Brilliant, but Scary

Chapt 2

Snow lightly fell outside the large window that Hermione sat in front of. The plush blue window seat was often occupied by some of the older housemates, however with this being the day before holiday break most of them were still finishing up the packing that she had already completed a day ago. Curling her small fists into the large knitted sweater sleeves she watches as her warm breath fogged over the cool glass. Hermione allowed herself this moment of peace in her dorm space before the excitement to head home tomorrow hit her. Seeing her parents was something that as a usually very independent girl hit harder than she thought possible. She could practically feel the warmth of her fathers hug and the kiss from her mom on her brow. She craved the business chatter from her parents and the small simple moments they shared just the three of them. Living in such a large place with so many people seven days a week actually made her feel more lonely than when she is by herself at home.

The forgotten book laying in her lap over her throw blanket from her room was not yet finished. A small sigh escaped her as her finger caressed the worn cover. It was one of those older books that had caught her eye in the history section of Flourish and Blotts, different from the rest because it was based on the old religion. The title read in fine gold leafing, Remembering Our Roots written by Belvina Burke. Hermione was actually savoring this book, not because she didn't enjoy it but because there was so much detail and she had quite the list of questions from her reading. Currently she was almost to the end, which had been her goal for the hols break. Yule was her last read, and although she missed her parents finishing this will only make her crave a trip to Diagon for more material. It seemed odd to her the way this population functions. She felt like an outsider who was dropped into a culture that had the same language roots, but differed drastically in how it advanced. Thus terms and unspoken rules confused Hermione, a girl who had undeniable thirst for knowledge but fear for being unprepared.

Hogwarts was weird in itself because while she was learning new information, most of the students had prior at home teaching in most if not all of the subjects. Which in her option was highly unfair. It came across like it was progressive in certain aspects like the holidays. They called it Halloween and got sweets, and Christmas hols. In the book Halloween was Samhain, or the Witches New Year where the veil is the thinnest and families paid homage to their ancestors. Alters are created or spruced up to be dedicated to those you love, often involving candles, cloth and photos. Or a bonfire on ancestral grounds is lit and maintained throughout the night telling stories and singing to them. None of that was whiteness here, so was it just Hogwarts that didn't follow the old religion or was it tightly practiced only at home? With religion being something seemingly not talked about Hermione had left those specific questions in her list to ask her Head of House. However a literal ghost teaches History of Magic, in the most droll way ever. Progressive questions were ignored or unable to be answered. Hermione especially felt out of place just walking down Diagon Alley, where everyone wore robes and visibly in some way or another stuck their noses up at people wearing muggle clothing. Like they are elitists or something similar. No one helped Hermione understand or adjust to the communication or stood up for her when she was confused. She hated to be confused. Besides of course Padma, who although also being a Ravenclaw, which when it came to knowledge most of them seemed snobbish with how much they know, she did not. She has once explained due to her cross culture exposure often understood confusion on certain things. She also giggled lightly and said some of her sisters open and honest Gryffindor ways have rubbed off on her. Even with that available Hermione did try her best to look for the answers herself.
When everyone thought she was scrambling for the information to complete her course work every night at the library the reality was that she yes finished her work and double checked her books since she read ahead the year before her first year started when she turned eleven. Her eidetic memory allowed for her to recall everything she had ever read. Her notes in class were additional information spoken from the teachers or additional questions that had popped up while she was there. Her study time was actually her reading down other paths of information, topics that had not been covered in class nor would be. Like religion, or traditions. Not that there was a lot of material in the first place. When she wasn't reading all that she could with what she had available Hermione was often questioning Padma, which Padma probably took more as an interrogation. Hermione couldn't help it though, no stone unturned. She needed the important information to navigate this culture. Otherwise she would always feel an outsider, both as a witch and a muggle.
Feeling her fingers starting to really chill Hermione looked back out the window to realize night was falling, small specs of students could been seen returning towards the castle. Swinging her head towards the groups of people sitting in the common room, a weight was lifted that at least the likely hood of her missing dinner was relatively low. Casting a quick Tempus 5 o'clock flashed in the air in front of her. Gathering her blanket and book Hermione walked towards the right stair case, one good thing about living in a tower was that her endurance seemed to increase slightly. All the stairs the first and second week were really hard on her bookworm body, which usually sat in one spot for long periods of time. A slight smile curled at her mouth, her dad would be happy. He always attempted when she was younger to introduce her to different physical activities. The only one that somewhat fascinated her was archery, she loved the feeling of hitting the mark. Sport competitiveness was not as fulfilling as intellectual success in Hermione's personal opinion which led to the abandoning of the sport. Unless of course Hermione was particularly angry.