The soft flutter of wings draws the boys’ attention as Blaise’s family owl lands gracefully on the SIytherin table, dropping a letter in front of him. Blaise reaches for it, his elegant movements precise, but the faintest frown pulls at the corners of his mouth as he reads the note.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, leaning forward, picking up on Blaise’s subtle change in demeanor.

“Nothing,” Blaise replies, his voice measured as always. He folds the letter carefully. “It’s just my mum. I miss her, that’s all.”

The table falls quiet for a moment. Theo, lost in his own thoughts, speaks without thinking, “I miss your mother, too.”

Draco’s head snaps up, his eyes wide in disbelief. Across the table, Enzo presses his fist to his mouth, desperately trying to stifle his laughter, his shoulders shaking with the effort.

It’s no secret that Mrs. Zabini is breathtakingly gorgeous—a fact that has not gone unnoticed by anyone, even though the boys long ago agreed to stop teasing Blaise about it. But Theo absentmindedly forgot the unspoken truce.

Blaise slowly exhales through his nose, the sound dangerously controlled. His cold glare locks onto Theo, who freezes mid-thought, realizing his mistake too late.

“S-sorry, Blaise,” Theo stammers, his face flushing as he raises his hands in surrender.

Blaise narrows his eyes. “You should be.”

Mattheo snickers under his breath, unable to resist. “Nice knowing you, Theo.”

Draco shakes his head, muttering, “You’ve got a death wish.”

As Enzo finally loses the battle with his laughter, Theo fixes his eyes on his plate, trying hard to avoid Blaise’s glare. Blaise doesn’t say another word as he picks up his letter and leaves the room.