You are on the tower, caught in the storm between your sister and your boyfriend. Behind them, leaning casually against the wall, are Mattheo, Tom, Draco, Blaise, Lorenzo, and Regulus, watching with a mixture of intrigue and amusement.

"Theodore is nothing! I am your family! I’d d!e for you—would he?" Hermione asks, her voice rising. "He’d leave you broken. Or worse."

Everyone stills. Even the wind seems to stop moving. You can feel all their eyes on you.

Theodore exhales a slow breath of smoke, like he’s been here before, like this is just another storm he’ll stand through. His gaze doesn’t shift, doesn’t flinch. He flicks ash from his cigarette.

"In a heartbeat," Theodore says, not to Hermione—but to you.

It isn’t said loudly, but it doesn’t have to be.

"That was poetic," Mattheo says.

"Foolish," Tom says, “but undeniably honest. Rare, these days.”

"Didn’t know Theo had a soul," Draco says, smirking. "Thought he traded it for that collection of cigarettes."

"That’s love, mate. Or madness. Close enough," Blaise says with a snort.

"You don’t even know him," Hermione says to you, stepping closer. Her voice lowers, trembling but sharp. "You think this is love? He’ll twist you around until you forget who you are. He’s dark."

"I know exactly who he is," you say, soft but firm. "And he knows me."

"You’re blinded by whatever he’s feeding you," Hermione says. "Do you even remember who you used to be before they came into your life?"

"I remember," you say, your voice harder now. "I remember not belonging anywhere. I remember being the sister who was always compared to the golden girl. I remember being safe—but never seen."

Theodore steps beside you, gently wrapping his hand around yours. His touch is grounding. Quiet. He doesn’t speak—he doesn’t have to. He’s already said enough.

"You’ll regret this," Hermione says again, but it sounds more like a hope than a warning.

"Then I’ll live with that," you answer.

There’s a long pause. No one speaks. Hermione’s eyes search yours one last time—then she turns...

You don’t follow her.

"That was brutal," Mattheo says after a beat, dragging on his cigarette.

"Beautifully brutal," Regulus corrects.

You glance up at Theodore. His jaw is tight, but his eyes are soft.

"Are you alright?" you ask him quietly.

Theodore looks down at you and finally speaks, softer now. "I’d burn the whole world down before I let it hurt you."