What difference does the bitter soil make in a tongue that can no longer notice the taste?

What difference does it make to have irritated eyes struggling to form one last tear that won't fall?

What's the point of visiting people in the only place they are, knowing that they are no longer there?

Theodore's eyes were fixed on the finely carved piece of stone. Those grey eyes that he had not lit up in years were one breath away from going out.

Seventeen years of life. Nine years of living dead. Since she had died. Since his mother had died.

You met her when you were little. Very little. Memories of her were drawn in your mind, memories of when you went to the Nott Mansion almost every day.

Before you lost your only childhood friend. Before you became estranged from Theo.

From seeing each other every day you went to only seeing each other during the holidays. At Hogwarts you two pretend you don't know each other.

You sat next to him, on the cold, wet soil of the garden of the mansion, in front of his mother's grave. "I'm sorry you lost her." you murmured.

You were visiting Theodore's house with your father for the Christmas holidays. But the last thing you wanted was to stay there if Theo was going to act like a walking dead all the time. The problem was that you didn't know what to do to help him.

Theodore wasn't looking at you. He looked like he wasn't even breathing.

He never talked about the loss of his mother, he always got defensive talking about it. But today he acted differently, as if the hard layer of his heart had been torn away.

"Losing her started to hurt more when you stopped coming over after she passed away...because you were one of the only people who could understand how I felt." he said quietly, his voice strained.

He, for the first time in nine years, felt the need to spit his thoughts in your face to deal with the pain.

"You knew what it was like to lose your mom, and yet you disappeared from my life as well.”