Me And The Dark

Chapter 13

Mattheo

Cassandra had sat down opposite me, abruptly breaking the eye contact I'd made with Valentina. My mind was plunged into total confusion.

Why had I invited Cassandra to join me here, knowing that Valentina would be accompanied by that blonde Gryffindor idiot?

I'd been overcome with anger when Theodore told me that she'd agreed to meet that bloke in Hogsmeade today. I thought she'd learned her lesson, but it seemed Valentina was as stubborn as ever.

I could hear her laughter, crystalline and playful, in reaction to some foolish thing the other had said. It sounded like a sweet melody in my ears. I loved that laugh, but only when I was the one to provoke it.

The bar was noisy, an incessant hubbub filled the place, but the only thing I could hear was her voice.

"Mattheo, are you listening to me?" said Cassandra, her voice tinged with boredom.

I blinked three times, realising that she was talking to me, but that I wasn't concentrating on her.

"Er... Yes, yes, of course, go on," I said, uncomfortably.

I could see in the Hufflepuff's eyes that she was annoyed, but she continued her story about a shop run by a Weasley in Diagon Alley.

She explained that there were two twins running the shop, but that one of them had died in the Battle of Hogwarts.

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of this event, because even though I was only 7 at the time, I am the son of the man who caused it.

I drank my beer in one gulp, trying to pull myself together. Intrusive thoughts about my father often trigger post-traumatic crises from my childhood, and now is not the time to let them overwhelm me.

I listened to Cassandra Lockhart prattle on for half an hour until I noticed Dubois's blond head rising above her. I tried not to look, but I saw Valentina following behind him, grinning from ear to ear.

I turned as the two of them walked past our table towards the exit, and felt a wave of inner agitation as my eyes instinctively caught Dubois's hand resting on the small of her back.

I listened distractedly to Cassandra for another half hour out of pure politeness when I also saw my half-brother coming out of the pub with the Ravenclaw he'd had a crush on.

After a while, I ended the stupid date and we left the bar.

"Can we pop into Gladrags? I'd love to do a bit of shopping!" she asked me with a burst of excitement, in complete contrast to my current mood.

"Really?" I asked, longing to go home and forget about this nightmarish afternoon.

"Yes, come on!" she insisted, pulling me by the arm towards the shop.

She moved towards the door, but I stopped dead in my tracks. "Go on in. I'll go outside for a fag while I wait," I said, waving her in.

She nodded and disappeared into the shop. I took out my packet of cigarettes, lit one and put it to my mouth.

I lit my cigarette and lost myself in thought, letting the smoke fill my lungs. Trouble seemed to pursue me, and each puff of nicotine seemed to be a fragile bulwark against the tumult of my emotions.

After a while, I turned to look distractedly out of the shop window. That's when I noticed a brunette head wandering between the shelves inside.

"Fuck," I said to myself as I crushed the cigarette on the floor, ignoring the disapproving glances of passers-by, then hurried into the shop.