A/N: The usual disclaimers apply. We don't really have a clear picture of Hogwarts' architecture, so if the spot described near the end is physically impossible to occur in canon, my apologies. Be warned, this one's gonna be a bit sadder than the last few by necessity.
dor - (n.) a deep and nostalgic feeling of sadness, agony and emptiness experienced upon intensely missing, longing, and yearning for something or someone [romanian]
Had it really been so long? It felt as though it had happened just yesterday, but here in front of her was definitive proof that it had been almost 25 years since that day. Since the last time she had seen her best friend alive. She remembered it vividly. How could she not; it was both the day the world changed forever, and the day her world ended. The Battle at Hogwarts.
For most of their time at Hogwarts, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were inseparable. Lavender was the one who had to comfort Parvati their first night when she confessed she'd never slept in a room without her sister before. Parvati was likewise there for Lavender when the cute boy from Hufflepuff broke her heart in 3rd year. The two girls often found comfort in each other, with Parvati's sister off in Ravenclaw and their roommate Hermione as likely to lecture them on their bad choices as to try and offer comfort. As the world around them grew darker and more dangerous, they found refuge together in the world of shopping and fashion. A plan to open their own boutique was discussed, and had gotten a bit of planning behind it, but had to be set aside in their seventh year when such things paled in comparison to the very real danger they now faced simple by being at school. Right before the final battle, Lavender had made an offhand comment that they could finally get back to that plan if things went well.
In amongst the many battles on that day, Parvati found herself putting down Death Eaters while stepping over the fallen, many of whom she had known in her seven years of schooling. Here, a torn cloak with the Ravenclaw symbol on it. There, a half-broken mask covering someone she recognized as having been an older Slytherin. And from everywhere around, the scent of blood filled the air. She hated every minute of it, but did what she had to to stay alive. When the Dark Lord called for a brief respite, she shivered at his voice, but silently thanked him for allowing a break that she desperately needed.
She entered the Great Hall to see it transformed into a room that was part morgue, part command base. The dead and dying were laid to one side of the room, those mostly in charge of the fight huddled in another corner. Somewhere in between, she spotted Padma and Lavender sitting together at a table, both staring ahead dully, trying to come to grips with what they had seen. Grateful to see the two people she cared about most sitting together, she sat next to them, all three resting their heads together in some measure of relief to see each other and still be alive.
That respite was followed by the horrific sight of what appeared to be Harry Potter dead at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, at the feet of the Dark Lord. What had looked grim suddenly turned brighter when cheers of defiance rose, and the battle rejoined, filtering back towards the Great Hall. Parvati thought she felt someone push past her, but saw no one, even as a spell went shooting by. It wasn't until she reached the Great Hall again that she realized that Harry Potter was alive, as he shrugged off his Invisibility Cloak and faced off one last time with the Dark Lord. As the sun rose over the mountains, the schoolboy bested his great rival once and for all, and cheers went up throughout the old castle. Parvati found Padma in the commotion, and the sisters hugged tightly, exultant in victory.
As the celebrants spread out about the castle, Padma and Parvati came upon a gruesome sight. At the foot of the grand staircase, covered in blood and seated next to a werewolf with its neck obviously broken, was Lavender, trying and failing to keep her intestines inside a giant tear across her stomach. Padma rushed off to find Madam Pomfrey, while Parvati held Lavender's hand, offering reassurances and promises that Padma would return soon and everything would be fine. As her friend lost progressively more blood, and her already pale skin grew moreso, Parvati's voice trailed off, no longer able to hide the truth from herself.
"Vati," murmured Lavender quietly. "Vati, it'll be OK. We won, didn't we? You can still open the shop, just like we wanted. Don't be sad, Vati. Live. Live for me, OK? Live for me, Vati."
Parvati nodded, not trusting herself to speak as the tears poured down her face. Lavender managed a brief smile and a last squeeze of Parvati's hand before slumping against the stairs. Parvati kept holding her friend's hand, tears still flowing freely. Padma and Pomfrey arrived a few minutes later, and only then did Parvati let go of Lavender's hand. A quick diagnostic spell from the nurse confirmed what she had already known.
All of those who had fought and died at the castle were buried and mourned over the next week. Many had family plots; a few who didn't were buried on the castle grounds, as the greatest remaining honor they could be given, and as a reminder of the cost of the peace now enjoyed in magical Britain. Lavender was one of the latter; she was laid to rest in a spot with an unobstructed view of both Gryffindor Tower and the Black Lake. It was to this spot which Parvati returned faithfully every year, always with a freshly picked flower in honor of her best friend. Though she had done as Lavender has asked and continued to live, even opening up their boutique in Diagon Alley, she always felt the same feeling of emptiness when she came to this spot, as if a part of her had been torn away on that day and could not be replaced. Would never be replaced.
She laid the newest flower near the stone, as she had 24 times before. She traced her name, looking as new as the day the stone had been cut. A kiss, onto her fingers and then touched to the stone. A whispered goodbye, and then Parvati left the grounds, another year's ritual complete. A horrible, sadly necessary, ritual.