Brave for a Slytherin

Who?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry potter or any other referenced properties 

Y/n's POV:

We began to make our way down the train searching for an empty compartment to sit in. Fred and George left with their friend Lee Gordon a good tempered boy with dreadlocks and a suave smile. Most people knew him for his hilarious take on Quidich commentary. 

Accusatory stares followed us throughout the train clearly most of the school believed the profits lies about Dumbledore and Harry, whom most of the stares were being directed at. I felt awful for him. It must feel terrible to be outcast for telling the truth about the return of an enemy and the death of a friend. Hermione was glowering back at the starers with as much hatred and contempt as they clearly held for us. 

The first carriage we passed that didn't meet us with stared contained two slytherin boys I don't recall seeing before one of them seemed to sense my eyes lingering on his face because he turned his deep drown eyes on my face. He raised his eyebrows at me and gave me a cocky smile. I felt my face harden and glared at him in a mix of annoyance and disgust. He maintained eye contact sniggering at my reaction. I rolled my eyes and continued walking to enter the next compartment which, thankfully, was empty as we had nearly reached the end of the train.

We chatted about mundane things for most of the journey I left the compartment to change and found myself being stopped in the isle by the by the same boy who I had watched in his compartment. "Hello Darling" He said with the same infuriating smirk he had used before. 

"I'm sorry" I scowled "Do I know you?" 

"Mattheo" He said offering a hand and, for the first time, a slightly more genuine smile. 

"Well, Mattheo, can I get past? I need to change" I took a step forwards but he didn't move back. I looked up at him and resisted the temptation to push past him. I stared resolutely into his eyes tying to ignore the infuriating grin on his face.

"I'm not stopping you Darling" He smirked.

"Let.Me.Pass." I spat at him and he stood aside extending a hand down the isle as if he were holding open a door and tilting his head in a gentlemanly manor. I gave him a small tight lipped smile and went to the bathroom to change. 

Whilst I pulled on my robes I couldn't get Mattheo's eyes out of my head. He seemed like an arrogant self righteous twit but he was undeniably a very good looking arrogant self righteous twit with his dark curly brown hair, deep brown eyes and subtle cheek bones. Never the less he's an arrogant slytherin with an enormous ego. 

I shook my head in an attempt to rid my head of these thoughts then exited the bathroom and returned to my compartment resisting the temptation to glance through the scuffed glass of Mattheo's as I passed it. When I returned it wasn't long until the train stopped and we all began hefting out bags and gathering up sweet wrappers and other rubbish from the seats and tossing the flamboyant packaging into the bin. 

Rain thundered down on the platform as the train doors slid open and students rushed out onto the platform with their cloaks held above their heads in an attempt to provide some rest bite from the down poor as the rushed in groups towards the carriages that would transport them up to the school. 

I began to shiver almost instantly once on the platform. I furrowed my head against the bitingly cold rain and the howling wind and hurried after Ginny towards a carriage. Harry however had stopped. He seemed somehow transfixed by the peculiar horses that pulled the couches. He seemed horrified but I could see no reason for him to be, they had been there every year since we got there. 

"You good?" I asked feeling perplexed by his adverse reaction to something he must have seen many times. 

"What are those?" He asked his voice slightly shaky

"What?" asked Ron staring at the strange horse. 

"That thing pulling the carriages"  Muttered Harry

"There's nothing there mate" said Ron and in the same moment I said "It's not like they're new" We stared at each other. Ginny's friend Luna walked over and dreamily declared that she could see them too. I gave her a little smile and  then moved to walk step into the carriage when a warm hand grabbed my arm.

"Who?" asked Mattheo  

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" I asked yanking my arm from his grip possibly harder than I needed to as I accidentally Elbowed his friend, who as it transpired had been standing right behind me, in the gut. "Sorry, you were in the way" I blurted then realized what I said and glanced down in embarrassment.  

"Yeah Enzo, get out of the way!" chuckled Mattheo causing me to blush scarlet in embarrassment as I once again attempted to apologize to the Enzo. He tilted his head slightly accepting my apology then clambering into the carriage we were all stood around. The only remaining unfilled carriage.  Professor Flitwick was watching us and as I glanced over I noticed him gesturing that we should get into the carriage. 

Ginny, Luna, Harry and Ron sat on once side of the carriage leaving Hermione and I to share a bench with Mattheo and Enzo. To my great distaste I was forced to sit besides Mattheo who repeated his earlier Question. "Who?"

"I don't know what you mean" I snarled "Quit antagonizing me you git" I heard Ron snort and saw Harry barely disguise small smile at my words. Mattheo grabbed my shoulder, the one furthest away from him  and pulled me to face him.

"Who did you see die?" I stared at him for a second. 

"Get off of me Mattheo" I snapped jolting my body backwards to release myself from his grasp although I'm fairly sure he could have held onto me if he wanted to. I closed myself off to him completely I had seen my mother die when I was two years old. The memory of a jet black car smashing into her, then the remnants of her mutilated body leaking scarlet blood onto the hot tarmac. Running over to her and being pulled away by a stranger. Screaming for my mum begging her to get up. I was dimly aware of a single tear running down my face as I pulled my self out of the memory as I heard Harry speak. 

"Mattheo, What?" he asked in an accusatory voice 

"Mattheo Riddle. You got a problem with that Potter?" Asked Mattheo his voice raising and his tone becoming a deep dangerous fury. Without consciously thinking of the action I put a hand on his shoulder to calm me down. He shrugged me off in an instant his body and jaw very tense, his eyes not wavering from Harry's face.

"Yes" Snarled Harry "Your dad killed my parents"  he said glowering at him. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife and I wasn't sure if I had picked a side or if I had whose it was. 

The remainder of the journey was held in an extremely tense and uncomfortable silence. I was hyper aware of the fact that I was sitting next to you know who's son. That he was dangerous and that he was at his breaking point and yet I wasn't scared of him. Maybe its the Gryffindor in me. 

Getting out of the Coach was a relief despite the torrential rain Mattheo and Enzo didn't speak another word to us and strode off towards the castle without looking back. 

"Assholes" muttered Ron glaring after them as we began as a group to shuffle towards the castle to get out of the rain and into the warmth of the entrance hall.