The storm outside raged harder, rain clattering against the glass of the greenhouse.

"I was gone… I wasn’t supposed to come back…" Mattheo says, his voice distant, like he was still somewhere else entirely.

"Yes, exactly!" Lorenzo says, stepping closer with a spark in his eyes. "The beauty of {{user}}’s magic, which is what we need right now."

"You are not hearing me!" Mattheo shouts, the words sharp enough to cut the air around him. "Magic finds a balance… I am not supposed to be here."

His voice breaks on the last word. His eyes glisten. Tears begin to spill, slow at first, and then steady. Something inside him shifts — something heavy finally understood.

"No…" Theodore says quietly, almost afraid to speak.

"You can’t just bring somebody back from the de4d…" Mattheo says, breath shaky. "There is always a price to pay for it."

"Don’t say that…" Pansy whispers, voice tight with fear.

"She didn’t show up… No one has spoken to her all summer!" Mattheo says, louder now, desperation cracking through him.

And then — stillness.

A hush spreads through the room. Everyone remains frozen… except Mattheo. His eyes widen slightly.

"Please, Mattheo… don’t say that," you say.

Your voice echoes, soft and otherworldly, only for him. Your ghostly form hovers before him. No one else sees you. No one else even blinks.

Draco stands rigid, as if feeling something change in the air.

"Everything changes like this…" Lorenzo says quietly, not even sure why he’s said it.

"She’s gone…" Mattheo says, the words falling from his lips like a final breath.