You and Oliver Wood had been dating for a year now. A good year. The kind filled with late-night common room talks, stolen kisses between classes, and Oliver making Quidditch sound like the most important thing in the world — because to him, it was. Now you were both in your seventh year, both Gryffindors, and everyone assumed you were inseparable. They weren’t wrong. Which is why Oliver being alone in your dorm room was unusual. He’d been waiting for you — pacing slightly — when he noticed something tucked halfway under your bed. At first, he thought it was just another textbook. Until he pulled it out.

The title alone made his stomach drop. Forbidden Magic: Ancient Spells and Their Consequences Oliver stared at it for a long moment, heart pounding. He flipped through a few pages — symbols, warnings, heavy black ink notes scribbled in the margins. This wasn’t curiosity. This was dangerous. The dorm door opened. You walked in, mid-thought, until you saw the book in his hands. Your blood went cold.

“Oliver—” you started. He looked up slowly, eyes sharp, hurt, and confused all at once.

“Why do you have this?” he asked, voice tight. “And why was it under your bed?”

You set your bag down carefully. “It’s not what you think.”

“That’s exactly what everyone says right before they do something reckless,” he snapped — then immediately ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Merlin, do you know what’s in this book?”

You nodded. “Yes.”

That answer made him angrier. “You could get expelled. Or worse,” he said, stepping closer, book clenched in his hands. “This kind of magic isn’t forbidden because it’s interesting — it’s forbidden because it gets people hurt.”