Chapter Text
The Slytherin common room glowed green beneath the Black Lake, shadows rippling across the stone walls as the fire cracked lazily in front of the boys.
Sixth year had barely started and already the dorm felt restless.
Theo Nott sat sprawled in the leather armchair nearest the fire, cigarette hanging loosely between his fingers while the rest of the boys argued over Quidditch rankings and who had managed to sneak alcohol back from Hogsmeade.
Theo looked deeply, deeply irritated.
Which immediately caught everyone’s attention.
“You look like someone killed your owl,” Draco Malfoy remarked dryly from the sofa.
Theo inhaled slowly.
“My parents are transferring my sister here tomorrow.”
Silence.
Then—
“You have a sister?” Blaise nearly choked on his drink.
Theo’s jaw ticked. “Twin sister.”
That got their attention.
Even Mattheo Riddle looked up from where he’d been lazily shuffling a deck of exploding snap cards.
“No chance,” Mattheo said immediately. “You’ve never mentioned a twin.”
“Because she was at Beauxbatons.”
Theo looked genuinely annoyed to be having this conversation.
“She’s moving here. Permanently.”
Blaise blinked. “Why?”
“Our parents moved back to England.”
Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Hold on. If you’re twins… does she look like you?”
The room collectively paused.
Theo stared at him flatly.
“Unfortunately.”
The boys exchanged glances.
That earned several disappointed groans.
“Merlin,” Blaise sighed dramatically. “Another emotionally constipated brunette lurking around the castle.”
Theo threw a cushion at his head.
“Shut up.”
Mattheo smirked from across the room, dark eyes amused.
“So she’s boring then?”
Theo pointed at him instantly.
“You.”
Mattheo raised a brow.
“You are *not* flirting with her.”
The room burst into laughter immediately.
“Oh, this is serious,” Draco said with delight.
Theo ignored him completely, eyes locked onto Mattheo with genuine threat.
“I mean it.”
Mattheo leaned back lazily, arms stretched across the sofa.
“You’re acting like I flirt with every girl I meet.”
“The fact you just said that with a straight face is insane.”
Blaise snorted into his drink.
Theo continued before Mattheo could reply.
“She’s smart. Smarter than all of you combined actually, which isn’t difficult—”
“Charming,” Draco muttered.
“—and she does *not* put up with bullshit. Especially yours.” Theo pointed at Mattheo again. “She’ll hex you before you finish your first sentence.”
Mattheo grinned slowly.
“Well now I’m interested.”
Theo looked murderous.
“I’m serious, Mattheo.”
“She hot?”
The question came so casually Theo nearly launched his cigarette at him.
“No.”
Too fast.
Way too fast.
The boys all noticed immediately.
Blaise sat forward with narrowed eyes. “Theo.”
“She’s not your type.”
“That means yes,” Draco said instantly.
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose like this conversation alone was shaving years off his life.
“She’s just—”
He stopped.
Because describing Y/N was impossible without sounding insane.
His sister had always walked into rooms like she owned them.
Not in the soft elegant pureblood way girls at Hogwarts usually did.
No.
Y/N Nott walked like she was daring someone to challenge her.
Sharp eyes. Sharp mouth. Sharp mind.
Beautiful in a dangerous way.
The kind that made people stare too long and regret it later.
She played Quidditch like violence was a love language.
Top of her class at Beauxbatons.
Fluent in sarcasm.
Fluent in Italian.
Fluent in making grown men uncomfortable.
And Theo knew—*knew*—the second these idiots saw her, his life was over.
Especially with Mattheo around.
“She’s annoying,” Theo finished finally.
Mattheo smirked.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Theo glared at him.
“Touch her and I’ll kill you.”
“Bit dramatic.”
“I’m Italian. We invented dramatic.”
That made Blaise laugh so hard he nearly fell off the sofa.
Draco shook his head. “Relax, Nott. I’m sure she’ll be average.”
Theo gave him a long look.
Then, horrifyingly, he laughed.
Actually laughed.
Not a normal laugh either.
A pitying one.
And suddenly every single boy in the room sat up slightly straighter.
“Oh no,” Blaise murmured.
Theo leaned back in his chair, exhaling smoke toward the ceiling.
“You idiots have no idea what’s coming tomorrow.”
—
The next morning, Hogwarts was chaos.
Sixth years flooded the corridors half asleep while owls screeched overhead and prefects shouted uselessly at students running late to breakfast.
Inside the Great Hall, the Slytherin table buzzed loudly.
Mattheo sat beside Theo, boots kicked onto the bench opposite him while Theo aggressively stabbed at his toast.
“You’re nervous,” Mattheo observed smugly.
Theo looked offended.
“I am not nervous.”
“You’ve checked the entrance like fourteen times.”
“I’m making sure she gets here.”
“You care so much,” Mattheo mocked.
Theo flipped him off in Italian.
Blaise looked between them. “What did he say?”
Mattheo smirked lazily. “Something deeply offensive.”
“Good.”
Then—
The Great Hall doors opened.
Conversation dipped instantly.
Not fully.
Just enough.
A ripple.
A shift.
Because the girl standing in the doorway looked like she’d walked out of a fucking fever dream.
Dark hair fell perfectly despite the rain outside, blazer slung over one shoulder like she couldn’t be bothered wearing it properly. Her tie hung loose around her neck, sleeves rolled to her elbows.
Confident.
Unbothered.
Sharp-eyed.
Beautiful enough that several people outright stopped talking.
Theo closed his eyes slowly.
“Merlin,” Blaise whispered.
Draco sat frozen.
Even Mattheo stopped moving.
And that was rare.
Y/N’s gaze swept across the hall calmly, entirely aware everyone was staring and clearly not caring in the slightest.
Then her eyes landed on Theo.
Immediately, her expression changed.
Not softer exactly.
Just real.
“There you are,” she called casually.
Her accent wrapped smoothly around the English words, Italian threading underneath them like silk over a blade.
Theo stood reluctantly.
The second she reached him, she punched him hard in the shoulder.
“You let me walk in alone.”
“You survived.”
“Barely.”
Then she looked at the boys.
Theo visibly tensed.
“This,” he said flatly, “is exactly why I hate all of you.”
Mattheo was still staring at her.
Y/N noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Mattheo smirked.
And Theo looked seconds away from committing murder.