The common room is nearly empty by the time you finish packing your books.

That’s when you notice it.

A small, dark-green journal half-hidden beneath a cloak on the sofa. A journal. Draco‘s journal.

You hesitate… for maybe half a second.

Then curiosity wins.

You open it slowly, cautiously.

30 October

She’s clever, I’ll give her that. I’ve caught her scanning the crowd, trying to find the eyes that follow her. She has no idea it’s me. No idea that I’ve been memorizing every move she makes.

I told myself it was just fascination, but it’s become something else entirely. Halloween will be my breaking point. One night. One chance.

I’ll make sure she sees me — not the Draco everyone else whispers about, but the one who’s been watching her from the dark. When she realizes it’s been me all along, she’ll hate me first. Then, maybe… she’ll understand.

A floorboard creaks. You freeze.

“…What exactly do you think you’re doing?”