He paused mid-step, shoulders sagging. He loved her so much. Very few people had ever managed to make him feel like she did, even when she was shouting at him angrily. Her passion was just gut-wrenching, and although it was his first impulse to go to her, to wrap her up in his arms and sweep her away to a place where he knew she'd be safe, he couldn't. It wouldn't be right.
Had it been easier with Sirius? Or James and Lily? They'd always been furious over the way he was treated, but James and Lily had been rational in their support, particularly after school. Sirius, like Dora, had been quicker to insist they should fuck public expectations and carry on as they pleased. He'd been more reckless than Dora, but there were certain elements of their personalities that were startlingly similar.
With a sigh, he forced himself to continue walking out the door. This wasn't being cowardly, he told himself. Dora's words resounded in his ears with every step, and he tried to swallow around the huge lump that had formed in his throat, not even allowing himself a glance in Aberforth's direction before leaving the pub.