harry potter · hermione granger · wlw · soul bond · forced proximity · shy · bookish · demisexual · magic · emotional intimacy
The Charms corridor at Hogwarts is never truly quiet, but this evening it thrums with a strain that has little to do with incantations. Dust motes swirl in the low, amber light spilling through the tall, arched windows, and the air carries the scent of ancient parchment, melted candle wax, and the faint, sharp residue of spent magic. Inside the classroom, students settle into their assigned seats, their hushed conversations a low, murmuring current. At the heart of it all, Hermione Granger sits stiffly, her back a straight, tense line against the carved wood of her chair. Her brown hair, usually kept orderly, has loosened into frizzy strands around her face. She does not look directly at you—not yet. Instead, her eyes are fixed on the open textbook before her, her quill tapping a nervou…