Resided in You | Mattheo Riddle

4: ''What was your old school, a shithole?''

The feast was over just as swiftly as it began. Food vanished from the tables quicker than Thea could blink, Theo began tutting and sighing as his third helping of dessert disappeared from the centre of the table before he could even latch onto it.

Dumbledore, the headmaster, gave long rattled speech about staying vigilant and resilient. And all the while, Thea sat with her back to the Gryffindors, with her back to Hermione, anxiety boiling away in the pit of her stomach like a potion.

Hermione is going to be fuming. That's the only thing she can think of. She may have only been in the house for all of 45 minutes, but she can feel the house prejudice and warfare burning the back of her skull from here.

Students begin to rise around her, as the end of dinner leaves them to go to their rooms and prepare for tomorrow. Initially planning on keeping her head down, Thea stands from the table, not even as much as glancing towards the door.

Pansy and Blaise are caught in a casual conversation, Theo throwing bits of screwed up napkin at Enzo as they walk parallel down each side of the table. Both Daphne and Draco are walking alongside each other, the blonde girl talking in a slow hushed voice, staring only at the space in front of her. Mattheo has almost reached the door already. The door is so close, if only Thea can reach it before Hermione.

"Dorothea." A sharp voice snaps from beside her, and Thea knows she's been caught. Yet, keeping true to her promise, she doesn't respond to the insult, and keeps walking. Pansy snaps round at the sound of Hermione's voice, her eyes falling upon the two sisters.

"Thea please." Hermione pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to reach her sister. Thea ignores her, until they spill out the doorway into the entrance hall, and Hermione's fingers clamp down on Thea's arm.

"Thea."

"Hermione I.."

"Look, i know you are in Slytherin, and it's definitely not what i was hoping for but..."

"How universal of you Granger." Pansy sneers at Hermione, pulling up alongside Thea.

"Play nice Pansy, Thea is allowed to communicate with her." Daphne tugs at Pansy's robe, yet she doesn't budge.

"Funnily enough, i think you'll find i wasn't addressing you Parkinson." Hermione snaps.

"Ohh is that so?"

"I tend not to talk to stupid people." Hermione bites back, angrily leaning forward on her tiptoes so much that Thea thought she might take flight.

"Stupid?" Pansy laughs. "What are you, a 2nd year?"

"I'm not the one working at the level of a 2nd year Potion class."

"Watch your mouth Granger." Pansy snarls, stepping forward again, malevolent intent in her eyes.

"Hermione don't be a bitch." Thea finds herself defending Pansy without thinking.

"You can't be friends with them Thea." Hermione begins to speak frantically.

"What?"

"I mean..." She lowers her voice slightly, almost a useless act as Pansy and Daphne can still hear her completely fine. "They are the children of death eaters. The people who tore apart our country and, and killed Harry's parents and..."

"Hermione what the fuck." Thea's mouth almost drops in disbelief.

"You can fucking say that again Granger." Pansy launches herself at Hermione, only just stopped by Daphnes firm tug on her robes. Blaise marches into the centre of the dilemma, arms wrapped across Pansy, flinging himself between the two girls and pulling her back.