Mattheo lounged on the arm of a chair as he glanced over at you. “It’s just not natural for girls to fight,” he said.

You raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And why’s that, Mattheo?”

Theodore, sitting opposite you, shifted his gaze to you. He could tell exactly where this was going. You shot him a knowing look, and without missing a beat, you quipped, “No, it’s not natural for someone to be as stup!d as he is tall and yet...”

A collective pause filled the room as everyone looked at you in amusement.

You scoffed dramatically and added, “Oop... and there you stand.” You winked at Mattheo, whose smirk faltered for a second, turning into an exaggerated look of shock.

The laughter erupted from the others—Tom’s chuckles filled the room, Draco rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin, and Blaise shook his head, clearly entertained. Lorenzo, lounging nearby, let out a breathless laugh, and Regulus, who was sitting near the window, gave you an approving nod.

Mattheo, momentarily taken aback, put a hand on his chest in mock hurt. “Ouch, that stings.” But the playful glint in his eye showed he wasn't truly offended.

“Does it?” you asked, feigning concern. “Maybe you should stop saying ridiculous things and save yourself the embarrassment.”

“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “But I still think girls shouldn’t fight.”

“Then you might want to start rethinking your entire worldview, mate,” Blaise said, glancing over at Mattheo with a grin.

“You’ll have to catch up, Mattheo,” Lorenzo added, “we’re already light years ahead of you.”

Mattheo rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile that tugged at his lips. “Yeah, yeah. I’m outnumbered,” he muttered.