Blue Skies

She was not an artist, just a mere pretender. As the brush hit the canvas she felt a little lighter though. Her brush strokes were not perfect, but they were a release for her. Painting was a state of mind when she was at her most peaceful. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she tipped her brush back into a sky blue paint. Her picture had little meaning behind it. It was only a hobby. 

All great art was made by those who are passionate about what they do. People who had fire in their bellies. People who knew they were on the edge of greatness. Not people who chose painting as an afternoon retreat from their anxiety spirals like her. She didn't need to be great though - in this moment she was just happy to have the calmness to wash over her. 

There were so many things to be happy about. She couldn't deny that over the last month she had been at her strongest and healthy for a long while. She felt fresh. Something a little bit shinier about her. She had the window open even though it was not quite yet April. There was something about Paris after it had rained that she always loved. 

"Hey, Toni called for you while you were out early."

Seamus was back from Alessandro's place surprisingly early.  She snapped back to reality at his words.

In one of her more confident moments she had slipped the cute waitress her number. A part of her was excited that Toni had called but a bigger part knew she wasn't really ready for that. Maybe she didn't want to be ready but a coy smile played on her lips as she remembered their flirtation. Flirting was so much fun. 

"Oh, thanks," she said vaguely. She probably wasn't going to return that call. Maybe they would need a new cafe to go to. 

"Are you still waiting for him to call?"

Damn. He knew her too well. The answer was yes. She was waiting for Oliver's call. She knew that it was a call that would never come though. Oliver had been the one to give his number to her. The ball was firmly in her court. She had kept the number. She remembered the night of the Quidditch World Cup final. The kiss had sent her mind into overdrive. It was, again, a conversation she wasn't ready for.

"How's Alessandro?" she asked, purposely deflecting his question.

Seamus always got that smile whatever anyone mentioned Sandro's name. Alessandro was some fit Italian Quidditch reporter that he had been seeing rather frequently since the World Cup. It was keeping him rather busy. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Seamus had been in Paris for over a month now. He showed no signs of leaving yet though.  

"Divine as always."

*

It was a bright morning and Lavender had the paints out again. Today a vivid red splashed across the canvas. Red may have suggested anger but honestly she just fancied something bright and bold this time. She had an hour and a half before she had to be at the gallery. The gallery was only a part-time thing at the moment, but it was something after dropping off the radar so suddenly. She had been in charge of Parvati's gallery for almost two years, but she hadn't been doing much work for the past six month. She had used some handy connections to line up this job and she intended for it to be only the start. 

"You know he's coming back to Paris," Seamus said, looking up from the sports section of his newspaper. 

"Who?" she asked as she went to fold up the easel that she had been using. 

"What planet are you on? Oliver Wood, obviously!"

Fuck

She had trapped her finger in the easel at his words. 

She sucked in a lot of air to stop herself reacting more. Damn, that hurt. Seamus was grinning at her though. He knew. She didn't really know what to say about Oliver coming to Paris again. She had been avoiding him after all. She had no plans to see him. What was she going to do - turn up at his training like a bloody stalker? No thanks. 

"Don't act like you're not secretly a little thrilled. His team are playing in the Champions League next week."

She was thrilled but it was ridiculous to be. She was just some girl he met at a Quidditch match over a month ago. He probably wouldn't remember her name. They had just gotten carried away. She didn't need to see him again to feel that embarrassment. He would just remain that nice little dream in her head. A memory kept and safely stored. That's really all she had to offer right now. 

"You're making a big deal out of this, seriously, it was just some drunken thing on a good night."

"Lavender, this is the man who let you talk about art for an hour, like this really flirty conversation. I had to leave, the vibes were that strong."

"Are you sure that had nothing to do with the beautiful Alessandro wanting your attention?" 

"Well, it may have done, but you did have vibes!"

She didn't remember too much of their conversation. It was a bit of a hazy blur of champagne and laughter. At least Seamus said it was flirty. That was something. She hadn't been boring Oliver to death and he only kissed her to shut her up. That'd be so embarrassing. Maybe it was a good thing some of that night would probably remain lost in her memory.

Her thoughts were stopped in their tracks by a large brown owl soaring through the window. She didn't recognise the owl. She wondered what was in the letter, as it was made from an expensive card with a wax seal. It must be a gallery opening invitation or something to carry that type of grandeur. She didn't remember anything in her diary though. She wasn't expecting anything. It almost made her a bit nervous. 

Miss Brown,

I have a high profile client in London who is looking for someone with expertise in the art field to assist in choosing some pieces for his new flat. Your name was recommended to me as someone with knowledge of both Muggle and wizarding art. My client is interested in both. I'm reaching out to ask if you would be willing to come to London to view the property in question, discuss budgets and of course your fees for this service. I await your owl. 

Kind regards,

Isolde Lightfoot

Isolde Lightfoot. What a name!

This letter was exactly what she needed right now. She loved the gallery, but building towards something more was always the plan. This could potentially be the start of something. She would get to picking art like how amazing would that be. She wondered quite how ‘high profile' this person was. She was too excited to care. The snagging point was going to London. She hadn't set foot in England for ages now.

She made her parents come here for visits. The UK  didn't really hold anything positive for her. She had never felt safe there after the War. The place didn't feel like her home country. There was something scary about going back to somewhere which held so many memories. The good and bad had intertwined themselves too much. It was messy. Perhaps it was too messy for her to drag herself back into.  

Perhaps it'd only be as messy as she made it though. The place she was going would be empty. She would get to make it beautiful for the new owner to make some new positive memories in, hopefully. She didn't know if she could see that grey sky again though. It was the same sky that covered Paris but the two cities felt a world apart. Paris's canopy felt vivid even on the dullest of days. 

"Someone is going to pay for you to go shopping for them?"

"I should be excited about this right?" she asked uncertainly. 

"Yes! It's a chance to show off what incredible taste you have and I bet this bloke has lots of rich friends to recommend you to as well."

"How do you always know what to say?"

"Best friend super power."

*

Seamus came through the door wearing a cloak and robes. She couldn't imagine where on earth that he had been that meant he would be dressed like that. She hoped he hadn't been out in Muggle Paris. The French were very chic dressers and he would have stood out a mile in those. He must have a reason for the attire. She couldn't think what on earth it would be. He'd left quite early this morning and he'd never mentioned where he was going.

She didn't think she had worn something like that since Hogwarts. She didn't exactly have great memories of that. She didn't even own a cloak anymore. She had thought about buying this fabulous pink one that she saw at the end of last year, but had decided against it. She would only be able to wear it in the magical half of the city. She stuck mostly to Muggle dress since she had been here. 

She didn't have the patience to wait for him to tell her. What if he didn't tell her? Then she would just be left wondering. She was going to mention it. 

"Nice robes," she commented.

"I'm bloody roasting in them. I forgot how heavy they are."

"Why are you wearing them then?"

"Look, L. I guess you must have been wondering why I've been staying so long."

She didn't like where this was going. He hung up his black cloak on the handsome wooden coat stand which Lavender had mostly been using for design reasons. It was getting a bit more use since Seamus had arrived. 

She had wondered why he had been staying so long. She hadn't wanted to mention it because she didn't want him to go. She had been enjoying having him close by. They laughed and enjoyed each other's company. She didn't want to ask because she had always been afraid that he would leave if she questioned it. It was another ridiculous thought. 

She stayed silent and waited for him to continue. 

"There was a restructuring at work and I didn't make the cut. I've been job hunting but I just figured out that I was hunting in the wrong place."

Seamus had worked in the Magical Games and Sports department. She didn't think it was something that he took really seriously. She remembered him saying that he wanted to do something that wasn't life or death after their Hogwarts years. She knew he had enjoyed it though. 

"I'm so sorry, why didn't you say anything?"

Because he didn't want to upset her. She already knew that. They had been over the same ground for a while now. They both felt like they had failed each other as friends. They agreed that looking to the past wasn't an option anymore. They were best friends now. Lavender was still a little bothered that he hadn't told her but she wasn't going to pick at that again. He was speaking to her about it now.

"I've accepted a job here. I'm planning to stay in Paris if that's okay with you?"

"What?! Of course it is!" she almost screamed, "but what about your friends and life in England?"

"Dean is married and the others are just faces really but not people to stay for. My mam has always lived in Ireland so it's not really a family thing either."

Dean was married. Something about that seemed big and scary. They had fought a battle when they were kids though. They had been through so much but still the idea that any of them were old enough for that was wild. She'd missed the wedding. She felt bad about that. She wasn't ready to go back then. Maybe one day she'd come back and meet them again. 

"You have to live with me!"

"Want me to live here permanently?"

Her first thought was to defend her beloved little flat but he was right. They couldn't live here together. This place belonged to the past. She didn't want to admit it because she loved this flat, but it was her home with Parvati. It was what they had shared together. The flat couldn't really belong to her, their memories were so ingrained in this place. 

They couldn't afford anywhere with a view of the tower when they first arrived in Paris so they settled for this flat. It didn't matter because Paris was Paris. Once they had more money then it seemed less important. They had made themselves a little home and that's all they cared about. The place wasn't Lavender's - she had hated that yellow Parvati painted the bedroom. Parvati had insisted, but that was back in the days when wall colour was their biggest concern. 

Lavender had always wanted the tower view though. Parvati was gone now. This flat wasn't the haven that Lavender believed it to be. Seamus was right to not want to live here. She probably wouldn't have wanted to if the roles had ever been reversed. 

This sparked the idea that they needed somewhere else. Somewhere better for the next chapter. 

"You're right, it's time to move on. If you've got something here then we can afford an Eiffel Tower view too! A balcony too, something light and airy.  It'll have to be a wizarding district though," she laughed.

"It's lucky that this job is offering a pay rise if you want that then."

She knew him well enough to know what he was joking. She was hoping for something that she had always dreamt about since coming here. Her standards were going to be high. It was the new plan. New job, new flat and old best friend back again. That was the new Paris adventure she was going to start.

"So that's a yes to living together then?"

"Of course!"