dursley [h. g.]

••dursley•• || bitter vengence tastes sweet

Kendra heard someone scream. She didn't realize it was herself until she felt someone's hands gently place on her shoulders and her torn and wretched soul was forced back into her body, back into reality.

"I'm so sorry, Kendra," Theo said, and somewhere deep in her brain, Kendra registered that it was his hands on her shoulders.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything. There was nothing she could do but stare down at Lisa's lifeless body, the sad smile still etched across her face. It was a knife straight to Kendra's heart.

She should have gone with Lisa. Kendra could have protected her. Morgana could have protected her. She could have stopped that stupid fucking spider from ripping her best friend away from her too soon. But she didn't. She stayed inside, and now she had watched two people die because of it.

"Nott, what—" Hermione's voice sounded far away, somewhere amongst the sobs that wracked Kendra's body still, beyond the drowning grief that she was sinking ever deeper in. "I can take it from here, Nott," Hermione snapped from the faraway place.

Arms wrapped around Kendra's body. A hand slipped into her own and Kendra curled tightly into Hermione's chest. Hermione's hand ran through Kendra's hair silently until Kendra's grief became fuel for her fire and her sobs eased.

When her tears had stopped, she pulled away. There was a wet spot on Hermione's shirt. "Sorry," Kendra said, her own voice sounding hollow and foreign to her.

"Don't apologize," Hermione said, her voice firm but gentle. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Kendra didn't answer her. She turned back to Lisa's body. It had been covered with a white sheet, the same as the countless others that had come into the Great Hall since she had last been mentally present. "How long has it been?" Kendra asked, her voice hoarse. In the midst of everything that had happened, she had no idea what time it was, what was happening outside.

"A few hours," Hermione said quietly. She paused, unsure whether to keep talking or not. Kendra nodded slightly, prompting her to continue. "We found the diadem, it's gone now. We found Snape too. Voldemort's snake killed him, he gave Harry memories through his tears. Harry's watching them now. There's a ceasefire right now."

"Is..." Kendra trailed off unsure how to ask the question she wanted to. "What are the conditions?"

"Harry has an hour to meet Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest," Hermione said, her voice quivering.

Hermione answered the question Kendra had not known how to ask, whether she had meant to or not. Kendra curled herself back into Hermione's chest and Hermione gladly let her stay there.

"Kendra," Morgana sounded as though she had a bad head cold when she spoke. "Your friend, she fought bravely."

Kendra didn't need Morgana to tell her that. Even if Lisa had been killed by an ant, Kendra would still be certain that she had fought bravely to get there.

"The opportunity is approaching," Morgana added, after a long pause. "The time for Bellatrix to approach you is coming soon, I think." Morgana sounded slightly worried, as though Kendra might have changed her mind.

Hot anger licked at her insides and Kendra felt her gut squirm with rage. She was suddenly itching to get her hands on the witch who had long since tormented Kendra and had now played a part, however small, in Lisa's death. If there was one thing Kendra could be certain of, it was that Lisa would have wanted Kendra to tear Bellatrix limb from limb. The thought of doing so made the anger in her chest purr with excitement.

"I do not plan to hold back," Morgana said, and her voice was a poison dagger. Kendra was once again comforted by the witch's rage. "Oh, I cannot wait to see what the look on the foul bitch's face is when I show her what we can truly do."