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── .✦ THE FLICKERING LIGHT from the fireplace cast long, dancing shadows across the dark, stone walls of the slytherin common room. the emerald flames burned with an ethereal green hue, typical of the enchanted fireplaces in the dungeons of hogwarts, casting an almost sinister glow over the room. the familiar, cold, and damp smell of the dungeon settled over you as you sank deeper into the dark green couch. despite the comfort of your surroundings, sleep had eluded you all night.
you had tried everything - counting flobberworms, replaying that day's potions lesson in your mind, even trying to meditate like professor snape had once suggested in a rare moment of unusual calm - but nothing worked. the tension in your muscles refused to unwind, your thoughts ran rampant, and your mind refused to rest. it wasn't the first time you had found yourself wandering the common room past curfew, the only sound being the soft crackle of the flames and the occasional dripping of water echoing from somewhere deep within the dungeons.
tonight, however, something felt different. maybe it was the full moon hidden behind a cloud of dark, foreboding skies, or maybe it was the lingering bitterness from the argument you'd had earlier that day with none other than theodore nott.
theo had always been a thorn in your side - a slytherin pureblood who, despite his good looks and intelligence, seemed to take pleasure in making your life difficult. your dislike for him had started early, during your first year, when he'd mocked your lack of pureblood heritage in front of the entire class. over the years, your mutual animosity had only grown, fueled by competition, biting remarks, and countless confrontations. you couldn't stand his arrogance, his way of always managing to get under your skin, and the fact that he never seemed to care about anyone but himself. he was everything you despised in a person - cold, calculating, and entirely too full of himself.
but tonight, the usual irritation you felt towards him was amplified by the frustration of not being able to sleep. you stared into the flames, lost in thought, your mind replaying the argument you'd had with him earlier that day.
it had been during potions class. professor snape had assigned you both as partners for the brewing of amortentia, the most powerful love potion known to wizardkind. you had dreaded it from the moment he announced the pairing. theo had sneered at you, making a sarcastic comment about how a love potion would be wasted on someone like you. you had shot back with a biting remark about his lack of charm, and from there, things had only escalated. by the end of the lesson, you were practically at each other's throats, and snape had to step in to keep the peace.
now, as you sat in the common room, the memory of that argument played over and over in your mind. you hated the way he always managed to get the last word, how he could make you so angry with just a few cutting words, and how he never seemed to care about anyone's feelings but his own. the fire crackled softly, and you let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through your hair.
