The Eye of the Storm

Settling In

The next month was interesting. I had nightmares almost every night. Even Coulson's yoga and meditation couldn't stop them. Some nights it helped, but rarely. I couldn't ask Hermione to help me. She had helped me so much in the past. This was something I just had to deal with.

Every night I would go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Every night Draco was there. Sometimes he was breaking down too, but sometimes he wasn't. On the nights I didn't have a nightmare I still met Draco. Some nights he was crying and I wasn't.

Most nights we just talked. We talked about the most useless things. We tiptoed around subjected we that were actually bothering us. Harry was never mentioned. Voldemort was never mentioned. The one thing we didn't do was kiss.

"Blaise's mom is iconic," I said one night. I was shifted my wait on the bathroom sink I was seated on. Draco was leaned against the wall.

"I suppose so," he said thoughtfully. "She is an icon in most Magical fashion magazines."

"That's not—" I looked at his completely serious face and stifled a laugh. I forgot sometimes how little purebloods knew about the muggle world. "

"Yeah," I said, giving up. "she has a killer fashion sense."

"Clever," said Draco sarcastically, rolling his eyes at me.

"That was funny!" I insisted.

"The pun wasn't even subtle," critiqued Draco. "She kills her husbands and steals their fortune. She's like a black widow—"

I stopped laughing and my smile fell slowly.

"That would be a more subtle pun to make..." he trailed off when he saw my face. "What did I say?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a small smile. There was no way I could actually tell him what he had said. There was also no way I was going to start crying again.

"It's nothing," I lied. "I am— just— uh— afraid of spiders."

"Really?" Draco did not believe a word I said. "You're afraid of spiders?"

I shrugged, not meeting his eyes. Draco took the hint and dropped it.

"I see why you like her."

"Who? Blaise's mom?" I said.

Draco nodded.

"Why do you think so?" I asked.

"She is confident and self sufficient, like you."

"And she's iconic," I said smiling a little more naturally.

"And she's iconic," repeated Draco.

Once Draco and I decided to leave, I snuck back into my dorm. It was depressing how easy it was to sneak around after curfew. In first year they Heads of House acted like it was a sin, but as years went on I noticed that barely anyone patrolled at night.

Lav had said it was because the perfects were always too busy snogging in secret passageways. Besides Ron and Hermione, I thought she was right.

When I walked into my dorm, I saw Hermione sitting on my bed. She was biting her nails when I walked in. Her head snapped towards me, and her eyes narrowed.

"Where do you keep sneaking away too?" she asked. It hadn't accord to me that Hermione knew I left every night. When I didn't answer she tried again.

"Why do you keep sneaking off?"

I didn't say anything. I knew she wouldn't approve that I was meeting Draco every night. Nobody would. I also didn't want her to think I didn't trust her.

She studied my face. "Kendra, you should have told me you were having nightmares again."

I sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. "You do so much for me already. I didn't want you worrying, or having to help me more."

"Friends help each other," said Hermione. "You help me in more ways than you know."

"It could never make up for all you do for me."

"Nonsense! I wouldn't be able to survive Ron and Lavender without you here."

I glanced over at Lavender who was in the bed next to her. Thankfully she was still sleeping.

"But Kendra, where do you go at night?"

I looked at my friend and knew I couldn't lie. "I meet Draco in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"Kendra!" exclaimed Hermione. Her cheeks turned red as she looked pointedly at the bathrobe I was wearing

"Not like that!" I said a little too loudly.

"Then what is it like?" hissed Hermione.

"We just talk, okay."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Really! We talk about stupid stuff, like how iconic Blaise's mom is."

"She is iconic," said Hermione in agreement.

"Usually both of us are in the middle of a breakdown and we help each other through it."

"Draco cries in the bathroom?" asked Hermione. I guess it was hard to imagine Draco Malfoy crying. I never would have been able to if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

A little voice in the back of my head told me that saying too much would be betraying Draco's trust. Well, the tiny bit of trust we have each other.

"He is dealing with things and so am I."

"You know what kind of things he is dealing with," said Hermione sharply. "It's his own choice and now he is dealing with the consequences."

I knew she was right. I also knew she didn't understand. Draco did not know what I was dealing with, and I didn't officially know what he was dealing with either. It didn't matter. We didn't comfort each other because we knew what the other was going through. We comforted each other because someone had too.

"I know," was my only response.

Hermione smiled sadly at me. " Just don't convince yourself he has changed, Because he hasn't."

I nodded.

Hermione went back to her bed and I climbed back into mine. I checked my new phone that had been made for me. I looked at the group chat I had with Peter and Shuri. They appeared to be giving each other a crash course in all the memes they had missed.

It was nice to check the group chat and see one hundred unread messages. Things may be crazy for me, but at least I knew it was better for them.

:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!::!:!:!:!:!:!!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!
Hey Everyone, thanks for all responses. I am glad you all want an eighth book because I have been outlining it a little and am really excited to tie up a lot of loose ends.

Forever and Always,

Me.