The dungeon echoed with the sound of bubbling cauldrons while the professor wandered between the rows, offering cheerful encouragement to some and pointed coughs of disapproval to others.

At the back, the boys had claimed their usual post. Draco lounged with his chin propped on his hand and tilted his head. “Mattheo,” he drawled, “why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

Theodore smirked without looking up from the lazy circles he was stirring into his cauldron. “Yeah, tell us. Don’t tell me you’ve gone shy on us.”

Regulus didn’t bother to speak; he only leaned back, arms crossed, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips like he already knew more than the rest of them.

Mattheo let out a scoff, stretching his legs out under the table with deliberate ease. “I’m very specific when it comes to my type,” he said.

Draco arched a brow. “Specific?” he echoed. “What is this, some kind of checklist?”

Theo chuckled. “Or maybe you just enjoy keeping secrets.”

Across the room, you leaned over your cauldron and watched your potion swirl into something dangerously unstable. The student working beside you looked at you with wide eyes.

“Hey,” you said smoothly, handing them a small jar of crushed herbs. “Add this to the potion. It’s in the recipe.”

The other student dumped the herbs straight in.

Then...the cauldron erupted with a violent hiss, showering the table with sparks and smoke.

“Works every time,” you murmured with a low chuckle, brushing ash off your sleeve as though this were routine.

From the back of the room, the boys erupted in laughter. Draco shook his head, grinning. “Well,” he said, “she is mean.”

Theo gave a short laugh, watching the chaos. “Downright cruel, if you ask me.”

Mattheo, however, hadn’t taken his eyes off you. The curve of your mouth, the mischief in your eyes, the way you didn’t flinch under the explosion... all of it held his attention. And then that dangerous little smirk of his returned, slow and deliberate.

“Just how I like it,” he said softly, his gaze lingering on you long enough for Draco to notice.

“Oh, Merlin,” Draco groaned, smirking. “Mattheo’s gone and found trouble.”

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. “Not found it... he’s chasing it.”

Regulus leaned back further in his chair. “This,” he whispered, “is going to be interesting.”

Mattheo didn’t answer them. His focus was on you, still grinning over the smoke curling from your ruined cauldron, as if chaos was your favorite game.