The battle of Hogwarts was long past. Fenrir Greyback been one of the very few who escaped, thanks mainly to the Trio who had blasted him out that window. He'd been dazed and confused for a good amount of time. By the time he regained his senses, the battle was over and Death Eaters, Snatchers and basically anyone considered human who had fought for the Dark Lord was being rounded up and taken away. He'd managed to Disapparate right before they reached him. For a month afterwards, there were wanted posters up but that wasn't anything new to him. They'd been after him for years on end.
He stayed out of sight mainly, but every so often he did venture into the village of Hogsmeade. There was just something there that kept pulling him back again and again. Well, not something, someone. The little witch he'd bitten at the battle. She lived in Hogsmeade and worked at the Hogs Head tavern. He'd noticed her the very first time he'd returned after the battle. He knew she wasn't happy to see him. Who would be, with the way they'd met? But he couldn't help falling all over himself every time he saw her.
He remembered the first day vividly. It was the first time since he was a child that he'd felt that awkward around a girl. He'd picked up his glass and taken a swig, only to dribble half of it back out as she turned unexpectedly and caught him staring at her. She'd narrowed her eyes at him and ducked out of sight. When she came to refill his drink, he literally couldn't remember what he'd even ordered. At closing time, he'd walked into the wall as he tried to gather the courage to talk to her. Later, he had to coach himself on what not to do the next time he saw her. First, don't dribble drink when she saw him. Second, remember his flipping order! Third, avoid walls when he tried to talk to her!
The next night, he was more composed or so he thought until he saw her. He took a booth this time instead of sitting at the bar. He'd brought her a flower, nothing fancy, just a pretty little wildflower from his current residence. She stared at it for the longest time before she picked it up. He couldn't believe how thrilled he was of that small sign of acceptance. He'd figured she would throw it in the floor and stomp on it. Maybe, just maybe he had a chance with her. He actually thought he'd been lucky that she didn't throw his drink in his face.
He didn't try to talk to her that night, figuring he'd made enough of a fool of himself the night before. Besides, he still needed to be able to do more than just place an order. For now, he'd be content with bringing her flowers. With that thought in mind, he went back home and looked at all the various flowers around where he lived. He didn't want to overdo it, so he kept his offerings to no more than two flowers at a time. But it appeared to be working. Little by little, she was becoming more accepting of his gifts.
Lavender Brown woke up in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was looking down at her, along with her parents and the trio. Why they would be here, Lavender wasn't sure, but she was glad to see them. Especially as her parents looked none too thrilled to be there. The nurse explained that Harry had coaxed Fawkes into shedding some healing tears which were then put on her mauled neck. It was the only way they'd been able to save her. Lavender smiled gratefully at Harry. He hadn't been obliged to do that. He could have simply let her die. Looking at her father's thunderous face, Lavender had the feeling that she was going to soon regret Harry saving her life.
After they all left, Lavender turned her face into her pillow and cried. 'Why had this happened to her? Who had she angered in a previous life to deserve this fate? What would happen to her now?' She knew there was no way to avoid it. Greyback had bitten her too deeply for her to avoid lycanthropy. She was now a wolf. She would be transforming for the rest of her life. She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder as Madam Pomfrey sat down beside her. The nurse allowed her to cry herself out before she gave her a vial of Dreamless Sleep.
The next morning, Lavender was dressed and ready to go as her parents walked in. Though she was dreading leaving with them, she stood up and hugged Madam Pomfrey goodbye. After they were out of the infirmary, her parents told her they were going to Hogsmeade for breakfast. They walked down the hallway in silence as Lavender's footsteps grew heavier and heavier. Outside as they walked down the long driveway, her father finally spoke. "I'm disappointed in you. All that talk about being safe in this school, 'oh don't worry, daddy, this is Hogwarts, nothing will happen to us here' and what happens, a battle! A battle in which you should never, ever have been involved in! What's more, you nearly DIED! And now you have a disease you'll never be rid of, a disease that puts not only you, but also your mother, myself and everyone around us in danger for as long as you live."
Lavender shuddered at the sheer amount of malice in her father's voice. "I didn't ask to survive the battle. I already knew I probably wouldn't survive. Nobody told Harry Potter to make sure I'd live. I certainly didn't. If you're so upset that I survived, why did you even bother to show up yesterday?"
"At that time, we weren't aware of your condition. If they had told us beforehand, trust me, we would not be here now!" He snapped. Her mother stayed silent as she gave her unspoken agreement. They led the way to the Three Broomsticks and went inside. There, her father made it clear that this was the last time she'd ever see them. He gave Madam Rosmerta enough galleons to pay Lavender's room and board for a month, then they left the innkeeper and the young witch staring at each other in shock.
"Well, I must tell you. I have no open positions at the moment. However, the owner of the Hogs Head is looking for a barmaid. You'll be serving the customers and helping behind the bar." Rosetta told her, feeling sorry for her. 'Nobody should be rejected for being attacked by a werewolf, which was what she'd been told had happened to Lavender.' She led her up to a room and told her to lay down for a nap. She'd square things with Aberforth.
Grateful for her help, Lavender gladly took the opportunity to get some more rest. 'This evening would be soon enough to face her new reality'. Realizing the girl's parents had also dropped her off with nothing more than the clothes on her back, Rosmerta sent word to the school that she needed the belongings of Lavender Brown.
That evening, Lavender started her new job. At first, Aberforth kept her behind the bar with him. Once she was more familiar with the drinks, he began allowing her to serve the customers. Finally, he felt she was ready to bus tables. Soon Lavender fell into a regular routine. Knowing she couldn't stay with Rosmerta forever, she found a small house that would be ready for occupancy about the time her month at the Three Broomsticks was up.
McGonagall had announced that she wanted to restore and repair the school in time for next semester. She also announced that she wanted all seventh years to come back and retake their seventh year, seeing as the war had disrupted that year. So, the rest of that month, Lavender would get up early, go help at the school and then return for her evening shifts at the Hogs Head. It was all going great, and she was looking forward to going back to school in the fall. That is, until HE showed up.
She recognized him as soon as he walked in. It wasn't so much him but his aura. She'd always been one of Professor Trelawney's favorite students, along with Parvati. During the battle, when he'd attacked her, his aura had been a deep bloody red. Now it was more of a soft maroon. She wasn't sure exactly what had caused it to change, unless it was because he wasn't actively attacking anyone. She dropped an order off and turned back towards Aberforth. She wasn't sure why, but her eyes landed on Greyback who had just taken a swig of whiskey. She wasn't sure if he was startled by the sight of her or just took too big of a sip, but he seemed to spit half of it back out. His eyes stayed fastened on her for the rest of the evening. When she went to ask if he wanted a refill, he stared at her blankly. Assuming it had been whiskey, that was what she refilled for him. At the end of the evening, she was waiting by the doors to lock them before cleaning up. He looked as if he was about to speak to her before he ran completely into the wall. He went wide eyed and quickly ducked out of the bar. She couldn't help but smile. She had the feeling he wasn't normally that clumsy.
The next night, he was back, this time sitting in a booth near the door. He'd brought her a flower. As she stared at it, she couldn't help but wonder why he'd brought it. 'Was it some kind of apology? Or was it something more?' Finally, she picked the flower up. After that, whenever he showed up, he'd bring her a couple more flowers each time. She talked to Aberforth and Rosmerta about it to see if they had any ideas. It was Rosmerta who delicately suggested that it might be a form of courtship. Lavender's eyes shot wide. "Courtship? What, he's courting me? Why on earth would he do that? He tried to kill me at the battle! Now he's courting me?! No, no! That's not it! Not it at all!" Rosmerta looked at Aberforth who shrugged his shoulders. 'The girl probably wouldn't believe it unless or until Greyback himself told her. And as shy as the notorious bad boy was currently behaving, that might not be anytime soon.'
At the end of the month, she and Rosmerta both cried as she moved into her her new house. They'd grown close and Rosmerta had confessed that Lavender was like the daughter she'd always wanted. Lavender was growing nervous herself as her first full moon was drawing near. She could feel herself growing more and more skittish. She also noticed that Greyback's eyes (which had shocked her by being blue) were growing more amber by the day. It made her wonder if her own eyes were starting to turn amber.
Greyback knew he needed to approach Lavender soon. The full moon was coming and she needed to be prepared. He also wanted to let her know how he felt about her. He hoped that him not pushing her had led to her having softer feelings towards him. He wanted to make sure they were together on the full moon. It would be the perfect time to connect with her. Many wolves had forged a soul bond then and he hoped they would be one of those couples.
With this thought in mind, he approached Aberforth. He figured that it would be easier to feel the old man out because Rosmerta might try to skin hin alive over the young witch. What the old man told him astounded him. 'She didn't think he was actually courting her? Because of the battle?' That's when he knew for sure, he needed to talk to her. He told him that he wanted to talk to Lavender after she was off work. Aberforth nodded approvingly. 'It was about dang time that boy spoke up!'
That evening, as the tavern emptied out, Greyback remained in his booth, waiting for Lavender. She frowned as she kept glancing at him. She looked over at Aberforth who nodded at him. She slowly approached and slid into the booth across from him. He slid a hand towards her, palm up. She laid her hand on it. "Hey, I'd like to formally introduce myself to you. My name is Fenrir Greyback. Would you care to have dinner with me sometime?" He asked softly. He'd rehearsed this so many times since this afternoon, it wasn't even pitiful.
She stared at him thoughtfully, long enough that he was starting to lose hope. "Hello, my name is Lavender Brown. It's nice to finally meet you. Dinner sounds nice."
"I know you probably don't want to be alone with me yet. Maybe we could meet at Rosmerta's before your shift here? I could walk you over afterwards." He offered.
"That would be nice. She's been wanting to meet with you anyway." Lavender told him. Greyback winced. 'Yeah, he'd just bet she'd been wanting to meet with him!'
"So, would tomorrow be too soon?" He tipped his head. He really wanted to get to know her in what little time they had before full moon. 'Once it hit, every wolf in the area would be after her. He'd hate to kill a few dozen wolves but if that's what it took to keep her safely his, then kill them he would!'
"No, tomorrow works for me. I'll be at Rosmerta's about 3 or so after I come back from the school." She told him, unable to believe that she was actually making a date with the sane wolf who had nearly killed her. He smiled brightly at her and told her good night. Then he let himself out as she and Aberforth cleaned up in preparation for the next day.
"Just so you know, we'll be keeping a close eye on you two. If he makes you uncomfortable in any way at all, you just let us know. We'll have us a little 'Come to Merlin' talk with that young man!" Aberforth told her. Lavender laughed and hugged him. Rosetta had more or less taken the place of her mum and Aberforth was the beloved eccentric uncle who showed up at the family dinners once in a blue moon. She couldn't imagine life without them and hoped she'd be able to visit them often once the new school year began.
The next afternoon, Lavender went to Hogwarts in a daze. 'She had a date! She wondered how badly Parvati would freak out if she told her exactly who she was meeting.' She and Padma had stuck to Lavender like glue after she came back to help clean up from the battle. Parvati had been terrified that she'd lost her best friend. The first morning Lavender had come back, the girl had fastened onto her and cried for a solid thirty minutes, scolding her about leaving their side during the fight. They'd all been helping Professor Trelawney toss crystal balls, beaning as many Death Eaters as they could. Lavender had gotten bumped away from them for just a few seconds. But it had been just long enough to give Greyback an opening to attack. She knew she had to tell them because they would find out sooner or later and she'd prefer that they didn't find out through someone's loose, gossipy lips.
She sat the twins down and Professor Trelawney, for good measure. "I have something to tell you. You might not be too pleased about it. I have to tell you who my date is before you find out through the grapevine. Please don't be mad at me because he really likes me." Lavender took a deep breath. "My date is Fenrir Greyback." She cringed as the twins shrieked in horror. Professor Trelawney had her hand cupped over her mouth.
"My dear, are-are you absolutely sure you want to do this? I mean, what if he tries to hurt you again?" She asked nervously. Lavender smiled at her.
"He won't. If he does, he'll have to face Aberforth and Rosmerta. And he knows that, too." Lavender assured them. "We'll be right there at the Three Broomsticks with them watching over us. Then he's going to walk me to the Hogs Head, but Aberforth will be with us."
The twins had their hands propped on their hips and their eyes were narrowed. Parvati spoke firmly. "Padma, let Anthony and Terry know we'll be going to dinner in Hogsmeade tonight!" Lavender giggled. Evidently, they were also intending to guard her and Greyback. Padma quickly walked out of the room.
Professor Trelawney was bustling around the room, straightening chairs and tables. "Hurry, hurry, my dears. We have a lot to do before this evening."
"What are we doing this evening?" Pansy asked as she and Daphne dusted the remaining crystal balls. The teacher huffed at them.
"We're going to have dinner in Hogsmeade, of course. I wonder if Professor Flitwick is free." She absently tapped her fingers on her chin. By now, Lavender was openly chuckling. It was rapidly becoming clear that Greyback was going to have quite a small army to face in order to get to know her. She hoped it didn't run him off as she was now intrigued by him.
Pansy and Daphne looked at Lavender, then each other. "Are you going to tell Draco and Theo that we'll be dining in Hogsmeade or am I?" Pansy asked. Daphne laughed as she rushed off to find Theo.
That afternoon, as she walked back from Hogwarts, arm in arm with Parvati and Padma, knowing how many other students and teachers were following behind, Lavender couldn't help but be happy she'd survived the battle. If she hadn't, she would never have known how many people actually cared about her. As they walked into sight, she tensed slightly. Greyback was reclining on the bench outside the door. He slowly sat up as she walked closer. She noticed how warily he eyed the crowd with her before fastening those amber eyes on her.
He stood and offered his arm as he opened the door. "Friends of yours?" He nodded towards her entourage. She curled her hand around his forearm.
"Yes, you could say that. They're not making you nervous, are they?" She glanced up to her side and caught a small grin from him.
"Nope. The more people we're around, the safer you'll feel with me. I like that. I want you to always feel safe around me." He told her softly. He led her to a corner booth and got her settled before seating himself. "I have to tell you something and I need to say it right away, before I lose my nerve. First, I'm so very sorry about attacking you. That was purely my fault. I was only supposed to be going after the Order. I got caught by a cutting curse and it was one of the Death Eaters who had shot the curse. I lost my temper and started attacking everyone, Order, teachers, Death Eaters," he heaved a heavy sigh, "And you. You were the only student and the last one I attacked. Your trio blasted me away from you and it knocked me out for a while. I woke up in time to evade capture."
Lavender took a deep, steadying breath as he spoke. He looked sincere but she was still wary about why he was interested in her. "So, you escaped and went back to your pack? Or wherever you live?"
"I went home and thought that was the end of it. Until I started realizing that something was missing. I'm used to living alone. Ever since the battle, I've not been able to concentrate on anything. I don't want to be alone anymore, and I know exactly who I'm missing. My old Alpha always said when I met my soulmate, I'd know it. Because I wouldn't be able to stand the loneliness anymore. And he was right." Greyback propped his chin on his hand as he gazed at her.
"Wait! What! Soulmate? Y-you think I'm your soulmate?" Lavender gazed incredulously at him. "Exactly how do you figure that we're soulmates?"
"Because I know the difference now between a regular mate and a soulmate. I used to have a mate twenty years ago. The feelings I had for her were strong but they're nowhere near as strong as the feelings I'm experiencing right now, for you." He raised a brow when she jerked back from him.
"You already have a mate? Why are you here with me then?" She hissed at him disapprovingly. He chuckled at her.
"Used to. Not anymore. I haven't had a mate in twenty some odds years. Never wanted another one, until now. Until I met you." He stretched his hand out and laid it over hers.
"And how you're feeling right now makes you think that I am your soulmate?" Lavender cocked her head, staring at him curiously.
"I don't think you are. I know you are. We're meant to be together. Your throat has the same pattern of scars that Weasley boy had. According to the gossips around Diagon Alley, he was healed with Phoenix tears. So, you were too. Just to let you know, you're stronger than you look. If we hadn't been meant to be together, not even Phoenix tears could have saved you."
Lavender shuddered slightly at the reminder of her scars. "So I lived because I'm meant to be with the one who tried to kill me? That doesn't make sense and you know it as well as I do."
Greyback shrugged. "It does to me. Because I was thinking about finding a mate after the battle, anyway. I have no pups to pass the Alpha title down to. Why not find the future mother of my pups right in the thick of things? This way, I know you can help defend the pack if we're ever in danger again."
At the mention of children, Lavender's jaw dropped. "Ch-children? Children?! You're already thinking about children!" She leaned forward, her eyes sparking dangerously. "Fenrir Greyback, TELL ME that you did NOT pick ME, just to have CHILDREN FOR YOU!?!"
He seemed more amused than scared as he leaned forward. "No, Miss Brown, I did not. But seeing how fired up you are, I'm thinking they would be a very happy bonus, especially if they have your temper. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when you're about kill someone?"
Across the room, the twins were watching them closely. Parvati began giggling. "I'm not sure what he just said to her, but she looks as angry as the time she threw a spoon at Ron Weasley!"
Flitwick and Trelawney were also keeping eyes on the couple. Flitwick already had his wand in his hand in case he needed to knock Greyback away from her. "Have you noticed what a lovely soft red aura he has? It's quite surprising, given who he is." Trelawney said dreamily.
"All right, you lot! Wands out! If he even looks like he's about to lunge at her, we're putting his arse through the wall!" Draco hissed at the Slytherins. Padma, Anthony and Terry also had their wands handy.
Lavender narrowed her eyes threateningly at Greyback. He smiled at her charmingly. She couldn't decide whether he was serious about children or not. She knew he was serious about them being soulmates, as many times as he'd already mentioned it. She happened to glance across the room and was amused by the sight of two teachers and her friends, all ready to blast Greyback again. She giggled as Parvati picked up a spoon and pantomimed throwing it at Greyback. She remembered nailing the redhead right on his nose in the Great Hall after they'd broken up.
She looked back at Greyback in time to catch him staring at her. Every time she'd ever seen a picture of him, he'd been scowling darkly, and colleagues would describe him as snapping and growling menacingly every time someone even looked at him. But now he was gazing at her softly. Maybe he was right. Maybe they were soulmate. Maybe she could give him a chance.