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I Believed in Father Christmas	By : sarcastrow Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 1699 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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I Believed in Father Christmas

Chapter 8

The Christmas You Get, You Deserve

“Good morning, Seamus Finnigan,” Luna said as he walked into the kitchen.

Still using me full name, I see, he thought. Aye, I deserve that.

Luna walked up to him and laid her hand on his cheek. “Yes you do, but I will forgive you, Seamus. You did what you did for love, and I… well, I am angry, but you Gryffindors often don’t really think things through.” She hugged him, drew away and looked into his eyes. “I forgive you, Seamus,” she said. He looked in her face and saw no anger there, only friendship. Luna set out her breakfast of a small bowl of Frosties, a plate of smoked fish, and some tortillas on the table. “However, you need to know why I am so adamant about not doing what you asked at first.” She turned and faced him. “It would be easy you see, easy for me to ‘fix’ people like you asked, but where do I stop, Seamus? Where is that line? Who needs fixing, and who does not, and once I do it, can I overcome the temptation to do it to everyone I deem ‘in need of fixing’”

Seamus nodded. “Yeah, I get that, Luna, I really do, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so presumptuous, but,” – he smiled– “it did work.”

She sat at the table and looked at him in a way that had become familiar to him. It made Seamus feel as if he was an infant and that she could have been a thousand years old. “I am certain it did: Nathanial Brown was most regretful when I left him. Do you think he is done with the drink for good?”

“Oh yes,” Seamus replied, and he told her the tale of the flask.

Luna nodded as he spoke. “That was very good of you, Seamus. I am sure Lavender and her family appreciate it. Oh, and congratulations on your Occlumency skills. I never saw it coming.”

Seamus took her hand as he sat at the table. “I am very sorry, Luna. I know it was hard for you. I can only guess how much, but it worked,” he said sincerely. “He’s a changed man. Lavender’s mum, this morning as we were leaving, she just wouldn’t stop hugging me. Kept telling me how great I was.” He rolled his eyes. “I had to make sure she knew I would have failed miserably if it weren’t for you, so expect a lot o’ hugs from her next time you see her.”

Luna smiled. “Sylvia is a good person, very honest. It amazes me that she stayed in that relationship.” She wrapped a boned kipper in a tortilla.

Seamus smirked at her breakfast. He’d long ago stopped trying to figure out her diet. Whatever her theory of nutrition was it seemed to work; Luna was as healthy and fit as he’d ever seen her. “Aye, well, she loves him.” He looked out the window contemplatively. “I can see why. I like him a lot too; he’s a fine man when he’s sober. It’s just that’s been getting rarer and rarer as the years have gone by.”

“I’m surprised it never affected is work?”

“Aye, well it was beginning to.” Seamus nodded. “He told me last night that I probably saved his situation too. He’d started having a nip at in the morning and during lunch to keep the jangles at bay, and he was starting to annoy his coworkers. The goblins have a fairly high tolerance for obnoxious personalities as they have them themselves, but he was beginning to push even them.”

“Yes, they are an interesting people, the goblins. They have a tightly closed society when it comes to their own interpersonal relationships. Father wanted to do a book on goblin social habits and customs but they wouldn’t cooperate, said it wasn’t wandcarriers business what went on inside goblin households. Odd that you never see goblin women in public, isn’t it?”

Seamus looked at her with an expression of wonderment. “I never noticed that; yeah, you’re right. Why is that?”

“We don’t know,” she said simply. “Father had that and many other questions for them. Perhaps one day we will have a better understanding of elves and goblins, but for now most of elvish art, literature, and customs are lost, and the goblin societal mores are a secret they intend to keep. It’s a great pity as we could learn well from each other’s history.” She looked at him and her expression became very serious. “Seamus?”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes were filled with care and compassion. “Dean is very angry.”

He nodded and in a low voice said, “Aye, I expected that. I’ll just go and apologize to him.”

She shook her head. “That may not be enough.”

Seamus looked at her. “Whatever it takes,” he said.

He rose from his chair, and started toward the stairs that led up to the attic studio, then abruptly turned and laid his wand on the table. “Don’t want to be tempted to defend meself, I’ve earned what’s coming.”

Luna nodded and laid her hand on his. “Good luck. If you need healing I’ll be right here.”

Seamus snorted a laugh. “We’ll see. Thanks, Luna.” He kissed her hand and went up the stairs.

*

At the top of the stairs was a short door. It always made Seamus laugh at the thought of his very tall best friend bending himself in half to fit though it. This day Seamus didn’t laugh though: this day he knocked on the door. Dean didn’t usually have breakfast; he would work for a few hours and have a kind of brunch, and then work until dinner. “Dean?” Seamus called at the door.

There was a thump from the other side. “Yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Monosyllables, Seamus thought. That’s not good. He opened the door and bent a little to get through. Once on the other side the room opened into a large space. The walls came up about four feet before they joined the roof lines. It was a jumble of odd angles and planes but the center of the room was fifteen feet tall and the floor was the size of the entire building. Dean sat at his easel, a canvas with a half completed portrait of his favorite subject before him. Luna reclined on a rock by the sea. She was naked and her foot was toying with the waves. “It’s coming along nicely,” Seamus said to say something. He looked at his best friend. “I’m sorry I took advantage of her, Dean, but it was the only way.”

Dean laid his wand on his easel tray. “I should curse the living fuck out of you, you know that, right?” he said as he stood.

“Aye, and I’d take it, Seamus said. “Left me wand downstairs, I’m yours to do with as you will.”

Dean smirked. “I’m not going to curse you, my friend,” he sighed as he walked up to Seamus. “But you don’t get off Scott free.”

Seamus was fast, but he didn’t see Dean’s fist until it impacted against the left side of his chest with the force of a sledge hammer. He was knocked to the floor, flat on his back, and slid backwards for ten feet before hitting a wall. Dean walked over to him, grabbed his hand and heaved him to his feet. “Never. Do. That. Again,” he said through clenched teeth in a voice fueled by fury.

Seamus rubbed the blooming bruise on his chest and nodded to his friend. “I won’t, and I’ll make sure no one else does either.” He held out his right hand. “We still friends?”

Dean shook his head and a small smile appeared on his face. “No, brothers,” he said, and took Seamus’s hand.

He was suddenly being hugged by Seamus. “Thank god, I was worried most that I’d lose Lav, but I was very afraid o’ losing you,” Seamus said as he released him. “You’re me best mate, Dean.” Seamus was tearing up.

“Ah, don’t worry.” Dean cuffed him lightly on the side of the head. “You’ll be stuck with my sorry arse for life, Finnigan,” he said, and then turned and walked back to his canvas. “So, apologies all round today, eh?”

“Well, the only ones I really had to apologize to were you and Luna, so I’m all caught up.”

“She still hacked?” Dean asked as he sat and faced his work.

“Hard to tell, she says she’s forgiven me.”

“Well then, you’re forgiven,” Dean said with a smile. “She’s like that you know.” And he was gone. Seamus loved the effect Luna had on his friend. When Dean thought about Luna, the way he was doing at that moment, a bomb could go off and not disturb him. His eyes were not focused on anything in particular and a happy smile sat on his face.

Seamus laughed. “Okay, you should stop mooning and paint the girl,” he said and patted his back. “She really is very pretty, you’re capturing it well.”

“Thanks, it’s easy with a model like her. She’s a work of art all on her own, I just try to catch a moment and get it painted, yeah?”

“Aye, and you do it well my friend, so I’ll leave you to it.” He turned to go.

“Thanks, tell her I’ll be down to eat in an hour or so.”

“Done, mate,” Seamus said as he bent and stepped through the door.

*

Rowan slammed into the mat. “Lav?” he said. “Take it down a notch, that kind of hurt.” He rolled to his side and stood.

“Sorry, I was just in the moment, and I got a little carried away,” she said.

Rowan smiled at his sister. “You’re getting very good, progressing faster than any student the dojo has ever seen. Master Sia will be amazed.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I really don’t know what I’d have done without you teaching me all this, Rowan. Kung Fu has done so much for me. I just can’t thank you enough.”

“No, it’s you we all need to thank,” he told her. “I mean you put up with Jaz and Artie grousing about the little bit of help you needed after you came home from hospital, you…”

“It wasn’t so little, Rowan.” Lavender said seriously. “There were things, girl things, that I couldn’t do for a while, and there was the salve that had to be applied the scars. We found some spells that helped, but they had to do a lot of it too, and there was the constant need in me to be… needed, you know?”

Rowan looked at his sister, puzzled.

She took his hand, and looked up at him. “After I was hurt I spent all that time at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey healed me, mostly, and the Sisters saved me, but I still was hurt inside and out when she let me come home. I thought you guys would fear me, I thought I was ugly, I thought I was useless. I was a mess. When I came home Jaz and Artie were just the same to me as always, and though it’s not what most people would have called a ‘loving’ relationship they helped as much as anyone. They wouldn’t let me wallow, kept at me to get out. That’s what led to the job at Madam Malkin’s, and it’s part of what kept me working with Luna, and that led to Shay.” She smiled at him. “I owe them a lot.”

“He’s mad for you, you know?”

She smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, he’s told me as much, and often.”

“Good. I like him a lot, Lavender.” He looked in her eyes. “Don’t muck it up.”

“You’re one to talk, how many times were you on and off with Janice?”

Rowan assumed his “older brother” demeanor. “Enough to know that you need to hang on to this man with all you have. He loves you powerfully, and I know you love him just the same, so don’t let anything get between you. I let Dad’s prob… drinking fuck up my relationship with Janice far too much.” He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I’ve seen your future a bit, Lav. Hold onto the true course and you’ll be happier than most.”

Lavender hugged her brother. “I intend to, Rowan, I intend to.”

*

Seamus drew Lavender into a kiss filled with love. “Being together for two straight days was nice, very nice,” he said after a few moments. “I really missed you today.”

“I missed you as well, my hero,” she said, and kissed his fingers.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. “I think we’ve both had enough o’ the ‘hero’ business,” he said with a small laugh.

They were standing in the kitchen of the flat. Lavender had just arrived from her training session with her brother, and was still in her travel cloak. Seamus unclasped the brooch that held it closed and lifted it from her shoulders. He hung it on the peg that had become hers, drew a deep breath, and turned to ask her a question.

“I was thinking,” they both said at once.

“After you, me lady,” Seamus said with a bow.

“No, I think you should go first,” she said.

“Alright then.” He drew another long steadying breath. “I was thinking that after last night and this morning, with your mum being so intuitive and your dad being so… understanding, I was thinking of… well, Lav, you live with Parv and Padma at their flat, your home sometimes, and Hogwarts three days a month. I was thinking, would you like to make this your home?”

Lavender nodded. “I’ve been thinking about the same thing, Shay. Mum practically told me to ask.”

“Your dad made it plain to me this morning that he thought we should get on with our lives together.”

Lavender nodded and smiled. “That was a bit of a surprise, but I think he feels a certain obligation to you.”

“Aye, maybe, but I want him to know he owes me nothing. If he ever brings it up you be sure and tell him that. I did it all for you, me love, all for you.”

He said it so earnestly that Lavender’s eyes welled, and she hugged him. “I love you,” she said with a husky voice. “I love you so much, Seamus Finnigan.”

“And I love you, me beauty.” He sniggered. “Luna told me this would happen. Said she and Dean had already talked about you moving in. Can you handle their little quirks?”

“What, the naked thing?” she asked with raised eyebrows and a laugh. “Oh yeah, I think I can get past that. I’ve seen Luna naked plenty, and Dean’s just not my type.”

Seamus drew her into his arms. “And just what is your type, me love?”

She snuggled into his chest. “Stupidly brave, and Irish.”

She felt him laugh. “Well then I suppose we’ll be fine then. Shall we tell them?”

That won’t be necessary, Luna’s voice said in their minds. Welcome to the household, Lavender.

*

“So, moving in with Seamus,” Jasmine said from the doorway. She could hardly contain her smugness as she watched her younger sister pack her most precious possessions.

“Kiss my arse,” Lavender said with a laugh.

“Oh, I’ll just leave that to him,” Jasmine parried.

Lavender contemplated for a moment. “No, he doesn’t kiss me there.” She smiled wickedly. “He kisses me lots of other places though.”

“Bitch,” her sister said, crossed the room, and hugged her.

Lavender laughed and hugged her back. “No, I’m ‘The Bitch’, ask any dog.”

Jasmine gave her a puzzled look.

“I’ll explain later,” Lavender said, and plucked a frame from the wall. She and Parvati stood on the sands of Torquay and waved. Jasmine watched as her sister’s face changed, and she felt as if she were the younger one. Lavender looked older, worldlier, as she spoke. “Summer before that year, we were such babes.”

“You’re still beautiful, Lavender,” her sister said earnestly.

She smiled and snorted. “Thanks, but that’s not what I meant, I meant we were babies. We had no idea what was about to happen in the next month.” She put the picture in her trunk and took her jewelry case from her dresser. It joined the neatly packed array of clothes, pictures, and small ceramic rabbits.

Jasmine laughed. “Did I ever tell you about the conversation Mum had with Mr. Patil?”

Lavender looked at her, bemused. “No.”

Jasmine sat on the bed. “It was September the first, and you had just left for King’s Cross. The fireplace blew up and Mr. Patil’s screaming face jutted out of it.” She sniggered again. “Mum took a few minutes of his yelling before she told him to shut the hell up.” Jasmine laughed heartily and Lavender joined her.

“Oh, I’m sure that went over well,” Lavender said with a sarcastic chuckle. “He’s a bit old fashioned, Mr. Patil. He’s still hacked at Pad and Parv for defying him. You know he was convinced I talked Parv and then Padma into going back to school for seventh year rather than go with them to India. I’m sure that’s why he flooed. Bet a woman telling him to ‘shut up’ really offended him.”

Jasmine shrugged. “Couldn’t tell, once Mum got the upper hand she never gave him a chance to speak again. You know how she gets when she’s on a roll.”

Lavender truly laughed. “Oh the poor sod, how long?”

“Ten minutes, easy.”

Lavender shook her head, smiling. “Well I’m sure it was an education for him.” She sat on her bed and looked at Jasmine with sincerity written in her expression. “Jaz, I don’t think I’ve said thank you enough. You and Artie… thank you. I was talking to Rowan and it hit me, so I want to make sure you two know how much I owe you, how grateful I am.”

“God, you have grown up so much from the annoying little brat that stole all my clothes,” Jasmine said. Her face changed and she looked at Lavender guiltily. “I’m sorry, Lav.”

“What have you got to be sorry for?”

“We, Artie and I, we didn’t treat you very well when you were a kid. We could have played with you more, done more things with you and Rowan, been more… sisterly, but we… we were jealous. I was jealous anyway. You took my spot as the baby girl.” She sighed. “And we thought we were older and wiser, and then we were off to Hogwarts and…”

Lavender smiled. “Seamus and I talked about that a while ago. He’s got an older brother too.” Lavender hugged her to her side. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for, Jaz.”

Jasmine blushed and looked in Lavender’s eyes. “Maybe, but I haven’t said this enough.” she stroked her hand down the side of Lavender’s face. “I love you, Lav. You are brave beyond words, you have shown a grace these last few years that I never could have, and I am honored, really honored, to have you as my sister.”

The smile that spread on Lavender’s face was one of pure joy. She hugged her sister hard. “I love you too, Jaz.”

“Great, that’s really good, but I can’t breathe,” Jasmine choked out.

Lavender released her from the crushing hug. “Sorry,” she chuckled.

“’S okay, but damn, you are so strong!” Jasmine took a couple of deep breaths. “How’s Mum taking this?” she asked. “I mean really.”

Lavender shrugged. “It was kind of her idea.”

Jasmine looked a little shocked. “Mum?”

“Yeah, day before yesterday, as Shay and I were heading out, she told me I should move in with him. She said since we were sleeping together anyway we might as well live together.”

Jasmine looked at her in surprise and admiration. “She knew, eh? Well that’s great. I’m a little shocked at her forwardness, but I think I know where it came from.” She looked at her sister with an innocent expression. “Artie and I didn’t rat on you, by the way. Wonder how she knew?”

“She’s a mum.” Lavender tossed her head and patted Jasmine’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll find out one day.”

Jasmine became serious. “That’s not going to be a problem with you and Seamus is it?”

“No,” Lavender answered in a melancholy voice. “He knows I can’t have children, and he’s fine with it. If we really want to we can adopt.”

“Yeah, I suppose there’s always that.”

Lavender brightened. “But we wouldn’t be thinking about kids for a while anyway. I want to do more at the shop, travel a bit,” –she smiled coyly– “make love to Seamus everywhere in the house.”

Jasmine almost fell off the bed in shock. “Lavender! That’s…”

Lavender looked at her with an innocent, expectant expression. “Yes?”

Jasmine started to laugh. “That’s great is what it is. It’s what I’d do in your… place, I almost said knickers.” She shook her head. “Won’t that be a bit difficult though? I mean with flatmates and all?”

Lavender smirked. “Nope, not with those two.”

“I like him a lot, Lav,” Jasmine looked happy and serious at the same time. “You’ve done so well, I just wish I knew how you did it.”

Lavender hugged her sister more gently this time. “Your prince will come, Jaz. I know you’ve been shat upon by men.” And I’ll just keep Parv and my little midnight revenge expeditions to myself right now, she thought. “But those three were just arseholes. There are a lot of nice, caring men out there. You just have to know where to look and what to look for.” She took her sister’s hand. “You chose badly, Jaz. I know you want a ‘dangerous’ guy, but dangerous guys are jerks. You say you like Shay?”

“Yeah, but isn’t he ‘dangerous’?”

“Not to me,” Lavender said gravely, looking in her eyes. “The guys you were with were dangerous to you, to your heart, and we all could see it. They treated you very badly, and we were shocked you stayed as long as you did with them. Why?”

“Why did I stay?”

“Yeah.”

There was a long pause. “I don’t know.” For the first time Lavender could remember her older sister looked lost.

“That’s actually a good place start,” Lavender said, and she took out her wand. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

Lavender took her sister’s hand and looked her in the eyes with her most intense gaze. “No, Jaz. I mean do you really trust me, with your heart, with your deepest problems, with your soul. Do you trust me that much?”

Jasmine looked at her for a long moment, and then she nodded. “Yes.”

The younger Brown closed her trunk and levitated it to the floor, and then she turned and sat cross-legged on the bed. “Take out your wand, get all the way up here, and face me.” She said it so matter-of-factly that Jasmine was halfway through doing it before she realized that her sister had just given her an order. Something she normally would have chafed at. Lavender closed her eyes and drew a long calming breath while Jasmine settled across from her on the bed. “You’ve asked several times what Luna and I do; this is what we do. Hold your wand in your right hand and wrap your left around my right.” Lavender did the same to her right hand. “We’re going to do the Legilimency charm, have you ever done it?”

Jasmine shook her head and said, “No,” quietly.

“Alright,” Lavender said. “Well I’m not Luna, but I can do the link with just the two of us. Clear your mind.”

Lavender watched her sister close her eyes and calm herself. Kind of an advantage that you’re a Ravenclaw. “When you feel it start don’t fight it, go with it. Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

Lavender closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She centered herself and let her magic flow “Legilimens!”

Jasmine felt her connection to her body drifting away and panic started to creep into her.

No! Relax, Lavender’s presence next to her impressed upon her mind. You’re fine and I’m right here. Relax.

The two women faced each other, eyes closed, on the bed and explored their consciousness. As Jasmine became more comfortable with the spell their connection became stronger until she could see Lavender in her mind’s eye as clearly as if she were really looking at her.

Good… Very good. Now, think about Ralph, he was the worst of them.

For the next hour Lavender took Jasmine on a journey of self discovery. They delved into her memories and feelings, Jasmine learned where and how she had been wrong, and how she made the mistakes she had. More importantly she learned why. Lastly, Lavender shared her connection to her wolfself and introduced Jasmine to her sweet, to that side of her now unified personality, and at last Jasmine knew, truly knew, the immense power that resided in the petite blonde girl she had known her entire life.
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I Believed in Father Christmas