The dormitory was silent and shrouded in darkness. This was not the kind of silence that comes with sleep, but one of control. It was as if the room itself had been commanded to be quiet.

You entered as you always did, your paws slipping silently across the floor. The door had been left unlocked and slightly ajar, as if he wanted you to come in.

He always knew.

He stood in front of the tall mirror, his sleeves already rolled up and his fingers on the buttons of his immaculate shirt. “Still playing spy, kitten?”

“You’ve been following me for days,” he continued calmly. “Watching. Listening. Thinking you’re clever.”

He slipped his shirt off his shoulders. “You think I wouldn’t recognize you’re an An!magus? Please.”

Only then did he turn to face you fully, his bare chest and eyes sharp. “Enjoying the view?” he asked, arching a brow. “Or do you plan to shift and explain exactly what you’re looking for?”

You didn’t move. You just sat there, tail curled, eyes fixed on him.

He smirked, like he already knew the answer. Like he’d known all along.

“Stay in that form if you want,” he said, stepping closer. “I won’t stop undressing just because you’re here.”

He stopped a few feet away, tilting his head slightly. “You wanted to know who I am beneath the robes. Behind the masks. Didn’t you?”

You blinked slowly, unflinching.

“Well,” he murmured, “keep watching, then.”

With that, he turned back to the mirror, his reflection watching you as closely as he did.

Not once did he look away.

Not once did he tell you to leave.

Because you were never really hiding from him.

He’d seen you from the start.

And now?

He was daring you to stay.