The Houses Competition (or THC)

House: Slytherin

Class: Charms

Category (Drabble/Standard): Standard

Prompt(s) chosen: [Weather] Rainy, [Character] Ron Weasley, [Word] Bookshop

Word Count: 2950

Disclaimers/triggers: Post War AU - Lavender lives and is not a werewolf, just afflicted like Bill Weasley

Unforeseen Omens

It was a beautiful summer day in Diagon Alley. The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze moved through the streets, making it cool enough to spend the day outside. It was the sort of day for a pick-up match of Quidditch or an outdoor adventure.

That was likely the reason the clerk had given him such a quizzical look when Ron had walked into the bookshop. Flourish & Blotts was not the sort of place anyone expected Ronald Weasley to go, not when there was perfect Quidditch weather outside to be enjoyed. At least not anyone who based their knowledge of him on what was in the paper.

He nodded in greeting to the clerk and strode into the tall aisles of books to find the books on his list. The first four were easy to locate, all neatly placed on the same shelf, only a few books down from each other.

The last book he wanted was new and highly sought after. While he was assured the book was in stock by the posters advertising it, he had his doubts when he couldn't find them where they should have been. None of the books on the topic were where he'd last seen them. When he looked up at the plaques labelling the aisle, he realised the entire section had been relocated to another part of the store. Ron rolled his eyes, annoyed, as he navigated the bookshop to find the new location.

Crouching down to get a better look, his index finger grazed over the spines of books as his eyes quickly scanned for the title he sought. It had to be here; he was in the right section now. Ron quietly read the titles aloud, his other arm holding on tightly to the other books he had selected. "Who's Who of Quidditch League 2001, 2002… ah ha! 2003."

Hooking his finger over the top of the book, he tilted it out of its place among the others and picked it up. Ron grinned, watching his sister in her Holyhead Harpies' gear fly across the enchanted cover. He'd have to get her to autograph it when they all gathered together for Sunday supper this week.

He turned the book over in his hand as he stood up, chuckling as he noticed the review from premier Quidditch correspondent, Lee Jordan. Ron turned to check out, still reading the blurb when someone walked straight into him.

"Excuse m—oh! Hello Ron." The familiar voice of Lavender Brown told him she was as surprised to encounter him as he was her.

Ron hadn't laid eyes on her since she had left St. Mungos after the war nearly five years ago. She looked healthier than she did then; her bright pink scars were now faded and healed. Realizing he was dumbly staring at her, he cleared his throat, tucking his book into his arm. "Hi Lavender. Sorry, I didn't notice you."

"Me neither—notice you, that is." She smiled nervously, holding a stack of books to her chest. "I didn't run into you on purpose. I was heading to the cashier."

"I was about to pay, too," Ron admitted awkwardly.

Lavender looked different. It was obvious the years had been kind to her, and her scars had in no way diminished her beauty. Ron wondered what she'd been doing with her life and immediately felt guilty he'd never bothered to inquire after her before.

"How are you? How have you been?" he blurted.

She tilted her head, pushing a stray curl of her dirty blonde hair back. "Good! I've got no complaints. You?"

"Been alright," he replied, his head nodding nervously. Ron had a sudden case of dry mouth.

Shifting the books in her arms, Lavender giggled with a humored expression. "I didn't expect you to meet you here of all places."

"Oi, I know how to read," he groused defensively. He wasn't stupid, and while he was used to others who didn't know him making that assumption, something about her making it bothered him.

"I know you can, Ron." Lavender sighed. "I just meant I didn't expect to run into you."

"Funny how that goes: things happening when you don't expect them." Ron hadn't expected to run into her either—he hadn't planned to run into anyone in the bookshop. His gaze shifted from her hazel eyes to the thick books she carried. "Whatcha got there?"

Her face lit up with a wide smile as she answered him enthusiastically, "I just bought a Crup!" Lavender pulled one book from her collection and showed him the cover: 'How To Train Your Crup'. "She's a feisty pup, and I want to make sure I'm training her right. She's my first dog," she explained.

Ron was revisited by the memory of her calling him 'Won-Won' in their sixth year in an embarrassingly loud voice. It made him instantly concerned for what she named her poor dog. He could only imagine a Crup saddled with a name like 'Babykins' would be miserable. Ron winced as he voiced his thoughts. "Dare I ask what you named her?"

"Penelope," Lavender answered, her head tilted back as if she were offended. "Why would you ask it like that?"

"Won-Won." He grimaced.

A snort escaped her as she erupted with laughter. "Oh Merlin, that was over six years ago, I was sixteen!" she cackled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yeah, and I still have nightmares about it."

Lavender's laughter was contagious, and some of his nerves faded away as they laughed about the past. Ron had forgotten how beautiful she was when she laughed, or perhaps he had never actually noticed it before this moment. Lavender had grown into a gorgeous woman, he realized. Her smile made his chest warm with the stirrings of old feelings he'd once had for her, and Ron grinned at her, taking in a breath.

"What are you picking up?" She gestured to the books he held.

"Oh, uh, some chess books. I've been playing again with some other Aurors," he confessed. It was one of the few pastimes that helped him relax. Those he played didn't always get to relax, some went as far as to accuse him of cheating because he won far more times than he lost.

Her lips quirked up at that. "Oh, sounds fun. I remember when you tried to teach me how to play."

So did he. Ron remembered wrapping his arm around her, pointing out each piece and explaining what each one did. Lavender hadn't seemed interested at the time, so it quickly devolved into yet another snogging session. Those nights came back clearly, with all their accompanying sensations—how warm she'd been against him, what she had smelled like, and what it had been like to kiss her.

It took him a moment to realize he'd stared off for too long, ruminating about their shared history. Scrambling for some way to not look like an utter idiot, he thought about her school friends. "So, uh, how's the gang? Parvati and Romilda and the others?"

"Doing grand," she revealed, adjusting her shoulder bag as she spoke. "Romilda is working for Witch Weekly, and you know how Parvati is. She works in your department."

He frowned with a sigh. "Yeah, we don't talk much. Parvati still hasn't forgiven me for calling her Padma when she started."

"Honestly?" Lavender rolled her eyes. "How you could mix them up is beyond me. Padma and Pavarti are like night and day."

He gulped in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm quite bad about that. They are identical twins."

Lavender switched her books to her other arm as she shook her head. "So, how is Harry, Neville, and um—" she paused, as if she was unsure if she should continue before exhaling and saying the name, "—Hermione?"

Ron pressed his lips into a smile. The awkwardness was back, sinking into his shoulders, twisting his gut, and forcing him to clench his jaw as he answered her, "Fantastic, yeah. Harry is working toward a promotion. Neville is teaching now, and so is Hermione."

"Excellent," Lavender commented, smiling in a muted sort of way.

He wondered if she knew what happened. Usually anyone who acted like this around the topic of him and Hermione either knew or assumed. Ron bit inside of his lower lip before exhaling his confession. "I don't know if you know, but we aren't—she and I—it didn't—"

"She left you for someone else. I know. Parvati told me," Lavender interrupted him bluntly.

She was obviously uncomfortable, her eyes no longer met his, and instead glanced at books beside them.

This wasn't new, so he understood; it wasn't his favorite topic either. It had happened over three years ago, and the thought of it still had the same familiar sting. It wasn't that Ron wasn't over her; he'd dated since then, but having to go through it repeatedly with people made it hard to forget. The positive side of it all was that they'd been able to be friends again, and she was happy now; happier than she'd ever been with him. Ron made sure to explain. "She's happier with him, so it's better this way, I suppose."

"Sorry, it didn't go the way you planned," Lavender offered sadly and sincerely.

Wanting to show her he wasn't bitter or upset about it, he shrugged. "Happens, yeah? Just got to go on."

Another uncomfortable lull in the conversation fell on them. It was as if neither knew which topics were safe to discuss.

He didn't know what to say, how to draw the conversation on longer. Ron found himself admiring her as they stood there, appreciating how her hair framed her face and the way makeup she wore made her eyes stand out.

It was Lavender who broke the silence first, wrapping both her arms around her books and pulling them to her chest like a shield. "Well, I should be going. I shouldn't keep you." She turned away from him to leave, her curls swaying across the back of her pink blouse.

Ron suddenly didn't want this to be the last time he saw her. Stirrings of old emotions were there, urging him to take a chance.

"Hey, Lav?"

"Yes?" She stopped, glancing over her shoulder.

Swallowing nervously, Ron sputtered over his words. "Would you like to get a drink, or maybe something to eat one night?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Ron." She frowned.

Of course, she wasn't interested in seeing him again; he'd all but forgotten about her for years. Nodding his head repeatedly, his smile wavered. He tried his best to not be let down by her rejection. "Sure, yeah, it was a rubbish idea."

"But we could get coffee now. As friends," Lavender bargained, turning toward him. "I know a place with the best latte in Diagon Alley."

He looked back up at her with a relieved smile. 'Friends' was better than nothing. "I'd like that."

Together they went to the counter, each paying for their own purchases. It wasn't until he glanced toward the doors that he realized it was no longer a bright and sunny day. The sky had clouded over, rain beating down on the cobblestones in heavy droplets.

Standing in the doorway, he glanced at her shaking his head. "It's really coming down now, innit?"

Something needed to be done about his books. He hadn't anticipated rain, so he was stuck now with no umbrella to keep him or his books dry. Ron shrunk his books, casting a waterproofing charm on them before tucking them into his pocket.

Lavender was tucking her books into her bag, her eyes scanning the sky with scrutiny. "It wasn't supposed to rain this early. Must be an omen."

On reflex, he rolled his eyes as he often did whenever someone tried to tell him something was a sign. Then he remembered Divination was her favorite subject when they were together. Lavender used to try to read his tea or palm to tell him about the future. He chuckled. "Still doing Divination, Lav?"

Her expression challenged him to say something offhanded about it.

"Alright, I'll bite. What kind of omen?" he asked, mentally preparing himself to get soaked, planning on using a drying charm when they arrived at the coffee shop.

"On a day like this," she replied smugly, studying the sky. "It's meant to be a positive omen, one of cleansing, washing away hurts of the past." She thoughtfully paused. "A new chapter is starting," Lavender spoke with a sense of confidence she hadn't had when they were younger.

Ron tucked his wand into his sleeve. "So what does that mean?"

"That it was fate that we ran into each other today." Lavender reached into her purse. "It feels like a new beginning, a new friendship."

He didn't put much stock in Divination, but he had the smallest inkling that maybe she was on to something. "I suppose you are right."

"Of course I am." She chuckled, pulling an umbrella from her purse. "I knew I bought one. We can share." With a twist of her wrist, she popped open the purple umbrella, holding it in the air.

Joining her under its canopy, his shoulder pressed up against hers as they walked. The rain battered loudly against the umbrella, the sound of it filling his ears. It was surprising that it had gone from a clear day to a deluge of water falling from the sky so quickly.

Lavender navigated over and around puddles on the sidewalk and he kept pace with her. Being this close, Ron could smell her perfume, smiling to himself that it was the same one she'd worn when they were younger. That led him back to where they were now, and how she'd made it clear that regardless of whatever they were in the past, they were going to be only friends now.

In a way, he appreciated her bluntness, something that had carried over from her teenage years. Now, Ron didn't have to guess where he stood. Additionally, she hadn't been cruel in telling him she wasn't interested in anything more than being his friend.

"Hey, Lav? Thanks for, ya know, turning me down easy," he thanked her.

"You know we were no good. We were together for all the wrong reasons," she spoke softly, glancing at the ground as she sidestepped the rush of water coming from a gutter. "But that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I never stopped caring, but I don't think it's in our stars to try again."

His chest tightened at hearing she hadn't stopped caring about him even when he'd been a right prat to her. If he was honest, he felt the same way. There was a part of him that had still cared that they weren't together anymore. "I didn't stop caring either. I just fell for Hermione. For what it is worth, I am sorry I hurt you the way I did."

"Thank you," Lavender acknowledged. "I saw it happening even when you didn't, but I'm not mad about it—not anymore." She turned toward a door tucked behind Fortescue's.

He had never paid the door any mind any of the other times he'd been here, so he never noticed the coffee pot symbol on the door.

Lavender climbed the few steps, reaching for the door. "This is the place."

Time slowed down as they sat together at the coffee table, talking about what they'd done in the last four years. The cafe wasn't busy, and no one barged over to talk to either of them, which Ron was grateful for. He appreciated the time he got to sit with her and discover what she'd been doing with her life.

Her love of Divination had taken her to Greece, where she studied the roots of the art. It was only because a renown seer had agreed to allow her to train under them that she'd returned to London at all.

Lavender appeared equally interested in what he'd been doing with his life. Beside working at the Ministry, his life had not been as fascinating as hers. Still, talking to her made him feel seen in a way he hadn't in years.

By the time they left the cafe, the rain was gone and the sun was back out.

Parting from her wasn't something he was looking forward to. It had been only an hour, but he'd relaxed more with her than he was used to. Ron pushed his hand through his hair as they stood on the sidewalk. "Thanks, Lav. It was good to see you and catch up."

"It was," she agreed, slipping her bag strap up over her arm.

Her agreement made him brave, asking to meet her again. "Want to do this again sometime? As friends?"

"I'd like that," she agreed with a bright smile. "Next week, same time and place?"

Relief washed through him as a lopsided smile took over his lips. "I'll be here."

"See you soon, alright." Lavender unexpectedly wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders.

Ron was surprised and hesitated before hugging her back firmly. "Yeah, see you soon."

She hugged him for a long moment before she let him go, walking away with a squeeze of his arm.

There was joy that he would see her again, but it was mixed with a longing for something left in the past as she walked away. A drop of water hit his forehead, and he remembered Lavender said the sudden rain signaled the start of a new chapter. Something felt right about that. Ron breathed deeply and closed his eyes before smiling and making his way home.

Maybe Divination wasn't all rubbish.