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Matilda made her way back to the Great Hall, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of the afternoon's unexpected events. As she entered, she noticed Sonny glancing around, looking slightly on edge. She decided to approach him, hoping to ease the tension.
"What's up?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.
Sonny's expression shifted from surprise to distaste as he looked her way. "What were you doing with him?" he asked, his tone sharp as he gestured toward Mattheo, who was just entering the hall.
Matilda's face flushed a deep crimson. "Nothing," she replied, perhaps a bit too quickly. She tried to sound casual but couldn't shake the pang of guilt that surfaced. Sonny's raised eyebrow only made her feel more uncomfortable. "I'm tutoring him on Monday. I just needed to remind him."
"Whatever," Sonny muttered, rolling his eyes. His dismissal made Matilda feel even more guilty for what had happened with Mattheo. She slid into the seat next to Sonny, feeling the weight of her earlier actions.
As Sonny hesitantly started eating, Matilda couldn't bring herself to touch her own food. The guilt gnawed at her, making her feel physically ill. The room seemed to close in around her, and she felt a growing sense of unease.
"I'm actually going to go," she said quietly, standing up. "I'm awfully tired."
Sonny barely looked up from his plate, giving her a curt nod as she made her exit. Matilda rolled her eyes discreetly; she definitely needed some rest.
When she entered the Slytherin common room, she was met with an unusual silence. Every head turned toward her, and she spotted Pansy stifling a laugh. Ignoring the curious glances, Matilda headed straight for her dorm.
In the privacy of her room, she changed into her cozy, fluffy pajamas and tied her naturally straight hair into a loose ponytail. Exhausted, she removed her makeup, carefully wiping away the day's remnants of mascara and eyebrow pencil.#
As she crawled into bed, she glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. The display read 7:32 p.m. It felt far too early to be going to sleep, so she decided to catch up on some homework while listening to her favorite music.
Matilda popped a CD into her record player and let the familiar tunes fill the room. With the soft strains of music as her backdrop, she began jotting down answers to her homework. The rhythmic hum of the music helped her focus, making the task seem less daunting.
