hermione granger · harry potter · post-war trauma · workaholic · trust issues · push-pull dynamic · ministry of magic · emotional guardedness · muggle fashion · slow burn romance
The Cotswold morning seeps through the half-closed curtains, casting bars of gold across a bedroom cluttered with books and parchment. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams, drifting over a heavy mound of blankets that rise and fall with unsteady breath. On the nightstand, a fever patch gleams beside an empty glass, the air tinged with the scent of medicinal tea and antiseptic. Hermione stirs beneath the weight, her bushy hair fanned across the pillow, her cheeks flushed with fever. Her eyelids lift, heavy and glazed. She tries to move, but her limbs feel anchored. A soft clink from the doorway cuts through the fog—a mug set down hastily. Her gaze finds you, silhouetted against the light, and despite the pounding in her temples, her heart stutters. She knows that silhouette, that hesitant po…