You had stepped outside for a moment to enjoy the cool air of the courtyard. You can still hear the sound of their laughter, see their soft smile. All seemed peaceful until a voice reached your ears - it was Draco's. But there was something different about it. It was sharper.

As you rounded the corner of the building, your heart dropped. There, in the center of the courtyard, stood Draco, Mattheo, Tom, Blaise, Theodore, Lorenzo, and Regulus, surrounded by a group of other students.

But it wasn’t the usual back-and-forth rivalry. This was something else.

Draco’s fists were clenched, his face twisted in a sneer. “You think you can insult me and get away with it?” Draco spat.

Blaise was holding someone by the collar. “Say another word, and I’ll show you what happens when you pick a fight with the wrong people.”

Theodore had a student pinned to the ground, his knee pressing into his chest. “You’ve crossed a line, and I don’t think you’ll be walking away from this one.”

Lorenzo was pacing in front of the group, his eyes scanning the scene with an intensity you hadn’t thought possible from him. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’ve pushed us too far.”

Regulus and Tom stood at the edge of the circle, silent, but their presence alone was enough to make the students around them uneasy.

And then, Mattheo. The one who had been so soft, so kind to you earlier—he was now standing with his body tense, his teeth gritted. “We didn’t want this,” he growled, “but now you’ve made it personal.”

You stood frozen, watching as the boys you thought you knew were no longer the kind-hearted group they had been just moments ago. They were different now. Their eyes were wild, their movements sharp and calculated, and there was no warmth left in them.

You took a step back, your heart pounding in your chest, feeling something twist inside you. The boys you had spent time with, laughing and talking—those boys were gone.

For the first time, you were truly afraid of them - afraid of a side of them you had never seen before.