Thicker Than Blood

Another late night.

The air was humid, and Lavinia felt as though it was the middle of the day from the waves of heat coming off the ground. Her bare feet padded softly on the cobblestones of the alley, while her hand rested on her wand at all times. She knew how dangerous it was. The many purple Ministry of Magic posters and wanted Death Eater posters were just blatant and rather constant reminders. Bellatrix Lestrange's mad eyes followed her as she passed and she couldn't help but shiver.

But, she couldn't stay in her flat. She didn't know why, but ever since she moved to London, she'd had insomnia of the worst kind. Walking helped tire her out and it kept her occupied. Wandering around muggle London wasn't an acceptable option, so she stuck to Diagon Alley.

Lavinia sighed, pulling her hair into a ponytail. It was too hot for long hair. It was too hot for anything, except for a swim. For a moment, she thought of how nice it would be to apparate back to her parent's house and jump in the pond in the backyard, but a voice popped up immediately, scolding: You know you can't handle apparating right now. You haven't had your potion in weeks.

A derisive laugh burst forward from her sneered lips and echoed down the alley. How could she forget, even for a damned moment. The potion. Her disorder. Her faulty body. She shook her head, trying to chase away the bitter thoughts.

Lavinia hadn't left home to keep the same mentality. She'd came to move on from her former life, and to make a new start. Or atleast attempt. There was only so much you can do when you had the same mind, body, and heart.

As she passed by the Magical Menagerie, she noted a light on in the upstairs of the Weasley's shop. She paused, thinking back to when they left the school in April. What a ruckus they caused, and always cause. She'd never said more than a few words to the pair of them, due to her solitary nature and being a Hufflepuff. She never ran in the same circles with anyone they would've hung around or been mates with.

Lavinia wondered, for a moment, what her life would have been like if she had. Perhaps George and she would have gotten on splendidly. She would have learned many pranks, and laughed ten times more in a week playing with the pair of them than she had in her entire life. Maybe she wouldn't be here, but somewhere else entirely.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and felt something inside her ache to be different. For her body to be different. If she had been born healthy, she would have been more outgoing. She would have had more potential, and she would have had more friends; she would've had different interests. She would have been able to play quidditch, or put her name in the Goblet of Fire.

No, she thought with a sudden laugh. Even if she had been healthy, she still would've been too young for the TriWizard Tournament. Lavinia relaxed and rubbed the back of her neck, before turning to walk back to her flat.

If she had been healthy, she wouldn't have been what made her Lavinia Farrow.

"I suppose I can deal with that," she murmured tiredly to herself and began the long walk home.