Emerson Wilmore was an exemplary Ravenclaw student, known for her unwavering dedication to academics and an unyielding moral compass. However, things took a twisted and deviated turn in her life after her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, was murdered by L...
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Mattheo eventually joined the small Halloween party Enzo threw in their dormitory, where Blaise and Draco were quick to reunite and greet him. Blaise clapped him hard on the back, muttering something about how he looked "too alive for someone who's been gone that long," while Draco gave him a nod that carried more emotion than words ever could.
From next to Blaise, Luna, with a pumpkin-shaped necklace glowing softly at her throat, smiled at Mattheo as though she'd been expecting him all along.
"I had a feeling you'd come back tonight," She said dreamily. "I told Emerson you would be. Thestrals don't fly away forever, they always come back when they've found someone worth returning to."
It was one of those strange Luna things that made no logical sense and yet, somehow, fit perfectly. Mattheo's lips twitched into a small, almost involuntary smile.
"Right... Thestrals," He muttered, half-amused and half-bewildered, as Luna drifted away to help herself to pumpkin pasties. Even the Gryffindors in the room, Neville, Ginny and Elena, all welcomed Mattheo back kindly.
For a brief, fleeting night, things almost felt normal again. Emerson spoke with Ginny for the better part of an hour, but her eyes found Mattheo more often than she wanted them to. He laughed at something Blaise said. Every now and then, he glanced her way, that slight smirk tugging at his lips when he caught her looking.
The party continued deep into the night. Pansy, kept to Astoria's side but managed to stay civil. Theo and Olivia were inseparable as always, the latter constantly trying to make Theo laugh after his days of sleepless worry. Ginny and Luna were teaching Neville a Muggle card game, while Enzo and Elena snuck very expensive Firewhiskey from Blaise's stash when he wasn't looking and talking to Draco and Mattheo.
By the time the clock struck three in the morning, the group was a happy yet exhausted mess. Theo transfigured the three poster beds into bunk beds that lined the walls of the dormitory, laughing when Enzo immediately called dibs on the top bunk beside Blaise. It felt like a massive sleepover.
Emerson found herself in a lower bunk near Olivia, who was cuddling up again Theo. She could hear Enzo muttering to himself above Blaise, and Draco complaining about how uncomfortable his mattress was.
She had just started to pull the blanket over herself when she felt the bed frame creak above her. Mattheo climbed onto the bunk above. She looked up just in time to see him glance down, his dark eyes catching hers through the dim light. "This one's mine, Emie," he murmured.
She smiled faintly to herself, of course. The soft sound of his movements stilled above her, and for a moment, she thought he'd already fallen asleep. He would've been exhausted. But then, she felt it: the faintest tap from above: two gentle knocks on the wooden frame, a silent little signal just for her. Emerson's chest warmed, her lips curving into a tired smile.
