[ Her fierce determination might be a mark against her character in some cases, some people frustrated by the stubborn know-it-all that spouts knowledge like it's as easy as breathing and puts her foot down, shouting high and low about injustice and unfair treatment even when it's not welcome, but Hermione knows that her stubborn nature can be more than enough, sometimes. Sometimes, being stubborn and petulant and unfair is what the world needs to make a change and sometimes it's what people need to see that there's more than what they can see with their own two eyes. Nothing is as simple as one plus two in this life, she knows that, as much as the logical side of herself screams that it should be, that things should be as easy as Arithmancy and numerology and the study of runes. Real life isn't as easy as the classroom and that was a lesson that got her hurt more than just one or two times. She's had to struggle to overcome her own thoughts and preconceptions and maybe Luke has to do the same.
So she's here. Hermione is here and her fingers slide against Luke's, linking hers through his own as the other comes to rest on top of it, brushing along the warmth of his hand. She's done this before, with Ron and Harry, she's sat at their side and held their hands when they needed it and she would bear their pain as much as she could, as much as she needed to. When it came to being a friend Hermione knew that her obstinate nature was, at times, a good thing. She could be at someone's side and be with them through the darkest hours because, in her mind, there is no other option. Why would she turn away from someone when she had a choice to be with them, to take care of them, to cherish them? Why would she abandon someone she cared about when she could help lift them up or encourage, sometimes quite violently and harshly, them to become the person she always saw them as? Maybe not a hero but something close to it - a hero in the eyes of people that know the truth about what heroism really is.
Shuffling a little closer she nods, smiling, her eyes lifting to look at him. Luke is someone that needs something and while she isn't sure if it's something she can actively give him, if there's something more she ought to offer, she is still going to try. He's been her friend for longer than she knows, since near the beginning of her waking up in this strange magical world so unlike her own, and the idea of leaving him to his fate, of abandoning him to however it feels to be alone and unsure... She refuses to accept it. She shakes her head and squeezes his hand, leaning forward so she can get a better look at his face - until, finally, a soft smile crosses her lips and she can manage to brighten, leaning against him a little and hoping to draw him more out of his shell. What more could she ask for when she's barrelled into his life and his house without so much as a 'how do you do'?
When she speaks her voice is low and careful, quiet, ignorant of the snakes and the fox behind her, all her focus on Luke. ] Of course I am. I'm pretty sure we have a handful of lifetimes here to work it out, Luke. No one says you have to rush and I'll be right here if you need me. All you have to do is call. [ Her hand squeezes again, almost without her consent. ] And if you ever want me to go away you can just say that too. I understand needing time alone sometimes - but you're not alone, Luke. You don't have to do any of this by yourself anymore, not if you don't want to.
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So she's here. Hermione is here and her fingers slide against Luke's, linking hers through his own as the other comes to rest on top of it, brushing along the warmth of his hand. She's done this before, with Ron and Harry, she's sat at their side and held their hands when they needed it and she would bear their pain as much as she could, as much as she needed to. When it came to being a friend Hermione knew that her obstinate nature was, at times, a good thing. She could be at someone's side and be with them through the darkest hours because, in her mind, there is no other option. Why would she turn away from someone when she had a choice to be with them, to take care of them, to cherish them? Why would she abandon someone she cared about when she could help lift them up or encourage, sometimes quite violently and harshly, them to become the person she always saw them as? Maybe not a hero but something close to it - a hero in the eyes of people that know the truth about what heroism really is.
Shuffling a little closer she nods, smiling, her eyes lifting to look at him. Luke is someone that needs something and while she isn't sure if it's something she can actively give him, if there's something more she ought to offer, she is still going to try. He's been her friend for longer than she knows, since near the beginning of her waking up in this strange magical world so unlike her own, and the idea of leaving him to his fate, of abandoning him to however it feels to be alone and unsure... She refuses to accept it. She shakes her head and squeezes his hand, leaning forward so she can get a better look at his face - until, finally, a soft smile crosses her lips and she can manage to brighten, leaning against him a little and hoping to draw him more out of his shell. What more could she ask for when she's barrelled into his life and his house without so much as a 'how do you do'?
When she speaks her voice is low and careful, quiet, ignorant of the snakes and the fox behind her, all her focus on Luke. ] Of course I am. I'm pretty sure we have a handful of lifetimes here to work it out, Luke. No one says you have to rush and I'll be right here if you need me. All you have to do is call. [ Her hand squeezes again, almost without her consent. ] And if you ever want me to go away you can just say that too. I understand needing time alone sometimes - but you're not alone, Luke. You don't have to do any of this by yourself anymore, not if you don't want to.