The library was unusually quiet today, which suited me just fine. I sat at one of the tables near the back, away from prying eyes, my quill scratching across a piece of parchment. Enzo was sitting across from me, his head buried in a Charms textbook. Occasionally, he muttered under his breath as he worked through some tricky spell theory, but for the most part, he was quiet.

I dipped my quill into the inkpot and glanced down at the letter I was writing to Sirius.

Dear Dad,

Things at Hogwarts are... complicated, to say the least. I know you warned me about Umbridge, but it's worse than I thought. She's cruel, manipulative, and completely useless when it comes to teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thankfully, Harry has come up with an idea—a secret defense group. We're calling it Dumbledore's Army. Don't worry, I'm being careful, and I'll make sure to keep an eye on Rose too.

Quidditch has been going well, at least. We won the match against Gryffindor, though it was brutal. Rosalie played brilliantly, of course, and Mattheo caught the Snitch. Yes, I'm still rolling my eyes at that last part.

Anyway, I hope you're safe. Write back when you can.

Love, Estella

I paused, chewing on the end of my quill. Was that too much? Too little? Sirius had enough to worry about without me piling on, but I didn't want to leave him completely in the dark either.

"Writing a love letter, Este?" Enzo teased, glancing up from his book.

I rolled my eyes. "To my dad, you idiot."

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. I didn't think you had a secret admirer. Well, aside from Theo, of course."

I froze, my quill hovering over the parchment. "Theo?"

Enzo smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "Come on, Black. Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "You're delusional."

"Am I?"

Before I could respond, the devil himself appeared, dropping into the seat next to Enzo with his usual cocky grin.

"Who's delusional?" Theo asked, leaning back in his chair and tossing his bag onto the table.

"No one," I said quickly, folding my letter and slipping it into my bag.

Theo's sharp green eyes zeroed in on me immediately. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I said, keeping my tone casual as I reached for my Transfiguration notes.

"Liar," he said, smirking. "Come on, Black. What's in the letter?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Nott."

His smirk widened, and he propped his elbows on the table, leaning closer. "Is it a love letter? Oh, Merlin, don't tell me it's to Draco."

I stared at him, horrified. "What? No!"

Enzo laughed, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "It's to her dad," he said, and Theo's smirk faltered for just a moment.

"Your dad?" Theo asked, his voice laced with curiosity. "You mean the one who escaped from Azkaban? That dad?"

I sighed, already regretting this conversation. "Yes, Nott. That dad."

"That's... brilliant," he said, his grin returning. "You know, he's kind of a legend."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean a fugitive."

"Same thing," he said with a shrug. "What's he like? Is he as terrifying as everyone says?"

I rolled my eyes, standing up abruptly. "I'm not doing this with you. I need a book."

I stalked off toward the nearest shelf, hoping Theo would take the hint and drop the subject.

_____________________________

The book I needed was, of course, on the highest shelf. I stretched onto my tiptoes, my fingers brushing the spine but not quite reaching it.

"Need help?"

I turned to see Theo standing behind me, his green eyes glinting with amusement.

"No," I said stubbornly, stretching higher.

He smirked, stepping closer. "You sure? Because it looks like you're struggling."

"I'm fine," I snapped, but my fingers still couldn't quite grab the book.

Theo reached past me, plucking the book off the shelf with infuriating ease. Before I could thank him—or tell him to go away—he placed it on an even higher shelf.

I stared at him, my mouth falling open. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Oops," he said, his grin widening. "My bad."

"You're an absolute menace," I said, glaring at him.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he replied, leaning casually against the shelf.

I clenched my fists, my frustration boiling over. Without thinking, I jumped at him, my hands reaching for his shoulders to try and climb up.

"Este!" he shouted, startled, as I scrambled to get higher.

"Give me the book, Nott!" I demanded, grappling with him as he tried—and failed—to keep me from climbing.

We struggled for a moment, our laughter echoing in the quiet library, until gravity got the better of us. We toppled to the ground in a heap, Theo landing on top of me.

"Merlin's beard," I muttered, trying to catch my breath.

Theo propped himself up on his elbows, his face inches from mine. For a moment, neither of us moved, his eyes scanned my face, fixating on my lips.

"You're insane," he said, his voice low and amused.

"And you're infuriating," I shot back, glaring up at him.

He smirked, leaning closer. "Maybe, but you're still blushing."

I shoved him off of me, grabbing the book he'd knocked off the shelf during our fall. "Here. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," he said, still grinning as he sat up.

I stood, brushing myself off and clutching the book to my chest. "You're impossible."

"And yet, you keep coming back," he said, his voice teasing as he followed me back to the table.

I dropped into my seat, trying to ignore the way my cheeks still burned. Theo just laughed, clearly pleased with himself.

Enzo raised an eyebrow as we returned. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, burying my nose in the book.

"Everything," Theo corrected, his grin widening.

I sighed, silently vowing to get my revenge. But for now, I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips.