Hermione Granger & the Embarrassing Secret (Chapter 8) (Patreon)

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Chapter 8

The humiliated young witch swiftly made her way through the dark and musty dungeons and climbed the treacherous staircase 4 steps at a time. Fortunately for her, classes hadn't yet been dismissed. Otherwise students looking up might've been able to catch a glimpse of her leaky Drynites dribbling under her skirt and her damp knee-high socks. She tried her best to soak up her tears, using her sleeves. If her whole attire had to be wet, might as well save a dry face.

She sniffled one last time before regaining her composure, taking a few deep breaths. She had seen worse than this and she wouldn't allow her childish embarrassment to dominate her. She needed to calm down and evaluate her situation logically. This could not go on any longer. 

As she momentarily halted her pace, a group of younger students, second years by the looks of it, were passing by, peering at her. Hermione's cheeks flushed as she had a quick glance down, making sure there was no visible wet spot forming on the fabric of her uniform. To her relief, the dark pleated skirt was still intact for now.

''That's Hermione Granger'' she heard a small girl whisper. ''She's a hero!''

Hermione had never gotten used to the fame by association she had received at school. She'd never thought of herself as popular, but needless to say everyone knew who she was. After all, she had been involved in all the juicy dramas shaking up Hogwarts in the past 5 years. The debacle at the Ministry of Magic a few months prior had only contributed to her reputation among her peers. Some would resent her for her extraordinary abilities, but some would inevitably admire her for them.

It was indeed admiration she saw in the eyes of the young witches staring back at her.  

If they only knew their so-called ''hero'' had just urinated on herself publicly like a babbling infant, perhaps they wouldn't be in such awe. Or perhaps they would be, understandably shocked at the realization that even the most clever young witch in Hogwarts had her flaws. Namely being confined to nappies each and every single day of her 6th year so far, as she had been each and every single night throughout her entire education.

In an unexpected way, it might've been the reason she had remained so down to earth. Saving the world in the day, only to put her nappy back on at night, before going to bed. It was humbling, to say the least. Waking up wet the next morning and doing it all over again.

Ever since Lavender Brown had found out about her bed wetting problem, Hermione had been reflecting on that quite a bit. How far was she willing to degrade herself to ensure the safety of her secret? She would find herself meditating on whether or not she should even be ashamed of it. 

Her conclusion thus far? Maybe not as much as she actually was. These night time accidents were merely her body's reflection of the stress she had to endure ever since she was old enough to practice magic. It was nothing short of a post traumatic disorder. Surely anyone in her situation would encounter similar impacts? Surely they could understand that after facing ultimate darkness for years, a girl might pee her pants every once in a while.

However, as she was now witnessing first hand the increasing attention she was getting, it only made matters worse in terms of pressure to remain ''the perfect witch''. Strong, capable, smart and above all, independent.

How could she step out of her male counterparts' shadows and lead by example if everyone saw her for who she was... a nappy-wearing, bed wetting little girl. Confused and afraid in these perilous times, just like everybody else.

She knew she had to hide her weaknesses at any cost. If not for her own sake, for the trust and admiration other witches placed in her, especially with the war that would eventually come, now that the Dark Lord was back for good.

***

Hermione kept walking up the halls and stairs, in a hurry to change out of her soaking wet Pull-Up, which she could feel squishing between her legs and the padding getting cold all the way to her bottom, manifestly saturated.

It was a strange thing, to walk about, drenched in her own urine around the castle, her thick disposable knickers concealed to all but her. It was not a secret worth sharing, although the only other person aware of her predicament was her tormentor, Lavender, who was probably still laughing at the thought of this very moment. Imagining a lost little Hermione in her leaking ''daytime-nappy''.

When she turned a corner, her train of thought was suddenly stopped as she bumped into probably the only other person she did not want to see at that moment... or perhaps ever. None other than the prince of darkness himself, Draco Malfoy.

''Watch where you're going Granger.'' He muttered angrily.

She stared into his grey eyes, momentarily paralyzed by this encounter, under these unfortunate circumstances. At that moment, her senses heightened momentarily. She could distinctly notice the smell of urine coming from the top of her damp socks. She could hear the squishy crinkling of her padded Pull-Up and feel its cold wetness on her butt and crotch. After a brief hesitation, she quipped:

''You as well, Malfoy. Don't forget I still owe you a second black eye from 3rd year.''

He looked up at her with disgust, but uttered no protest in return. He simply scoffed under his breath and walked away from her, preoccupied. 

Hermione was surprised, but ultimately glad he didn't show any more animosity towards her. She didn't want to bring necessary attention to herself, especially with wet socks and a heavily drenched Drynite stuck to her bottom. If Lavender enjoyed toying with her, she didn't even want to think what Malfoy would do to her with that kind of leverage. What was he doing in this part of the school anyway? All by himself... He had dropped something on the floor.

''Hey Malfoy! Don't forget your apple.''

She threw the green fruit at him, but he didn't even bother to pick it up.

The young witch had more pressing matters to attend to however, namely her Pull-Up that was about to burst and her dorm still far away. She grew increasingly nervous as she realized classes had just ended and she would not make it in time before the rush of students heading back to the common room. She did not want to push her way through the masses in her current underwear. 

She paced back in forth in search of a solution.

‘‘I really need to change’‘ she spoke to herself repeatedly.

All of sudden, she saw a set of large wooden doors form before her eyes in the middle of what had just been a stone wall. 

‘‘Of course! She thought, the Room of Requirement! I’m on the 7th floor, how could I forget?’‘

In her hurry, Hermione had overlooked where she was, within the maze of the castle’s corridors, but she knew this place very well. She and her friends had used the room in their 5th year at Hogwarts to hide the training grounds of Dumbledore’s Army. This place had magical properties and made itself available only to people seeking something very specific and walking 3 times in front of it. 

Then, it could conjure up whatever you desperately sought. Shape-itself to fulfill your deepest desire and once you were inside, its doors could only be found by those who knew what shape the room had taken.

To students in a rather dire situation, such as the one Hermione was currently in, the Requirement Room was a blessing. Although it could be unpredictable. The clever witch did wonder what was hiding behind these heavy doors. What could did this sentient castle have in mind for her?

Only one way to find out.