entanglements | d.m.

21.makeapoint

November '98 | H E R

Devyn has a nightmare again, only in this one it's not Voldemort hunting her or her father climbing through the window, promising a happy life together.

In this one, Malfoy is an entanglement of limbs with creamy skin and and sunny blonde curls, their bodies slick with passion. Right there in the room with her.

She startles awake to them both locking eyes with her, taunting smirks plastered on their faces. But Malfoy lies still on his stomach. No gasps and moans fill the room, only the occasional hoot of an owl outside.

—◇—

Waking up the next morning, Devyn feels an avalanche of reality crash down onto her.

The game.

The kiss.

The fights.

The worry.

All while getting ready for the day, she is spun back into the web of rumination, coating her mood in some bad energy.

On her way out of the dorm, she throws a middle finger at her sleeping roommate as a thank you for the headaches he is continuously giving her.

Devyn tries. She really does. But it is so much harder to be the bigger person lately.

The common room is littered with empty cups, crunched crisps, candy wrappers and a good handful of sleeping monsters, one of them being Tarq who looks alright so far.

Breakfast is awfully quiet, thanks to the students sleeping in with their bellies full of candy. Or alcohol. Silently, Devyn joins Padma and Mandy, serving herself tea and the usual breakfast of egg and toast, adding some bacon as a reward for surviving bloody Halloween.

It is halfway into the food when Mandy gasps. "What happened?"

Lifting her head, Devyn sees Sue sliding into the bench opposite her. Her eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks flushed. "Too much," her voice is hoarse, too. "You don't even want to know."

Woah. It's rare to see Sue show much of intimate emotions. So whatever she'd been up to, it must have been rough. The shirt is the same she wore last night.

"Did she see him?" Padma treads carefully.

Sue nods, putting a fried egg on her plate. "So did I. From afar." She makes a point not to meet any eyes. Terry's death impacted not just Megan. He was a friend to most. "This was positively the second worst night I ever had."

I second that.

"Have you not slept yet?"

"No, I come from the dungeons. It took me a while to find her. Got almost caught by Filch. It's the Deathday Party, I think it's what it's called. Megan is still there. Not the party, but with... him, Terry. She couldn't—she's still there," she attempts a smile, the most she can offer. Clearing her throat, she sobers, wiping at her dry cheek. "I reckon she needs it. What I need is some food and a long nap. If she's not back after, I'll call reinforcement."

"Good call," Mandy tells her softly, squeezing their friend's hand in reassurance.

Whenever Devyn hears anything regarding Megan and the love that has been ripped from her in one breath, it puts a special kind of ache in her heart. It makes her grateful that the only person who could cause such pain is still breathing. Still bringing pain, but the sort she can manage.

"Hey, isn't the theme of the Dance going to be announced today?"

Sue nods but Devyn adds, "Before lunch. Glad I'm not here to listen to the cries of joy or despair."