Wednesday 29th November 2023
1:57 pm
Mattheo's POV
Jaya Levine. A witch that hasn't left my mind when I'm awake, and when I'm asleep, for the past week and a half. I can't deal with it anymore.
When I close my eyes, she's there. When I open my eyes, she's there also... but I can't face her. I always end up walking away, to avoid having to interact with her.
It's the only way to get over her.
After the night I spent at the lake with her, I don't know how I feel. It's hard to come to terms with, and I don't know whether I'm overthinking it.
I probably am overthinking it. It's probably nothing. I'm just imagining things. We just went for a walk, came back, I helped her and that's it. There's nothing more to it. Just a 'friend' helping out a 'friend'. Or whatever we are to each other.
"Riddle man, you can't skip every potions class." Enzo snaps me out of my day dream.
"But I can though. The professors barely do anything." I shrug.
"That's not the point." He sighs, walking beside me as we stroll through the corridors. "Come on you're supposed to be the responsible one here."
"Fine." I tut. "I'll go. Happy?"
"Over the moon!" He exclaims and I roll my eyes, taking the turn to find my potions class. "Bye Berkshire."
"Bye Riddle, have funnn..." He says playfully with a smirk.
I stop in my tracks outside the door of the classroom, to find the reason I've stopped attending potions classes stood right in front of me.
Jaya looks up at me, and when she processes who I am, I instantly see a look of anger on her face. Her eyes darken and her face tenses as she clenches her jaw. Before I know it, she shoves past me and walks into the class.
I continue to follow on behind her, and take a seat beside her. It's only right to sit according to the seating plan. If I had it my way, I'd sit anywhere that's far away from her. I just don't want to get on Snape's nerves.
I notice her shuffle slightly away from me as she takes out her notebook and pen. Yet again, just like the first potions class I attended, I hadn't brought a pen and paper. Only this time, I doubt Jaya would offer to lend me some.
"Jaya." I whisper over to her, and she completely blanks me, the sound of my voice going in one ear and out the other.
I lean back in my seat in frustration, and spread my legs slightly, and nudge my knee gently into hers. She crosses one leg over the other, in attempt to move away from me and I sigh, spinning my wand in my fingers.
There must be a reason she's ignoring me. I know that I've been ignoring her all week, but I genuinely just need a pen and paper. Maybe there's another reason why she looks so pissed?
Well, that's what my legilimency is for. I search what's running through her mind, and suddenly I see images of me and that girl from a couple of days ago, making out in an empty classroom.
I didn't even enjoy it, it was a pathetic excuse for a distraction. I continue to search her mind, and watch as Jaya rushes back to her dorm, and bawls her eyes out, tears streaming down her face.
I leave her mind, and sit there, and let out a deep breath.
I didn't think she wanted me.
***
2:15 pm
Jaya's POV
I can feel his eyes on me like a hawk, and I begin to grow nervous. Why ignore me for a whole week and then only now choose to pay attention to me? Make it make sense. I ignore him and concentrate on what Professor Snape is talking about.
"We will be completing the practical today. Use your theory notes you've made over the past week to brew up your potion. Work with the person sat next to you." Everyone stands up and I quickly look over to the person sat on the other side of me, hoping that they'd work with me but it seemed as if they'd already partnered up with someone else.
"Looks like you'll be working with me witch." I hear the irritant speak from beside me, and I stand there with a pissed off expression on my face.
"Get the ingredients." I say sternly and he takes a step closer to me, towering over me, before walking past to get the things. I let out a deep breath and open my notes and begin to set up the cauldron.
I notice Theo and Draco working together on a different bench and Theo looks up at me, and we make eye contact for a couple of seconds. I smile at him, and he sends a small smile back, before squabbling with Draco again.
Despite everything that's happened, Theo and I have made sure to get things back to the way the were, to when we were just friends. Even though Riddle did beat him up for it, I was happy to see that he didn't give up. He'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for him.
Suddenly, I'm broken out of my train of thought with a thud on the table, startling me slightly. I realise Riddle is stood right beside me, his hand on the jar which he brought, placed on the table.
He looks down at me with a glare, and only then do I feel the tension... realising how little space there is between us. I crane my neck up slightly to look up at him directly, and then blink out of my trance and look down at the ingredients.
"What's so interesting about Nott?" He asks and I scoff quietly at his question, ignoring him and continuing to measure out the herbs.
Suddenly, I feel him stand directly behind me, towering over me, and leaning forward as he takes the beaker out of my hand, and pours it into the cauldron himself... before leaning down and whispering into my ear.
"Have I done anything to upset you Jaya?" He asks, his breath fanning against my skin and I feel my heart racing all of a sudden.
"Not at all." I say with a layer of sarcasm, and walk away from him, heading over to Theo and Draco who greet me with a smile. "How's it going guys?"
"Theodore doesn't know what he's doing at all." Draco complains and I laugh a little, stopping when I realise that Riddle's followed me here. I roll my eyes. He stands there and doesn't say a word, making sure to place himself extra close to me.
We begin to chatter for a couple of moments, laughing at random things and how bad at potions Theo is, when suddenly, I swear I see Mattheo drop something into their cauldron, and my brows furrow in confusion, wondering if I saw that right.
I look at him and a smirk forms on his face, as he places a finger to his lips, indicating for me to keep quiet. Draco and Theo didn't seem to realise since they began to squabble again so with a sigh, I head back to my desk, with Mattheo following on from behind.
"What was that?" I ask him and he shrugs.
"Nothing to be concerned about love."
"Right..." I say unsurely, and continue to stir my potion.