Chapter 7
Greg Goyle sat at the back of the Slytherin common room, his large frame hunched over a thick stack of parchment covered in scribbled notes. The upcoming exams loomed large over Hogwarts, and like many of his classmates, Greg found himself in need of extra help. Hermione Granger had become an unofficial tutor for many Slytherins, her brilliance in academics a stark contrast to her icy demeanor.
Greg had always been wary of Hermione. From their first year at Hogwarts, she had exuded an air of aloofness that intimidated even the most confident of their peers. Her intelligence was undeniable, her ability to grasp complex magical theories and spells almost effortless. But it was her cold detachment that set her apart—a wall she had erected around herself that kept others at arm's length.
Despite his apprehension, Greg had reluctantly sought Hermione's help with his studies, knowing that her guidance could mean the difference between success and failure in their exams. She had agreed without hesitation, her tutoring sessions conducted with ruthless efficiency and a demand for perfection that left Greg feeling more like a student in detention than a peer seeking help.
But it wasn't just Hermione's academic prowess that unsettled Greg. He had noticed the marks on Draco Malfoy—scratches and bite marks that appeared after nights spent in Hermione's company. Draco had brushed them off as insignificant, but Greg knew better. He had seen the intensity in Hermione's eyes, the way she could reduce Draco to a mere shadow of himself with a single word or glance.
Greg couldn't help but feel a pang of fear whenever he was around Hermione. She was a force to be reckoned with—a Slytherin through and through, with a cunning intellect and a ruthless determination that belied her years. Rumors swirled around her, whispers of dark magic and hidden agendas that made Greg's skin crawl.
As he glanced up from his notes, Greg caught sight of Hermione across the room. She was engrossed in a book, her brow furrowed in concentration as she absorbed its contents with an intensity that was both mesmerizing and unsettling. Greg quickly looked away, focusing once more on his studies, his mind filled with thoughts of the exams and the formidable witch who held sway over their fate.
In the weeks that followed, Greg continued his tutoring sessions with Hermione, each one a grueling test of his endurance and intellect. She pushed him to his limits, demanding nothing less than perfection—a challenge Greg accepted with a mixture of determination and trepidation.
And as he sat in the dimly lit common room late one night, poring over his notes with a weary sigh, Greg Goyle couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath Hermione Granger's icy exterior. Behind the mask of indifference and superiority, he sensed a darkness that both intrigued and frightened him—a darkness that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.