Things to Know:
-Harry and Parvati have been dating for about a year and a half
-Parvati is hinting at marriage but Harry is terrified
-Padma and Dean got back together and ran off to get married
-Hermione and Ron are still engaged but no date has been set yet
-Lily and Shila (Parvati's mum) are already planning the wedding of their two darlings
-Neville and Prencess Patil are still dating

It hurt. It hurt more than Parvati could ever imagine. When she and Harry began seeing each other, she knew that they were just meant to be married. So after dating him for almost two years, Parvati was upset to see that Harry had no intention of proposing to her. And that hurt. It hurt like hell. What did he want from her and their relationship if he wasn't even thinking of going to the chapel?

Parvati glared at the room her sister had when they lived together. Padma and Dean had eloped and moved into their own flat, in the same building mind you, but she was still gone. The loneliness was almost unbearable for the first few months, but Parvati thought of it as just a time at Hogwarts when she and her sister were placed into different houses.

But that evening, after listening to Hermione and Ron discuss the wedding that they just began to plan after a year of engagement, made Parvati ache. She couldn't stand to be in her flat anymore. She grabbed her wand and decided to go to Harry's.

When, later that evening, they were tangled together, Parvati allowed the guard on her tongue to slip.

"Do you want children?" she asked into the dark room. She felt Harry stiffen beside her and bit back a cry of internal sorrow.

"What brought that on?" Harry asked.

Parvati shrugged and stared at the ceiling. She felt empty. She always loved spending the night at Harry's even before they started their physical relationship. But now she felt empty and kind of cheap afterward.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "We've been together for almost two years. I just thought I should know."

"Are you-?" Harry began, alarmed.

"No!" she quickly assured him. At least she didn't think so. But the last thing she wanted was for Harry to marry her just because she was carrying their child. "Is it so bad for me to be asking about our future, if any?" 'If any' was said in a bitter tone.

Harry relaxed and hugged her to him kissing the crown of her head. "We don't have to think about that now," he told her. "We're only twenty-two."

That confirmed it. Harry had no thoughts of marriage to her. At least, not any time soon.

"Sure," she said quietly.

Minutes later, she felt Harry falling asleep, but try as she might, Parvati couldn't fall asleep. She stared into the night and cried before getting out of bed-gently, as to not awake Harry. Parvati dressed quietly and left Harry's apartment and went to her sister's. Dean would probably curse her for waking them up, but she needed her big sister.

"Honey, I'm sorry," Padma said gently. They sat at Padma's kitchen table with two cups of tea between them.

Parvati shook her head. "I feel so alone. You're gone. Harry doesn't want me for anything more than sex-."

"That's not true and you know it," Padma interrupted Parvati. "I'm always here."

Parvati smiled at Padma's noticeable lack of assurance on Harry's feelings for her. "Yeah, but-."

"Harry cares for you too. You have to talk to him."

"That's what I was doing tonight!" Parvati exclaimed.

Padma shook her head, dark strands of hair flying. "No honey, you have to talk to him. No sex, no touching, nothing to make sure you get your point across."

Parvati stared at the table. "Yeah. You're right." Parvati looked up and smiled sadly. "Do you mind if I take over your couch for the evening. I don't want to go back home."

"Of course," Padma assured her quickly. "I'll bring you some blankets."

The next day, Parvati decided to go visit home in search for some help. If there was anyone who could tell Parvati what she should do, it would be Shila Patil. Showing up in Godric's Hollow, she looked down the road to where the Potters lived. A pang of nostalgia hit her as she remembered all the times she spent at that house.

"Parvati!" Edmund, the butler answered the door.

She gave the man a hug and smiled. "Hey. Is my mum here?"

Edmund shook his head. "No. She's at the Potters' home."

Parvati blanched. She wanted to avoid Lily at all costs. "Thank you."

"Why don't you head over there?" Edmund suggested. "Mrs. Patil doesn't return home until late when she goes to the Potters."

Parvati nodded. "Okay," she said feebly and crossed the street to go to the home of Lily and James Potter.

James opened the door and greeted her with a large hug. Then he sighed. "The women are all in the den."

Parvati smiled. Poor James always had to give up his den when Lily decided to have all her girlfriends over. "Sorry," she offered.

James waved his hand. "No big deal. I'll get over missing the football championships."

"Go Italy!" Parvati cried.

James smiled. "I knew there was a reason I always liked you."

Parvati laughed and went down to the den. Alice Longbottom was there along with Lily Potter, and her mother, Shila Patil. The women all greeted her warmly and Parvati caught a flash of white and pink before it disappeared. Shaking off the feeling of dread, Parvati sat down.

"What brings you by here, dear?" Shila asked.

Parvati shrugged. There was no way she was talking about her problems with Harry in front of Lily.

"It's Harry," Lily deadpanned.

How did that woman always read her mind? Parvati's eyes widened in alarm before she decided denial was best. "No. Everything is fine."

"Liar."

Parvati looked down.

"Let me guess," Lily began. "Everything was fine but then after you started sleeping together something changed. Then he starts avoiding talk about the future, citing that you are too young to think about it now."

Merlin, Lily was good.

"How-," Parvati began.

"Harry is James incarnate," Lily shrugged. "I went through the same."

"But Lily," Parvati exclaimed. "I don't know what to do. I feel so empty as though nothing is going to happen, as though we'll be stuck in limbo forever."

"Well you both are young," Alice reminded Parvati.

Shila and Lily agreed.

"Oh like you guys can talk," Parvati snapped. "You all married right after Hogwarts."

Shila shook her head. "Still, back then, we got married to make sure that we would be able to get to the chapel. Voldemort was still at large then. People were dieing everyday. This was the only way to ensure that we would marry."

Parvati nodded. "Still. I just don't want to do this forever. I don't need him to propose tomorrow or anything. I just want to know that he's at least thinking in terms of marriage eventually. I asked him if he wanted children and he changed the subject so quick it wasn't even funny."

Alice tisked sympathetically.

"James fainted when I told him I wanted children," Lily said. "Actually, it was about a week before graduation and I told him point blank that if he didn't see us getting married in the future then I was done. He said 'of course I'm going to marry you.' Then I told him that we're having children. He fainted. Keep in mind that this was in the Great Hall."

Shila laughed.

"Is that what happened?" Alice asked. "Oh dear. I remember him fainting, but I never knew why.

Parvati stared at the picture of Harry and Dudley that was on the mantel. "So I should give him an ultimatum?"

"Never!" Shila exclaimed. "No. Men are idiots so they'd probably not go for your ultimatum and drop you cold. What you do is give him options. Tell him that if he has no intention of making you an honorable woman then it's over."

Parvati nodded. "So what was that pink and white thing you guys tried to hide from me?"

Alice and Lily flushed guiltily while Shila stared at her daughter dead on.

"You are not planning my wedding!" Parvati exclaimed.

"But we have really pretty invitations and everything," Lily cried dragging the notebook out.

Parvati sighed. She could just imagine Harry's face if he knew their mothers' was planning their wedding. That is, the split second before he ran far, far away, of course.

Later that evening, Parvati threw her bag on her couch as she entered her apartment after spending the entire day in Godric's Hollow. She sifted through the mail on her kitchen table and saw nothing of importance.

Hating the silence, Parvati turned on the radio in order to dull some of her loneliness. She started when she heard someone enter the apartment.

"Hey Pretty Girl," Harry called.

Parvati turned and smiled and accepted the kiss Harry gave her. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Now I need a reason to come visit my girlfriend?" Harry teased nipping at her lower lip.

Parvati laughed. "No, but I usually have to seek you."

"So maybe I missed you," Harry shrugged.

"You saw me last night," she reminded him.

Harry's eyes focused onto hers and narrowed. "And as I remember, you were gone before I woke up. What was up with that?"

Parvati looked away and busied herself with throwing away her junk mail. "Nothing," she lied. "I just needed to get an early start."

"At three in the morning?" Harry asked wryly.

Parvati froze.

"Yeah, I noticed when you left."

'Why didn't you go after me!' Parvati wanted to shout at him. Instead, she took a deep breath and sat on her island. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Obviously," Harry acknowledged. "But that still doesn't answer my question."

Parvati sighed. "It's not a big deal. I just went to go see Paddie."

"Why are keeping this from me?" Harry asked wearily. "If something is bothering you, tell me."

"You don't want to hear what I have to say," Parvati assured him, walking out of the kitchen toward her bedroom.

"Try me," Harry said, walking behind her.

"Okay," Parvati said, turning to face him. "I want to know what you want out of me and our relationship."

"What?" Harry's brow furrowed.

"You don't even know," Parvati pursed her lips. "I can't do this anymore! I hate being stuck in limbo not knowing that there is some sort of future for us!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry cried. "We've only been dating for two years!"

"So? Two years out of my life Harry! If you have no intention of marrying me in the future then what on earth is the point of this relationship?"

"Marriage?" Harry asked incredulously. "That's what's got your knickers in a twist? Merlin, Parvati, give me a break! I don't know what I'll be doing next week, let alone down the road in the future."

And that broke Parvati's heart.

"Leave," she asked quietly.

"Parv-," Harry started.

"Please leave," she said, tears now streaming down her face.

Harry tried to bring her to him, but Parvati knew that if he touched her, she'd be lost. "Please go!"

Parvati whirled around and locked herself in her bedroom. She slid onto the floor and sobbed, ignoring the pounding of her door and Harry's request to talk. She couldn't talk. Not right now when her hurt was so fresh and raw.

Cursing responsibilities, Parvati walked into her new office. After a year of being the coffee girl, Parvati was allowed to design her own fashion line and Parvati took great pleasure in knowing that her line was going to be the one to give her the design label she coveted.

"Coffee?" Parvati's assistant asked her, seeing Parvati's frazzled state.

"Please."

Her desk was covered in memos and she saw Hedwig waiting for her also. Harry had pounded on her bedroom door for over an hour before he gave up and went home. Obviously he wasn't through if he had Hedwig wait in the office for her.

"Hey girl," she cooed to the owl. She took the letter and expected Hedwig to leave, but apparently Hedwig wanted a reply. That through her plan of dumping the letter in the fire and not reading it.

She smiled thanks to her assistant when her coffee arrived and stared at the letter, trying to figure out how she should respond to it. In the end, she decided to risk Hedwig's wrath and dropped the letter in the fire.

"I don't want to talk to him," she told the owl.

Hedwig hooted and took off. That would hold him off for now.

Hours later, Parvati couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept wandering off to Harry and her dilemma. She didn't want to drag Harry to the alter. She just wanted Harry to at least the possibility of them marrying eventually…before her biological clock ticked out.

Just as she reached for the floo to talk to Neville, her office door opened and Neville walked in.

"Nev!" Parvati exclaimed. "I was just about to floo you."

Neville grinned and sat in the chair in front of her desk. "Well, I saved you the effort."

"What are you doing here though?"

Neville shrugged. "I just felt as though you might need someone to talk to."

Parvati smiled softly. "Thanks." She put her hand on the desk and Neville covered it with his.

"You want to tell me what's got Harry so angry?"

Parvati snorted. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Bull," Neville countered.

Parvati took her hand back and placed it in her lap. "He doesn't love me," she said sadly.

"What's with the crap spewing from your mouth today?" Neville asked rhetorically.

Frowning, Parvati wringed her hands in front of her. "I don't know what he wants from this relationship besides my body."

"Ouch and gross," Neville winced.

"Are you sleeping with my sister?" Parvati asked abruptly.

Neville's red face gave her the answer she needed.

"Do you plan on marrying her?"

Neville frowned. "Er-not now, but maybe sometime in the future, I don't know-maybe."

"But you're at least thinking of it?" Parvati persisted.

Neville nodded. "All the time. She's young, I'm young, but it has crossed my mind a few times."

"That's what I want," Parvati whined. "I don't need him to propose, I just want him to at least think of marrying me!"

"I don't know what to tell you Parv," Neville shrugged.

"I didn't think you would either." Parvati looked down at the design she was working on and blinked back tears when she realized that she had designed a wedding gown.

Completely exhausted, and slightly surprised she hadn't collapsed from exhaustion, Parvati let herself into her flat and threw her shoes off, shrugging of her jacket as well. She was just about to start unbuttoning her blouse when she saw Harry seated on one of her couches staring at her.

"Harry!" she cried, shocked.

Harry didn't show any emotion on his face. "We have to talk."

Parvati nodded but chose a seat across from him so she wouldn't be tempted to touch him or let him touch her.

"I don't want to argue about this," Harry said wearily. "I have no idea what the problem is."

"I want a commitment," Parvati said quietly.

Harry stared at her as though she grew a second head. "What do you call the last two years?"

"Wasted time," Parvati remarked bluntly.

"Wasted time?" Harry scoffed out.

"I don't need you to propose, I just want some sort of…assurance or at least knowledge that you're at least thinking of marrying me somewhere down the line," Parvati explained.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "I never thought about it."

And that's when the tears started.

"Oh," Parvati gasped. "Well then, are you thinking about it now?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not thinking of marriage or children. I'm just taking it one day at a time."

Parvati shook her head. "I can't do that," she told him. "It's driving me mad to the point I feel completely useless and completely used too. If you don't plan on marrying me eventually then I just don't see the point of us being together."

"What about the way I feel for you," Harry shot at her.

"And what is that?" Parvati questioned.

Harry sighed and looked down. "Parv-."

"Are you or are you not going to marry me someday?" Parvati asked clearly.

Harry stared at her for a moment. "I-I don't know."

"Goodbye Harry," Parvati said sadly.

"Goodbye?"

Parvati huddled her knees to her chest. "I need you to leave. I can't be with you."

Harry stood and walked over to her. "So that's it? After two years, this is just it?"

Parvati nodded. "Yes, it is."

Harry cursed under his breath but complied with her wishes and left.

Parvati sat on her couch and sobbed.

This is the second, 'non happy ending'. Geeze, I must be in a bad mood. Will Harry and Parvati get back together? No idea. Will I write about it? Sure, once I get a new idea. What chapter is next? No idea, but I'm hoping for a Dudley centered one…maybe a Padma. Padma is more likely since Dudley refuses to give me any inspiration. When will the next update be? Again, no idea. But, I will work on it, and hopefully within the next two or three weeks.