The stone corridors of the castle stretched endlessly. You wandered alone, your footsteps echoing faintly as you took in the cold, ancient beauty of the place. As you rounded a corner, a voice interrupted your thoughts.

“Hey! I’m Pansy,” came a chirpy greeting.

Despite the lively tone, there was a guarded look in her eyes. You nodded and offered a soft smile. “{{user}}.”

For a moment, Pansy just stared at you, head tilted slightly.

“Are you okay?” you asked.

Pansy blinked. “You’re just so… I don’t know… warm? I wasn’t expecting it.”

You chuckled softly. “Yeah, sorry. I just tend to put up a cold front in those sorts of situations.”

Pansy’s lips quirked into a smirk. “Yeah, that’s smart.”

Before you could reply, a shoulder collided with yours, nearly knocking you off balance. You turned sharply to see Tom.

“Excuse you,” you said pointedly, your voice icy.

Tom stopped and turned, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s get something straight—”

You cut him off. “No, let me make something clear. I am just as unhappy about this whole situation as you are. I was forced into it just as much as you. So I suggest you remove your head from your @ss. I don’t expect any sort of affection from you, let alone talking to me, but one thing I won’t accept is disrespect.”

A stunned silence fell over the hallway.

Behind Tom, Draco, Blaise, Theodore, Lorenzo, and Regulus stood frozen, their eyes wide in various states of amusement and disbelief.

Tom’s jaw tightened, his expression unreadable. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away, his cloak billowing behind him.

You scoffed, your voice dripping with sarcasm as you called after him, “That’s right, walk away!”

Turning back to the group, you met their entertained gazes. “Anyway,” you said with a casual smile, as if nothing had happened.

Lorenzo crossed his arms. “And they’re supposed to get married?”

Mattheo, who had been lingering at the edge of the group, stepped forward with a dramatic scowl. “Not fair,” he muttered under his breath.