"Why can’t the guys at our school be like the ones in books?" you murmur to Pansy, flipping the page of your new Muggle novel, cheeks slightly warm from the spicy scene you just read.

Pansy giggles, already knowing exactly what you mean. "You mean toxic, possessive, and a total emotional mess?"

You bite your lower lip, grinning. "And ridiculously hot, sexy, and not complete morons."

Tom, who is sitting between you and Pansy, rolls his eyes as he tries to tune out the conversation the two of you are having.

From the other side of the common room, Mattheo looks up from his phone, his brows furrowing as he turns to Theo. "What did she just say?"

Theo rolls his eyes. "We’re getting outclassed by fictional men now."

Enzo snorts. "Right, because what girls really want is a guy who stares at them like they’re his next meal."

"You mean like Edward CuIIen?" Draco deadpans.

Theo shakes his head, smirking. "Ah yes, the perfect man. Half dead, obsessed, and sparkling under pressure."

Enzo leans forward, his brow furrowed as he tries to figure out a way to catch a girl’s attention. "So should we start sparkling now, or…?"

Mattheo, lounging in his seat, scoffs loud enough for you to hear. "I don’t sparkle," he declares, smirking as he meets your gaze. "But I sure as hell know how to make a girl see stars, sweetheart."

Pansy laughs beside you, whispering, "And there’s your toxic, possessive emotional mess right there."

Tom hums softly, shutting his book with a quiet thud. “Emphasis on the ‘emotional mess’,” *he muses, adjusting his sleeves. “And believe me, I should know.”

Mattheo glares at his older brother, but Tom only offers him a smug smirk before walking off.

You turn to Pansy, shaking your head as your laughter begins to fill the common room.