AN: Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.
Banishing the Blathering Klonmoodles
AlwaysPadfoot
Lavender's breath was unsteady. She could see it in front of her face, lingering in misty wisps that obscured her now lackluster vision. It was like a constant fog that she was just stumbling through with her arms outstretched, hoping that she wouldn't collide with anything. Coiling her scarf around her face, Lavender hoped that might help. It might have stopped the fog, but she didn't get any warmer; her teeth continued to chatter. Either this was the coldest winter on record, or the lack of weight on her bones directly affected her capacity to retain heat.
The path up to Hogwarts was coated in a thin, perilous layer of ice, extending her journey through the biting wind — it made her bones ache. Thick snow had been pushed to the sides of the path, creating four-foot banks on either side of her. She would have thought that might have sheltered her from the wind, but instead, it created a tunnel where it hit her face on and slowed her down substantially.
Lavender was beginning to regret not taking Headmistress McGonagall up on her offer of organising a Portkey.
She despised this stubborn resolve she seemed to have gained since waking up in St Mungo's. And yet, she wasn't about to let go of it; it was keeping her sane. Lavender was not going to let anyone take pity on her, not at the sight of her scars, or the limp in her left leg. She was not going to be mollycoddled into spending any more time at home, unable to do anything for fear that her mother would jump down her throat. It had been what her late father would have called tricky business, trying to bring up the topic of returning to Hogwarts. Lavender had tried and failed multiple times to do so, and in the end, she'd just blurted it out over dinner one night. She'd never seen her mum lose so much colour so fast, or, now that she thought about it, her brother hide a grin so quickly. The discussion rapidly escalated into a screaming argument; she hadn't even noticed Benjy slip away until it ended. Her mum had stormed away, leaving Lavender alone in the kitchen.
In the end, it had been her decision; a decision that her mother loathed.
Lavender pushed on through the blisteringly cold weather and finally reached the gates of Hogwarts castle. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she pushed the left-hand gate wide and stepped inside, her leg seizing. Leaning back, she rubbed it hard as she pondered what she'd signed up for. To go back to school was hard enough, but to re-pick her N.E.W.T. choices and join sixth year again? It was going to be challenging, but at least, a handful of her old yearmates were also returning to retake their seventh year. She wouldn't be completely alone.
After the feeling returned to her leg, she was about to set off in the direction of the school when a voice stopped her.
"Lavender Brown." Lavender would recognise Loony Lovegood's airy voice anywhere; she turned to face the younger Ravenclaw, who had donned a neon green woolen hat, scarf and mitten set for the cold weather. "Headmistress McGonagall sent me in case you needed some help."
Lavender took in her appearance: from the eye-watering, loud-coloured winter-wear, to the radish earrings, to the odd-coloured converse on her feet. They'd never really spoken before; actually, Lavender was sure they never had.
"Oh, right," she finally replied. "She didn't have to. I'm okay."
Luna smiled, cocking her head ever so slightly as though she was looking at something above Lavender. "May I accompany you up to the castle?"
"Um, yeah, okay."
Lavender couldn't exactly say no. She felt painfully aware that she had laughed and ridiculed the Ravenclaw in the past. Feeling like a hypocrite, Lavender decided to mostly stay quiet whilst they tracked through the deep snow that coated the grounds. It was practically untouched; that made sense, since no one in their right mind would be out in this weather.
"The Headmistress told me that you are joining the sixth year cohort," Luna said eventually, breaking the silence.
"Right, I wanted to take different N.E.W.T.s," Lavender explained.
Merlin, her leg was throbbing.
"Could I ask which ones?"
Luna's curiosity felt strange, but Lavender put it down to her just making small talk so they weren't walking in silence.
"Transfiguration, Astronomy, Divination, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and instead of another N.E.W.T., I'm taking a Healing course alongside Madam Pomfrey."
"Fascinating," Luna responded, her pale silvery eyes studying Lavender for a long moment. "An excellent combination."
The rest of the walk to the castle was quiet. Thankfully, Luna didn't say much at all, not even when Lavender lagged behind because of the stiffness in her leg. That she was thankful for since she didn't want to receive pity from anyone. She felt somewhat grateful for Luna's presence as they reached the castle doors.
"I will leave you here unless, of course, you need me?" Luna asked.
"No, no, I'll just head in to lunch."
"Okay, well, I hear it's beef stew or tomato soup." Luna beamed. "The latter is my favourite, but I have already eaten."
Lavender smiled and thanked the younger witch, her gaze falling on the open doors of the Great Hall. When she turned to walk away, Luna called her name from behind.
"Oh, and I'm glad to see you've stopped attracting Blathering Klonmoodles," she said. "You and Parvati Patil used to be surrounded by them."
There was the Loony Lovegood she remembered. Lavender smiled weakly but said nothing, happy to escape to the warmth of the Great Hall. With the smell of good food infiltrating her snuffly nose, she set her sights on finding her friends, forgetting all about the kooky Ravenclaw that had accompanied her to the castle.
Lavender felt herself slowly slipping back into the girl she had once been, giggling with friends, doing their hair, and painting nails in the dormitories. That was, until someone's gaze lingered too long on the scars left by Fenrir Greyback; then, she instantly shrank back. She felt ugly, pitied even, and her flailing self-esteem suffered because of it. Too many times in their first month back at Hogwarts, Parvati had the responsibility of comforting her whilst she cried. That, or Lavender had woken up her sixth year roommates because she'd been having nightmares. It felt as though every night in bed, she was considering going home, and then scolding herself for even considering such a ridiculous action.
Late one night after Lavender had woken everyone up, Ginny Weasley, who had also returned to retake her sixth year, offered to walk with her to the kitchens. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, Lavender agreed, and the two snuck out into the abandoned corridors of Hogwarts in just their pyjamas and a jumper each to keep them warm.
"I'm really sorry," Lavender began to say before Ginny interrupted.
"It's okay, Lavender. We've all got stuff to deal with after the battle; anyone who gives you trouble is a right arse."
Ginny's pointed attitude made Lavender snort. The youngest Weasley was tough and sarcastic, and Lavender was quickly learning to love Ginny more she'd ever liked Ron. What helped that image of the younger girl was that she genuinely wanted to help. Hell, she'd probably even teach Lavender how to hex people who stared at her.
"You're brave, Lavender," Ginny stated as they reached the ground floor and headed in the direction of the Hufflepuff basement before taking a left-hand side corridor. "Not many people who got really hurt in the battle have come back to Hogwarts. Most of those who didn't get hurt, or even fight, didn't have the balls either. That's why you're a Gryffindor."
For someone who regularly questioned why she had been placed in Gryffindor, Lavender thought that Ginny's words really helped to soothe her worries. Upon their arrival in the kitchens, it appeared that not only the two of them found solace in hot chocolate and cake at three in the morning. Mostly, the few students dotted around were older, fourth years and up, and Lavender noticed people who had once been in her year. Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones were talking quietly in the corner, and just a little further down the benches, Neville Longbottom was laughing with Hannah Abbott. Everyone was pale-faced, with dark circles under their eyes, but they were comfortable and content.
"Ginny, Lavender," a voice called.
Luna waved them over and they happily joined her. Before they even got a chance to say anything, a house-elf rushed over with two mugs of hot chocolate. The cream spiralled up to an almost impossible height and was delicately dusted with chocolate flakes.
Bizarrely, even though Ginny and Luna were clearly very close, Lavender didn't feel left out, and the conversation felt normal. Curious, Lavender studied Luna, who listened to Ginny with wide eyes and clear interest, chipping in occasionally with her harmonious voice. It was as though Luna felt settled; that, with someone she trusted nearby, she could actually have a regular conversation. It had never happened before with Lavender, not even in the classes that Lavender shared with the younger blonde. Even though they talked more now than they once had, it wasn't like the conversation they were having now. Lavender lost track of time as the three chatted over hot drinks and warm chocolate cake until, eventually, Ginny stood, stretching her arms above her.
"Well, ladies," she said with a yawn, "I have to get some sleep — some idiot scheduled Quidditch practice early in the morning."
Lavender frowned; she had thought that Ginny was Captain, though maybe she was wrong. Luna laughed suddenly, her laugh soft and rhythmic; it reminded Lavender of the wind chimes in the garden back home.
"Now whose fault is that?" she asked, smiling.
Ginny grinned widely and pushed the sleeves of her jumper up. "I will give myself a good talking to on my way back to the Common Room; Lavender, are you coming?"
Lavender was not tired, nor did she want to even attempt to go back to sleep. She found herself shaking her head. "No, I think I'm going to stay for a little longer."
The redhead shrugged. "Sure thing. See you both tomorrow."
They exchanged goodbyes and then Ginny left, leaving Lavender sat alone with Luna. There was a comforting warmth exuding from the fire behind them and, as the house-elves started to prepare things for breakfast, the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. It was slowly washing away the haziness left behind in her head from her troubled sleep.
"Are you not sleeping well?" Lavender asked.
"I merely have more time to do things whilst I'm awake — it makes me feel… productive," Luna replied.
Lavender wasn't sure she considered drinking hot chocolate and eating cake a productive task. It didn't appear that Luna had anything productive with her either. Raising an eyebrow, Luna must have practically read her mind.
"Tonight, I am just day-dreaming," she continued. "Yourself? You look tired."
"Bad dreams," Lavender replied.
"Madam Pomfrey gave me some Dreamless Sleep Draught; perhaps you can ask her for some too."
Lavender was shaking her head before Luna could even finish her sentence. Helping in the infirmary had given her a first-hand look at just how many students came asking for dreamless sleep potions. Madam Pomfrey had a tracker on her office wall so that no one got too much; most potions, after all, could become fairly addictive after a time. Lavender was not going to give Madam Pomfrey another student to keep track of.
"I'll be fine," she said. "It's not that bad; other students need it more."
"Your health problems shouldn't be unheard just because others are having them too," Luna said.
Shrugging, Lavender drained the remainder of her hot chocolate and looked down into the mug as though expecting to see something. "It'll pass."
"If you stop sleeping most nights, then promise that you'll ask."
Lavender looked up at Luna, surprised that she cared enough to make her promise to ask for help. Luna's face was serious for once and the blonde reached out and touched Lavender's hand gently. "Please."
"Okay," Lavender replied quietly. "If it gets bad, then I will, Luna."
Luna's eyes didn't leave Lavender's for a very long time, as though she was trying to search for any hint that she might be lying. She wouldn't find any; Lavender kept her promises. After a long stretch of silence between them, Luna's lips curled into a smile, leaving her serious expression long behind.
"I have this music box; my mother found it in a charity shop in the Muggle village close to where we lived. She thought it was just so... plain, so she decided to carve into it, and she charmed it to detect when I wasn't sleeping well," Luna explained. "Perhaps, if you are reluctant to take potions, then you can borrow it."
"Oh, no, I couldn't take it from you," Lavender said quickly. "It's yours."
"It keeps away the Nargles too," she added.
Lavender smiled and shook her head. There was something about Luna she couldn't understand, but there was good in her. She never seemed to judge a soul for their wrong-doings. Even when people teased her, Lavender had never seen Luna retaliate. In the classes they shared, she'd noticed that Luna only ever tried to help, with no hesitation or pre-judgement. When she wasn't doing that, she just lived in her own world, not hurting a soul.
As Lavender grew to know Luna better, it seemed to her that Luna's way of selecting friends depended on whether they could get past her odd exterior.
"Okay," Lavender said, "I'll try it. Just one thing first."
Luna tilted her head in curiosity, confusion in her eyes. "Oh, what's that?"
"You'll tell me straight away if you need it," Lavender replied.
The blonde seemed surprised and relaxed slightly, looking thankful, even. "Oh, yes, of course. I never lie to my friends, Lavender. Never."
Lavender felt herself smile properly. It was nice to finally have friends that weren't going to leave at the end of the year.
Luna's fingers hadn't left the skin on the back of her hand yet. It was comforting. In that moment, she felt closer to Luna than anyone else. There was still some guilt she wouldn't get rid of for judging the blonde when she was younger, but it felt nice to be accepted into this sacred circle of friends that Luna had. She was glad that she'd managed to take a step back from seeing Luna as Loony Lovegood. Otherwise, she might not have been lucky enough to be in this position at all.
Luna pulled Lavender out of her thoughts with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "Thank you, Lavender."
"For what?" Lavender asked.
"I think you must know what for," Luna replied, squeezing Lavender's hand once more. "You should get some sleep."
Luna stood, casting a soft shadow along the table, and pulled her hair to one side, which exposed a large, purple teapot earring. Lavender sighed softly; Luna might not ever change, but at least now, she knew that was okay. At least now, Lavender understood.
"Goodnight, Luna."
Competition: 500 Different Pairings Challenges
Other Prompts: Radish Earrings, Tricky Business, & Music Box.
Word Count: 2575 (Not including Titles and ANs.)