The fire crackled softly in the dimly lit common room, but its warmth did nothing to thaw the cold sinking into your chest. Your hands trembled slightly as you clenched them together, staring at the floor.

"It seemed like no matter what I did, I kept letting people down," you said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "I started thinking how everyone’s lives would be better without..."

You didn’t finish the sentence. You couldn’t.

Tom's sharp gaze darkened as he shook his head, his usual indifference slipping into something closer to frustration—or was it concern? Draco, who always had a quick remark or a scoff, was uncharacteristically silent, his brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. Even Theodore, always calm and unreadable, had a shadow of sadness in his deep-set eyes. Lorenzo, usually the first to tease, sat stiffly, fingers twitching like he wanted to reach out but didn’t know how.

And Regulus... Regulus was looking at you like you had just shattered something inside him.

The weight of it all pressed against your ribs—the unspoken words, the unshed tears hanging in the thick silence. Your throat tightened.

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then, quietly, steadily, Tom said, "Don't ever say that again."

Draco exhaled sharply through his nose, arms crossed tightly like he was holding himself together. "You absolute id!ot," he muttered, but there was no bite, only a raw, unspoken fear.

Theodore leaned forward slightly, studying you with something too heavy to name. "You're not a burden," he said, voice low but firm. "Not to us."

Lorenzo scoffed, but even that lacked his usual bite. "Yeah, well, if you go anywhere, I’m haunting you. Just so you know."

Regulus didn't say anything. He just reached out, gripping your wrist, grounding you.