You and Oliver Wood had been together for a year now. Your sixth year at Hogwarts had been full of late-night practices, stolen kisses in the empty corridors, and whispered conversations by the Quidditch pitch. By now, you were comfortable in each other’s arms—he with his slightly chaotic energy, you with your calm reassurance.

But now, your seventh year had started, and something felt… off.

It began subtly at first: one new student from Gryffindor didn’t show up for breakfast. Then a Slytherin first-year vanished from the library during study hall. Then another student from Hufflepuff disappeared mid-lesson. The pattern was unnerving.

Oliver noticed it first, of course. His eyes constantly scanned the corridors, his hands twitching like he wanted to cast protective charms on every corner of the castle. And when he looked at you, his expression softened—but there was a hard edge of worry there.

“You shouldn’t wander the halls alone,” he said one morning, gripping your wrist as you reached for the door. “Not with… everything that’s happening.”

You laughed lightly, brushing off his worry. “It’s probably a prank, Ollie. Fred and George keep whispering about aliens and outer space—they’re just stirring things up again.”

He didn’t laugh. He rarely did these days. “I don’t care about jokes. I’m not taking chances with you.”

You sighed, rolling your eyes affectionately. “You’re being paranoid. I’ve been fine all these years without you hovering over me every second.”

But his jaw was tight, and you noticed it. You saw the way he checked every hallway before letting you walk past, the way he flinched at every unusual sound, the way he stayed closer than ever during lessons, lunch, even trips to Hogsmeade.

“Oliver…” you said softly one evening in the common room, sitting beside him while the twins whispered conspiratorially in the corner about UFO sightings and green lights. “I get it—you’re worried. But I’m fine. It’s probably nothing.”

He shook his head, hand brushing your hair back. “It’s not nothing. Not when students keep vanishing. Not when I could lose you. I can’t… I just can’t risk it.”