Story Title: A Rainbow of Emotions
School: Durmstrang
Theme: Hogsmeade Station - Look at Beginnings and Goodbyes
Special Rule: Red - Passion
Year: 4
Main Prompt: [First Line] Looking back, she could not tell you how she got here.
Additional Prompts: [Character] Lavender Brown; [Event] Party
Wordcount: 3147
AN Potter Family Lives AU; Lily is a child psychologist and sometimes uses language meant to match her audience. Lavender is about five in this but may seem younger due to trauma.
A Rainbow of Emotions
Looking back, she could not tell you how she got here, not really at least. Oh, Avey understood the basic premise—the evil ones came to overflow her home and loved ones in shades of passionate red and empty black; therefore, she had to be taken to Ms Harkett's Home for Displaced Children until a new family could be found for her.
Avey knew how she got here; she was simply unable to verbalize that knowledge to others. Her mummy told her that she was a vis-u-al em-path. She saw the world through a rainbow of colours and preferred to communicate using them. Every colour held a distinct meaning with its shades providing a nuance that words seemed to lack. Why use words when colours are so much better?
Before the evil ones came, Avey could remember helping Mummy pick out everyone's clothes. Daddy tried to help too. He just didn't know how to co-ord-in-ate the colours too good. Daddy shone a brilliant yellow most days but thought blue was a good colour for his robes. The result was a greenish colour but not the lively, healthy green of trees in spring or babies just out of their mummy's tummies. No, Daddy's vibrant yellow mixed with his blue suits looked more like vomit. He did not look good in blue, at all.
Mummy taught her everything she needed to know about colours and clothes. Em-path-y was a very special secret that could help her to recognise friends, but it could also turn friends into enemies. That's what Mummy said anyway. Really strong em-paths had used the gift in bad ways long ago, so some people don't like em-paths. It was one thing to make sure Daddy didn't dress so that he looked like vomit. It was another to try to control others. After seeing what the evil men did to Mummy and Daddy, Avey knew that she needed to keep the colours a secret from Ms Harkett and others.
-IWSC-
Looking back, she could not tell you how she got there. Oh, as a child psychologist, this wasn't Lily's first trip to a place like Ms Harkett's Home for Displaced Children. Being here wasn't the unusual part. Being frozen in place, utterly unable to find her voice as a darling little girl her son's age whimpered and hid by the wardrobe, that was the unusual part. She hadn't acted in such an unprofessional manner since she was a rookie. The first hint of a wail broke her from the strange paralysis.
"It's okay, Sweetheart," she crooned. "My name is Healer Lily. I'm not gonna hurt you."
A little head that had been buried in knees looked up, just a little bit. Not wanting to scare her further by coming closer, Lily instead dug into her bag for something that might coax her out, all the while narrating her actions. Mr Bunny didn't get much of a reaction, nor did the muggle toys that sometimes enticed kids purely by being such a novel item. The 24-pack of crayons and pad of paper, however, caused the child's eyes to widen considerably.
"I think today I'm gonna draw a picture. I love having a lot of colours to choose from when drawing. I'll put the crayons right here in the middle of this nice big table and put some paper in front of me and some paper over there. That way, if anyone wants to join me in colouring, they can. Drawing with friends is so much fun," Lily spoke as if to herself but at a volume that her newest client could not help but overhear.
She was on her second page of doodles when the child hesitantly joined her. Ms Harkett had already warned her that the little one spoke quite sparingly, so the continued silence wasn't surprising. Turning her page over, Lily drew her "professional" signature—a lily with LILY written across the top. Showing the little one, she invited her to introduce herself in whatever way she wished.
Grabbing all the purple-ish crayons from the box, the child looked through each one as if on a mission. Finally content with the colour chosen, she began drawing. After everything was perfect with the purple, she looked through the blues and the yellow-oranges. The result was a purple stick figure with blue eyes (though the child's eyes were actually brown) and a yellowish-orange mouth that was downturned. A background made of the two hues featured prominently behind the purple depiction. The letters A V were written across the top. A nickname perhaps?
"Well, well! This is a beautiful drawing. Can you help me? I'm not quite sure how to say your name. Is it Av like in the word 'have'?" The child shook her head fervently and pointed to the individual letters one at a time.
"A-V. Oh, your name is Avey?" A happy nod met this response. Lily was happy to see the child make the effort to communicate. "I love that name, Sweetheart! Can you show me what the different colours in your picture mean? I can tell you picked them out especially."
Seeing the panicked look flash in those eyes made Lily's heart wrench. Breathing deeply in order to steady herself, she tried a different tactic. "How about I make a guess. I'm going to guess that the purple is to show me your big girl name, Lavender, right? The blue in the eyes makes me think of tears and crying. Does this Avey feel like crying? It's okay to cry, you know." Avey drew nearer to Lily and hesitantly nodded. "If the blue is for sadness, what could this orange be for? Hmmm...I see your drawing is frowning. Does this Avey feel angry?" A shoulder shrug was her answer. Close, but not quite right. "Is this Avey afraid?" The little girl hid her face but nodded nonetheless.
"Can you show me why Avey is afraid?"
Avey grabbed Lily's drawing of the lily and drew over it with a red crayon, pointing intermittently at Lily's hair.
"My red hair? Has someone with red hair hurt you?" Lily knew that the case was still pending on who had killed Avey's parents. Had she witnessed it? Did that person have red hair?
Avey shook her head. In frustration, she verbalized her first words in Lily's presence, "Red is bad."
-IWSC-
Though Healer Lily had been nice, Avey could not forget that her strongest colour had been passion-red, the same colour as the men who took Mummy and Daddy away. Avey had been terrified when Healer Lily asked her what the colours meant. What if telling her would make the bad men come again? But then, Healer Lily tried to figure them out herself! She had been pretty good at it too. Maybe she was safe? A little bit? She was the first adult that wanted to colour since Mummy.
A sob bubbled forth out of Avey as she sat on her bed, hiding away from a going-away party happening below. Each kid got to have a party when they left Ms Harkett's. Avey hated them! She missed Mummy and Daddy, and the parties just reminded her of that horrible day. They had been so happy at her rainbow-themed birthday party, everyone glowing with happiness and pride. Then came the knock at the door that ruined everything!
The rest was remembered more in colours and images than anything else. The red-hot passion in the strangers as they burst in. The determination and fear colouring Daddy as he tried to fight them off. Mummy was just as determined as she grabbed her and threw her in the cupboard, the Notice-Me-Not charm falling into place right as the bad men entered her room. The blood that painted everything. And worse than anything, the black-Black-BLACK that covered Mummy and Daddy after their colours faded. A lone balloon continued to float in false happiness until the Aurors came to take her away.
It hurt to remember the attack. Waking up from the living nightmare alone while a party continued below made it worse. It really happened, and in this house full of children, she felt terribly alone.
Normally, Avey didn't really notice her own colours, but the blue that covered her that evening was overwhelming. Avey remembered when she had been a nice soft purple, day in and day out. She missed those days so badly when she had a home and knew where she belonged. A falling star flew by her window, and at that moment, she just wished as hard as could be to have a family again. Preferably her mummy and daddy, but anyone who would love her and snuggle her after a scary day would do.
-IWSC-
Lily knew that she was getting too invested. Little Avey just called to her though. Not verbally, no, she still didn't speak much unless absolutely necessary, but the child reminded her so much of herself at that age. She was observant, seeming almost supernaturally so at times. On Lily's first visit after the funeral of her father, Avey drew a blue depiction of a lily and gazed at her inquisitively.
"Why are you sad?" she seemed to ask.
Lily still didn't know what aspect of her body language gave her away. The mystery of why red was bad continued to go unanswered though Avey appeared to have decided that 'her' red wasn't too scary. The little girl had begun to draw pictures of the two of them—Lily's red hair always her most prominent feature.
The child did not make much progress socially in spite of being a very loving child. Her limited willingness to speak and dislike of parties prevented her from forming close bonds with those around her with one notable exception—Lily, herself. Avey only grew more confident of Lily each time she visited.
Considering the come-and-go nature of children in the home as well as Avey's unusually perceptive nature, this did not surprise Lily at all. Next Friday would mark Avey's sixth month in a place where most kids remained for only a few weeks. Lily needed to speak up.
"Her ability to recover from what happened to her family is dependent on having the chance to move forward in her life. Her parents were Pure-bloods. How can it be so difficult to find a relation to take her in?"
Ms Harkett answered with marked hesitance. How did she find herself in these situations? "Lavender's case is a...complicated one even ignoring the attack on her family. Her mother's side is deceased while her father's parents disapproved of the marriage for one reason or another. Apparently, they haven't been in contact in over a decade.
"At any rate, they have wholeheartedly refused to take her on. With both immediate sides of the family out of the question, it is necessary to look into more distant relations, third and fourth cousins and the like. While Pure bloodlines make identifying such relations fairly easy, ensuring that proper protocol is followed on who is contacted when is quite a different matter."
"So you're saying Avey's well-being is playing second fiddle to politics? Can't step on anyone's toes by letting someone cut in line for a traumatized little girl? Is that what you're telling me?" Lily's face was practically on fire.
"It is the way it is, I'm afraid," Ms Harkett attempted to console the irate woman. "If it helps any, I think you're doing a great job giving her the type of one-on-one that I can't. You're really going above the call of duty, Healer Potter."
Lily brushed away the compliment. What she was doing, it wasn't about her job. Officially, she only needed to come twice a week to meet with Avey until she was sufficiently settled. Unofficially, after a session revealed that nights were difficult for her, she had started Flooing in after work to get the child settled. Avey wasn't a job for Lily. She was...finishing that sentence was dangerous.
No matter which way she cut it, Avey needed the stability of a real home. As much as it pained her, Lily knew that things could not remain like this forever. Eventually, the relative lack of improvement would require another psychologist being put on the case, one who might not be willing to offer comfort during their time off. Merlin, if her boss heard about how close she had gotten, she'd be off the case in a heartbeat and possibly banned from seeing her altogether. Even if Avey communicated more with her than with anyone else in the Home.
Lily needed a plan.
-IWSC-
Strangers were scary. Two or three times a week, Healer Lily would come in with people who were supposedly Avey's family, but their colours were all wrong.
Some of them would say the right things and act as if they cared, but they didn't want her for herself. They didn't love her or her mummy and daddy. It was scary knowing that she might be made to go with them.
The scariest came about a month after this started. He was just as passionate as Healer Lily, but his red was a shade off. She had seen that shade once before on the day of the attack! The man's words were sweet like sugar, but his eyes were hard as a diamond on Mummy's jewellery. He kept trying to get her to talk about emotions, and a bristling feeling trailed down the middle of her back. She didn't care if he was related to her! She couldn't go with him. He would hurt her like her momma was hurt, and her colours would go away!
Ms Harkett wanted her to apologize for biting his hand; she didn't understand that the man deserved to be bitten. Because of this, she had to miss Neville's going away party; his grandmum was ready to bring him home. That was fine; Avey didn't like parties anyway.
-IWSC-
One day, Healer Lily brought a man and a boy about her age. The two were obviously related; both had ribbons of Lily-red and gold shining about them. Mummy hadn't taught her that combination before, but something inside Avey told her that they were really brave. Avey supposed other people might guess they were related by their hair. It was really messy.
"Avey, this is James and Harry. They're distantly related to your Mummy. James is an Auror. He protects people while Harry is just about your age. He's a bit like an uncle to you, and Harry's like a cousin." Lily began before being interrupted by her son.
"Hi Avey, are you gonna come live with us? Mum said you might, but it has to be your de-cis-ion. That means choice. If you live with us, Papa and I can work together to make sure you're one million per cent safe," Harry held his arms out really wide to show Avey how safe she would be. "You're a little older than me 'cording to Mum, but as the brother, it's my job to keep you safe. I don't care if we're really cousins or not. Brother and sister are cooler, I think. That is if you wanna be my sis. What do you say?" A lack of response caused the previously exuberant boy to look at his good shoes.
Avey found herself more speechless than usual. What could she say or do in response to the boy in front of her? Thankfully, Healer Lily noticed. "Harry, dear, remember we talked about how Avey doesn't talk much?"
"Oops! Sorry, Mum! It's okay if you don't wanna talk, Avey. Mum says I speak enough for everyone sometimes!"
Avey believed that, but something else Harry had said caught her attention. She tugged on Lily's robe and whispered, "He's your son?" Would that mean she would get to live with Healer Lily?
Bending down, Lily turned her attention to the confused little girl. "That's right, Sweetie. James is my husband, and Harry's our son. We've talked it over, and we would really like it if you joined our little family." Tears flowed down Avey's cheeks, but for once they weren't sadness. She didn't know anything about Mr James, and she wasn't quite sure of Harry yet, but she knew that she could trust the passionate woman looking at her so kindly. Diving into the welcoming arms of her new family, Avey let herself feel hope—a real home could be hers!
-IWSC-
Avey was officially adopted in the middle of June after a month of meeting with the Potters almost every day. She had been at Ms Harkett's Home for Displaced Children for over a year by the time her distant relation to James Potter had been uncovered. After a failed attempt at a birthday party, it was decided that they would forgo an adoption party though they made sure that their new little princess had all the toys and crayons she could wish for.
As June gave way for July, Harry expressed a willingness to skip a big party for his birthday to keep his new sister safe and happy. Avey refused the offer, however. Lily and James planned a small family affair with their closest friends. This party lacked the balloons that she still remembered in her dreams, so she was able to handle it. Seeing Harry so happy made her nerves worth it even if the presence of the two non-family members made her go more quiet than usual.
That night, Harry thanked Avey for letting him have a party even if she was nervous and asked why she did so. In response, she drew a picture of her brother and coloured everything blue. While Lily was used to seeing Avey use colours to denote emotions in her pictures, this was the first time she had done so in front of the men in their family.
"An empath!" James breathed.
"She is very empathetic, isn't she?" Lily replied, unconcerned.
James only continued to gape as his Auror mindset filled in some of the remaining gaps on why a respectable pureblood family might have met a bloody end.
Meanwhile, Avey had heard Uncle James' exclamation and quivered in fear. She knew that others learning about her gift was dangerous! How could she let herself forget? Just because Aunt Lily didn't get angry about it didn't mean Uncle James would be the same!
Suddenly, she found herself engulfed in a tight hug. Everyone was surrounding her, and their emotions...they were filled with love for her.
"Being an empath isn't bad, Little One. It's a very special gift. Don't worry, just breathe. You're home, and we love you," the adults crooned in this vein for a while.
Harry whispered in her ear, "I've got a special gift too, you know. I can talk to snakes!"
Avey really had found her home.