Chapter Text
Parvati looked over at Lavender. Her beautiful hair hung down her back in perfect ringlets, the red surrounding the Gryffindor common room making the blonde strands look almost scarlet. Her smooth skin was glowing, and her lips were perfectly shaped, a dusty red that matched the blush on her cheeks.
Of course, those lips were kissing Ron Weasley right now, and, well, that would be a deterrent for anyone, wouldn’t it?
Parvati knew that Lavender was bisexual. She’d had just as many crushes on girls as she had on guys, and Parvati had been her supportive best friend through it all. Parvati hadn’t thought that she minded taking the backseat in romantic endeavors, especially after the disaster that was the Yule Ball. But, just a few days ago, Lavender and Parvati had been helping each other with their makeup. Lavender had accidentally gotten mascara on her cheek and was having a hard time getting it off. Parvati had licked her thumb and gotten to work wiping off the makeup. When she had heard Lavender’s breath catch, she had paused in her efforts and realized how she stood. Lavender was pressed against her, looking up at Parvati with wide, unblinking eyes. Parvati’s hands cradled Lavender’s face and she was suddenly struck with the realization that she wanted to kiss her best friend. They stood there, touching, looking, both trying to draw upon the bravery that had gotten them placed in the same door, when Hermione had walked into the room and disrupted the almost-something that had happened.
Ever since then, Parvati had tried to come up with excuses to touch Lavender or to be alone with her. Sometimes, she would look at Lavender in a way that made a blush bloom over Lavender’s cheeks or that made Lavender stutter in the middle of her sentence. Each of these little moments were fanning Parvati’s little fire of bravery until it had gotten so big that the flames licked up the inside of her throat and into her mouth, almost spilling out into a confession of her feelings.
Then everything changed. The flame inside her was bright, and Parvati had decided she would kiss Lavender tonight. She had gone down to the kitchens to ask for some lemon and lavender tarts, knowing that Lavender didn’t like chocolate or other overly sweet things. She liked tart things, things with a bit of a bite. Parvati giggled. She’d give Lavender a bit of a bite tonight, that was for sure. When Parvati had carefully crawled through the portrait hole, sweets in hand, she saw Ron Weasley, his dirty hands tangled in Lavender’s perfect hair, his ugly mouth on Lavender’s beautiful lips. Her mind had spun. That was supposed to be her hands, her lips, her kiss, her girl.
The fire inside Parvati turned green. She watched with a bit of savage pleasure as Lavender choked down a chocolate Ron had given her. Parvati turned and headed to her room. When she got to her bed, she magically sealed the curtains shut and cast a two-way silencing charm. It wasn’t perfect, but it was as private as she could get at Hogwarts. Parvati felt her jealousy fade and her anger and sadness rise. She didn’t understand. What had she done wrong? Had she moved too quickly? Was she too slow? She felt like she had been leading up to something, and it had all ended so quickly. Parvati decided she would just have to wait it out. Ron would go away, just like all of the others had, and then Parvati would pick up Lavender’s pieces. And then Parvati would be the one who stayed. As Parvati laid in bed and wished for what could be, she ate the lemon and lavender tarts that no longer tasted of the lonely and bitter salt of Parvati’s tears.