The Eye of the Storm

Re-entering Society

After Mom's funeral, Grandma and my friends left. The next morning was Tony Stark's funeral. Everyone went to Pepper's house where it was held. Every person who had fought along side him was there.

I stood next to Peter the whole time. Neither of us spoke. Looking at Peter's expression was painful, but so was watching the funeral.

After the funeral I stayed with dad until the end of the week. During that period of mourning together, we were the closer we had ever been.

Friday night Grandma came to pick me up. We had decided it would be best for me to come back to Hogwarts over the weekend. There would be less questions and my return would be less noticeable.

When I got back to my dorm, no one was there. I unpacked. After I was done, I lay on my bed. I stared up at the ceiling. You would think that after all the times I mourned someone's death, I would be used to it by now. That maybe it wouldn't hurt so much, but each time it hurt a little more.

"Kendra, it's dinner."

I sat up and saw Hermione standing in the doorway.

"I don't really feel like it today. Go on without me."

I was really not in the mood to answer a hundred painful questions.

Hermione frowned. "No. You are coming with me. This is not going to be like third year."

She marched over and hauled me up. She didn't give me a chance to protest. "I understand you need space to grieve, but you also need to eat."

I let her pull me all the way to the great hall. Some people whispered as we walked through the large double doors. No one came up to ask me questions this time. It seemed at this point people were getting used to me disappearing. Hermione and I sat down with Ron and Harry. Hermione and Ron refuses to look at each other.

"How are you?" asked Harry as Hermione day me down next to her.

"How are you— Er— sleeping?" asked Ron.

My cheeks flushed with indignant pride."We are not doing this."

"Doing what?" asked Harry, bewildered.

"This pity thing! If I wanted pity, I would have stayed wallowing in my dorm."

"Kendra," said Hermione meekly. "You did want to stay wallowing in your dorm. I dragged you down here, remember?"

I sighed.

"Can I just be distracted?" I asked. "Please?"

"Alright," said Harry. He probably knew the most about what I was going through. "Has anyone told you what happened here during the— Er— dust event?"

"No." I smiled slightly.

"For whatever reason," said Hermione. "No wizard dusted. Muggleborns and halfbloods had family members who dusted, but that was it."

"It was bloody terrifying," said Ron. "The whole thing happened over break, and no one knew what was happening."

So Thanos kept his spontaneous word apparently.

"They postponed school for an extra two weeks while everyone figured out what was happening," said Harry.

"So you are only a week behind," interrupted Hermione.

We all looked at her.

"Even now no one really knows what happened," said Ron. "But everyone is back, and that's all that matters."

"Did anyone you know dust?" I asked. It had just accord to me that they might know more about what I was going through than I thought.

"I was at the Weasleys'," said Harry. "I didn't bother to check.