With One Breath

I Found Out

“You came out?” Hermione asked.
Seamus nodded.
“Of the closet?”
Seamus looked down at his cup and nodded again. . . .
“Have you told Lavender?” Hermione asked.
Seamus nodded. “When I got to England, we met so I could tell her in person. As you can imagine, I’m at the top of the Brown-Patil shit list these days. . . .”
—Eight Ways from Sunday, Prologue

Parvati opened one eye. The bedroom curtains were closed, making the room semi-dark even though morning had come. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep again, but no, she was well awake.

She stretched, then rolled over carefully so as not to disturb her bedmate. Lavender was sleeping on her side, facing Parvati, just as they had fallen asleep after hours of talking the night before. “Beauty sleep” was true in her case, as the hours had erased the puffiness from around her eyes and the redness from her creamy skin. Her long flaxen hair fanned out behind her across her pillow, and her mouth was slightly open. She shifted slightly, and opened her brown eyes.

“Mmm, morning, Vati,” she mumbled.

“Good morning,” Parvati whispered. “Feel better for sleep?”

“A bit,”she replied, rubbing her eyes. “Though, nothing has changed.” She sighed.

Parvati bent her arm and leaned on her hand. “No, but I have an idea.”

Lavender looked at her, confused, but before she could ask there was a knock at the door.

“Yes, come in,” Parvati called out.

Into the room came a house elf, her hands full with a breakfast tray which she set on a table near Parvati’s bed. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains, then silently left the room.

Parvati sat up and poured them each a cup of tea, then grabbed a piece of toast and slid back in the bed, her pillows at her back.

Lavender took a deep swallow, then asked, “So, what is this idea?”

Parvati slid out of the covers, tea still in hand, and walked over to her desk. She retrieved a small book with a Hogwarts crest on it, plus quill, ink and parchment, then got back into bed. “My idea is to find us each a new boyfriend, using this.”

Lavender, who had appropriated Parvati’s half-eaten slice of toast, leaned closer. “The Class Register?”

Parvati nodded. “It won’t be updated until the sorting, but we don’t care about new first years anyhow.”

“Certainly not,” Lavender agreed. “We should limit it to our year and the two years above.”

Parvati flipped to Slytherin House. “I think we can likely eliminate these boys straight away, don’t you?”

Lavender nodded. “Not worth the effort, a single one of them.”

“Right then. Let’s start with the Hufflepuff seventh years. Matthew McDonough is dating Jan Corner. David Nesbit?”

“No, he asked out Katie, remember? And he was all hands, and reluctant to accept her ‘no’ for an answer?”

Parvati shuddered. “Well, he will have to accept it from us, then. Timothy Summers?”

Lavender shrugged. “I’ve never spoken to him. Put him on the list.”

“Greg Summerby.”

“Only if he cuts his hair.”

Parvati nodded in agreement. “On to sixth years. Zacharias Smith?”

“Rude, bad tempered, but not nearly attractive enough to make it worth putting up with.”

“Which is unfortunate for him,” Parvati replied. “Geoffrey Stebbins is also out.”

“Why?”

“He proclaimed to Susan Bones, quite loudly, his complete disdain for Divination!”

Lavender looked shocked. “How dare he!”

“Indeed. So you see, he will not suit.” She crossed off his name with a bit more energy than was strictly required.

Lavender slid closer so that she could read the book over Parvati’s shoulder. “The other sixth years have girlfriends. So does Wayne Hopkins. But I think we should put down all of those ‘taken’ boys on a separate list. After all, a lot can happen over a summer, can’t it?”

Parvati looked up and saw fresh tears in Lavender’s eyes. “Oh, darling,” she whispered, setting the quill aside and putting one arm over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry about Seamus.”

“I should have known,” Lavender said, sniffling a bit. “He always did dress a bit too well. But, oh, Vati, I did hope . . . . “ She turned, burying her face in Parvati’s neck.

Parvati embraced Lavender, rocking a bit as they sat on the bed. “It wasn’t anything to do with you. I’m very sure of that.”

“That’s what he said,” Lavender mumbled, her voice muffled.

“Well, I believe him,” Parvati said. “He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lavender pulled away. “But he did!” she shouted. “He did, and it isn’t fair, and damn him! Damn him and his homosexuality!” She looked up and saw Parvati’s shocked expression. “I suppose I shouldn’t say that, should I? But why did he have to come out? He is making everyone miserable!”

“Would you rather he stayed with you and lied?”

Lavender sighed. “No, I suppose not. But then he shouldn’t have been with me in the first place!”

“He said he hadn’t known.”

“How could he not know?”

“Perhaps he didn’t want to know,” Parvati replied. “Perhaps he didn’t want it to be true.”

Lavender sniffled again, wiping her nose with her napkin. “Perhaps.” She let out a long, heavy sigh. “Let’s keep going on the list.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to—”

“NO. Keep going,” Lavender said, picking up the Register. “Fifth year Hufflepuffs is where we left off, right? Well, I think we can leave Finch-Fletchley off the list, can’t we? Though perhaps we should put him on a list for Seamus.”

Parvati put one hand on Lavender’s arm. “Don’t be bitter. It’s beneath you, and unattractive.”

Lavender nodded. “You’re right, of course. And anyway, I wouldn’t wish him on Seamus. He’s a bit controlling, that one. Seamus deserves better than that.” She smiled a little.

Parvati smiled back. “That’s my girl. Now, Ernie Macmillan has been wanting to ask you out for forever.”

“I know. He’s just so dreadfully uninteresting.”

“But he’s kind, and pleasant looking, and he has a rather large allowance to buy things with.” She looked up at Lavender, and they both giggled.

“Well, maybe if he buys me very pretty things,” Lavender said, and laughed again.

“Good to hear you’re feeling a bit better, Lavender,” said a voice in the doorway.

Parvati looked up. “Padma, please come in,” she said. Ever since they had started school, they had come home to separate rooms, instead of their old shared one. Parvati had to admit, she appreciated the larger bed and the increased closet space. She and her twin had insisted, however, that a connecting door be built in the wall in between, a door that was open nearly all the time, which made it seem like they were just sharing one large room.

Only, not quite.

Padma came in wearing a robe over her pajamas, a tea cup from her own breakfast tray in her hand, and settled on the foot of the bed. “I heard you dispatching with all the Hufflepuffs,” she said.

“Yes,” Parvati said. “We are looking for new boys for Lavender to date.”

“I thought we were looking for you, too, darling,” Lavender said, a little confused.

Parvati opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught. She coughed a little. “Of course, for me as well,” she said, and took a sip of tea, not looking Lavender in the eye. In spite of herself, she glanced at her sister, who was looking at her curiously.

“So is Gryffindor next?” Padma asked.

Lavender made a disgusted snort.

“What? No love for your own house?” Padma asked, teasing.

Lavender cleared her throat. “Gryffindor Seventh Years. Lee Jordan. Frederick Weasley. George Weasley.” She looked at Padma over the top of the book and shook her head. “Gryffindor Sixth Years. Geoffrey Hooper.”

“A pincher,” said Parvati flatly.

“Andrew Kirke,” Lavender continued.

“Shorter than Hermione.”

“Jack Sloper.”

“Almost as obsessed with Quidditch as Oliver Wood.”

“Kenneth Towler.”

“Thinks that a date consists of bringing a girl to Honeydukes and proclaiming, ‘Anything you want, baby! I’ve got a Galleon in my pocket with your name on it!’ and winking suggestively.” Parvati shuddered with the memory.

Padma laughed, patting Parvati on the ankle.

“And our own year is no better,” Lavender added. “Neville is a sweet boy but really, just hopeless, and Dean is far too close to Seamus.”

“What about Harry?” Padma asked.

“Did you go to the same Yule Ball I did, Padi?” Parvati asked. “Not a top dating experience. Besides, he still has that crush on Cho Chang, I think.”

Padma pushed a lock of hair behind one ear. “And Ron Weasley?” she asked with exaggerated casualness before taking a sip of tea.

“Still dazzled by our roommate, I’m afraid,” Lavender said, shaking her head.

“Oh,” Padma said. “I thought she was dating that Krum fellow?”

“She is, but that doesn’t seem to have cooled Ron any,” Parvati replied. “I’m sorry, Padi.”

Padma, drinking more tea, waved her hand. “No, please. It’s nothing to me, surely. And as you said, not a top dating experience.” She smiled a bit, then said, “So is Ravenclaw next?”

“Yes,” Parvati said, “and we would appreciate your help.”

“I don’t know,” Lavender said. “Those Ravenclaw boys are so intimidating.”

Padma shook her head. “Don’t let them fool you. As soon as they get their noses out of their books, they are just as much boys as any of the rest.”

“And you’re so pretty, Lavender,” Parvati continued. “I’m sure you can distract them.”

Lavender beamed. “Do you think so?” she asked. “Well, so are you, darling. Both of you, of course!”

Parvati flushed slightly. “Thank you, Lavender. Well, right then. Padma, what can you tell us about Terry Boot?”

“That he is a pretentious idiot?” Padma replied. “Is that what you’re looking for?”

Parvati and Lavender answered her by collapsing into giggles on the bed.