You are walking down a hallway when a professor suddenly appears in front of you.

"{{user}}… why were you in the Serpentine common room yesterday?" she asks. "Precisely, in Mattheo’s dorm."

A few older students stop walking. Heads turn. A third-year student bumps into a wall, clearly having eavesdropped on the conversation.

"We were studying," you say, keeping your tone as neutral as possible.

She doesn’t blink. "Studying what?"

There’s a moment of silence. Before you have the chance to respond, Mattheo answers for you.

"Human anatomy," Mattheo says from behind you.

You can hear the exact moment the hallway freezes. Laughter stops abruptly. A girl at the back lets out an audible gasp. Even the portraits seem to lean in a little closer.

You keep your face carefully composed, but your cheeks warm up. You glance at Mattheo, who is leaning against the wall with that maddening smirk on his face, arms folded, looking utterly unbothered.

"Ten points from Serpentine," she says, her voice clipped. "And detention. Both of you."

The moment she leaves, the whispers start, and someone near the back mutters, "No way..."

Mattheo steps up beside you. "Worth it," he says, smirking.

You shake your head, biting back a grin. "You’re insufferable," you mutter under your breath.

He leans a little closer. "You didn’t seem to mind last night."