Bathwater

Tangled in Spiderwebs

"Top o' the morning!"

"Would you shut up?" Seamus Finnegan's cheerful greeting was quickly murdered by Lavender's growl. She was sat at the Gryffindor table with a bowl of soggy, drowning cereal in front of her and a look in her eyes that could send Merlin himself running into the arms of his mother. "What could possibly have you in a good mood? We're still engaged, aren't we?"

Not letting her poison completely shift his mood, Seamus turned to his house-mates. "What's with her?"

"Like you don't know!" hissed Lavender, now stabbing her spoon into the bowl. 

"For fuck sakes," Seamus muttered, leaning as far back as he could when Lavender then pulled out the spoon and jabbed it forward, pieces of cereal flying. "She's mad when I don't talk to her and mad when I do. Someone want to make a trade? I'll take anyone else at this point."

The nearest Gryffindors turned away from him immediately. 

"Lavender was suspended from the next three Hogsmeade trips," informed Luna as she approached the table, handing out her weekly Quibbler editions. A few smiled politely at the magazine now in their hands, while others tried not to make eye contact with her. Hermione and Ginny were the only ones to request one, solidarity bright in their gazes. 

"She's a bit sensitive about it," said Hermione, putting a hand on Lavender's shoulder as the latter buried her face into the palms of her hands. "Although, she is now aware that disorderly conduct leads to consequences. Right, Lavender?"

Across from them, Seamus scoffed. "Serves her right," he said, making Dean shake his head, sliding over a few centimeters from his proximity. "She could've given old Slughorn a heart attack. He had every right to report her for that outburst in his last lesson."

"Oh, you're dead," laughed Ginny, using the rolled-up Quibbler as a mock of a blade slicing into her neck.

Lavender dragged her hands down from her face, letting everyone see the dark shadow now in her eyes. "Slughorn didn't report me—you did! You can dish out insults, Finnegan, but you can't take it."

"You threw a mini-fridge at me, you nutter!" Seamus reminded her, pink seeping beneath his cheeks. "And it was fully stocked!"

Their loud arguing had now caused several other students from different Houses to crane their necks to try and get a good look at Seamus and Lavender. Some were smirking, eager to hear more, and others, much like Hermione who was so close to the thick of it, grimaced at the scene they were making. 

"I can't believe I wanted you so badly," Lavender continued, not registering the commotion. Her eyes were glimmering with resentful tears, the scar on her face turning red with it, and then she threw her spoon at him. "You're an idiot, your sweater looks stupid, and I'm breaking up with you!"

To the amusement of many, Lavender pulled herself from the bench and then stuck out her middle finger for Seamus to register before stomping out of the Great Hall.

Terrified, Seamus let out a breath as his eyes connected at the middle, staring at the spoon that hung from the tip of his nose. Milk dripped from the sides of his nostrils, splashing onto his cheeks, and a soggy cheerio slid down from between his brows. 

Dean leaned over to take the utensil off his best friend's face. "We have to admit, Lav's got pretty great throwing skills. You should consider giving her a go as a Chaser for the team, Potter."

"Definitely not bad at all," agreed Harry, emerald eyes on the spoon like the rest of his classmates. 

"It can be therapeutic for her, too," said Hermione as she unscrolled the magazine in her hands. "And good for the team, I suppose."