The common room hummed with quiet energy, while the dim green glow from the lake filtered through the tall windows.

Mattheo sprawled lazily on the couch, his legs stretched out. Theodore and Regulus sat nearby, leaning over a chessboard locked in a stalemate, their expressions stoic but sharp with focus. Draco perched in a chair across from them.

You sat curled up by the fire, basking in the rare quiet.

Mattheo's voice cut through the stillness, playful and provocative. “I have a bed but I never sleep. What am I?”

Theodore glanced up briefly, unimpressed. “A vampire?”

Mattheo snorted. “No. Too easy. Anyone else?”

His gaze landed on you. You tilted your head thoughtfully, pretending to weigh the options. Finally, with a smile tugging at your lips, you answered confidently, “Tree.”

The room fell into a stunned silence.

Draco paused mid-polish, blinking as if you'd just sprouted horns. Theodore’s brow furrowed slightly, and even Regulus looked up from the chessboard, intrigued.

Tom tilted his head ever so slightly, his expression unreadable. “Care to explain your thought process there?” he asked.

You chuckled, biting back a grin. “No.”

Draco made a strangled sound. “That’s not the right answer!”

Mattheo barked out a laugh, his shoulders shaking. “Tree? What kind of answer is that?”

“It makes sense if you think about it,” you said lightly, refusing to back down.

“It really doesn’t,” Theodore muttered. “But this is classic you.”

Regulus added dryly, “Creative, at least.”

“I stand by it,” you declared, crossing your arms smugly.

“You are impossible,” Draco grumbled, shaking his head in exasperation.

Tom’s lips curled into a faint smirk. “You know,” he drawled, “I think I like this answer better.”

That earned a chorus of protests from Mattheo and Draco.

“It’s wrong!” Draco insisted.

“Completely mental,” Mattheo agreed, still laughing.

But Tom’s approval lingered like a subtle victory, and you couldn’t help but grin triumphantly, secure in your answer—whether it was right or not.