It had been your idea, of course. With Halloween creeping closer, you decided the perfect way to spend the weekend was at a haunted house. It had taken some convincing—because while the Slytherin boys liked to look tough, you knew better. Some of them weren’t exactly thrilled about dark corridors, jump scares, or muggles in demon masks. Still, they’d agreed, and you were practically buzzing with excitement.

Haunted houses rarely scared you. If anything, you loved them. After a little research, you’d found one you hadn’t tried before: Hell’s Gate. The brochure promised an hour-long nightmare, “the scariest in the country.” You grinned when you read it. Perfect.

When the weekend rolled around, the six of you headed out. The ride over was full of jokes and chatter, and when you finally arrived, you were practically bouncing as you joined the line. The air smelled like popcorn and damp autumn leaves, the sky overcast with that October gloom that made everything feel spookier. You kept sneaking looks at the boys, wondering which of them you’d catch jumping first.

Inside, your group was ushered into a wide, circular chamber with other visitors. The heavy doors slammed shut, and the room plunged into shadow—red lights flickering faintly along the walls. The floor began to spin beneath your feet, slow at first, making people stumble and laugh nervously.

You, of course, smiled. This was your idea of fun.

On your right, Mattheo steadied himself with a scowl, while Theo stood at your left, muttering under his breath about muggle entertainment. When the spinning stopped, the doors creaked open to reveal a long, narrow tunnel.

You felt Draco’s hand slide into yours as you stepped forward, and when you looked back, his pale eyes were on you. You gave him a quick smile before tugging him along, leading the pack. Mattheo and Theo flanked you on either side, with Blaise and Enzo bringing up the rear.

“How do we always agree to go to these?” Enzo groaned, glancing warily at the flickering lights overhead.

You chuckled, but Mattheo was quicker with the answer. “Because none of us can say no to her.”

The others muttered their agreement, and you couldn’t help but smirk at the truth of it.

The tunnel narrowed as the lights flickered more violently, strange scraping sounds echoing ahead. Then, without warning, a shrill, blood-curdling scream cut through the hall. All five boys jolted—just slightly, but enough for you to burst out laughing.

“Di dannazione,” Theo cursed under his breath, his Italian sharp and irritated. You laughed harder, knowing full well he’d just said God damnit.

“This is going to be a long hour,” Blaise muttered, running a hand down his face as the walls shook with another loud crash.

You just grinned, squeezing Draco’s hand. “Oh, I think it’s going to be fun.”

And with that, you led your group deeper into Hell’s Gate, already giddy to see which of them cracked first.