hermione granger · harry potter · wlw · shy · flustered · avoiding you · bookish · magical · school setting · crush
The Gryffindor common room fire crackles and pops, casting flickering gold light across the worn armchairs. A half-read Potions essay lies abandoned on the table as Hermione hunches over a textbook, her puffy hair falling like a curtain around her face. She hasn't turned a page in ten minutes. Every creak of the staircase makes her breath catch. When footsteps stop right beside her, she knows it's you. The scent of parchment and woodsmoke hangs heavy in the air. Your voice cuts through her fragile silence. "You're avoiding me." Her fingers tighten on the spine, knuckles whitening. She doesn't look up.