A/N: Challenges and prompts at the bottom.
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
You watch as she carefully arranges the pink scarf around her neck, twisting and turning the fabric to hide the hideous scars that mark her pale flesh.
She cannot do much about the ones on her face, though she tries every morning, with palettes of powders in pinkish hues. She gives up and whispers that it's the best she can do.
She asks if you know any plastic surgeons. You shake your head, opening your mouth to shoot down her inane idea.
The dejected look in her eyes renders you silent. She thanks you and squares her shoulders, casting a hard look at the mirror before she departs for the day.
xxx
Unlike others, you see the beauty in the jagged marks that run down her right cheek. They are a testament to her bravery and willingness to fight for what's right.
She's lucky she's not a werewolf. She will have complications to manage, but she's alive. That's what matters.
Gone is the effervescent girl – the girl who batted her eyelashes at cute boys and discussed the latest fashions.
Only a shell of that girl remains.
She still dresses fashionably, sporting form-fitting tops in pastel colours with her fingernails done to match.
It's all a show.
Maybe sticking to routines from her past boosts her morale. If so, you applaud her for it.
xxx
She returns to the dormitory with remnants of tears lingering on her cheeks. She returns to the mirror and begins untying the pink bow from her hair.
The light bouncing off her tamed curls distracts you. Her hair has always fascinated you since it's everything yours is not. She has offered to arrange yours, but you've politely declined, unable to talk to her for more than a few minutes.
You hated everything about her and wrote her off as a vapid try-hard. Her high-pitched laughter and incessant giggling made your blood boil.
In all likelihood, jealousy clouded your judgement. She'd snagged a certain redhead's attention. In the long run, it mattered not since neither one of you ended up with him.
xxx
Her tears awaken you. You don't know whether she's crying for the loss of a loved one or the loss of her beauty.
Your heart breaks listening to her cry. You don't recall when your feelings towards her changed. You want to tell her that she's strong and that she can overcome this. Her scars do not and should not define her.
Abandoning rational thought, you climb out of your bed and gently lower yourself onto hers, not wanting to startle her. You wrap your arms around her, holding her against your chest. You kiss her temple, wiping away the tears from the ruins of her cheek.
"You should know you're beautiful just the way you are," you whisper, half-hoping she won't hear your confession.
"Really?" she whispers back, turning to look at you.
Afraid to say much else, you merely nod, refusing to let her go until you've both drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Word Count: 500. Written for Pairing the Character Drabble Competition - Week 17 Lavender Brown. Title inspired by a lyric from Alessia Cara's "Scars To Your Beautiful".
Submitted for the Conversation Starter Prompt Challenge on the HPFC: 23. Have a character tell another character that they're beautiful.
Submitted for the following at Hogwarts:
-Writing Club - Disney Challenge: Characters - 1. Aladdin - Write about a survivor.
-Writing Club - Showtime #16 - No Good Deed - (word) Attention.
-Writing Club - Days of the Month: Pink Day - Write about someone who likes pink.
-Writing Club - Count Your Buttons: Objects (neck)
-Writing Club - A Year In Entertainment - Movie: Mean Girls - colour (Pink)
-The Insane House Challenge #382: Word - Effervescent (Bubbly)
-365 Prompt Challenge #249 - Restriction (No names)
-Resolutions Challenge: #4 3/50 stories written in 2018, #15 Trio era and #32 Write something hurt/comfort.