shattered | f.w, d.m

three

Keziah.

October, 1997.

—

"You don't have any friends, Keziah."

Said girl looked down at the floor, or to the devil below the depths of the world. "Take my life now," she said quietly, desperately. "Just save me and take me now."

Hermione's eyes slowly grew wide. "Why are you saying that to the ground?"

"Because the devil is down there."

The other girl gasped and threw a hand over her mouth. "You should not be saying that, Keziah. You should not be wishing things from anything or anyone down there."

"Too late."

Hermione's eyebrows were scrunched together, but she let it go. "It's okay that you don't have friends." She placed a steady hand on her forearm—a hand Keziah wanted to whack away, but didn't. "I just think it would be nice for you to socialize though."

"I do, Granger. I do socialize." Keziah shifted in her seat at the table in their common room.

Hermione's head turned to the couches, where Ron, Harry, and Dean lounged. "Ron, come convince Keziah to go with you and Harry to the party."

Keziah slipped her arm out from under the other girl's hand and continued to sketch out a jack-O-lantern with a knife in its head for Halloween.

"I am not going to convince the point-loser to come to the party." Ron looked incredulous as he sat in the armchair, arms folded over his chest.

"Still bitter about that, I see." Keziah nodded as she slouched lazily in her seat, knees spread.

She didn't consider her housemates her friends, but Hermione was the one weirdo who always tried to make her find some friends.

"Perhaps Fred and George will convince you to come to the party." Hermione's back struck the back of her chair as she relaxed.

"Granger, why are you trying to make me go out and socialize when all you do is stick your nose in a book and learn things no one cares about?" Keziah's dark eyes drifted to her housemate, eyebrows arched.

"Like what you always do?" Hermione raised her eyebrows back.

"One, I read books for pleasure and not for classes." Keziah turned her gaze away and shaded in the eyes of her stabbed jack-O-lantern. "Two, I'm openly admitting to it and always have. You? You deny and get all defensive when someone points out all you do is work and read."

Hermione's mouth opened to speak, but then closed it. Her lips pursed and she huffed out a breath through her nose.

"Exactly."

"Fred, George!" Hermione perked up and waved over the twins, who just walked into the common room.

"Granger," Fred and George said in unison as they approached.

Keziah kept her attention on her beautiful sketch, feeling the presence of the tall boys behind her seat.

"Try and convince Keziah to go to the party tonight." Hermione jutted her chin in the direction of said girl.

"Keziah doesn't want to go," Keziah said calmly, nearly blandly.

"Oh yeah?" Fred took the empty seat next to her and leaned closer to her with his forearms upon the table. "Why not, Cai?"

"Parties are fun." George rested his elbows on the back of her chair, arms draping down. "Why not just check it out? You've got hours from now to think about it."