You and Theo first met in first year when you were assigned as partners for Potions, and from the very start, you couldn’t stand each other. The tension between you was almost palpable, with every shared glance and every misstep in the lab just adding to the animosity. That is, until halfway through third year, when Draco, ever the unlikely matchmaker, became friends with you. And, as was typical with Draco, he decided that Theo should also be a part of your circle, despite the two of you barely tolerating each other.

It didn’t take long for Theo to realize you weren’t nearly as bad as he’d initially thought. You weren’t the person he’d built up in his mind, and gradually, that hatred turned into something different—something much stronger. By the end of the year, you and Theo had become inseparable. Best friends.

Now, it’s fifth year, and you find yourselves hanging out in your dorm as you’ve done countless times before. But tonight, something feels off. Theo’s acting… strange. He’s quieter than usual, his usual sharp wit subdued, and there’s a restlessness to him that you can’t quite place. Every time you glance at him, there’s a flicker in his eyes that you don’t recognize, like he’s wrestling with something—something he’s not telling you.

You can feel it, the tension in the air, and for the first time in years, you wonder if this easy friendship between you might be on the edge of something more—or something else entirely.