Athena1414
Epona reaches Hogwarts with soot on her sleeves, a secret on her tongue, and one vow: "don't be small again." Sorted after the first-years and dropped into Slytherin politics, the muggle-born transfer learns to navigate a castle that watches, whispers, and remembers. She keeps her armor neat-punctured only by the way animals settle around her like she's safe ground, and by a black Bengal kitten that chooses her as if it's always known her name.
Rumors coil through corridors. Prefects polish their smiles. Epona protects the littlest students with quiet efficiency and a rulebook of her own: never punch down, never use creatures as weapons, never apologize for surviving. Which would be easier if a certain red-haired Gryffindor didn't keep appearing at exactly the wrong right moments-loud laugh, soft eyes, and a talent for making the world feel a shade less cruel.
As the school year darkens, Epona must decide what to share, what to hide, and who gets to stand at her side. House is a room, not a fate-and she intends to furnish it with her own terms.
**Vibe:** slow burn · goth-tinted canon era · snakes as friends, not threats
**Tropes/Tags:**
**Notes:** Teen/PG-13; references to past abuse (off-page), school peril, comfort after fear.