In the Scheme of Things - 1/1 - All Ages - Neville/Lavender
Title: In the Scheme of Things (1/1)
Author: silvernatasha
Rating: All Ages
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: Lavender returns from her travels and has priorities to set in order.
Word Count: 1184.
A/N: Written for the 7spells prompt if you wanted honesty. Contains spoilers for DH. Sequel to Swanning Off.
Neville!
I’m back in the country! I really want to see you - I’ve got loads of photos to show you and possibly even some presents if you’ve been good. I haven’t even taken my shoes off yet and I just had to write this letter.
Hope you’re well - see you soon!
Love, Lavender. X
Receiving this owl three days ago, Neville had nearly dropped his gardening utensils on his foot in surprise. Despite Lavender’s regular letters from her travels over the last eighteen months, she hadn’t once hinted that she was coming home until her owl flapped its way into his new greenhouse.
Neville had arranged for Lavender to come and visit him that evening while his grandmother was out playing bridge and, for some reason, he had brushed his hair five times since dinner. Hearing a knock on the front door, Neville opened it to find a wide pair of brown eyes and a bright smile staring back at him. “Neville!” Lavender flung herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He laughed, hugging her back. “I’ve missed you, too. Have you grown?” he asked, as she stepped back.
“Nope. Still as short as ever,” Lavender assured him with a grin, shoving her hands into the pockets of her well-worn jeans. Travelling seemed to have done something to her, Neville decided. The immaculate, pristine Lavender Brown had started to disappear when they had been at Hogwarts, with survival more of a necessity than primping. Yet now she seemed more organic, more natural: Neville was certain that she wasn’t wearing any make-up and it suited her. Sometimes Neville couldn’t understand why girls put all that stuff on their faces.
Her hair was longer than he could ever remember seeing it before as Lavender tucked it behind her ear, bouncing a little on the spot. “Can I come in?” she asked. “It’s kind of chilly out here, Nev.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” He stepped aside, letting Lavender into the house and shutting the door as she pulled off her winter cloak.
“That’s better. Ooh. It’s nice and warm in here.” Lavender hung her cloak up on the cloak rack, revealing a top that looked like something that Parvati used to wear at the weekends when they were at Hogwarts. She’d been to India last June, Neville recalled from one of her letters.
Neville smiled, glad to see her looking so healthy - anything was an improvement on her physical state after Hogwarts. “Can I get you a drink?”
“A cup of tea would be lovely,” Lavender said hopefully. “My mum made cake,” she offered, holding up the bag she was carrying.
As Neville made tea and they munched on chocolate cake, Lavender poured over her photos, talking non-stop. She was as talkative as she’d ever been, launching into stories and random tangents while barely stopping for breath. “And it was like… if I got bored of a place, I’d just find a map and Apparate somewhere else. It was so much fun! I don’t think I could have stayed travelling as long as I did if I were a Muggle, but…” Lavender trailed off, shrugging.
“Sounds like you had a good time,” Neville remarked, looking up from the photograph of Lavender in a tropical garden somewhere. For once, Neville wasn’t examining the plants. The more that Lavender talked, the more that Neville was reminded how long she had been gone; letters were no substitute. “What made you come back?”
Lavender fell quiet, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with her mug of tea cradled in her hands. “I started to get a bit homesick,” she admitted. “And it’s Christmas in a couple of weeks. I wanted to be back here for that.” Her lips twitched into a shy smile. “Some things just aren’t the same. I’ve missed stupid little things like the Witch Weekly crossword and damp summer days. Oh! And a decent cup of tea.” She grinned. “I’ve been craving Honeydukes’ chocolate and beans on toast for the last couple of months, too. But not together! Because that would just be… eww.” Lavender wrinkled her nose, shuddering at the thought.
Neville laughed, but Lavender only managed a weak giggle.
She licked her lips. “Actually, there was another pretty big reason why I wanted to come home.”
Amused, Neville ventured, “Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans?”
“No. Well, yes, but in the scheme of things…” Lavender held out her hand just above her knee. “Every Flavour Beans.” Her hand rose higher. “Baked beans.” She raised her hand again. “Chocolate.” And again. “Tea.” Finally, her hand wavered just above her head. “You,” she whispered. Lavender dropped her hand, raking it through her hair as she turned her face away.
Neville coughed as he tried not to splutter a mouthful of tea over Lavender’s photographs, eyes watering.
Lavender gave him a wary look. “Not quite the reaction I was hoping for,” she said quietly.
“That was a surprised reaction,” Neville said quickly. The last thing he wanted was to offend her; the hurt in her eyes pained him. “I… wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
She sighed. “I wrote to you every week without fail. Didn’t that tell you anything?”
“I liked getting your letters. Didn’t think anything of it!”
“I wrote to Parvati once a month,” Lavender explained. “I wrote to my parents once a month. I honestly missed you most of everyone and that’s a scary kind of thought. You have no idea how many times I finished writing a letter to you and nearly came home because I wanted to see you so badly.”
She brooded over her tea for a moment; Neville couldn’t find any words to say to her, just watching as the Christmas candles illuminated her face. “I completely understand if you don’t think of me in the same way at all,” she offered. “And I’m sorry, but I just have to say something or it’ll drive me crazy.”
Neville took a sip of tea to try and soothe his prickly throat. He could feel the heat from his cheeks and hoped the dim lights were enough to hide this. Girls didn’t normally say things like that about him. What was going on? ‘Neville’s really nice’ was about as good as he got.
“Your letters…” he started. Neville cleared his throat, wishing his voice didn’t come out so squeaky. “They were the highlight of my week.”
Lavender beamed. “Really?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, even though you were hundreds of miles away, seeing your handwriting made me feel closer to you. Made me wish I was with you, sometimes.” Seeing Lavender blush, Neville was sure that she could tell he was blushing, too.
“That’s so sweet.” Lavender’s hands shook as she clutched her tea. “Do you think that maybe we have a chance, then? That we could try… something?” She licked her lips. “I’d understand if you didn’t want to or there’s someone else in your life or…”
“There’s no one else,” Neville interrupted.
A smile lit her face up brighter than the candles. “Really?”
“Really.”
7spells Prompts - Previous - Next
Author: silvernatasha
Rating: All Ages
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: Lavender returns from her travels and has priorities to set in order.
Word Count: 1184.
A/N: Written for the 7spells prompt if you wanted honesty. Contains spoilers for DH. Sequel to Swanning Off.
Neville!
I’m back in the country! I really want to see you - I’ve got loads of photos to show you and possibly even some presents if you’ve been good. I haven’t even taken my shoes off yet and I just had to write this letter.
Hope you’re well - see you soon!
Love, Lavender. X
Receiving this owl three days ago, Neville had nearly dropped his gardening utensils on his foot in surprise. Despite Lavender’s regular letters from her travels over the last eighteen months, she hadn’t once hinted that she was coming home until her owl flapped its way into his new greenhouse.
Neville had arranged for Lavender to come and visit him that evening while his grandmother was out playing bridge and, for some reason, he had brushed his hair five times since dinner. Hearing a knock on the front door, Neville opened it to find a wide pair of brown eyes and a bright smile staring back at him. “Neville!” Lavender flung herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He laughed, hugging her back. “I’ve missed you, too. Have you grown?” he asked, as she stepped back.
“Nope. Still as short as ever,” Lavender assured him with a grin, shoving her hands into the pockets of her well-worn jeans. Travelling seemed to have done something to her, Neville decided. The immaculate, pristine Lavender Brown had started to disappear when they had been at Hogwarts, with survival more of a necessity than primping. Yet now she seemed more organic, more natural: Neville was certain that she wasn’t wearing any make-up and it suited her. Sometimes Neville couldn’t understand why girls put all that stuff on their faces.
Her hair was longer than he could ever remember seeing it before as Lavender tucked it behind her ear, bouncing a little on the spot. “Can I come in?” she asked. “It’s kind of chilly out here, Nev.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” He stepped aside, letting Lavender into the house and shutting the door as she pulled off her winter cloak.
“That’s better. Ooh. It’s nice and warm in here.” Lavender hung her cloak up on the cloak rack, revealing a top that looked like something that Parvati used to wear at the weekends when they were at Hogwarts. She’d been to India last June, Neville recalled from one of her letters.
Neville smiled, glad to see her looking so healthy - anything was an improvement on her physical state after Hogwarts. “Can I get you a drink?”
“A cup of tea would be lovely,” Lavender said hopefully. “My mum made cake,” she offered, holding up the bag she was carrying.
As Neville made tea and they munched on chocolate cake, Lavender poured over her photos, talking non-stop. She was as talkative as she’d ever been, launching into stories and random tangents while barely stopping for breath. “And it was like… if I got bored of a place, I’d just find a map and Apparate somewhere else. It was so much fun! I don’t think I could have stayed travelling as long as I did if I were a Muggle, but…” Lavender trailed off, shrugging.
“Sounds like you had a good time,” Neville remarked, looking up from the photograph of Lavender in a tropical garden somewhere. For once, Neville wasn’t examining the plants. The more that Lavender talked, the more that Neville was reminded how long she had been gone; letters were no substitute. “What made you come back?”
Lavender fell quiet, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with her mug of tea cradled in her hands. “I started to get a bit homesick,” she admitted. “And it’s Christmas in a couple of weeks. I wanted to be back here for that.” Her lips twitched into a shy smile. “Some things just aren’t the same. I’ve missed stupid little things like the Witch Weekly crossword and damp summer days. Oh! And a decent cup of tea.” She grinned. “I’ve been craving Honeydukes’ chocolate and beans on toast for the last couple of months, too. But not together! Because that would just be… eww.” Lavender wrinkled her nose, shuddering at the thought.
Neville laughed, but Lavender only managed a weak giggle.
She licked her lips. “Actually, there was another pretty big reason why I wanted to come home.”
Amused, Neville ventured, “Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans?”
“No. Well, yes, but in the scheme of things…” Lavender held out her hand just above her knee. “Every Flavour Beans.” Her hand rose higher. “Baked beans.” She raised her hand again. “Chocolate.” And again. “Tea.” Finally, her hand wavered just above her head. “You,” she whispered. Lavender dropped her hand, raking it through her hair as she turned her face away.
Neville coughed as he tried not to splutter a mouthful of tea over Lavender’s photographs, eyes watering.
Lavender gave him a wary look. “Not quite the reaction I was hoping for,” she said quietly.
“That was a surprised reaction,” Neville said quickly. The last thing he wanted was to offend her; the hurt in her eyes pained him. “I… wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
She sighed. “I wrote to you every week without fail. Didn’t that tell you anything?”
“I liked getting your letters. Didn’t think anything of it!”
“I wrote to Parvati once a month,” Lavender explained. “I wrote to my parents once a month. I honestly missed you most of everyone and that’s a scary kind of thought. You have no idea how many times I finished writing a letter to you and nearly came home because I wanted to see you so badly.”
She brooded over her tea for a moment; Neville couldn’t find any words to say to her, just watching as the Christmas candles illuminated her face. “I completely understand if you don’t think of me in the same way at all,” she offered. “And I’m sorry, but I just have to say something or it’ll drive me crazy.”
Neville took a sip of tea to try and soothe his prickly throat. He could feel the heat from his cheeks and hoped the dim lights were enough to hide this. Girls didn’t normally say things like that about him. What was going on? ‘Neville’s really nice’ was about as good as he got.
“Your letters…” he started. Neville cleared his throat, wishing his voice didn’t come out so squeaky. “They were the highlight of my week.”
Lavender beamed. “Really?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, even though you were hundreds of miles away, seeing your handwriting made me feel closer to you. Made me wish I was with you, sometimes.” Seeing Lavender blush, Neville was sure that she could tell he was blushing, too.
“That’s so sweet.” Lavender’s hands shook as she clutched her tea. “Do you think that maybe we have a chance, then? That we could try… something?” She licked her lips. “I’d understand if you didn’t want to or there’s someone else in your life or…”
“There’s no one else,” Neville interrupted.
A smile lit her face up brighter than the candles. “Really?”
“Really.”
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