Potter

Chapter 93

Since training had started, I had gained a new appreciation for weekends.

Since training had started, I had become a lot more difficult to get out of bed in the mornings.

"Lily!" Lavender was saying, once gentle voice becoming louder after what I thought to be maybe my fourth refusal of her prodding. She stood by my bed, arms crossed over her pink sweater. She was already dressed for the day, hair done up in braids and tennis shoes on her feet. She frowned at me when I opened my eyes. "We're going to breakfast. I made reservations at the new muggle place down the street."

"That's so far," I murmured, moving to bury my face back into my pillow. My attempt at hiding didn't go so well when Lavender grabbed the pillow and pulled it from under me, and my head fell onto my mattress with a soft thump. "Ow, Lavender."

She shrugged, pillow in hand. "I'm not taking no for answer. I'll levitate you if I have to."

"I'm sure the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would love that."

"Don't be cantankerous. Food and coffee will make you better," Lavender encouraged, crouching down so her face was level with mine. "I'll give you six minutes to get dressed and ready. If not, I'm coming in with a pot of water."

"You're an angel, Lav," I mumbled sourly.  Lavender beamed.

"I know. Five minutes. I'll be waiting," she chirped, then rose to her feet and left the room, throwing my pillow back to me before shutting the door behind her. I sighed, trying to not look too unhappy as I pushed myself up onto my elbows. I could hear the sounds of traffic through my window, left un-silenced to provide some sort of background noise.

I didn't trust myself to not get too lost in my thoughts these days. The banging of Theo in the kitchen, or Lavender singing in the shower had become necessary distractions, ties to the world around me. I couldn't think about what I was missing when I was focusing on what I currently had.

Even if what I had woke me up unreasonably early on the weekends.

Pulling myself out of bed, I took my time in changing from my pajamas, pulling out jeans and a Hufflepuff yellow sweater Lavender had insisted on getting me as it, 'matched the season'. I wasn't sure why it was ideal to look like dead leaves, but her pout and steely gaze had been enough to convince me.

Slipping into my boots, I grabbed my jacket off the back of my desk chair before I left the room. As she had promised, Lavender was waiting in the living room, curled up on the couch with a Witch Weekly propped in her lap. She looked up at the sound of my footsteps,  a smug smile crossing over her lips.

"No pot of water for you today," she told me, moving the magazine from her lap to the coffee table before she rose up onto her feet. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Where's Theo?" I questioned, glancing in surprise at the empty kitchen– while Theo was no morning person, he hated being the only one asleep in the house. If he wasn't in his bed, then it wasn't uncommon to find him in the kitchen, sulking about being awake and eating whatever appetizing food he could get his hands on.

"Theo," Lavender began slowly, "is otherwise occupied. So it's just you and me today."

I shrugged, shaking off the curiosity the meanwhile. "Alright. No problem with me."

"Come on, then," Lavender said, rising up from the couch. "We're taking the good, old-fashioned muggle way."

"Walking," I said in distaste, then smiled when Lavender laughed, crossing the room.

"Well, I don't think apparating would be very wise of us, it being a muggle establishment and all," she reasoned, and held the door open for me. "Come on, then. Age before beauty."