Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related to it, blah, not mine, wish it were, I do this in my free time and no money is being made, sadly enough.
A/N: Yuy, I hope you're pleased. :P Well, she made me write it. This is what happens when I plan to write a smut fic oO No further explanation needed, I guess. I don't guarantee for any fluff that might clog your computer. Please review!
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Three's a Charm
Lavender Brown knew that she was unlikely to win awards for sheer mental brilliance, but there were some moments she would never, ever forget in her life. The time when she met Parvati was one of those.
They had both been small, frightened first years at Hogwarts, having heard many tales about the school. But no words could do the castle justice, at least in Lavender's book, and by the time the Sorting Hat had cried "GRYFFINDOR!" and she'd stumbled over to the cheering table, Lavender had been overwhelmed and subdued by too many impressions. Never in her life had she felt more alone than among all the other students just then.
Parvati had taken the Sorting Hat quite a while to decide on. At last, when it yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" the girl looked pale and forlorn even as she took the seat next to Lavender amidst the cheering students. "It's so unfair," she had said to Lavender. "My sister's in Ravenclaw. I know only her!"
Lavender had looked at the miserable girl, and, on impulse, had taken her hand. Even years later she could never quite say why she had done it, but she knew that she had wanted to make the girl smile.
"I don't know anyone either," she'd said. "We can be friends if you like. We wouldn't be alone, then."
And indeed Parvati had smiled. It was answer enough.
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The second important, heart-warming memory Lavender connected with Parvati had taken place during fourth year. Everyone had been so excited about the foreign students and the upcoming Yule Ball, especially the girls. Lavender had been no exception, which was why she had been glad Seamus had asked her early. It was a two-faced blessing, though. While she had felt relieved she had a date for the dance, she had to see Parvati day in, day out – and no one had asked her friend.
Lavender didn't understand why, really. She'd once overheard the boys saying that Parvati and her sister were probably the most beautiful girls in their year – a sentiment Lavender agreed with wholeheartedly. She loved to braid Parvati's hair, often annoying the hell out of her friend because she spent so long playing with the dark strands.
The only one who didn't like Parvati, apparently, was Parvati.
There had been one night with only a week left until the Yule Ball when Lavender had entered their dormitory to find Parvati crying on her bed. She hadn't needed to think about what to do – they were friends, after all – and had wasted no time pulling the girl into a close embrace to comfort her, waiting until she had calmed down enough to explain.
However, when the explanation had come at last in between sobs and hitching breaths, Lavender found herself disbelieving. "Does everyone think I'm ugly?" Parvati had asked.
"What on earth are you talking about?" There must have been a nicer way of asking, Lavender reflected later, but she had never been good with words, and just then she'd had a hard time connecting 'Parvati' with 'ugly'.
"No one's asked me to the Ball. Everyone's got a partner, only I don't. But that's no surprise, look at me! Who'd want me?" Parvati gave her friend no time to answer. "Padma's angry with me, she's turned down three invitations because she doesn't want people to think she's better than me, but she is, and I don't even know how to do make-up properly and don't know how to talk to boys and..."
"Shh, Parvati! That's quite enough." Lavender had been glad her friend followed the 'advice' while she thought of a suitable answer, absently combing her fingers through Parvati's for once not braided hair. "Boys are like that. Maybe they just don't dare asking you out because they think you don't want to." She'd ignored Parvati's un-ladylike snort at that. "I think you're the most beautiful girl I know. Both from outside and within. They have no idea what they're missing out on."
She'd sensed Parvati still wouldn't believe her. Lavender had tried hard to think of something to say, but she'd never been a genius with words, so at last she'd done the only thing that occured to her. She'd placed one finger under her friend's chin and forced her to look at Lavender, then, after a moment of hesitation, kissed Parvati.
It was nothing like she'd imagined her first kiss to be. Apart from the fact that the lips responding to hers belonged to a girl, it was wet and salty from tears and at the same time so exhilirating that it almost made her heart stop, and in that instant Lavender knew that nothing she would ever do or not do with boys could ever compare to the softness of Parvati's mouth on her own.
When they'd parted again Lavender had had to fight hard not to smile like a loon, which was made easier by the fact that she hadn't dared look at Parvati. It seemed both of them didn't know what to say. In the end Lavender had cleared her throat, remembering what had led to their embarrassment.
"I can show you how to do your make-up, if you like."
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The next day Parvati had come to Lavender with a smile and a bounce in her step, excitedly recounting how Harry Potter had asked her to the Yule Ball. Lavender had smiled, genuinely happy to see her friend reassured of her worth, and they had made plans for their wardrobe, and Lavender had not stopped to wonder why she felt oddly hurt by Parvati's good mood for the first time in their friendship.
They never mentioned what had happened that night in the dormitory.
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Over time Lavender had found a strange sort of truth for herself. She could admit, at least in the privacy of her mind, that she didn't want to see Parvati with boys. Not that she didn't want Parvati to be happy, but... there was that nagging doubt at the back of her mind that told her that only Lavender could bring that most beautiful smile to Parvati's face.
She tried not to think about it too much. Instead she turned to other people. Fifth year was slightly embarrassing in hindsight, but then, youth tended to be on a general principle. At least she hadn't tried to make out with all of Gryffindor, unlike some other girls she wouldn't name.
Sometimes, at night, she'd watch Parvati sleep and wonder about many things. How could one person enchant her without even noticing? And why did neither of them give up on boys after they made it obvious time and time again that they weren't worth the bother? You just had to look at how Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had treated the twins at the Yule Ball. Parvati had been devastated for days afterwards, even if she only showed it in little gestures and a bit too much fussing in front of mirrors.
But kissing her again would risk their friendship. The one time before the Ball had been difficult enough – for weeks Parvati hadn't invited Lavender to snuggle up to her in bed, which resulted in both of them getting less sleep than usual.
Lavender didn't care much for dark circles under her eyes.
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The third memory after Lavender's counting beat the other two by far. Whenever she thought of it she wanted to cry, or laugh, or probably both.
It had been towards the end of sixth year. Lavender had been in the dormitory, utterly miserable while she Got Over Her Relationship. It deserved capitals, surely, because she'd felt more wrenched than any other time she could recall. Ron Weasley had made her so miserable, the inconsiderate git, but strangely enough it wasn't him Lavender had been mourning.
No. She had been mourning the end of an easy life and the beginning of a lonely one, because she knew then that there simply was no boy or man in the world who could make her as happy as That Other Person.
Oh, it had taken her quite some time to come to terms with it, but in the end she had to admit defeat. It wasn't just That Person she liked. It was women she liked, and That Person she loved with all her heart. She had talked to Parvati about it... kind of. Parvati assumed that That Person was some guy Lavender didn't want to admit she had a crush on, maybe a Slytherin.
What was it Parvati had said...? Ah, yes. "If you two love each other enough it's not important what others think about you."
A nice saying. But what would Parvati do if she knew she was That Person?
As if on cue Parvati had come in at that moment, bringing with her the two most important things in a girls' friendship: chocolate and sympathy. She'd smiled at Lavender weakly. "Are you alright?"
"No." No, she wasn't. But she would never be as long as Parvati was a shoulder to lean on and nothing more.
"C'mon, Lav. I brought Chocolate Frogs." Parvati had sat down on Lavender's bed, waving the aforementioned sweets invitingly. Lavender had been unable to do anything but sigh.
"I don't want chocolate."
Parvati had clucked her tongue. "I see. The serious variety, then." She'd scooped up to her friend and snuggled close to her. "You really liked Ron, didn't you?"
Lavender had struggled to get free, her frustration rising to new heights. "This isn't about Ron Weasley! He's just a guy. Who cares for guys? I know I don't." She'd taken a deep breath, feeling like she was about to burst if she didn't let it all out. That was the sole reason, really, for her next words. "Why don't you see that I love you?"
Silence had followed her outburst, a silence that was unlike the usual lack of words between friends who are comfortable enough with each other to let the silence be. This had been tense, and as soon as Lavender had realized what exactly she'd just said she had blushed bright red.
Parvati hadn't looked at her, but she hadn't moved away. She had remained close to Lavender, looking through the window to the grey sky beyond as if she'd never seen something more interesting in her life.
"Uh... Parvati?"
The Indian girl had sighed. "I hear you, Lav." At last she'd glanced over to her friend again, a strange look in her dark eyes. "Are you sure about it?"
Somehow that question had struck Lavender as odd, but after a moment's hesitating she'd decided that it wouldn't matter now anyway. She'd already divulged her deepest, darkest secret, and nothing she could say afterwards would change it one way or the other. "I'm sure," she'd whispered.
That had been the most important moment in her life, Lavender knew, and she would always savour it. Parvati hadn't responded immediately, once again watching the sky outside, and Lavender had felt the slight tremor in her friend's body. Then, at last, Parvati had spun around, throwing her arms around Lavender's neck as if it was the only thing keeping her alive.
"Parvati? Are you alright? I didn't mean to..."
"Oh, shut up, you." Parvati's body had shook, and Lavender had been terrified to see her friend cry. As the Indian girl raised her eyes, though, she'd realized Parvati was laughing. "Lav, you're the most important person in my life. Of course I love you, too."
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Lavender knew the saying. 'Three's a charm,' people used to say. But there was no doubt in her mind which memory was the one that made her Patronus glow in its wonderful silver light, and when Harry Potter once commented that her happy memory must be strong indeed, she simply smiled.
She shared a secret, after all.