In her final year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger finds herself increasingly haunted by the shadows of the impending war. Voldemort's power is growing, and with it comes the weight of responsibility as she commits herself to fighting against the Dark...
The night air was thick with the smell of rain, heavy and looming, as though it carried the weight of secrets too heavy for the world to bear. Hermione Granger stood by the window of the Gryffindor common room, her brow furrowed in thought as the distant rumblings of thunder echoed through the castle. Outside, the sky was a tapestry of black clouds, rolling in waves as the storm began to take hold. Inside, Hogwarts was eerily quiet-almost too quiet, as if the whole school held its breath in anticipation of the dark days to come.
It had been a year since the battle at the Ministry, and the war was no longer something spoken of in hushed whispers or rumors. It was real now. Voldemort had returned, and the Death Eaters had grown bolder with each passing day. Rumors swirled about students who had gone missing or been marked, about families who had fallen into the hands of the Dark Lord. And through it all, Hermione had been at the forefront of it all, determined to stand up for what was right-no matter the cost.
But the cost was growing higher, and the line between right and wrong was becoming blurred. Her friends were becoming soldiers, her school was becoming a battleground, and she was no longer sure where she stood in the grand scheme of things.
It was then that the door creaked open behind her, and she turned to see Ron and Harry standing in the doorway, both looking exhausted and tense, as though the weight of the world rested on their shoulders.
"Still awake?" Harry asked softly, his gaze following hers toward the window.
"Couldn't sleep," Hermione replied, her voice quiet but resolute. "Not with everything going on."
Ron stepped forward, frowning. "You need to take care of yourself, Hermione. We've got enough to worry about without you running yourself into the ground."
"I'm fine, Ron," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "We all have our roles to play in this war."
Harry crossed the room to sit beside her, his eyes searching hers. "But we can't do this alone, Hermione. We need you."
She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had to keep going. She had no other choice.
But there was something else she couldn't shake-a feeling that the storm brewing outside wasn't the only one closing in. Something far darker, far more dangerous, was waiting just beyond the horizon.
And then, without warning, the door opened again.
This time, it wasn't Harry or Ron who entered, but someone else entirely.
A figure from the shadows, tall and composed, stepping into the light of the common room with a quiet confidence that sent a shiver down Hermione's spine.
Sebastian Thorne.
The new Slytherin transfer, the one whose name was whispered in the halls like a curse, whose very presence seemed to bring a chill with it. He had only been at Hogwarts for a few weeks, and already rumors about his family were rampant-Death Eaters, all of them, and not someone to be trusted. He had the look of a man who had seen too much, whose eyes held the weight of secrets too dark to speak aloud.
And yet, despite the tension that crackled in the room like static, he made no move to challenge them, no sign of hostility. He merely stood there, his dark eyes meeting Hermione's, as though he had come here with a purpose-though what that purpose was, she couldn't yet fathom.
Hermione felt the air shift, the storm outside mirroring the one brewing inside her.
"Granger," he said, his voice low and smooth, the words almost taunting, but not entirely hostile. "We need to talk."
Her heart skipped a beat, and she forced herself to meet his gaze. "About what?" she asked, her voice sharp but guarded.
"About the choices we both have yet to make."
━━━━━━Veina's speaking !
hi everyone and welcome to the prologue of my hermione granger fanfiction. i had this written for so long and i couldn't stop myself so i published it today as well.
