dursley [h. g.]

••dursley•• || pity party

(mild torture references at the beginning of the chapter)

The next few days of Kendra's life went significantly downhill. 

Bellatrix had either decided or been instructed to visit the little shack where Kendra was being kept (at least, she assumed it was a shack, she had no idea what the building looked like other than the wine cellar she was kept in). Kendra had very quickly learned that Bellatrix didn't like any one very much, save for perhaps Lord Voldemort himself. But Kendra fell in several of her least favorite groups of people.  She was muggle-born, she was Harry Potter's cousin, and she was one of the few people in the world who were unafraid to say Voldemort's name. And because of that, Bellatrix treated her a piece of vermin. 

However, Bellatrix's visit this time had been for more than to just push her prisoner around. Kendra could tell that the Death Eaters were getting restless, they had kept Kendra for nearly two months and no one had attempted to rescue her. The torture had been pointed, with purpose, rather than just for fun.

She wasn't just a muggle-born, she was a muggle now. She was being used by everyone around her. It was Harry's fault. No one loved her. She would die where she lay, in the wine cellar in a shack in the middle of nowhere. And no one would miss her. Albus Dumbledore was using her. Harry Potter was using her. They didn't care about her, only what she could do for them. These were the messages that were driven into her, each one pointed with a curse, the flick of a knife, the taste of Bellatrix's boot in her face. They wanted to isolate her, degrade her, break her. 

And after hours and hours and hours of endless pain and suffering, Bellatrix gave her one last goodbye and left, leaving Kendra alone in the wine cellar, though she was sure her next guard would arrive in moments. 

She wiped her nose on her shirt and wiped her eyes with her hands as she tried to recollect herself. Her arm had started to bleed, but Kendra did not really want to look at it. She pressed it into her shirt to try and stop the bleeding, knowing that she would probably only end up staining her shirt for good. It did not matter. Her mind felt misty, as though her brain was desperately trying to cover up the memories of events that had just happened but was too overloaded to do it properly. The sounds of her own screams echoed in  her eyes and she struggled not to cry.

The sound of the fireplace brought her back to reality somewhat. She hoped it was Theo, but he had mentioned the day before that it might be difficult for him to come by over the next few days. 

"Are you alright?" Draco Malfoy asked softly from behind the doorway. Kendra looked at him. She looked pitiful, with red eyes, matted hair, lips bloodstained from the nosebleed that had only just stopped. She blinked twice, unsure how to answer. "That was stupid of me to ask, no of course you're not- I'm not here to hurt you, I promise." He held up his hands.

"I know," she replied, her voice strained and cracked. She coughed once, before groaning and leaning back against the wall. 

"Can I come in?" he asked. She shrugged. He took it for a yes and unlocked the door with the key rather than a spell. He kept his distance from her but offered her a green apple, rolling it towards her when she accepted. 

"Theodore told me," she said, keeping her voice quiet as not to strain it more. "About what happened." He paled instantly, avoiding her eyes. "Sit."

He slowly moved next to her and sat down with a heavy sigh. "He said he would kill my mother if I didn't," he whispered. "I had to, I couldn't let her die."

"It's not your fault," Kendra replied firmly. "It's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's not Harry fault. We're teenagers, what could we have done?" It was clear that Kendra was trying to convince herself of this fact as well as him. 

"What have they done to you?" he asked quietly. "You're different, somehow. The Kendra from school, she was immoveable."

"Shit happens to us all, Malfoy," she smiled at him. "And you didn't know me in school. We talked twice, don't get it twisted."

"Friends?" he asked, extending his hand, his eyes pleasing with her to say yes. She hesitated for a moment, part of her brain wondering if he was trust worthy, if he would betray her in the end too. She shook his hand. 

"Thanks for the apple," she said, pulling her hand away and closing her eyes.

"You're welcome," he muttered. They were silent for a moment. "Your arm's bleeding through your shirt."

"I don't want to look at it," Kendra replied, her eyes still closed. 

"Here," he said, and there was some shuffling sounds. She kept her eyes closed until he very gently pulled her arm away from her shirt. Draco had taken his own shirt off and was holding her arm in front of him. He looked sick. 

"You don't have to do that," she insisted.

"I do," he replied, his voice shaky as he wrapped his shirt around her arm, around the words that sat, sliced into her skin. "My family did this to you. The least I can do is make sure it doesn't get infected."

"And it's not because you're in love with my cousin?" Kendra asked, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

"Shut up," he muttered, though the faintest smile appeared on his face. 

"I'm sorry that you have to be afraid of your feelings," Kendra said, genuinely this time. "I know you can't accept yourself because your society can't accept you. But you are loved, and you matter. Don't forget it."

"Thank you," he said, tying the shirt. He didn't say anything else for a long time, so Kendra closed her eyes again. She was tired. "You're a good person."

She opened her yes begrudgingly and stared at him for a moment. "So are you, even if you don't know it yet."

They didn't say anything else, just let the silence between them comfort each of them, each of them wrapped up in a pity party for the other. Eventually, the peaceful silence rocked Kendra to sleep, where nothing but nightmares awaited her. 

a/n: hermy reunion up next xoxo i hope this chapter wasn't too dark but also shit is going to hit the fan in this book so i'm trying to gear myself and you guys up for it. hope u enjoyed the chapter and if not don't tell me pls my self esteem is fragile <3 im jk i know how to take constructive criticism