Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for - The 19000 Prompts/one week Competition with the prompt Filthy;Tainted.
WC without AN - 312
Branded
Hermione slid down the wall in the shower as tears poured down her face. Her eyes passed over the cuts on her arms, healed, but not removed. They would never be removed. She would forever walk around with 'mudblood' tattoo to her skin, as ominous and visible as the Dark Mark. She felt filthy; tainted by the word and by the woman who had put the word there.
She felt some relief from the tears, tears she had held back until she could be alone. She didn't want to make Harry feel any worse than he already did, didn't want to make Ron worry about her. They both had enough to worry about. She stared at the word again, feeling the urge to scrub the skin raw, to scrub the word away.
She thought about the scars Harry had, the scars she had, but none could come close to this one in her mind. She had been branded in the worst possible way.
A knock on the door had her clearing her throat, trying to make herself sound even the smallest bit composed.
"Yes?" she called.
"Are you alright in there, Hermione?"
Ron.
"Yeah. I'm getting out in a minute, I'll see you downstairs.
"'Kay," he replied, and a minute later, she heard him walking down the stairs. She stood up, straightened her back, and rinsed her hair. She wouldn't shy away from this new scar she had, as dirty as it made her feel. She would wear it, loud and proud, as a sign that even those thought inferior could survive against the darkness.
She would keep her feelings of disgust to herself, and she would hide the misery the word brought to her.
She would be strong. She would be proud. She would prove to the world that no matter her parentage, she was a better witch that Bellatrix Lestrange.