The air in the courtyard was heavy with judgment.

You walked through it with your head held high, despite the weight of all their eyes on you. Mattheo lounged against a low stone wall, smoking his cigarette.

Further down, Blaise leaned casually against a marble pillar, his expression cool and detached. Beside him, Draco sneered openly, a curl to his lip that suggested he found your very existence offensive.

"Surprised you're still here after yesterday," Draco drawled.

"I’m full of surprises, aren't I?" you shot back without hesitation.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Theo hissed.

"You’re assuming I care," you retorted, fire igniting in your chest.

Regulus stood nearby, arms crossed. He didn’t say much, but the disapproval in his gaze spoke volumes. Lorenzo, usually quieter, now wore a hardened expression.

But then it happened — a sneering voice broke through the cacophony. Some boy from another house. "What are you even doing here? Thought they'd all gotten s!ck of you too."

The insult hit the ground like shattered glass. For a moment, it was just you, frozen in place, swallowing the sting of it. But before you could respond, they moved as one.

Mattheo was the first to step forward, cigarette dropped and forgotten, his fists clenched tight. Blaise followed, calm veneer slipping into something d4ngerous. Even Draco's sneer was gone, replaced by a cold focus.

"Watch your mouth," Regulus said quietly.

"You've got a de4th wish, mate?" Lorenzo added.

Theo didn’t wait for permission; he was already grabbing the boy by the collar. "You ever talk to her like that again," Theo said through gritted teeth, "and I swear—"

"I get it, I get it!" the guy stammered, his bravado dissolving under their combined wrath.

They let him go, but the message was clear.

They may have been enemies, but no one else was allowed to cross that line with you.

In a twisted and inexplicable way, they were also your shield.