Dusk and Desire - A Mattheo Riddle Story

The Damn Cast

The hospital wing smelled like potions, chemical cleaners, and broken dreams. Well, at least to Nora it did. She scowled as she stared down at the thick cast that was covering her leg. Madam Pomfrey had given her a bond mending potion but according to her, Nora's break was so severe that it couldn't be mended in an instant. There were far too many splinters and magic could only do so much.

The damn cast covering half of her right leg was bright red as if there wasn't going to be enough attention on her already. Aditi had signed it multiple times already until Nora finally shooed her best friend out. She could tell that Aditi was getting far too restless sitting beside her in the hospital wing and her bouncing leg had begun to drive Nora bonkers. Now, she sat there with her arms crossed sullenly and a perpetual frown on her face as if she could scowl at her leg enough to fix it.

Her cheeks were still flushed from the Quidditch match. A match that, by the way, was going fantastically. Nora had scored multiple goals and had finally felt like she proved she was worthy of being there. Slytherin House beat its rival and she was at the forefront of that win. And yet instead of celebrating, she was here with multiple snapped bones.

That wasn't the only thing this injury had given her. Well, physically it was but there was also the mental war going on in her head. Madam Pomfrey hadn't said when she'd be able to play again. What if she couldn't play in the next match and the team needed to replace her? What if her replacement was even better? What if she lost everything that she had only just gained?

And then there was the matter of Mattheo fucking Riddle, sticking his nose in her business as if he belonged there. The nerve of that boy. She never should have made the stupid plan to get close to him. Now he thought that they were something of an item when that was far from the case. He meant nothing to her... right?

Nope. He was just a stupid little git acting like a stupid little git. He probably only cared about her broken leg because it made fucking that much harder. Seemed like where his head would be right about now with the way she screwed with it.

"There's my favorite female member of the Slytherin Quidditch team," said a bright and chipper voice from the side of her bed, breaking her from her thoughts of the boy with curly brown hair and bright eyes. Not that Nora even noticed either of those things.

Enzo Berkshire stood next to her with his hands in his pockets, shaggy brown hair dripping slightly at the ends as if he just taken a shower. He had changed out of his clothes and wore a light grey wool sweater and jeans. Nora couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked when he was utterly at ease like this, though she preferred her men a little more psychotic.

What the fuck? Psychotic? Are you mad? She chastised herself.

"The only female member of the Slytherin Quidditch team," she corrected. "Well, was."

The corner of his lips turned down in a slight frown. It looked unnatural on his face. "'Was?' Guess Pomfrey was wrong when she said you'd heal within a week."

Nora's eyes widened. "Really? A week?" The cast on her leg made her struggle to believe that would be true. The thick material was already beginning to make her crazy with how little she could move in it.

"Yup. Maybe earlier. She thinks you'll be able to play in the next match if you actually rest it." He gives her a pointed look as if he knew she was already thinking of sneaking back onto her broom so she didn't lose all her progress. Nora just rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Rosier. You had a pretty bad spill there. If Mattheo didn't take care of it as quickly as he did, you could have been looking at a lot longer in your nice red cast."

"What?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows because this was all new to her. "What does Mattheo have to do with me healing? It's nothing. I would have been fine."