The fire crackled softly in the corner of the room, casting a warm glow over the group sprawled across the mismatched cushions. The conversation was light, filled with bursts of laughter and the occasional teasing comment.

Mattheo’s voice rang out, loud and full of energy as he shared a particularly absurd story, prompting a burst of laughter from the others. You found yourself across the room, standing near the window with a cup of tea in hand.

"Care for a dance?" Regulus asked suddenly, his voice low but warm, pulling you out of the reverie of the room's gentle chaos.

You set your cup aside and allowed him to take your hand, the touch of his fingers cool against your skin. The music playing softly from a nearby corner was a slow, haunting tune—one that seemed to draw the two of you together effortlessly.

Regulus didn’t speak, but his presence was commanding in its own way, his hand resting gently on your back, guiding you without forcing the pace.

As you moved together, the rest of the group carried on as if nothing had changed. Mattheo was recounting another outlandish story, Draco was grinning at whatever was being said, and Blaise was adding his own layer of smooth commentary. But it felt like you and Regulus were in a world of your own.

Regulus’ eyes never left yours, his gaze intense but not overwhelming. There was something in the way he watched you, as if he understood the unspoken things between the two of you.

As the music drifted to a close, the two of you slowed, almost imperceptibly. Regulus gave a small, private smile, his eyes softening with a trace of something deeper, something unspoken.

You stayed there, caught in the stillness of the moment, until the laughter from the others finally pulled you back into the present. Regulus’s hand lingered on your back for just a heartbeat longer before he released you, his smile never fading as he returned his gaze to the others, but there was something in the quiet of the moment that spoke volumes.