Revenge ~ An HP FF

~ Chapter 6 ~

I woke up in my dorm room, sharing it with Jessi. My head felt like it was about to explode into a million pieces. Way too early.

"You're awake," Jessi said beside me. "What the—?"

"I told Madam Pomfrey you were sick. She gave you a pass for today and tomorrow."

Silence.

"I told you not to take anything from the others," she added then. Was she my mom now? I just rolled my eyes, burying my face in my pillow. I heard her sigh, followed by the rustle of clothes.

"Are you going to class?" I asked, pouting.

"Of course I'm going to class! What do you think? That I'd skip on the first day just to play nurse for you?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wow. No need to go all fury-mode." Realizing how she sounded, she looked down, an apologetic expression softening her features.

"Sorry, Aewyn. I'm just worried, okay? You scared the hell out of me when you collapsed. I should've stayed with you from the start. Then maybe the whole thing with Mattheo wouldn't have..."

The mention of his name jolted me awake.

"Mattheo?! What about him?" Jessi looked at me like I'd grown two heads.

"Did you hit your head when you fell yesterday?"

"Nope. It's called a blackout, love," I replied, annoyed. "What happened with Mattheo?"

"You got drunk and punched him," she said and explained me what happened yesterday, leaving my jaw practically on the floor.

"I'm never leaving this room again," I groaned, burying my face in my hands, already flushing with embarrassment.

"Oh, don't be dramatic," Jessi said, laughing. "But you should apologize to him."My eyes widened so much I thought they might pop out of my head.

"Have you lost your mind?! The guy put out his cigarette on me, and I'm supposed to apologize because I hit him while drunk? Yeah, no. Forget it!" Jessi, now dressed and book in hand, shrugged as if she didn't care.

"You're better than him, and you know it."

"You're better than him, and you know it," I mocked her, rolling my eyes. "No way. I don't care. He deserved it."

Jessi just gave me a tired smile. "Your choice," she said, turning away. "I'll bring you lunch later."

And then, I was alone. Really alone, for the first time in seven weeks. Back home, my parents had hovered around me 24/7. And on the train here—well, let's just say things had gone differently than I imagined.

I took a deep breath. What I needed most right now was a shower. Scratch that—a bath. I pulled a towel from my suitcase, along with some fresh clothes. I didn't even care that I'd be strolling through Hogwarts in sweatpants and a hoodie.

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The prefects' bathroom code hadn't changed, which made me smile as I stepped into the luxurious space. This was one of the few things I actually missed about Hogwarts. Water shot from the faucets, and with a few twists and taps, I had a tub full of steaming, floral-scented bubbles.

Discarding my cigarette-scented clothes, I slid into the water, every muscle in my body instantly relaxing.

I sighed.

"Oh, it's you," came a voice I knew far too well. The mermaid mosaic. "Did your boyfriend dump you, or are you just here to cry again?"

I rolled my eyes. Okay, fair—last year, this was my spot when I needed a good cry. But did she have to say it like that?

"Shut up," I muttered, splashing some bubbles at her. She squealed and ducked behind her rock.

"Bleh, you—" Whatever else she had to say, I tuned it out, closing my eyes and trying to remember last night.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I sighed again. God, I was never drinking again. (Yeah, right. Like I'd stick to that.)

That nagging feeling in my chest—that sharp, uncomfortable pang—intensified. Was it guilt? Over Mattheo? Seriously? Why did I even care? I tried to clear my head. 

No use. 

In frustration, I dove under the water, screaming until my lungs burned. Surely the entire castle had heard me.

When I finally surfaced, gasping for air, I hated everything even more. Him. Hogwarts. My classmates. The fact that I'd wandered into this bathroom that day of all days.

 Everything.

And then I heard the door to the bathroom open.

Panic shot through me. Scrambling, I grabbed my clothes, tossing them into a dusty corner behind one of the columns. Then, as quickly as I could, I sank back into the water, hiding behind the thick wall of foam.

Not a moment too soon.

Lily and Mattheo walked in. Biting my lip, I kept as quiet as humanly possible.

"If you want me to tell you what she did, you're going to have to give me something in return," Lily said, her high-pitched voice echoing off the tiled walls.

"And what would that be?" Mattheo replied. He sounded annoyed—really annoyed. Clearly, she'd been talking his ear off for a while.

"You date me," she said, giggling.

I froze. Seconds passed. And then, to my complete shock, Mattheo said, "Okay." Lily giggled again.

"Now tell me—what's Aewyn's secret?"

Everything in me went rigid. I could practically see her clinging to his arm in my mind's eye. Then she spoke, and what she said made my blood run cold.