m&mwp.


"You shouldn't be here."

He knows that. The moment he'd stepped foot in the garden, the whispers had begun - mocking and angry. Even his old friends—is that Ernie with his arms around Hannah?—keep their eyes to the grass. They can't even bear to look him in the eye, for Merlin's sake.

But Parvati does more than whisper. She storms up to him and grabs his arm, pulling him roughly away from the crowd in black.

"Get out."

"Parvati, I…"

That's all it takes for her to press her wand against his chest. "You can't be here, Smith. No one wants you here."

"I was scared!"

"We were all scared," Parvati hisses. "This is a funeral, you bastard. Not somewhere for you to make amends. You left. She stayed, she died, and she would not want you here."

"I came for you." The words slip out before he can stop them. "I know she was your best friend, I thought…"

He doesn't see the slap coming. It's fast, sharp and sets his cheek on fire.

"I don't want you here," Her voice is a low whisper, but the tone is hard and certain. "Whatever we had in school...it's done. I don't want to see you ever again. Now get out."

And so, once more, he leaves. He's getting rather good at that these days.