All The Lies You Tell - MATTHEO RIDDLE

Chapter 10

It was Monday afternoon. I had just completed my classes for today. I was currently knitting. Yes, knitting. This recent weather was causing my cat, crookshanks, to be cold. Perhaps I was just looking for something to do.

I was working on the second armhole of the sweater when there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in!", I announced.

Emily Jang, a 5th year Gryffindor girl, then entered. I was a little surprised by her presence.

"Someone is downstairs looking for you Hermoine", She informs me.

"Who?", I ask confused.

She simply shakes her head. "I was just asked to come get you".

"Oh well, Thanks. I'll be down in a moment"

She smiles a flat lipped smile and slips back out the door.

I skip down the stairs and into the common room. It's half empty, as it always is this time of day. I glance around and nobody seems to be looking at me. I make for the exit and peek my head out the door. My brows furrow in confusion.

Mattheo stands outside the common room, leaning against the wall. He looks nervous tapping his foot against the stone. Hands stuffed in pockets.

"Mattheo?"

His head zips in my direction. He leans off the wall and goes to face me. "Hey", he says nervously, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. If he presses any harder the stitching will break.

"What are you doing here?", I ask.

"I um- Well I just wanted- Shit." He takes a moment to himself. "Will you come with me? When I talk to her? It's just you know I don't- I don't really think-"

"Yes", I cut him off. I respond without thinking. "Yes I will go with you".

He lets out I sigh I think might be relief. He then looks down at the many flights of stairs beneath us. He huffs.

"How do you people climb up and down these things everyday. It was a workout for me to figure out which door to go to. I had to get help from a first year! Do you know how embarrassing that is?", he rants.

He's making conversation with me. Just a few days ago he couldn't stand to be around me. Now he's asking me to go with him to talk to his mother and even making idle chat with me. To say I am genuinely surprised would be an understatement.

I smile. "We apparate. Duh".

"Mmm", he murmurs. "Well I couldn't do that even if I wanted to."

I cross my arms. "Why not?"

"No magic", He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"No magic?", I repeat.

He sighs. "One of the ministry's rules".

Of course. How could I forget?

"Well lucky for you I do have magic", I say whipping out my wand.

In seconds we're at the bottom of the stairwell. The sound of the traversing stairs looms overhead. We start heading down the hall.

"So you have no magic, at all? Where is your wand?", I ask.

"Locked up somewhere, I would think. And not using magic isn't as bad as it seems", He admits.

"Oh I know, Sometimes I almost prefer it that way".

Out of the corner of my eye I see him crack a smile. "Ah yes, How could I forget? You have ordinary muggle parents".

"Hey!", I shouted, hitting him in the shoulder.