You and Theo Nott had never been friends—not even close. You ran in the same Slytherin circles, shared mutual acquaintances, and ended up at the same parties more often than you liked. He was sharp-tongued, smug, and annoying. You tolerated each other at best. That was just how it had always been.

But everything changed in a matter of seconds.

You’d been dating Ryan for five months now—a fellow Slytherin, older by a year, and charming on the surface. But the relationship had been rocky from the start. You’d chalked it up to pressure, stress, growing pains… anything but what it really was. And today, it finally reached a breaking point.

The argument started like usual. Frustrated words. Accusations. But this time, it got worse. He called you names—cruel, degrading things. That was it. You’d had enough. You stood your ground, got in his face, told him exactly what you thought of him.

And then… he hit you.

You stumbled to the floor, stunned, the sharp pain spreading across your cheek as your ears rang with his voice. He grabbed your arm, trying to yank you back up as he kept yelling, but you shoved him—hard—into the wall. The moment his body hit the stone, you bolted.

Heart racing, tears stinging your eyes but not falling, you sprinted through the corridor, aiming for the dungeons. For safety. You just needed to get back to the Slytherin common room before he caught up.

But you didn’t make it that far.

You collided with someone—hard—and stumbled back slightly as strong hands gripped your arms to steady you. You looked up, breath hitching.

Theo.

He looked down at you, annoyance etched into his features from the impact—until he saw your face.

The bruise was already forming on the right side of your cheekbone, ugly and red. His expression shifted instantly. His grip on you softened. Behind him, Draco and Mattheo stared, stunned.

“Who did this to you?” Theo asked, his voice low and tight—laced with a seriousness you’d never heard from him before. Not toward you.

You opened your mouth, trying to speak, but the sound of footsteps and a furious voice behind you made you freeze.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Ryan’s voice echoed down the corridor as he turned the corner, fury written all over his face.

You flinched, your instinct driving you a step closer to Theo, whose entire posture changed in that instant. He glanced at you, and something clicked in his eyes.

Then his expression hardened like ice, and he gently but firmly pushed you toward Mattheo and Draco.

“Stay with them,” he said, before stepping forward to block your line of sight—and Ryan’s path.

Ryan stopped a few feet away, eyes blazing.

“Get away from her. She’s my girlfriend,” he snapped, voice tight with entitlement and rage.

Theo didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t even flinch.

“Not anymore she’s not,” he said coldly, shoulders squaring. “Touch her again and you won’t be able to walk away.”