Possession.
"Please don't waste too much of my time. Grandmother is waiting for me."
Based off fanfiction of the same name, Possession verse is a Philomela that takes place approx. two years ahead of canon. While she was admitted into The College with Veronica under her wishes, she was soon withdrawn by her grandmother, who deemed it a waste of Philomela's time and that the useless girl didn't need to be there in the first place.
While she is still Veronica's attendant, she's under her grandmother's orders first and foremost unless Veronica demands otherwise. Due to the absence of Chise in the college in this AU, she's left without the exposure to her influence to change how she does in story. However, on top of that, her grandmother still holds the forbidden book and has not actually put her plan into motion (withdrawing Philomela early did have its consequences). She still intends to use it, but she's seeking a strong enough pool of magic for Philomela to infiltrate before she can.
With more time in the Sargant estate and less time among her peers, Philomela's developed a similar sense of dry, blunt commentary as she has in canon presently, though she's less kind and well-meaning about it. She's still a kind girl, but she's simply worn down from constant abuse and mistreatment. It's considerably harder to break through this particular girl's damaged shell of obedience and nonexistent self-worth.
In ways, she's proven herself a little bit more capable than she used to be, in her grandmother's eyes, but is still viewed as never being enough for her. Philomela has a concerning amount of trouble acknowledging that she'll never be worthy of her so-called family's respect or even acknowledgement.
Despite what her grandmother and the other Sargants would say about her pathetic demeanor, Philomela is a very capable sorcerer, even more so than canon due to her confinement to the grounds and focus on her power and the studies Lisbeth pushes onto her. Magically, physically, and mentally, she's completely unlike the soft-spoken, exhausted looking girl she looks like on the surface, and she's far less hesitant about showing it if she's pushed to.
