Without
lifting her gaze from the leather folders she was carrying, Hermione hurried
into the elevator and distractedly slammed her palm against the button of the
ground floor.
“Staying
after-hours again, Granger?”
Hermione
flinched at the voice that had spoken over the metallic rattling noise of the
golden grilles sliding shut and cast a glance over her shoulder at the man leaning
against the far wall. She bowed her head in reluctant greeting.
“I’ve
got… paperwork,” she muttered, turning away and trying to ignore the heat
creeping up her neck.
“Sure. Paperwork…” hummed Malfoy, drawing out the last word in an almost indecent
purr. “What about taking this paperwork somewhere else?”
Hermione’s
gaze flickered to the golden grilles; they were nearing the Atrium. Malfoy’s
office was the closest but they would still have to go back down a few levels.
“I was actually
going to suggest my place,” sounded his voice again as though he had guessed
her thoughts.
Hermione
turned around, a crease appearing between her eyebrows.
“Malfoy…”
she started.
“Yes,
Granger, I know…” sighed Malfoy, rolling his eyes. “As soon as we take it
home it becomes personal. After six months of your repeating it every other
night, I get it. What I don’t get is what would be so terrible about it?”
Hermione
stood still, taken aback, as the elevator screeched to a halt.
“I don’t- I don’t know…”
“Right,”
cut her off Malfoy, his face suddenly shutting, although she glimpsed a flicker
of bitterness in his gaze. “After you…” he said coolly, waiting for her to exit
the elevator.
Hermione
didn’t move.
“I was
going to say I don’t know your address,” she said quietly, stepping out into
the half-deserted Atrium.
Next
moment, she felt a hand settle in the small of her back, firmly steering her to
the row of fireplaces.
“Well, that
can be easily fixed,” whispered Malfoy’s voice into her ear.
“Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section.”
Okay but this is legit a summary of how the trio works: Hermione is methodical and organised, Ron is “fuck this I’m winging it #yolo”, and Harry looks for something illegal to do.
(hey tumblr please don’t delete the previous people’s comments like you did the last time i added someone’s tags to a post mmkay)
No but that’s actually so clever okay like the people who live in the castle would get a general idea of the patterns and how to move around efficiently but like for anyone planning on attacking it would be impossible to infiltrate like how the hell do I attack the headmaster when I can’t even find the bathroom why the fuck am I in a chemistry supply closet okay these stairs went to the main hall but now I’m on my way to the broom closets holy fucking shit fuck leonard SAID the dorm was on the left of the three headed hippogriff but I’m here and it’s just a painting of a man with a donkey face is this a fucikgin joke leonard do you think this is funny because it’snot. its not okay siri how the hell do i get to the nearest anything “here is: the nearest painting” like fuck you siri
actually considering all this, the changing floorplan probably worked exactly as designed when it came to the battle of hogwarts in the late 90′s. the invasion was towards the end of the term, so the students, especially the renegade students in hiding, had the full term to master getting around the school quickly, quietly, and efficiently. the invading deatheaters were generally their parents’s ages, and hadn’t been back to hogwarts in several decades, if they’d even attended at all. so, while the adult invaders easily outmatched the adolescent defenders in strength and skill, hogwarts was a lethal maze to the deatheaters, while it was home to the kids.
gryffindor. oversized jumpers; roasting marshmallows over a crackling fire; laughing hysterically while pumpkin carving; the smell of cinnamon and baking; playing in puddles with bright gumboots; hair blowing wildly in the wind; cute beanies with pom poms; warm, rosy cheeks; burning your tongue when you sip a hot drink too quickly; early morning runs; worn, flannel shirts; pretending to be a dragon with clouds of warm breath in the cold air
hufflepuff. long, woollen socks; vanilla-scented candles; a warm blanket over your shoulders; jumping into a pile of autumn leaves; fluffy earmuffs; creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream on top; hanging fairylights everywhere; playing with your pet on a warm rug; thick mittens; a warm bath to relax after a long day; the crunching of leaves underfoot; capturing the image of dancing leaves with a vintage camera
ravenclaw. people-watching through foggy windows in cafés; reading a favourite book by candlelight; long, thick scarves; staying up late to play board games; wandering aimlessly under falling leaves; oversized, knitted cardigans; muted sunlight filtered through autumn leaves; late nights binging on netflix; a chilly wind freezing the tip of your nose; scribbling in notebooks under overcast skies; the natural silence of the woods; the dancing tendrils of steam from a mug of hot tea
slytherin. cold and misty mornings; warming your hands on a mug of hot coffee; dark lip colours; the dance of walking barefoot across a cold floor; stylish, long overcoats; falling asleep to the pattering of rain on the window; meandering wooded roads; lace-up leather boots; the flickering of candlelight in the dark; lying on a tartan blanket while listening to music through headphones; burying yourself in soft, warm blankets at the end of the day
persephone's corner 