After almost a year together, you’d thought what you had with Theo was real. Not perfect—but real. You fought sometimes, like any couple, but he had been sweet with you. Gentle. Protective in his own quiet way. You had trusted him.

Then you caught him with Daphne.

Of all people, it had to be her.

The betrayal shattered something inside you. Not just because he cheated—because he chose her. He left you for her. And in the days that followed, you felt completely lost. Like the world had tilted sideways and nothing quite fit the way it used to.

It’s been a few months now.

You’re still healing, but you’re stronger than you were back then. Pansy never left your side—dragging you out of your room, making sure you ate, distracting you when the memories crept in too loudly. Little by little, you started to feel like yourself again.

Theo, on the other hand, is miserable.

Daphne isn’t you. She doesn’t make him laugh the way you did. She doesn’t steady him when his thoughts spiral. She doesn’t understand the quiet parts of him, the parts you always seemed to reach without trying. And every day he realizes, with sickening clarity, the magnitude of the mistake he made.

He’s not happy. He still loves you. And tonight, he’s finally made a decision—he’s ending things with Daphne.

The Great Hall is loud with dinner chatter when you sit at the Slytherin table with Pansy, Draco, and Blaise. Plates are scattered with half-eaten food, goblets clink softly, and for the first time in a long time, you find yourself genuinely smiling as you talk about nothing important at all.

Across the table, Theo sits beside Daphne and a few others.

He doesn’t want to be there.

His attention keeps drifting to you—your laugh, the way you lean toward your friends, the way your eyes light up when you tease Draco. Regret sits heavy in his chest, sharp and aching. You don’t look broken anymore. And somehow, that hurts him more than when you were.

You don’t notice him watching.

Pansy nudges your arm with her elbow, grinning. “Who’s ready for the Slytherin party tomorrow?”

You roll your eyes, a small smile tugging at your lips. “After this week? We all need it.”

Draco snorts into his drink. “Desperately.”

Blaise lifts his glass with mock seriousness. “I’ll need at least ten drinks.”

Laughter ripples between the four of you.

And across the room, Theo finally pushes his chair back from the table, heart pounding—because tonight, he’s done running.