𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐀 | "𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭."
For eleven blissful years, Matilda did not worry her little head about much - she paid no mind to her parents when they talks of blood status and you-kno...
MATILDA HAD ALWAYS BEEN FOND OF THE GREAT HALL. Everything about it felt so homely despite the large space. During breakfast and dinner, laughter and warm food always filled the space, making it impossible for her to feel lonely. It felt entirely more like home than her own house did - where she would dash out of the dinner table as soon as she had no more obligation to stay.
But now, in the late hours of the night, the great hall no longer held its warmth and comfort. Instead, it was completely empty. It had been since dinner had finished - a dinner that Matilda had not gone to. She had disappeared after the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, which luckily, had been the last lesson of the day.
She didn't know whether her friends had gone looking for her, though she supposed they had. But after storming out of Professor Moody's lesson, she had walked out of the castle, not being in the right headspace to speak to anyone if they happened to go asking questions.
Nothing was felt except for guilt and hatred for her parents. Seeing those curses right before her eyes was something that Matilda never wanted to experience again. She didn't think she could handle it. After that lesson, the realities of the real world, and just how dangerous it got when power fell into the wrong hands, were more than fresh on her mind.
Matilda worried she wouldn't be ready if anything happened. Sure, she spent all of her free time with a nose stuck in a book, and her magical prowess was nothing short of impressive. But still, she worried what would happen if she was ever faced with true evil - worse of all, she worried that if the rumors were true, if you-know-who really was out there, a return to power would leave her in great danger of being recruited. That was entirely too much to think about.
She had considered going to the Astronomy tower that evening, but clouds had started to loom over the skies, making it hard to see any of the beloved stars that calmed her so. In a weak attempt to seek refuge, she had gone to the one place where she knew stars could be seen no matter the weather.
