tarotgoddess & random_fangirlp
Author: tarotgoddess
Title: Light and Dark
Pairing: Lavender/Parvati
Theme: Sweet love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee, While the world's tide is bearing me along; - Remembrance, Emily Bronte
Wordcount: 203
2012 - England
Parvati signed off on the night clerk's cash drawer then closed the safe. "Patil means hotel", she breathed, her mantra against insanity. Turning off the office light, she swung a cloak about her shoulders and strode out to meet the cold dark night.
Red and gold, silver and green, not House colors, no. The city was covered in muggle Christmas decorations. She sneered as she waited for the bus. The approaching holiday of good cheer and togetherness turned her stomach.
Right, she caught herself. This year she was determined not to fall into the muggle Seasonal Affect Disorder. She looked inward like she used to do so well while nurturing her Inner Eye back in her school days.
Not the invigorating cold. And the lights made her angry, not the dark. All those people, muggle and magical alike, cozy by the fire, surrounded by loved ones. Bile rose in her gut.
Lavender, why did you leave me?
Forehead against the cool glass of the bus window, Parvati was mortified with her weak memory. Lavender was killed in December. Thus the annual anger and depression. It had nothing to do with muggle lights, and everything to do with her personal dark.
Author: random_fangirlp
Title: All The Good Things Must End
Rating: NC 17 for violent... allusions
Wordcount: 2212 words
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling's.
A/n: Much thanks for melpemone for being so patient with my tardiness. And to my beta. She reminds me exactly *why* I need a beta. Much kisses.
Parvati groaned as she got off at her stop. It had been even busier at the hotel; she'd had to stop more fireworks going off in the rooms in the past hour alone than in entire year. She was used to the mayhem every Christmas (and in truth *every* holiday) brought about, but it had been exceptionally worse that year. She looked at the clock and sighed when it showed her that it was three in the morning and had on a disapproving face it never did like it when she came home late. The bus had taken even longer than usual, with Muggles still out in the streets celebrating, but at least she still had a bus to take. She really should have taken the Tube, but that would mean a long walk home. Unfortunately, Parvati had never gotten the hang of apparating and the Knight Bus made her ill.
"Merry Christmas, Parvati!"
She would spend the rest of the holidays at home. Parvati started avoiding the holiday celebrations since Lavender's death. Her family and friends know knew better than to try to force her out during this particular period. She had been known to make a big fuss if anyone were to make her leave her flat. She preferred it that way. Parvati hated Christmas. She hated the decorations, the songs and the snow that her mother insisted on letting fall in their living room. She hated how cheerful everyone was.
"One more time, Parvati! Come on! Sing the song!"
Putting her feet up on the low table, Parvati sipped her hot tea, winding down after her warm shower. She twirled the sprig of lavender that she kept in a small ivory pillbox in her bedside drawer, its petals folded inwards. They would never bloom, Parvati had placed a spell on it to preserve the sprig and she seldom took it out of her drawer.
"Flowers never bloomed in darkness."
The delicate flowers made Parvati think of Lavender, if only for the fact that Lavender absolutely hated them. Unstandably, seeing as how anything anyone got her had something of lavender in it, be it the flowers themselves, the colour or the scent. Parvati liked scenting her handkerchiefs with Lavender but had known better to do so with Lavender's things. It had been that way ever since Hogwarts.
"All the apologies in the world would never be enough."
Parvati never missed Lavender more than she did during the Christmas holidays. It was all well and good during the year, but Christmas was extremely bad. Lavender's body had been found, three days after she had gone missing, on Christmas day. The Muggle authorities had found her floating face down in the River Thames and had requested Lavender's parents to go down to the morgue to identify the body. Lavender's parents had, in turn, informed Parvati who had gone down to the morgue in such a rush that she had almost caused a traffic accident by crossing the road without a look at the traffic signals.
"What would you do without me, I wonder sometimes."
There had been stunned silence when the coroner removed the sheets and the bloated face of a once beautiful girl was revealed. Lavender was blue and bits of her face and body had been bitten off by the fish in the river. Parvati's brain had at first refused to register the scene and the fact that the ugly body was Lavender's. "There had to be a mistake", the words running through her brain. Until she saw the single blue eye staring at her, the same eye with a small mole below it, the same eye that would light up with love and laughter whenever they met Parvati's own. The initial disgust and disbelief were soon replaced by anguish. Lavender's parents were on the other side, her mother was sobbing loudly while tears ran down Lavender's father's face as he patted his wife, trying to comfort her against a pain they both felt. Parvati could still remember the tears tthat welled up in Padma's eyes, wetting her shirt where her twin had smothered her face against Parvati's shoulder. Thoughout it all, Parvati had remained silent and dry-eyed.
"Goodbye."
Parvati was the one who handled the funeral arrangements. She was the one who received the guests and who made sure that everyone had a drink when they came to pay their respects in the Brown house. She made Ginny give the eulogy, a Muggle tradition that Mrs Brown had insisted on, telling Ginny that she was better suited to the task that Parvati was. True to her words, there had not been a face that wasn't wet with tears by the time Ginny was done. Parvati was the one who found the note on their kitchen table when she went home after work three days before Lavender's body was found. A note with only one word.
"I'll always love you, no matter what you do.”
Lavender had always been the one for Parvati. The other girl had captured her heart with her vivacity and kindness. Parvati had made all sorts of excuses to spend as much time with Lavender as possible, which hadn’t been too hard considering the fact that they were best friends, in the same year and House. It was in their seventh year that Parvati finally told Lavender why she had been acting so strangely for the past two years and shehad been estatic to find out that her best friend was in love with her too. They kept it from Parvati’s parents at first though they had told Lavender’s at the first chance they could. Parvati knew that her parents, especially her mother, would not approve and Lavender understood. Parvati had started work at one of the hotels her family managed immediately after Hogwarts, working at one of the lowest positions while Lavender accepted the job offer at the Ministry’s Department of Muggle Affairs. They had moved in together in a small flat the moment they could afford to. Life was hard but the two of them enjoyed it.
“You’ve changed, do you know that?”
Parvati came into her Inner Eye when she was in her seventh year at Hogwarts, it was spring and she was in a secluded section of Greenhouse Eight with Lavender. It had been a small jolt then, and she had dismissed it, thinking that it may have been one of the plants being mischievious. The harder strike came when she was in Transfiguration and from all accounts, she had gone into a seizure and was foaming in the mouth as though a “huge and poisonous spider had bitten her”, Ron had cheerfully informed her. Professor Dumbledore had immediately informed her parents and advised Parvati to stop attending the “extra lessons” and that he would schedule the neccessary training for her with a Professor. Parvati had wished for Trelawney or even McGonagall and was sorely disappointed and more than a little worried when Professor Snape had swept into the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore had told her kindly that Snape had experience in these things, though it may be better for her if she didn’t ask for elaboration, and that he was the best choice for tutoring her. Parvati had been skeptical and scared but soon changed her mind. Snape was better at teaching her to take control of her mind than he was at teaching Potions. It was simple what Snape had taught her, that her mind was hers and hers alone to control and to use, no one else could do it for her.
“You scare me.”
The war had started about three years after she left Hogwarts and her help had immediately been requested. Fortunately, it hadn't lasted too long this time and the Wizarding Community went back to their normal routines and lives soon after. Only, Lavender had seemed a little different after the war, but Parvati had put it down to fatigue and relief that their years of fighting had finally ended, and that they no longer had to worry for their lives. Parvati had felt a little different herself.
“Stay away from me.”
Parvati didn’t know exactly when Lavender started distancing herself from her. That had been a very bleak period, when she had thought she had put the horrors of war behind her and that she could return to her old life. She had been experiencing frequent black outs and would wake up again in the weirdest of positions. Once, she had blinked her vision back to find herself holding a chair over her head, body aching as though she had been placed under a body bind and had been in the exact same stance for hours. She shot down Lavender’s suggestions of asking for help to find out what was happening. Parvati thought that there was nothing wrong with her at all.
“It’s for your own good! I don’t want to lock you up and away!”
When Parvati found scratches on her arms and blood beneath her nails, she had questioned Lavender, who looked at her with an expression that obviously meant that she had something to say only to sweep her eyes down, telling Parvati that “it was nothing.” Then Lavender took a deep breath and once again, calmly told Parvati that she needed to seek help. Then the rage took over and it was the first time that Parvati had been “awake” and she looked on in detached curiousity as her fist connected with Lavender’s left cheek, making the smaller girl fall down. The dull thump as Lavender hit the floor resonated in Parvati’s mind.
“Help.”
Parvati had backed away in shock before running to the bathroom, locking herself in it. She stared at her hands, clenching and unclenching them. The knuckles on her right hand were aching. Outside, Lavender was moving about and from the whisper of magic, Parvati knew that Lavender was healing herself. The guilt rose up to stick in her throat and Parvati found herself unable to breathe for a moment. The moment the dark spots dancing in front of her eyes disappeared, she rushed out of the bathroom to the kitchen. She took the shivering Lavender in her arms and hugged her tight, promising to seek help and to never do the same thing to her ever again.
"You enjoy doing this, don't you?"
There wasn't much help available in the Wizarding World, not if they wanted to keep it a secret from their families. In the end, Parvati sought the help of a Muggle pychiatrist... or was is it psychologist? She still mixed those two up. The problem with seeing a Muggle doctor was that they either couldn't find one with the knowledge of magic or one who believed them when they said that magic existed and didn't think that it was part of Parvati's "problem".
"The doctor says that you have an abnormal obession with fear."
Professor Snape had taught her well in using her powers. During the war, Parvati had mostly been involved with the "investigative" teams, or more aptly, the interrogation teams. A number of Death Eaters had been captured and she was usually present when they tried to question them. Many of them had protection spells on them, not so much as to protect the wizards as they were in place to protect their master. The moment that they said anything that may reveal anything, they died. Often, terribly. Professor Snape had taught her that to fight fear, it was best to use fear, make them fear their side more than they feared their master. And she used her gift to the fullest, finding their deepest fears and darkest wishes.
"You should have seen Harry, Parvati! He ws so brave!"
Lavedner had stayed behind the lines during the war, helping out at the Ministry with "Muggle Public Relations Control". The Muggle Prime Minister had wanted to send in troops in to "help", but Dumbledore had understandably advised against it. Parvati had not been allowed to see Lavender too often. She had been glad; she didn't want the taint of war to touch Lavender. Unfortunately, Voldemort had once again tried to attack the Ministry building. Fortunately, Harry had been there.
"I don't understand you anymore."
There had been times when Lavender had seemed reluctant, but Parvati always found ways to persuade her. And soon, the sight of tears on Lavender's face no longer make made her heart wrench, even if the guilt was still there. Lavender would always smile and accept the gifts the next time, and Pavati would sigh in relief. Lavender stopped going out, but Parvati didn't mind; it just meant that they would be able to spend more time together.
"My friends are all asking why I don't go out anymore."
Fear was to be used; that was one thing Parvati learnt during the war and the one lesson she carried still. She tossed the sprig of Lavender up and caught it again. Lavender's fear had been almost touchable the few weeks before she ran away, it was too bad she fell into the river. Parvati shook her head, it was all water under the bridge now.
"I love you, Lavender."
"Please, let me go."
"I will never let you go."
Title: Light and Dark
Pairing: Lavender/Parvati
Theme: Sweet love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee, While the world's tide is bearing me along; - Remembrance, Emily Bronte
Wordcount: 203
2012 - England
Parvati signed off on the night clerk's cash drawer then closed the safe. "Patil means hotel", she breathed, her mantra against insanity. Turning off the office light, she swung a cloak about her shoulders and strode out to meet the cold dark night.
Red and gold, silver and green, not House colors, no. The city was covered in muggle Christmas decorations. She sneered as she waited for the bus. The approaching holiday of good cheer and togetherness turned her stomach.
Right, she caught herself. This year she was determined not to fall into the muggle Seasonal Affect Disorder. She looked inward like she used to do so well while nurturing her Inner Eye back in her school days.
Not the invigorating cold. And the lights made her angry, not the dark. All those people, muggle and magical alike, cozy by the fire, surrounded by loved ones. Bile rose in her gut.
Lavender, why did you leave me?
Forehead against the cool glass of the bus window, Parvati was mortified with her weak memory. Lavender was killed in December. Thus the annual anger and depression. It had nothing to do with muggle lights, and everything to do with her personal dark.
Author: random_fangirlp
Title: All The Good Things Must End
Rating: NC 17 for violent... allusions
Wordcount: 2212 words
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling's.
A/n: Much thanks for melpemone for being so patient with my tardiness. And to my beta. She reminds me exactly *why* I need a beta. Much kisses.
Parvati groaned as she got off at her stop. It had been even busier at the hotel; she'd had to stop more fireworks going off in the rooms in the past hour alone than in entire year. She was used to the mayhem every Christmas (and in truth *every* holiday) brought about, but it had been exceptionally worse that year. She looked at the clock and sighed when it showed her that it was three in the morning and had on a disapproving face it never did like it when she came home late. The bus had taken even longer than usual, with Muggles still out in the streets celebrating, but at least she still had a bus to take. She really should have taken the Tube, but that would mean a long walk home. Unfortunately, Parvati had never gotten the hang of apparating and the Knight Bus made her ill.
"Merry Christmas, Parvati!"
She would spend the rest of the holidays at home. Parvati started avoiding the holiday celebrations since Lavender's death. Her family and friends know knew better than to try to force her out during this particular period. She had been known to make a big fuss if anyone were to make her leave her flat. She preferred it that way. Parvati hated Christmas. She hated the decorations, the songs and the snow that her mother insisted on letting fall in their living room. She hated how cheerful everyone was.
"One more time, Parvati! Come on! Sing the song!"
Putting her feet up on the low table, Parvati sipped her hot tea, winding down after her warm shower. She twirled the sprig of lavender that she kept in a small ivory pillbox in her bedside drawer, its petals folded inwards. They would never bloom, Parvati had placed a spell on it to preserve the sprig and she seldom took it out of her drawer.
"Flowers never bloomed in darkness."
The delicate flowers made Parvati think of Lavender, if only for the fact that Lavender absolutely hated them. Unstandably, seeing as how anything anyone got her had something of lavender in it, be it the flowers themselves, the colour or the scent. Parvati liked scenting her handkerchiefs with Lavender but had known better to do so with Lavender's things. It had been that way ever since Hogwarts.
"All the apologies in the world would never be enough."
Parvati never missed Lavender more than she did during the Christmas holidays. It was all well and good during the year, but Christmas was extremely bad. Lavender's body had been found, three days after she had gone missing, on Christmas day. The Muggle authorities had found her floating face down in the River Thames and had requested Lavender's parents to go down to the morgue to identify the body. Lavender's parents had, in turn, informed Parvati who had gone down to the morgue in such a rush that she had almost caused a traffic accident by crossing the road without a look at the traffic signals.
"What would you do without me, I wonder sometimes."
There had been stunned silence when the coroner removed the sheets and the bloated face of a once beautiful girl was revealed. Lavender was blue and bits of her face and body had been bitten off by the fish in the river. Parvati's brain had at first refused to register the scene and the fact that the ugly body was Lavender's. "There had to be a mistake", the words running through her brain. Until she saw the single blue eye staring at her, the same eye with a small mole below it, the same eye that would light up with love and laughter whenever they met Parvati's own. The initial disgust and disbelief were soon replaced by anguish. Lavender's parents were on the other side, her mother was sobbing loudly while tears ran down Lavender's father's face as he patted his wife, trying to comfort her against a pain they both felt. Parvati could still remember the tears tthat welled up in Padma's eyes, wetting her shirt where her twin had smothered her face against Parvati's shoulder. Thoughout it all, Parvati had remained silent and dry-eyed.
"Goodbye."
Parvati was the one who handled the funeral arrangements. She was the one who received the guests and who made sure that everyone had a drink when they came to pay their respects in the Brown house. She made Ginny give the eulogy, a Muggle tradition that Mrs Brown had insisted on, telling Ginny that she was better suited to the task that Parvati was. True to her words, there had not been a face that wasn't wet with tears by the time Ginny was done. Parvati was the one who found the note on their kitchen table when she went home after work three days before Lavender's body was found. A note with only one word.
"I'll always love you, no matter what you do.”
Lavender had always been the one for Parvati. The other girl had captured her heart with her vivacity and kindness. Parvati had made all sorts of excuses to spend as much time with Lavender as possible, which hadn’t been too hard considering the fact that they were best friends, in the same year and House. It was in their seventh year that Parvati finally told Lavender why she had been acting so strangely for the past two years and shehad been estatic to find out that her best friend was in love with her too. They kept it from Parvati’s parents at first though they had told Lavender’s at the first chance they could. Parvati knew that her parents, especially her mother, would not approve and Lavender understood. Parvati had started work at one of the hotels her family managed immediately after Hogwarts, working at one of the lowest positions while Lavender accepted the job offer at the Ministry’s Department of Muggle Affairs. They had moved in together in a small flat the moment they could afford to. Life was hard but the two of them enjoyed it.
“You’ve changed, do you know that?”
Parvati came into her Inner Eye when she was in her seventh year at Hogwarts, it was spring and she was in a secluded section of Greenhouse Eight with Lavender. It had been a small jolt then, and she had dismissed it, thinking that it may have been one of the plants being mischievious. The harder strike came when she was in Transfiguration and from all accounts, she had gone into a seizure and was foaming in the mouth as though a “huge and poisonous spider had bitten her”, Ron had cheerfully informed her. Professor Dumbledore had immediately informed her parents and advised Parvati to stop attending the “extra lessons” and that he would schedule the neccessary training for her with a Professor. Parvati had wished for Trelawney or even McGonagall and was sorely disappointed and more than a little worried when Professor Snape had swept into the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore had told her kindly that Snape had experience in these things, though it may be better for her if she didn’t ask for elaboration, and that he was the best choice for tutoring her. Parvati had been skeptical and scared but soon changed her mind. Snape was better at teaching her to take control of her mind than he was at teaching Potions. It was simple what Snape had taught her, that her mind was hers and hers alone to control and to use, no one else could do it for her.
“You scare me.”
The war had started about three years after she left Hogwarts and her help had immediately been requested. Fortunately, it hadn't lasted too long this time and the Wizarding Community went back to their normal routines and lives soon after. Only, Lavender had seemed a little different after the war, but Parvati had put it down to fatigue and relief that their years of fighting had finally ended, and that they no longer had to worry for their lives. Parvati had felt a little different herself.
“Stay away from me.”
Parvati didn’t know exactly when Lavender started distancing herself from her. That had been a very bleak period, when she had thought she had put the horrors of war behind her and that she could return to her old life. She had been experiencing frequent black outs and would wake up again in the weirdest of positions. Once, she had blinked her vision back to find herself holding a chair over her head, body aching as though she had been placed under a body bind and had been in the exact same stance for hours. She shot down Lavender’s suggestions of asking for help to find out what was happening. Parvati thought that there was nothing wrong with her at all.
“It’s for your own good! I don’t want to lock you up and away!”
When Parvati found scratches on her arms and blood beneath her nails, she had questioned Lavender, who looked at her with an expression that obviously meant that she had something to say only to sweep her eyes down, telling Parvati that “it was nothing.” Then Lavender took a deep breath and once again, calmly told Parvati that she needed to seek help. Then the rage took over and it was the first time that Parvati had been “awake” and she looked on in detached curiousity as her fist connected with Lavender’s left cheek, making the smaller girl fall down. The dull thump as Lavender hit the floor resonated in Parvati’s mind.
“Help.”
Parvati had backed away in shock before running to the bathroom, locking herself in it. She stared at her hands, clenching and unclenching them. The knuckles on her right hand were aching. Outside, Lavender was moving about and from the whisper of magic, Parvati knew that Lavender was healing herself. The guilt rose up to stick in her throat and Parvati found herself unable to breathe for a moment. The moment the dark spots dancing in front of her eyes disappeared, she rushed out of the bathroom to the kitchen. She took the shivering Lavender in her arms and hugged her tight, promising to seek help and to never do the same thing to her ever again.
"You enjoy doing this, don't you?"
There wasn't much help available in the Wizarding World, not if they wanted to keep it a secret from their families. In the end, Parvati sought the help of a Muggle pychiatrist... or was is it psychologist? She still mixed those two up. The problem with seeing a Muggle doctor was that they either couldn't find one with the knowledge of magic or one who believed them when they said that magic existed and didn't think that it was part of Parvati's "problem".
"The doctor says that you have an abnormal obession with fear."
Professor Snape had taught her well in using her powers. During the war, Parvati had mostly been involved with the "investigative" teams, or more aptly, the interrogation teams. A number of Death Eaters had been captured and she was usually present when they tried to question them. Many of them had protection spells on them, not so much as to protect the wizards as they were in place to protect their master. The moment that they said anything that may reveal anything, they died. Often, terribly. Professor Snape had taught her that to fight fear, it was best to use fear, make them fear their side more than they feared their master. And she used her gift to the fullest, finding their deepest fears and darkest wishes.
"You should have seen Harry, Parvati! He ws so brave!"
Lavedner had stayed behind the lines during the war, helping out at the Ministry with "Muggle Public Relations Control". The Muggle Prime Minister had wanted to send in troops in to "help", but Dumbledore had understandably advised against it. Parvati had not been allowed to see Lavender too often. She had been glad; she didn't want the taint of war to touch Lavender. Unfortunately, Voldemort had once again tried to attack the Ministry building. Fortunately, Harry had been there.
"I don't understand you anymore."
There had been times when Lavender had seemed reluctant, but Parvati always found ways to persuade her. And soon, the sight of tears on Lavender's face no longer make made her heart wrench, even if the guilt was still there. Lavender would always smile and accept the gifts the next time, and Pavati would sigh in relief. Lavender stopped going out, but Parvati didn't mind; it just meant that they would be able to spend more time together.
"My friends are all asking why I don't go out anymore."
Fear was to be used; that was one thing Parvati learnt during the war and the one lesson she carried still. She tossed the sprig of Lavender up and caught it again. Lavender's fear had been almost touchable the few weeks before she ran away, it was too bad she fell into the river. Parvati shook her head, it was all water under the bridge now.
"I love you, Lavender."
"Please, let me go."
"I will never let you go."