Resided in You - Mattheo Riddle

13: ''Was that a compliment?''

Even as the clock hit 3:15, 72 whole hours after their potion was left supposed to be tended to, Thea had had absolutely no contact with Mattheo. Blaise and Daphne had both found their partners and made their way back down to the potions classroom to add the next ingredients and leave again to boil away. Both Slughorn and the potions textbook didn't specify when exactly on Saturday the next steps were the be completed, the only instructions consisted of: Come back on Saturday, Come back together. 

Thea contemplated just going down to the dungeons with the rest of her friends, and making zero effort to find Riddle at all. However, having missed that opportunity, her only new idea was to venture down now, at 6:28, alone. 

She's begun to be familiar with the castle, taking late night walks to venture farther than the night before, exploring corridor upon corridor of endless nothingness. Everything looks the same and Thea can't help to think that her efforts are practically futile. Remembering the ways to her classes is undemanding, but anything beyond always becomes slightly hazy. 

She hates the moving staircases. That was decided upon almost instantly. Thea constantly reminds herself that whoever decided such an endless mind numbing game of frustration needs to be studied. Recently all she feels is frustration, which she neither wants or needs any more of. 

"No Riddle?" Daphne calls up from the staircase below Thea, catching her off guard completely. 

She regains full balance and peers over the edge to watch as Daphne and Blaise's staircase glides across the open space, slotting into the ledge in front of her. "No, i thought id just go down anyway, i'm not searching the whole fucking castle for him." 

"Try not to mess up his potion to much." Blaise adds, emotionless, in some sort of manner than makes Thea wonder if he's joking or not. 

"Where you are going?" Thea changes the subject, stepping down into the doorway with the other two. 

"Library." Daphne replies, holding up a roll of parchment. "I'm drowning in arithmancy." 

Thea nods, passing by and stepping down onto the next staircase, careful not to take her time incase it moves before she can reach it. "If you see Riddle tell him i don't need any help." She jokes, almost rushing down the stairs. 

"Will do." Daphne calls after her, already ascending up the next staircase with Blaise. 

The dungeons are quiet at this time, most students spend Saturday afternoons in the common rooms, the OWL and NEWT ones in the library, as well as people like Daphne, and most likely Hermione. 

When she reaches the potions classroom, it's empty. Upon further inspection, the only potion that hasn't turned the newest shade: purple, is hers and Mattheo's. Half of her is occupied by the annoyance that Mattheo hadn't come and just done it himself. The other half filled with a level of anxiety that he could come flying through those doors at any given second. Surely he wouldn't want to risk Thea doing it without him?

Dropping the potions book on the desk, she quickly turns to the right page, identifying the next ingredient: Sage. Thankful that Slughorn keeps a plentiful supply in the cupboard, Thea grabs a handful and begins to weigh it out. The room feels evidently colder when vacant, the stone floor seems to radiate cold air upwards, through Thea's shoes and filling up her body. Her only source of warmth seems to come from the small fire licking at the bottom of her cauldron. 

Shes only just dropped the last spoonful of Sage into the mixture, when the door flies open. 

Riddle stands in the doorway, frozen momentarily, taking in the situation before him. 

Thea instantly jumps when the door smashes into the stone walls, turning around to face the intruder. She relaxed when she realises it's just him, any adrenaline just built up in her fizzling out into subsided anger.