Author's Note: Written for The Houses Competition - Round 2 - Fortune Favors The Bold
Word Count: 1,029
Word Count (without A/N): 991
House: Ravenclaw
Subject: History of Magic
Category: Drabble
Prompt/s: Four Leaf Clover
The 'Sham'rock
Dumbledore's funeral had shaken Ron thoroughly.
Now, Harry wanted to leave Hogwarts? Sure, it all made sense. Harry was the focal point of this war. Still, there was gravity in the realization that Harry Potter planned to leave Hogwarts. Harry loved the school; if it wasn't safe for him anymore, was anywhere safe...for anyone?
Without hesitation, Ron agreed to the conditions of their friendship. He promised to follow Harry, trusting he knew the path ahead. It also helped that Hermione readily rose to the challenge. Ron never had the most confidence in his own decision-making skills, but Hermione had more than enough sense for the three of them to bolster his faith. Their solidarity was a small solace in a world falling into chaos.
They were about to retreat into the castle when Ron spied a figure over Hermione's shoulder, on the grassy knoll leading to the lake. He took a guilty gulp as he recognized the golden waves of hair and the demure frame sitting in the patch of daisies.
"I'll be there in a minute," Ron mumbled an apology between his friends, regretfully having to release Hermione's hand.
Ron blushed as he felt them watch him march down the path.
He announced himself by clearing his throat.
"Hello, Ron," She said, with her back still to him. She, blessedly, did not use the pet-name she had assigned him.
"Er-h-hi, Lavender," Ron mumbled, his Gryffindor courage wilting already.
"If you wandered over here to get back together, your timing is just cruel." She sniffed, diligently focused on constructing a small wreath from the rogue patches of flowers and trefoil undertow. "A wizard is dead. It would be depraved of you to try and convince me there's no time like the present and whisk me off to the astronomy tower."
"I…" Ron floundered at this terribly vivid and oddly specific suggestion, "I'm not here for that."
"...Oh," Lavender snipped, the disappointment in her voice befuddled Ron further. He thought he'd be relieved after he let her dump him, but he just felt guilty that he had led her on to date him, in the first place. She seemed to have really liked him, bugger if he knew why. It didn't feel right moving on without her knowing the truth.
"That's erm...That's a nice wreath," Ron quoted his new book in his head, as he stepped around her patch of weeds, to kneel in front of her. Apparently, young witches appreciated compliments...Ron might've appreciated compliments, too, if he didn't get so damned uncomfortable when someone paid him one.
"It's a crown," She pouted. Ron winced at this setback, but too late to go back now. He tried to remember the page from his book entitled Closure…
Make peace with your past, otherwise it might come back to haunt your new relationships...Especially, if your significant others become ghosts.
"So...erm." He scratched his neck. He was having trouble applying what he had read to the situation. Head bowed, he searched the grass for the right thing to say.
There, on the lawn, was a lonely small four-leaf clover. He picked it up and, following the advice of the chapter about Gifts, Ron nudged it towards her as a peace offering.
"What's that for?" She wrinkled her nose at the skinny little clover.
"Your wreath...crown...thing."
"It's too scrawny, besides I've got enough," She threaded a dandelion into her project.
"But it's got four leaves," Ron protested thickly, shaking the clover at her.
"Won-won," she patronized with a giggle, "They've all got four leaves, I transfigured them all." Lavender gestured around to the patch of green she sat in.
"Huh," Ron grunted, glancing around, counting the leaves of all the counterfeit lucky charms.
"Seamus taught me; much more symmetry that way," she explained, smugly fitting the wreath on her head.
"So..." Ron realized an opportunity, "You're seeing Seamus?...A-Are we...good?"
"What are you talking about?" She tilted her head, bemused.
"I reckon I should have done this sooner...but y'know, term's ending early now… I figured I won't be seeing you for a while-"
"You do wanna get back together!" She bit back a smile. Ron gaped in horror. The suggestion froze the blood in his veins.
"No-," he started in a strangled yelp, "I-I'm-apol-"
"I don't know, Won-Won." She contemplated forlornly, "You put me through an awful lot."
"Yeah," Ron stuttered in agreement. Sod closure. He needed to abort this conversation."You shouldn't take me back," he added in desperation, "Think of Seamus!"
Lavender decided not to hear his masked pleas for freedom. Her glossy lips spread into a playful smile.
"Tell you what," she teased, "I think we need some space. Let's spend the summer apart. No floo calls, and no love letters," she said with a zealous wink that suggested she meant otherwise. "And at the beginning of Seventh Year, we can meet here and I'll let you know my decision," she narrated her storybook ending with starry eyes gazing somewhere vaguely over Ron's head.
Ron suspiciously eyed the augmented clover in his hand, blaming it for his ironic turn of luck. He chose to give in to the clover's whims, before he accidentally proposed marriage.
"...Sure." He sighed, with a glum shrug, knowing he wouldn't be here for Seventh Year. He flicked the clover aside like a boogey.
"Good." She beamed, standing up, "Best start on getting that space, now," she said, simultaneously diplomatic and giddy. While Ron was still retracing the conversation to see where he went wrong, Lavender bent towards him and glued a kiss to his cheek. His ears burned, hoping Hermione had not seen that.
"G'bye, Ron." She held his gaze with a private and earnest smile, before flitting away. Ron blinked, completely bewildered by this stranger he had dated.
His dry throat cracking, he murmured, "Goodbye, Lavender."
Maybe real closure is overrated. Some ghosts you have to live with.