Theodore stepped off the train, moving alongside his friends toward the castle. He spoke casually, throwing in comments here and there, but his sharp blue eyes were constantly scanning the area with their usual cold detachment.

Then he noticed her. A girl he had never seen before, walking toward the castle while absorbed in a book. Theodore’s head tilted slightly, studying her from the corner of his eye. He knew nearly every girl in sixth and seventh year. Normally, it was they who noticed him, not the other way around.

So he lowered his gaze the moment one of his friends glanced in his direction, pretending to look elsewhere. But as soon as their attention drifted away from him, his eyes flicked back to her, lingering longer than he would admit. She moved with a calm focus, oblivious to him, or as if she didn’t care about him

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Theodore rarely let anyone see a flicker of interest—but this time, he couldn’t help it.