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"At first, Lavender had been very annoyed that nobody had thought to tell her that Ron was in the hospital wing... but unfortunately she had now decided to forgive Harry this lapse of memory and was keen to have lots of in-depth chats with him about Ron's feelings, a most uncomfortable experience that Harry would have happily forgone." —Lavender's sensitive and sentimental nature[src]

Lavender Brown (c. 1979/1980 – 2 May, 1998[1]) was a pure-blood[2] witch, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Brown, and sorted into Gryffindor. She started her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991, the same year as the famous Harry Potter.

While at Hogwarts Lavender began studying Divination, which she was fascinated by. In her fifth year she joined Dumbledore's Army. This was an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter, despite initially doubting Harry's claims that Lord Voldemort had returned. The following year she started a relationship with Ron Weasley, though they soon broke up.

In her final year of schooling Lavender joined the reconstituted D.A. to oppose Death Eater control of Hogwarts and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. During the battle she was savaged by werewolf Fenrir Greyback and died of her injuries.

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Biography

Early life

Lavender was born in 1979 or 1980 to Mr and Mrs Brown. Since she was a pure-blood, all four of her grandparents must have been wizards.

She received her acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at age eleven, and purchased her equipment from Diagon Alley before the start of her first year.

Hogwarts years (1991-1998)

First year

"But 'Brown, Lavender' became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers." —Description of Lavender's sorting[src]

Lavender began attending Hogwarts in 1991, the same year as famous wizard Harry Potter, at the age of eleven and was the first of the first years to be Sorted into Gryffindor House, much to the delight of her peers.[8]

She shared a dormitory with Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, and other two girls and soon became best friends with Parvati. However, she did not get along as well with Hermione as she did with the other three girls. Hermione was believed by most to be a loner and made friends with boys rather than girls. There were also personality clashes between Hermione and the other Gryffindor girls; Hermione, being rather studious, may have been better suited with Ravenclaw girls.

Second year

In her second year, Lavender was one of the students present in Professor Binns' History of Magic class when Hermione asked about the Chamber of Secrets; like the rest of the class, Lavender paid much more attention at this point, even rising her head off her arms.

Lavender attended Professor Lockhart's Duelling Club, and when Lockhart was disarmed by Professor Snape, she handed him back his wand. It is likely that Lavender, given her common nature had a crush on Professor Lockhart, as did many of the other female students even including Hermione Granger, and would be shocked to discover he was a fraud at the end of the year.[9]

Third year

"Incidentally, that thing you are dreading — it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October." —Professor Trelawney's "prediction"[src]

In her third year, Lavender started Divination and Care of Magical Creatures classes. When Divination Professor Sybill Trelawney saw a Grim (a death omen in the form of a spectral dog) while seeking divinatory insight in the dregs of tea in the bottom of Harry's tea cup, Lavender was amongst the very few students in the class who, like Harry and Dean Thomas (both students who grew up with Muggles and unaware of magic until their letters arrived), did not initially know what Grims were.

She soon developed a good relationship with Professor Trelawney, who accurately predicted — or guessed — the death of Lavender's pet rabbit named Binky. The professor said that what Lavender was dreading would occur on the sixteenth of October, and on that day, Lavender received news that her rabbit, who had been a baby at the time, had been mauled to death by a fox. Hermione pointed out that Lavender could not possibly have dreaded something unexpected and that the death must have happened days before the news arrived, but Lavender had faith in Trelawney's abilities and was upset by Hermione's rather tactless attempt at comforting her.[10]

Fourth year

Harry Potter : "Lavender — will you go with Ron?" Parvati Patil : "She's going with Seamus." — Harry asks Lavender to the Yule Ball on Ron's behalf [src]

During her fourth year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament, a series of challenges for wizards to enter if they believed themselves capable. Harry Potter, who was in Lavender's year, was selected as a champion. As one of the traditions, the tournament held a ball and Lavender attended the Yule Ball with fellow Gryffindor student Seamus Finnigan, likely just as friends. Her best friend Parvati ended up going as Harry's date.

That same year, when Care of Magical Creatures professor Rubeus Hagrid attempted to see if Blast-Ended Skrewts hibernate (which they do not), she stayed to help collect the runaways instead of fleeing into the hut like the Slytherins, and singed her robes in the process.[11] Later that year, Barty Crouch Jnr, in disguise as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor Moody, used the Imperius Curse on her in class, thus forcing her to humiliate herself publicly by imitating a squirrel. Hermione Granger was not impressed that Barty Crouch Jnr had the nerve to teach the three Unforgivable Curses in school and was appalled when he demonstrated them on students. She didn't come to the aid of Lavender when she was being humiliated, but she did stick up for Neville Longbottom when he was horrified by the demonstration of the Cruciatus Curse on a spider.

At the end of the year, Lavender would attend the leaving feast, which was held as a memorial service to the late Cedric Diggory who was murdered during the Triwizard Tournament. During this service, Albus Dumbledore took the liberty upon himself to inform the students of Hogwarts that Lord Voldemort was at large once again.

Fifth year

Ron Weasley: "Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who." Hermione Granger: "Yes, Lavender thinks so too." — Lavender doubts Harry's claim that Voldemort has returned[src]

In her fifth year, when Harry Potter announced the return of Lord Voldemort, Lavender, like many others, initially believed the Ministry of Magic propaganda that Harry was lying, much to her room-mate Hermione's irritation. On the second day of the school year, Ernie Macmillan's public of support of Harry and his claims seemed to force her to begin to question her own beliefs. It is possible that Seamus Finnigan, a fellow Gryffindor may have been putting doubts into her head also as he strongly supported the Ministry and Lavender was close with Seamus. The same year, Dolores Umbridge was appointed the new DADA professor as a way for the Ministry at large to keep tabs on Hogwarts.

However, despite the claims that Harry had been lying, Lavender was one of the first students to arrive at the Hog's Head for the first meeting of what would become Dumbledore's Army. She learned many different defensive and offensive charms from Harry. When the D.A. practised casting the highly advanced Patronus Charm, Lavender was only able to achieve puffs of silver vapour, and was becoming increasingly frustrated that she could not do it.[6]

Later on in the year, High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge began inspecting the teachers of Hogwarts and Lavender was saddened when Professor Trelawney was temporarily sacked by Umbridge after her inspection, and even brought her some nice daffodils, though she continued to take the class under the centaur Firenze, upon whom both she and Parvati had a crush, despite him being half-man and half-horse.[6] This year Lavender took her O.W.L. exams and practised basic Locomotion Charms with Parvati the week leading up to the exams.

Sixth year

Lavender: "Friends, don't make me laugh. She didn't talk to him for weeks after he started going out with me! But I suppose she wants to make up with him now he's all interesting...." Harry Potter: "Would you call getting poisoned being interesting?" — Discussion of Hermione's and Ron's friendship[src]

Lavender achieved a high grade on her O.W.L. exams for: Divination, Charms, and Transfiguration, as she attended N.E.W.T.-level classes. However, she did not achieve a high enough O.W.L. score to continue on with Potions. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were the only Gryffindors able to attend N.E.W.T.-level class for that subject. It is unknown if she achieved an O.W.L. in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but it is possible.

By the beginning of her sixth year, Lavender had developed a crush on Ron Weasley. She complimented him, flirted with him, and wished him luck in his Quidditch games. After a particularly good performance in one of those games, Ron and Lavender ended up kissing. This greatly upset Hermione Granger, as she had hoped Ron would attend Professor Slughorn's Christmas party with her and she had expected a more than platonic relationship to develop between them. It is unclear if Lavender was aware of her room-mate's feelings for Ron, though it seems likely that she would not have gotten involved with Ron if she realised that he was dating her largely to make Hermione jealous.

The two dated for a few months, and were often seen kissing enthusiastically in public. For Christmas, Lavender sent Ron a gaudy necklace which read 'My Sweetheart' dangling from a chain. He disliked it immensely and after the holidays, their relationship began to go downhill. Lavender was very upset when Ron was poisoned, and when he increasingly pulled away from her. He feigned sleep when she came to visit him in the Hospital Wing, avoided her, and became visibly annoyed with her affections.

Worried that her relationship with Ron was fading, she sought out the advice of his best friend, Harry Potter. She would talk to Harry about Ron's feelings, making him feel uncomfortable. Ron also reconciled with Hermione and spent increasing amounts of time with her, making Lavender suspicious. After she saw Ron and Hermione leave the Gryffindor dormitory seemingly alone (since Harry was under his Invisibility Cloak) she ended their relationship, much to Ron's relief.[12] She attended Dumbledore's funeral at the end of the year.

Seventh year, Battle of Hogwarts, and death

"Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground a grey blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen. "NO!" shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown." —Description of Lavender being viciously attacked[src]

During her final year at Hogwarts, Lavender joined the second Dumbledore's Army to oppose Death Eater control of the school. Like others, she eventually took to hiding in the Room of Requirement, and may have been responsible for it forming a bathroom with washing facilities.

Lavender fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, during which she fell from a balcony and was attacked by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Rushing to her aid, Hermione blasted Greyback away from her with a powerful spell, and Professor Trelawney dropped a crystal ball on his head. Immediately after the attack, she was seen feebly stirring, but later died from her injuries.[1]

Personality and traits

"But at the moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms." —Lavender greeting Ron[src]

Lavender was a somewhat silly and sentimental girl, though she was also brave, as she was sorted into Gryffindor house and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. She was lively and loved to be the centre of attention, but tended to react in an extreme way to everyday situations, either laughing or crying hysterically and could be easily offended or emotional.[13] She was also known to squeal and giggle at certain things and did so frequently. She could also be insensitive and childish, acting very possessive and over-protective of Ron when she was his girlfriend, even going so far as to say he looked "interesting" when he was poisoned. She frequently expressed her feelings for him in odd ways, such as calling him "Won-Won", sending him a necklace that made him cringe, writing his name in smog on the Hogwarts Express, and snogging him on a continuous basis, not infrequently in public view. Inevitably, her heart was always in the right place, but she had a tendency to offend or annoy other people, if not always deliberately.

She had a great interest in Divination despite the subject being "woolly" and had reverence for Professor Trelawney, even though she was something of a fraud. This implied that she was gullible, often taking Trelawney's words to heart. Additionally, she initially believed the Ministry's propaganda against Harry Potter, but she eventually began to doubt the Ministry's claims, hugely because of her friends' influence.

Much of her personality heavily implies that her social skills may have been poor; this is supported by the fact that she only had one known friend at school, Parvati Patil, and they often had awkward interactions at the expense of others. However, even Parvati was uncomfortable by the fact that her relationship with Ron was becoming increasingly unhealthy. She stood quite in contrast with the more pragmatic and socially stable Hermione Granger.

Magical abilities and skills

Possessions

Wand : Lavender's wand was of an unknown length, wood and core material. Like most wizards and witches in Great Britain, she most likely purchased her wand at age eleven from Ollivanders.

: Lavender's wand was of an unknown length, wood and core material. Like most wizards and witches in Great Britain, she most likely purchased her wand at age eleven from Ollivanders. Binky : Lavender owned a male rabbit called Binky as a pet, which she presumably got prior or in the early 1990s.

: Lavender owned a male rabbit called Binky as a pet, which she presumably got prior or in the early 1990s. Unfogging the Future: Lavender owned a copy of this popular Divination book, as a student of Divination at Hogwarts.

Relationships

Parvati Patil

"Harry was unsurprised to see that the two best friends were whispering together, looking distressed." —Harry Potter remarking upon Lavender and Parvati[src]

Parvati Patil was Lavender's best friend and room-mate, and was often seen in her company. The two seemed to share many interests and character traits, including a keen interest in Divination, as well as a fondness for more appealing types of magical creatures, like unicorns.[11] They were also brave as they were both sorted into Gryffindor house.

The two were often seen giggling and gossiping together during their school days, and shared a friendship with Professor Trelawney. Parvati became very uncomfortable with how seriously Lavender took her relationship with Ron Weasley in their sixth year. Parvati was often embarrassed by the behaviour of her friend in regards to Ron, though despite this the two remained close. Her reaction to Lavender's death is unknown, although she was likely devastated at the death of her closest friend.

Ron Weasley

Harry Potter: "Look, why don't you go talk to Ron about all this?" Lavender: "Well, I would, but he's always asleep when I go and see him!" Harry Potter: "Is he?" — Ron avoiding talking to Lavender[src]

In 1996, during her sixth year, Lavender developed a crush on fellow Gryffindor Ron Weasley. She took to complimenting him and flirting with him, which Ron seemed surprised and flattered by, though he was interested in Hermione Granger at the time. However, after Ron became angry with Hermione, he entered into a romantic relationship with Lavender. The romance consisted mostly of snogging, often in public, much to the disgust of Hermione, who was jealous and hurt, and of Ron's younger sister Ginny, who considered him a "filthy hypocrite" because he insulted her for being caught kissing her boyfriend earlier in the year.

Ron Weasley: "Well... we don't really talk much. It's mainly..." Harry Potter: "Snogging." Ron Weasley: "Well, yeah." — Ron regarding his relationship with Lavender[src]

Lavender was very affectionate with, and possessive of, Ron, adopting the name of "Won-Won" for him and sending him a necklace for Christmas saying "My Sweetheart" on it, which he greatly disliked and was shocked that she would think it was to his taste. The romance began to cool on Ron's end after the Christmas holidays, which Lavender noticed and was very upset by. She repeatedly pressed Harry Potter for details of Ron's feelings for her, and alarmed even her best friend Parvati with how obsessively she threw herself into the relationship. Lavender was infuriated when no one thought to inform her after Ron was poisoned, especially since Ron took to feigning sleep whenever she came to visit him in the infirmary, and reconciled with Hermione. After being released, Ron took to avoiding his girlfriend.

Ron was spared the difficult task of breaking up with Lavender when she ended things with him, convinced that there was something going on between him and Hermione. Afterwards, Ron was clearly content, but Lavender was upset for some time. For example, when Ron brushed fake snow off Hermione's shoulders soon after the break-up, Lavender burst into tears.[12] Ron did show genuine guilt for breaking up with her. It is unknown how Ron reacted when Lavender was killed by Fenrir Greyback, although when he saw her being savaged, Ron was clearly horrified and concerned but Hermione beat him to saving Lavender. Considering this, it is likely Ron at least was saddened by her death.

Hermione Granger

Lavender: "What is she doing here?" Hermione Granger: "I might ask you the same question!" Lavender: "I happen to be his girlfriend!" Hermione Granger: "Well, I happen to be his... friend." — Lavender and Hermione in 1996[src]

Lavender and Parvati were not nearly as close to their other room-mate, Hermione Granger, as they were to one another. Though the girls did not appear to dislike each other, they had very different interests and sometimes clashed as a result. For example, Hermione scorned Divination, Lavender and Parvati's favourite subject.[10] She also became irked with Lavender for doubting Harry Potter's assertion that Lord Voldemort had returned in 1995[6]

Though Hermione was jealous of Ron and Lavender's relationship, she directed her anger mostly at Ron, perhaps indicating that Lavender was initially unaware of Hermione's feelings for him. Eventually, however, Lavender started to become jealous and suspicious of the time Ron and Hermione spent together, while her boyfriend was increasingly pulled away from her.

Although Hermione was glad when they broke up, she tried to spare Lavender's feelings by not being openly affectionate with Ron.[12] During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione spots Lavender being devoured by Fenrir Greyback, blasting him away immediately, it was too late as Lavender was already dead at the time.

Sybill Trelawney

Lavender seemed to have a reasonably close and caring relationship with Divination professor Sybill Trelawney; she had an unwavering faith in the reliability of Trelawney's predictions and was often seen comforting or supporting her when she was experiencing difficult times. She and Parvati became offended on the professor's behalf when Hermione made her disdain for Trelawney and the subject she taught clear in 1993.[10] When she was temporarily sacked by Dolores Umbridge, Lavender and Parvati brought Trelawney some daffodils.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Trelawney prevented Fenrir Greyback from savaging Lavender any further after Hermione Granger blasted him away by dropping a crystal ball on his head.[14] However, during the course of the fighting, Lavender succumbed to her wounds.

Dumbledore's Army

Lavender became a member of Dumbledore's Army during her fifth year. Dumbledore's Army was an organisation founded by Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione, and led by Harry, in order to teach the students Defence Against the Dark Arts, something that professor Dolores Umbridge did not; thinking that the students would use their magic against the Ministry of Magic.

Lavender was a friend of fellow members Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Lavender may have been a friend of Luna Lovegood, too, although, when the two girls met each other, Lavender made fun of Luna for her strange earrings.[6]

Media

Harry and Hermione - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince HD Lavender Kisses Ron Lavender Brown-Train Scene Awkward Flirting

Etymology

Lavender is a type of flower, as well as a name for the pale shade of purple of the blossoms. In flower symbolism, the lavender can symbolise affection, cleansing, or concealment. The Ancient Romans used lavender to scent baths, and its name is derived from the Latin verb lavāre, "to wash". In Western culture, the colour lavender can sometimes be used to symbolise decadence and the enjoyment of sensuality. Interestingly, "Lavender" is a colour and her last name is "Brown", which is also a colour.

Behind the scenes

Appearances

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