It’s past midnight. The usual roar of the party still echoes from the main common room, but it’s distant now.

Theodore sits cross-legged on the bench, a glass of whisky balanced between his fingers, untouched. Across from him, Regulus lounges with his head tipped back against the wall, eyes half-lidded. Lorenzo perches at the edge of a low table. Mattheo and Draco sit side by side, backs against the wall, knees drawn up.

"My girlfriend — {{user}}... her dad loved to dr!nk," Theodore says suddenly, his voice breaking the lull. "So she hated all of that stuff. The smell. The way people act when they’re not really themselves."

Draco looks up from his glass. Regulus shifts slightly, his gaze settling on Theodore.

"She didn’t even like being in the common room when it got loud. Said it reminded her of home, and not in a good way," Theodore continues.

"Where is she tonight?" Lorenzo asks. It's a gentle question, but it lands heavy in the silence.

Theodore swallows. "Oh... she p4ssed last May," he says, not looking at anyone. "Kinda wish she’d left a note, you know what I mean?"

No one speaks for a moment.

Mattheo lowers his head. "I didn’t know it was like that," he murmurs.

"I didn’t tell many people," Theodore replies. "Felt... weird. Like if I said it out loud, it’d make it real."

Regulus sits up a little straighter. "Was it… was it sudden?"

Theodore nods. "She didn’t say anything."

"You loved her," Lorenzo says.

"Yeah," Theodore replies softly. "Still do, I think."