He reached for the tin of sprinkles on the top shelf. His fingers brushed the cold glass of the window as he stretched. And something outside caught his eye.

The woman bent down, scooped up a package from the doorstep, and turned back toward the house. The light caught her face for a single heartbeat. Brown hair. That walk. The way she tucked a strand behind her ear.

The wooden spoon clattered against the counter. The hot chocolate forgotten. The rain kept falling. The door across the street clicked shut.

Draco didn't answer. He stood frozen, hand pressed flat against the window, staring at the house across the street. The house he'd watched sit empty for months. The house he hadn't thought twice about.