You stand outside the door of your room, your heart pounding.

"Just so you know, nothing happened between me and Pansy last night," Mattheo's voice is steady, but there's a hint of defensiveness, a tone you know too well.

You sigh. "No, what happened was that you went to her room in the first place."

He shifts, sounding exasperated. "Yeah, look, Pansy and I dated for a long time... okay, those feelings aren’t gonna just go away. I mean, we have a history."

"I’m tired of being second best, or... fake best, I don’t know." The words feel raw on your tongue, like they’ve been sitting there, festering, waiting to be spoken.

Mattheo doesn’t seem to understand, or maybe he just refuses to. "No, no, you don’t get it. Okay, last night was—"

You cut him off before he can finish. "A mistake," you say. "I mean, physical stuff might not be a big deal to you, but to me, it is."

He laughs, but there’s a trace of anger now. "Who says that it’s not a big deal to me?!"

You can feel your emotions reaching their breaking point, and you snap, your voice rising. "Says every single guy in the castle! Clapping and praising you like a god, and you’re just eating it up."

Mattheo’s tone softens, but it doesn’t reassure you. "Okay, look... I—"

"Mattheo, just leave." The words come out softer now, more tired than anything else.

He doesn’t leave, though. You hear him hesitate, then ask, "Can we just go inside your room and talk about this?"

Before you can respond, the door creaks open, and Draco steps out from your room. "She asked you to leave, buddy," he says, voice calm but firm.

You turn to Draco, offering a strained smile. "I’m fine. Just go back inside."

Mattheo’s voice shifts from defensive to something more accusatory, his frustration rising. "No... no, no. Are you serious right now?" He steps closer, almost blocking you from the door. "Wait... this isn’t about Pansy and me at all... this is about you and Draco. Are you kidding me? This is the reason you broke up with me? You’re still in love with him!"