Havens :: Mattheo Riddle

Chapter Eight:: Hey, Brother

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Valeria sat in the back of the classroom, trying not to be noticed. With her legs pulled up to her chest and leaned against the table desk in front of her, she pulled out a book and hid her face behind it.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron, having seen her come into the classroom distraught, wanted to approach her and ask what had happened. Harry could feel his impatience growing and hatred for Mattheo increasing.

He knew it was him who hurt her. Again.

"Welcome, students," The professor in pink stood from her desk with a plastic smile. She waved her wand and the chalk began writing on the chalkboard by itself. If Valeria had been paying attention, she would've admired the magic.

"May I have everyone's attention?"

Valeria reluctantly lowered her book onto her desk. The professor noticed her tearstained face and eyed her, giving her more attention than she'd like while emotional.

"Would it be easier for you to focus on my class if you stepped out to calm yourself?"

Valeria furrowed her brows at the stout pink lady, shocked that she'd say something like that. She was more flustered that all eyes were on her now, but still bewildered at this lady's shameless rudeness.

Hermione nodded towards Ron across the walkway, signaling to the Weasley to make a distraction. With a flick of his wand, a pile of papers on the professor's desk erupted into flames. Immediately taking all of the attention off of Valeria.

Hermione gave her a concerned look, but Valeria shook her head, not wanting to even give her an answer.

Umbridge began explaining something about an exam and discussing the books they would be using. Valeria just laid her head down on top of the textbook and deeply disassociated. Wanting to be anywhere but where she was at the very moment.

What did pull her out of her daydreaming was Harry raising his voice.

"How is reading a book going to protect us from what's out there?!"

"Nothing is out there, dear boy. Who could you imagine would want to hurt children, such as yourselves?"

"Oh, I don't know, lord Voldemort?!"

At the mention of the dark lord, Valeria tuned out the world again. Unable to get the sound of Mattheo's yelling out of her head. It got so loud in her head, paired with the yelling that Harry was doing in the middle of the room, that Valeria just stood up and walked out of the classroom.

Point blank. Just left.

"Detention!! My office, after class!!" Umbridge called after her frustratedly. She faintly heard Umbridge give Harry a detention as well. Great. More boys.

Valeria found herself just desperately searching for a quiet place to calm herself down, which ended up being at the edge of the forbidden forest up against a tree. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone for long, though.

"What're you doing?"

Val looked up and locked eyes with Theo. She rolled her eyes and hid her face in her arms crossed over her knees.

"He hates me."

Theo laughed at this. "Quite the opposite, love."

"So he screamed in my face, called me a freak, and labeled me as weak earlier because he likes me?" Valeria asked, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"He's a dick. A confusing one."

Theo sat down next to her up against the tree and lit a cigarette. This didn't bother Valeria, having begun to grow used to the smell. She didn't like how it made her think of him, though.

"He doesn't understand."

"You said you wanted to say yes," Theo eyed her, puffing a bit of smoke out of the corner of his mouth and away from Val. "Explain."

"I don't know. It... feels like it did before. I've only felt this feeling one other time before and it only hurt in the end. And it was my fault. Because I'm a freak."

"Your lycanthropy?" Theo inhaled smoke deeply. "How so? What happened?"

Valeria wasn't sure why or how she felt so comfortable with Theo and being vulnerable. Something about him had a very approachable aura. It made Valeria feel safe.

Like an older and younger sibling pair kind of feeling.

"I was in love. Before. And I was stressed because my family had gone into hiding. My parents were werewolves too, both of them. I had forgotten to take my wolfsbane and I nearly killed him."

"So," Theo sighed. "When you said you were protecting him, you actually meant it."

"Like I would lie about something like that," Valeria scoffed, offended he didn't seem to take her seriously. "Wow, Theo."

"Hey, I was just trying to understand, stay. Sit down," Theo pulled her back down against the tree when she started to stand up. "He's pissed off. And when he's as mad as he is, he shoves everyone who wants to help him away so he doesn't hurt them. I speak from experience. One or two black eyes from an angry Matt will teach you to give him space when he needs it."

Valeria noticed Theo still seemed bitter about the many fights the two have had in the past, however he shook his head and moved past it, taking another deep drag of his cigarette.

"I can't help you with him. He hates me right now too," Theo sighed. "I saw you go into that pub at Hogsmeade and dragged his mopey ass in with me to pick something up. He partially blames this on me too. I've been trying to shove him off his high horse and find the courage to ask you out since he first rambled to me about you when you first got here."

"He- he did that?"

"He did alright," Theo scoffed. "Wouldn't shut up about you. Especially after he got drunk."

Valeria blushed, but reminded herself about what he had said. What he'd called her.

"Listen," Theo watched the momentary happiness fade from her eyes and knew what she'd thought of. "It's in his blood, the rage. He can't control it. And he beats himself up about it. I've seen it. And I can promise you he cares. If he didn't, he wouldn't be so angry. But on the opposing side of the coin here, you did completely walk out on him."

"What was I supposed to say, Theo?" Val sighed, slightly shivering now from the cold of the snow. Thanks to the giant tree they were seated under, they weren't sitting in snow, but it lined the edge of the treeline. "That I can't be with him because I don't wanna kill him?"

Theo cringed, burning his cigarette butt into ashes that fell onto the pine needles below them. He knew they had to wrap up the conversation so Val could get back inside the castle. He didn't have a jacket to give her and her lips are turning blue.

"My best advice?" He sighed again. "Give him space, wait for him to cool off, and then tell him what you told me. I can guarantee once he's straightened himself out, he'll listen. He owes you a hell of an apology too. If he doesn't make it right, you tell me, ya hear?"

"Okay," Valeria took Theo's offered hand and stood up. She brushed the pine needles off the back of her skirt and gave Theo a small smile. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," Theo shrugged. "Needed a place to smoke."

"Sure," She snickered, causing Theo to chuckle too.

"Will you be at the quidditch game tonight?"

"Depends on how long detention lasts."

Theo stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. "Detention? Now this I gotta hear, do explain."

"Merlin, that new professor."