KNOCK KNOCK!
"Coming!"
Hermione ran down the stairs, muttering some words that mostly are curses. That day was Valentine's day, and she's been cooking for the whole day just to make sure that she and Ron -her beloved fiancé- had a wonderful evening. With some wine at the end of the dinner, Hermione wanted everything to be perfect.
The door swung open. "Yes?" Hermione asked.
And there she was, standing wet. The rain was raining heavily that day.
"Hello, Hermione."
And Hermione recognized her. The girl that once made her shouted Oppugno for the first time in her life.
".. Lavender..?"
Lavender smiled. Her scars from the last battle of Hogwarts were lesser than before, but some of them were still there.
Still, she's the same Lavender that Hermione remembered.
"Looks like you're doing well," Lavender answered.
Hermione smiled back, unsure what she had to do. After the last battle, Lavender was never seen again. And no one's been able to find her.
"You're wet...come inside," Hermione invited her.
"Thanks," she muttered.
Hermione stepped aside, giving Lavender access to the living room.
"May I sit?" Lavender asked after they reached the living room.
Hermione nodded. And she took another seat across Lavender.
The room was silent for a while.
"I come here--"
"Why don't you--"
Both were silent. And then Hermione burst into laughter. So did Lavender. Both girls were like turning back the time, back to their old times at Hogwarts.
"Ok. You go first," Hermione said with a little smile.
Lavender nodded. She studied Hermione's living room for a while. And her gaze stopped at the picture of Ron and Hermione together at the top of the fireplace. Ron was hugging Hermione from behind. Both were smiling. It was a very sunny day.
"Still with Won-Won then?" her voice resounded in Hermione's mind.
Hermione didn't answer. She didn't sure that she liked that other name of Ron.
"Hermione, I come here to apologize. You don't need to be that hostile just because I asked about you and Ron," Lavender said again, understood with Hermione's silence.
"Apologize? What is it for?" Hermione asked, curious.
"I realized I haven't apologized to you, for ruining your friendship with him back then...," she hesitated to keep talking.
"It's not really your fault..."
"...and for keeping my eyes and ears shut from your feelings for him..."
"I..."
"And I will tell you one secret."
Hermione looked at Lavender with more curiosity than ever.
"What is it?"
Lavender smiled.
"Do you know when exactly that I was starting to see that you both are destined to be together?"
Hermione shook her head.
"One night, when we were---" Lavender hesitated again. And Hermione knew what she was going to say. "---together.."
Hermione took a deep breath. It's been a long time. But still, the images of Lavender with Ron -her Ron- snogging back then were still there. And it still hurt.
Lavender continued her story with feeling a bit uneasy.
"After that, we went back to the Common Room.. and doing our homework.. he was falling asleep not long after that."
Hermione felt anger somewhere inside of her. I bet he was very tired after a long night, she thought angrily.
"I was watching him sleeping when he started mumbling something..."
Lavender stopped her words. She looked at Hermione with such tender eyes.
"It was your name."
Hermione fell silent. She felt that her face was red.
"But that's not the thing that made me realize about both of you."
Hermione sensed something big. "What else it can be?"
Lavender smiled again. "He mumbled something about the baby's room... about your baby's room. His baby, and yours."
This time, Hermione really felt that she was going to cry.
"But.. but I thought..."
"He was a git, Hermione. I thought you knew him better than I did," Lavender started to laugh.
Hermione gave Lavender a little smile. Her tears were starting to fall down.
"Thank you..," she whispered.
"No, thank YOU. I feel lucky now that I don't have to be with that git for the rest of my life."
Hermione laughed again.
"I have to go now," with that, Lavender stood up. "I have an appointment with Dean."
"Dean? But how---"
"I'll see you again soon, Hermione," Lavender cut her words with a smirk.
"Will we?" Hermione asked while Lavender walked to the front door.
Lavender nodded. Hermione felt relieved. After all, Lavender was her friend.
"Oh I almost forgot one thing," Lavender turned her head again towards Hermione.
"What?"
"Ron also said something about the baby's name," Lavender gave her another smirk.
Hermione blushed. Her heart was racing. She was not being able to speak.
"It's Rose."
Hermione burst with happiness at that time. And it's like a bullet has been shot to her heart. It was a bullet of happiness, indeed.
Lavender was smiling happily to her.
"Bye Hermione," Lavender gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Take care."
And Hermione remembered the night when Ron was proposing to her. He gave her a rose. A sweet red rose.