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He’d walked her back to her flat, out in Muggle London, even though she could have easily apparated. Lavender didn’t point that fact out – it was a rare occurrence for blokes to notice her, her and not her scars, no matter what Harry said, so she wasn’t about to ruin the fizzy feeling in her stomach that always felt like she’d just eaten ten Fizzing Whiz-Bangs.
They’d spent most of the evening playing with the pranks in the shoppe, with enough breaks for snogging that made Lavender giddy and breathless. She’d not dated anyone since Seamus, who had done his best, but he was only a boy, and ill-equipped to deal with her injuries from the Battle. Her wounds healed far faster than her mind. After that, blokes stared. She could hear the whispers, the speculation about her scars.
Harry told her she was pretty – but most men weren’t Harry. She’d learned that way back at thirteen, when he faced a dragon, unflinching, in front of the school. She never could have imagined this, though. Sure, they’d been friendly, sharing a House all those years, but he’d never looked twice in her direction.
Who knew it took being thrown off the Astronomy Tower to get noticed by a boy?
Lavender quirked a smile and looked over at Harry. “My flat’s just another block, we turn right here. Not too far from the Alley, actually.”
“My place isn’t far from here either,” Harry said, taking a look at the street sign to confirm the cross street.
“Really?” Lavender said, curious. “I had no idea.”
“Well, I don’t exactly fly a banner over the place,” Harry said dryly, but smiled to cut some of the bite from his statement.
Lavender smiled in return. “I guess you wouldn’t. Still, we should name this section of town Gryffindor corner – Seamus and Parvati are about six blocks from my place, Alicia Spinnet’s not far, and I know Dean is somewhere near here as well.”
“Ah, I see your loop is superior to mine, yet again,” Harry teased.
“You can come to me for all your gossip needs,” she said with a laugh.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
They were nearing her flat, and she fished her keys out of her bag. She could have opened the door with her wand, but she liked to be cautious when she was out in the street. “This is my place – Lavender’s Blue Dilly Dilly, if you’re on the Floo,” she said with a smile.
Harry let out a bark of laughter. “You can’t be serious.”
Lavender grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “You wouldn’t believe how many Lavenders and Browns there are on the Floo. All the good names were already taken. But no one ever forgets my Floo!” she said, with a giggle.
“I don’t think anyone could forget you,” Harry said, with humor.
Lavender tossed her hair, pushing the key into the lock before turning back to look at him. “I should hope not!” she said. Now that she was home, he was hanging back awkwardly, almost unsure if those hours in the shoppe had happened. Lavender reached out to grab him by the shirt again, pulling him against her for another snog.
When they broke apart, she giggled at his glasses, askew on his nose, and reached up to straighten them. “There. Now, I expect you to Floo me,” she said, sounding far more confident than she felt. He wasn’t having second thoughts because of her face, was he?
He grinned. “Only if I can get Ron and Hermione out of the room first. I’m not saying that out loud,” he told her.
Lavender mock-pouted. “Well, then I guess you’ll have to come over, neighbor. I may even lend you a cup of sugar!” she said, before kissing him one last time and tripping into her flat. “Night, Harry!” she said as she shut the door.
Another low laugh was her only response.