Hermione Under the Influence

"This..."

Sean dropped back onto the bed, feeling as though his world had been given a small jolt.

What was this supposed to be?

Wasn't Orange Is the New Black just a joke...

Glancing at Sean, Stephanie said calmly, "That isn't the important part."

"That isn't the important part?!"

Seeing how startled he was, the Silver-haired Girl set down her teacup and rose to her feet. She took Sean's hand. "What do you feel?"

Sean sensed it for a moment, then blinked innocently.

Stephanie waved her hand casually. "And now?"

Sean's hand had just pulled back when it was pressed down again. To his surprise, it seemed to rest against an invisible wall. Moreover, his sharp magical senses told him that if he pushed any farther, a powerful spell would strike him.

Sean looked at Stephanie in surprise. She pursed her lips. "You could call it... my defensive mechanism?"

She waved her hand again, clearly removing the defense against Sean.

The resistance and warning Sean had felt vanished at once.

"How did you do that?" Sean clicked his tongue in amazement. "Whether you switched, uh, your defensive mechanism, or the instant the magic took effect, I didn't sense any flow of magic at all."

Given Sean's perception, if it had been a defensive or trap spell, no matter how well it had been concealed beforehand, there would always be a brief interval between its trigger and activation. That fleeting moment would have been enough for him to react—but he had noticed nothing at all about Stephanie's spell.

If they had been on a battlefield filled with spells flying everywhere, with massive and chaotic magical currents, it might have been possible for him to miss it. But with only the two of them here, and the spell specifically targeting him, how