𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 | mattheo riddle

twelve 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄

・・・❦・・・

VANESSA'S BREATH puffed out in little clouds as she made her way up the winding staircase to the owlery. the november chill had settled over hogwarts, and she was grateful for the warmth of her black puffer jacket and grey scarf. as she reached the top, the sky was painted with the beautiful hues of the setting sun, a stunning mix of orange and pink.

in her potions class, she received a surprising letter from none other than mattheo, where he asked her to meet him here at 7:30, which she now did. for the whole day, she was thinking about that god-damn letter and why on earth mattheo wrote it. and now she was to find out what he wanted from her.

she saw mattheo already there, leaning against the stone wall with a casual air, his dark hair falling over his forehead. he looked up and gave her a small nod as she entered.

"hey," he greeted.

"hey," vanessa replied, tugging her scarf tighter around her neck. "so, what's this about? why am i here?"

mattheo pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer. "i just wanted to talk. after everything that happened, it's been a while since we had a proper conversation."

vanessa raised an eyebrow. "you dragged me up here just to talk?" it was unusual for him to be like this to her, to be so ... kind.

"yeah, is that so hard to believe?" mattheo chuckled. "come on, let's sit." he gestured to a couple of hay bales that had been placed by the window.

vanessa was visibly surprised by the way he acted and that he asked her to come here to talk. it was so unusual for him. but nonetheless she did what he said and sat down.

they sat down, and mattheo started recounting a funny story about theodore nott, who had somehow managed to turn all of their dorm's plants purple during their last herbology lesson. vanessa found herself smiling despite herself, the warmth of his laughter infectious. he went on to share more stories, lighthearted and amusing, about his friends and their antics. for a moment, vanessa was able to forget about her troubles she's been having lately.

but then, mattheo's tone changed. "burkeley, i've noticed you've been really different lately, much quieter and always alone. and i wanted to ask, is everything okay?"

vanessa blinked, genuinely surprised. she hadn't expected mattheo to care about her feelings. "i didn't think you'd care that much about me," she said quietly.

mattheo made a playful face. "what, you think i'm that cold-hearted? you were literally crying in my arms just days ago."

vanessa laughed softly, shaking her head. "no, i mean yes, it's just...i don't know. you have this reputation, you know?"

"yeah, i know," he said with a half-smile. "but i do notice things, especially when it comes to you. so, what's going on? don't tell me it's about that idiot zabini again."

vanessa took a deep breath. "no, it's not him. well, not only him. it's a lot, honestly. it feels like everyone is against me and i feel so alone with everything i'm going through."

"why do you feel that way?" he asked, his voice gentle. it was strange, really, that mattheo was so caring and nice right now, but a part of Vanessa enjoyed that. for some reason she felt like she could trust him with her true feelings.

she hesitated, then started with blaise, her everlasting problem. "ever since blaise and i broke up, everything's been so complicated. he acted like he really liked me, but then he just ... betrayed me with that other girl only the day after he confessed his feelings to me."