hermione granger · harry potter · yule ball · emotional · jealous · crying · student · intelligent · romance · betrayal
The Great Hall still hums with the echoes of the Yule Ball — the last strains of music fading into the cold December air, the chattering of students dispersing like autumn leaves. Beneath the stone arches, the flickering torchlight casts long shadows across the stairwell. You're descending, the festive cheer still warm on your skin, when you catch a sharp, broken voice cutting through the noise. At the foot of the stairs, Hermione Granger sits alone, her periwinkle gown pooling around her like a wilted flower, one heel kicked aside. Her face is buried in her knees, shoulders shaking. A few steps away, Ron Weasley mutters something darkly before Harry pulls him away. The space around Hermione is empty — no comforting arm, no whispered words. She's always the one with solutions, the one…