Night Changes

Hermione did not trust herself with apparating- that she wouldn’t splinch herself in the process. So, she opted for awkwardly climbing down the side of the house instead. And after landing on shaky legs, she walked to where she knew they had gathered- her every step stiff and controlled. 

She felt conflicted.

These people had just been complicit in live cannibalism… and not blinked an eye. Though, some could argue, so had she... 

So then, what was her problem? Why was she so absolutely gobsmacked by the sometimes necessary horrors of war? And hadn’t she already deemed them to not be bloodthirsty, rash individuals?

She clenched her fists, squeezing the base of her wand in the process. Or was it that she was just conflicted in her own part to play? That she was projecting the disgust she felt for herself onto these soldiers she had little to no information on.

But she still had to ask herself, was her decision to fight with these soldiers misguided by familiarity and a lack of contextual knowledge, or had she just sided with a military that’d been forced to play dirty to survive?

And these Titans... Some were obviously more cognitive than others... So was this then similar to lycanthropy? Could she have been complicit and active in demonizing an entire group of “monster-looking” people for something they couldn’t control?

Let’s hope not because- because... Well, what could she do, really?

Not much in these circumstances.

She had no political power, no background knowledge, and no “ambassadorial immunity” to keep her alive if she were to publicly condemn them. I’ll just have to bite my tongue and keep moving. Like how I’m doing now.

She slowed her pace just before having to turn around the corner. What would she see? How would she interact with them when this was all said and done?

She forced herself to unclench her fists.

These were kids too, she reminded herself- kids who’ve probably lived a gruesome life- a cruel life to be fighting like this. She sighed and messaged her scarred arm. Circumstances are different in times of war Hermione, you should know that by now .

So she turned, making an effort to leave all unwarranted misgivings, judgments, and prejudices behind. And she was glad she did because she practically melted on the spot.

They were gathered around him- Armin- crying with such relief and joy that it overwhelmed her. She smiled solemnly as she held back tears, the sight before her being too precious.

She stepped back, allowing them this private moment after such a hellish ordeal.

After leaving their sights, she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Tears fell, framing her cheeks. Harry, Ron, everyone… will I see you soon?

She hoped so, she hoped to Merlin she would.

Though she’d been a workaholic, she’d always made sure to spend time with them. However, with conflicting schedules and stressful jobs, it was hard. I haven’t seen them in weeks, she wiped the tears off her cheeks and sniffed to stop her runny nose. Hopefully, she’d see them soon... hopefully.

Trying to find tasks that would distract her, she placed her hair back in a bun. It was a bit messy for her tastes but it’d do. She noticed how dirty her clothes were and wrinkled her nose in distaste, “Scourgify,” there, that was better.

Now, where did I leave my trench coat- Oh-

She thought of summoning it but quickly remembered the barrier. She would take it down when she got her jacket.

That’d be in a while though... And she was exhausted. The adrenaline had finally worn off and she barely had anything left in her. I won’t even be able to cast a translation spell, will I? 

No.

She sighed, sliding down the wall to take a much-needed seat. Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a bit...

“-das alles bis zur Erschöpfung getan hat, das ist viel für einen Fremden. Sie ist entweder zu nett für ihr eigenes Wohl oder sie versucht, etwas zu gewinnen-”

She woke to the sound of murmured talking in the distance. She chuckled, “You guys can’t keep breaking into my flat like this...” she groaned into her arm being used as a pillow. She winced, noticing that her bed was particularly stiff today, “You guys?”

She opened her eyes to the blinding light of the sun. “Ugh, wha-” Oh-  

She internally lamented at her reality. She was still here, it was all real... Merlin, what was happening to her?

Once they realized she was awake, they gathered around her curiously. She peeled the blanket- that they’d most probably placed on her- off to her waist. That was actually super sweet of them. She then sat up so that she could be more comfortable when talking to them; they placed me on a bedroll too... 

Cute...

With the cloaks shed and the adrenaline of battle gone, she could finally see what these soldiers’ uniforms were. But to be honest, other than the pants and the... weirdly bondage like leather harnesses- probably to help with the swinging - there was no uniformity. Odd.

When they started talking but she couldn’t understand, she was reminded of the absence of her wand. She panicked for only a millisecond before realizing it was right next to her. Whew.

Refreshed from her nap, she was able to perform the necessary charm to communicate.

Now that the battle was over, the soldiers surrounding her seemed more relaxed and closer to their actual ages. Their eyes were wide and quite childlike as she stared up at them. Feeling like a specimen again, she squirmed uncomfortably.

She chuckled awkwardly, fiddling with her wand, “I can understand now. What were you saying?”

A bald-headed boy managed to speak first, “Why is your skin so dark?” 

Hermione was so flabbergasted that her mouth hung wide open. She was so taken aback that she had to mentally tell herself to close it again.

So that's why they kept examining her- they’d never seen a “black” person before...

After years in the Wizarding World, the muggle construct of race rarely affected her; especially since she’d “left” the muggle world after “losing” her parents.

She felt a split second of shame at not being proactive enough in the muggle communities that also needed her help. Lamely, she realized that their issues became easy to ignore after having gone the last few years with no racially charged comments or micro-aggressions.

If I get back- when I get back, I’ll do better.

“The lady can do magic and you ask about her skin?!” Ranted a sandy, brown-haired boy with an undercut. Right?

The bald-headed boy raised his hands defensively, “What? I was curious.”

“So were we, but doesn’t the magic seem a tad more important?” Eren cut in.

“Not really,” the boy shrugged.

Before the banter- no matter how entertaining- could continue, she butt in. “Like,” she exhaled to release the tension, “like why do- you’ve never seen skin like this before?”

The bald-headed boy shook his head “no” and so did a few others.

“Oh wow, oh wow. Um- well, I was born like this and so were my parents and their parents before them. It’s genetic and perfectly normal where I’m from.” Normal to sane people, I should say. Racists were a whole ‘nother breed.

“What about your hair, that’s different too,” he pointed out. Hermione began to nervously play with the ends of her curls, hyper-aware of its current uniqueness.

“Yes, that generally comes with the dark skin. At least in that-” Okay “Brightest Witch of your Age”, let’s try and give an actual good rundown on history and genetics.

She sighed. “This world is so large and filled with all different types of living environments that in order to survive, Homosapiens or “humans” had to physically adapt to them...” 

Noticing some confused stares, she decided to start from the start, “Let's go back a little further. Long ago, let’s say... 200,000? 300,000 years ago-“

“What!” “HUH?!” “Wait- really?” “No way!” 

“Three hundred THOUSAND?!” Hermione jumped at the sound of the goggled soldier, now with a bandage wrapped around one of their eyes- she’d have to check up on that later, probably soon. The goggled soldier exercised their seniority by smushing in between two other soldiers directly in front of Hermione.

She nodded to placate them, “No, it’s true. The Earth is old, much older than a measly 300,000 years. It’s billions of years old. We are but a spec in its timeline.” She sighed and looked to the sky. It all seemed so meaningless laid out like that. What was her century of life to the Earth’s billions?

Meaningful. It meant her life- her choices held meaning.

Trying not to get too existential, she continued, “Anyways, yes- 300,000 years ago, different species of humans existed in the same way that different types of birds exist now. Now, humanity as you know it is largely descended from one of those species- Homosapiens- while the rest remain extinct. Remnants of those species can be found in certain types of modern humans- like you’d,” she gestured to all of them, “well except you,” she added sheepishly to the one Asian of the group, “would probably be able to discover some Neanderthal ancestry, even though you’re most definitely Homosapiens.”

She turned to address the Asian girl sitting by her.

Hermione hadn’t noticed at first, but while she had talked, the group had sat down around her, raptly listening to her story. “If you looked back far enough, you’d probably find some Homoerectus in your ancestry.”

The group looked at the Asian girl in awe, especially Eren, “Mikasa,” he breathed in astonishment. Guessing from their ignorance on black people, there probably wasn’t too much they knew about her either. Until now.

“Okay, so you’re probably wondering why we’re the only ones left... Well, that’s because we were the smartest. Our brains were shaped differently, you see. The parts that controlled language and memory- which are situated at the front of the brain- were bigger in comparison to the other species. In the end, it was intelligence that led us to survive, not the larger builds and strength like that of our counterparts.” 

She smirked to herself. Though she did feel bad that people had to die just because their environment deemed them not worthy enough, it helped reaffirm her own basic philosophy. That intelligence truly was of value and should be cultivated not only for survival, but for success. 

“This species of human, around 60,000 years ago began migrating out of a place called Africa and-“ would maps be more helpful? Did she even have a world map? She did! In the “Magical History: A Comprehensive Guide of Different Magics” book she’d left in her tent about a year ago. 

So in that moment, she made a split-second decision. She put a finger up to signal for them to wait, “Accio beaded bag.” It took a second but her bag finally whizzed between the heads of two people before landing in her hand. She opened her bag and began looking.

As she was rummaging through for her tent, she jumped at the sound of Levi’s voice behind her. “Gee, that’s one pretty story,” he said in a complete monotone. The group scrambled up, though some more elegantly than others. 

Merlin, he’s like a freaking ninja or something. “Oi brats, why didn’t anyone alert the Commander that she was awake? We need this barrier taken down already.” Right, almost forgot about that.

“Tch. So distracted that you didn’t even notice your friend woke up.”

The group screamed in equal parts horror and delight. They came and surrounded the fully healed blond, asking all types of questions and filling him in on anything he’d missed. Despite it all, his Ocean eyes kept flickering to her in equal parts awe and hunger. But it was a different kind of hunger; the familiar kind. The kind she’d see in a mirror before reading a book or attending a class. 

It was the hunger for knowledge.

And with that, she wondered if he was the same kind of danger as well… if he was the brainy one, the planner- if he was intelligent, yet unassuming in their ability for moral flexibility. And if he was, then maybe that was why he was a lone target for the giant Titan...

She attempted to scrutinize him further through whatever glances she could steal.

Hermione noticed that he was no longer wearing a hood and that his hair was showing- a blonde bob with bangs. Hermione was surprised with herself. She found she quite liked the cut on him… It somehow... suited him...

“We’ll have to reschedule your story for another time, but best believe- you will finish it.” Hermione nodded and even though his eyes were set on the horizon, she sensed he knew she had.

He sighed, “Time to get up, lazy ass. You’ve got a barrier to take down.” She spluttered at the epithet. “Excuse you! I happen to be very proactive,” she sniffed. 

The corner of his lip upturned ever so slightly, “Then why are you still on your ass.” 

Normally, Hermione had a proclivity towards kissing the butts of authority figures- but this guy danced a little too close to Severus Snape territory for her comfort.

“Oh you ,” she said in exasperation. Even so, she hurriedly got up before realizing how undignified she looked and slowed down the rest of her journey. 

She dusted off any dirt or dust left on her from napping, though it wasn’t much due to her earlier use of “Scourgify” . He probably noticed this since he wore a speculative look behind his monotone expression.

He narrowed his eyes at her, “How’d you get so clean, Lazy ass.”

She scoffed, “Magic,” she dignified him with neither an explanation nor further response. But to show off a little, she cast the spell on him, thus making his clothes, gear, and body become speck-free.

He visibly became more relaxed and even though he didn’t thank her, she felt his gratitude from the way he shut up. Or, at least, that’s how she interpreted it.

He wore a slight smirk as she continued rummaging through her bag. She still needed her tent; the book that mentioned the counter-curse was still in there. Aha!

When she had realized that she’d be spending more time outdoors for extended amounts of time, she’d spruced up and renovated the tent. A once barren, bare necessities abode became a fully furnished flat with a mini library and functioning bathroom. She gasped. What if she landed in a place with no modern bathrooms. Dodged that bullet...

Levi glared at her, suspicious. She waved him off, “Just worried about bathrooms.” He eyed her as if she were crazy.

She rolled her eyes at his strangely expressive, non-expressive face. She pulled out the misshapen canvas that would soon be a tent and set it on the ground. She pointedly ignored the eyes curiously and carefully watching her. “ Eructo ,” she cast and, now, before her stood an upright tent.

She heard a couple oohs and ahs and looked to their origin. They looked at the tent hungrily. Deciding to be kind and benevolent and merciful, she allowed them a look inside. 

“Well, come in then- no time to waste. You’ll have to come right back out of course... and no peeking when I’m away.”

“And how is “us” being packed into a tent going to help you take down the barrier,” he said in obvious disgust. Whether it was directed at the thought of her or the thought of being packed in a tent... she didn’t know.

Already walking towards its entrance she said, “First of all, we won’t be packed. Second of all, I need a book in there to be able to take down the barrier. I don’t remember the exact incantation.”

He nodded stiffly and followed her inside... along with a few others, not excluding Armin and Commander Erwin. 

She took a deep breath once inside, breathing in its familiar and comfortable sights. She went straight for the large bookcase and began her search, but it wasn’t hard since she kept it fairly organized... fairly.

“How did all of this... fit into your little bag,” said the now familiar voice of the goggled soldier. While flipping through the book, she casually answered, “Magic,” as she did not have an appropriate response that didn’t go into the depths of Magical Theory.

When she found the right page and memorized the spell she shut the book and put it back in its place.

“Alright, you can stop the ogling. I’ve found the book, we can all leave, though I can always take you on a tour later... but you’ll have to earn those privileges.” When she barely saw any movement, she began to get more insistent. “Out, out. All of you. You’re blocking the entrance and I must handle the barrier.” 

With the way they were lingering she just knew she had to put a couple (harmless) anti-muggle defense charms on the tent... just in case. 

Once out, she cast the appropriate spells and once satisfied apparated to the edge of the barrier. With her wand touching the barrier, she focused on the meaning of the words and with a weighted whisper spoke the spell. A small crack formed from the origin of her wand meeting the barrier. The cracks stretched around the barrier until it finally collapsed into thousands of harmless magical shards.

After checking that the job was all done, she acciod her trench coat and stuffed it in her beaded bag. Then, she apparated back to the wall to find a bunch of soldiers trying to step within two meters of the tent. 

She eyed them as she stepped past the barrier and into the tent. She needed to check if all her Wolfsbane Potions ingredients were alright, she couldn’t be stuck here and not do her work. Pleased that they were all in good condition she decided she could leave the tent.

When Hermione stepped out of the opening she noticed a small crowd had gathered near the entrance. “Yeah, that won’t work. Everybody, back away from the tent.” 

She dismantled the wards, “ Deripio ,” she pointed to the tent, which then promptly turned back into a pile of canvas. 

After stuffing in her bag she theatrically dusted off her hands and even picked some imaginary lint from her shoulders. Then she tried to look as disappointed as possible, “Maybe another time.”

Noticing the absence of the Commander, Levi, and even the goggled soldier, she asked around. 

Some flat out ignored her- though, they would sneak glances at her appearance. Others would splutter trying to come up with an answer. Must be important if they don’t trust me with it .

Finally, the sandy, brown-haired boy from before answered her, “It’s to retrieve some important information, that’s all you need to know.” 

She nodded gratefully. Seeing as that was all she was getting she thought of how she could be productive. She scoffed internally. Me, a lazy ass? If only he knew how wrong he’d been.

She pulled out two small bottles of brown liquid and a mesh bag of dark green leaves. Anything Dittany related was quite expensive, she hoped her use of it, today, was worth it.

“Can you take me towards the injured, I can help,” she dangled the goods she’d taken from her beaded bag in front of him.

“Really?” He eyed her up and down.

She sighed, “Yes really, so can you please show me your injured- you know what it’s fine, I can just-“

“Alright, alright, let’s go- but you’re healing my friend first.” He began walking.

“Okay,” she shrugged, following him. She didn’t mind.

The walk was short but he managed to squeeze in an introduction. “I’m Jean. I know you introduced yourself last night, but it’s kind of hard to remember a name under such a stressful situation.”

“Oh- um yeah, I’m Hermione. Thank you for introducing yourself.” He gave a shrug as he replied, “No problem, I guess.”

They stopped in front of a brown-haired girl with a ponytail and the bald-headed boy from before by her side. She was laying on a bedroll- the same kind Hermione had woken up in, the same kind being used by all the other injured soldiers around her as well. 

The girl already had bandages placed on her forehead and chest, and her face was scrunched in pain as she slept. 

Jean knelt next to her with worry on his face, “Sasha, hey. Someone’s here to help alright, you’ll be right as rain in no time.” He smiled sadly then straightened his face, “Go ahead.” 

She nodded in acknowledgment to the bald boy by her side before humming a “yes” and getting to work. She knelt and peeled back the blanket to examine the severity of her patient. “ Lenio ,” she casted before she started to heal. It would relieve her of most of her pain. Some tension left her face and shoulders. Okay , first she needed to take off her bandages to place the Essence of Dittany.

Once the bandages were gone she strategically dropped the Essence onto their wounds. Watching them heal she placed a bandaging charm on them to redress the wounds. She looked up at Jean. “It’s not fully healed, but it’ll definitely heal faster than before... I’d say she has three hours before it’s fully healed.”

His hardened face softened and he nodded, “Thank you.” She looked to the bald boy to see tears in his eyes, “Thank you.” She smiled and nodded.

Hermione stood up to continue her work on the others. She was pleased to note that there weren’t too many that were injured and that their injuries were within her body expertise. Though there was a notable difference in the number of soldiers, the mood of the camp wasn’t too down. It must’ve not been that bad then...

She was on her 17th patient before she heard the many steps of a group approaching behind her. Who was it this time?

Before she could place one more drop on the soldier before her, the bottle of Essence she held was swiftly taken away. Oh, it’s Levi and co .

“Yes?” She turned to look at him. Irritated, she crossed her arms, “That’s very expensive you know, I’d like it back.”

“What is it,” he said, examining the bottle and ignoring her.

She huffed, “It’s Essence of Dittany - from the leaf, Dittany, ” she dangled her bag of Dittany leaves towards his face. 

He snatched that too, though he handed it to the goggled soldier to examine. He then handed the Essence to Commander Erwin.

She didn’t want to look like a child reaching for a toy out of their reach so she sat and waited patiently for their verdict.

“On your ass again?” He smirked just to toy with her. That son of a...

Her hair frizzled in indignation, proofing around her like halo, “Oh, I’ll have you know that I have never slacked a day in my life.” She pouted, despite herself. “I’m quite the workaholic you know.”

“Unlikely,” he replied in a monotone.

She almost laid down in defeat before noting the eyes of the younger soldiers watching the whole conversation in awe. Huh? Anyways.. .

“So, think I’m poisoning your soldiers or what?” 

“I can confirm this is Dittany, but certainly a different variation than ours. We still don't know it’s properties and well- your magic could’ve tampered with its original state,” they studied the leaves greedily. They just wanted to keep the bag!

“You know there are easier ways to kill people,” she murmured without thinking.

“I know,” she gawked at his bluntness.

Frustrated with the direction that this was going, she stood up to at least gain some authority in the conversation. Realizing she was still shorter than him, she conjured a stepping stool and stood on it. Smirking, she looked down at him, though he only rolled his eyes at her. Ugh, not the response I was looking for .

But before things could escalate, Commander Erwin butt in, “Let her continue, if we see any suspicious activity or development in the Scouts, we’ll act. For now, let her be.” 

He looked at the position of the sun in the sky, then down at her, “When you finish, you’ll be coming with us. Understood.” 

“Yes, sir,” she awkwardly stepped down the stool she had, just a second ago, felt so confident standing on and vanished it from her sight. 

She was trying to catch the goggled soldier’s eye when, instead, her eyes had found Armin’s. Ocean eyes stared at her in curiosity, horror, and amusement; though, if one looked close enough, a deep sadness had now burrowed its way deep into them. 

Was it there before? No, she was sure of that. What was ailing him? Having been a Titan? Eating someone alive? Or learning that he did...  

Moving her gaze from Armin to the older soldiers, Hermione held her hands out in an obvious sign for her Dittany back. 

Erwin graciously placed it in her hands while it took a bit more time for the goggled soldier. She raised a brow at them before the leaves were placed in her palms. “You’re next in line after this soldier. Can’t have a wound so close to the brain getting infected,” she instructed.

Not interested in their answer (and possible objection), she smiled at all of them before resuming her work on the soldier behind her.

Soldier after soldier, she worked in relative silence, ignoring any wary stares or distasteful side comments. By the time she was on her last patient, her eyes drooped in exhaustion and a yawn would interrupt her healing every couple minutes or so. But Hermione powered through and as she stepped away from her last patient she had a newfound respect for Mediwitiches. I should send a box of chocolates to Madame Pomfrey when I get back...

As she shuffled away to find Commander Erwin, a hand blocked her way. She looked up drowsily to find Armin looking at her with concern. Or was it pity? Oh, I don’t care, I just want to sleep . 

“You should rest a bit before we leave...” he looked like he was debating with himself, “Hermione right? Your name is Hermione?” 

Pleasantly surprised, she smiled up at him, “Mhm, like in the Greek myths and the Shakespearean tales...” she stumbled as she tried to walk forward. 

He caught her before she could fall and led her to an open space where she could sit. He chuckled scratching the back of his neck, “I... don’t know what those are, but I’d love for you to tell me about them-“

Hermione clasped her hands in glee. She was about to go on a spiel, excited that someone wanted to actually listen to her rant about Shakespeare, when he proclaimed, “Oh no- not right now, you need to rest. You’ve been working all afternoon, nonstop.” All afternoon?

She looked up at the position of the sun and realized it was late afternoon. She laid down on the hard wall- at that point, uncaring about where she slept as long as she did. “A-alright, I guess- maybe another time,” she yawned again.

He smiled, “Yes, definitely another time.”

But before he could leave she grabbed his wrist. Involuntarily, her thumb rubbed circles on his now smooth skin, “I’m really glad you're back.''  She gave him a wide, lazy smile as he slipped his arm from her grasp.

As she laid in a fetal-like position, she clutched her wand and beaded bag to her chest. After a few heavy blinks and interrupting yawns she closed her eyes. 

Ocean eyes were the last thing she saw before drifting to sleep.