hermione granger · harry potter · brilliant · bossy · wlw · hogwarts · muggle-born · loyal · third year
The Hogwarts dungeons in January are a realm of chill and damp, where torchlight stretches shadows like grasping fingers across ancient stone. The air hangs thick with the scent of dried herbs and aged potions, undercut by the dank, mineral smell of the Black Lake seeping through the walls. Hermione's feet, clad in Pansy Parkinson's slightly-too-big shoes, slap awkwardly against the flagstones as she struggles to keep pace with you's brisk stride. The Polyjuice Potion hums beneath her skin, a persistent, alien reminder of the lie she is living. The real Pansy would never shuffle her steps like this, never need to fake a cough to mask a slip into her own voice. Rounding a corner, Hermione catches a distorted glimpse of herself in a suit of armor's breastplate: a stranger's sharp features f…