I've always wanted to write in second person, especially after I read Walk Beside Me by loveislouder94. Thought it might be interesting. Tell me what you think?
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Written for The Sherlock Competition: "It means whenever the police are out of their depth — which is always — they consult me." Sherlock can be a bit rude and a tad arrogant – Write about someone who doesn't know when to stop; alternatively, write about James Potter.
You are Hermione Granger.
Ink stains your hand because you've been writing practice essays for the last two hours. It's three in the morning and in order to remember and include all the necessary points in the potion's essay, you're writing it under your bed sheets. Everyone else is asleep, snoring.
Life is hard sometimes, but you choose it to be so. After all, you came here for one purpose and that was to excel.
Well, at least it became like that somewhere along the way.
Before you came to Hogwarts, you weren't such a know-it-all. But when you got the letter, you realized you could make something out of yourself. The possibilities were endless.
Then because you made a small effort in reading a few pages of the textbooks beforehand, you got a perfect score in the first charms test. Everyone looked at you strangely, and this set their impressions: "Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of our age."
The image's hard to sustain. It requires work. You don't actually like spending so much time studying. But you can't stop; everyone's expecting you to get a good mark. They think you love to read because you're smart. You don't. You used to like reading all right, but now you hate it with a passion. But you don't want to disappoint them, so you read more. You score better than they do in the next test. It's a vicious cycle.
Soon you're pressured, even in your dreams. But the momentum drives you forward. There's a huge lump of pressure building behind you and all you can do is keep running. You don't know how or when to stop. You keep moving forward so you won't get crushed.
Though you are terrified of hunting Hocruxes and going up against Voldemort, you leave without hesitation. Harry and Ron think it's because you're kind-hearted. That's true, of course. But secretly, you breathe a sigh of relief because all your studies are put on a hold. No one is expecting you to get good marks in face of war.
They say you're an incredible woman for being able to forgive Draco Malfoy. They say you display a side of sensitivity, of empathy.
They wonder how it's possible for you to give him a second chance.
They say they're impressed you put your past behind.
But actually, you're with him because he understands the crushing pressure of chasing an empty dream. He understands what happens when everybody expects something of you. He understands how hard it is to keep up appearances. He understands that how it feels when you don't know how to stop.
So when he says it's all right to stop and pulls you to the side, holding you close; you feel the weight spring off your shoulders. You feel like you can relax, take a breath.
When you move in together a few years later,
you do not pack a single book.