the grey lady

wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure

[kendra-jane]

Did you know in the olden days wut was how long a guys dick was? So your bio says dicks beyond measure is a mans greatest treasure, which is the best dick joke that anyone has ever come up with. You are my hero.

oh my god this is hilarious

[kendra-jane]

•  M  O  R  E    T  H  A  N    A    F  R  I  E  N  D  S  H  I  P  •

After the first few months of their sixth year, Kendra and Maximus had quietly become close friends. They stayed up late in the Ravenclaw common room, reading books and talking nonsense together, giggling quietly as fourth year girls eyed Kendra enviously. How lucky she was, they thought, that she had dated Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts’ biggest heartthrob, and was now close friends with Maximus, Cedric’s bad boy counterpart. 

Kendra was observant of these stares, and she heard whispers of rumours about her and Max’s friendship in the corridors. She didn’t want people to think she had moved on too fast. It had only been six months since Cedric had died.

When Cho Chang, one of Kendra’s close friends, questioned the nature of her relationship with Maximus, Kendra grew shy. She brushed off Cho’s queries, insisting they were just friends. They were, one hundred percent, unequivocally, just friends. Max had made no indication to her that he wanted anything other than friendship, he made that clear from the first day they had spoken. Yes, they were close; they spent most of their free time together, they visited Hogsmeade together, they laughed together, my goodness, Maximus did everything he could to comfort her when she had moments of sadness whenever she thought about Cedric’s death. 

He did everything a good friend would do.

So why was it also that Kendra had noticed the way he stared at her when they were in the library and he thought she wasn’t paying attention to him? Why did she notice the way he’d adjust his body on the loveseat in the common room so that there was always a part of them that was touching? Why did she notice the way their feet played footsie together underneath the dining table in the Great Hall when they were sat opposite one another? Why was it that Cho had told her she’d overheard him telling his other friends that he wanted to tell her how he felt, but wasn’t quite sure how he should go about it? And why was it that last night, before they went to bed after an evening of talking in the common room, why was it that Maximus had kissed her forehead softly before wishing her ‘goodnight’?

“It’s okay to move on,” Cho told Kendra as they sat in their Muggle Studies class, a class which Maximus did not enrol on. It was her only subject without him. “Cedric would want you to be happy.”

She was right. Cedric was the only thing holding her back from admitting to herself that she had developed feelings for Maximus, and that he had probably developed them for her too. 

After class ended, Kendra found Maximus underneath a tree by the Great Lake, smoking a cigarette - a nasty habit he had picked up from his elder brother.

“Kendra!” he said after puffing a cloud of smoke from his lips. “I, I was just about come and find you.”

“Here I am,” Kendra said nervously.

“We need to talk,” they both said in unison, causing Kendra to blush. Maximus stubbed out his cigarette in the grass and threw it carelessly behind him into the shrubbery. “Come sit,” he said, gesturing to the empty patch of grass next to him. Kendra obliged, sitting close to him as the wind blew gently around them. She tugged her scarf tighter around her neck.

“You go first,” Kendra told him. “Say what you have to say.” “Okay,” he looked nervous. He held her hand in his, playing with her delicate fingers. “Okay, well, Kendra, I, I’ve known there was something between us since our first library date at the start of the year, and then last night, I don’t know wh-. God, what- what I’m trying to say is that I love you Kendra Jane. At least I think I do, no, I do, I- I just, I’ve never been in love before. I don’t know what love is, but if I had to describe it, I guess- I guess I would describe the fuzzy feeling in my heart that I feel whenever I see your face.”

Kendra didn’t say anything, instead she responded by placing her lips gently on his. Oh god, how long Maximus had wanted to do this; to feel his lips on her’s, to hold her close as he sucked on her bottom lip, grazing it with his teeth. How long he had wanted to make her moan softly like she just had done as he deepened their kiss.

“Max,” she whispered as they pulled away. He fixed her hair, pushing the strand that had fallen in front of her face safely behind her ear. “Max, I love you.”

[kendra-jane]

•  M  A  X  I  M  U  S  •

Hogwarts’ resident bad boy, Maximus Periculo, was one of Ravenclaw’s own. Kendra hadn’t spoken to him all that much in the five years she had been at Hogwarts. He was bad to the bone, as everyone told her. “Stay clear of that Periculo boy,” even her own mother had warned, “He belongs in Slytherin, like his death eater father was.” His surname was Latin for ‘dangerous’ for goodness sake. 

When Kendra sat in her usual spot in the Ravenclaw common room on her first night back at Hogwarts, the armchair by the window in the corner with the perfect view of the Great Lake, it was Maximus who sat in the chair next to her’s.

“Kendra,” he said quietly, making her look up from the book she was reading. 

“Yes?” she said, confused to why he was talking to her. Granted they had started Hogwarts in the same year, and had been in the same house for five years, but they’d never made an effort to talk to one another. 

“I’m sorry about what happened to Cedric. He was a good guy.” 

“Yeah,” Kendra said sadly. “He was.” She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes. “The best,” she whispered, almost inaudibly. Maximus’ hand touched her’s.

“Don’t cry,” he said. “I couldn’t bear to see you cry.” Kendra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, about anything, I’m here if you need me.”

“We don’t even know each other,” Kendra said.

The floppy haired boy looked around the common room, making sure nobody was close enough to hear him, probably to protect his bad boy persona.

“I’d like to know you,” he said. “And don’t take that the wrong way, I know you still love Cedric, I- I just meant, I want to be a friend to you, you know, if you need one.”

“Thank you,” Kendra smiled. “Thank you Maximus.” “Max,” he corrected her. “Call me Max.”

Three weeks later, Kendra was up late in the library working on an essay set by Professor Snape. She noticed Max enter the library quietly, as if he didn’t want to be seen. Did he always come to the library as late as she did? They made eye contact as he closed the door behind him and she smiled at him, inviting him to sit with her through the curve of her lips.

“Hi,” he said, falling into the chair opposite her’s, pulling his books, quill and ink from his bag.

“Snape’s essay got you up late too?” Kendra asked. He nodded in response. “Maybe we could help each other,” she suggested.

“Yeah, that might be good actually,” he stood up and moved his chair next to her, sliding his books across the desk towards his new spot.

After an hour of comparing notes, reading extracts from ‘Advanced Potion Making’ and scribbling paragraphs of their essays onto parchment together, the duo took a rest break. 

“Why are you so bothered about what people think of you? You’re so keen to look ‘cool’, it’s nice to see you in the library for once.” Kendra told him, her knee touching his underneath the desk.

“I’m always in here,” he said. “I just make sure nobody knows.” 

Kendra eyed him curiously. “Who are you, Maximus Periculo? Everybody tells me you’re a nightmare, and yet here you are helping me with an essay at midnight in the library.”

“Actually, I think you’re helping me,” he said. They both laughed quietly. “I can be a nightmare if you want me to be,” his tongue darted out of his mouth quickly to wet his lips. “I know everyone says I belong in Slytherin, I don’t know why I was sorted into Ravenclaw either, but I guess you’ve got to embrace that Ravenclaw intelligence and spend your nights here in the library, eh?”

“You’re not as bad as everyone makes you out to be,” Kendra said.

“Oh really?” he raised his left eyebrow, a smirk spread across his lips. “I can tell,” she said as he moved his body closer to her’s. “There’s a heart in there somewhere,” her hand touched his chest. She could feel his heart beating quickly under his school jumper. His hand rested on her’s and they stared at one another for what must have only been a few seconds, but felt like a life time. 

“Maybe there is,” he said, his voice catching in his throat, as though it was thick with nerves. “Maybe I do have a heart after all.”

[kendra-jane]

•  S  U  M  M  E  R  •

The summer after Cedric died was hard for Kendra. The pain of Cedric’s loss was deep in her heart, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever fully recover. Over the holidays before her sixth year began at Hogwarts, Kendra surrounded herself with the things she knew made her happy; her friends and her books. 

Many students took Cedric’s death hard, and it brought them together, allowing them to help one another through their grief together. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Cho, Neville, Ginny, Fred and George were Kendra’s support system that summer. They took road trips together, exploring the British countryside, camping underneath the stars.They watched the sunset and then rise again the next morning after spending all night talking, having fun, making memories. They explored Hogsmeade, tried every sweet Honeydukes sold and drank copious amounts of Butterbeer. 

When September 1st came around, Kendra felt happy to be going back to Hogwarts, despite her previous doubts of how she would cope without Cedric around. Of course she still missed him dearly, but she knew he would be proud of her for finding light even in the darkest of places.

It was the summer of 1995 that Kendra realised the true importance of friendship. 

[kendra-jane]

•  G  R  I  E  F  •

“Remember, if the time should come, when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.” - Albus Dumbledore

[kendra-jane]

•  M  I  X  T  A  P  E  •

for kendra, love cedric x

• slow dancing in a burning room - john mayer

• kiss me - ed sheeran

• safe & sound - taylor swift, the civil wars

• bloom - the paper kites

• i’ve fallen in love with you - joss stone

• lucky - jason mraz, colbie caillat

• home - gabrielle aplin

• best part - daniel caesar, H.E.R.

• come back to bed - john mayer

• teach me how to dance - causes

• come away with me - norah jones

• heartbeats - josé gonzález

• all i want is you - u2

• baby i’m yours - arctic monkeys

[kendra-jane]

•  S  T  U  D  Y  I  N  G  •

when in doubt, go to the library

[kendra-jane]

•  A  M  O  R  T  E  N  T  I  A  •

“Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in spirals. Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them.”

When Kendra smelt Amortentia for the first time on a trip to Hogsmeade, she could make out four distinct scents;

• red roses, the flowers cedric loved to buy for her

• butterbeer, as it was her favourite drink and reminded her of her first date with cedric

• bubble bath, specifically the one she had used with cedric when they had snuck into the prefects bathroom together

• books, kendra loved to read and loved to read in the company of the people she loved, it was her happy place

[kendra-jane]

•  T  H  E    M  O  R  N  I  N  G    A  F  T  E  R  •

Waking up to gentle kisses from Cedric as the sun streamed through the cracks in the curtains in the Hufflepuff dorm room, Kendra made a small yawn.

“Good morning,” he said, playing with the buttons on the shirt she was wearing, his from last night’s Yule Ball. She nestled deeper into the duvet and his embrace, not wanting to wake from her slumber so soon.

[kendra-jane]

•  Y  U  L  E    B  A  L  L  •

“The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to — er — let our hair down.”

Christmas Day Evening, 1994

Cedric met Kendra outside of the Great Hall, a red rose in his hand to match her beautiful gown. When he saw her gracefully make her way down the staircase, he was in awe. She looked incredible.

“Wow,” he said, kissing her cheek. “You’re beautiful.” “Cedric you look so handsome,” she told him as he handed her the rose. “Here,” she said, twisting the stem of the flower and placing it in the pocket of his jacket.

“Shall we?” he asked, offering his arm as the other champions and their dates made their way inside of the hall ready for the opening dance.

[kendra-jane]

•  C  R  U  S  H  •

It was October of Kendra’s third year at Hogwarts when she first met Cedric. The autumn of 1992 had been uneventful for Kendra so far; she had been studying, of course, and had visited Hogsmeade with her friends, but it was once she had joined Charms Club after the persuasion of Professor Flitwick that she finally met Cedric Diggory.

Cedric was handsome and easily one of the most popular students at Hogwarts. Kendra had first seen him in her first year, when he walked past her in the second floor corridor and a group of Hufflepuff second years were gossiping about him. Kendra had developed a crush on Cedric, an infatuation that only grew deeper once she eventually spoke to him in Charms Club.

“Choose a partner everybody,” Professor Flitwick instructed. “The person stood opposite you will suffice.”

Kendra looked ahead of her, noticing that the Hufflepuff fourth year was to be her partner. He smiled at her softly as she made her way over to him.

“I’m Cedric,” he introduced himself politely. “You’re Kendra, right? Our fathers work together at the ministry.”

“Hi,” Kendra managed. “I didn’t know that.”

After their initial meeting, Cedric made an effort to talk to Kendra outside of Charms Club, walking with her to classes and studying together in the library. Eventually, Cedric admitted to his friends that he had his own crush on the girl he had met in Charms Club.

In December on a cold Tuesday evening after the club had finished, Cedric made his move. “Kendra,” he called as she gathered her belongings to leave the charms classroom.

“Mhm,” she responded, glancing up at him.

“I was wondering,” Cedric began. “I was wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend? I’d like to take you for a butterbeer, if that’s alright?”

Kendra smiled.

“I’d love that.”

After their first date, Kendra and Cedric were inseparable and were the talk of the school. They stayed late in the library together, giggling quietly as they did more talking than working. They walked the grounds together at lunch, much to the envy of just about every other girl in the school. Cedric surprised her with a bouquet of winter blooms on the last day of term, the week before Christmas.

“I’ll miss you over the break,” he said. “Perhaps I can persuade father to drive out to your town to see you.” He kissed her forehead softly as they sat together on a stone bench by the lake.

“I’ll write to you everyday, Ced,” she told him. “But I hope that you can come visit, I’m sure my mother would love to meet you.”

[kendra-jane]

•  H  A  P  P  Y    C  H  R  I  S  T  M  A  S  •

Kendra celebrated Christmas at Hogwarts in her second year alongside Harry and Ron, two Gryffindors that Kendra considered her friends

[kendra-jane]

•  R  A  V  E  N  C  L  A  W  •

“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall told the first years, “and follow me.” The first years waited nervously as McGonagall began to read out their names one by one. “Fox, Kendra,” Professor McGonagall called Kendra to the stool. Kendra placed the battered hat upon her head. “Ravenclaw!” The Sorting Hat boomed. The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Kendra as she joined them.

[kendra-jane]

•  K  E  N  D  R  A  •

the name Kendra is an English baby name meaning knowledge.

other famous Kendra’s include Kendra Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore’s mother.

[stuckinthemoment]