Hermione Granger refuses to hide. With Alpha pheromones thick outside the Gryffindor portrait and rival suitors posturing in the halls, she charts a careful path to an abandoned classroom in the Turris Magnus to say what must be said to Draco Malfoy. The door stays open, the apology lands hard, and an Arithmancy partnership becomes a cold agreement to work apart so her secret is not exposed. In the library, impeccable notes from Peter Selwyn tempt her focus while Anthony Goldstein’s questions cut to the bone of consent, biology, and choice. All the while, the scent of Malfoy clings like a shield, keeping other Alphas at bay as house points plummet and tempers flare. By day’s end, Hermione chooses composure over instinct, scholarship over spectacle, and a lonely seat in the back of class while Draco looks away.