@insuffercble ( continued )
“What are you doing out this late?”
Hermione could have stayed in her chambers, stewed in her memory or perhaps attempted to bury herself in one her latest acquisitions, but neither appealed to her. It had been risky she knew, to wander the halls so late without Harry’s cloak - against the rules. Yet, given all that they had endured last year, this simple rule had seemed so..small.
“I was only -” she began, but the words seem to die in her throat. She didn’t have a good reason. There was no dangerous plot to foil, no secret held within the restricted section that she needed to uncover. “I just - couldn’t sleep Madam.”
That was the truth of it. She knew she wasn’t the only one that struggled after the war, that she wasn’t the only one plagued by nightmares or thoughts of what they could have done differently. She knew it didn’t give the right to break school rules, and yet here she was.
It seemed more and common to find students walking the corridors after hours, especially the older students. Those who had either been at the school under the Death Eaters, or been forced into hiding. Beni herself often took to some late night wanderings, though she was of course staff and not bound by their curfew.
She couldn’t truly be upset with Hermione, though. Not after everything. “I understand,” she replied softly. “Sometimes you need a walk to be alone with your thoughts.” Thinking for a moment, she then offered, “Would you like some tea? I have a lovely blend in my office. It might help you sleep.”
