The sound of happy chatter filled the courtyard with joy and excitement. They were surrounded by the smell of fresh spring flowers and the remains of the cold winter were slowly passing. It wasn't warm outside just yet, but the change in temperature was enough to leave the coats and gloves behind, and switch them for something thinner and more suitable for the spring weather.
Lorenzo leaned his head back against the large tree. He closed his eyes, enjoying the way the sun hit his skin through the leaves above. "I love it here."
Mattheo's head perked up. "Yeah?"
He had a wide smile on his face as he stared up at the blue sky above them, his arms crossed behind his head while he laid on the ground. "Why's that?"
Lorenzo sighed deeply. "I don't know. I just do."
Mattheo paused for a moment. "Well there must be a reason."
Lorenzo stilled, falling silent as if he was getting lost in thought. "I suppose there is."
Mattheo sat up, expecting some sort of explanation, but nothing came. Enzo wasn't even looking at him, so eventually he laid back down in the grass.
It was silent for a moment or two. All they heard were birds chirping and the faint voices of other students enjoying their spare time. "We should probably head back inside," Mattheo eventually said, "unless we want to hear Draco's complaints all night."
Lorenzo sighed, long and deep. "I can't take another moment of studying. I will burst."
Mattheo stood up completely."Unfortunately I don't think we have much of a choice. O.W.Ls are coming up and we need to pass. You know that."
Lorenzo shook his head. He was clearly irritated. "If someone mentions those stupid exams one more time," he cussed, his voice trailing off. Mattheo narrowed his eyes at him. He crouched down in front of his friend. "Are you okay?"
Lorenzo's eyes met his own, yet they looked different now. "I'm fine," he hissed, instantly getting onto his feet, "stop worrying about me."
Mattheo stared at Lorenzo's back in shock as he watched him rush away. It was clear that something was bothering his friend, but he had no idea what it was.
Blaise was pouring himself a cup of water as Theo sat down across from him in the Great Hall. Books were scattered everywhere and paper sheets made it impossible to see where the table beneath came to and end. Lorenzo had been awfully quiet. His eyes kept scanning the same page, over and over again. Mattheo had noticed.
Theo tapped his foot against the stone floor. He was sick of studying. He let out a frustrated groan.
Blaise held up his newly poured water, showing it to his friends. They all stared at him with curiosity as he stood up, walked two feet away and poured the water over Draco's head. He had fallen asleep 30 minutes ago, his head in an old book on the history of magic. "Afternoon Malfoy," Blaise chirped, a bright smile on his face, "I figured nap time was over."
Draco glared at him, his eyes making their way down on the table. His paper sheets were soaked. "I despise you."
Blaise blew him a kiss.
Theo groaned loud and dramatically, grabbing both of their attention. "Can we please do something else? The weather is finally starting to get warmer, but we're just sitting here, stuck in this prison of ours."
Mattheo shut the book displayed in front of him. "I'm with Nott. Can we please take a break?"
Draco started scrambling through his stuff. "No. This is important, we need to be prepared."
Blaise hit him in the back of his head with his hand. "That's easy for you to say, you just had a 30 minute break."
Draco snickered to himself, eyes throwing daggers at Blaise. "The rest of us are dying. Please let us live."
Draco wanted to protest, but before he could say a word, his mouth was sealed shut. Theo held his wand out towards him. "I did us a favor," he said, putting his wand back into his robe with a nonchalant shrug.
Mattheo couldn't help but laugh as he watched Draco struggle to open his mouth. Blaise patted his mate on the shoulder before going back to his seat.
A loud whoosh echoed through the Great Hall, and in came hundreds of owls, flying through the air. A gray one dropped a letter for Enzo, who had been so consumed by his book that he hadn't even seen it coming. He grabbed the white paper, looking at the seal. His eyes widened slightly, and he hid the letter in the pocket of his robe.
Mattheo watched the scene unfold, but just as he was about to confront his friend, an owl flew past right above his head. An old envelope landed in front of him. He looked down at it in disbelief. The paper was torn and rough. Parts of it even looked as if it had been burned.
"What in Merlin's beard is that?" Theo asked, his eyes planted firmly on the atrocity of a letter Mattheo had received. "I don't know," Mattheo replied, his voice going low, "I don't usually receive letters."
"Who do you think it's from?" Blaise questioned, stopping right behind Mattheo's back. He looked down at the letter from behind the brunette's shoulder. Mattheo shrugged. He might've had an idea, but the thought alone scared him, so instead of opening it, he stuffed it into his pocket. "I don't want to think about it right now," he clarified, "I'm getting out of this place."
Theodore stood up immediately. "I'm coming with you."
Mattheo looked between Draco, Lorenzo and Blaise. Blaise nodded eagerly, stepping back from his homework immediately. Draco pouted. He had regained his ability to speak, but his intense need for success eventually drove him into staying behind. Mattheo's eyes met Enzo's. He looked stiff and uncomfortable.
"I'll stay here too."
Mattheo opened his mouth to say something, to try and change Lorenzo's mind, but the sensation of Theo's hand wrapping around his wrist steered his mind away. "Leave it," he whispered, his eyes staring directly into Mattheo's.
Mattheo yanked his wrist away from Theo, his eyes landing on Lorenzo one last time before heading out of the hall.
Once the darkness had settled over the castle, everyone had gathered in their dorms. Mattheo crawled into his bed, his head turning to check if his friends were still awake. Everything seemed quiet. The room was filled with quiet breaths and a low snoring from Blaise's bed. He let his eyes wander across the room. They were asleep.
He used his wand to light up the lantern on the nightstand next to his bed. A small flame ignited, but it was enough for him to see his surroundings. He slipped his hand underneath his pillow, drawing out the letter from earlier, from beneath. He held it in his hands, uncertain whether he should actually open it or not.
He didn't recognize the black seal that kept it closed, and he had to admit that his curiosity had been spiked. His heartbeat rose as he slowly pulled the envelope open. The paper within looked just, if not even worse, than the paper that surrounded it.
A thick cursive writing was displayed. Mattheo didn't recognize it. Perhaps it was because he had never actually seen the handwriting of the author before. He'd never really had a chance to. His eyes glided across the words, taking them in all at once. His heart sank and a wave of cold sweat flooded his body. It is I.
There was a stinging in his chest. Suddenly, all the memories from his time before Hogwarts came crashing back. He thought of the loneliness, the fear. He saw the darkness and the empty rooms. He remembered the way he had felt as he ran out on his mother when she had proposed the idea that he went away. He hadn't forgotten. Not at all.
His eyes darted back and forth. You must not have expected this.
His breath caught in his throat as he read the last line over and over again, like a chant that would make it all come untrue.
Your father.
A/N
It is I, back with a very highly requested chapter. (See what I did there?) I know it has been awhile since I last updated, I'm very sorry about that. I had a writers block, but hopefully we can move past that now.
I quite like the focus on Lorenzo and his storyline, and I know a lot of you have been asking me about it. And I mean... We all knew the ending was coming eventually, right?
Let me know what you think about this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it!