Freshly showered, and dressed in Bruno's clothes, Harry descended the stairs from Parvati's flat to the bakery. It was a Sunday morning, a little before ten o'clock, and Harry could tell by the chatter in the shop that the bakery had a friendly, local clientele. Parvati reminded Harry that she would close the store at one PM, and then head over to Lavender's place. Harry walked out to the street, and up the block, and in a few minutes he was knocking on the front door of Lavender's home.

"Hi, Harry," Lavender said, as she opened the door. "Breakfast is almost ready. We also have a couple of old friends here, Luna and Neville. They came by to check on our stocks in the art room, and I asked them to join us. They had breakfast earlier, but they want to see you, so they'll have coffee with us. After that, they'll be working in the house, and we can discuss that other business."

She showed him through to an area near the back of the house that had been converted for school use. The walls were painted in bright colors, and the doorways led to classrooms set up with small chairs, tables, bookshelves, boxes of supplies, and other schoolroom paraphernalia. The hallway continued past the classrooms to a patio at the rear of the house. From the patio, a few steps above the garden that lay beyond, Harry could see the general layout. There was a grassy area just behind the house, and beyond that an area divided by hedges and walls into several separate gardens. Two trays sat on a table nearby. "Let's take these out," said Lavender, "and I'll come back for the last things."

The trays held bowls, pitchers, and jars of fruit, cereal, yogurt, honey, and cream. Each of them lifted a tray, and they walked down the stone steps of the patio, across the grassy area, and through a gap in the hedge beyond, into a rose garden. There were gravel walkways meandering among rose bushes of several varieties, some still in flower, and others long past blooming, and now laden with rose hips. Harry saw openings here and there in the hedges on the left and right sides, as well as at the rear. They walked through one of the openings at the rear, then down three steps into a second garden, this one with formal plantings of flowering shrubs and perennials, and with a small fountain in the center. A table stood near the fountain, with four set places and garden chairs around it. The table already bore two trays, holding plates with muffins, scones, butter, and preserves, a jug of coffee, and a variety of condiments. Luna and Neville were sitting at the table, with cups of coffee at their sides, and they rose to greet Harry. Lavender showed Harry where to set his tray. She placed hers beside it, asked the other three to set the table, and turned back towards the house to fetch the last few items.

Harry hugged his two old friends, and they turned to setting the table. Harry then settled into a chair, while Neville poured a cup of coffee for him, and said, "It's great to see you, Harry; and welcome to 'Cafe Lavender', where the food is always excellent! I'm kind of sorry that we ate earlier."

"Service with a smile, eh?" replied Harry.

"Actually, Harry, it could be much more than a smile," answered Luna. "It's pretty obvious that you and Lavender could be very happy together." Harry looked at Luna in surprise, then over to Neville, who smiled and shrugged.

"Luna always says what she's thinking," said Neville, as he reached over, took her hand in his, and kissed the back of it. "You know that. And I'm sorry to have to remind you, Harry, but I think you also know that she sees things that a lot of us miss."

"Look, I need to tell you guys something before Lavender returns," said Harry, "which is that I'm not here on a social visit. I'm here on behalf of Hermione, who's looking for some help with a project. And Luna, I've been hearing that Lavender is still recovering from her injuries and the loss of her parents. Parvati asked me to be very gentle with her, and she specifically said that Lavender isn't ready for romantic attachments, so please don't say anything like that while she's around."

Luna replied, "Don't worry, Harry, I agree with Parvati. It's been very sad to see Lavender's struggles, and I know that she's still healing. I won't say anything like that around her, but I do think that it's something you should consider, once she's feeling better."

Harry was relieved to hear that the subject wouldn't come up again, but he was intrigued by Luna's observation, and he continued, "It is funny, though, that you would say that about Lavender and me, because most other people think that I belong with Hermione, or even that we're already secretly together."

"You and Hermione? That's crazy," answered Luna, in her usual matter-of-fact way.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, because we feel the same way. But may I ask how you can see this, when nobody else can?"

"You and Hermione are a great team," said Luna. "You're very focused and serious, and of course we all know that you're best friends, but there isn't a glow between you. In matters of the heart, I always look for the glow." Then, nodding her head slightly toward the house, she continued in a lower and less serious voice, "But you and a certain other person do share a glow. And do you know what color it is? Something not very far from purple or violet ..."

Harry and Neville responded simultaneously, "Lavender?"

All three laughed, and Harry said, "I'll keep that in mind, Luna, and I'll be sure to tell Hermione what you said about the two of us. She'll be as pleased as I am to hear it!"

Lavender returned a short while later, using her wand to direct a steaming quiche through the air before her. She lowered it onto the table, sat at the fourth set place, and asked, "Is everybody ready?"

Harry was delighted by the selection, and he found that the hot, savory quiche, with its onions and green peppers, was a perfect complement to the fruit and muffins. Luna and Neville ate a bit, finished their coffee, thanked Lavender, and returned to the house with some of the dishes.

As Harry and Lavender continued their breakfast, Harry asked, "Lavender, I'm just wondering, does a quiche qualify as vegetarian?"

"A lot of people would say that it doesn't," she replied. "There are different kinds of vegetarianism, and I eat eggs and dairy, which some people don't. I've drifted around on that axis myself through the years. I never used to eat much meat anyway, but after the battle, when I finally recovered consciousness, I just didn't want to touch it at all."

"That's odd," said Harry. "I mean, Ron's brother Bill ... well, you know."

"Yes, people who have been attacked by werewolves in human form usually develop a craving for meat, and even begin to prefer it rare, but for some reason I went the other way. The Healers at St. Mungo's noticed that, and perhaps something will come of it."

After a while, Lavender said, "Neville and Luna are great teachers, and the children adore them. Some of the children have the idea that Neville protects them from snakes and other scary creatures, and they feel safe when he's around. And a few of them," she added with a conspiratorial smile, "seem to think that Luna is just another child, only larger than the rest of them. And sometimes I kind of agree." They both smiled at this apt description of Luna's childlike nature. Then Lavender continued, more soberly: "But both of them are absolutely serious and professional about their jobs here. And they both know what it's like to be teased and bullied, so they're good people to have in the classroom when those situations arise."

Harry nodded, recalling the taunting and ridicule that Luna and Neville had both endured at school. "And they're a really great couple," he said. "I think a lot of people saw it before they did."

"Like the way people talk about you and Hermione?" replied Lavender with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm just teasing. If you say it's not there, I believe you." And after a pause, "Well, I guess it's time for you to tell me whatever it is that you came to talk about. But before you begin, I just want to say that I recognize that shirt. It's Bruno's, and I guess that means that you talked with Parvati last night, and ended up sleeping over?"

"Yes, all true," said Harry. "Look, no secrets, no conspiracies, right? She wanted to tell me how you've been, without forcing you to listen to it all. I'm so sorry about the ordeal you went through."

Lavender nodded. "I don't mind that she told you about my experiences. One of these days, soon, I hope, I'll be in better shape, but I'm not there yet. And your own trials through the years have been pretty awful too. On top of everything else, sharing thoughts with Voldemort must have been hideous."

"Yes, it was, though like so many of the horrible parts, it actually helped us to defeat him. I'm just lucky that I had good friends through all those years. Just like you, right? Now, about that other thing. Parvati said she'd stop by at around one o'clock, and she thought you might want her to hear about it too. But we're not scheming behind your back. You should decide."

"No problem; we can wait for her. Let's clean this up, and I'll give you a tour of the garden."

They gathered the dishes and the remaining food, except for the coffee and three mugs. Leaving them on the table, they brought the rest back to the kitchen, where Harry washed while Lavender dried and returned things to their places. As they returned to the garden, through the school area at the rear of the house, they could hear Neville and Luna talking in one of the rooms.

"OK," Lavender began, as they re-entered the garden. "Now, you may have noticed that the garden is basically arranged as a three-by-three grid, very simple, with nine separate gardens, all of them about the same size. They connect every which way, and the fountain is in the middle section, with the formal perennial beds, so you can wander wherever you like, and always get back to the fountain pretty easily. I mean, I know that you won't get lost, but I've found that it's helpful to the children to hear about the fountain at the center, and we always remind them that when they return to the central garden, they just go up these three steps into the rose garden, and from there it's straight through to the house. We always have them meet at the fountain when they're done with projects and games out here. But we don't really leave them alone. We just tell them how to find their way back so they won't be afraid of getting lost."

Harry quietly observed how often Lavender referred to children's fears, and to her goal of allaying them, as she led Harry through four or five additional gardens, including a kitchen garden with vegetables and herbs, and a small arboretum with flowering trees, some of them now bearing ripening nuts and fruit. Somewhere along the tour, Lavender took hold of Harry's hand, and they walked hand in hand as she showed him around. Recalling how affectionate she'd been in school, and Parvati's description of her current situation, he knew that he should not get too close to her. But conspicuously letting go of her hand seemed worse than continuing to hold it, and perhaps, he thought, this was just her way of expressing trust and friendship. Leading him into a rather overgrown section, she continued, "... and this area is for the children. They have their own garden plots in here, and they plant what they like, but they haven't been here since June, so things are pretty wild now. In the fall we'll show them how to turn the soil to get ready for next spring."

Harry noticed that of the nine gardens, the one that was farthest to the right in the back row was completely enclosed by a brick wall, and that the connecting doors to that garden were closed. Lavender saw him glancing at one of the doors, and said, somewhat quietly, "That's my private garden. I keep one of the nine for myself."

Harry nodded, and they continued along, eventually returning to the central garden with the fountain. Lavender let go of Harry's hand, much to his secret relief, and with a wave of her wand she reheated the coffee in the jug, then poured another cup for each of them. They sat, with their backs to the house, and their talk soon turned to their days at Hogwarts.

After a pause in their conversation, Lavender said, "Harry, I've been enjoying getting to know you again, and there's something I want you to understand about how I used to behave back at school."

Harry replied, "Lav, I'm enjoying this too. But look, we were all nutty back then, just in different ways. You shouldn't feel like you have anything to explain."

"That's true, but it's more about sharing something that helps to explain who I was then, and what my little school is all about. You may know that both of my parents were from old families. Both of them can be traced pretty far back, and when Voldemort first arose, before you and I were born, he expected people from the older families to flock to him, along with the real aristocrats like the Blacks and the Lestranges and the Malfoys. But Mum and Dad wouldn't accept any of that pure bloodline crap, and they resisted joining up; and eventually, because of that, they came to be regarded as enemies. I think this happened to the Weasleys and some other families too. Even after Voldemort's apparent demise that first time," and here she glanced anxiously at Harry, "my parents feared that others who were still loyal to him might come after them."

Now she paused. She knew that in referring to the first apparent death of Voldemort she was also alluding to the night that he had killed Harry's parents in Godric's Hollow. He was looking off into the garden, and he turned towards her when she paused. She reached over, squeezed his hand, and said, "I'm sorry about mentioning that, Harry."

"It's OK," he replied.

Now Lavender continued with her narrative: "So we traveled a good deal when I was little, and I spent less time here than you might think. I loved it whenever we were at home, but after a while we always headed out again. They never told me why we traveled so much, and I guess I just took it in stride, but it's clear to me now that they were lying low, trying to keep me safe.

"When I was eleven, and it was time to go to Hogwarts, they felt that I would be safe under Professor Dumbledore's care. So they packed me off to school, and they went back into hiding again. I didn't exactly know what was going on, but by then I was old enough to realize that something wasn't right. I would send letters to them by owl, and I would hear back at irregular intervals, often indirectly, through friends of theirs, and it was sometimes obvious from what they wrote that they hadn't received all of my letters. So I had this vague feeling of being under some kind of a threatening cloud.

"During that time, I was trying to find something stable, or comforting, and you saw the result, which was me running after boys, flirting, giggling, sharing little secrets and conspiracies with Parvati and Padma. I was an insecure, flighty little thing. It's all so obvious now. And if I were to examine my thoughts now, I mean, as I saw things then, I think it would be that I had a fear, somewhere down deep, that I might never see my parents again. But I thought that if I had a boyfriend, not just a regular boyfriend, but some kind of passionate love of my life, I'd have someone to cling to when the worst happened. And then, in sixth year, we started hearing about people being attacked and killed in their homes. One of them was Susan Bones' Aunt Amelia, who was a good friend of my parents. Well, I just lost it, and that's when I went after poor Ron."

Harry smiled to himself to think of Lavender describing the object of her own adolescent advances as 'poor Ron,' but Lavender had had the same thought. She turned to Harry and smiled, and in an ironic tone he replied, "Yes, poor Ron," and they both laughed.

Lavender then continued, "I think that's also why I found the subject of Divination so appealing. Like if there was a way of knowing the worst before it actually happened, I might be prepared. And then it did happen, right before the battle, though I had no idea until later. Someone hunted down my parents, and ..." After a pause, she continued, "Did Parvati tell you about the night I opened my eyes and looked up at Padma?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry about that."

"Well, I'm weeping a bit now, thinking about it, but I'm OK. I've been through that chapter a lot of times." She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, and continued, "So I agree with what you said earlier, Harry, that we were all young and silly, and dealing with things in our own ways. And that was mine."

"I had my own issues," said Harry, "and my own ways of dealing with similar things. During our first year at school I found a magical mirror that showed my parents as though they were still living, and I spent a lot of time just sitting and looking into it, until Professor Dumbledore moved it away. He said it was better that I not do that, but of course I didn't understand him at the time."

"I didn't know about that, Harry, but it does look like we had similar issues. Loss, fear of loss, you know, eventually it turns into confusion about why you're afraid, and that just becomes a bigger tangle. But I find it helpful to remember what I was like back then, because I see some of these behaviors in the children here at my school. Sometimes the ones who appear to be the most carefree are the ones with the biggest problems. They're living in a kind of giddy, alternative world that they've created, just as I did, but inside they're deeply sad, or fearful, and like me, they don't know why they feel that way. We have around forty children in the school, and it's a real struggle to get things right for each of them, but the alternative to trying to help them would be to ignore their problems, and just hope it all works out. And I can't do that."

"I don't know if this will make a difference to you, Lavender, but during our seventh year, when you and the others were at Hogwarts, and Ron and Hermione and I were out trying to find a way to destroy Voldemort, I had a lot of time to think about my years at school. There were long nights keeping watch, and I would think back to various events through the years. I was partly looking for clues about how to defeat him, and partly looking for things I could believe in. Sometimes I thought about the Sorting Hat, and how it could recognize traits in people. And I would think about the people I knew at school, including you. I remembered that you were the first from our year to be chosen for Gryffindor, and how all the other Gryffindors cheered when we were selected. I also remembered how quick you were to join Dumbledore's Army, and how dedicated you were when we trained. And sitting there in the dark, keeping watch, I would consider all of that, and think about how you must be a loyal and brave person, regardless of, you know, some of your other behavior. I mean, I thought about a lot of people, but among them I knew that you were on our side, and it meant a lot to me."

"It's nice of you to say that, Harry. And it's interesting that you would mention the Sorting Hat, because I used to think about it the same way. In the last few years at school, when I began to have glimmerings of why I behaved the way I did, I would sometimes ask myself who I really was, what my character was, and it helped me to think of that old hat. I could at least hope that if it really knew what it was doing, then maybe I was worthier than I thought I was. Those were the sorts of ideas that helped me to rise to the occasion when I knew that I had to be brave. Does that make sense to you?"

"Yes, it does," said Harry. "Sometimes you just need a bit of inspiration to help you be who you always were anyway. Maybe that sounds mental, but I guess I'm saying that if I know that someone else believes in me, then maybe I should too. Look, Lavender, I can see that you have a really strong sense of duty. It must take real devotion and patience to run this school. I don't know how you find enough love inside of you to care for all of these kids, but what you're doing here is really inspiring."

"Thanks, Harry, and I hope you won't mind if I disagree with you slightly. It's not like I'm trying to prove something, but I've actually thought about that word, 'love', and I feel that it's somewhat overused. If we say that we 'love' sweets, or quidditch, maybe no harm is done. But if I say that I love all of these children, some of whom I've only met recently, and some of whom are very troublesome, the word feels misused. Again, I'm not trying to argue with you, I just want to tell you what I've thought about when I ask myself why I'm doing this.

"I would personally reserve the word 'love' for our feelings toward our dearest friends and relatives, and for our ideals and our deepest beliefs about right and wrong. I think that I was most attracted to the idea of opening the school by a desire to do some good, to help these kids make it in the world. But some of them act out in all sorts of awful ways, even for a small child. They're often moody, disagreeable, petulant, hostile; they throw tantrums, and they hit the other kids, and they're so confused they don't even know why. It certainly doesn't make them feel any better. So when I think about my personal feelings towards them, honestly, it's not love that I feel. I feel pity, and empathy, and responsibility, as an adult who knows a few things that they don't, and I feel a desire to at least try to improve their lives, to lift them up a bit, to help repair the world. That's a phrase my parents used to use. It seems so wrong that these children should have been born into these difficulties. And I think I can do a better job at helping them if I frame it that way, rather than in terms of loving them. Anyway, I'm just trying to tell you how I see it, I'm not trying to lecture."

"No, I think I see what you're getting at. Trying to 'repair the world' - I like that idea - and trying to do a good job at what you've chosen to do, is a matter of responsibility and dedication. Maybe we should love the goal, which is a universal, and accept the children for who they are."

"Yes, something like that. And I should also tell you that another nice thing about having the school is the joy it brings to me, personally. I get to see these children enjoying the garden, just as I did when I was little, as part of their school experience. Sometimes I walk through the area, or just sit right here by the fountain, when there are two or three classes outside, playing games, or working on projects, and it makes me so happy to see and hear them chattering and running around. That's when they forget their problems for a while ..."

"Well, I hope to see the school some day when the children are here. But Lavender, can I ask you about something else?"

"Of course."

"It's about Parvati. Yesterday evening, at supper, she sounded pretty tough, but later, when I was at her place, afterward, she just broke down, crying and moaning and shaking, and I was really worried for her. I know that she's been taking care of you, but I think that she needs some help too."

"Yes, Harry, she does. Parvi has a lot of grief inside, and she doesn't like to admit it. Padma has been helping her along, and I've been trying to do the same. We comfort her, and help her get it out when she needs to. I guess she told you about Cho?" Harry nodded.

"Well, Parvati is very independent, and most of the time she pretends to be impervious to all of the grief, but Padma and I have seen what you saw last night, and we're trying to help her get through it. Have you ever heard of Survivor Guilt? It's a syndrome that some people develop, when others have suffered terribly and they haven't; they wonder why they've been spared, as though it's their fault that other people haven't. Parvi lived through all of the horror, and she saw so much more pain after the battle, but she and Padma and their parents came through it all without a scratch. And I think that it's a major burden for her, something that just bubbles up from time to time. I've been the one with the worst problems for a long time, but lately, things have been shifting about. And as I've recovered, I've finally gotten to a point where I can begin to help her. I suspect that the balance will continue to shift, and I hope that Padma and I can help her to get through this. But it will take time."

"So the patient has begun to care for the Healer?"

"Well, sometimes when you have a job to do ..."

"Lavender, I think I heard that line from Parvati last night."

"Yes, I stole it from her," Lavender replied with a smile. "Let's just say that the three of us, Padma, Parvati, and I, are all trying to take care of each other."

At this point they heard footsteps behind them, and they turned to see Parvati approaching. "Hey there, how's everyone?" she asked.

"Great," said Lavender. "We were just talking about our time back at school, things like that. And before you point out that my eyes are red, it's because I was telling Harry about my fears during childhood of losing my parents." Then, in a more cheerful voice, "But I'm fine now. Do you want some coffee?"

"Sure, thanks."

"And Parvi, just so you know, I noticed Bruno's shirt the minute that Harry walked in."

Parvati looked a bit guilty, but Harry spoke first, "It's alright, I think we all know that everyone here is looking out for everyone else, right?"

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Well," said Parvati, "I guess it's time to hear what Harry came to talk about. Unless you want to go it alone, Lav. I don't need to be involved in all of your business."

"It's OK, Parvi, I know why you're doing it, and I'm glad you are. But it won't be forever!" Lavender reached out and squeezed Parvati's hand, and Harry reflected with some relief that her habit of touching and holding hands was just part of her general way of interacting with people. So maybe it wasn't so bad that she had held his hand earlier.

Parvati and Lavender turned to Harry, and he began: "OK, I need to back up a bit, but it's important to me to say this first: I know that you two were roommates with Hermione, and that things weren't always perfect. So, speaking just for myself, I want to ask you to give her a chance. She's a really fine person, heroic even, but by nature she's very focused on whatever she's doing, and sometimes she can come off as distant. But it's because she's always thinking, processing things. It's just who she is."

Before Lavender could answer, Parvati spoke, "Harry, if either of us was the bad one, it was me. I know she's a good person, and I know that we were all young and stupid, and I'll be the first to greet her as a friend if you bring her around. And after all, it wasn't that bad. We mostly got along, we just weren't that close."

Lavender nodded in agreement.

"Great," Harry continued. "Because I really like the two of you, and it would be awful if old differences got in the way. OK, and now to the point," and here he looked at Lavender, and said, "Hermione would like you to participate in a spell-casting that she has been working on, and the first thing you need to know is that if you don't want to do it, that's fine. I know you've been under a lot of stress, and that you're still recovering, so if you just say 'no,' it's over."

Again, Lavender quietly nodded.

"Now, here's the situation ..." And Harry explained the purpose of the spell, and the delicate reasons, relating to her personality, that Lavender would be appropriate. He noted that Hermione had been working closely with Professor McGonagall on this, and that there was no physical danger, though there might be some emotional stress, since certain sensations would be drawn to the surface. And again, he reminded her that if it all seemed like too much, Lavender should just decline. But she was intrigued by the prospect that Hermione might find a way to be reunited with her parents. "Harry, I want to do it. This is a wonderful thing, and I would love to be part of it. If it brings out some stress and tears, well, I know that territory pretty well, and I'll manage. What do we do next?"

"I think that the next step should be to bring Hermione over here to give you the details," said Harry. "And I think that the spell-casting will take place at Hogwarts, in a week or two, and that it will involve maybe three or four days up there."

"That all sounds fine," said Lavender. Turning now to Parvati, she continued, "Isn't Bruno coming to visit on Thursday?" Parvati nodded. "So maybe Harry should bring Hermione over here on Thursday afternoon. We can talk about the plan, and then go and have supper somewhere with you guys." Turning to Harry, she continued, "You and Hermione can get to know Bruno, and I think we'll all have fun."

Parvati now said, "How about meeting for drinks, at five o'clock, at the Angry Boar, and then we can go to supper."

They settled on the plan, and continued with their coffee. And after a while, Harry departed, leaving Parvati and Lavender in the garden.