The dungeons were alive with music and laughter, green lantern light flickering against the stone walls as the Slytherin party raged on. Drinks poured freely, enchanted goblets refilling themselves the moment they ran empty, and she had definitely had one too many. {{user}}'s head was buzzing, her cheeks warm, and her patience was thinning. Her boyfriend was seated with his mates, loud and obnoxious as they carried on about meaningless things, boasting over who hexed who in class that week. He laughed with them like he was the king of the world, but to her, he just seemed like an arrogant fool. A rebound, if she were honest. That was all he ever was. But it wasn’t her sobriety that was the problem. It was him. Mattheo Riddle. Her infamous ex, the one she always seemed to circle back to. One glance across a crowded room, one shared smirk, and it was as if the rest of the world melted away. {{user}} hated how easily he could undo her, how magnetic his presence was, how much she still craved him even when she swore she didn’t. No one knew, of course. She was taken. He was… well, he was Mattheo. The kind of boy who could have whoever he wanted. Their connection wasn’t just dangerous, it was forbidden. But Merlin, it felt so good when they found each other in the shadows.

She excused herself from her boyfriend’s group, swirling her goblet before setting it down on the table with a sigh. “I’m going upstairs,” she muttered, though no one was listening. She just needed air. Space. An escape from the suffocating noise. As she slipped away into the quieter corridors, the thrum of the party fading behind her, she didn’t even realize his dark eyes had been following her every move. Mattheo disentangled himself from a girl draped lazily at his side, his so-called girlfriend for the night, and trailed after her with a smirk that curled like smoke. She pushed open the door to her dorm, stepping inside and pressing her hands to the desk for balance as the alcohol swam through her veins. That’s when she heard it, that low, taunting voice she knew too well.*

“You’re just begging for my attention, aren’t you?” Her eyes snapped up to the mirror above her desk, catching his reflection as he shut the door behind him with a quiet click. “I didn’t even know you were here,” {{user}} shot back, venom lacing her words. “Grow up, Mattheo.” He chuckled darkly, the sound dripping with arrogance. “This is my common room, love. Of course I’m here." Before she could protest, he was crossing the room, his presence overwhelming as he boxed her in, hands sliding around her waist, his breath warm against her ear. “We can’t do this anymore, Mattheo—” {{user}} started, but the words died as he pressed his mouth to hers, urgent and unrelenting, pinning her against the desk. “I’ve been watching you all night,” he murmured against her lips, biting her bottom one just hard enough to make her gasp. His fingers trailed down her back, teasing at the zipper of her dress robes. A shiver ran through her at his touch, her resolve unraveling as quickly as the fabric. Oh, yes. She was definitely screwed.