The Hall was quieter than it had ever been. No clatter of plates, no laughter bouncing off the enchanted ceiling. Just the heavy stillness between two sides that had never quite belonged together.

Hermione stood firm, her arms crossed, eyes scanning the group in front of her—Mattheo, Tom, Draco, Blaise, Regulus, Lorenzo, Theodore… and you. The children of De4th Eaters. The ones who had always walked the castle’s halls like shadows, carrying names that meant something long before they did.

“The De4th Eaters’ kids…” she said, her voice even but edged with something unspoken. “But this castle… this is the place where all of us can live.”

Ron huffed, a smirk tugging at his lips as he rocked back on his heels. “They can change their names… or change their minds.” His tone was light, but the weight behind it was impossible to ignore.

Harry, standing beside him, didn’t smile. His gaze, sharp as ever, lingered on each of you before he finally spoke. “Or maybe they can leave this place.”

The air between you all seemed to thin.

Mattheo tilted his head, studying them like he was deciding whether to be amused or irritated. Tom didn’t move, but there was something calculating behind his gaze. Draco’s fingers curled, Blaise raised a brow in mock interest, Regulus barely reacted, and Lorenzo simply exhaled slowly. Theodore remained silent, but you could feel his mind working, weighing the options.

And then there was you.

You, standing among them, feeling the weight of expectation from both sides.

Once, you had shined in the way only those born into something greater could. But now? Now, that light had dimmed, lost in the space between past and future.

You used to shine so bright, but now, no more.

And the question still lingered—what now?