Written For:
Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition: Caerphilly Catapults - Round 5 - Keeper
Write about a character that shows the flaw of cruelty. The catch: It can't be a character that exhibits that flaw in canon.
Warning for infidelity (kind of only a hint, but I wanted the warning just in case)
Betas: Wellwick, charlotteredmond99
Charade
Dean stared as Lavender fawned over Seamus. It was sickening and reminded him of how she had once acted with Ron in their school days.
They've been out of Hogwarts for nearly two years. One would think the somewhat ditzy blonde might have matured a little bit.
He turned his head, studying the girl that sat next to him. Parvati Patil. An index finger played with loose tendrils of ebony hair as she flipped through a fashion magazine, ignoring everyone around her.
He scrunched his nose up in irritation as he once again thought about why he was playing along with this charade when his heart wasn't in it.
Dean sighed as Lavender's girlish giggles pulled his thoughts to her and his best friend. That was why he was doing it. Lavender liked doing absolutely everything with Parvati, and Seamus worried that he wouldn't get Lavender as his girlfriend if Dean didn't date Parvati.
It was ridiculous, but Seamus had chased Lavender for a while, and Dean wouldn't be the reason Lavender said 'no' to dating his best friend.
Parvati tossed her magazine on the table and shifted her body on the couch, sitting at an angle so she looked at him easier. "Are you okay?"
Dean did his best to not sigh, again. "Fine."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
Dean looked at Parvati. Really looked at her. She was a pretty girl. A dark complexion and long, dark tresses that framed her face when her hair hung down. She was slim. Not as curvy as Lavender but definitely pleasing to the eye. And most of the guys in their year at Hogwarts pined for her. But still, she did nothing for Dean.
He had to play along, though. Just for a little while. Until he was sure Lavender wouldn't dump Seamus if Dean and Parvati were no longer a couple. He forced a smile and took her hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm fine."
Her answering smile made him feel a little guilty, but he reassured himself that there was no way Parvati actually liked him. He had never known her to have any real in-depth feelings about anyone or anything.
X
Dean placed his quill down on the top of the wooden desk, lifting his hand up to massage the back of his neck, working out the slight cramp he could feel forming.
"You need some help with that?" Parvati's light voice asked.
Dean stiffened. He forgot she was there. She had been so quiet, so unlike her usual boisterous personality. "You don't have to," he muttered.
Parvati was already up and moving towards him. "I want to." She placed her small hands on his shoulders and started squeezing, putting just enough pressure that he felt his muscles loosening.
He barely held back the groan. It felt good. Very good.
"Dean, we've been dating for a while, and I realized I don't know very much about you," Parvati began.
His sudden relaxation disappeared immediately. "What is there to know?"
Parvati continued to rub his shoulders. "Well, I know you like to draw. Your best friend is of course Seamus. While Seamus is much louder, you tend to be on the quieter side. I know you have a mum and step-dad, but that's pretty much all I know about you."
"There's nothing particularly special about me," Dean said. He pushed her hands lightly away and swiveled in his chair so he was looking at her. "What about you?" he asked, desperate to avert her attention, and he figured she'd love the opportunity to sing her own praises.
Parvati stared at him for a long moment as if she was trying to figure him out. It was slightly creepy. She then slid into his lap, wringing her arms around his neck as she made herself comfortable.
He shifted, keeping his face impassive and he clenched his hands into fists, so he didn't push her off of him. He hated when people got in his space.
"Well, I have a mum and dad. And of course a twin sister. Padma, little Miss Perfect. My family has always been really traditional, and sometimes, I got the feeling they wished I was more like Padma. Someone who enjoyed reading and knitting, someone who wasn't as wild. More subdued. Like a proper Indian Witch. She was definitely easier on my parents than I was."
Despite himself, Dean found himself feeling bad that Parvati might have felt inferior to her sister — it was almost like she was a real person — and Dean didn't know what to say in response.
They sat together, quiet, Parvati resting her head on Dean's shoulders.
X
Dean sat at the cafe, people-watching. He noticed two girls sitting at a table, heads bent together and laughing about something. Both girls were eye-catching. One had black hair and purple streaks running through it and obsidian eyes. His eyes were trained on the other one, though, the one with auburn hair. She had seafoam green eyes and the cutest smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
He found himself wondering what they were talking about.
Suddenly, the girls simultaneously looked at him. The one that caught his fancy winked at him and waved.
Dean's cheeks heated. He wasn't usually the kind of guy that approached a girl that he liked, but there was something about this one. He cleared his throat, grabbed his cup of tea, and moved over to the table. "Hi," he breathed, "I'm Dean."
The friend of the girl he liked smirked. "Hi. I'm Hazel. And my friend here is…" She elbowed the one he really wanted to meet.
Green-Eyes fluttered her eyelashes as she gazed up at him. "Lucy. My name is Lucy."
"May I sit?"
"Please."
He didn't take his eyes off of Lucy as he placed his tea on the table. He hoped he'd be able to hear her life story. She was something special; he just knew it.
X
It was time. If Lavender broke up with Seamus, it wasn't his fault. This couldn't go on any longer, not when he wanted so badly to date Lucy.
He approached her when he saw her sitting on a plush couch in the Gryffindor common room. There were others around, but it wasn't as crowded as usual, so hopefully, no one would overhear the unpleasant conversation he was about to have with Parvati.
He decided to not beat around the bush. "It's over," he stated with no uncertainty in his voice.
Parvati opened her mouth, but no words were forthcoming. It snapped shut. Finally, she said, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, I just don't like you." He averted his eyes as he delivered the truth. Why sugarcoat it? The sooner he got this over with, the better it would be.
Parvati looked so confused. "You don't like me? What changed?"
"I never liked you. I only dated you so Lavender would give Seamus a chance."
"You never liked me? You lied about having feelings for me?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't be so over-dramatic. It's not like you had actual feelings for me. You were probably only dating me as a way to pass time until some other guy caught your attention."
Parvati glared at him as she bunched her blouse between white-knuckled fists. "Don't put your feelings on me. I actually did like you. I've liked you since Hogwarts. I'm not sure why. How can you be like this? How can you just treat someone's feelings as unimportant?"
Dean felt some guilt, but he was done putting his happiness on hold. "Listen. We dated for not even six months. It's not that big of a deal. I dated you because my best friend needed me to. I didn't know you'd go and get all attached to me."
She really looked like she wanted to punch him. "You don't know me at all. In fact, you never knew me, did you?"
Dean sighed. "No, I didn't. And frankly, I wasn't really interested in getting to know you. You're not my type, Parvati."
There were angry tears wetting Parvati's cheeks. "I never knew you could be so cruel, Dean Thomas." She took the stray chocolate frog that laid on the table and threw it at his head. "I hope you choke on that!" she yelled before stomping out of his flat, the door slamming in her wake.
Dean knew he should probably feel a little worse about hurting Parvati — he really hadn't expected her to like him so much — but he was so eager to see Lucy again. He pushed whatever guilt he felt aside. He had an owl to send.
XX
(word count: 1,450)