CHAPTER TEN

Louis' outburst had quickly become the latest hot topic at Hogwarts, spreading like wildfire through the halls. For some, it only heightened their fascination with him, adding a mysterious edge to his usual charm. Others, however, found themselves more wary, seeing a side of him they hadn't expected.

Yet, despite the buzz, Louis couldn't care less about the whispers that followed him through the corridors. He wasn't interested in their opinions, whether they were admiring or critical. What weighed on his mind wasn't the gossip—it was Seo.

Each passing day without seeing her only deepened the knot in his chest. It wasn't just guilt anymore; it was something else entirely, something he was only just beginning to understand.

The rumours and stares didn't matter. All he wanted was to make things right, and until he figured out how the rest of Hogwarts could keep talking all they wanted.

Louis had spent days in a haze of regret and self-recrimination. He'd convinced himself that Seo was furious with him, and the weight of her absence bore down on him. For someone who was used to brushing off the opinions of others, her silence hit differently. It was more than guilt—it was the ache of missing someone who, though not family, had somehow found a space in his life that no one else could occupy.

The unexpected knock on his dorm room door startled him. He wasn't expecting anyone, much less the very person he had been brooding over. When he turned toward the source of the noise and heard her voice, his heart skipped a beat.

"You sure made it a task to find you, Weasel," Seo said, her tone as flat as ever, though there was a faint note of amusement that Louis was sure he didn't imagine.

He nearly choked on the air he was breathing, the sound of her voice breaking through his self-imposed isolation. His eyes widened in shock. "S-Seo? What in...what are you doing here?"

She stepped into the room, her gaze briefly scanning the chaos of his unkempt space. Clothes were strewn across the bed, books were haphazardly stacked on the desk, and a crumpled piece of parchment sat precariously close to falling off the edge. Seo avoided looking at him directly as if carefully choosing her words. "Just thought I'd check in on you," she said simply.

Louis blinked, thrown off by her casual demeanour. He'd spent days agonizing over their supposed fallout, only for her to show up as if nothing had happened. "I thought you were mad at me," he admitted hesitantly, his voice quieter now. He felt like an idiot for even saying it, but the words tumbled out before he could stop them.

Seo tilted her head, furrowing her brow as genuine confusion crossed her face. "Why would I be mad at you?"

Her question threw him completely off balance. He stared at her, his mind scrambling to make sense of the situation. "I mean...I thought after what happened the other day..." He trailed off, unsure how to put his feelings into words without sounding like a complete fool.

Seo's brow arched, and her expression softened slightly. "You thought your words upset me?" she asked, her tone neutral but curious.

Louis nodded sheepishly. "Well...yeah. I mean, I didn't exactly thank you properly for standing up for me, and then I went on to say that you shouldn't have done it. It was...out of line. I thought you were avoiding me because of that."

For a moment, Seo just stared at him, and he couldn't tell if she was about to laugh or scold him. Finally, she spoke. "I was annoyed, yes," she admitted, "but not at you. If anything, I was mad at the situation—and at myself for getting involved in it."

Louis frowned, his shoulders slumping slightly in relief and confusion. "So...if you weren't mad at me, then where have you been?"

"If you mean why I haven't been around," Seo began, crossing her arms, "Professor Flitwick asked me to help tutor some of his OWL students. His NEWT students were overwhelmed with their own work, so he needed someone reliable. I've been busy with that."

Louis stared at her, dumbfounded. "So...you weren't avoiding me this whole time?"

Seo raised a brow, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Avoid you? Don't flatter yourself, Weasel. I've just been preoccupied. Though I suppose it's amusing that you thought I was holding a grudge."

Her words were blunt, but there was no malice behind them. Instead, there was something almost reassuring in her tone, as if she was gently mocking him for overthinking.

Louis chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I wouldn't have blamed you if you were. I wasn't exactly at my best that day."

Seo shrugged, stepping closer and gesturing around the room. "I'll admit, you can be insufferable sometimes, but not enough for me to go out of my way to avoid you."

Louis laughed, the tension in his chest finally easing. "Gee, thanks. That's comforting."

Seo's lips twitched, her version of a smile. "Don't overthink everything, Louis. You're a tolerable company, at least most of the time."

He grinned, feeling lighter than he had in days. "Coming from you, that's probably the highest compliment I'll ever get."

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it, turning toward the door. "Just don't make me come looking for you again. Your dorm is a nightmare to find."

"I'll keep that in mind," Louis replied, his grin widening.

Louis tried not to shudder at the mere thought of exams looming around the corner. While he was confident in his abilities and certain he'd do just fine, he also knew the storm that was about to hit his dorm. His dormmates, notorious for their procrastination and late-night cramming, were bound to make his nights sleepless.

The irony wasn't lost on him. He hated to admit it, but there was a good chance this was karma coming back to bite him. After all, he had probably kept them awake countless times while burning the midnight oil to maintain his near-perfect grades. Still, the thought of enduring their chaos for weeks wasn't exactly thrilling.

"So, I panicked for nothing," he muttered under his breath, his voice just loud enough for Seo to hear.

That's when it happened—a sound he hadn't expected. A soft chuckle, low and fleeting, escaped Seo's lips. It was so unlike her usual stoic demeanour that Louis's head snapped up in disbelief.

His eyes widened as he stared at her, momentarily stunned. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd heard Seo laugh, and even then, it had been faint and distant. Hearing it now, unprovoked, left him baffled. "What...what was that?"

Seo didn't answer immediately, but there was a faint curve to her lips—a smile that wasn't forced or sarcastic but natural. "It was nothing," she finally said, her tone as casual as ever. "If it puts your mind at ease, though, I can assure you I won't be disappearing again."

Louis blinked, processing her words. Relief washed over him so quickly that it nearly overwhelmed him. "That's honestly the best thing I've heard in days," he admitted, resting his chin on his palm as he watched her.

He didn't understand why, but his eyes started to sting slightly. A tear didn't fall, but the weight in his chest loosened. He hadn't realized just how much her absence had affected him until now. Seeing her, hearing her voice, and knowing she wasn't going anywhere—it all stirred something in him.

Seo wasn't just a presence in his life. She was a spark, a quiet force that he was beginning to realize he cared for more deeply than he'd ever anticipated.

He grinned suddenly, a mischievous glint lighting his eyes as a memory surfaced. "Hey, wait a minute," he said, sitting up straighter. "If I remember correctly, Seo, you called me Louis the other day."

Seo froze, her usually calm expression faltering as she averted her gaze. Her cheeks betrayed her, turning a deep shade of crimson. "I did not," she said quickly, her voice clipped.

"Oh, you so did," Louis teased, his grin widening as he leaned closer.

"You're imagining things," she replied, rolling her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure.

But her reaction only fueled his amusement. He let out a soft laugh, the kind that came from genuine happiness. "Seo Chang, I think you're going soft on me."

Seo shot him a glare, though the redness in her cheeks didn't fade. "Don't push your luck, Weasel."

But as Louis watched her, still smiling, he realized he didn't care about exams, karma, or even sleepless nights anymore. At that moment, all that mattered was Seo, and the way she made everything in his world feel a little brighter.