THEO
We walked to lunch after a bit of a heated chat in the Slytherin common room. I hate those kind of conversations, too much tension to be relaxed, but not enough to have some fun and start a fight; not that I plan I fighting my sister or my friends anytime soon.
When we reached The Great Hall Y/N gave me a weak smile, waved, picked up her head and walked over towards the Hufflepuff table. It's weird seeing her this way. It's almost like you can see the exact second she switches on her mask. I look to Enzo, if anyone else can pick up on the false confidence she has, it's him.
'You see it too right?', he speaks, vocalising the thoughts right out of my head.
'Yeah, I do', he gives me a pat on my shoulder and begins walking by my side.
'She'll be right, she's tough. We both know it', Enzo glances to me to see what I'll say in return.
'It really damaged her Enz', I look down a my seat before Enzo follows suit, 'She hasn't been the same since, Mum.. uh, um'. It's not the first time I've gone to speak about her death and the events leading up to it and not been able to finish my sentence.
'I know. It damaged the both of you. I felt the affects too and I'm not even her son'
'You basically were, the way you'd clear out our fridge with your huge gob is only something a son could do', I say giving him a nudge.
'It's different, you know that', he looks at me for a second before speaking again. 'She brought her up on the train while you were off spending her money.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. Used it as a comeback against Astoria right before you walked in. That's the first time I've ever heard her bring it up, and I spent the whole Christmas holidays trying to get her to even say the word mum.'
'Yeah, it's weird', I watch as Enzo piles some food onto his plate, 'She's different, in someways for the better, but I know it's built off grief and I don't know to do about it, she won't talk to me about her.'
'Mhm', Enzo mumbles, face stuffed with mash potatoes and peas. 'Maybe she'll talk to one of her new Hufflepuff friends about it.'
I reach for the roast chicken on the plate in front of me while mumbling under my breath, 'Better fucking not get close enough to Diggory to talk about that'
Enzo and I turn to look at Y/N sitting with Diggory and co. Enzo says something along the lines of "maybe he's changed", but I'm too focused on the fact that every person sitting along her table is looking, talking or laughing with her. She's so personable on the outside, so hushed on the inside.
Y/N
As I walk over to the Hufflepuff table I prepare myself for the fact I'm going to have to spend the next 45 minutes with people I don't know, and try my best to get to know them. My fingers are looking worse than ever, they're picked apart so badly that even having them in my pockets sends pain shooting up my hands.
This time when I go to sit down at the table, it seems like every person is moving to make space for me, not the opposite like earlier on. I smile and introduce myself to a few people, but Cedric's been waving me down since I walked in the haul which leaves me apologising to people when they ask me to sit with them. At beauxbatons I had lots of friends, and would stop and talk to people at lunch, but this seems totally different. Maybe it's the fact that this is a co-ed school and boys are asking me to sit them with, not just girls.
When I reach Cedric, Eva, Luke and Azar I smile and thank them for saving me a seat.
'Took you long enough to get over here', Cedric smiles.
'Yeah, this morning I thought all of Hufflepuff hated me and just then I couldn't get 5 metres without getting stopped', I look at them puzzled.
'That's what happens when you get sorted into Slytherin than Hufflepuff', Azar adds.
'Or maybe I'm just so pretty and lovely that everyone's itching to get to know me', I joke.
'Yeah, that too', Cedric agrees. Is he flirting with me?
'Ced', Eva gives him a look which I can't quite decipher.
'Uhm, anyways', Cedric peels his eyes off of Eva before return back the the conversation, 'Where'd you go after sorting?'
'Oh, just to find my brother'
'Ugh, that Slytherin', Luke says under his breath.
'What?', I look right at him.
'Don't worry bout it', Cedric says while punching Luke in the shoulder. 'You not hungry?', he nod towards my plate, which I'm yet to fill, and wasn't planning on filling either.
'Oh, nah, not really', I am hungry, I just couldn't bare the pain of eating with half the skin of my cheek abraded from the anxious chewing.
'First day nerves?', Eva asks with a smile.
'Suppose so', I chuckle back.
