Title: Alphabet Drabbles
Author: sick-atxxheart
Drabble: N
Prompt: "New Year - Parvati Patil - preferably angst or romance." Given by msllamalover.
Characters: Parvati Patil, Neville Longbottom
Genre: Angst, Romance
Warnings: Light, light fluff
They're tryin' to come back, all my senses push
Untie the weight bags, I never thought I could...
Steady feet, don't fail me now
I'm gonna run till you can't walk
But something pulls my focus out
And I'm standing down...
-One Republic, Stop and Stare
--
The crowd was bustling and busy as Parvati Patil sunk lower in her chair, watching the people pass in the bustle and commotion of the New Years' celebration. A drink, her favorite cocktail, was held loosely in her hand, just barely spilling its red liquid over the top as the dark-haired, dark-skinned girl mindlessly looked at the people passing.
Her twin sister, Padma, had long since left her alone at this tiny table, in favor of heading off with her current boyfriend, no doubt for a sexy make-out session that Parvati really had no desire to watch or be a part of. Over the years, they had grown apart- and Parvati was left feeling more and more alone as Padma seemed to branch out and become quite the social butterfly.
Someone roughly bumped into her, and Parvati groaned when she saw the huge red soak that was quickly spreading over the pavement from her spilled drink. She quickly rose, leaving the nearly empty glass on the table, and stepped over the puddle while smoothing out her midnight blue dress. She fought through the crowd, carefully avoiding anyone she knew, until she found a corner of a balcony that was suspiciously void of people. She took her place in that corner, leaning over the edge to look at the darkening sky and the stars that were slowly showing their faces.
Parvati Patil was not happy.
It was beyond not being happy for the moment- it was more like being unhappy for what seemed to be an eternity. The war was over, Voldemort was gone, and Harry Potter had emerged the victor. So what was left for these brave Gryffindors now? There was no need to stand up to anything anymore, for there was nothing left. The DA had long since disappeared.
The problem was, Parvati speculated, that she was not needed.
Throughout all their years in Hogwarts, she and Padma had always leaned on one another for support through their fear for the future. There had never been any definites- for any day they could lose their lives in an attack, or be taken away by their parents for 'safety'. It was like diving into the unknown- and Parvati had been ruled by fear. There had never been much room for them, once they had been in their sixth and seventh years, to make plans for the future- for that future had been so mulled and diluted by unknowns that it had been nearly pointless.
But now that she had an opportunity for a future, Parvati was lost.
A scream of excitement came from across the deck, and Parvati shifted to see someone popping the cork for yet another bottle of champagne. It had been a mistake to come to this party, she decided- she had wrongly thought that shooting back a few drinks and just letting loose would be good for her, get her back in the swing of things and open up new relationships or whatever getting drunk really did- it wasn't like she knew, really. But now that alcohol was just on the haze of her brain after one drink, she felt even more sober than she had started as, if that was even possible.
The sky was so pretty, but Parvati wondered if it was hopeless too. It was always the same. It never changed, just like her life now. No hope for the future except to put the same face on every day, the same fake plastered smile and go face the world- and that, she decided, sucked.
She had just lowered her forehead to rest on the railing when a soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, Parvati."
Parvati quickly looked up, and her face brightened considerably when she saw Neville Longbottom standing awkwardly next to her. "Neville! Nice to see you!" She embraced him briefly before leaning back to her spot on the railing. "How have you been?"
Neville's silent shrug perfectly reflected her mood.
"Yeah. Me too."
Neville and Parvati had been close, seventh year at Hogwarts, when classes and life had essentially become hell thanks to the Carrows. They had kind of bonded together, mostly out of lonliness, and from that lonliness a friendship had stemmed. Parvati knew about Neville's parents, and he knew her deepest and darkest secrets- but after the war, their friendship had kind of just- died. Parvati had been saddened by it, but just accepted it.
"I can't really tell," Neville broke the silence, "if it gets harder or easier every year."
Parvati knew what he was talking about- life without his parents, moving on, day after day, seemingly alone. She felt the same way.
"This year's the hardest for me." She revealed, looking up at the sky again. "Everything's over. There's nothing left for me here. There is nothing worth fighting for anymore, nothing to fight for- and that's hard, for me. Padma and I are-" she struggled for words- "-not the best of friends anymore, and all of my other Hogwarts friendships seemed to have died along with the war."
Neville nodded soothingly, or perhaps in understanding- she wasn't sure- and smiled at her. "It's hard, after all these years, to realize that things will finally be normal."
"I don't even know what normal is." The words were spat with a certain amount of venom- for the war had seemed to start before Parvati, or any of her classmates, had even been born, and normalcy seemed to be a goal that would never be reached.
Neville smiled grimly. "I guess we really are that desperate."
Parvati nodded and moved closer to him to look out over the balcony. "Maybe the new year will be better... new horizons, new beginnings... leave all this bloody war behind."
Neville nodded. "I'd like nothing more than that... but then again, I guess my greatest wish will never be fulfilled no matter how many new years pass."
Parvati was silent for a long moment before looking up into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Neville. I wish there was something I could do-"
The first firework lit up the sky and cut off her sentence. Screams filled the air following it, and Parvati took Neville's hand gently as they watched the Wizarding fireworks light up the sky with various colors. All around her she could hear the cries of Happy New Year and Cheers and even the random I love you! resound throughout the balcony, amplified by the amount of people.
"Happy New Year," Parvati whispered to Neville, smiling at him gently. "May the new year bring new things... for both of us. May our wishes be fulfilled... may we not be lonely anymore."
"Happy New Year, Parvati," Neville whispered back, building up his courage to kiss the beautiful girl gently."May the new year bring..."
The final firework lit up the sky, spelling Happy New Year, and Parvati smiled against Neville's lips.
Maybe things weren't as hopeless as they seemed.
--
This is really pretty cheesy... but I hope you like it. I took some liberties with the prompt, I think, but tell me what you think in a review please!
Happy New Year!
