Parvati Patil sat alone in front of Florean Fortescue's Diagon Alley shop. The weather was sunny and beautiful, her favorite kind of day, but she was somber. Parvati watched the people stroll by. She recognized a few of the faces here and there—Harry and Ginny walking together, dogged by paparazzi, Michael Corner laden with parcels. Once she had planned to be one of those reporters.
If Lavender was here, Parvati thought, she would laugh at Michael struggling to hold so many packages. She would say something like "Is he a wizard or what?" Then they would gossip and giggle until the day was over. Parvati imagined herself waving goodbye and going home to Padma. Or better yet, not leaving at all and going home to the flat the friends would share.
But that was not to be. Never again. The friendship and friend that Parvati had nearly taken for granted were gone. Vanished like mist when the sun came out. She remembered the way that Lavender's lifeless body had looked that morning. She remembered the morning when she had been nearly jubilant. It was over, she'd thought in the Great Hall. It had been hard, but it was over, and now she could celebrate and mourn with her closest friends. Tears sprang to her eyes as she recalled walking through the hall, looking for her best friend. As she recalled asking, the kindly woman's finger pointing to the rows of the dead.
Padma didn't understand. Yes, she had lost friends too, but none close. Now that it was August, months later, Padma had all but moved on. Truth be told, Parvati had been closer to Lavender than her own twin, and it was painful to see how carefree Padma was. Parvati was about to begin sobbing in earnest when a voice sounded from the chair to the right. It was Dean.
"Would you like to talk about it?" He sounded concerned.
"Not really." She sounded like a small child. He nodded, and pulled his chair closer. They sat together in silence for a minute or so, before she began talking. She told him about how she couldn't stop thinking about Lavender. About how Padma didn't understand. About how even though they were supposed to move on and all, how could she repeat seventh year without Lavender?
He nodded at her words, and didn't comment. Then he told her about Seamus. Seamus couldn't get over Lavender either. He told her about not missing anyone in particular, and how he felt terrible looking at the shape everyone else was in. He told her about how he looked at the people in Diagon Alley and how others looked so sad, and he just felt so relieved that it was over and that he wasn't persecuted anymore.
They talked for an hour. At the end, each of them felt a little better. Perhaps Dean had transferred a little of his happiness to Parvati, and she made him slightly sadder. It worked for both of them. And as Parvati arrived home that night, one thought was prominent in her mind.
Perhaps it will be easier to get through this together.
