It begins in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

A misfired charm. A flash of gold. A ringing in your ears.

And then Oliver Wood slams into you, knocking you flat on the classroom floor as a streak of magic whips past.

Students gasp. Professor Flitwick rushes over, muttering frantically about “collateral enchantments” and “unintended magical bonds.”

You blink up at Oliver—his face inches from yours, eyes wide, breath quick.

“Are you hurt?” he demands.

“No—Oliver, I’m fine—”

But before you can finish, he grabs your wrist, hauling you behind him, shielding you like an oncoming dragon is about to crash through the wall.

Flitwick sighs heavily. “Ah. Yes. As I feared.”

“Feared what?” you ask.

The tiny professor adjusts his glasses. “The spell that ricocheted formed a magical bond. A Guardian Binding.”

Oliver freezes. “A what?”

“It forces the chosen guardian—in this case, Mr. Wood—to protect the linked person…” Flitwick gestures to you. “…at all times.”

Oliver’s jaw drops. “At all times?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Life under magical protection becomes… intense

You can’t walk down the corridor without Oliver shadowing you like an overtrained, overcaffeinated guard dog.

Someone bumps your shoulder → Oliver nearly hexes them. A book falls off a shelf next to you → Oliver shouts “DOWN!” and throws his arm over you. You sneeze → Oliver: “ARE YOU ILL? DO YOU NEED THE HOSPITAL WING?”

He escorts you to meals. To class. To the library. To the bathroom door (where he waits outside like a stressed statue).

And worst of all?

He sleeps on a chair outside your common room door because the spell won’t let him wander more than a certain distance away.

You try to reason with him. “Oliver, you don’t need to—”

“I don’t have a choice!” he bursts. “Every time you walk off, my legs start chasing after you on their own! I ran into a tapestry because you turned a corner!”