RP: Just the Thing

[shh_parvati]

Date: July 16th, 2005 (evening)
Character(s): Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown
Location: The Five Alarm
Status: Semi-Private
Summary: Parvati runs into Lavender at the pub
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_lavender]

Lavender looked up from the pint of cider that she'd been nursing for the last half hour when she heard someone call her name. She smiled, pushing her hair from her face as she spotted Parvati.

"Hi!" Lavender waved at her friend, picking up one of the chips from her plate.

[shh_parvati]

Parvati was relieved at Lavender's welcoming smile, and she moved over to her table, giving her a hug.

"Hello stranger! Are you alone, or is Ron coming later?" She giggled, thinking that she was developing a very dirty mind. "No, scratch that. Don't really want to know the details of his sex life. Will he be joining you, I mean?"

[shh_lavender]

Lavender smiled warmly as Parvati hugged her, very pleased to see a familiar face.

She quickly shook her head at Parvati's comment - Parvati definitely didn't want to know about Ron's sex life. "No, it's just me. All alone. Haven't got any plans to see him tonight." She wondered whether she should go around and see him later, but she didn't want Ron to think she was being clingy after the weekend.

"Are you by yourself, too?"

[shh_parvati]

"Yes," she said, sitting down across from her without asking permission and stealing a chip. "I've got out of the habit, apparently. But Dean has a couple of projects he's working on, so..."

She looked up and waived at the barmaid, then turned back to Lavender. "How've you been, anyway?"

[shh_lavender]

"He doesn't need his arse kicking," Lavender said with a small smile. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

Her brow furrowed. "Orla?" Lavender repeated. She had never actually met the therapist, even though she knew that talking to her had done both Ron and Parvati good; Ron had even suggested inviting Orla to dinner one night, which Lavender had gladly agreed to. "I don't know. I mean, Ron used to go to her. I'd feel strange talking to her about Ron."

[shh_parvati]

"Oh, I understand that," Parvati said. "I only meant I'd go after him if he chucked you and broke your heart." Like last time, she thought, but chose not to add it.

"Yes, Orla," she said. "I know it might feel strange at first, but let me tell you, it felt fairly strange talking to a relative stranger about the rape. But in the end, it really helped me, at least to say it all out loud. She wouldn't betray Ron's confidence or yours, but she might help you sort it out in your own mind. It's like she's under Fidelius, but it's voluntary."

The arrival of her sandwich interrupted them, and by the time the barmaid left, she decided to change the subject. "So, er...maybe this is not the best time, but last night...among other things...well, I guess the whole point of the thing was that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. He wanted to get it said out loud, which I thought was really...I mean, I'm pants as a girlfriend, when you think about it--no actual sex and apt to burst into tears at random, but...It meant a lot to me, anyway.

[shh_lavender]

Lavender chewed a chip slowly, considering Parvati's suggestion that she go and talk to Orla. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea - Lavender seemed to always be the one who did the listening, whether it was listening to Ron's nightmares or problems with Harry and Hermione or Padma's dating dilemmas or Parvati's relationship troubles. Listening to the people that she was so close to made her reluctant to talk about herself, as though revealing things about herself would make them less likely to trust her when they realised that she was just as insecure as they were.

"Yeah. I'll have to think about. Maybe talk to Ron and see what he thinks." Perhaps Ron would want to talk to Orla together, or perhaps that would just be weird.

Lavender smiled at Parvati's announcement. "Don't be silly. Of course this is a good time - just because I'm stuck in my own head doesn't mean I'm not pleased for you. That sounds so sweet. Dean's clearly very considerate and he clearly makes you happy." She grinned. "What exactly constitutes as a good girlfriend,

[shh_parvati]

"Yes, talk to Ron," she agreed after swallowing a bite. "In fact, talking to Ron is probably a good idea in general. If he's thrown you for a loop...well, I don't think it's going to be a good thing for you to suppress your feelings and concerns. I mean, they have a habit of coming out anyway, and usually at the worst possible time. You'll have to trust me on that one."

"Well, I'm happy anyway. And touched that he thought of it." She shook her head, wondering again at her luck, then snorted at Lavender's question. "I dunno. Come to think of it, I think this is actually the first time I've been one. Most blokes shied off when they realised they weren't actually going to talk me out of my knickers, and Sanjit...well, you can't really be the girlfriend when there's a fiancee in the picture, can you?"