The usual banter comes to a halt in the Common Room the moment Mattheo storms in, his expression dark and his energy even darker. He drops onto the couch, flipping through one of his assignments with a visible scowl, clearly agitated.

Pansy glances around at the others. “What’s his problem?” she whispers.

Draco smirks but doesn’t bother looking up. “You don’t want to know.”

Theo leans back in his seat, a sly grin spreading across his face. “I think he’s in love.”

Pansy scoffs. “With who?”

Enzo chuckles from across the room. “Don’t you girls talk about this kind of stuff?”

Mattheo grunts in frustration, flipping a page so hard it nearly tears. His dark mood radiates through the room as the others exchange amused glances.

“Didn’t sleep well, Riddle?” Theo teases, still grinning.

“What?” Mattheo asks, clearly not fully present, his tone sharp and impatient.

Theo leans forward, clearly enjoying himself. “Where’s {{user}}?”

Mattheo doesn’t even look up from his assignment. “Who cares.”

Theo laughs, knowing exactly what buttons to push. “But you’re friends now, right?”

Mattheo finally looks up, glaring at Theo. “No. We’re definitely not friends. I hate her. And she hates me.”

Theo shakes his head, his grin widening. “Of course you do.”

Draco, thoroughly done with the conversation, leans his head back and groans. “It’d be great if you two could ‘hate’ each other somewhere else next time. I need my sleep.”

Everyone’s gaze turns to Mattheo. His irritation deepens as the others stifle their laughs. His eyes narrow at Draco, shooting daggers in every glance. But Draco just smirks, knowing full well that Mattheo’s denial only makes things more obvious.