Matteo sighs and tries again. Sadly, nothing but a shapeless mist comes out of his wand.
As every sixth and seventh year he needs to learn how to make a patronus charm. Easier said than done.
It's kind of sad how he can't really think of many happy memories in his life but he tries not dwell.
He takes a deep breath and tries again. He fails again. And again and again and again. Matteo finally gets frustrated, with the spell and himself for not being able to do it.
He tries again. He kicks a chair.
"Wow, you seem upset." He hears a feminine voice at his back and a little smile forms on his lips as soon as he recognizes it (too quickly for his ego, if he is being honest).
"I'm okay, delivery girl." Matteo says turning to face her. " What are you doing in the castle when you could be out and about in Hogsmeade?"
"Just felt like staying." Luna crosses her arms across her chest, frowning. "And it doesn't matter what you say you don't seem fine, at all."
"I'm fine. I'm always fine." He pairs the words with a wink so she can catch the double meaning.
She rolls her eyes at him but doesn't say anything regarding his very high self esteem. She must be really worried.
"I'm okay, really." Matteo reassures her, but decides to tell her the truth seeing its not working."I'm just a little frustrated over the fact that I can't seem to make a patronus."
She looks up at him, obviously ready to tease him but decides against it
"It's not that hard, really". She takes out her wand and stands straight facing away from him."You just gotta focus on your happy memory."
She stands there with her eyes closed for a while and then with whispered words a big hummingbird comes out her wand. He is not surprised by the hufflepuff's patronus at all, it fits her.
"You now." She gestures him to move closer to her but he just leans in the closest wall.
"What is your happy memory?" His question surprises her, he can see that,but she answers anyway.
"It's more the feeling than the memory to be honest. But it's of me and my parents, we are all eating something my mom cooked and we are laughing around the table." As she talks her face softens and a soft smile forms on her lips." Which memory are you using?"
He sighs at the question he was avoiding.
"The first time I won a quidditch match." He answers truthfully, is one of the best memories he has. Sadly.
"That's not enough." She explains gesticulating. "It has to be one of those memories that you feel in your chest and make you all warm inside."
He knows something...someone, that makes him all warm inside, he's staring at her, sadly he doesn't have a lot of great memories with her either.
"I don't have any memories like that." Matteo looks away not wanting to look her in the eye. That's why he misses the tiny brunette forcefully walking towards him and tugging his sleeve.
"Where are we going?" Matteo asks her, somewhat amused with her odd behaviour.
"To make you a good memory."
The clump in his throat drowns the innuendo he would have surely made in any other situation.
"You are true hufflepuff, aren't you?" He says instead, because he has to say something.
"Yeah." She says proudly before turning around and looking him right in eye. "And you're my friend, Matteo."
He can't say anything else after, no matter how hard he tries, the feeling of her small hand on his doesn't let him for some reason.
"What are we doing here?" He asks when they are in the quidditch pitch and he finally recovers his voice. "You told me flying wasn't good enough."
"I said winning is not good enough, flying could be." She hands him one of the school's crappy brooms and takes one for herself. "But that's not why we are here, I need to help you make a happy memory and I think better when I'm flying...besides you like it to."
She starts flying and he's left in ground admiring the way her dark hair moves with the wind.
"Aren't you coming?" She asks.
Matteo jumps into his broom and with an elaborated trick he reaches Luna in the air.
"Show off." Luna mutters and flies away.
"It's that jealousy I hear, delivery girl?" He teases, chasing her.
"As if." She rolls her eyes at him. "Of what would I be jealous of, exactly?"
"Of my immense talent, of course." He says a little bit dramatically. She laughs.
"And he is back, ladies and gentlemen." She gestures at the empty pitch.
"Just admit that you are jealous because I'm so much better than you at flying."
"Right, because there's no one better that the King of Slytherin." Luna teases him.
"No, there's not." He agrees.
"Wanna prove it?" She dares him
"What are you saying?" He leans in closer to her, interested.
"The first one to make five leaps around the pitch wins." Luna explains. "And it's therefore the best flyer /quidditch player of the two of us."
"Deal." He says shaking her hand and starts flying as soon as she lets go.
"That's cheating!" He hears her behind him but she's laughing.
He slows down a little allowing her to pass him but gains his speed back as soon as her victorious giggles die down.
They are in the last leap when the school broom she is using starts acting erratically and she crushes into him. Both being experienced quidditch players take out their wands and cushion their fall.
She falls on top of him and she's laughing, with her nose scrunched up in that adorable way of her. His self control is not as great as he likes to believe, especially when she looks so happy and there's a warm feeling in his chest so he just goes for it.
Matteo leans in closer to her, making his intentions as clear as possible and when she doesn't pull away he softly touches her lips to her.
Later that day when they are back on the classroom he closes his eyes and feels the wind in his face and hears laughter at his back. And when he whispers the words he can see the perfectly shaped silver eagle coming out of his wand.
