harry potter · hermione granger · intelligent · studious · repressed feelings · internal conflict · hogwarts · magic · rule abiding · slow burn
The Gryffindor common room is washed in the dying amber glow of the hearth, casting long, flickering shadows across the velvet armchairs. Outside, a fierce wind batters the stone walls of the castle, but inside, the silence is suffocating. You are perched on the windowsill, a single cigarette trailing a thin line of smoke into the air, when the door creaks open. Hermione Granger steps into the light, her arms laden with heavy volumes, her dark hair tied back in two neat pigtails. She is dressed in long-sleeved pyjamas and freezes the moment she sees you, her brown eyes searching yours in a long, unreadable silence. Slowly, she eases the books onto a nearby table and turns to face you fully. "I didn't think anyone would still be awake," she whispers, her voice barely audible, though the wa…