Her heels click down the cobblestoned street. It's crowded—it's the end of summer, Diagon Alley is filled with school children and their parents. You tried to talk Lavender out of coming here today of all days, but you've never really been able to talk Lavender out of anything.
"I just need to stop into a few shops really quick! You don't need to come if you don't want to."
"I want to," you'd said with a sigh. You did want to go, it's just that making trips out into the wizarding world lately was exhausting. The staring, the whispers—you finally understood how Harry feels. It was worse with Lavender, though, after her run-in with Greyback. The whispers weren't quiet. She took it in her stride, of course, but it was draining for her, you could tell.
You've fallen behind. Lavender turns around at the door to a small café, a hand on her hip. "I'm coming." You hurry along to meet her, following her inside and taking a seat at your usual table. Lavender puts her shopping bags down, falling into the seat beside you and leaning her head on your shoulder. "You alright?" you ask.
"Fine." She cranes her neck to look at you again, a scrutinizing expression on Lavender's face. "Are you? You seem…off?"
You shoot her a look, raising one eyebrow. "Oh, I'm good. I was just thinking," you say, your voice delicate and powerful, "about those lovely new robes you got. How good they would look on you, how good they'll look on our floor tonight…"
Lavender rolls her eyes, settling back into the curve of your neck. "Lunch first, I'm hungry. But if you've got such important plans for us when we get home, I suppose I could cut our day short here."
.
A/N: Written for Advent Calendar Day 18: (setting) Diagon Alley;
Writing Club - Showtime 18: (action) daydreaming; Count Your Buttons P2: ParvatiLavender; Sophie's Shelf C5: Lavender Brown; Angel's Arcade 8: (trait) shopaholic, (object) heels, (pairing) LavenderParvati;
Writing Month and Dragons: wc 300