Written for:

Arithmancy Assignment 6 - Write about Unrequited Love

Hogwarts Oneshot Wars - Team A - Pairing - Hermione/Lavender. Prompts:

5. (restriction) Do not use: "said"
10. [colour] Amber
11. [object] Bookcase
12. [object] Camera
13. [word] Enlighten


Title: Just Friends


Lavender didn't know quite what to do with herself after she had stormed out of the Hospital Wing, after Ron had called Hermione's name rather than hers.

Hermione bloody Granger had stolen her Ronniekins away from her and Ron had allowed it to happen. Not that she really wanted him more than anything... it was just that for once, she was more important than Hermione in someone's eyes.

Lavender rushed up to her dorm, slamming the door shut behind her. She glanced around and realised it was empty. Part of her wanted Parvati to be there to talk to, but the rest of her was relieved that she was alone. She threw herself onto the bed, her ears picking up the sound of someone running up the stairs just outside of the dorm.

She listened as the running stopped outside the dorm, the door opening and closing again. She wondered who it was, maybe Parvati had seen her in the Common Room and come up after her?

"Lavender?" came Hermione's voice.

"You won," Lavender muttered, trying to hold the tears in. "I hope you and Ron are miserable together."

"Lavender -" Hermione tried again.

"Just know that your children might have his brain and your broomstick skills," Lavender whispered, her voice shaking as the tears began to flow down her face. She didn't want to cry in front of the girl who had stolen her boyfriend, but she couldn't help it.

"Ron and I aren't going to have kids together," Hermione told her. "I don't think of Ron that way."

"So... what? You led him on?" Lavender accused her, sitting up and narrowing her eyes at her room-mate.

"Lavender, I've never had feelings for him. Never. I told you both that I miss my friend, and that's the truth, but it's never been more than that for me," Hermione explained.

"That's easy to say so you don't look like the bad one in all of this," Lavender replied, accusingly..

"It's easy to say because I was jealous because you're the prettiest girl in school and Ron Weasley doesn't deserve you at all," Hermione blurted out, before her hand came up to cover her mouth and her eyes widened.

Lavender stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"I... I mean you deserve so much more than Ron," Hermione mumbled, blushing and looking away from Lavender.

"But what are you jealous of?"

"I'm not."

"You told me you were jealous though," Lavender pushed. "Care to enlighten me."

"Because of you," Hermione admitted. "You've spent the whole time we've been here ignoring me and then suddenly Ron gets all of your attention without even trying. I've been trying to get you to notice me for a long time."

"You want my attention? You want to be friends?" Lavender asked, frowning. She knew she was missing something. Did she even want to be friends with Hermione, since Hermione was the reason that she wasn't with Ron.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue and paused in thought. "Yes," she replied with a sigh.

...oOo...

Lavender found herself running the words over and over again in her mind, trying to make sense of them. She really wanted to hate Hermione for taking Ron away from her, but Hermione had been so believable when they had talked the previous day, when she mentioned that she didn't have her sights set on Ron.

Could Lavender really believe that Hermione only saw him as a friend and nothing more?

She wondered if it was the truth or if Hermione just hated that someone could actually dislike her and was making things up.

Also, she knew she was missing something from the conversation the night before - but what could it be?

Her gaze moved to the picture that she kept next to her bed of her and Ron. Little Colin Creevey had taken the picture with his camera for her only a couple of weeks before, and the couple looked so happy together, but were they really? Was Ron thinking about Hermione whilst he posed with Lavender? Had it always been Hermione for him?

She pushed the picture down, not wanting to see Ron's stupid face. Not wanting to see how happy she had been with him, and instead she glanced towards Hermione's empty bed.

With a sigh, the witch wiped her eyes and got up from her bed. She was too proud to talk to Ron after the way he behaved, but that didn't stop her from heading towards the Library. She knew she would find Hermione there and she needed to know for certain why Hermione seemed so pleased that her and Ron weren't together anymore.

...oOo...

Lavender found Hermione perusing a bookshelf in the library and moved behind her.

"I'd like an explanation of yesterday," she informed Hermione, causing her room-mate to jump and spin around.

"Lavender... I don't think there is anything else I could say."

"The way I see it, is that you've given Ron false hope," Lavender snapped. "That's the only explanation. "Now he wants you, you've clearly changed your mind. I just don't understand what you meant by me being too good for him. Was that your attempt at justifying what you done?"

Hermione made to walk past, but Lavender grabbed her arm, turning with Hermione and stopping her from walking away.

"If you're dead set on knowing the truth..." Hermione mumbled, seemingly to herself.

"You, Lavender. I wanted you, not Ron," she admitted. "I've liked you for ages and I've done everything to get your attention. I've tried to get it in class but you always had Parvati paired with you. I've asked your advice on make-up and hair just to have conversations with you, yet you still barely notice me."

"Me?" Lavender repeated. "Me and not Ron?"

Hermione threw her hands up in frustration. "You," she whispered, advancing on Lavender who took a step back, hitting the bookcase Hermione had been searching through. "Just you."

Hermione moved closer and Lavender could see the amber specks in Hermione's brown eyes. In the few seconds she had left, she recalled the conversations between them.

She recalled the blush on Hermione's cheeks when she told Hermione she looked beautiful for the Yule Ball.

"Oh," was all she managed to say before lips pressed against her own.

This wasn't what she wanted. She moved away from Hermione, watching the other girl's face drop.

Lavender turned and ran.


Review Please :)

Thanks to Raybe for the title and encouragement :D