Mattheo didn't expect his Christmas to be spent all alone yet again, but there he was, sitting by himself while staring into the glistening fire before him. The common room was empty. Not many students liked to spend Christmas in a dungeon, not even if it was decorated nicely in the brightest variations of red, white, and green.
At least, he actually got a present this year, Mattheo thought to himself, the tiny box from Draco in his hands.
He gently untied the bow and pulled off the red wrapping paper. Mattheo stared at the tiny box in his hands. He slowly opened it, not really knowing what to expect. Inside was a thin silver chain bracelet. There was not much to it, but it was still a greater gift than he had ever received before.
He slowly pulled it out of the box, looking down at the shiny metal in the palm of his hand. It took him a few attempts to put it around his wrist, but at last, he managed.
It didn't take more than a day before Mattheo found out why Theo was ignoring him. It turns out, Theo hadn't been very good at putting Mattheo's stuff back in its place. Or rather, Mattheo knew exactly how the letter is supposed to lie, tucked away under an old jumper.
He knows the letter like the back of his hand, every scribble, every curve. It must be from reading it over and over again, he thinks.
The sound of the entrance takes him by surprise, and he stands up in anticipation. A small part of him wishes whoever it might be to be Theo who's finally realized that he overreacted and has come to apologize.
However, it is not. Instead, a small group of girls walk in, giggling to themselves. Mattheo sighs and flops down on one of the large black couches.
What a wonderful time.
Every morning, Theo woke up before Mattheo to leave before he got a chance to say anything. It was the same today. When Mattheo awoke, the dorm was empty. Mattheo slowly rose from the comfort of his bed before beginning to get himself ready.
It was the last day of the break, meaning that the rest of his dorm mates would return. He didn't know whether Theo had told them about Mattheo's secret yet, and he honestly wished to never find out.
Unfortunately for Mattheo, the second his friends step through the doorway, he could tell that something was off.
Draco barely looked at him, and Lorenzo had a sad expression on his face. Blaise pushed past them, clearly ignoring Mattheo, who was standing in the middle of the room.
Theo walked up behind them, his arms folded across his chest. He glared directly at Mattheo with dead eyes. "Really?" Mattheo scoffed, carelessly throwing his arms out. "So this is how it's going to be now, huh?"
They all stared at him, none of them uttering a single word. "Fuck this," Mattheo cursed, making sure to bump into all of them as he pushed past them and out of the door.
For a second, he heard his name being called, but once he looked back, no one was following him. He shook his head, an ironic grin appearing across his face. Mattheo headed towards the Astronomy Tower. He prayed that no one was there and eventually headed up the spiral staircase.
To his luck, it was completely empty.
Mattheo sighed, taking a halt by the railing. It was cold outside, and he was not nearly dressed appropriately. Every breath he took was visible in the cold winter air, and he slowly felt his fingers going numb.
He tapped them along the railing, his mind anywhere but at the tower. This was never meant to happen. One of the reasons why he was even sent to Hogwarts in the first place was to be able to get a new start. Yet there he was, feeling no different from before he even went.
Mattheo got sucked out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind him. He didn't look back, scared to see who it was. The person stopped beside him, leaning onto the railing with their elbows, their eyes staring straight ahead at the scenery.
"Nott has already told the entire school," Lorenzo stated quietly, his eyes darting down towards his hands. There was a long deafening silence. "I'm sorry," he then added, not even glancing at Mattheo. The steam from his mouth lingered in the air.
Mattheo's breath hitched. He knew it would happen eventually, but the thought alone scared him so much that he didn't ever want to think of it.
"Why are you here, Lorenzo?" Mattheo asked, his voice stern and emotionless as he turned to look at Lorenzo in anticipation. It had been a while since he used Lorenzo's actual name.
The question alone made Enzo finally look up at Mattheo. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, but at last, he finally opened his mouth. "I understand why you wouldn't want to tell anyone about your family, I really do."
Mattheo didn't know what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that.
"And sure, I may be slightly pissed that you didn't think you could just tell us, but I don't blame you." Lorenzo drew his lips into a thin line. He paused again. "And you certainly can't control where you come from," his voice trembled slightly. Mattheo could tell that it wasn't supposed to, but he decided not to ask about it. Now was definitely not the time.
Mattheo didn't know what to say. He just stood there, mouth slightly open as he stared at his friend.
"Anyway," Lorenzo said in a breath, "I shouldn't be here."
Mattheo narrowed his eyes at him, his ability to speak immediately coming back. "What? Why?" He questioned, his voice raising an octave or two. He was fully facing Lorenzo now, his arms falling down to his sides. Enzo did the same, except his left hand was grasping the railing, his knuckles turning white.
"It may sound stupid. Idiotic even. But those guys have been my best friends since we were 12, and as much as I know that they're overreacting, I can't just walk away from them. You must try to understand me," Enzo explained. There was a hint of desperation in his eyes.
Mattheo clenched his jaw. What Lorenzo said was idiotic and stupid, but he tried to understand where he was coming from. If Mattheo were to have the privilege of having childhood friends, he thinks he might've done the same thing Enzo is doing right now. He would stand by them, even if he knew that they were in the wrong.
"I'm sorry," Lorenzo uttered, his eyes falling down to Mattheo's left hand. He saw the hint of silver beneath the sleeve of his shirt.
Mattheo sighed, his teeth shuddering as he folded his arms in an attempt to keep warm. "Stop apologizing."
Lorenzo bit back a small smile before slowly wandering off and down the spiral staircase.
Even though Mattheo should consider Enzo's words cruel, he couldn't even force himself to dislike him. At least now,he knew that he had one friend. Even if they had to pretend not to be.
Mattheo absolutely dreaded going back to the dorm that night. He paused just outside the door, hoping that he had come back late enough for all of them to be asleep. To his dismay, however, Draco was still awake, and his head jolted up when he heard the door creaking. He was sitting on his bed with an open book in his lap. The only light in the room was from a lamp next to him on his nightstand.
The look on his face when he saw Mattheo was one Mattheo would never forget. His jaw was clenched, and his lips drawn shut. His eyes bore directly into Mattheo with fury. Before Mattheo even had the chance to react, Draco shut the book with such strength that Blaise sat up on his bed in pure confusion. Draco hurried off his bed, and his body collided with Mattheo's, loud enough for Theo and Lorenzo to wake up as well.
Draco pushed Mattheo back into the door behind him, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. He was angry, very angry. He was angrier than any of his friends had ever seen him before.
Theo's eyes widened in shock, and Blaise was rubbing his eyes in an attempt to figure out if this was reality or not. Lorenzo, however, jumped out of his bed to cling onto Draco's right arm. "Malfoy. Stop it," he pleaded, his voice worried.
Draco didn't even look at him. "Why should I? He's nothing but a liar."
Mattheo kept calm, looking back into Draco's eyes. He knew that if he tried hard enough, he could turn this whole situation around like a flip of a switch.
Draco held Mattheo's arms on each side of his head, trapping him against the door. "Oh yeah?" Mattheo started, "as if you wouldn't have lied."
"You should have told us the truth," Draco said through gritted teeth.
Lorenzo's hands wrapped around Draco's right wrist. He tightened his grasp. Draco glanced at him, a slight hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes before Mattheo grabbed his attention again. "Oh really?" Mattheo was fuming. "Why? So you could have told the whole school earlier?" Mattheo's eyes darted to Theo, who looked guiltier than ever.
"I-" But before Theo even had the chance to explain himself, Mattheo was speaking again. "I trusted you, and instead, you made a whole plan to get me in trouble so you could go through my stuff?"
Lorenzo let go of Draco's arm, his eyes meeting Theo's.
"I'm not stupid, Nott. I know you planned the whole thing. You wanted me to get caught so you could find out if your uncertainty about me was true." Mattheo had wanted to say this ever since he put two and two together.
Draco hesitated for just a mere second. It turned out Theo had been keeping secrets as well. Mattheo used this to his advantage; he ripped his hands out of Draco's, no longer tight, grip. "Well, you found what you were looking for," Mattheo spat, his voice raising significantly, "so keep your little puppets the fuck away from me."
He glared directly at Draco, who pushed past him and headed for the door, Theo right behind him.
A/N
Better late than never right?
I'm so sorry that I didn't make this sooner, but I hope that I make up for it by making this one slightly longer than the others so far. I know a lot of you have been waiting for this. Thank you for being patient with me, and although I don't exactly like this very much, I would love to hear some thoughts!
I hope you enjoyed :)