Cigarettes [Mattheo Riddle]

three

i was combing my stubborn curls into a sleek ponytail when i heard a knock at the dormitory door.
luna turned her head around and got off her stool. she was painting, again, and had been painting some sort of.. mystical creature?
she glanced at me and said, "it's a nargle." how is it she always knows everything?

luna made her way calmly to our door and opened it. her blonde hair had tinges of purple paint in it; it made her look so creative and busy.

"good morning, girls. i presume you are aware that lessons started an hour ago?"

i dropped my hairbrush and bobbypins.

"sorry, professor, but it's only.." i looked at my clock.

"eleven?!" i shouted. i grabbed my things and was already dressed, but finally grabbed my blue ravenclaw tie and ran to my lesson.

i didn't know what lesson it was, so i racked my brains for a lesson. oh, i have potions. great. couldn't of asked for any better.

i stood outside, catching my breath after running, and walked inside nervously.

"lestrange. do i need to give you a week's detention for it to.. sink in, let's say? when will you stop being so late-"

i cut him off angrily. "i'm sorry, professor. may i sit now?" i said, gritting my teeth.

"of course, you can also have a week's detention."

i groaned. i took to my seat beside mattheo. "little bastard, giving me a week's detention- just you wait- you greasy shit." i muttered under my breath. i heard mattheo chuckle, and turned sharply to him. his expression went blank, as usual.

"what the fuck do you want now? as if-"

"fuck off." he remarked sharply.

"excuse me?"

"you heard. don't make me tell my father-"

"lord, you're just like draco."

"be quiet. now. that's an order."

"i-"i stammered. who does he think he is?

and then he ignored me, for the whole lesson.

next, we had mcgonagall. i expected it would be mice to goblets yet again, but i found her class was empty.

there were chairs along the walls and massive record player, the one with the weird tube thing on top.

i walked over to the twins and alex, seeming as i hadn't talked to them in ages.

"hi guys."
fred and george smiled warmly and patted my back. alex grimaced.

"finally showing up?" she said coldly.
"alex, don't even start." i remarked.

i left and gave her cold looks from beside neville longbottom and harry potter.
"you alright, blaire? you're not yourself." harry asked.
"yeah, of course, i-" i was about to say 'im fine' but i heard the door open and a few students came in.

mattheo, his tie askew and curls lopsided. pugface, looking as pug-like as ever, and blaise zabini. he was pretty hot to be honest. they were followed by mcgonagall and filch, who started sorting out the music.

"class. i am sorry that we will not be doing classwork today. instead, i am to inform you of the yule ball. it is, indeed, your fourth year and the triwizard tournament,"
i looked beside me and i saw harry look uncomfortable as this reminded him that he had been chosen. i reached behind him and grabbed his right arm in my right hand.
"don't worry, harry. you'll do brilliantly." i whispered. he smiled, and mcgonagall continued.
"requires a ball. which is, first and foremost, a dance." the chatter started. "silence! now, if a boy could volunteer? mr weasley?"
ron looked flustered.
"me?" he asked.
she nodded. fred and george cat-whistled, and ron snarled at them. as he approached mcgonagall and stubbornly held her waist, i glanced to mattheo.
he was chewing gum. he stroked his hand through his curls and i watched as his hand leaved and they bounced gently. he noticed me, and smirked. i turned back to mcgonagall nervously, and she was dancing with ron. i heard harry laughing and whistling, and started laughing at fred and george's quiet jokes.

the lesson was quickly over. ignoring my anxious thoughts, i skipped lunch and ran to the astronomy tower. i hoped that mattheo wouldn't be there. but then, my luck was against me today.

mattheo was standing against the railing, watching the quidditch. i deeply breathed in, a sort of gasp, and held my breath. i turned to leave, when i heard him chuckle lightly.
i frowned and cursed myself for my stupidity. i walked to him and stood beside him.

we stood in silence for some while, until the sun sunk down.
she was gently lowering herself, her honey rays caressing the cheeks of the quidditch players and illuminating mine and mattheo's blank expressions.
she then disappeared, leaving a light violet sky, with tints of orange and pink.
i turned to him. he turned back. our eyes locked, curiosity that was once buried rose up from within and searched each others eyes for some sort of emotion. i started to smile a little, and he frowned.
"why did you come here?" he said, walking away and picking up a half-full gin bottle.

"i didn't want to.. i needed fresh air." i muttered.

he nodded. he took a sip and wiped his mouth. he looked unaware of the bitter taste. lemons turned to strawberries for him.

i suddenly got fed up and headed for the stairs. he smiled, humiliating me, and i left.

luna, i wanted to talk to luna. she knows everything, and is always so wise.

"luna." i gasped, throwing the door open. she looked at me flabbergasted, and whispered, "you scared me."
"i'm sorry, it's just.. the yule ball."

she stood up from her bed. it seemed she was always here, always reading.
"blaire, it's just a dance. but i heard mattheo is going with pansy, and draco malfoy is going with nobody," she laughed lightly, "then harry potter and ron weasley are going with the patils."
"mattheo's going with pansy?" jealousy and anger filled me. i wanted to smash something. fuck my short temper.
"well- yeah." she said calmly, then went back to study.
i turned to the door and decided. i was going to ask someone hot.
blaise zabini? he's really nice, and friends with mattheo and draco. but he'll probably reject me, oh well.

i ran to the great hall. i sat in my normal seat, beside fred. i did a charm, and a white paper bird flew to blaise discreetly.
he looked up from it, having of read it, and smiled. he nodded. i smiled back, and got up and left.

blaise zabini. look at me.

but now, it came to my attention, the ball was in two days. i needed a dress, i needed shoes, i needed-

i felt so stressed. but to clear my head, i would go to the astronomy tower. but i couldn't bare to see mattheo. i turned for the quidditch pitch.

i fiddled in my pockets, approaching the stairs to the seats. i climbed, and found a small flask in my pocket. as i reached the stands and took a seat, alone, i lifted the flask to my lips and let it enter my mouth. i recognised it immediately. raspberry gin, i keep it for emergencies.

i chugged it, and it turned out there was a lot. i know, it's a bad coping mechanism, but i needed it.

i felt drousy, and started to leave as it started to rain. but before anything, food, or sleep.. i went to the owlery and asked my mother for a dress.

running back drousily to my bed. the warmness and soft cotton duvet.. i ran into a wall. i looked up. cedric. he looked like a tree.
"blaire? you smell like strawberries."
"wha-" i suddenly swung to the side. he caught me and shook his head.
"for god's sake." he took my arm gently and walked me kindly to ravenclaw towers.
i tried to pull off his arm, stating i was fine, but he firmly told me i wasn't.
"stop!" i shouted, pointing my finger in a complete different direction to him. "i feel.."

i heard the raven, it was so loud.. "how do you get two chickens and a fox across a lake, being able to take only you and one animal, across at a time?"
i couldn't even hear what cedric said, but he got it. no wonder, that was easy. he escorted me to luna who was, so wonder, painting a hand.

"luna, would you-?" cedric said, putting me in a chair.
"oh- of course. thank you." she said.
cedric then left. how is it he's always so helpful? goody-two shoes hufflepuff.

[im so sorry this was so rushed and chaotic but i was unmotivated and didnt really have any ideas. get ready for the yule ball ;)]