#mortemstarter

where: scholomance, hermione’s classroom.

with how displaced her mind had been since discovering the crippling truth of harry being a living, breathing horcrux, she hadn’t been going through her work as swiftly as usual; it felt like she hadn’t put off so much coursework since being petrified in her second year at hogwarts. of course, such memories felt like a lifetime away, especially considering everything that’d happened since... even the thought of hogwarts left a bad taste on her tongue.

it wasn’t like her, to be so caught in her thoughts that she saw someone before hearing them, far too familiar with the sense of being on edge and hearing a pin drop in the next room or tensing at a speck of dust floating in her peripheral. hermione only noticed someone else’s presence in the room when they approached her desk, and the stack of papers left her feeling the need to explain herself, “please don’t think me remiss in my duties, i’ve merely been.. preoccupied. unfortunately i’m sure you understand, things have been quite chaotic within the order.”

the city, as ever, slows down as the sun sets. his mother told him once that it used to be the opposite - that the nights were once full of busy, vibrant life, the kind they only see once or twice a year nowadays. he’s not sure how he’d take that. the quiet of the night and its sluggish streets are one of z’s favourite things about it. he leaves his errands until late in the afternoon, and wanders - as now, a new research book in one of his gloved hands, another tucked in the pocket of his coat, his small bag of groceries jostling inside the magically enlarged messenger bag slung over his shoulder. it’s not quite dark yet, but it’s on its way. he should, really, be more on edge, out alone, exposed - the order haven’t been scared, recently, and they haven’t been quiet. they could come for him from behind any corner between this street and his apartment, and there’s plenty of walking before he gets there. he’s too far in his own head when he rounds the first turn towards home, and the collision shocks him, even more when he realises it’s something thin and solid he’s hit, and not another body. a damn lamppost.

“fuckin’ idiot,” he mutters to himself, shrugging his shoulder against the bruising pain. his knee is smarting, too, and when he spots someone else standing on the corner, he really hopes it’s not bad enough that he’ll limp. it’s easy enough, though, to slip into a persona of cruelty and aggression upon being seen. he sets his jaw, squares his shoulders, furrows his brow. “the hell are you looking at?”