uponaswan
When students return to Hogwarts for an optional "Eighth Year" to complete their education after the war. The school was still scarred - physically and magically.
The magic was unstable, reacting unpredictably, and the wizarding population sat at a low, alarming rate.
To restore balance, Headmistress McGonagall and The Ministry Of Magic formed an agreement and initiated an ancient bonding ritual to "stabilize magical resonance" among the student body.
Every student, aside from Years 1-5, was magically tethered to another with a glowing Thread of Fate - a test of unity, trust, and healing.
Hermione Granger expected to be paired with someone logical, kind, and safe.
Instead, her thread flared violently and latched to her one true childhood enemy, Draco Malfoy.