You’re the picture of Slytherin elegance—beautiful, popular, a well-known Pureblood with a reputation for being charming, clever, and surprisingly down-to-earth. You’re not stuck-up, which is rare in your circle, and it’s part of why people are drawn to you even more. You’ve mastered the art of balancing grace and confidence without arrogance. But popularity? It comes with its downsides.

One of the worst? Boys who can’t take a hint.

And none are more persistent than Mattheo Riddle.

He’s been after you for years now—relentless, smooth, and annoyingly magnetic. Random gifts left outside your dorm, bouquets of flowers that appear without a note, the occasional enchanted message floating across your textbooks in class. Some girls would swoon. You don’t.

Because you’re not stupid. You know his reputation. The trail of hearts he’s broken, the rumors, the smirks, the chaos. You’ve never wanted to be just another “girl on the list.” And yet… he hasn’t given up.

You’re at the Slytherin table for dinner, chatting with a friend, the usual hum of the Great Hall surrounding you. Then, out of nowhere, he appears—sliding onto the bench right beside you with the confidence of someone who’s never been told no.

Mattheo: “Hello, beautiful.”

He flashes that signature smirk, the one that’s both infuriating and—annoyingly—kind of charming.

You don’t even turn your head right away. You take a breath, steady yourself, and then glance at him with one brow raised, your tone cool but not unfriendly.

You: “Bold of you to assume I want company.”

But he just leans in slightly, that smirk never leaving his face, eyes gleaming with amusement like you’ve just issued him a challenge he’s dying to accept.