The common room is quiet, except for the murmurs of the boys gathered near the fireplace—Mattheo, Theodore, Lorenzo, Regulus, Blaise, and Tom.

"You were that close to {{user}}... with her looking at your lips, and you didn’t kiss her?!" Theodore says, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"It wasn’t the right time, Theo. I told you... I’m serious with her. I want her to be mine," Mattheo replies, his voice low.

"That’s kind of hard to do when she doesn’t even know you like her," Lorenzo says, tossing a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"I’m trying," Mattheo says with a frustrated sigh. "But she’s either immune to my flirting or... just too oblivious to notice."

"Maybe you need to be a little more... you know... obvious with your flirting," Tom says with a shrug.

"Or maybe she’s just not interested," Theodore says, raising an eyebrow.

"If she wasn’t interested, then why was she staring at his lips?" Blaise asks, arms crossed as he leans casually against the wall.

"If she was interested, why didn’t she just kiss him?" Theodore counters, still not letting it go.

"Because the girls want the guy to make the first move... it’s obvious!" Lorenzo says, chuckling.

"You should have kissed her, Matt," Theodore says with a shake of his head.

"I told you, it wasn’t the right time," Mattheo says again, more firmly now.

"Then stop dancing around it and just tell her you fancy her, Mattheo," Regulus says.

Just then, the common room door opens and Draco strolls in.

"Do you actually fancy someone, cousin? Who is it?" Draco asks, arching one eyebrow in amusement.

Before Mattheo can answer, the door opens again. You step in, books cradled in your arms, your eyes flicking briefly toward the group—long enough to feel the weight of their silence.

Mattheo doesn’t turn, but his eyes shift to you—just a side glance, quick but unmistakable.

"Well... that answers that," Lorenzo says, smirking.

Mattheo exhales quietly, his gaze lingering on you just a moment longer.

"Merlin help me," he mutters under his breath.