The Hall buzzed with the usual chatter. You sat with a group of friends, a casual ease about you that made the conversations around you seem effortless. Mattheo, seated with Draco, Blaise, Tom, Theodore, Lorenzo and Regulus, couldn’t seem to stop glancing in your direction, his jaw tightening each time your laughter reached his ears.

"So, seriously," Mattheo muttered to his friends, "What is it with her? Every time she talks to someone, it’s like the whole room just stops."

Lorenzo followed your movements. "She’s got that effect on people, doesn’t she? Doesn’t even have to try. It’s like she just… draws everyone in."

Tom spoke up. "She is magnetic."

Mattheo's eyes darted back to where you were laughing with another student. Something about it bothered him, more than he could explain.

Regulus finally spoke. "She's smoking hot, mate. You're not blind, are you? If you don't make a move soon, someone else will."

The words hit Mattheo like a cold splash of water and his eyes instantly narrowed.

"Honestly," Theodore added "If you’re not going to do anything about it, I’ll be happy to."

The implication hung in the air like a challenge, and Mattheo's breath hitched. Without even thinking, a deep, irrational surge of pssessiveness gripped him. "What did you just say?"

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "You heard me. You’re not the only one who’s noticed her, you know."

"She's not some prize to be won," Mattheo growled. The thought of you with someone else made him wild.

Draco watched the shift in Mattheo. "You know, for someone who says he doesn’t care, you sure seem invested in this."

Mattheo stood up abruptly. "I’m not dealing with this," he muttered under his breath, storming out of the hall without another word.

Blaise watched him go. "Well, looks like someone’s finally realizing what he’s got in front of him."

As Mattheo stormed off, his mind raced with jealousy, the thought of anyone else getting too close to you unsettling him. Unaware, he'd become tangled in emotions he wasn't ready to face.