The common room buzzed with its usual hum of conversation. Theodore leaned back in his chair. “My sister is arriving today,” he said. He cast a deliberate look around the group of boys seated around him. “And let me make one thing very clear—she’s off-limits. Got it?”

Draco quirked an eyebrow and smirked. “Relax, Theo. No one’s plotting to charm your sister. We’re not savages.”

Mattheo chuckled. “Yeah, no offense, but is she like you? All brooding silence and cryptic stares? Because if that’s the case, I think we’re safe.”

“She’s nothing like me,” Theodore said evenly.

“You’re being awfully defensive for someone who claims she’s not worth the fuss,” Blaise remarked.

Regulus added. “Don’t worry, Theo. We’re not about to throw ourselves at your sister. She’ll probably be too busy trying to avoid this group of misfits anyway.”

Theodore’s gaze shifted to Tom, who hadn’t said a word. “Why the proclamation?” Tom asked quietly. “Think we’re incapable of showing restraint?”

“It’s not restraint I’m worried about,” Theodore muttered.

The boys laughed and moved on, jokes and teasing filling the air again. None seemed overly interested in Theodore’s sister—until the door opened.

You stepped inside, your posture confident and your expression calm. Conversations faltered for a moment as students turned their heads.

“Is that her?” Mattheo muttered under his breath.

“She doesn’t look like Theo,” Draco said. “I was expecting something... different.”

“Interesting,” Blaise murmured.

But Tom didn’t speak. He sat still, his gaze fixed on you as you moved through the room, every detail of your presence catching his attention—the way you carried yourself, the confidence in your smile, the way your eyes seemed to absorb everything around you with quiet curiosity.