#14
AN: Also written for the Variety of Prompts challenge.
Prompt: Love Hurts
Prompt: Bottle
Alone in the girl's bathroom, Lavender gulps down a mouthful of butterbeer—or perhaps it is vodka. Parvati has a hidden stash for parties and breakups, but Lavender doesn't know which one she grabbed. Her mouth is filled with a bitter taste, no matter what she drinks, and her eyes are too full of tears to read the label on the bottle.
She can't believe that it is over between her and Ron. Over. Now he'll probably start dating Hermione—smart, daring, adventurous Hermione, a true Gryffindor. Not like Lavender. The Sorting Hat should have put her in Hufflepuff. She's loyal, even if her boyfriends aren't.
Sobbing, she drinks a little more. She and Ron were a good couple—she's certain of it. They spent all of their time together—eating breakfast, visiting Hogsmeade, snogging in the Three Broomsticks, snogging in the common room, snogging in empty classrooms… tearfully, she remembers one time McGonagall caught them and threatened to jinx them if they came back…
Lavender's mother, the veteran of three divorces, always gave Lavender the same advice about dating: love hurts.
She'd say it like it was a piece of advice. Boys are nothing but trouble, honey. Love hurts.
Until Ron, Lavender had never been in love. She's liked Ron for ages and ages… and then, finally, they got together…
Love hurts, she tells herself. Love hurts. She tries to convince herself that it's true, tells herself she'll never make that mistake again. Love hurts.
But, deep down, Lavender knows that's not true. Love is wonderful.
It's the end of love that hurts.