So many ideas, so little time.

There used to be a time when she made lists that reached far into the future: days, months, years. She was intelligent and studious but the real secret to her success had been her organization.

Now she depended on a list to get through the day. If she could check off a few boxes she could sleep at night, and move onto the next day.

The items on these lists were much more basic than they used to be: eat, attend classes, bathe. But still she felt proud of herself for taking care of her basic needs, for continuing on. She owed it to herself as well as to those who couldn’t.

She also had some far more subjective items on her daily lists, different depending on the day: have a good conversation, eat something I actually enjoy, make somebody happy. Which was how she found herself trudging out to Hagrid’s cabin for an early morning patrol of the Forbidden Forest and a visit to Grawp.

The Forest didn’t scare her as it once had. Maybe because she’d now seen much scarier things, or maybe because she’d learned to appreciate beauty where she could find it. Either way, she had been looking forward to this little outing.

As she approached the cabin there was a ruckus, barking, and then Fang came bounding out running full tilt towards Hermione. Luckily for her, over the years they’d developed a system and instead of leaping on her, he would come to a skidding halt in front of her and she would bend to hug him. In return for his restraint he was allowed to drool as much as he desired.

She grinned at his clear joy in seeing her. He had his good days and his bad days just like the rest of them, and they had a tendency to coincide with Hagrid’s so she hoped that this meant that her friend was also in a good mood.

She was so pleased to see that Hagrid finally seemed to be making steady progress, because while Harry was alive and well, carrying his body to the castle during the Final Battle had taken a real toll on Hagrid, and it was incredibly heartbreaking even in an ocean of heartbreak to see such a jovial man drowning in depression.

“Mornin’ Hermione!” Hagrid called.

“Hi Hagrid!” She smiled at him over Fang’s head as she scratched his ears.

“You ready to go? Grawp’s really looking forward to seeing yeh.”

“Definitely, oh and look!” She opened her beaded bag and pulled out an enormous thermos, “the elves sent you some hot chocolate!”

She had no idea where they’d found the vessel, or if it was transfigured, she’d been too busy marveling at how it was almost as big as one of them to think to ask.

Hagrid beamed. “Well that was kind of them!”

“They send their regards.”

He nodded, gave her a hug, and tilted his head towards the tree line. She nodded in return and they set off, Fang trotting at their sides.

Hagrid had always liked to talk. He liked to share his knowledge and what he was thinking, sometimes at the expense of secrets he was supposed to be keeping. But mostly it was just that he enjoyed interacting, and he almost always saw the best in people. Hermione was pleased to see that light returning to him.

But this dark period also seemed to have taught him the beauty of quiet companionship. So, as they trekked through the forest there were periods of silence interspersed with conversation. Hagrid was always happy to answer any questions Hermione had, and he was excited to point out the trees he had earmarked to use for decorating the castle during the upcoming Yule season.

Hermione marveled at his care and dedication. She had never given Hagrid enough credit for how dedicated he was to his job and just how good he was at it. They had a good visit with Grawp who proudly sang his ABCs for Hermione, and then they made their way back in time for Hermione to make the tail end of breakfast.

She bid Hagrid and Fang farewell- both with hearty hugs, and started back towards the castle. As she approached the Black Lake she saw a familiar blond head huddled on top of a boulder on its shore.

Malfoy.

He was different this year. They were all different, it would be strange if he wasn’t, but for some reason it bothered her that he had retreated so far into himself. The brash, arrogant boy of their first years had all but disappeared. The odd thing was, though, that she hadn’t been able to stand that boy, so she didn’t know why it bothered her so much- except that she knew why he had changed, and nobody should have to go through what he had been through.

It wasn’t pity. It was empathy. She was no longer the loud, know-it-all she’d once been, after all. Her steps faltered and she considered her options. She could just keep walking. She probably should just keep walking.

Or she could try. She couldn’t deny that Malfoy piqued her curiosity in a way that nobody had in a long time. Maybe she owed it to herself to try and figure out why. Maybe she could make his day a little better. And maybe he would rebuff her, but then she could at least say that she’d made an effort.

Either way she could check off a box.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and turned to walk in his direction.

I forget which episode this end scene is from 😅 but it is peak Eppes family. The way both boys look up at their dad in the 4th gif is sooo precious.

5.23 // Angels & Demons

They went right out and said that he uses the word anomaly everyday, but he spells it wrong, and I love it.

I love how Don goes “He’s selling the house” and Charlie’s continuous response is “But I live here!” Lmao

Don being an awesome big brother, 10/10

and then I realized

Eppes brothers: yell at each other

But they Didn't. And instead you get Don being Extremely Reluctant to be in therapy or deal with his (many) issues or any of that mushy garbage but he's up against A Real Pro of a counselor (impeccably played by Wendell Pierce) who just makes him talk and the pinnacle of this whole situation is that the main conversation lasts an entire episode (intercut with the rest of the characters handling that week's action, but in ways relevant to the conversation, like we're talking deep narrative parallelism here and Don is the freaking narrator) with Don becoming increasingly frustrated at having his thoughts and feelings pulled out of him when his team needs him at work, while making revelation after revelation about himself, until Pierce's character staidly declares, "You're not worried that your team will fall apart when you're not there, you're afraid that they won't." LIKE???!