called in just so she could be whined at? Rita continued.

"Of course I would just go and reason with him, but he already knows my face, he saw me at the Tri- wizard."

"Then I suppose we cannot get the pictures at all."

Lavender responded, desperate to return for half an hour of sunbathing time. She turned to her employer just in time to witness her serpentine smile in its full glory.

"Ah, no my dear. I cannot go to Romania."

She leaned forward, her voice lowered as if telling a great secret.

"But you can"

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