Most people have left the common room for the night, so the only sounds are the crackling of the fireplace and the soft hiss of the vinyl as the enchanted record changes tracks. There’s just enough space between chairs and tables for someone with a reckless heart to claim the center.

Which is exactly what you do.

You toss your wand aside with a laugh, letting it clatter onto a cushioned seat. Your jumper slips off one shoulder as you begin to sway, your hips rolling lazily to the rhythm.

Barty notices before anyone.

He sits back in his chair, long legs stretched out, tapping a finger against his lips as if deep in thought... but his expression is far too starstruck for logic.

“Oh Merlin…” he mutters, shaking his head, unable to hide the grin tugging at his mouth. “She moves like a magic potion in flames.”

His brother Aiden snorts quietly beside him, but there’s admiration in the sound.

Evan is sprawled across the sofa with his head thrown back, rolling his eyes in a playful exaggeration. But his gaze keeps sliding towards you as if he can't help watching you. “Guess she’s having another one of her five minutes.”

As if on cue, you spin around, your hair whipping dramatically and your lips pursed as though you’re on a stage that only you can see.

Regulus looks up from the book in his lap. “I could say ‘don’t be so crazy, babe,’” he says in his low voice, “but she likes it… and I love it.”

You wag a playful finger at him before twirling again and hopping backwards until your spine touches the edge of the table. Then, because you are unstoppable, you climb right up onto it.

The boys react in perfect sync... Evan kicks his legs off the sofa; Barty sits up straighter; Regulus's book hits the floor; and Aiden leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

Your feet thud lightly against the polished wood as you start to dance in a way that only you understand. One moment elegant, the next utterly ridiculous, and then beautiful again. You sing off-key and enthusiastically, as though you are trying to charm the universe.

Aiden’s mouth parts in a slow smirk. “Oh my…” he murmurs, his eyes gleaming.

Evan chuckles. “It’s a bit like hypnosis, don’t you think?”

The others nod without question. Because it’s true. You are a spell in motion.

Laughter bursts out of you, wild and alive, and suddenly you’re crawling towards the edge of the table like a siren ready to lure sailors into forgetting who they are.

Regulus presses a fist against his lips, whispering. “I love this girl.”

Barty glances at him with a low laugh. “Oh… I can see why.”

You blow them a kiss and Evan grins. “She always knows how to get our attention.”

Aiden doesn’t hesitate, not even a heartbeat. “I am all hers.”

It isn’t a comment. It’s a vow.

And, for a moment, they forget that the world is anything but this room, this night and you.

Their soft spot. Their chaos. Their heartbeat in motion.