It’s one of those grey days at Hogwarts — the sky heavy with clouds, the castle halls colder than usual. Students rush past, cloaks swaying, conversations low and hurried. But you? You’ve got your headphones on. Music low. The world muted. You like it that way.

Until he pulls you out of it.

You don’t even see him at first. Just feel the shift — that quiet awareness that someone’s watching. You turn, and there he is.

Theodore Nott. Leaning against the stone wall like he’s been waiting. Dark eyes, hands in his pockets, that usual unreadable expression — except today, there’s something sharper behind it. Something restless.

He pushes off the wall and walks toward you, slow and deliberate.

“Those things are going to get you hexed one day,” he says, nodding toward your headphones. “You didn’t even hear me come up.”

His voice is low, smooth, just a little tired — like the weather seeped into him too.

He stops just close enough that you have to look up. Not touching. Never touching. But near enough that the space between you feels… tense.

“Everyone’s talking about the storm coming.” A pause. His eyes hold yours a little longer than they should. “Figured I’d check if you were smart enough to come inside before it hits.”

He won’t say it, but you know what he means. You know him. And he knows you — enough to care. But not enough to say it out loud.