It had been months since Snape took over, and the air felt heavier, tighter, like everyone was walking on eggshells. You had been friends with the Slytherin boys back in your earlier years—the smart, cunning, reckless lot who made even the darkest corners of the dungeons feel alive. Mattheo, Theodore, Lorenzo… their laughter and teasing had once been a comfort. But things had shifted. Draco had vanished into the shadow of his family’s legacy, the others following suit, and suddenly those friendships felt like a memory from someone else’s life.

Pansy and Blaise stayed closer, of course, their loyalty to Slytherin and to each other unwavering. But the boys… they tried. They would linger in hallways, toss glances that said, We’re still here, even if everything’s changed.

Tonight, they had cornered you in the common room, that familiar mix of hope and nervousness painted across their faces. You were perched on a couch near the back, pretending to read, but you weren’t really looking at the words.

“You’re ignoring us,” Mattheo said, leaning casually against the railing. Theodore and Lorenzo lingered behind him, glancing nervously at each other.

“I’m… not,” you said cautiously, closing your book halfway.

“Come on,” Lorenzo urged, taking a tentative step closer. “We know things have… changed. But we wanted to check in. See how you’re holding up.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You mean after… all of this?” You gestured vaguely at the room, the house, the way the school felt under Snape.

Theo gave a small shrug. “Yeah. I know we haven’t been… around. Or at least, not like we used to. And I get it if you don’t want to talk to us.”

There was a pause, stretched just long enough to make the tension almost unbearable. Pansy and Blaise were off to the side, pretending to play cards, but you knew they were watching.