Resided in You - Mattheo Riddle

6: ''What was that Grassy?''

It took Thea a while to find her way back to the great hall. Not wanted to go back the way she came, she kept walking around, finding herself on another bridge. A small wooden sign by the door told her it was the 'viaduct bridge', a wide bridge travelling over the valley again, to the courtyard she recognised from last night. Finally knowing where she is, Thea kept walking across, clutching her robes tightly, although finding the air had warmed up considerably. After crossing the bridge and entering yet another courtyard, students began to appear frequently, particularly Ravenclaws, so Thea assumed their common room must be close.   

Thea followed the few groups or students, tailing along the back of them as they headed to the great hall. She found they were mostly younger  years, keen to get to breakfast and start their days. However, she was slightly horrified when reaching the moving staircases, not only because she already dress using them, but mostly that Gryffindors seemed to be pouring down them in flocks, them too heading to the great hall. Keeping her head down, Thea bit her lips as she walked, desperately pleading that she doesn't bump into Hermione. 

"Thea." Daphnes voice rises from the bottom of her staircase and Thea instantly feels relief wash over her like a potion. Daphne is with another girl, who despite having rich chocolate-brown hair, half pulled back into a neat bun, looks unmistakably like her sister. "This is Astoria." Daphne nods to her sister beside her, who smiles gently, then returns her gaze to her feet. Thea can't help but notice how pale she is, more noticeable against her darker hair than Daphne's fair complexion is against her striking white hair. "I was expecting you to turn up at the common room again."

"I went for a look round." Thea quickly replies as the two sister pull up alongside her, choosing to leave out the part where she got lost.

"See anything interesting?"

"Just a lot of the same hallways, it's going to take me a while to get used to this. I ran into Mattheo. Well, he ran into me. Quite literally actually." 

"He ran into you?"

"Is he always so..." Thea struggled to find the right word. 

"Discourteous? Ill-mannered? Brash?" 

"Any of the above."

"No actually. He's not normally this bad." 

Thea nods, her mind instantly wandering to the idea that she's done something 

"He'll be fine in a day or two, he isn't one for change." 

"Right." 

"He's just..." Daphne opens her mouth, but quickly snaps it back shut again, most likely realising how she's spilling inside information to a complete stranger.

The three of them step out into the entrance hall, where even more students are beginning to wander down to breakfast, and fill up the great hall. The large clock in the entrance hall reads 7:43, giving Thea a shocking reality check for how long shes been wandering around the castle. 

Once sat down at the table, Thea realised that there wasn't even as many people awake as she had thought. Most of the tables were heavier at the other end, with younger years, too scared to integrate further up. Many of the 3rd and 4th years were sat at the wrong tables, mixing with their friends from other houses. She recognised the blues and yellows and reds, yet not a single green on any of the incorrect tables. None of the other 6th year Slytherins had yet arrived, and with Astoria sat with a few of her fellow 5th years, it was just Thea and Daphne sat at the table. 

"Did you get your timetable?" Daphne leans forward, picking up a slice of toast from the centre of the table. 

"Yeah" Thea reaches into her robe to retract the parchment. "Snape is nothing other than how you described him."