A woman wants to be happy and in love...
Lavender flipped through the bridal magazine, eyes flicking from cake to flower arrangements, hazel gaze slightly distant. It wasn’t hard to admit the place settings were pretty, but she’d found herself distracted by her own thoughts.
It had been weeks now since Reese had been taken, and as far as she knew, nothing concrete had been discovered. It was hard to pretend that she wasn’t worried, not when she’d been able to finally admit to herself that a large part of why she was so upset was because she had been taken, like Cat and Steven.
She missed Reese greatly and felt horribly for little Kiss, but the way things had happened - the fact that Reese had been taken - was affecting her more than she’d been able to understand. She loved Reese, perhaps even had a crush on her a tiny bit if she was going to be honest, but what haunted her the most was knowing that Reese had been taken and that no one knew what was happening to her or if she was even still alive.
Shaking away that thought, unwilling to process the idea that Reese wouldn’t be coming home, Lavender looked up at Susan with a smile, pushing the magazine towards her friend as she pointed to a table setting with purple irises. “That’s pretty. What do you think?”
Glancing over at the picture her friend was pointing to, Susan grinned. “Those are lovely. I think Ron and I have decided on a red theme, though. Maybe tulips, if they aren’t too expensive.”
Ron would have been happy to supplement the funds her parents were able to offer. He’d lived modestly despite having a Quidditch player’s salary, so he’d accumulated a significant amount in his vault. Susan wouldn’t hear of it, though. She wanted to go about things the traditional way. Besides, it would be good to have that money whenever they decided to start a family because her little house barely held the two of them.
As she looked at Lavender, the smile on her face faded a bit. Her attention had been elsewhere most of the afternoon and behind the excitement she mustered for Susan’s benefit, the Huffle could see sadness. “Are you alright, Lav?”
“Red to match Ron’s hair,” Lavender mused, turning the page past the irises. She’d heard Susan’s question, and the concern in the words as well, but she kept her eyes down at the floral place settings.
It had been a few weeks since she’d seen her friend, so many things taking up both of their times, but she should have known that Susan could see through her haze of self-projected happiness. Lavender hadn’t wanted to bring anything but joy for her friend to this meeting, but her worry for Reese was something that was hard to hide, and despite her best attempts, she hadn’t done well in covering up her sadness.
“I’m fine, Suse,” she said, hazel gaze catching Susan’s worried one from across the table, “I’ll be fine, really. Have you given any thought to your bouquet?”
“Just something simple,” Susan replied dismissively. Every time something bad was going on in Lavender’s life they did this dance. Susan asked, Lavender denied, and Susan was a pest until her friend confided in her. She knew she was pushy, but Lavender was one of the people she felt closest to and it pained her to see the other woman obviously upset. “Have you ever known me to let something lie just because you told me you’d be ‘fine’?”
“It’s not something I can really work at fixing, you know,” Lavender answered, turning the page of the magazine, eyes flicking from flower to flower without giving them any real attention. “If I think about it too much, I cry. When I cry, Jack gets upset. All of my contacts in France, even the shady ones who owe me, swear they haven’t heard anything.”
She shrugged her shoulders, looking up at Susan with tired eyes. “I’m just worried, and the fact that I can’t do anything only makes it worse. But I can focus on your wedding and making sure the day goes off without a hitch.”
Throwing her energy into Susan’s big day seemed to calm Lavender in some way. Planning a wedding was almost like writing a good article; you had to make sure you had all the proper sources and verified their accuracy, and as long as you put everything in the correct order to make the story flow, you were looking at a good read. Helping Susan plan seemed to be one of the only things she was able to focus on at the moment.
Susan sat quietly, watching her friend and considering Lavender’s words. It was not her nature to let things lie. She wanted to talk, to help when the people she loved were hurting. This time she didn’t really have anything to offer beyond the distraction of her wedding. Nothing she could say or do could fix the true problem, or make it easier to bear. Despite the need within herself to push the topic, Susan let it go.
“I was thinking of a tent like this one for the reception dinner. What do you think of the white chair covers with red bows across the back?”
Glad that her friend knew better than to push the issue, and glad that she wouldn’t be crying in front of someone today, Lavender peered at the picture Susan was pointing at. “I think you’re an incredibly brave woman for choosing red as your contrast color when half the attendees at the wedding will have ginger hair to match.”
“Could be worse,” the bride-to-be replied thoughtfully. “I might’ve chosen orange polka dots. The whole event would look like a convention of spattergroit sufferers and no one would be sure if they were speaking to a Weasley or the tablecloth. Besides, Ron looks quite nice in red. Don’t you remember his Gryffindor Quidditch kit?”
Lavender did remember Ron’s quidditch uniform, and deliberately averted her eyes while grabbing another magazine. The fact that she’d dated - among other things - her friend’s fiance was something she definitely wanted to avoid speaking about... especially while helping said friend pick out program booklets.
“I think red will be pretty, especially with a snowy white background. Are you still planning on having it in tents?”
With a nod, the petite brunette replied, “Mmhmm. We should be able to get strong enough charms in place to keep everyone warm. We’re keeping it pretty small, just family and close friends, so there won’t be all that big an area to worry over.” Susan’s eyes went a little out of focus as she pictured her wedding day. She’d been dreaming of it for a long time.
Lavender watched Susan’s eyes fill with future thoughts of walking down the aisle towards Ron, sharing their first dance, shoving cakes in the other’s face. Her friend was happy. Stressed, most definitely, but happy. The Gryffindor was glad to see Susan finally getting what she deserved, in the best way possible.
“You’ve been planning this wedding since you were a little girl, haven’t you?”
Susan grinned a little self-consciously. “Is it that obvious? I’ve wanted to be married - and have children, eventually - for as long as I can remember.” It was true. She’d never had grand dreams of being a big career woman. Susan wanted to be a mum.
“Well, I’m glad it’s coming true.” Lavender said with a small smile as she flipped the magazine closed and sat back in her chair. “When I was a little girl I told my dad that I’d never get married. I didn’t like boys. Then I spent all my years at Hogwarts imagining marrying everyone. Then marriage became impossible when I moved to France. Polagamy is still frowned upon in most of the Isle, did you know?”
Shrugging her shoulders, an attempt to brush off the sad thoughts that always came when thinking about Cat and Steven, Lavender continued. “There was a time when I thought Justin and I were headed in that direction, but obviously not. He’s dating someone now. You’d like her, I think.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she liked Justin these days, much less his new girlfriend. Deep down, Susan knew she loved her old friend, but she hadn’t fully forgiven him for leaving without saying goodbye and for giving up his relationship with Lavender so easily. She’d never understood what was so important about this other job.
“Hmm,” Susan offered noncommittally. “Maybe. You’ll find your match, though. One of these days he’ll turn up.”
Lavender laughed, corners of her mouth staying turned up as she gazed at Susan. “Maybe I’ll meet him at your wedding. Are you inviting any suave, debonair friends that I have yet to anger with my nosy ways and my overwhelming desire to question?”
A sweet smile crossed Susan’s face, far more innocent than her actual intentions. “Percy will be there. You clearly haven’t run him off yet.”
“It’s Percy,” Lavender said with a shrug. “The man’s unflappable. And I’m not too sure you want Percy on your dance floor, love. I’ve seen him dance. It’s... I’m in the business of making things colorful and even I can’t think of a word to properly describe the movement of his arms and his legs that he seems to think constitutes dancing. I’m just glad Jack came to me for dance lessons instead of his father.”
“With moves like that, I bet he’d be quite an experience... You know...” She couldn’t finish the sentence, giggles were shaking her frame before the last words had fallen from her lips. Percy was a dear friend, and soon he’d be as good as her brother, but one didn’t look at him and think ‘sexual magnetism’. “He does have pretty hair, though.”
“Experience what?” Lavender was missing something, but she quickly caught on by the way that Susan was holding a hand over her mouth and her cheeks were turning a fetching pink. She couldn’t help the drop of her jaw and the sound that came from her mouth. “Susan! That’s... that’s... it’s Percy! You can’t tell me you’ve been thinking about what he’d be like for a shag! Ron’s head would explode! Literally!”
“No!” Susan exclaimed, horror etched on her face at the thought she could fantasize about her almost brother-in-law. “We’re talking about men for you, and you brought up his dance moves, and I just, you know, extrapolated. For your benefit, not mine. Ron fills all my Weasley yearnings, thank you very much.”
The insinuation that she should think about Percy having sex had Lavender’s shock turn to laughter. “Oh, Susan. As if the thought wasn’t already completely absurd, I’m fairly certain Percy is asexual. He hasn’t had sex in... well, since Jack was a sparkle in his eye, or so he tells me. Asexual. Completely. Not that it matters. It’s Percy.”
Susan just shrugged, a little smirk on her face. She wasn’t ready to give up her idea just yet. “Sometimes they just need a bit of a nudge. It took Ron ages to figure out I wanted him. I literally pranced around in my skivvies in front of him and he didn’t get the hint. Weasley men can be a little clueless.” Her smirk grew as she raised her eyes to Lavender’s. “You, on the other hand, have enough sexual appetite to make up for the entire clan of oblivious men from what you’ve told me. I think you should grab him by the queue and make him forget his vocabulary.”
Lavender’s eyes were thoroughly lubricated by the time she was finished blinking in Susan’s direction. “What on earth would I want to make him forget his vocabulary for? He’s my friend. There’s never been any indication of... of... sexy-feelings between us. And even if I did think of him in that way - which I DON’T - you’ve hit the nail on the head: My sexual appetite would be way too much for a Ministry archivist to handle.”
The Gryffindor wasn’t sure where Susan was coming up with any of this, but it felt completely absurd just talking about the idea of her and Percy being more than just friends. Best friends. He’d seen her knickers. She’d seen his. There’d never been anything more than playful and flirty banter back and forth, and she’d only done that because she liked to see how far she’d have to go before he’d pull his glasses off his nose and begin to clean them. She liked pushing his buttons. He enjoyed calling her out on being incorrigible. They were friends.
She’d never had sexual feelings towards Percy in the slightest. It was ridiculous when Justin had been jealous of the two of them, and it was ridiculous that Susan was reading anything into their relationship now.
Though, Lavender couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what face he’d give her if she did as Susan suggested and pulled his hair and gave him a snog. Shock, she was sure, much like she was feeling at the entire prospect.
“If you say so,” Susan replied in a singsong voice. True, Percy was hardly known for his sexuality, but one had to consider the family from which he came. All the other Weasleys seemed to managed just fine in that arena. It hardly seemed likely that Percy was the sexual squib among the group. Just because he hadn’t had much experience didn’t mean he lacked the inclination. Still, Lavender’s eyes hadn’t quite returned to their normal size yet, so Susan decided to let the topic drop for now. Maybe she could get them both drunk at the wedding and lock them in a closet or some such. “Now, tell me what you think about these invitations.”
Summary: Susan and Lavender go over plans for the wedding and speculate on Weasley men.
It had been weeks now since Reese had been taken, and as far as she knew, nothing concrete had been discovered. It was hard to pretend that she wasn’t worried, not when she’d been able to finally admit to herself that a large part of why she was so upset was because she had been taken, like Cat and Steven.
She missed Reese greatly and felt horribly for little Kiss, but the way things had happened - the fact that Reese had been taken - was affecting her more than she’d been able to understand. She loved Reese, perhaps even had a crush on her a tiny bit if she was going to be honest, but what haunted her the most was knowing that Reese had been taken and that no one knew what was happening to her or if she was even still alive.
Shaking away that thought, unwilling to process the idea that Reese wouldn’t be coming home, Lavender looked up at Susan with a smile, pushing the magazine towards her friend as she pointed to a table setting with purple irises. “That’s pretty. What do you think?”
Glancing over at the picture her friend was pointing to, Susan grinned. “Those are lovely. I think Ron and I have decided on a red theme, though. Maybe tulips, if they aren’t too expensive.”
Ron would have been happy to supplement the funds her parents were able to offer. He’d lived modestly despite having a Quidditch player’s salary, so he’d accumulated a significant amount in his vault. Susan wouldn’t hear of it, though. She wanted to go about things the traditional way. Besides, it would be good to have that money whenever they decided to start a family because her little house barely held the two of them.
As she looked at Lavender, the smile on her face faded a bit. Her attention had been elsewhere most of the afternoon and behind the excitement she mustered for Susan’s benefit, the Huffle could see sadness. “Are you alright, Lav?”
“Red to match Ron’s hair,” Lavender mused, turning the page past the irises. She’d heard Susan’s question, and the concern in the words as well, but she kept her eyes down at the floral place settings.
It had been a few weeks since she’d seen her friend, so many things taking up both of their times, but she should have known that Susan could see through her haze of self-projected happiness. Lavender hadn’t wanted to bring anything but joy for her friend to this meeting, but her worry for Reese was something that was hard to hide, and despite her best attempts, she hadn’t done well in covering up her sadness.
“I’m fine, Suse,” she said, hazel gaze catching Susan’s worried one from across the table, “I’ll be fine, really. Have you given any thought to your bouquet?”
“Just something simple,” Susan replied dismissively. Every time something bad was going on in Lavender’s life they did this dance. Susan asked, Lavender denied, and Susan was a pest until her friend confided in her. She knew she was pushy, but Lavender was one of the people she felt closest to and it pained her to see the other woman obviously upset. “Have you ever known me to let something lie just because you told me you’d be ‘fine’?”
“It’s not something I can really work at fixing, you know,” Lavender answered, turning the page of the magazine, eyes flicking from flower to flower without giving them any real attention. “If I think about it too much, I cry. When I cry, Jack gets upset. All of my contacts in France, even the shady ones who owe me, swear they haven’t heard anything.”
She shrugged her shoulders, looking up at Susan with tired eyes. “I’m just worried, and the fact that I can’t do anything only makes it worse. But I can focus on your wedding and making sure the day goes off without a hitch.”
Throwing her energy into Susan’s big day seemed to calm Lavender in some way. Planning a wedding was almost like writing a good article; you had to make sure you had all the proper sources and verified their accuracy, and as long as you put everything in the correct order to make the story flow, you were looking at a good read. Helping Susan plan seemed to be one of the only things she was able to focus on at the moment.
Susan sat quietly, watching her friend and considering Lavender’s words. It was not her nature to let things lie. She wanted to talk, to help when the people she loved were hurting. This time she didn’t really have anything to offer beyond the distraction of her wedding. Nothing she could say or do could fix the true problem, or make it easier to bear. Despite the need within herself to push the topic, Susan let it go.
“I was thinking of a tent like this one for the reception dinner. What do you think of the white chair covers with red bows across the back?”
Glad that her friend knew better than to push the issue, and glad that she wouldn’t be crying in front of someone today, Lavender peered at the picture Susan was pointing at. “I think you’re an incredibly brave woman for choosing red as your contrast color when half the attendees at the wedding will have ginger hair to match.”
“Could be worse,” the bride-to-be replied thoughtfully. “I might’ve chosen orange polka dots. The whole event would look like a convention of spattergroit sufferers and no one would be sure if they were speaking to a Weasley or the tablecloth. Besides, Ron looks quite nice in red. Don’t you remember his Gryffindor Quidditch kit?”
Lavender did remember Ron’s quidditch uniform, and deliberately averted her eyes while grabbing another magazine. The fact that she’d dated - among other things - her friend’s fiance was something she definitely wanted to avoid speaking about... especially while helping said friend pick out program booklets.
“I think red will be pretty, especially with a snowy white background. Are you still planning on having it in tents?”
With a nod, the petite brunette replied, “Mmhmm. We should be able to get strong enough charms in place to keep everyone warm. We’re keeping it pretty small, just family and close friends, so there won’t be all that big an area to worry over.” Susan’s eyes went a little out of focus as she pictured her wedding day. She’d been dreaming of it for a long time.
Lavender watched Susan’s eyes fill with future thoughts of walking down the aisle towards Ron, sharing their first dance, shoving cakes in the other’s face. Her friend was happy. Stressed, most definitely, but happy. The Gryffindor was glad to see Susan finally getting what she deserved, in the best way possible.
“You’ve been planning this wedding since you were a little girl, haven’t you?”
Susan grinned a little self-consciously. “Is it that obvious? I’ve wanted to be married - and have children, eventually - for as long as I can remember.” It was true. She’d never had grand dreams of being a big career woman. Susan wanted to be a mum.
“Well, I’m glad it’s coming true.” Lavender said with a small smile as she flipped the magazine closed and sat back in her chair. “When I was a little girl I told my dad that I’d never get married. I didn’t like boys. Then I spent all my years at Hogwarts imagining marrying everyone. Then marriage became impossible when I moved to France. Polagamy is still frowned upon in most of the Isle, did you know?”
Shrugging her shoulders, an attempt to brush off the sad thoughts that always came when thinking about Cat and Steven, Lavender continued. “There was a time when I thought Justin and I were headed in that direction, but obviously not. He’s dating someone now. You’d like her, I think.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she liked Justin these days, much less his new girlfriend. Deep down, Susan knew she loved her old friend, but she hadn’t fully forgiven him for leaving without saying goodbye and for giving up his relationship with Lavender so easily. She’d never understood what was so important about this other job.
“Hmm,” Susan offered noncommittally. “Maybe. You’ll find your match, though. One of these days he’ll turn up.”
Lavender laughed, corners of her mouth staying turned up as she gazed at Susan. “Maybe I’ll meet him at your wedding. Are you inviting any suave, debonair friends that I have yet to anger with my nosy ways and my overwhelming desire to question?”
A sweet smile crossed Susan’s face, far more innocent than her actual intentions. “Percy will be there. You clearly haven’t run him off yet.”
“It’s Percy,” Lavender said with a shrug. “The man’s unflappable. And I’m not too sure you want Percy on your dance floor, love. I’ve seen him dance. It’s... I’m in the business of making things colorful and even I can’t think of a word to properly describe the movement of his arms and his legs that he seems to think constitutes dancing. I’m just glad Jack came to me for dance lessons instead of his father.”
“With moves like that, I bet he’d be quite an experience... You know...” She couldn’t finish the sentence, giggles were shaking her frame before the last words had fallen from her lips. Percy was a dear friend, and soon he’d be as good as her brother, but one didn’t look at him and think ‘sexual magnetism’. “He does have pretty hair, though.”
“Experience what?” Lavender was missing something, but she quickly caught on by the way that Susan was holding a hand over her mouth and her cheeks were turning a fetching pink. She couldn’t help the drop of her jaw and the sound that came from her mouth. “Susan! That’s... that’s... it’s Percy! You can’t tell me you’ve been thinking about what he’d be like for a shag! Ron’s head would explode! Literally!”
“No!” Susan exclaimed, horror etched on her face at the thought she could fantasize about her almost brother-in-law. “We’re talking about men for you, and you brought up his dance moves, and I just, you know, extrapolated. For your benefit, not mine. Ron fills all my Weasley yearnings, thank you very much.”
The insinuation that she should think about Percy having sex had Lavender’s shock turn to laughter. “Oh, Susan. As if the thought wasn’t already completely absurd, I’m fairly certain Percy is asexual. He hasn’t had sex in... well, since Jack was a sparkle in his eye, or so he tells me. Asexual. Completely. Not that it matters. It’s Percy.”
Susan just shrugged, a little smirk on her face. She wasn’t ready to give up her idea just yet. “Sometimes they just need a bit of a nudge. It took Ron ages to figure out I wanted him. I literally pranced around in my skivvies in front of him and he didn’t get the hint. Weasley men can be a little clueless.” Her smirk grew as she raised her eyes to Lavender’s. “You, on the other hand, have enough sexual appetite to make up for the entire clan of oblivious men from what you’ve told me. I think you should grab him by the queue and make him forget his vocabulary.”
Lavender’s eyes were thoroughly lubricated by the time she was finished blinking in Susan’s direction. “What on earth would I want to make him forget his vocabulary for? He’s my friend. There’s never been any indication of... of... sexy-feelings between us. And even if I did think of him in that way - which I DON’T - you’ve hit the nail on the head: My sexual appetite would be way too much for a Ministry archivist to handle.”
The Gryffindor wasn’t sure where Susan was coming up with any of this, but it felt completely absurd just talking about the idea of her and Percy being more than just friends. Best friends. He’d seen her knickers. She’d seen his. There’d never been anything more than playful and flirty banter back and forth, and she’d only done that because she liked to see how far she’d have to go before he’d pull his glasses off his nose and begin to clean them. She liked pushing his buttons. He enjoyed calling her out on being incorrigible. They were friends.
She’d never had sexual feelings towards Percy in the slightest. It was ridiculous when Justin had been jealous of the two of them, and it was ridiculous that Susan was reading anything into their relationship now.
Though, Lavender couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what face he’d give her if she did as Susan suggested and pulled his hair and gave him a snog. Shock, she was sure, much like she was feeling at the entire prospect.
“If you say so,” Susan replied in a singsong voice. True, Percy was hardly known for his sexuality, but one had to consider the family from which he came. All the other Weasleys seemed to managed just fine in that arena. It hardly seemed likely that Percy was the sexual squib among the group. Just because he hadn’t had much experience didn’t mean he lacked the inclination. Still, Lavender’s eyes hadn’t quite returned to their normal size yet, so Susan decided to let the topic drop for now. Maybe she could get them both drunk at the wedding and lock them in a closet or some such. “Now, tell me what you think about these invitations.”
Summary: Susan and Lavender go over plans for the wedding and speculate on Weasley men.