Draco sits with one leg over the other, his wand spinning between his fingers, his expression unreadable.

“Did you hear that Cedric and {{user}} broke up?” Draco says, loud enough for the group to hear.

There’s a pause. A sharp one. The kind that makes everyone lift their heads.

Tom closes the book in his lap, slowly. “That explains his sour expression,” Tom says. “He looked ready to curse the entire corridor outside the Charms classroom today.”

Mattheo smirks, running a hand through his dark curls. "Honestly, Cedric was always too soft. She needs someone who can match her pace, not hold her back.”

Lorenzo lifts his glass to his lips. “Only a fool would let a woman like that walk away,” he says simply. “But maybe she walked away for a reason.”

Their eyes drift across the room toward you.

You are sitting in the armchair by the fire, your expression unreadable as you turn a page in your book. You have the kind of silence that doesn't hide, but dares people to come closer.

“Wait... that means she’s single, right?” Theodore says, trying to sound casual, but there’s something sharper in his voice. Something hopeful.

Blaise glances sideways at him. “You’re not the only one who’s been waiting for that door to open,” he says smoothly. “But let’s not pretend it won’t come with a price.”

It’s unspoken—but true. If one of them went after you now, it wouldn't just be about romance. It’d be a declaration of war... against their own friends.

“Actually…” Pansy starts.

Everyone turns.

“I hate to burst your little fantasy,” she says, “but {{user}} isn’t on the market.”

The air thickens.

“What are you talking about?” Mattheo asks, frowning.

“I mean,” Pansy says, looking at her nails before casting a glance toward you, “she’s already seeing someone new.”

That stops everything.

“And I’m pretty sure,” she continues, “that he wouldn’t appreciate the rest of you planning how to flirt with his girl.”

She pauses... then looks directly at one of the boys.

His expression doesn’t change.

He just meets her gaze.

Then your eyes lift from the page, and you glance across the room, straight at him.

You don’t smile.

But you don’t need to.

The connection is obvious now.

The boys shift in their seats, glancing between each other in stunned silence.

So, who is your secret boyfriend?