?~HEARTS OF SLYTHERIN~?

~Your first lunch with them in the Great Hall~

"Why are you looking at me like that?" you asked quietly, keeping your tone neutral.

Theo blinked, as if pulled from his thoughts. His expression remained unreadable, but there was something assessing in his eyes.

"Like what?" he asked, voice just as even.

You hesitated before replying. "Like you're trying to figure something out."

A beat of silence passed before he gave a small shrug. "Maybe I am."

You frowned slightly, unsure what to make of that answer. Not wanting to dwell on it, you dropped your gaze back to your plate.

"Well, don't," you muttered, more to yourself than to him.

Theo didn't respond, but he didn't look away either. And though the conversation had ended, you couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had already come to some sort of conclusion-one he wasn't planning to share.

Just then, Pansy turned toward the Great Hall entrance and smirked. "Oh, look who finally decided to return."

You followed her gaze and spotted Daphne and Astoria walking in. Well, walking was generous-Daphne was stomping like she had been personally wronged by the universe, while Astoria looked far too amused for someone who had supposedly shared the same trip.

Mattheo, who had been slouching lazily in his seat, looked up from his plate and squinted at them. "Why does Daphne look like she got hexed by a pigeon?"

Theo, sitting across from you, leaned in with his usual smirk. "Because, dear Mattheo, she had an altercation with an owl."

Draco, who had been silently sipping his pumpkin juice, nearly choked. "What?"

Lorenzo, looking like he had been waiting for this moment, sat up eagerly. "Oh, it must be glorious. Picture this: Daphne reaches out to send her letter like a normal person, and bam! This absolute demon of an owl swoops down, snatches the letter, AND ruffles her hair like it owns the place."

Astoria grinned. "That's the polite version. The real one is that she shrieked loud enough to wake the dead and then tried to hex it."

Daphne groaned, shoving Astoria lightly before glaring at Lorenzo. "First of all, it attacked me. That bird had murder in its eyes. And second, you lot are supposed to be my friends-why are you making fun of my suffering?"

Mattheo grinned at her. "Oh dear, we mock because we care."

Draco, ever the composed one, gave Daphne a slow once-over before calmly saying, "So you lost a duel. To a bird."

Theo, resting his chin on his palm, smirked. "It's a very Slytherin bird, to be fair. Clearly, it smelled fear."

Daphne shot him a glare before turning to you. "I swear on Salazar's grave, that monster swooped down on me like I destroyed its favourite toy."

You bit my lip to keep from laughing, but Theo? Oh, he was enjoying this far too much. "Maybe it sensed your true nature. You do have a certain air of villainy."

Daphne scoffed. "Oh, please. If anything, it was drawn to my greatness. But instead of paying respects, it assaulted me."

Theo, without missing a beat, smirked and drawled, "Ah, yes. Truly tragic. The owl must have mistaken your greatness for an oversized rodent and acted accordingly."

You turned to him with a smirk. "Well, someone's got to keep up with your sharp tongue."

For a split second, something flickered in Theo's eyes-something intrigued, amused... and just a little bit challenging. But before he could say anything, Lorenzo, who had been unusually quiet, burst out laughing.