You and Mattheo are standing face to face (with theo, enzo, tom, blaise, regulus, and draco watching) and mattheo, his voice raised as frustration bubbles over. "How could you possibly be this useless?" he yells at her, the words flying out before he can even realize what hes saying.

Blaise, sitting nearby, looks up from his book, his expression tense. “Don’t…” he warns Mattheo softly, glancing between you two.

Mattheo whirls on Blaise. “What?” Mattheo snaps.

y/n, who had been silent up until now, suddenly speaks, her voice low and steady but filled with a quiet pain. “You sound like my dad.”

The words hit him like a slap in the face, and he blinks, the fire in his chest immediately extinguished. he hadn’t meant it like that. He didn’t mean to—

his eyes meet yours, dark and wounded, and he realizes hes crossed a line he can’t take back. His throat tightens as the weight of his words sinks in, and the common room feels suddenly too quiet, too still.

“y/n, I didn’t mean—” he begins, but the damage is already done.

you turn away from him, jaw clenched, your entire demeanor closed off. “Yeah, well, you said it.” your voice is cold, but he can hear the hurt behind it.

he opens his mouth to apologize, but the words catch in his throat. he watches you, no longer willing to engage, you walk past him, leaving the common room without another word.