It Was Him
Challenge Eighteen: March Madness Redux
Title: It Was Him
Author: myownmuggle
Wizard/Witch: Graham Pritchard/Lavender Brown
Rating/Warnings: PG-13/R
Genre: Romance/Whimsey
Word count: Exactly 500
Prompt: 28 - muddy garden path
Summary: It was him. His voice. And she never forgot it. Despite who he was.
Lavender closed the cottage door firmly behind her and stepped out into the garden, fully intending to walk into the village of East Riding and replace her stores of tea leaves. She’d drunk countless cups in the last few weeks, desperately looking for the answers that continued to hide from her. She’d favored Divination since meeting Professor Trelawney at Hogwarts, but the leaves wouldn’t cooperate. She’d been unable to locate Graham, been unable to determine if what they had shared one night after the Battle of Hogwarts was anything more than just a release of emotion and a celebration of the downfall of Voldemort.
True, she’d been more than surprised. Graham Pitchard had been several years behind her at Hogwarts, but he was one of the few Slytherins who had remained to fight when Voldemort attacked. He’d been kind and gentle after the battle itself, helping to tend to the wounded and the dead. Lavender had barely known Graham, but found herself comforted by his strength and his grim determination to smile in spite of the despair surrounding them.
She’d taken a moment away from the Great Hall to collect her thoughts and found herself sitting on one of the staircases. Her face was streaked with dust and trails made by tears shed for lost friends. As she rested her head on her knees, simply trying to catch her breath, a quiet voice found its way to her ear.
“Lavender? Are you all right?”
It was Graham. They had talked for hours. At one point he had reached out and put an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to drop her guard and every fear that had been plaguing her since the battle ended. They had eventually made their way back to the Room of Requirement and lost themselves in each other in front of a fireplace the room had thoughtfully provided. She remembered the softness of his kiss, which was far more satisfying than Ron Weasley’s clumsy fumbling. She remembered Graham’s hands stroking her hair and her face, sending chills throughout her body. She’d not intended to be so intimate with someone she barely knew (A Slytherin, for Merlin’s sake! He was a Fourth Year!) But she had, and Graham had given her something she never expected. Simple, unquestioned, and uncomplicated love.
In the morning, to her great disappointment, Graham was gone. He’d left the grounds and she’d not seen him since.
As she walked down the muddy garden path, Lavender mumbled the Amor Ostendo spell she’d been tinkering with while her tea cooled.
Good moon,
Round moon,
Full moon that appears,
Let me forsee the future.
She twirled her wand across her fingers as she reached the edge of the garden, repeating the words under her breath. She inhaled deeply as she walked, allowing the heady scent of the flowers that grew haphazardly to placate her wandering mind.
“Lavender? Are you all right?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice. It was Graham.
Author's Notes: Inspired by my other half who gives me what I imagine Graham might have given Lavender on a night she least expected, but most needed it.
Proof-reader: ncsu_fan94