Harry and Ron both decided to Disapparate back with Lavender to help her pack. She pulled her school trunk out from under her bed, it was what she had been using to carry all her belongings, and the two holdalls she had bought to aid it.
With a sweep of her wand, all her clothes were in, it was everything else that took time. Ron conjured up wads of tissue paper and into these they wrapped up her tiny ornamental ballerina, her ivory elephant, her dainty horse of Venetian glass with a swirl of purple in its mane, her little china box that held her assortment of unusual buttons and sequins, the glittering metal casket full of old beaded necklaces, her hand mirror and beautiful silver hourglass. Her collection of books, mostly tomes of law that she used to help the fight for werewolf rights, but also novels, wizard and Muggle alike, lay in a tottering pile on her bed being slid one by one to any extra space in the trunk or either of the two holdalls. She went into her tiny bathroom and packed up every single bottle of cosmetics. Her wireless would not fit in anywhere, it lay on top. All the cutlery and crockery had come with the flat, but the whistling kettle was her own and she refused too leave it behind. She shoved her towels in and flattened all her shoes into the top of one of the holdalls. Soon, her flat was exactly the way she had seen it first.
She scribbled a note to her landlady saying she had moved out and would pay the month's rent when she had the money. Then with a firm hold on the luggage they Apparated back to the Burrow where Mrs. Weasley said "Now Lavender dear, I've put you in with Hermione in Ginny's room, so you'll both have a bit of company."
Ron snorted and whispered "It's so I won't feel compelled to sneak in there at night."
But Lavender was glad of this news. Then suddenly a cold fear entered her stomach. What if Hermione was unhappy about the arrangements?
So she put a Locomotive charm on her bags and the wireless (Mrs. Weasley had been enchanted by the pink enamel whistling kettle and decided to keep it downstairs) and followed her directions to Ginny's room.
The room was small, with clean white walls plastered with big posters of the Weird Sisters and the Holyhead Harpies. There was only enough room for the two beds, a wardrobe at the end of one and a desk at the end of the other. A cabinet was squeezed in between the two, and you could tell Hermione had been sleeping here by the pile of heavy books on it. On either side of the window above the cabinet, and above the window as well, were shelves, and she noticed one ran the whole way round the room close to the ceiling.
Hermione herself was in her pyjamas sitting on her bed, tidily made in pale blue sheets and duvet, another volume open in front of her crossed legs. She looked up and -actually!- smiled.
"Hey." she said.
"Hi." replied Lavender, directing her bags to her bed and opening the trunk with her wand. She sat down opposite her friend, and remembered their circular dormitory in Hogwarts. With only three of them, of course she was always in the bed next to Hermione, Parvati too. She smiled remembering.
"There's drawers under the bed." said Hermione helpfully, standing up and unzipping one of the hold alls. Lavender bent down and looked "So there are." she smiled, and stood up again.
With a wave of her wand, Hermione sorted the contents of all the bags. The ornaments flew out of their wrappings and arranged themselves above the door. The books sorted themselves by subject into spare room on the shelves amongst Ginny's and Hermione's. The majority of her clothes flew into the drawers (which Ginny had emptied) but her best sets of robes hung themselves in the wardrobe. Her shoes lined themselves up neatly. The wireless set itself on the desk. The cosmetics and towels floated to the bathroom. Her pyjamas lay themselves on the bed.
"Wow." she said. "What was that?"
"Organization spell. For if we're doing orderly work in the hospital. Very useful."
"Very." agreed Lavender.
They dragged the trunk with the two bags inside it to the hall, and Hermione showed her the monk's bench inside which these things were kept. Then they went back into the room and Lavender began to get changed.
She was never body conscious, not really but realised that Hermione would never have seen her scars, the scars that covered the left side of her torso, from her hip up to halfway through her ribs. They were still as red and livid as the day she had got them. The Healers had said it was a miracle none of her major organs had been permanently damaged. But the scars, they had said, the scars would never heal.
At the time, the fact she would no longer be able to wear a bikini was the least of her worries. Even later, after she had done some thinking, any man she would even consider letting near them would have been understanding enough up to that point, and probably wouldn't mind them. Probably. Hopefully. She had been so busy though, that she hadn't had time to test this theory.
But would Hermione comment? Hermione who had always understood, Hermione who was training to be a Healer. Only one way to find out.
She slipped off her red cashmere jumper to reveal her violet bra, and the dark wounds. She heard a small, discreet intake of breath. Lavender shut her eyes tight and bit her lip. Even her oldest friends weren't able to accept it.
With her back to Hermione, she unclipped the bra and slipped on her old West Ham football team t-shirt. It had been a birthday present from Dean, who else? Her lips twitched as she pulled down her smart black work trousers and put her faded tartan bottoms on instead. Then she turned and looked at her friend who quickly rearranged her features into a smile. Lavender was not fooled.
"They're awful aren't they?" she said holding back the tears.
"No. No they're not Lavender. As Fleur says, all scars show are that you are brave."
"It's alright for her," said Lavender, remembering tall, willowy Fleur Delacour. "She's so stunning, she would never have to worry about it." She shook her head and shut her mouth to stop a sob. Hermione sat beside her and put an arm around her.
"This isn't about the scars is it?" she asked softly.
Lavender shook her head again. "Today was my dad's birthday. When I was little, Mum and I used to make him a huge breakfast and wake him up with presents. And he always gave me a present back. Always. Even when I was at Hogwarts, it didn't wait until next morning post, an owl would come that evening with a necklace or a book…last year there wasn't anything. I thought maybe it was a mistake but this year I…I know better." She began to cry in earnest. Hermione squeezed her shoulders.
"Maybe the owl didn't know you were here."
Lavender gave a weak smile. "There's no point pretending. They don't want me anymore. It's as simple as that. I know." She wiped the tears off her face
Hermione was speechless for a moment. Then she said in a quiet voice. "But there are lots of people who do want you. All of us here."
Lavender looked her in the eye. "You really don't mind me being here? After everything with, you know…"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Lavender, I forgave you ages ago for what happened with Ron. I always forgive you. Do you remember we fought that first night back in Fifth Year?"
Lavender nodded.
"And then remember the next night you were homesick, and we opened my birthday bottle of strawberry champagne and drank it all without Parvati? We told her it never came?"
Lavender smiled at the memory. The smile slid off her face as she said "I haven't seen Parvati since I came out of Mungo's."
"Well who needs her anyway? We had some good times without her, remember?"
"Yeah." breathed Lavender. Then she giggled. "Remember that time in Fourth Year where we sneaked into the Second Year dorm and shaved off Demelza's eyebrows?"
Hermione giggled as well. "Yes. And we had to get Alicia to re-grow them because we didn't know how!"
"We did have fun I guess." said Lavender shrugging.
"Yeah we did." said Hermione. They were quiet for a moment. Then she said "Wow, it's half twelve! I didn't know you had taken so long packing. We should probably turn in, we'll have to get up early to make this potion."
"You'll make it?" asked Lavender incredulously.
"Of course. I was looking up the recipe." she said pointing at the open book. "It's lucky I had some lacewing flies stewing anyway."
"You won't need them?"
"I only need a couple, we can use the rest." Hermione clambered into her own bed and Lavender climbed under her duvet, turning out the light with a wave of her wand.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt safe. She always had with Hermione. All the times homesickness had struck, when she had experienced her monthlies for the first time, when she had developed her first crush on Seamus Finnegan, Hermione had been there. She remembered all the late night talks, the laughs, the practical jokes.
A memory keep to mind and she couldn't keep in the laughter.
"Do you remember that awful pink bra we found under your bed, and we threw it out the window? It landed on Professor Burbage's hat and she wore it like that all day!"
And they were giggling, once again, like schoolgirls.
--
When Ron came downstairs in the morning, he had for some reason, expected the two girls to be at each other necks. Which is why he was so perplexed to find them brewing the potion together in fits of laughter, as if there had never been any enmity between them