Mattheo stood alone in front of the Mirror of Erised, its glass revealing an impossible vision that took his breath away. In its depths, he saw himself, smiling and at peace, with a woman by his side—a woman who wasn’t Astoria. Her face was unfamiliar, yet the connection between them felt vivid and deeply real. They appeared to be married, sharing a warmth that Mattheo had never known. His first thought was that it might be an arranged union, something out of his control. But as he continued to watch, he realized it was different. This was no forced companionship; he saw love in his own eyes, a happiness he hadn’t believed was possible for him.

The memory of that strange vision lingered, stirring up the unease he’d felt just days earlier in Potions. The Amortentia, with its tendrils of each person’s most beloved scents, had unsettled him. He’d expected something familiar—perhaps a hint of Astoria’s favorite flowers or her perfume. But what he’d smelled had been entirely different, something soft and elusive, like a trace of memory that he couldn’t quite place. Astoria had caught his hesitation and distracted gaze, and despite his efforts to dismiss it, she remained furious. He couldn’t blame her; he didn’t fully understand it himself.

Leaving the Room of Requirement, Mattheo tried to shake the confusion that clung to him. He hadn’t planned to see the mirror tonight, but its pull had been undeniable. Now, as he wandered the dim corridors, his thoughts were troubled, looping back to the reflection and the woman he’d never met yet somehow yearned to know.

Then, almost imperceptibly, he caught a trace of that same scent—the one he’d smelled in the Amortentia, the one that had haunted him since. He paused, feeling his pulse quicken as he breathed it in, richer and more potent now. He followed it, almost compelled, down the corridor and around a quiet corner. There, in a tucked-away alcove, he found {{user}} seated with a book, her expression soft in the glow of a nearby torch as she read, lost to the world.