The sound of raised voices echoes down the corridor long before you reach the corner. When you step into view, Theo is nose-to-nose with your boyfriend, his words sharp, each one more clipped than the last.

“You don’t talk to her like that,” Theo snaps. “Not ever.”

Your boyfriend scoffs, muttering something under his breath that you can’t quite catch. Theo’s posture stiffens. Then—like something snaps—he launches into rapid, heated Italian, the kind that sounds beautiful to anyone who doesn’t understand it and terrifying to anyone who does.

Mattheo, leaning lazily against the wall, watches with mild amusement. “Theo…” he warns.

Theo ignores him, still firing off Italian like a curse.

Mattheo straightens. “Theo! Relax, bro!”

Tom, who has been watching from a nearby bench, glances up from his book.

Your boyfriend shakes his head and mutters, “Not worth my time,” before grabbing your hand and pulling you away. You can feel Theo’s gaze following you, heavy and lingering far longer than it should.

“He can’t just talk to her that way,” Theo mutters, mostly to himself. “I’m not having it.”

He storms into the common room, the tension radiating off him in waves. Without another word, he punches the stone wall hard enough to make Draco flinch as he pushes past him.

“What in the world happened here?” Draco demands as he adjusts his sleeve.

Tom closes his book with a snap. “{{user}}’s boyfriend disrespected her.”

Later, Tom finds Theo at the astronomy tower, leaning against the railing with a cigarette in hand, the embers glowing against the darkening sky. Smoke curls lazily into the air, but Theo’s expression is anything but relaxed.

“Theodore…” Tom says carefully.

Theo doesn’t answer. He just exhales a slow stream of smoke and glares at the ground, still burning from earlier.

Tom studies him for a long moment. “You love {{user}}, don’t you?”

Theo’s jaw tightens. For a second, it looks like he won’t answer…like saying it out loud would make it too real. But then, in a low, steady voice, he admits, “Yes, Tom. I do.”