20 Random Facts about Lavender Brown
Title: 20 Random Facts about Lavender Brown
Length: 3,322
Character/Pairing (if any): Lavender Brown
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Character Death and disfigurement
AN: Written for round seven of the Harry Potter Random Facts Fests at hp_random_facts
1. Lavender was not an only child.
She had a sister who was seven years older than her. Hazel seemed more like a cousin or some other distant relative, however-most of Lavender’s memories growing up were without her in them, and after Hazel finished school she moved to London for her career in the ministry. She visited occasionally, but the only time Lavender and her parents could truly expect her was Christmas dinner (usually with a boyfriend in tow). Naturally, the two of them were never very close, though not for the lack of trying on Lavender’s part. She promised herself that if she had children, she wouldn’t leave such a large gap between them.
2. She was from a long line of football fans.
Her Muggle-born father, Daniel, used to brag that his forefathers were there when the league had its first match. Daniel was a born and bred supporter of Millwall, and had only moved on the outskirts of Brighton because his wife, who had grown up in the area, had wanted to. Hazel was never interested in sports of any kind, and he was determined to make up for it in his youngest. When Lavender was five he took her to her first match at Goldstone Ground to show her how the game was played. The local team had won that day, and it made her an instant fan-both of football and of the Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. After three years of trying to correct her thinking to no avail, Daniel reluctantly accepted this. However, he never passed a chance to take the mickey out of her as year after year her beloved Seagulls never made it to the playoffs.
3. She loved animals.
Her mother was allergic to fur, so the only pets Lavender grew up with were fish. To make up for it, her room was an explosion of stuffed animals-everything from unicorns to rabbits. For a long time, she wanted to be a veterinarian and work with magical creatures. She had been delighted when her parents finally decided to let her have a real rabbit (“as long as it stayed outside,” her mother said), and devastated with Binky had been eaten. That, and her mostly tempestuous experience in Care of Magical Creatures, robbed her of any desire be involved in any job that involved animals. She still wanted to have loads of animals in her home when she grew up, though.
4. She wrapped a pink ribbon around her wand.
Lavender and her mother both had rowan wands-though the former had a unicorn hair core and Marian a dragon heartstring one. She quickly learned the disadvantages to this the first time she came home for Christmas and her mother had accidently picked her wand up and tried to use it to put up the Christmas lights. Instead of sticking to the wall, they had posted themselves to the ceiling. Lavender wrapped a pink ribbon around the handle to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. As she grew older, their wand woods seemed to be the only similar thing between her and her mum.
5. She couldn’t read very well.
Lavender hadn’t been able to memorize the alphabet until she was almost six. By the time she was nine, reading out loud was a torture that sent her into tears almost every night, and correctly spelling anything longer than a four letters was considered a great day. Although they never said anything, Lavender knew her parents worried that she would not be able to go to Hogwarts because her reading skills were so bad. The year before she received her letter, she worked long into the night, trying to memorize the words she messed up. At school, she read her assignments with Parvati (the only one at school who ever knew), and wrote her essays with a Copy Quotes Quill. This worked well all year until the end-of-year exams-though her very good practical segments always managed to balance her rather poorly written ones. The whole thing made her feel stupid-and likely to overreact if she thought she was being treated like a dimwit.
7. She sat with Padma on the train her first year.
Parvati had been sitting with her then-friend Pansy (who promptly ditched Parvati when they ended up being in enemy houses), and Lavender had found Padma alone in a compartment reading a book. Padma wasn’t the chatty type, and she listened patiently as the other girl rattled on about her life and her family and what house she’d like to be in and whatever else came to her mind. It was the longest conversation the two of them ever had. When Padma ended up in Ravenclaw and her twin in Gryffindor, Lavender was the one who comforted Parvati as she sat miserably nearby. It was how they became friends.
6. She was jealous of Hermione Granger.
Hermione could read a book a night and memorize the whole thing. She had not grown up with magic like Lavender had, and could still outdo all of them in class. She wasn’t loved by everyone, but everyone respected her. She didn’t need to worry about whether boys liked her because she had two of them as her best friends. Everything seemed to come so easy for her. For a long time-though Lavender felt ashamed of herself for thinking it-the only thing she had over her was looks. But no-even at the Yule Ball, Hermione had managed to look pretty. Pretty enough to go out with Viktor Krum, anyway. Lavender had lost count of the number of times she wished she could be like Hermione.
7. She was very fond of Professor Flitwick.
She admired Professor Trelawney, but she wasn’t very good at Divination-Parvati was the one with the possible Seeing Eye. In a different world, she supposed Charms would have been her favorite subject if it hadn’t included so much reading. She liked Flitwick, though. He honestly didn’t seem to mind her coming into his office to ask that he explain whatever she hadn’t understood in that week’s reading assignment. McGonagall was willing to help as well, as was Sprout-but they always became testy in times of stress. Not Flitwick. He was always there to greet her with a smile and a “Hello again, Miss Brown,” in his squeaky little voice. She had little doubt that it was because of Flitwick that she got an “E” on the subject in her O.W.L.s exams.
8. She had a crush on Seamus for precisely fourteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes.
She hadn’t been severely disappointed when Seamus had asked her to the Yule Ball (although Lavender had secretly hoped that Cedric Diggory might by chance decide she was the most beautiful witch in the school and take her-but she supposed that was asking a bit much). Lavender put her heart and soul into looking nice for him, and Seamus had treated her kindly throughout the night. By the end of the ball, she thought that maybe she had been wrong in dismissing him as little more than a good-natured but rather immature boy. She stayed awake with Parvati going over every detail, trying to pick up clues at the level of his desirability for her. By the time she fell asleep, Lavender was sure he held a deep attraction for her that must’ve been months or even years in the making. However, Seamus seemed surprised when she greeted him the next morning, and positively fled when she mentioned how nice it had been the night before. As she looked at Dean determinedly playing with his eggs, Lavender understood. Seamus had wanted a date, but he was not interested in a relationship. Thus had ended her crush.
In the few years to come, she wondered what would’ve happened if she had fought it.
9. She didn’t wear make-up until her sixteen birthday.
She was good looking, no one would deny that. Long hair the color of cinnamon sticks, bright green eyes, light skin with just a hint of freckles across her face. Not to mention a figure she could be proud of. She could’ve worn make-up before then-girls who looked like her usually did. But if she received appreciative stares without it, what was the point of going through the hassle? When every other girl seemed to be doing so (except Hermione, of course), she finally gave in, and had to admit she liked the result. It brought color to her cheeks, and caused her eyes to stand out, and made it obvious her lips were meant to be kissed. She was looked at more than ever, and she rather enjoyed it.
10. She had liked Ron before sixth year.
He was funny and cute, and his infiltration of the ministry had been so brave-how was she not supposed to be attracted to him? It was obvious he was never going to make a move, so she did. His sudden interest after the Quidditch match should’ve made her suspicious-especially after the rumors that he and Hermione Granger were going to Slughorn’s party together. Inwardly, she knew that a relationship was supposed to be more than just a mutual enjoyment of snogging, but she thought that would change once the heating period cooled. Just before his birthday, however, it became obvious that not only had it cooled, but he wasn’t even interested anymore. She refused to give up like she had with Seamus-call her a believer in hopeless cases, but she wanted to show him that she was worth keeping. In the end, it was perhaps better she was the one who ended it.
11. If there was one thing she and Dean couldn’t agree on, it’s what made the two of them become friends.
Dean always insisted it was discovering they both had a love for football. She thought it was they had both had their hearts broken by Weasleys. They actually had their first real conversation when Dean had bemoaned sadly that if watching his dormmate snog his ex-girlfriend weren’t enough, West Ham lost to Nottingham. Nottingham! He looked so forlorn that Lavender couldn’t help mentioning that one win wasn’t likely to help Nottingham from landing at the bottom of the season, and the only reason they weren’t loosing every match was because Pierre van Hooijdonk was scoring half their goals. He and Seamus had gaped at her so much that she blushed, muttered an apology, and walked off. Dean accosted her later to demand how she knew so much about football, and she told him about her love for the Brighton & Hove Albion football club. She thought it was nice of him not to laugh out loud at this, as most would have. Without thinking, she blurted her sympathy at what Harry had done with Ginny right in front of everyone. “I mean, if Ron had snogged Granger in front of me….” He cocked his head at her, as if realizing something for the first time, and gave her a reluctant half-smile. The rest of the year, they kept each other up-to-date on the football status and rolled their eyes at each other when Harry and Ginny were seen cuddling on the sofa. She never told her father that she was friends with a West Ham fan-she didn’t think he’d ever forgive her.
12. She went to her father’s status questioning.
When the Daily Prophet announced that Muggle-borns would have to register with the ministry, Marian wanted her husband to go into hiding. Daniel refused, insisting that as soon as he proved he was an able wizard like anyone else, they would have no reason to imprison him. The family had gone with him to the interrogation, and as soon as Lavender felt the dementors, she had known this would not be a regular trial. They had sat, shivering outside the courtroom, waiting, trying to reassure each other that everything was going to be alright. When the dementors had dragged her father away, he was yelling over their cries of despair that he would be fine. Lavender tried to push her way through to hug him, foolishly thinking that perhaps if she wouldn’t let go, they’d take her with him to Azkaban. She was easily knocked aside, and had continued sobbing as Daniel’s footsteps grew fainter and fainter. She felt arms wrap around her. For a moment thought it was her mother, and was surprised when it turned out to be Hazel. It was the only time her sister had hugged her like this.
13. She cast the best Defensive Charms in the DA.
Or so Lavender liked to believe, and she didn’t think many people would disagree with her. Her father’s imprisonment gave her a determination to make sure no one would ever be taken on her watch. Her shield charms could deflect even Ginny’s most powerful jinxes, and had even knocked the redhead off her feet a few times. When they worked on Patronuses, she had the second-best one next to Luna’s after lots of practice. At first, it felt good to be doing something and being good at it, and not be just a pretty face for once. Then, shortly after Hallowe’en, a tiny first year girl crawled, sobbing into her lap, saying that she wanted protection from the Carrows, and suddenly Lavender wished she wasn’t so good. She didn’t want the responsibility.
14. She got a tattoo during the Christmas holiday.
A purple and gold butterfly on the back of her shoulder. Parvati got a tiger on her upper arm. To their surprise, Padma decided to get one too-a lotus on her hip. It hurt a bit, but there was almost a sense of excitement in it. The twins never told their parents. Marian caught sight of the butterfly as she brought in the laundry while Lavender was dressing. She had stared at her defiantly, expecting a telling off. To her surprise, her mother sighed and said nothing.
15. She watched Parvati die.
They had been back-to-back throughout the battle, Parvati shooting spell after spell while Lavender kept the shield charms up for protection. Suddenly, a huge Death Eater broke her charm with a Severing Spell, and cutting Parvati down the chest up in the process. Lavender sent such a powerful Redactor Curse than the Death Eater fell out the window. Lavender had tried to stop the blood flow, tried to save her, but she could see in Parvati’s eyes that it was her time.
“I didn’t think I’d make it anyway, Lav,” she admitted, her voice raspy and quiet.
Lavender didn’t know what to say, and held her best friend until her eyes closed and her body seemed to melt in her arms. She didn’t have time for tears, because the next moment, Greyback leapt upon her.
16. Greyback’s attack nearly killed her.
Not in the moments after Hermione cursed that monster off her, but while she lay in the hospital, fingering every inch of her torn up face and neck. It was selfish and vain, but Lavender had always been proud of her face-who would want to look at her now? And if they did, Lavender knew all she would see is revulsion and fear. The news of her father's death had kept her silent for days. The healers couldn’t understand why she kept getting dangerously high fevers, despite their daily dose of medication. She stood on the edge between letting go and holding on for two weeks.
Looking back, she thinks she focused on her disfigurement so much so she wouldn’t have to think about Parvati.
17. Dean saved her.
Well, they saved each other, really. Dean was in the bed next to her, having lost his right hand. He despaired about it for a while, but focused on Lavender so he wouldn’t have to think about it. He made her laugh when she didn’t want to, checked her temperature hourly, and assured her that if anyone found her revolting with everything she had done at Hogwarts, he would have more than something to say about it. She soon realized missing a limb-and therefore, much of a normal person’s livelihood-was worse than being disfigured. She convinced Dean not to give up art. His work was never the same with his left hand, but it was still impressive by wizarding standards. After they left the hospital, they went to football matches-sometimes with Seamus, sometimes without him. It came to a point it didn’t matter which teams were playing, they’d go just so they could spend time with each other. He was the one who held her a year later at the memorial for the Battle of Hogwarts, when she cried over Parvati for the first time. That’s when Lavender fell in love with him.
18. She considered applying for the Aurors.
Harry, Ron, Neville, and even Susan had joined, and their stories in the Prophet made it seem like if she wanted to be useful, it was the thing to do. However, the flashbacks of Parvati dying in her arms that would unexpectedly creep upon her kept her from actually going into the Auror Office. In the end, she decided on working in the Werewolf Advocacy Group. Greyback had infected a record amount of people in the year of Voldemort’s reign, and someone who understood what it was like had to stand up for them. Hermione was a huge, albeit unexpected, ally in creating reform-at least when she wasn’t working on some house-elf rights project. Hermione had a mind like a sponge, and Lavender knew how to be a diplomat. Both had determination and passion. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Lavender can’t find it in herself to be jealous of her anymore-not really, anyway.
19. Seamus was the one to convince Dean to ask her out.
After the 2001-2002 FA Cup, Seamus, Dean, and she spent most of the night in the Leaky Cauldron, getting pissed. Lavender overheard them coming back from the loo.
“I don’ know why I bother, y’know.”
“How-hic-d’ya mean?”
“Ya two coulda hada fine ol’ time without me. Ya’d prob’ly be gettin’ inta her pants by now.”
There was a hacking cough, and Seamus laughed uproariously. Dean had obviously choked on his drink.
“Shhh-she doesn’t know!”
“’Course she doesn’. She's too busy starin’ at yar arse ta notice, ain't she?”
“Y'think?” Dean sounded adorably hopeful.
Yes, Lavender thought, though cursing herself for being so obvious.
“Look, I can’t stan’ ya two moonin’ at each other like a pair o'drunk calves. It’s sickenin’. Ask her out or I’ll d' it for ya.”
Lavender, who couldn’t help putting herself in about a dozen rom coms she had seen, stumbled back towards them here, pretending she hadn’t heard anything, but feeling immensely pleased.
The next morning, while they were nursing hangovers at the boys’ flat, Dean followed his best friend’s advice.
She gave Seamus a huge kiss for this on her wedding day.
20. She never tried to heal her scars.
When a potion was discovered that got rid of werewolf scars, she didn’t buy it. For one, the scars made werewolves trust her. For another, Dean loving her makes her feel beautiful in a way that can’t be shown on the outside.
Besides, she knows their little girls are more than good-looking enough to make up for both of them.
Length: 3,322
Character/Pairing (if any): Lavender Brown
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Character Death and disfigurement
AN: Written for round seven of the Harry Potter Random Facts Fests at hp_random_facts
1. Lavender was not an only child.
She had a sister who was seven years older than her. Hazel seemed more like a cousin or some other distant relative, however-most of Lavender’s memories growing up were without her in them, and after Hazel finished school she moved to London for her career in the ministry. She visited occasionally, but the only time Lavender and her parents could truly expect her was Christmas dinner (usually with a boyfriend in tow). Naturally, the two of them were never very close, though not for the lack of trying on Lavender’s part. She promised herself that if she had children, she wouldn’t leave such a large gap between them.
2. She was from a long line of football fans.
Her Muggle-born father, Daniel, used to brag that his forefathers were there when the league had its first match. Daniel was a born and bred supporter of Millwall, and had only moved on the outskirts of Brighton because his wife, who had grown up in the area, had wanted to. Hazel was never interested in sports of any kind, and he was determined to make up for it in his youngest. When Lavender was five he took her to her first match at Goldstone Ground to show her how the game was played. The local team had won that day, and it made her an instant fan-both of football and of the Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. After three years of trying to correct her thinking to no avail, Daniel reluctantly accepted this. However, he never passed a chance to take the mickey out of her as year after year her beloved Seagulls never made it to the playoffs.
3. She loved animals.
Her mother was allergic to fur, so the only pets Lavender grew up with were fish. To make up for it, her room was an explosion of stuffed animals-everything from unicorns to rabbits. For a long time, she wanted to be a veterinarian and work with magical creatures. She had been delighted when her parents finally decided to let her have a real rabbit (“as long as it stayed outside,” her mother said), and devastated with Binky had been eaten. That, and her mostly tempestuous experience in Care of Magical Creatures, robbed her of any desire be involved in any job that involved animals. She still wanted to have loads of animals in her home when she grew up, though.
4. She wrapped a pink ribbon around her wand.
Lavender and her mother both had rowan wands-though the former had a unicorn hair core and Marian a dragon heartstring one. She quickly learned the disadvantages to this the first time she came home for Christmas and her mother had accidently picked her wand up and tried to use it to put up the Christmas lights. Instead of sticking to the wall, they had posted themselves to the ceiling. Lavender wrapped a pink ribbon around the handle to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. As she grew older, their wand woods seemed to be the only similar thing between her and her mum.
5. She couldn’t read very well.
Lavender hadn’t been able to memorize the alphabet until she was almost six. By the time she was nine, reading out loud was a torture that sent her into tears almost every night, and correctly spelling anything longer than a four letters was considered a great day. Although they never said anything, Lavender knew her parents worried that she would not be able to go to Hogwarts because her reading skills were so bad. The year before she received her letter, she worked long into the night, trying to memorize the words she messed up. At school, she read her assignments with Parvati (the only one at school who ever knew), and wrote her essays with a Copy Quotes Quill. This worked well all year until the end-of-year exams-though her very good practical segments always managed to balance her rather poorly written ones. The whole thing made her feel stupid-and likely to overreact if she thought she was being treated like a dimwit.
7. She sat with Padma on the train her first year.
Parvati had been sitting with her then-friend Pansy (who promptly ditched Parvati when they ended up being in enemy houses), and Lavender had found Padma alone in a compartment reading a book. Padma wasn’t the chatty type, and she listened patiently as the other girl rattled on about her life and her family and what house she’d like to be in and whatever else came to her mind. It was the longest conversation the two of them ever had. When Padma ended up in Ravenclaw and her twin in Gryffindor, Lavender was the one who comforted Parvati as she sat miserably nearby. It was how they became friends.
6. She was jealous of Hermione Granger.
Hermione could read a book a night and memorize the whole thing. She had not grown up with magic like Lavender had, and could still outdo all of them in class. She wasn’t loved by everyone, but everyone respected her. She didn’t need to worry about whether boys liked her because she had two of them as her best friends. Everything seemed to come so easy for her. For a long time-though Lavender felt ashamed of herself for thinking it-the only thing she had over her was looks. But no-even at the Yule Ball, Hermione had managed to look pretty. Pretty enough to go out with Viktor Krum, anyway. Lavender had lost count of the number of times she wished she could be like Hermione.
7. She was very fond of Professor Flitwick.
She admired Professor Trelawney, but she wasn’t very good at Divination-Parvati was the one with the possible Seeing Eye. In a different world, she supposed Charms would have been her favorite subject if it hadn’t included so much reading. She liked Flitwick, though. He honestly didn’t seem to mind her coming into his office to ask that he explain whatever she hadn’t understood in that week’s reading assignment. McGonagall was willing to help as well, as was Sprout-but they always became testy in times of stress. Not Flitwick. He was always there to greet her with a smile and a “Hello again, Miss Brown,” in his squeaky little voice. She had little doubt that it was because of Flitwick that she got an “E” on the subject in her O.W.L.s exams.
8. She had a crush on Seamus for precisely fourteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes.
She hadn’t been severely disappointed when Seamus had asked her to the Yule Ball (although Lavender had secretly hoped that Cedric Diggory might by chance decide she was the most beautiful witch in the school and take her-but she supposed that was asking a bit much). Lavender put her heart and soul into looking nice for him, and Seamus had treated her kindly throughout the night. By the end of the ball, she thought that maybe she had been wrong in dismissing him as little more than a good-natured but rather immature boy. She stayed awake with Parvati going over every detail, trying to pick up clues at the level of his desirability for her. By the time she fell asleep, Lavender was sure he held a deep attraction for her that must’ve been months or even years in the making. However, Seamus seemed surprised when she greeted him the next morning, and positively fled when she mentioned how nice it had been the night before. As she looked at Dean determinedly playing with his eggs, Lavender understood. Seamus had wanted a date, but he was not interested in a relationship. Thus had ended her crush.
In the few years to come, she wondered what would’ve happened if she had fought it.
9. She didn’t wear make-up until her sixteen birthday.
She was good looking, no one would deny that. Long hair the color of cinnamon sticks, bright green eyes, light skin with just a hint of freckles across her face. Not to mention a figure she could be proud of. She could’ve worn make-up before then-girls who looked like her usually did. But if she received appreciative stares without it, what was the point of going through the hassle? When every other girl seemed to be doing so (except Hermione, of course), she finally gave in, and had to admit she liked the result. It brought color to her cheeks, and caused her eyes to stand out, and made it obvious her lips were meant to be kissed. She was looked at more than ever, and she rather enjoyed it.
10. She had liked Ron before sixth year.
He was funny and cute, and his infiltration of the ministry had been so brave-how was she not supposed to be attracted to him? It was obvious he was never going to make a move, so she did. His sudden interest after the Quidditch match should’ve made her suspicious-especially after the rumors that he and Hermione Granger were going to Slughorn’s party together. Inwardly, she knew that a relationship was supposed to be more than just a mutual enjoyment of snogging, but she thought that would change once the heating period cooled. Just before his birthday, however, it became obvious that not only had it cooled, but he wasn’t even interested anymore. She refused to give up like she had with Seamus-call her a believer in hopeless cases, but she wanted to show him that she was worth keeping. In the end, it was perhaps better she was the one who ended it.
11. If there was one thing she and Dean couldn’t agree on, it’s what made the two of them become friends.
Dean always insisted it was discovering they both had a love for football. She thought it was they had both had their hearts broken by Weasleys. They actually had their first real conversation when Dean had bemoaned sadly that if watching his dormmate snog his ex-girlfriend weren’t enough, West Ham lost to Nottingham. Nottingham! He looked so forlorn that Lavender couldn’t help mentioning that one win wasn’t likely to help Nottingham from landing at the bottom of the season, and the only reason they weren’t loosing every match was because Pierre van Hooijdonk was scoring half their goals. He and Seamus had gaped at her so much that she blushed, muttered an apology, and walked off. Dean accosted her later to demand how she knew so much about football, and she told him about her love for the Brighton & Hove Albion football club. She thought it was nice of him not to laugh out loud at this, as most would have. Without thinking, she blurted her sympathy at what Harry had done with Ginny right in front of everyone. “I mean, if Ron had snogged Granger in front of me….” He cocked his head at her, as if realizing something for the first time, and gave her a reluctant half-smile. The rest of the year, they kept each other up-to-date on the football status and rolled their eyes at each other when Harry and Ginny were seen cuddling on the sofa. She never told her father that she was friends with a West Ham fan-she didn’t think he’d ever forgive her.
12. She went to her father’s status questioning.
When the Daily Prophet announced that Muggle-borns would have to register with the ministry, Marian wanted her husband to go into hiding. Daniel refused, insisting that as soon as he proved he was an able wizard like anyone else, they would have no reason to imprison him. The family had gone with him to the interrogation, and as soon as Lavender felt the dementors, she had known this would not be a regular trial. They had sat, shivering outside the courtroom, waiting, trying to reassure each other that everything was going to be alright. When the dementors had dragged her father away, he was yelling over their cries of despair that he would be fine. Lavender tried to push her way through to hug him, foolishly thinking that perhaps if she wouldn’t let go, they’d take her with him to Azkaban. She was easily knocked aside, and had continued sobbing as Daniel’s footsteps grew fainter and fainter. She felt arms wrap around her. For a moment thought it was her mother, and was surprised when it turned out to be Hazel. It was the only time her sister had hugged her like this.
13. She cast the best Defensive Charms in the DA.
Or so Lavender liked to believe, and she didn’t think many people would disagree with her. Her father’s imprisonment gave her a determination to make sure no one would ever be taken on her watch. Her shield charms could deflect even Ginny’s most powerful jinxes, and had even knocked the redhead off her feet a few times. When they worked on Patronuses, she had the second-best one next to Luna’s after lots of practice. At first, it felt good to be doing something and being good at it, and not be just a pretty face for once. Then, shortly after Hallowe’en, a tiny first year girl crawled, sobbing into her lap, saying that she wanted protection from the Carrows, and suddenly Lavender wished she wasn’t so good. She didn’t want the responsibility.
14. She got a tattoo during the Christmas holiday.
A purple and gold butterfly on the back of her shoulder. Parvati got a tiger on her upper arm. To their surprise, Padma decided to get one too-a lotus on her hip. It hurt a bit, but there was almost a sense of excitement in it. The twins never told their parents. Marian caught sight of the butterfly as she brought in the laundry while Lavender was dressing. She had stared at her defiantly, expecting a telling off. To her surprise, her mother sighed and said nothing.
15. She watched Parvati die.
They had been back-to-back throughout the battle, Parvati shooting spell after spell while Lavender kept the shield charms up for protection. Suddenly, a huge Death Eater broke her charm with a Severing Spell, and cutting Parvati down the chest up in the process. Lavender sent such a powerful Redactor Curse than the Death Eater fell out the window. Lavender had tried to stop the blood flow, tried to save her, but she could see in Parvati’s eyes that it was her time.
“I didn’t think I’d make it anyway, Lav,” she admitted, her voice raspy and quiet.
Lavender didn’t know what to say, and held her best friend until her eyes closed and her body seemed to melt in her arms. She didn’t have time for tears, because the next moment, Greyback leapt upon her.
16. Greyback’s attack nearly killed her.
Not in the moments after Hermione cursed that monster off her, but while she lay in the hospital, fingering every inch of her torn up face and neck. It was selfish and vain, but Lavender had always been proud of her face-who would want to look at her now? And if they did, Lavender knew all she would see is revulsion and fear. The news of her father's death had kept her silent for days. The healers couldn’t understand why she kept getting dangerously high fevers, despite their daily dose of medication. She stood on the edge between letting go and holding on for two weeks.
Looking back, she thinks she focused on her disfigurement so much so she wouldn’t have to think about Parvati.
17. Dean saved her.
Well, they saved each other, really. Dean was in the bed next to her, having lost his right hand. He despaired about it for a while, but focused on Lavender so he wouldn’t have to think about it. He made her laugh when she didn’t want to, checked her temperature hourly, and assured her that if anyone found her revolting with everything she had done at Hogwarts, he would have more than something to say about it. She soon realized missing a limb-and therefore, much of a normal person’s livelihood-was worse than being disfigured. She convinced Dean not to give up art. His work was never the same with his left hand, but it was still impressive by wizarding standards. After they left the hospital, they went to football matches-sometimes with Seamus, sometimes without him. It came to a point it didn’t matter which teams were playing, they’d go just so they could spend time with each other. He was the one who held her a year later at the memorial for the Battle of Hogwarts, when she cried over Parvati for the first time. That’s when Lavender fell in love with him.
18. She considered applying for the Aurors.
Harry, Ron, Neville, and even Susan had joined, and their stories in the Prophet made it seem like if she wanted to be useful, it was the thing to do. However, the flashbacks of Parvati dying in her arms that would unexpectedly creep upon her kept her from actually going into the Auror Office. In the end, she decided on working in the Werewolf Advocacy Group. Greyback had infected a record amount of people in the year of Voldemort’s reign, and someone who understood what it was like had to stand up for them. Hermione was a huge, albeit unexpected, ally in creating reform-at least when she wasn’t working on some house-elf rights project. Hermione had a mind like a sponge, and Lavender knew how to be a diplomat. Both had determination and passion. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Lavender can’t find it in herself to be jealous of her anymore-not really, anyway.
19. Seamus was the one to convince Dean to ask her out.
After the 2001-2002 FA Cup, Seamus, Dean, and she spent most of the night in the Leaky Cauldron, getting pissed. Lavender overheard them coming back from the loo.
“I don’ know why I bother, y’know.”
“How-hic-d’ya mean?”
“Ya two coulda hada fine ol’ time without me. Ya’d prob’ly be gettin’ inta her pants by now.”
There was a hacking cough, and Seamus laughed uproariously. Dean had obviously choked on his drink.
“Shhh-she doesn’t know!”
“’Course she doesn’. She's too busy starin’ at yar arse ta notice, ain't she?”
“Y'think?” Dean sounded adorably hopeful.
Yes, Lavender thought, though cursing herself for being so obvious.
“Look, I can’t stan’ ya two moonin’ at each other like a pair o'drunk calves. It’s sickenin’. Ask her out or I’ll d' it for ya.”
Lavender, who couldn’t help putting herself in about a dozen rom coms she had seen, stumbled back towards them here, pretending she hadn’t heard anything, but feeling immensely pleased.
The next morning, while they were nursing hangovers at the boys’ flat, Dean followed his best friend’s advice.
She gave Seamus a huge kiss for this on her wedding day.
20. She never tried to heal her scars.
When a potion was discovered that got rid of werewolf scars, she didn’t buy it. For one, the scars made werewolves trust her. For another, Dean loving her makes her feel beautiful in a way that can’t be shown on the outside.
Besides, she knows their little girls are more than good-looking enough to make up for both of them.