Mattheo sat at the long Slytherin table, eyes fixed on the flickering candles above the Great Hall. His food sat untouched. His mind was elsewhere.

“This doesn’t sit right with me,” he muttered finally, his voice low but edged with unease.

Theo glanced up from his plate. “What do you mean, Mattheo?”

Mattheo leaned in, his expression dark. “The way our classmates have been disappearing. First Adrian, then Daphne’s friend from Ravenclaw—gone without a trace.”

Theo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know, mate. Maybe they transferred or got sent home. Let the professors handle it.”

Draco chimed in, his tone careful but dismissive. “I agree with Theo. Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little? It’s not our job to—”

Mattheo’s chair scraped against the stone floor as he stood abruptly. “Overreacting? People are going missing, Draco. And no one seems to care.”

The group fell silent for a moment, tension hanging thick in the air.

Tom, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate. “Last thing I heard,” he said, “was that there were noises heard in the halls late at night. Near the dungeons.”

Theo frowned. “Noises?”

Tom’s eyes glinted in the candlelight. “Whispers. Footsteps when no one’s there. Strange things.”

Mattheo looked between them, jaw tight. “Something is going on here,” he said, his voice hard with determination. “And I’ll find out what—and who—is doing this.”

Theo exhaled and pushed his plate aside. “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll help you. But if we end up getting caught wandering around after curfew, you’re explaining it to your brother.”

Tom’s mouth curved into a faint smirk. “You won’t have to,” he said. “Because I’ll be there. We’ll all be there.”

Draco nodded, a flicker of unease crossing his features. “Guess that means we’re in this together, then.”

Mattheo looked around at them—his brother, his friends—and nodded once, firm and resolute.

“Good,” he said quietly. “Then let’s find out what Hogwarts is hiding.”