If Hogwarts Castle had a heart, it would beat somewhere between the Quidditch pitch and the great oaken doors of the Entrance Hall—where laughter, cheers, and the clatter of boots echoed endlessly.

And if that heart had a secret… it might just be hidden behind the warm smile of a certain Hufflepuff boy.

Carlos Sainz was good.

The kind of good that made first-years seek him out for help finding their classes. The kind of good that made Professors look at him with fondness even when he dropped a cauldron or mixed up his Transfiguration incantations.

He had gentle eyes that crinkled at the corners when he grinned, a way of listening that made people feel heard, and hands that could coax even the most stubborn plant in Herbology into blooming.

Hufflepuff’s golden boy. Loyal, kind, patient, always offering half his chocolate frog stash to anyone in need.