Chapter 7
Graham arched one eyebrow. She surprised him when she said that she knew what his special talent was. He honestly didn't believe Lavender was that clever. She was pretty; no, she was gorgeous, and she wasn't dumb like Ron said she was, and she may have been a bit flaky before, but Graham could read her and he knew that she had suffered more than she let on during the war. He saw the loneliness but no bitterness after what happened to her as a result of Voldemort and the death eaters; one very dangerous death eater in particular. He couldn't get a full picture of who he was but he knew she had been badly hurt.
He needed to test her to see if she was capable of trusting him. She thought he could trust Ron, but Graham knew that he wanted her to trust only him. Ron was too overt about his ability to use Lavender; Graham was afraid that if Ron got to her, there was no hope for him.
He was about to respond to her when they were interrupted by the server delivering their plates. The lamb looked wonderful, but he was afraid it was too rare for her.
"Are you okay with the lamb? It's a little rare."
Lavender's eyes lit up. "Oh no," she said. "These days I like my meet extra rare. It looks perfect." She took a bite and smiled. "It's wonderful."
Graham watched as she ate. He remembered something Ron told him about being attacked during the Battle of Hogwarts. She'd been slashed by a werewolf, but he had not transformed. What was his name?
"Fenrir Greyback," he said out loud and Lavender dropped her fork with a loud clang on the china plate.
She began looking around with panic in her eyes. All the color washed from her face and she began shaking.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"What did you say?" she asked
"I asked you if you were all right," he said.
"No, before that," she whispered.
"Nothing," he said. "Oh shit, did I say that out loud? I'm so sorry; I have a habit of doing that. I honestly didn't mean to. I have conversations in my head and I was trying to remember his name. That's the werewolf that attacked you, right?"
She stared at him for the longest time unable to comprehend why Graham would be thinking of her attack much less say the name of the horrible man who'd disfigured her. He was so cavalier, no obvious concern for the trauma she experienced. Finally, she nodded dumbly. She pulled her sweater tighter to her chest. "He was killed," she said quietly.
"I know," he said. "A lot of people died that day, didn't they?"
Lavender thought he was exceptionally insensitive, but Graham's look was so sincere, that he honestly wanted to hear about the battle and what had happened to her that she felt she needed to answer his question.
"Yes," she said. "I try not to think about it."
"Of course not," he said taking her hand before she could continue. "I'm being unbelievably rude, aren't I?" He kissed her hand. "Forgive me; it's the American in me."
Lavender relaxed and chuckled. "You are rather plain spoken, is that an American trait as well?"
He grimaced. "I was hoping that was one of my endearing qualities. I'm sorry. I'm just fascinated by you and I want to know all about you and I'm a little impatient. Forgive me?" He kissed her hand again.
She blushed and looked down at her plate. She wasn't used to being flattered. She ate silently for a while but could feel his eyes on her. She looked up and smiled and he smiled back.
"Lovely," he said.
They enjoyed rest of their meal in relative quiet. After the server poured their wine, Graham asked to see the dessert cart. He chose a very decadent chocolate cake which they shared. After the meal, they walked back to her uncle's shop where she finished the paperwork on the rental.
"Would you like to see your flat again?" she asked coyly.
Graham smiled to himself. "I wouldn't mind. You haven't told me what you think my special talent is." He was teasing her.
She blushed again. He liked to see her flustered because she looked adorably vulnerable. "Oh," she said, "that."
"Well." He crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm waiting."
"You're going to think it's silly," she began. "I think you have a talent for putting people at ease so they will open up to you, telling you things they wouldn't dream of saying or doing otherwise."
He chuckled. "That would be special, wouldn't it? Shall we go?"
He escorted her back to his new flat and before long Lavender suggested that they go to her place for a nightcap. Graham didn't want to rush her, but he got the feeling she had dealt with a lot of rejection in her life, so he agreed.
Once inside the door, she immediately headed for her balcony. "Sorry," she said apologetically, "but I've been craving a fag all night."
She lit a cigarette and exhaled blissfully. She looked at him and explained, "It helps me calm my nerves."
"Didn't think anyone smoked anymore," he walked stepping up closer to her. He took the cigarette out of her hand and took a long drag. Blowing a long stream of smoke, he handed it back to her.
"You smoke?" she asked.
"Not very often, but you're right, it does calm the nerves."
Lavender leaned her head against the brick wall. They shared the cigarette silently. They watched each other, neither one saying a word.
Finally, Lavender flicked the butt over the railing when they finished. "Are you perfect?" she asked him.
"Far from it," he chuckled. "In fact, I'm the closest thing to the most imperfect man. I keep having wicked thoughts about you. I'm trying to be good but I'm afraid I'm losing the battle."
Before Lavender could utter a response Graham was kissing her. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him on. He was working frantically on unbuttoning her blouse when she came to her senses. She stepped back, pulling her shirt together.
"Please don't," she whispered.
He put his hand on hers and gently pushed it away, exposing her. He bent down to her chest and kissed the scars tenderly. "You're beautiful," he whispered. He let out a cleansing breath and reluctantly pushed away from him. "Don't be afraid of me, Lavender. I won't hurt you."
"If only I could believe that," she said, touching his face.
"Trust me," he said, kissing her gently. He led her back inside and kissed her again. "I want you."
