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Matilda and Sonny walked together towards the Great Hall, the aroma of food growing stronger with each step.
"Merlin, I'm starving," Matilda exclaimed, her stomach growling in agreement.
Sonny chuckled softly. "How long were you stuck in detention with that idiot?"
Matilda flinched slightly at the dismissive tone. Something inside her twisted uncomfortably, and she didn't quite understand why Sonny's jab at Mattheo stung so much.
"Um, pretty much all day," Matilda said, shrugging it off. "Can we just drop it?"
Sonny glanced at her with a teasing smirk. "Yeah, whatever."
Matilda forced a laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes and continued towards the Great Hall. The doors were already open, and they parted ways—Sonny heading to the Ravenclaw table and Matilda making her way to the Slytherin table.
She slumped into her seat and stared at the food in front of her. With a resigned sigh, she grabbed a plate and piled it high with mashed potatoes. She poked at the food absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting back to Mattheo.
As she pushed her fork around the plate, she felt a familiar, almost electric sensation on her shoulder. A hand.
"Don't play with your food, Matilda," a voice said, carrying a hint of playful reprimand.
Matilda turned, already knowing who it was before she even looked. "Mattheo," she whispered, almost as if it were an afterthought.
Mattheo, standing behind her with a smug grin, raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Matilda?"
"Can we talk?" Matilda muttered, standing up and leaving her plate behind.
"I'm kind of busy—" Mattheo began, but Matilda had already seized his wrist and was dragging him away from the table.
He stumbled slightly but followed her lead, his initial surprise quickly melting into amusement. "Where are we going?"
Matilda tried to avoid glancing at a particular table as she led Mattheo out of the Great Hall. They walked in silence until they reached the middle of a quiet corridor. Matilda felt a knot of anxiety forming as she looked up at Mattheo, unsure of how to start the conversation.
