Hermione Granger X Reader: Late Night Studying

A quiet sigh left your lips as you rolled onto your back, kicking away the blankets that had bunched at your ankles. Your gaze momentarily traced patterns in the ceiling before you lifted yourself into a sitting position. Your racing thoughts had refused to leave you be for what felt like hours, and the silence that engulfed the dormitory simply fueled your restlessness. Throwing your legs over the edge of the mattress, you slowly climbed to your feet and grabbed your wand from the nightstand. You tip-toed to the stairs, your voice coming out in a near silent whisper.

“Lumos…”

The end of your wand illuminated the steps and allowed you to carefully descend them. You were careful to avoid the squeaky floorboards, going so far as to leap onto the carpet of the common room. The fireplace was still alight, and its flames sent shadows dancing along the walls. The comfy chairs nearly drew you in, though you were already set on a destination: the library. Surely skimming a random novel would lull you into a more peaceful state.

The portrait swung forward and allowed you to continue tip-toeing down the seemingly endless flights of stairs, shielding the light of your wand at the smallest of sounds. Finally reaching the first floor of the castle, you crept down the familiar corridor and eased open the large wooden door. You were thankful its creaks weren’t terribly loud as you slipped inside. Lines of bookshelves towered over you, thousands of books staring back at you and making a sense of excitement edge at your nerves. Lifting your wand as you approached a section dedicated to mythical creatures, you lightly traced your fingers over the smooth spines. Their gold and silver letterings shimmered in the small light. However, just as you pulled a volume titled Dreadful Denizens of the Deep from the shelf, the sound of papers shuffling made you freeze. You quickly doused your wand, shrouding yourself in darkness and forcing your eyes to adjust. Ready to simply hide away within the hundreds of narrow shelves, the sight of another small light made you raise a brow in confusion. It was-

“Hermione?”

The witch seemed startled at your whisper, pointing her wand in your direction and taking a moment to identify you. A quiet sigh of relief left her lips when she realized you weren’t a teacher.

“(Y/n)? What are you doing here at this hour?”

You stepped out from where you had been hiding behind a shelf, tucking your book under your arm and stepping closer to her. She lowered her wand so its light seemed less blinding.

“I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

Glancing over her shoulder, you could barely make out a small stack of books and a large sheet of parchment draped over them. She must have been studying for your upcoming test in Potions. She momentarily followed your gaze before looking back at you with tired eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I would study.”

You merely nodded, ready to apologize for disturbing her when she offered you a small smile.

“Would you like to join me?”

Your voice hitched in your throat as you fought with yourself. The thought of reading until you eventually dozed off was charming, though the thought of spending time with the beautiful witch was almost impossible to deny.

To say you had a crush on Hermione Granger was a bit of an understatement. With her shining curls, fair skin, and shimmering eyes, it was inevitable that you would fall head over heels for her. She was unbelievably smart, talented, caring… The girl of your dreams. So, as you gazed at her with wide eyes, you knew you had subconsciously made a decision the moment she asked.

“Uh, sure.”

You quickly put your book back in its rightful place on the shelf before you followed your friend back to where she had made herself comfortable at a table. Pulling up a chair, you scooted beside her and mindlessly grabbed one of the books from the small stack in front of you. The room fell into silence, save for the occasional scribbles of a quill against parchment when she would take notes. You wanted to find interest in the topic of different cauldron builds, you really did, but your thoughts seemed to be racing faster than ever. Your gaze kept shifting back up to where Hermione was concentrating on the book of ingredients open on the table. She was especially stunning when she was focused. Her brows were furrowed in just the slightest, her eyes following the words hastily. Her fingers lightly trailed the edges of the pages before she flipped them, and she would occasionally bite her lip when she was thinking of how to word her notes. It all made your heart flutter and your knees weak. However, as you found yourself staring with adoration brimming in your (e/c) eyes, your breath hitched when she offered you a concerned gaze.

“Are you feeling alright, (y/n)?”

Your face heated with a vibrant blush as you hastily tore your gaze from hers. You pretended to be occupied with skimming your book, hoping she didn’t realize the trembling in your hands.

“I-I’m fine! Just, uh… I had a question about, uhm…”

Desperately trying to find a topic, you settled on the first word you saw.

“I had a question about the scales!”

Hermione scooted closer as you pointed to the passage, and you swore your heart would leap out of your chest. She scanned the words before looking back up at you with a near sheepish stare.

“You have a question about how to use them?”

You looked back at the passage, realizing it was a mere reminder on how the simple machines worked. Stuttering once again, you attempted to find an excuse within your jumbled thoughts.

“N-No, I-I meant..! I didn’t mean..! I just..!”

Her expression quickly became one of concern as she turned in her chair to fully face you, making the blush that heated at your cheeks worsen.

“(Y/n), you know you can tell me anything. What’s wrong?”

You simply sighed, avoiding her gaze and setting your book aside. You had been caught. Swallowing roughly, you nervously ran a hand through your messy (h/c) locks.

“Hermione, I… I really like you, okay? I have since the day we met. You’re just so smart and pretty and talented and I…”

Your words hitched in your throat as the library fell into silence once again. However, it was broken as the witch chuckled quietly. Your heart sank at the sound, though she lifted your chin before you could make an escape. Her smile alone was enough to soothe the dread that had turned your blood into an icy slush.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

You were left speechless, both shocked and confused as she moved to take your hand. She brought it to her lips, pressing a lingering kiss to your knuckles with a tired grin.

“I like you too, (y/n).”

You finally seemed to come back to your senses as you smiled excitedly. Leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her lips, you couldn’t help but giggle. She did the same before she turned back to her book and began to take notes once again. You didn’t even bother, simply staring at your newfound beloved with adoration brimming in your sparkling (e/c) orbs. Her fingers remained interlocked with yours, no matter how difficult writing seemed to be. It was worth it.