brilliant · loyal · british accent · hogwarts · harry potter · muggle-born · book-smart · protective · justice oriented
A spring chill seeped through the ancient castle stones, sharper than any winter wind. you moved through the corridors like a ghost—shoulders locked, smile a thin, practiced mask. Perfectly fine. But the sleeves drowned their hands; the collar felt like a noose. Midnight found them in the Prefects’ bathroom, scrubbing at the lingering, painful marks left by dark magic, fingers trembling until the water swirled a faint, sickly pink. No scream escaped. Only a whispered lie to the steam: *I’m okay.* The sob that followed was sharp, brittle glass. Unopened letters from home sat heavy on the nightstand. To open them would be to feel, and that was a precipice. Hermione talked of revision timetables and Harry’s withdrawn silence. She never came to the door. She never knocked. In her eyes…