The common room was unusually quiet. "I don’t know how she does it, you know?" Mattheo said, breaking the silence. "Walks into a room, and it’s like… everything else fades. She’s got this energy… this fire. I swear, even when she’s yelling at me, I can’t help but be mesmerized by her."

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you call it when you act like a lovesick fool every time she’s around?" he deadpanned.

Mattheo scoffed. "Like you’re any better. I’ve seen how you look at {{user}}."

Across the room, Draco snorted. "The difference," he drawled, "is that Theo doesn’t make a complete idiot of himself. Honestly, the way you’ve fallen over her is p4thetic."

Lorenzo grinned and chimed in, "Says the man who practically tripped over himself trying to hold the door for her last week."

Draco flushed slightly. "It’s called being a gentleman."

"Let’s not pretend any of us are above it," Blaise said. "She’s got all of us wrapped around her little finger, and you know it."

Regulus finally spoke. "And she doesn’t even realize it… That’s what makes her different."

Mattheo nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "She doesn’t realize it because she doesn’t use it. She could, you know. Use any one of us if she wanted, but she doesn’t. She’s just… her."

"She’s more than all of this," Tom said quietly. "More than your fleeting infatuations. She deserves better than any of us."

Theodore turned to him. "And I suppose you think you’re the exception?"

Tom’s jaw tightened. "No," he said flatly. "I’m exactly what she should stay away from."

Lorenzo let out a low whistle. "Well, if we’re so terrible for her, why can’t any of us let her go?"

Blaise sighed. "Because she makes us feel like we could be better," he admitted.

Draco looked away. "She’s the only good thing in any of our lives," he murmured.

Mattheo grinned. "So, what you’re all saying is that none of you stand a chance because she’s obviously going to end up with me?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "In your dreams, Mattheo."