The air around Hogwarts was shifting. Autumn leaves spiraled to the ground like whispers, and the castle felt heavy with secrets—some ancient, some just beginning.

Calista Potter walked through the courtyard, laughter caught on her lips as Cedric handed her a crumpled note folded into the shape of a badger. It said: “You still owe me a Hogsmeade butterbeer. No excuses this time. — C.”

"Persistent, aren't you?" she teased, nudging him with her elbow.

Cedric only smiled in that way he always did—warm, confident, like the whole world was just a bit better when she looked at him.

But across the courtyard, leaning against a stone column and cloaked in shadow, Mattheo Riddle’s eyes were anything but warm.

He watched her laugh with Diggory—again. He had told himself he didn’t care. He never cared. But somehow, her smile when it wasn’t aimed at him made his chest twist in a way he hated.

"You’re wasting your time with golden boys," Mattheo drawled later that night when he caught Calista alone in the library. “Pretty smiles and good grades can’t keep you safe.”