BREVITY

bracelet; longevity; green; goose

In the minds of most wizards at Hogwarts, there are no such people are Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson. Those four individuals simply do not exist. Instead, in their places are two beings called
LavenderandParvati and AngelinaandAlicia, or occasionally ParvatiandLavender and AliciaandAngelina.

This time, though, its AngelinaandParvati. There's no division between their names, either, mostly because Angelina has Parvati pressed against a painting, completely ignoring the rather ugly man inside of it who's calling Angelina "an impudent little goose."

Angelina smiles and slaps a hand down on the painting, just over Parvati's shoulder. She's wearing one red bracelet and one green, and they clang together musically--unfortunately, to the tune of a Christmas song--next to Parvati's ear. So very out of fashion, since Christmas is months past.

"So," Parvati says, not quite knowing what one is supposed to say in such a situation.

"So," Angelina says, "I'm going to graduate this year. And then I'm gone from Hogwarts forever."

"And whats this got to do with me?"

Angelina's voice goes quiet and artificially light. "I just wanted to do this once before I left."

Her lips on Parvati's are soft, and she tastes like coffee-flavored ice cream and smells like a Quidditch field. Not a bad smell, just fresh and airy and alive.

"I know there's no such thing as longevity for this sort of thing," Angelina whispers. "I know you and Lavender are probably...whatever it is you are. And me and Alicia are supposed to be...something. But I just had to, once. I know we don't know each other very well, and we're different years, but I've been watching you. You're the prettiest girl in school, you know?"

Parvati feels a little bit sick at that--if only someone would like her not because she's pretty, but because she's Parvati--but Angelina's eyes are wide and scared and desperate for some sort of comfort. Something is coming, and the best fliers are going to be sent out when it erupts into full-fledged warfare, and Angelina obviously knows it.

Parvati puts her arms around Angelina's neck and just hugs her, breathing in the scent of broom-high air and giving as much as she can, even if just for a short while.

END