Lavender pulled her robe on over her clothes, braided her hair with
precise, practiced movements, and slipped a small bottle of whiskey into
one of the inside pockets. Her eyes moved to Parvati, who was putting on a
skirt (it was a tradition for all girls to wear skirts the first day back.
Had to keep the boys happy). Her longs legs were shapely and toned.
Lavender bit her lip, and looked away. With a shaky hand she applied some lip gloss. You don't like girls, she told herself. Her head protested, asking why she always noticed a pretty girl, asking why she wondered what it would feel like to kiss Padma, wondered what Parvati's skin felt like.
Hormones. That's what it was, hormones. The train jolted to a stop, and Parvati threw her things back into her trunk. They walked out together, gossiping about Pansy and Draco. She bumped into Harry, and blushed.
"Hey." She said softly, giving him a small smile. He gave her the grin that made her weak in the knee's, not to sound clichéd.
"Hey. Mind if I share a carriage with you? Ron and Hermione are arguing over something stupid and I really don't want to listen." Harry said, sounding guilty.
"We don't mind." Parvati said brightly, batting her eyelash's at him.
"Thought you liked Weasley?" Lavender whispered as they got in a carriage.
"Is it against the rules to flirt?" Parvati asked.
"You want Ron or not? I suggest you don't flit with his best friend." Lavender replied angrily.
"Good point. Stop sounding bitchy." Parvati said, squeezing Lavender's hand.
Her skin tingled where Parvati touched it. She looked down at the ground, thankful it was dark.
"How was your summer, Lavender?" Harry asked in an attempt to make conversation.
Lavender shrugged. "Boring and dismal as usual. What else can you expect from two fifty year old parents who want to force me into a marriage?" Lavender asked bitterly, revealing more than she meant to.
"I see." Harry replied softly. "Who do they want you to marry?"
"Neville or Dean. They're both purebloods. Can't marry Draco. He is to choose between Pansy and Ginny. Someone he hates versus someone who has no brain and resembles a pug...." Lavender said thoughtfully.
"Gin? Really?" Harry asked, leaning forward.
"Yeah. She's one of the purest purebloods besides me and Neville." Lavender replied, shrugging.
"Weird." Harry said, falling silent.
"How was your summer, Harry?" She asked timidly.
"You live with muggles, right?" Parvati chimed.
He nodded. Gloom seemed to settle over them, and Lavender felt anger and self hate being projected from Harry. She looked at him with troubled eyes, hoping it was just a phase. Hoping it would leave.
"Same." Harry said, seeming to choose his words very carefully.
She almost called him a liar. The carriage stopped and Harry was the first out, almost bolting. He paused, held out his hand to help them down, and then all but ran to find his friends.
"Did you see the way he looked at you when you got out?" Parvati squealed. Lavender shook her head, her breath catching in her throat. Parvati grinned and rolled her eyes as if to say 'Child, you are so blind'.
"He looked at you liked you were a.....a....well, not a piece of meat, and not a girl...Kind of both....." Parvati said.
"I think you drink to much alcohol." Lavender said, sneering.
"If I do, you do." Parvati sing-songed.
"Yeah yeah." Lavender replied.
She caught sight of pale, pointed face in front of them, turning to face them, and she gave the face a seductive smile. For all the inter-house rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, Draco appreciated beautiful girls when he saw them, and hardly ever passed up a chance to use them.
"Brown." He said coldly, his eyes traveling up and down her body, making her shiver. Lavender watched as his eyes followed the ebony haired, average height boy walking slowly up the steps, flanked by Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Dean. The look in his eyes was longing and sadness.
"I think we might have a bisexual boy in our midst." Lavender said conspiratorially
"Well, that's a change. How many have we counted now? All of them, mind you. Gays, lesbians, bi's." Parvati asked as they entered the Great Hall.
"Twenty." Lavender said.
"Christ." Parvati sighed, waving to Justin Finch-Fletchly.
They sat down, close together so they could talk without attracting attention. Lavender felt Parvati's leg pressed against hers and her breathing quickened minimally.
That night, when everyone was asleep, Lavender Brown cut herself for the first time and marveled at the prettiness of the little red river of blood.
Lavender bit her lip, and looked away. With a shaky hand she applied some lip gloss. You don't like girls, she told herself. Her head protested, asking why she always noticed a pretty girl, asking why she wondered what it would feel like to kiss Padma, wondered what Parvati's skin felt like.
Hormones. That's what it was, hormones. The train jolted to a stop, and Parvati threw her things back into her trunk. They walked out together, gossiping about Pansy and Draco. She bumped into Harry, and blushed.
"Hey." She said softly, giving him a small smile. He gave her the grin that made her weak in the knee's, not to sound clichéd.
"Hey. Mind if I share a carriage with you? Ron and Hermione are arguing over something stupid and I really don't want to listen." Harry said, sounding guilty.
"We don't mind." Parvati said brightly, batting her eyelash's at him.
"Thought you liked Weasley?" Lavender whispered as they got in a carriage.
"Is it against the rules to flirt?" Parvati asked.
"You want Ron or not? I suggest you don't flit with his best friend." Lavender replied angrily.
"Good point. Stop sounding bitchy." Parvati said, squeezing Lavender's hand.
Her skin tingled where Parvati touched it. She looked down at the ground, thankful it was dark.
"How was your summer, Lavender?" Harry asked in an attempt to make conversation.
Lavender shrugged. "Boring and dismal as usual. What else can you expect from two fifty year old parents who want to force me into a marriage?" Lavender asked bitterly, revealing more than she meant to.
"I see." Harry replied softly. "Who do they want you to marry?"
"Neville or Dean. They're both purebloods. Can't marry Draco. He is to choose between Pansy and Ginny. Someone he hates versus someone who has no brain and resembles a pug...." Lavender said thoughtfully.
"Gin? Really?" Harry asked, leaning forward.
"Yeah. She's one of the purest purebloods besides me and Neville." Lavender replied, shrugging.
"Weird." Harry said, falling silent.
"How was your summer, Harry?" She asked timidly.
"You live with muggles, right?" Parvati chimed.
He nodded. Gloom seemed to settle over them, and Lavender felt anger and self hate being projected from Harry. She looked at him with troubled eyes, hoping it was just a phase. Hoping it would leave.
"Same." Harry said, seeming to choose his words very carefully.
She almost called him a liar. The carriage stopped and Harry was the first out, almost bolting. He paused, held out his hand to help them down, and then all but ran to find his friends.
"Did you see the way he looked at you when you got out?" Parvati squealed. Lavender shook her head, her breath catching in her throat. Parvati grinned and rolled her eyes as if to say 'Child, you are so blind'.
"He looked at you liked you were a.....a....well, not a piece of meat, and not a girl...Kind of both....." Parvati said.
"I think you drink to much alcohol." Lavender said, sneering.
"If I do, you do." Parvati sing-songed.
"Yeah yeah." Lavender replied.
She caught sight of pale, pointed face in front of them, turning to face them, and she gave the face a seductive smile. For all the inter-house rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, Draco appreciated beautiful girls when he saw them, and hardly ever passed up a chance to use them.
"Brown." He said coldly, his eyes traveling up and down her body, making her shiver. Lavender watched as his eyes followed the ebony haired, average height boy walking slowly up the steps, flanked by Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Dean. The look in his eyes was longing and sadness.
"I think we might have a bisexual boy in our midst." Lavender said conspiratorially
"Well, that's a change. How many have we counted now? All of them, mind you. Gays, lesbians, bi's." Parvati asked as they entered the Great Hall.
"Twenty." Lavender said.
"Christ." Parvati sighed, waving to Justin Finch-Fletchly.
They sat down, close together so they could talk without attracting attention. Lavender felt Parvati's leg pressed against hers and her breathing quickened minimally.
That night, when everyone was asleep, Lavender Brown cut herself for the first time and marveled at the prettiness of the little red river of blood.