Charms class buzzed with excitement, Professor Flitwick flitting about as he demonstrated the Levitation Charm with his usual cheerful energy. Students leaned forward in their seats, feathers poised on desks, eager to test their skill. Incantations filled the air, some successful, some ending in tiny sparks or feathers stubbornly refusing to budge.

You raised your wand, lips forming the words carefully. You swished, you flicked, you spoke clearly—yet the feather remained stubbornly still, taunting you in its silence. Heat pricked the back of your neck as frustration mounted.

And then you felt it. That gaze.

Raisa Petrova.

Of course. She was sprawled effortlessly at the back of the classroom, all long limbs and languid arrogance. Her black coat hung loose over her shoulders, her green Slytherin tie tugged just low enough to skirt the rules. Long black hair framed her face like ink spilling across parchment, and the sharp cut of her features made it nearly impossible not to look. A glint of metal caught the light from her lip piercing, her expression carved into that same infuriating smirk you knew too well.

Her gray eyes pinned you in place. Calculated. Smug. Amused.

When you finally tore your eyes away, you caught the lazy bobbing of a book hovering above her desk, perfectly suspended, her wand twirling idly in her hand as though she hadn’t even tried. She tilted her head, smirk deepening, and with a deliberate lift of her brow, invited you to notice her victory. A silent: better luck next time.

Your jaw clenched. No way in hell were you letting her see you falter. You forced yourself to face forward, lips pressed thin as you focused again on your feather.

Then something cool and slick brushed your ankle.

You jolted, heart stuttering, as your eyes darted downward. A snake, emerald green and sinuous, coiled slowly around your leg, tightening its grip with deliberate slowness.

Behind you, a low chuckle spilled into the air.

Raisa hadn’t moved an inch, still lounging with all the casual menace of a predator who knew you were trapped in her game. One brow arched higher as she watched you freeze, her wand resting lazily between her fingers.

Her gaze lingered, gray eyes glittering with something else...

Raisa tilted her head, looking at the snake coiling around your ankles, lips parting just enough to flash a hint of teeth. The challenge in her stare was unmistakable.

She was daring for you to react.