Chapter 22 : Unexpected Collision

It was a strange feeling, passing through a stretch of wall. Not painful or uncomfortable exactly, just weird.

The space he had entered had no air, no light, only a narrow stretch where forward and backward were the only directions that seemed to exist.

Even before he had fully crossed, sound reached him from the other side. The hiss of steam, the sharp screeches of owls, the rumble of carts being dragged across stone, and the endless noise of voices speaking over one another all merged into one chaotic mess.

It was loud enough that his ears struggled to separate one sound from the next.

The experience lasted less than a second before Tyson's foot touched the solid ground of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Tyson barely had time—or, more accurately, no time at all—to register his surroundings before his instincts flared.

A face enlarged in his vision, just inches from colliding with his own.

They were far too close, enough that if either of them had been moving any slower, it might have looked almost intentional.

He saw the other person's brown eyes go wide with panic, staring back at him in the same realization that hit him. They were probably just about to enter the barrier, not having expected him to suddenly emerge from it.

There was no time to think about it. No time to properly process who it was, or even what.

For most people, a collision at this distance would have been unavoidable.

Tyson wasn't most people.

The last two years had made sure of that. Harry's constant surprise attacks and random ambushes had sharpened Tyson's already high reaction time and reflexes to an inhumane degree.

His mind registered the danger in an instant, and his body moved on its own, driven by pure instinct.

His foot dug hard into the stone, twisting sharply as he forced himself sideways. His shoulders moved first, his hips following right after as he tried to throw himself out of the collision path.

But he had entered the barrier at a full stride, and all that momentum was still carrying him forward. He only managed to shift enough to lessen it. Instead of crashing straight into each other, his shoulder slammed into the smaller figure at an angle.

Bang!

The impact spun them sideways!

A sharp gasp escaped them—her, he reckoned by the voice.

Tyson barely had time to think about that before he saw her footing give way. One of her feet slipped, her legs tangling awkwardly beneath her as her balance collapsed completely.

The angle of her fall was bad enough that Tyson could already see where it was headed.

Her head was going to hit the stone!

'Fuck me!'

Although he blamed the other party for ruining his absolutely spectacular morning, he didn't want her to suffer a fatal injury just because of that, as it wasn't truly her fault either.

There was simply no way for her to know someone was emerging from the other side, as the barrier itself prevented any view of who might be using it.

The true fault lay with whichever son of a bitch had thought a one-way, vision-blocking barrier was a clever idea in the first place.

Tyson moved without hesitation. In a split second, his arm shot out and caught her around the waist, stopping her fall before she could hit the ground.

For half a second, he thought that would be enough.

Then her full weight slammed into him.

The force, combined with the sideways momentum he'd never fully gotten rid of, ruined whatever balance he had left.

His heel slid across the platform, and suddenly the ground wasn't under him anymore.

Tyson reacted again, this time with what little control remained. Instead of fighting it, he twisted into the fall, pulling her closer and turning his body beneath hers so he would take the impact instead.

His back struck the stone first.

It was hard enough to send a sharp jolt through his spine and shoulders, knocking the breath out of his lungs.

Before he could recover, she came down on top of him, the remaining momentum pressing her fully against his chest. Thank God she was light.

For a moment, they stayed like that, tangled together on the platform.

Tyson was still trying to recover his breath from the sudden surge of adrenaline. One of his arms was still around the girl's waist, holding her in place.

He could feel her body had gone stiff, probably from shock. Her hands were pressed against his chest out of reflex, fingers gripping at his shirt. One knee rested against his thigh, her hair spilling down around both their faces messily. Her shampoo smelled of roses.

What?

They were literally in his face.

Wasn't he even allowed to make an observation?

Then, just as he was about to speak, the girl lifted her head, and his words caught in his throat.

The girl's brown hair spilled forward first, wild and thick, hanging loose around her face from the fall. And then her startled brown eyes met his.

He recognized her almost instantly. The bushy brown hair, and those buck teeth that looked cuter than ugly.

Who else could it be but Hermione Granger, the trio's unofficial mommy and knowledge bank!

'Oh, what are the odds?' Tyson was almost convinced he had unlocked his protagoonist aura.

For a moment, Hermione just stared at him, and Tyson could see the screws in her mind turning, trying to piece together what had just happened.

He stared back at her, simply not wanting to lose the staring contest they had both unknowingly consented to.

The closeness became impossible to ignore now that the adrenaline had begun to fade.

She was completely sprawled over him, one knee bent awkwardly against his leg.

His own hand remained firm at her waist, only now realizing he was still holding her there.

Tyson watched the exact moment she became aware of it too.

Her eyes flicked downward.

To his arm and her own hands.

To the fact that their faces were far closer than propriety, or common sense, allowed.

A deep flush spread across her cheeks, climbing all the way to her ears.

She stiffened, caught between moving and not knowing how.

Tyson let the silence stretch for another second, watching her struggle through it, before speaking in a dry voice.

"If you use my body as a mattress for one more second," he said, his tone calm despite the ache running through his back, "I'm going to start charging rent."

That snapped her out of it.

Hermione jerked back so abruptly she almost lost her balance a second time, scrambling off him in a mess of limbs and frantic movement.

She landed beside him on her knees, breathing unevenly, her face burning red as she tried to fix her hair and regain some semblance of dignity.

"I—I'm so sorry," she said quickly, her words tripping over each other in her haste. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I forgot my Charms textbook in my dad's car. I was in a hurry, and I didn't—"

"Oh, calm down now, Miss In a Hurry," Tyson cut in, pushing himself up onto his elbows with a slight wince, rolling one shoulder as he worked the stiffness out.

"It wasn't either of our faults," he said, exhaling as he sat upright. "I came through that thing at full speed. You just happened to be in the worst place possible."

Hermione looked at him, her embarrassment easing just enough for her expression to settle into something less panicked and more awkwardly defensive. "That doesn't make it any less mortifying."

Tyson huffed a quiet laugh at that as he rose to his feet, brushing dust from the back of his clothes. The soreness in his spine lingered, but nothing serious. He had pulled through worse.

His eyes dropped to her for a moment, still kneeling there, face red and hair in complete disarray.

Then Tyson extended a hand toward her.

"Tyson Steward," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting faintly. "First year. Pleasure to meet you."

Hermione stared at the offered hand for a moment. After a brief hesitation, she reached out and took his hand.

Tyson tightened his hold and pulled her up in one smooth motion.

The moment she rose, her knees nearly buckled, and her body swayed sharply to one side.

Tyson caught it immediately.

His free hand shot to her waist, steadying her before she could stumble back down. His grip stayed firm, holding her in place as her balance struggled to catch up.

The collision clearly had rattled her more than she was letting on.

For a second, Hermione looked startled all over again, likely not expecting her legs to betray her like that.

"You alright?" Tyson asked.

Her face reddened another shade as she registered his hand around her waist.

"Yes—yes, I'm fine," she said quickly, though the faint shake in her voice ruined the confidence she was trying to project. She took a slow breath, forcing herself to gather herself. "Just... a bit shaken."

"Hermione Granger," she said, a little more composed this time, though her eyes avoided his for a second before returning. "Also first year."

Tyson gave a small nod, though his hand remained firm on her waist, not trusting her balance yet.

Before he could respond, Harry burst through the barrier behind them, pushing the trolley.

He came through normally enough, but the second he looked up, he stopped dead in his tracks.

The scene before him made his mind go completely blank.

Tyson stood there covered in dust, his clothes wrinkled and slightly disheveled. A girl their age was pressed close in front of him, cheeks flushed red, breathing unevenly, her hair a mess, and Tyson's hand was wrapped around her waist.

Tyson caught the look on his face almost immediately. He knew exactly how bad this looked.

Before Tyson could say anything to explain the situation—

"Oh no! My Charms textbook!" Hermione's eyes widened in sudden realization.

The panic returned instantly, wiping away all lingering embarrassment.

She jerked back on instinct, and whatever stiffness had been clinging to her vanished like it had never existed.

Her face burned hotter as she quickly stepped out of his grasp.

For a second, she looked back at him, her expression caught somewhere between gratitude and embarrassment, her face still faintly pink.

"Thank you... for catching me. And—and sorry. Again."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and bolted for the barrier, disappearing straight through it in seconds.

Silence followed.

Harry was still standing there beside the wall, trolley unmoving, staring at the spot she'd vanished through.

Then, slowly, very slowly, he turned toward Tyson.

His expression had not improved. If anything, it had gotten worse.

Tyson folded his arms.

"What?"

Harry blinked.

"I…" Harry looked at the barrier, then at Tyson, then at the barrier again. "I was behind you for maybe half a minute."

Tyson shrugged. "Long half a minute."

Harry stared at him. "I don't even know what I just walked into."

"Neither do I, buddy," Tyson said honestly.

...

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