UF

Mattheo Riddle, a notorious playboy at Hogwarts, finds himself confused by his unexpected reactions to a particular girl. Despite his reputation for meaningless encounters, he finds himself unable to think about anyone else. When he sees her talking to another boy in the Great Hall, he feels an unfamiliar tightening in his chest and leaves abruptly. Later that night, while drinking with his friends (Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, and Blaise Zabini), Mattheo uncharacteristically falls silent. "What's wrong with you, Riddle?" Draco finally asks, irritated by the sudden mood change. Mattheo sighs heavily. "I think there's something wrong with me." "Besides the obvious?" Blaise smirks, but stops when Mattheo glares at him. "I keep thinking about y/n," Mattheo admits reluctantly. "And when I see her with other guys, I want to hex them into oblivion." Theodore nearly chokes on his firewhiskey. "You have a crush." "Don't be ridiculous," Mattheo scoffs. "I don't do feelings. I don't do relationships." Over the next few days, Mattheo's friends observe his behavior—how he stares at her across classrooms, how he deliberately positions himself to "accidentally" run into her in the corridors, how he scowls when anyone else gets her attention. "It's definitely a crush," Theodore declares after watching Mattheo punch a wall when he sees her laughing with Cedric Diggory. "Fine," Mattheo finally concedes. "So what do I do about it?" His friends devise a multi-step operation: 1. Information gathering (find out her interests, schedule, etc.) 2. Strategic positioning (create "accidental" encounters) 3. Subtle displays of interest (without revealing true feelings) 4. Escalation plan (how to move from casual conversation to something more) Blaise takes charge of information gathering, using his charm to learn that the girl loves rare magical plants, spends her free time in the library studying advanced herbology, and has a weakness for chocolate frogs. Draco creates opport