Narrative
Who: Lavender and Harry
When: December 28th, early morning
Where: Harry's house, Malaga, Spain
Status: In progress
Rating: PG
Summary: Lavender visits Harry...
At the first ray of light Lavender decided she couldn't stay in bed anymore. For some reason she had not been able to sleep properly. She thought it was due to being in a strange bed, but it was most likely her excitement over flying in a Muggle plane. When Harry had told her she could either use a Portkey or take a plane, she jumped at the chance. It had been her first time and even though she was a little apprehensive because she was alone, she had enjoyed the experience. Harry picked her up at the airport and then they had spent most of the night at the small coffee shop in which Harry worked. Nacho, one of Harry's co-workers, was hilarious and Lavender had laughed until there were tears in her eyes.
She took a shower, taking her time with her morning routine, before putting on a short and an old t-shirt. Despite her wearing designer's clothes most of the time, she liked to be comfortable at home.
"Time to prepare breakfast," she said merrily. Even if she hadn't promised to Draco that she was going to make sure Harry was all right, she would've anyway, and after seeing him the night before, she was sure he needed care. The first thing she noticed was that he had lost weight, and not a little, if she was right it was about a stone. For someone naturally slender, it was too much. She noticed he looked tired and was sporting bags under his eyes, something, she doubted, was a product of his weekend back in England.
She didn't comment on his state, but rather hug him hard before starting one of her gossip sessions. Maybe what he needed was to forget, if only for a little while.
The reprieve was over though, and after fixing him up a good English breakfast, she was going to talk to him.
Harry woke up to the most wonderful smell. Food. There was food in his kitchen for the first time since he had moved in. He went about his morning ablutions and was greeted with a sight he thought he would never see. Lavender Brown, cooking.
"Morning."
"Good morning, Harry. You woke up just in time. Sit," she said placing a cup of steamy coffee in front of him. "I hope I remembered how you take it, mocha, no sugar, right?"
"Yes, how did you..." he started to ask but then got distracted by the plate of food placed before him. Eggs, sausages, scones, even fried tomatoes. Feeling famished for the first time in months he started on his mountain of food. "Why didn't we marry, Lav?" he said amongst a mouthful of food.
"Bah, you say the same thing to any woman that cooks for you. Besides, I know all too well that you've never been affected by my charms, not even when I tried to use them in you," she grinned. "How is it?" she took a scone and some fried tomatoes for herself.
"Wnnehuj. Sorry, wonderful. Didn't know you cook."
"Harry, sweetie, I was raised to be the perfect wife, which includes knowing how to cook, in order to impress the prospective husband and then never lift a pan after marrying the sorry man, who would have to eat house elf prepared food for the rest of his life," she arched an eyebrow in a eerily familiar gesture. Harry laughed and she was glad to see some life back on his eyes. "Plus, I work in a restaurant. Even though my job is in managing, I have to be prepared for an emergency. I'm glad you like it. Now, eat, before it gets cold," she smiled before following her own order.
They ate in comfortable silence and Harry couldn't help but feel amazed about the way life worked. He'd have never predicted he'd ever have such a relationship with the girl he had mentally dubbed, most-likely-to-annoy but it had happened, nevertheless.
She waited until he finished his second helping and was sipping his coffee. "Did you sleep last night or did you spend all night looking at the picture in the silver frame?"
He coughed, the coffee going down the wrong pipe. He hadn't told her about the picture, he didn't want to share it with anyone, but he knew women were extremely perceptive. "I-I…"
"Don't worry, I just noticed that you were looking at the picture and then I saw your light on when I went to the bathroom. It's not difficult to add one plus one, especially with the expression you had when you were looking at it. I won't ask. I was just exercising my gossiping muscles," she smiled. "Now, tell me about the mark," she signalled to the place where she could clearly see the DM.
Harry's hand moved immediately to touch the mark, a now common gesture. "I think it's beginning to fade."
She studied him for a minute and then stated, "You love him. I had my suspicions but it's clear now that I'm seeing it."
Harry stood up walked to a window. "Have you ever been in love?"
"Come on, let's walk. I'm dying to see the Sea," she took his hand and led him to the front door.
He took his coat and offered it to Lavender. It wasn't as cold as it was back home, but the wind was strong. Grabbing a pullover, he opened the door. They took the path that led to the sea, walking in silence for a long while. There was a rock formation right in the middle of the walk that Harry knew provided some shelter from the wind as well as a place to sit. He'd spent quite a few afternoons there, watching the tide change and the breathtaking sunsets. Thinking.
"I was in love with Ron. I know I didn't show it, and maybe I didn't really fell for him until after we broke up, but I loved him most of the war. Of course, that's all over now, but yes, I've been in love," she smiled at him.
"I don't understand. He confuses me. Just when I'm sure he's done with this, he just does something that makes me doubt. I don't know what to think. Half the time I think he doesn't even like me." He picked a small pebble and played with it, just to have something to focus on.
"Did you have a good time over Christmas?" she asked, hugging herself. She left her wand back at the house, so a Warming charm was out of the question.
"Did you talk with Hermione?" he snorted. He waved his hand around her, as inconspicuous as he could and smiled when she sighed in relief at the Warming charm. "It was good, really. I don't remember when was the last time I slept with someone, I mean, er, through the night and all that. Not since the war, I think. I just, I felt like I was, well, like I was living something that I wasn't supposed to live, taking something that wasn't mine," he stopped talking, not wanting to go over the same thing again. It wouldn't do any good, and he had already accepted Draco's invitation for New Year's. It was madness, he knew it.
Lav didn't know what to say, how to console him. The truth was that there was nothing she could say to make it better. She knew there was something between Harry and Draco, something strong, but even that wouldn't guaranteed a good outcome. There was a lot of bad history between them. Still, she hoped, because both of them could do with some happiness in their lives.
"It'll be all right, you'll see. It'll be all right."