You and Theodore Nott had never really gotten along. You pushed each other’s buttons like it was a sport, constantly bickering, trading sarcastic jabs in the corridors, rolling your eyes at each other during class. But lately, something about him had been driving you absolutely mad—and not in the usual way.

It wasn’t just the arguments anymore. It was the way he started glaring at any guy who dared talk to you. The way he conveniently showed up when someone tried to flirt. The way he hovered, watching, judging—and then chasing them off.

You thought you were imagining it at first. But then came today.

One of the Ravenclaw boys you’d been talking to—a guy who made you laugh, who you were starting to like—ended up with a bloody nose after Theo “accidentally” bumped into him a little too hard. The guy hadn’t even provoked him. He had simply touched your arm.

That was it.

You’d had enough.

⸻

You stormed up the winding staircase of the Astronomy Tower, the soles of your shoes echoing sharply against the stone steps. You knew where he’d be. It was his usual hiding place when he wanted to be alone—to smoke, to sulk, or to escape the world.

Sure enough, when you reached the top, there he was.

Theo stood near the edge of the tower, his back half-turned to you, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. The soft evening light filtered through the clouds, casting a pale gold hue across the balcony and lighting the smoke that curled around him like mist. He looked calm. Detached.

You, however, were anything but.

“What the bloody hell is your problem?” you snapped, voice sharp as you stormed toward him, your anger echoing off the walls.

Theo didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look surprised. He turned his head slightly to glance at you, took a slow drag from his cigarette, and exhaled a stream of smoke that drifted between you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice was low, calm—annoyingly unaffected.

You stared at him, disbelief and fury bubbling under your skin. He was playing dumb. Of course he was.

“Don’t give me that.” You stepped closer, crossing your arms tightly over your chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. The Ravenclaw. You nearly broke his nose!”

Theo shrugged, as if that somehow explained everything.

“He was getting handsy,” he muttered, flicking ash off the edge of the tower wall.

“He touched my arm, Theo!” you shot back, your voice rising. “You’ve been pulling this crap for weeks. Why do you even care who I talk to? You hate me, remember?”

For the first time, something shifted in Theo’s expression. A flicker of something—something dangerous, something unspoken—flashed in his eyes.

He stepped toward you slowly, closing the space between you with a quiet intensity that made your breath hitch just slightly.

“Maybe that’s the problem,” he said quietly. Not angry. Not smug. Just… honest.