#I have to explain myself for liking Enzo

[enzombie]

[papercorgiworld]

Boyfriend material

Reader is starting the new year in search of a little fun and a boyfriend. Pansy helps here pick the right outfit and guy.

For Blaise, Theo and Mattheo this will be a two part ‘porn with plot’ thing. This is part one and holds the plot. No Enzo part two, because apparently I can only write so much smut before my brain goes brrrr. Sorry.

I added a part 2 for Enzo!

Warning: reader has a little dirty make out daydream. Slytherin dudes have some naughty thoughts as well.

I had fun writing this. I really hope you like reading it. Kisses.

“New year, new me. I’m no longer a boring girl. I’m going to find myself a nice, good looking guy and get crazy with him.” You started as you sat down next to Hermoine. She laughed in response. “You don’t need a guy to have fun or to be cool.” But before you could say anything Pansy plopped down next to you. “Yes, you do, so who’s the lucky guy?” Hermoine rolled her eyes.

You looked around the great hall and settled on a handsome sixth year. “Him.” You tilted your face his way, subtly pointing. “Ew! No! Boring!” Pansy spat. “What’s wrong with that guy?” Hermoine asked, narrowing her eyes at Pansy. “You wanna be popular, you wanna have fun, you gotta date someone on top of the food chain.” Pansy said as a matter of fact and Hermoine mocked the last words of her sentence.

You ignored the tension completely and simply asked. “Who’s on top of the food chain?” Pansy looked around to search for a good example. “Aha!” She said pleased, when she saw who just walked in and grinned at the girls next to her. “Oh no.” Hermoine sighed as she saw a particular group of Slytherins enter the great hall. You simply pursed your lips at the idea. But you brought yourself back to reality. “How’s a gray mouse like me gonna date the top of the food chain?” Pansy simply wiggled her eyebrows and Hermoine was definitely worried now.

***

The next day you made your way to sit next to Hermoine in class. With your skirt short enough to make you question its purpose and your shirt tight and revealing, you now had all the guys paying attention. “What’s this?” Hermoine questioned, obviously referring to your outfit. “This. This is my battle-outfit. I’m conquering the top of the food chain.” You replied with confidence. Hermoine scoffed and raised an eyebrow. “Then why is the top of the food chain looking at you like you're their next meal.”

You quickly glanced around the classroom, getting a little nervous, you softly bit your lip. You want to defend your case to Hermoine, but accidentally drop your quill. As you reach for it, Enzo beats you to it. Handing it to you with a sweet smile, but also giving you a cheeky wink.

Theodore, who sits next to Enzo, shakes his head and huffs. “Don’t fall for it. Pansy’s clearly up to something.” Enzo smiles brightly at his friend. “Oh mate, I’ve already fallen. Badly, madly. And it’s okay, you can leave your fallen brother behind. He’s going to a better place, somewhere between her squishy thighs.” Mattheo who sits behind Theodore speaks up. “Oi, T. slap him for me, will ya?” And before Enzo even realizes what Mattheo said, Theo has already given him a light smack on the back of his head. Blaise bites his lip and comes to Enzo’s aid. “In his defense, look at those legs.” Slurring the last word and leaning closer to Mattheo, his eyes never leaving your body. Mattheo pushes his chair a little and leans back for a better view of what his friend is talking about. Mattheo is definitely seeing something he likes, his eyes scan your body. His tongue gently rolls over his lips and he swallows hard thinking about all the noises you would make if he could have his way with you. “Mister Zabini, mister Riddle, care to explain why you don’t have your books out yet.” Professor McGonnagol asks, looking down upon the boys. “Sorry professor.” Blaise immediately reaches for his book, while Mattheo only looks down at his desk like a pouty 5 year old that just got caught.

After class Theodore lets out a frustrated grown as you walk past them in the hallway. You did nothing aside from sitting there and being pretty, yet you had him fantasizing about things that made him loosen his tie halfway during class. “I should’ve skipped class. I wrote down less than when I’m not in class.” Enzo looked confused at Theo’s statement, questioning his logic. Mattheo was about to say something, but Blaise interrupted him. “That simp! Look at him.” Blaise pointed at Draco shamelessly leaning against a wall trying to casually make conversation with you as Pansy tries not to laugh at Draco’s desperation. “No backbone, those Malfoy’s.” Mattheo scoffs. “Yeaah.” Blaise affirms absentmindedly, staring at you as you smile at Draco. Such a beautiful smile, but I bet that mouth can do more than just smile. Blaise was smirking as his thoughts got less innocent with each passing second. “We should save the poor girl.” Enzo states, pulling Blaise out his trance. “Yeah.” Blaise and Enzo quickly make their way over to you. Making Pansy grin at Mattheo and Theodore. Raising her eyebrows as a way of non-verbally taunting them: are you two really gonna just stand there with your pathetic male pride. “Tell me you have smokes. I need one.” Mattheo sighs in frustration after he finally managed to pull his eyes away from you. Theo nods. “Girls and their games. They’ll be the death of me.” Theo can’t help but take one last look at you.

***

“Pans, I really don’t think this is a good idea. Hermoine’s right I’m attracting the wrong kind of guys.” Pansy eyes roll up in annoyance. That bloody Granger-girl can squeeze the fun out of everything. “You can set them straight. Believe me, if you bat your eyes they will start behaving.” You make a face disagreeing with her. “I’m looking for fun, yeah, but I’m also looking for boyfriend material, they’re not that.” Pansy huffs. “You know nothing.” You frown in confusion. “Just play my game. You’ll get what you want.” Pansy starts walking again, but then turns on her heels looking at you still confused. “You are gonna have to pick one, preferably by tonight. I would hate to see the Slytherin boy band break up, because I really don’t think they can share.” You bite your lip softly and your mind wonders.

If Pansy was really speaking the truth and you could just have your pick. Which one? Him. If he would push you against this cold hallway wall right now you would immediately spread your legs so he could lift you up. Your neck and your jaw would be peppered with his soft kisses. You would wrap your legs around him and he would buck his hips into yours. Your mouth would fall open slightly because of all the sensations building up between your legs. He would mercilessly attack your mouth and his hands would explore every inch of your body. Squeezing your butt, making you instinctively rub your core against his growing bulge. He would cup your breasts, his thumb caressing your nipple through the fabric. “Everything alright?” Luna snaps you out of your wonderful train of thoughts. You look at her sheepishly. “Yeah. I better get going. Class, and stuff.” You push your thighs together, before fully letting go of your daydream. “I have those moments too you know, when I forget about reality.” Luna comforts you as you both walk to class. “Uhu” Is all you manage to say, not really knowing what to think.

If Blaise is you’re guy: part 2

***

“Your party outfit is a shirt?” Hermoine asks, not hiding her judgment. “It’s an oversized shirt, which makes it a dress. It’s fashion, Granger, get over it.” Pansy snaps. “You’re corrupting my friend.” Hermoine hisses at Pansy. “Oh, darling. I’m not corrupting. But some guy might.” Pansy winks, Hermoine’s mouth falls open and you stand there sheepishly looking at your feet. “I’m wearing shorts under this dress. So it’s really not that bad.” You finally manage to say. “Alright, let’s party.” Pansy says and she’s the first to walk through the doors of the room of requirement.

For Mattheo: part 2

For Theodore: part 2

For Lorenzo: part 2

[sadnymi]

Lovefool p2

[part one] [Mattheo riddle x reader]

Summary: Being the only girl in the group, and now stuck in the middle of nowhere with them, you found myself in a tricky situation. You had to share rooms, and Mattheo, leaving no room for negotiation, insisted that you would share with him. The problem was, there was only one bed. From uncovering feelings to heartbreak, it was a night you wouldn't forget.

Warning: angst,fluff,strong language, hints of smut .

Words:5,5k + Bonus scene.

When we arrived back home, I quickly said goodbye to the boys, avoiding eye contact with all of them. I couldn't bear to see their pity or confusion. I just wanted to escape to the solitude of my room. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against it, finally allowing myself to break down. Tears streamed down my face as I slid to the floor, clutching my knees to my chest.

There was only one week left before returning to Hogwarts, and I knew I would have to face them—most of all, Mattheo. The thought of seeing him again made my stomach churn. During that week, I waited for him to reach out, to say something, anything, that would make sense of what happened. But he didn’t. The silence from him was deafening, and it drove me insane.

All the other boys sent me messages as usual. Even Blaise, who had been so harsh, reached out, perhaps feeling guilty for his words. But not Mattheo. He ghosted me completely, and the pain was unbearable. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart would leap with hope, only to be crushed when it wasn’t him.

I spent days replaying our time together in my mind, trying to understand what went wrong. Had I misread everything? Was I just another conquest to him? The questions tormented me, and the lack of answers made it worse.

I remember that night vividly. The way he looked at me, the tenderness in his touch, the passion in his kisses—it all felt so real. But now, it seemed like a cruel illusion, a trick my heart played on me.

I tried to distract myself by throwing myself into reading, but every word I read seemed to blur into the memory of him. I’d catch myself staring at the same page for hours, lost in thoughts of his hands on my skin, his whispered words.

By the middle of the week, the weight of his absence was unbearable. I lay in bed, clutching my phone, scrolling through old messages, and torturing myself with his silence. The boys' messages were kind and casual, but they couldn't fill the void Mattheo left.

Enzo’s messages were the most frequent, always checking in on me, making sure I was okay. “Hey, how are you holding up?” he’d text, and I’d force myself to respond with a lie. “I’m fine, thanks,” I’d write back, even though I was anything but fine.

Blaise's messages were surprisingly considerate. “Sorry about the other day. Didn’t mean to upset you,” he’d said. I couldn’t bring myself to be angry with him; he had only voiced what I feared was true.

But Mattheo? Nothing. No calls, no texts, no attempts to explain or apologize. It felt like he had erased me from his life completely.

The pain was relentless, gnawing at me day and night. I felt hollow, like a shell of the person I had been before. I missed his voice, his laughter, the way he made me feel seen and cherished. I missed him so much it hurt to breathe.

The final straw came the night before we were due to return to Hogwarts. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and realized I couldn’t go on like this. I needed to confront him, to demand answers. I couldn’t start the new school year with this weight on my shoulders. I had to face him, even if it meant shattering my heart all over again.

I took a deep breath and picked up my phone, my fingers trembling as I typed out a message. “Mattheo, we need to talk. Please.” I hit send and waited, my heart pounding in my chest. Minutes felt like hours as I watched the screen, praying for a response.

But none came. The silence stretched on, suffocating me, and I knew that no matter what happened, I had to find a way to move forward. With or without him.

I boarded the train with a heavy heart, my eyes scanning the crowded platform. As soon as I found Enzo, I slid into the seat next to him, trying to muster a smile.

“Hi,” I said, glancing briefly at Mattheo, who was sitting across from us.

“Hey,” Mattheo replied, his voice neutral, his gaze avoiding mine.

Theo soon returned, his eyes lighting up when he saw me. “How have you been?” he asked.

“I’ve been okay,” I lied, forcing another smile. Before I could say more, Draco and Blaise joined us, making the compartment feel even more cramped and awkward.

“Hi,” Draco said, his voice soft, his eyes flicking between me and Mattheo. Blaise offered a similar greeting, his usual bravado toned down, as if he sensed the tension.

I tried to lose myself in my book, Emma another Jane Austen novel, hoping it would distract me from the unbearable atmosphere. But I could feel Mattheo’s eyes on me, and each glance was like a dagger to my heart. His stare was intense, and it made concentrating impossible.

“I’m going to say hi to Pansy,” I announced suddenly, grabbing my bag and book. I left the compartment quickly, not giving anyone a chance to respond.

As I walked down the corridor, I realized I couldn’t face Pansy either. She would ask questions, and I had no answers. I turned a corner, only to overhear a group of girls talking animatedly about their exploits.

“Enzo is amazing,” one girl said, giggling. “Blaise too, though he’s a bit too cocky for my taste.”

“Oh, Theo is a sweetheart,” another girl chimed in. “But Mattheo... God, he’s something else.”

My ears pricked up at his name, and I leaned closer, my heart pounding.

“What’s it like with Mattheo?” a third girl asked, her voice dripping with curiosity.

“He’s rough, but in a good way,” the first girl said, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “He barely looked at me, but I didn’t mind. It felt so good. He didn’t kiss me, though, just... did his thing and left.”

My heart pounded as I continued to listen, hiding behind the corner.

"God, I'd do anything to sleep with Mattheo again," the first girl said, her voice filled with a mix of longing and frustration. "But he doesn't sleep with the same girl twice."

"Yeah, he's got a reputation for that," another girl chimed in. "And yet, somehow, they all are so different with her you know??," she said, her tone dripping with disdain.

" Y/N right? What's so special about her anyway?" a third girl asked, her voice filled with venom.

"She's always hanging around them, like she's one of them. I can't understand how she managed to get in their group."

"I bet they all fucked her at some point," the first girl said, her voice low and conspiratorial. "Do you think they share her? She's their slut for sure."

"I know right?," another girl agreed, her laughter harsh and cruel. "I mean, how else would she keep their attention? She must be really good in bed."

"Or maybe she just does whatever they want," the third girl added. "So pathetic, really. Always trying to act like she's so special. I bet she’s just a desperate little slut."

My heart pounded as I continued to listen, hiding behind the corner.

"Yeah, spreads her legs for any of them at the drop of a hat," another girl sneered. "She's probably been passed around like a party favor."

"And they act so protective of her," the first girl said with a bitter laugh. "I can't imagine why. What do they see in her?"

"They must be playing some kind of game," the third girl suggested. "Maybe seeing who can screw her over the most."

My heart beat faster and faster, each cruel word piercing deeper. Tears blurred my vision as I stepped away from the corner, desperate to escape their venomous gossip.

The world around me seemed to blur as I walked faster, not caring where I was going, just needing to get away. I collided with a strong chest, and looking up through my tears, I saw Mattheo.

"Why are you crying? “ His voice was sharper than a knife

“Who did this to you?" He asked once more when I didn’t answer his hands gently cupped my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears.

I pulled away, my voice shaking. "I'm not talking to you," I said, the tears flowing freely. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand.

"Stop it. Let me go," I demanded, trying to pull free from his grip.

"Not unless I know what got you crying like that," he insisted, his eyes filled with the same loving and caring expression that had once made my heart soar.

I looked away, the pain and confusion overwhelming me. "Just go and ignore me like you have been for the past week, or whatever," I said, my voice bitter. "Pretend I don't exist. You're good at that."

His face fell, looking speechless for a moment. I didn’t wait for him to respond. I pulled away, breaking into a run until I found an empty compartment far away from everyone. I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the seat, sobbing uncontrollably.

The cruel words of the girls echoed in my mind, mingling with the confusion and heartbreak of Mattheo's unexpected concern. Why did he have to care now, after leaving me in silence for a week?

As the train rumbled on, I curled up on the seat, hugging my knees to my chest. The weight of everything pressed down on me, and I felt utterly alone. I had no answers, only questions that seemed to multiply with each passing moment. Why had he treated me so tenderly, only to disappear? And why did it hurt so much to see that same tenderness now, when I was already so broken?

Why had Mattheo been so different with me? Cause I’m pretty sure I wasn’t imagining that night and from what I heard from those girls it seems like he’s a different person from the one they are talking about .

I had a long time trying to explain to the boys why I suddenly disappeared and never returned. They didn’t look convinced, and their probing questions made it clear they weren’t buying my excuses.

Days passed, and I tried to put some space between me and all of them. It wasn’t easy. Draco cornered me in the common room one evening, his eyes filled with concern. "Something happened," he said, his voice low and insistent. "Tell me what it is."

"I'm fine, Draco. It's just family drama," I lied, my stomach twisting with guilt.

"You’ve been skipping meals and acting different," Theo added, joining us with a frown. "This isn’t like you."

"I told you, it’s family stuff," I insisted, hating how naked I felt under their scrutiny. It was like they could see right through my facade.

"Just...let us help," Draco pleaded, but I shook my head, turning away from their worried gazes.

Over the next few days, I was in a bit of a slump. Not only did I skip meals, but I also skipped more classes than usual. If I could have, I would have skipped the whole week, but unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

I grabbed my bag and walked through the courtyard, I overheard a girl talking loudly to her friends. "She's such a slut," she sneered, and my steps faltered. "I bet she's been with every Slytherin boy."

I stopped, my blood boiling. I turned around and marched over to her, my fists clenched. "What did you say?"

The girl looked taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered. "I said you're a slut. Everyone knows it."

The rage bubbling inside me reached a boiling point. "You think you know me? You think you can talk about me like that? Here’s a newsflash for you: I don’t need your approval or your pathetic opinions.“

Before she could respond, a boy next to her smirked. “Yeah, I’d love to fuck you just like the whole Slytherin boys have. Bet you’d like that, huh?”

I stepped closer, my fists clenched at my sides. "Why don’t you come a bit closer and say that to my face?" I said, my voice trembling with rage.

The crowd that had gathered around us watched with wide eyes and open mouths. "What's wrong?" the girl taunted. "Truth hurts?"

“Do you think it makes you look strong, demeaning someone you don’t even know? Do you think you’re better than me because you can spread lies and gossip? You’re pathetic. You think I care about what you say? The only thing that matters is that I know the truth, and that scares you, doesn’t it? Because deep down, you know you’ll never be anything more than a coward hiding behind cruel words.”

The girl, emboldened by the attention, added, "Your family must be so proud of you. What a disgrace."

"Shut your mouth," I said, stepping closer, my eyes burning with anger. "I don’t care what you think of me, but if you ever talk about my family again, you’ll regret it."

She looked a bit scared but tried to stand her ground. "Or what? You'll hit me? No wonder why your dad left,""

I saw red. I lunged at her, my fist raised, but strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back. "Let go!" I yelled, struggling against the hold.

"Not her, not now, love," Mattheo's voice whispered in my ear, calming yet firm. He started to pull me away from the mess, his grip gentle but unyielding.

"Mattheo, let go of me," I insisted, trying to break free.

"Not until you calm down," he replied, his eyes full of concern. "I can't let you get into trouble over this."

He guided me into an empty hallway with a balcony, a secluded spot even the ghosts avoided. I was still shaking with rage, my breathing ragged. "Who do you think you are? Don’t touch me! Stay away!" I shouted, pushing at his chest.

"Just breathe, my love," he murmured, his hands cupping my face gently, thumbs stroking my cheeks. "Breathe with me."

His touch, his voice, started to pierce through the fog of anger. I took a shaky breath, then another, my heartbeat slowly steadying.

"Look at me," he said softly, tilting my chin up so our eyes met. "Every single one who talks bad about you is going to regret it. They’re going to wish they were dead before they ever said a word."

"Why do you act like this?" I demanded, my voice trembling. "You act like you care, like you—" I faltered, trying to find the right words. "Your mixed signals are driving me crazy! You pull me closer just to walk away after."

He looked pained, his eyes searching mine for understanding, but he said nothing.

"Say something!" I pleaded, tears welling up. "Anything!"

Still, he remained silent, and the silence cut deeper than any words ever could.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and the rest of the boys appeared. Blaise was the first to speak, his gaze flicking between me and Mattheo. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Theo stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "This happened before, didn't it?"

I took a deep breath, nodding again. "Yes."

Draco crossed his arms, his expression softening. "Well, that explains why you were acting distant. You should have told us."

"I didn't know what to say," I admitted, feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Enzo's voice was gentle as he asked, "What happened before?"

I glanced at Mattheo, who was watching me with an unreadable expression. I couldn't bear his eyes on me anymore. Looking back at Enzo, I said quietly, "It was on the train."

Their eyes widened as I recounted the overheard conversation, the cruel words that had been said about me, and how it had all culminated in the confrontation just now. Mattheo's gaze never left me, and I knew what he was thinking, but I couldn't deal with it anymore.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I just... I need to go to my dorm. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Enzo stepped forward, his concern evident. "I'll walk you."

I nodded, unable to look at Mattheo as I turned to leave. Enzo fell into step beside me, his presence a small comfort amidst the chaos.

The next day, as I walked into class, I was met with an unexpected wave of greetings and offers of help.

"Hey, need any notes from yesterday?" asked one girl, her smile bright and friendly.

"I saved you a seat," another girl said, gesturing to the spot next to her.

"Do you need a quill? I've got an extra," someone else offered, holding out a shiny new quill.

I looked around, confused by the sudden change in behavior. These were the same people who had ignored me or worse, whispered behind my back just a day ago. Before I could process it, a group of girls approached, all smiles and compliments.

"Your hair looks amazing today," one of them said, her tone overly enthusiastic.

"Yeah, and your shoes are so cute!" another added.

"Thanks," I muttered, bewildered by their sudden interest.

Then, the girl from yesterday's confrontation appeared, looking hesitant. She took a deep breath and stepped closer. "I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday," she began, her voice shaky. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean any of it, and I feel terrible."

I stared at her, trying to make sense of this abrupt apology. "Why are you apologizing now?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.

Before she could respond, I noticed him. The boy who had made that disgusting comment about me the day before. His arm was in a sling, supported by a wooden splint, and his face was a mess of blue and purple bruises. He had a black eye, swollen nearly shut.

"I, uh, fell down the stairs," he mumbled, not meeting my gaze.

I looked between the two of them, realization dawning. My stomach churned, and I felt the sudden urge to get out of there. Grabbing my things, I bolted from the classroom, not stopping until I was far from the castle. I found myself in a hidden garden, a place where I often went to think.

I sat down on the ground, trying to calm my racing heart and catch my breath. I wasn't dumb. I knew what had really happened. I knew who was behind the sudden wave of attention, the apologies, the broken bones. It wasn't hard to piece it together.

Mattheo.

But clarity seemed a distant dream. I leaned back against the tree, closing my eyes, and tried to find a moment of calm amidst the chaos Mattheo had left in his wake.

I stayed in the garden for what felt like hours, trying to find some semblance of peace amidst the turmoil. Eventually, I knew I would have to face him, to confront what had happened and what it meant. But for now, I just needed to breathe.

I felt someone approaching and sat beside me. I looked up and met Mattheo’s eyes. He was holding a book in his hand.

I felt someone approaching and sat up, my heart pounding. When I looked up, I met Mattheo’s eyes. He was holding a book in his hand.

"I—I got this for you," he said, his voice soft.

I glanced at the book, then back at him, and took it from his hand. It was Persuasion, another Jane Austen's novels. My heart beat even faster as I muttered a thank you. Then I noticed the blood on his hands, despite his clear attempts to wash it off.

He asked, "What were you reading on the train?"

I stared at him, incredulous. "You’re seriously asking me about my books while having blood on your hands? and probably terrorized the whole school before coming here!" I shouted.

He just smirked. "Are you insane, Mattheo? Seriously, what the hell?" I yelled again.

He raised his eyebrows, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I told you they were going to regret what they said yesterday, didn't I?"

"I can take care of myself. I don’t need your help," I snapped, trying to walk away, but he grabbed my hand, pulling me back until my back hit the tree.

"I know," he said.

I rolled my eyes and looked away, trapped between his hands on either side of my face and the tree behind me. His closeness was overwhelming.

"You’re insane," I muttered.

"Well, I need to talk to you, and you left me no other choice," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I chuckled sarcastically. "You kidding me? Because as much as I remember, you were the one who left after—" I stammered, my face turning red, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yes, my love, after what?" he asked, smiling even wider.

"After I went down on you? Or when I had my finger deep inside you?" he continued, his voice low and teasing. I put my hands over his mouth, desperate to stop him.

"Oh, Lord, stop," I said, my voice a whisper. He kissed my hand, sending a jolt through me, and I pulled it away quickly, my face burning even more.

"Don’t go shy on me now, love. I’m pretty sure I kissed more intimate parts," he said, leaning closer to whisper in my ear. "I've had your taste on my tongue for weeks."

I tried to hit him in the chest, but he grabbed both my hands with one hand, pinning them above my head.

“Listen,” he said, getting more serious. “Enzo told me about what Blaise said that day.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I really want to know another tale about you with a girl in bed.”

“Another tale?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I looked him in the eyes, my voice trembling with both anger and hurt. “I heard what that girl said on the train. About how good you were in bed, how you liked it rough, just did the job and left with no kisses. She wasn’t even complaining, Mattheo. She said she’d do anything to sleep with you again, but it’s too bad because you don’t sleep with the same girl twice."

“Did she now?” he said, smirking.

“Fuck you, Mattheo,” I said, trying to pull away, but his hold was too strong. “Fuck you so much. I get it. I was delusional to think it was more than a one-time thing for you because you don’t sleep with the same girl twice, you don’t—” My voice cracked, betraying my emotions.

"Did it look like a fucking one-time thing back then, Y/N?" he demanded, sharp and serious. I avoided his gaze, my anger and pain battling inside me.

"Answer," he insisted, his face inches from mine. I looked up at him, the intensity in his eyes making it hard to breathe.

"No," I admitted, my voice barely audible.

"Because it fucking wasn’t," he said. "It wasn’t a simple fuck. I was making love to you, and that freaked the shit out of me." The veins in his neck stood out as he spoke, his eyes blazing.

I blinked, trying to process his words. "So, yes," he continued, his voice lower but no less intense, "what the girl said was right. I’ve fucked other girls like that. Rough, fast, no strings attached. Just getting off and moving on. No kisses, no tenderness, just raw and dirty, didn’t look at them more than I had to.”

My breathing grew heavier as his words sank in.“So, does it look like that now?” he asked, his voice softer but still intense. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed.

“Fucking look at me Y/N,” he commanded, and I looked up at him, shaking my head.

“Every time I look at you, at those lips,” he whispered, his voice dropping lower, “all I can think about is how much I want to kiss you. How much I want to taste you. How much I want you in every way. It’s not just about fucking. It’s about you. Every part of you, that night... you were in my arms, and I managed to sleep. You have no idea how rare that is for me.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, my body responding despite my confusion. I could feel the heat between us, the undeniable pull that had always been there.

I looked at him, standing there, rain-soaked and intense, and the tears kept falling from my eyes.

“And no, I don’t want you to be my friend,” he continued, his voice rising. “I want to hear you moaning my name. I want to have you, all of you. To kiss every inch of you. To make you smile, to see you laugh. To put your happiness above anything because nothing else matters. Nothing but you.”

His words were raw, cutting through the rain and my confusion. The sheer intensity of his confession left me breathless, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel the pull, the magnetic force between us, stronger than ever.

“I’ve tried to stay away, to keep my distance,” he went on, his voice breaking slightly. “But every time I see you, it’s like a punch to the gut. I’m fighting a losing battle. I don’t just want you. I need you. In every way possible.”

I stood there, soaked and trembling, unable to speak. His words had stripped me bare, leaving me vulnerable and exposed. The rain continued to pour, a relentless backdrop to his declaration.

“So tell me, do you understand now?” he asked again, his voice softer.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion. The truth of his words was undeniable, resonating deep within me. I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, and met his gaze.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I understand.”

He reached out, gently wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I will be so good to you,” he murmured, his thumb brushing my skin. “I would do anything for you. I fucked up, and I—”

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, cutting him off. For a moment, he was surprised and didn’t kissed me back, I pulled back, looking him in the eye. And as if a dam had broken, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer.

He leaned down, capturing my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss. His lips were soft but insistent, demanding and giving all at once. I felt his hands on my waist, lifting me effortlessly. My legs wrapped around his hips as he held me against him, the kiss growing more passionate. The rain poured down, but it didn’t matter. Nothing else.

His tongue parted my lips, and I opened to him, the taste of him intoxicating. He kissed me with a fervor that made my head spin, his hands gripping my hips, pulling me tighter against him. I could feel the hard lines of his body, the heat between us almost unbearable.

"Wait," I managed to gasp, pulling back slightly. "The book, the rain—"

"I'll get you a new one," he promised, his voice fierce, breathing heavily against my lips. His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling gently until my face tilted up to meet his gaze. Then he kissed me again, more fiercely this time, as if he couldn’t get enough.

I melted into him, my hands clinging to his shoulders as he devoured me. His lips moved over mine with a raw, desperate need, and I responded with equal fervor. The world around us disappeared, the rain, the cold, everything fading away until there was only him, only us.

After what felt like an eternity, he pulled back, his forehead resting against mine. "Come with me," he murmured, his voice a soft plea. "Let's get out of this rain."

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest, his hand slipping into mine, and we ran through the rain. We found shelter under a nearby awning, the sudden silence after the roar of the rain almost surreal.

He looked at me, his eyes dark and intense, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. "You're soaked," he said, his voice gentle, as he brushed a strand of wet hair from my face.

"So are you," I replied, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Well, we make a pretty pair then," he teased, his hand settling on my waist.

I laughed, the sound light and carefree, a stark contrast to the storm still raging around us. "We do, don't we?"

His gaze softened, a tender smile playing on his lips. "I've never seen anyone look so beautiful soaking wet."

I rolled my eyes playfully, running a hand through his wet hair. "You're just saying that because you want to kiss me again."

He grinned, leaning in closer. "Maybe. But it's true." His lips hovered over mine, the anticipation making my heart race. "And for the record, I do want to kiss you again. Very much."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I challenged, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He didn't need any more encouragement. His lips captured mine in a kiss that was both sweet and passionate, his hand tightening on my waist, pulling me flush against him. I could feel the warmth of his body through the wet fabric of our clothes, the contrast to the chill of the rain making my skin tingle.

As the kiss deepened, his free hand slid up my back, tangling in my hair. I moaned softly against his lips, the sound making him groan in response. He pulled back slightly, his breath hot against my skin.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he murmured, his voice rough with desire. "The things I want to do to you."

My cheeks flushed, and I looked down, feeling a mix of excitement and shyness. "Like what?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. "I want to make you mine in every possible way," he said, his eyes burning with intensity. "I want to hear you scream my name, to see you come apart in my arms. I want to kiss every inch of you, to make you feel things you've never felt before."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I bit my lip, trying to suppress the blush that was spreading across my cheeks. "You're making me blush," I whispered, my voice shaky.

He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Good. I like it when you blush." He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. "I like knowing I'm the one making you feel this way."

I closed my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. His words, his touch, everything about him was overwhelming. "You're insufferable," I muttered, but there was no heat in my words, only affection.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through me. "You love it," he teased, his lips pressing a soft kiss to my neck.

I sighed, my fingers threading through his hair as I leaned into his touch. "Yeah, I do," I admitted, my voice barely more than a whisper. "I really do."

He pulled back, his eyes searching mine. "Good," he said softly, his hand cupping my face. "Because I'm not letting you go."

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the rain. "I don't want you to,".

"So, I really have done it in your Mr. Darcy way, haven't I?" he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I was always jealous of him, when you talked about him like that you know?"

Before I could respond, his mouth was on my neck, kissing and sucking gently, then more insistently. I let out a soft moan, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Perfect," he said, admiring his handiwork.

I laughed, breathless and flushed. "What was that for?"

He smirked, a wicked glint in his eyes. "It's for Blaise. Since he loves to ask so much."

I rolled my eyes, unable to suppress my smile. "You know he went on a date last night, right?"

"Did he now?" Mattheo replied, his fingers trailing down my arm. "I want everyone to know you're mine."

The possessiveness in his voice sent another thrill through me. "And what if I don't want to be claimed like some trophy?" I teased, raising an eyebrow.

He pulled me closer, his lips brushing against mine. "Then I'll just have to work harder to prove I deserve you," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.

I smiled, feeling the warmth of his words seep into me. "You've already proven that," I said softly, kissing him again. "But I wouldn't mind seeing you try."

He laughed, the sound rich and joyful. "Challenge accepted."

We stood there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, the rain a distant memory. His hands roamed over my back, his touch sending sparks of electricity through me. I leaned into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my chest, and knew that this was where I belonged.

"We should get inside," I said, glancing at the castle in the distance. "Before we catch our deaths."

"Right," he agreed, but made no move to let go. "But just one more kiss."

"Just one more," I echoed, leaning up to meet his lips again.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ Bonus scene ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

As we approached our usual spot, I saw Blaise, Enzo, Theo, Pansy and Draco already seated, with an unfamiliar girl sitting beside Blaise.

I caught Blaise’s curious gaze fixed on my neck. He raised an eyebrow, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Blaise said, his voice dripping with amusement. “Is that a hickey, Y/N?”

I felt my face heat up, and before I could muster a response, Mattheo leaned forward, his grin turning positively devilish.

“Yes, mate,” Mattheo said smoothly. “It is a hickey.”

Blaise’s eyes widened slightly before he broke into a laugh. “By whom, I wonder?”

Mattheo wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “By me, obviously,” he declared, his voice filled with pride. “Wanted to make sure everyone knows she’s mine.”

I blushed even deeper, but I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips.

Draco looked between us, his grin widening. “Well, it’s about time. I was starting to think you’d never make a move.”

Mattheo chuckled, his hand moving to rest possessively on my waist. “Trust me, I’ve made plenty of moves. Just decided it was time to make it official.”

He winked at me. “Just make sure he treats you right. If not, you know where to find me.”

Mattheo tightened his hold on me, his eyes flashing with a playful warning. “She won’t need to, because I’m going to treat her better than anyone else ever could.”

I laughed, the tension melting away as I leaned into Mattheo’s embrace. “I think I can handle him.”

"So," Pansy said, leaning forward with an impish grin. "Does this mean you're off the market, then?"

"Consider me taken," Mattheo said, his voice firm. "And very happily so."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Tag list :

@heelshiree @hoeforvinniehackerrr @cookiesex115 @mgchaser @mayamonroem @hereticdance @heelshiree @fallingblackveils @cardi-bre91 @sonnderlust @too-efn-old-to-be-here @gemizminee @broadwaybaby123 @howdyhowby@hisparentsgallerryy @sksksksk28

[wordsarelife]

—long story short

pairing: theo nott x fem!reader

summary: you survived a violent person before, knowing well enough that you wouldn’t ever tolerate going through that again

warnings: mentions of (heavy) violence, trauma, slight panic attack (but not in detail and not directly mentioned as such), party, underage drinking, very sad and angsty, a little fluff at the end

word count: 2.3k

the party was bustling with noise, almost so much that you couldn't hear yourself think. pansy was just handing you a drink, as you were mantaining eye contact with theo across the room.

"that your girl?" theo looked up at the sudden voice next him. killian brodery had sat down beside mattheo and him.

"almost" mattheo smiled, nudging his best friends shoulder.

"it's a shame" killian shrugged, sighing "i would have loved to see if the rumour was true"

"what rumor?" theo muttered, talking for the first time since you and pansy had left them alone to get drinks.

"you didn't hear it?" killian laughed and mattheo and theo exchanged a look, suspicious at how thei classmate was behaving.

killian stopped laughing, realizing that they really didn't know what he was talking about. "well, i heard she was a wild slut in bed"

mattheo's chin hit his chest and theo's eyes were bigger than ever.

"what the fuck did you just say?" theo asked, daring killian to repeat his earlier statement.

"well, it's just a rumor, nott" killian raised his hands "nothing's proven until i didn't test her out myself"

"test her out?" mattheo repeated disgusted "watch what you're saying"

"she isn't your slut yet, is she nott?"

mattheo wasn't fast enough. before he could grab theo's arm, it had already made contact with killian's face. blood was immediately spluttering from his mouth, dripping across the floor, when his head flew back from the impact.

"shit" mattheo muttered, trying again to reach for theo, who was busy climbing on top of killian and continuing his hitting even harder.

"you never talk about her again, you hear me?" theo bellowed. the music had been cut so his voice was echoing around the entire room. "you disgusting twat!" he spit on the floor next to killian's head, who's face was bloodied and almost unrecognizable.

mattheo did his best to hold back his friend, when killian made a move to stand up from the floor.

theo wiped the blood from his hands, like it was a few drips of water, before he looked up at the crowd of people that had formed around them.

his eyes wandered around the room, ultimately landing on pansy, who was looking at him like she couldn't believe what he had done. her arm was outstretched, put around your shoulder, as she was holding you close to her body.

"y/n" theo muttered when his eyes finally landed on you. you were shaking, tears running over your cheeks and your eyes were fixated on killian, who was groaning in pain.

"y/n" theo repeated and you moved your head in his direction. his heart broke when he noticed that you looked scared. you shook your head and stepped back, when he outstretched his arm in your direction.

everyone dived to the side, voluntarily creating an alley for you to walk through. theo tried to follow, but pansy caught his arm.

"don't" she muttered, before she nodded in mattheo's direction, guiding him and theo back to their room, where they could speak in private.

the door fell closed behind them with a thud. both boys sank down on their beds, staring in pansy’s direction with big eyes.

"shouldn't someone go and check on her?" mattheo wondered and pansy nodded.

"enzo asked luna to do that" she explained "i think she can be trusted to stay calm, unlike other people" her eyes wandered over theo, who lowered his head in shame. "what were you thinking, theodore?" her dark eyes were piercing through his skull and theo could hear mattheo gulp.

"he said some awful things about y/n" mattheo tried to help his friend as theo decided to stay quiet.

"that's messed up" pansy shook her head, crossing her arms, still wearing a look of dipleasure "but is violence really the solution? you nearly bashed the poor blokes head in"

"he deserved it" theo muttered through clenched teeth "no one deserves to speak about her like that"

"then you should've gone to snape or even dumbledore, theo" pansy sighed.

"as if they would do anything" mattheo remarked bitterly "sometimes there's only one way to handle things"

"yeah, i'm sure that's what you've convinced yourself of"

"he didn't deserve to speak his side" theo spoke up once again "i should've thrown him out the window, but when i saw y/n, i—" he fell silent, pushing back his hair and looking up at his dark-haired friend "what's going on with her?"

"i'm sure she would prefer to tell you herself" pansy muttered, an unreadable expression on her face.

"i fear there's no time for an explanation from anyone but you, if theo still wants to save his now endangered relationship with y/n"

"he's right" theo muttered with pleading eyes.

pansy sighed. "i'm not sure in which detail y/n has told you about her childhood"

"she just mentioned a few things, but not much" theo shrugged "why?"

"what i'm about to tell you, cannot leave this room, alright?" pansy asked with furrowed brows, looking back and forth between both boys.

"we promise" theo quickly nodded "right, matt?" he looked at his best friend with demanding eyes.

"sure" mattheo quickly answered.

"well, her childhood was pretty miserable" pansy began "from what i've gathered she has a great relationship with her mum and step-dad, but when she was younger and her parents were still together, her biological dad would often beat her mum when he had drank too much. y/n would mostly hide in the closet or under the table, because her mum was scared that her husbands wrath could transfer onto her too, if he'd seen her"

"shit" theo said, his face sinking into his hands. the room was filled with stunned silence, before pansy continued.

"that had been going on for several years, before they finally got help and her mum was able to leave y/n's father. she doesn't really mention him, but i think he died a few years ago. when her mum got married to her step-dad it was pretty hard for her to feel safe around him, but now she has a great relationship with him" pansy explained "even though all that is over, she just hates violence, which is understandable. and i guess seeing you like that, triggered something in her"

before any of the boys could say something, the door swung open and blaise was standing in the room. "it's y/n" he quickly explained, one heavy breath chasing the other, as he had probably ran there. "luna says she's very unwell and can't speak. pansy, maybe you could—" he wasn't even finished talking when theo had already left the room.

"theo" pansy called, trying to hold the boys arm, before he could scare you further than he already had.

in your room, you were heavily crying, while luna was trying to calm you, rubbing circles over your back as your head laid in her lap.

"it's alright" she cooed repeatedly, but it was to no cause.

"y/n" theo's voice in the doorway made both of you look up, your breath momentarily halting.

luna slowly stood up, wrapping you in the blanket, before she left the room, assuming that theo had been sent by pansy.

theo sat down on the bed beside you and you flinched. he looked away from your trembling body in pain, as he recalled the look of fear you had given him the first time since he had met you. you had never been scared of him. now he feared he had broken something he wouldn't be able to fix.

"i'm so sorry" you began crying harder. as if what he was saying was a sword, slicing deeper into your skin with each word. he tried to catch your eyes and he was shocked to notice that you resembled a child more than yourself.

"that's what he always said" you hiccuped between long breaths.

"your dad?" theo wondered softly, unsure if it was too far for him to ask, but he guessed that you already assumed pansy had told him, so he waited for your answer without another word.

"he's" hiccup "not" hiccup "my dad"

"i'm—“ theo bit his tongue, not wanting to disturb you any more than he had already "excuse my words"

you nodded, your eyes still distant, but your breath a lot calmer.

"i was an idiot" theo continued speaking when you stayed silent "i was trying to defend you, without realizing i was the one hurting you" he came a bit closer, climbing further onto the bed. this time you didn't flinch away. theo took that as a good sign.

"i understand if it's too hard for you to forgive me—"

"this isn't about forgiveness, theo" you shook your head. surprisingly the anger in your chest had calmed you down enough to stop crying and panicking. well, you were still crying but the tears were now only running silently over your cheeks. you had promised yourself to never let someone treat you like your dad had.

"it isn't?" theo wondered and you nodded.

"it's always about power, in some way or the other"

"i don't think i understand"

"if i forgive you i give you the power to hurt me again" you explained "that's why forgiveness is so important to people like him"

"he asked for your forgiveness?" theo wondered surprised.

"he always did" you laughed dryly "that's what all of them do when they're calm again. they act regretful and tell you that they didn't mean it in the way it came across. that he didn't want to hurt her when he grabbed her hair and threw her against the wall. that it was all one big misunderstanding. that he's sorry and he will never do it again, until he does"

theo watched you with widened eyes and a stunned silence filled the room once again. he had not thought you would speak about your trauma so openly with him.

"i'm not like that" he muttered "i'm not like him, i promise"

you send him a look and he realized that maybe, without the intention, he did now sound like someone you had just described.

"you know, he used to always defend my mum when someone talked bad about her. when words weren't enough anymore he started hitting people and when that wasn't enough anymore he started hitting my mum"

"i wish i could take back everything that happened tonight, i would have never—"

"it doesn't matter, theo" you shook your head "because you can't take it back. i know you meant well, but it's scary how easily you decide that violence is the only solution, how long will it take to be the only solution in our relationship?"

"i would never touch you like that, y/n" theo promised, tears threatening to spill and imitating your crying "i would never hit you"

"i knew that you would come here to tell me that" you said honestly "weren't it those exact words he said to my mum after another fight escalated. and i asked myself why she could forgive him just like that"

theo's heart sank at your words.

"love is a dangerous thing" you muttered "but trust is even more dangerous. because how will i know that you won't just decide differently one day? how can i be sure that you really would never think of hitting me and not that you're just sure you won't hit me right now?"

"i don't know what to tell you" theo exclaimed helplessly, his voice only above a strained whisper.

"i don't know what to tell you either" you replied. "i swore that i would never be as forgiving as my mother and even if i know you for as long as i do, i don't think i can just go back on that promise"

he looked into your eyes, into the eyes of the girl who had to watch her mother cry while having the same eyes as the man who was responsible for her pain and it made theo's heart ache for you.

"i wish there was a way to make your forget all about it"

"i don't want to forget" you shook your head. you could tell that he meant well, but he didn't understand. "i survived a monster, and i don't want to forget how he made me or my mother feel, because i'll always remember that i was stronger than any of his words or his violence could ever be"

"you're the bravest person i know" theo muttered with a tight-lipped smile, saddened by everything you had to endure, but proud at the same time.

"thank you, theo" you cried softly.

"i will work on myself" theo promised "i will change as much as necessary for me to deserve you again, but only if you want me to, if not i will leave you alone, as much as that would truly break my heart"

you saw the sincerity in his eyes. a sincerity you had never once seen in the eyes of your father, a man that had if you were honest, nothing, that would make him comparable to theo in the furthest.

"i would like that. and maybe we can do that together" you muttered "i think there are a few things i could work on myself"

"i will make sure you will never see me like that" theo assured "i don't want that for you and i don't want to be someone like that"

you nodded, before you softly crawled closer to him, laying your head in his lap. you closed your eyes, the strains of the party and all your crying had tired you out. theo softly combed through your hair as you slowly fell asleep to the warmth of his voice telling you a story.

maybe there was peace for the both of you in the future.

—

@mqstermindswift

[cloveswifey]

REAL TO ME - MATTHEO RIDDLE

Chapter One

Content Warning: Swearing, Jealousy, Toxic Ex-Boyfriend, Threats of Violence, Slytherin!Boys, Dirty Talk, Asshole!Pucey, Alcohol

Series MasterList

"Pansy..." I complained, as my best friend rummaged through my overflowing closet.

"You're going, y/n! No excuses!" Pansy declared, selecting a dark green dress.

"But my day has been terrible! Snape gave me detention," I moaned, collapsing onto my bed.

"All the more reason for you to go!" she said playfully.

"But Mattheos will be there! I can't be bothered with his nonsense tonight, Pans," I groaned, attempting to find any way out of attending this party.

"Whether you like it or not, Y/n Berkshire, you're going!" Pansy ordered, holding up the dress. "Now, get changed and do your makeup! I'll be back in 20!"

Fuck sake

…

As soon as Pansy and I stepped into the party, the loud music hit my ears and I scanned the Slytherin common room. Pansy held onto my hand and led us to our group of friends who were lounging on the couch.

“Look who decided to join.” Blaise greeted us with a chuckle and handed me a drink while Pansy settled onto Draco's lap.

I rolled my eyes, “Pansy dragged me here. I didn’t come willingly.”

“Don’t be such a bore!” Enzo urged me, “drink up!”

So I downed my drink and chuckled lightly. I needed more drinks to forget about my terrible day.

"I need another drink!" I exclaimed, pushing off the wall I was leaning on.

Pansy chimed in, "Me too!"

I give a nod and follow her to the drink table. As I start pouring myself a drink, Pansy and I engage in a lively conversation about our plans for the upcoming Christmas break. Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder, causing me to turn around with a wide smile on my face.

However, my smile quickly fades when I come face to face with an annoying individual wearing an unsettling smile - Adrian Pucey, my ex-boyfriend.

"Hello, beautiful," Adrian greets me, his eyes fixed on me.

Instinctively, I take a step back towards Pansy. "What brings you here? You never come to parties," he asks, a frown forming on my face, skeptical of his intentions.

"What's it to you, Pucey?" I reply, not hiding my annoyance.

"Obsessive much," Pansy mutters quietly under her breath.

"Just curious," Adrian responds, nodding slowly. "So?" he prompts, wanting to know more.

I gesture towards the group of boys gathered around the dark green couch in the corner of the common room. Enzo catches my eye as I glance over.

"Just here to have a good time with my friends," I explain, emphasizing my desire to enjoy the company of those around me.

I immediately frown. "No, thank you," I reply with disgust as Pansy and I make our way back to the couch, where Theo is getting ready to take his shot.

"Why are you making that face?" Enzo asks, frowning as we approach.

"Adrian Pucey is still fixated on her," Pansy says, rolling her eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Mattheo clenching his jaw as he swirls his drink in his cup.

"If he bothers you again, let me know," Enzo says seriously, his elderly brother instincts kicking in. Well, when I say elderly brother instincts, I mean... 5 minutes older.

"He won't, it's fine," you say dismissively.

…

After almost two hours, the game of truth or dare turns out to be a disaster. I was drunk and Draco seemed to enjoy giving me the most challenging dares.

"That dare was a piece of cake," I argue, while Blaise giggles. "Ron was blushing like crazy. It's either a hit or miss."

"More like a miss," Theo jokes.

"Shut up, Nott," I reply, giving him the finger. He bursts out laughing. "Hey guys, let's take a bathroom break and then continue playing."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Pansy asks, sitting comfortably on Draco's lap.

"No, I'll be back soon. Our dorm is just upstairs," I say.

…

I swiftly make my way back to my dormitory. I rush to complete my tasks, and just as I am exiting my dorm and descending the stairs towards the common room, I collide with someone.

"Shit I’m so sorry!" I exclaim apologetically, taking a step back to give the other person some space.

"Y/n, what a pleasant surprise!" The familiar voice greets me.

"What do you want now, Pucey?" I retort, crossing my arms defensively.

"You," he chuckles, causing me to cringe in annoyance.

"You're pathetic, Pucey," I remark, taking another step up the stairs, unfortunately moving further away from the common room.

"Hey! You keep saying my last name as if it's a negative thing, but you were begging for it last year," he chuckles, taking a sip of his drink.

“The only thing I was begging for was for our relationship to end.” I retorted at his unfunny joke.

As I tried to sidestep around him, he blocked my path with his arm, almost clotheslining me in the process.

"Don't pretend like we didn't have a good time, sweetheart," he said, licking his lips and moving closer, his arm slipping around my waist.

"Hey, baby," a deep voice called out from behind me.

Oh no.

"I've been looking for you," Mattheo said, looking into my eyes as if silently urging me to play along, before burying his head in the crook of my neck.

"I was just about to leave until Adrian here decided to bother me once again," I said, attempting to relax in the arms of the boy I despised while trying to get rid of Adrian.

"What do you want with my girlfriend?" Mattheo asked, wrapping a protective arm around my waist.

Adrian looks at you in disbelief and asks, "Girlfriend? You two? No way." He then turns to Mattheo and motions towards you.

You respond, "You were too busy talking about making me your wife that I didn't get to mention it." Mattheo pulls you closer to him.

"Look, she's taken," Mattheo says, in a deep and authoritative voice.

Adrian shakes his head and says, "Hasn't stopped her before," making you frown.

Mattheo threatens Adrian, "Don't make me beat your ass, pucey," as he drops his arm from your waist and cracks his knuckles.

Adrian challenges Mattheo, "I'd like to see you try, pretty boy."

You interrupt the growing tension between them and exclaim, "Well, I wouldn't! Come on, Mattheo, let's go back to our friends."

Mattheo moves closer to the man, firmly planting his feet and assuming a confident posture as he looms over him. "Look here, you disgusting asshole. Keep your distance from her for the rest of the evening, or I’ll fuck up your face, Pucey."

Adrian blinks a few times. "Alright then, jerk." He deliberately brushes past Mattheo, making his way past the two of you and descending the stairs. He defiantly raises his middle finger in the air as he disappears down the stairwell.

“You’re welcome by the way.” Mattheo grumbles in frustration as he trails behind Pucey, making his way back to the party.

What just happened

[sunkissedscribbles]

Prejudiced - Chapter Five

this is only a part of the series, the previous and next chapters can be found here

a/n: i had so much fun writing this with all the internal struggle cassie’s facing currently, and with what happens at the end of chapter xx

word count: 5903

tw: mention of sex (i think it’s going to be a constant warning from now on), swearing?? (that one too), use of alcohol, mention of drugs, skipping meals

summary: drifting away and bottling feelings up takes a toll on cassie and starts to shut down

<previous chapter

dividers by @chachachannah

The next day, being the first day of lessons and a Friday, I'm sitting with Ki, Enzo, Theo, and Mattheo at the Slytherin table, eating breakfast. I'd lie if I said I didn't miss Hogwarts' food.

"Miss Black," I hear McGonagall's voice from behind and I turn to look at her. "Some habits never change, do they?" she points out how I'm sitting at the Slytherin table again as she hands me my timetable. Her facial expressions aren't bitter because of it like my housemates'. I think she's just glad the rivalry isn't a hundred percent true.

After thanking her for handing me my timetable I look at the paper in my grip.

"What do you have today?" Ki peeks over my shoulder and answers herself as her gaze scans through my timetable: free period, Herbology, DADA, free period. I finish early on Fridays, I state to myself relievedly. "DADA. With that creepy-eyed old man?"

I must let out a short chuckle at her declaration.

"Some habits should change," exclaims a voice behind us, in a tone of boredom. I swear McGonagall and Snape share a brain. I mutter the professor a 'good morning,' then he places the timetable in front of Kiara next to me. "Your timetable, Miss Bianchi." He then hands the timetables to the boys as well.

"Thank you, professor," Kiara says clearly, with the most charming smile she could ever put on, Snape then turns away with a dull and strict expression.

This man takes away the leftover will I have to live, honestly.

"The only reason I was willing to come back to Hogwarts," Ki exclaims in a lovey-dovey tone and a matching gaze that makes me want to vomit. I share a look with the boys – they think the same.

I slide our timetables next to each other on the table, observing them both to know what classes we have together.

"I needn't get up," Ki grunts when pointing at the free period today: it's free for the both of us. What's more, she's got a free second period with the boys as well while I'm having Herbology. This means I'm not going to have any Herbology lessons with the Slytherins this year. Which means...

"Oh, I'm fucked," I let out a big, troubled sigh, to which Kiara looks at me with a questioning expression, the boys also peering over the table and Enzo over my shoulder. I just point at Friday's second period. She lets out a laugh and nudges me with her elbow, the others looking for some sort of explanation.

"You won't have Flower-boy helping you during lessons, huh?"

"Fuck off, I'm gonna fail this year."

To that, she just shakes her head and waves me off. She knows I won't fail. I do too.

"I'll just help in the afternoons," Enzo murmurs to me with a sweet smile, still leaning over my shoulder and I mutter him a thank you in response.

Enzo and I have studied a lot in the greenhouses over the years, just sitting on the floor. Well, I've been the one studying and he was the one who's been talking all the time, about flowers and herbs, of course. But I've always loved listening to him and hearing what this or that flower means when given to someone and which herb you could make Wolfsbane Potion out of, for example. He's always had an interesting way of explaining things I had no clue about — no wonder I passed with an E every year in Herbology.

Today, we were here to celebrate our birthdays. I mean, neither of us celebrates their birthday today or this week; both of us were born in August but we couldn't manage to meet up during summer so we had to be creative.

I got him a book about magical flowers, his favourite sweets, I baked his favourite cookies with a little bit of help from the house elves in the kitchen, and gave him a framed picture of us. In the picture, we are seen last school year. It was taken by Ki on a winter Hogsmeade Saturday in the record store. The picture is moving, thanks to magic, capturing perfectly how we are dancing to the music. Although it can't be heard in the picture, I remember we were dancing to 'Crocodile Rock' by Elton John, which is one of his favourite muggle songs.

I step into my dorm room, finding Ki on my bed, messing with my guitar.

"When I said 'you can come anytime,' I didn't exactly mean when I'm not here," I set my bag down next to my desk, smiling lightly at the girl.

"Flower," she points at me with a frown. "Who got you... it was Enzo, wasn't he?" she smirks as I'm hanging the yellow chrysanthemum up upside down to dry it. I just nod, feeling a little bit bad and guilty. "Why the face?"

To that, I pull the necklace out from under my shirt. She gestures to me to come over to her  — she wouldn't get up even if there was an earthquake.

For my birthday, Enzo got me that beautiful chrysanthemum and a silver necklace in the shape of the constellation Cassiopeia with a small sun-shaped charm hanging on the left side of the constellation, basically by her feet as she is depicted horizontally.

"Pretty. Why the face?" she looks up into my eyes, my guitar in her hands, still, resting on her thighs as she repeats the question.

"Because it's silver. Silver. Pure silver — you know how much that costs?" I start walking up and down in the room, practically freaking out because of guilt.

"Cass, you do realize you could easily buy that too, don't you?"

"I know! I know I could but you know what I got him? Biscuits! And a book and a picture! And that's it! And he got me a silver necklace and that gorgeous flower!" I run a frustrated hand through my hair. "What, now I should buy him a Swatch? This boy is insane!"

"No, he's just rich. And so are you. And so am I, what about it? You could just buy him, what, Honeydukes," Ki shakes her head, clearly not understanding my problem. "The whole shop, I mean."

"No, Ki. I know I have some money but that's not the point. He got me all these and I got him stupid little things. A bloody picture is what I gave him!"

"I took that 'bloody picture,' show some respect," she points at me with raised eyebrows, offended by the adjective I used.

"Right. But he got me expensive jewellery," I sigh, looking at the necklace through the mirror.

"Yeah, the boy's head over hells for you."

"That's heels," I correct her, admiring the silver guiltily.

"I prefer hell so it stays that," she shrugs as she starts strumming the intro of 'Highway To Hell' on the guitar, making me laugh.

I shake my head, looking back at her, the charm between my fingers, "How do I thank him for this?"

"Wear it. And let him shag you. You like the necklace?" she asks and I nod, rolling my eyes at her comment about having sex with Enzo. I walk over to my bed and drop myself down onto my back.

Enzo knows how much of an obsession I have with astronomy and names; he thought it would be the perfect gift for me as Cassiopeia is my first name, as it's clear from the constellation hanging in my neck. And my middle name is Apollonia, meaning 'belonging to Apollo,' the Greek god of music, poetry, archery, and the sun — that's why the sun charm by Casiopeia's feet.

Ki gets up from my bed, taking my guitar as if it was hers. She stops by the door when she's already opened it, looking at me, "Don't forget 'bout tonight," then, making sure I nod, she closes the door, disappearing behind it and I stay there in my room, alone with my thoughts.

I promised her to attend the party later in the Slytherin common room; the first one of the year.

Slytherin parties have always been of the kind you see on TV. Drugs from the Hufflepuff students, the common room smelling of that and cigarettes, alcohol, and sweat, people dancing to the music, making out either in the crowd or in a secluded corner, or shagging elsewhere, locked away in the dorms. And if you weren't a Slytherin student, you must befriend one for invitation, and to be given the password.

This is my first time attending one of these, actually, but not my first time being in the Slytherin common room. I've never been much for drinking, which people would consider me dull and a prude for. But for Merlin's balls, I'm barely fifteen. I walk past a few students, then get myself a plastic cup of whatever alcohol gets in my reach before I make my way to my group of friends.

I plop down onto the armrest of the couch next to Ki who's sitting on the couch itself. It's only Ki and Theo yet, Enzo and Mattheo are nowhere to be seen.

"Thought at least you'd dress up," Theo smirks with a suggestive, cocky grin and I roll my eyes.

"I'm not dressing up for you," I raise my cup to my mouth.

"C'mon, would it really hurt giving up on this tomboyish shit for one night?" he nudges me.

"Would it hurt not to try and take your friends to bed?" I snap at Theo annoyedly. It's not that I don't want to give up on this 'tomboyish shit.' Wearing these rather large and loose clothes simply feels nice, I don't have to worry about my body and don't have to sit with my arms covering all the body parts I'm insecure about.

I then look at Ki when I feel the girl tugging on the sleeve of my t-shirt. She's sitting next to me in a pair of sweats and a big T-shirt — she's never been one to wear at least jeans and probably never will be either. The look on her face tells me more than words would ever do and I almost know what she's thinking.

Ki turns back to face Theo and in an instant, she pulls her shirt up just enough to reveal her boobs to the boy's eyes, earning a gobsmacked look from Theo that's replaced by a mischievous grin in no time. And the ones surrounding us? They cheer and whistle at her, getting a furious look from me that screams 'Look at her like that and say goodbye to your nuts' in return.

"Want me to taste them?" a boy from behind the couch Theo's sitting on, who's a year ahead of us, Adrian Pucey, says with a devilish grin. But all his comment does is earn Pucey a punch in his face by a furious Theodore Nott flying over the backrest of the couch before Ki could even respond.

The students nearby all gather around us and Ki and I jump up from the couch too to see Theo and Pucey wrestle on the floor, accompanied by the sounds of the boys' insults, huffs, grunts, and finally, the sound of Pucey's nose breaking. In the meanwhile, nobody is doing anything besides yelling encouraging words at the boys to kill one another.

"What's happening?" I feel Mattheo's warm, alcoholic breath on my neck as the boy is trying to yell louder than the crowd around us.

I can barely even process the information myself as we are still only watching the boys but by the time I realize someone should do something about the boys on the ground, Theo is already up on his feet with bloody knuckles and a bruised face.

"Ki's flashed Theo and Pucey made a comment about her boobs, so Theo punched him," I explain briefly to Mattheo, looking into those deep brown eyes while Kiara is talking to Theo in an irritated tone about how she could've defended herself.

"And now they're going to bed," Matt points in our friends' direction but by the time I look there I can only see their backs turned to us, both gesturing fiercely to the other while Theo's pulling Ki furiously into the direction of the dorms to continue their argument there. Witnessing their arguments I never know if they'll end up throwing punches or snogging. "Bet they'll get together."

I shake my head, the both of us still looking in the direction where they've just gone, "Just sex."

"Three galleons," he turns to me with a vigorous grin and his hand stretched out for a shake.

"I'm in," I shake his hand with a smirk after a few seconds of thinking.

Mattheo gets asked by a Slytherin girl to dance, so I'm just standing there with the cup of alcohol in my grip, leaning against a wall, and watching the scene in front of me escalate. The girl in question is Daphne Greengrass from a year below us. I can't help but feel jealousy arise in me as I watch her shiny, straight blonde hair and that pretty face on which not a single pimple ever shows up. Not to mention her slender figure and how her body's just starting to be more feminine but how mature she already looks — of course, my friend said yes to a dance. He'd have been stupid not to. She's the type to make me want to turn invisible or bury myself alive in shame as my insecurities take over me. Feeling small and left out now that Mattheo's having a dance with that gorgeous girl, Ki and Theo doing Merlin-only-knows-what behind closed doors (I have a few guesses), and how Enzo's never showed up, embarrassment and an uncomfortable feeling grow on me, telling me to back away and head to my dorm instead.

The next morning, I'm just playing with my scrambled eggs at the table, opposite Mattheo and Enzo, Theo on my right. They are talking about something, but I'm so zoned out that I can't even make out what it's all about.

"Cass," Theo pokes my side and I jump away about half a metre at the impulse. It took me by surprise and there are no girls who like to be poked in the side and no one can tell me otherwise. "You quiet."

"I'm fine," I shrug as I put my fork down. I don't want to talk about anything right now. "Where's Ki?"

For one, she is a lazy person and despises waking up, that's for sure. But she's never late. It's been ten minutes since she should've shown up.

"And why should I know that?" Theo raises his brows, to which Mattheo and Enzo share a look.

Enzo didn't show up at the party yesterday and I left shortly after Mattheo didn't come back from that dance with Daphne after minutes that seemed long and lonely hours to me, and Theo, well, he went away to argue with Kiara. And I felt left out, that's why I left instead.

Without an answer or any further explanation, I get up from the table and walk down to the Dungeons and into Ki's dorm room through the Slytherin common room.

"You up?" I open the door without knocking and make my way over to the bed.

"Let me die," she groans, and I can't help the little smile crossing my lips.

"Not today. You have to get up."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can," I sit down on the edge of the bed and run a hand through her hair as a form of encouragement.

"Can't."

"C'mon, get up."

"But I can't," she whines, looking up at me with desperation in her eyes.

"Yes, you can. Or what, you got shagged?" I tease her. We've been through this little back-and-forth a few times before.

Silence.

This is enough proof for me and my eyes widen at the revelation. Who- Theodore Nott, who else?

"You and Theo?" I ask finally, after a few seconds of silence and she nods.

Suddenly a weird feeling washes over me. It's something I can't really explain, something I can't depict with words just yet. Just knowing she's done it... I feel old, all of a sudden. It's so weird. No, I'm weird.

"But it's casual," she shakes her head and sits up cursing as to why her muscles are so sore and I can't fight back an amused chuckle, although my eyes still aren't very sincere.

It takes some time and a few encouraging words but I persuade her to get up and we make our way up to the Great Hall. The boys aren't there by the time we sit down. They hate waiting, of course, they ate their breakfast and went their own way.

"Aren't you eating?" Kiara snaps me out of my thoughts as she's eating her cold cuts.

"Ate already," I shake my head with a faint smile as I lie, the scrambled eggs I put on my plate are still there, untouched, a few seats away. I just can't wrap my mind around how she and Theo have had sex. I mean, I know I made that stupid bet yesterday. But I didn't mean it a slight bit. At least not yet. Why am I still thinking about it? It's not even my business.

Trying not to fall behind immediately on the first week, I'm studying in the library with headphones on, when Kiara and Enzo sit down across me at my table. They've been out, Ki and Theo haven't talked all day and Enzo and Mattheo seem to have fallen out a bit these days, only interacting when necessary.

They seem to have bumped into Professor Moody, judging by Kiara's next sentence.

"This man's a creep," exclaims Ki which Enzo's traumatized expression only confirms as he slumps on the chair. "And that eye — I swear it has x-ray function."

Looking up from my book, I just nod with an unreadable expression. I agree with them about how weird Moody is, but I say nothing. Ki looks at me, concerned.

"Why so quiet?"

"I swear you and Theo are the same," I refer to the boy pointing out I was quiet at breakfast in a tired voice. She frowns and Enzo furrows his brows.

"Cass-" he'd start but I shake my head.

"I'm fine. Just tired, is all," I run a hand through my hair.

That's not true, though. I mean, yes, I'm tired. I always am. But I'm just not in the mood for socializing, not up for any company today. Not at all up for their company today, even if they are my best friends. Maybe I'm just selfish, maybe it is wrong to feel this way, but I can't help it; jealousy and a sense of betrayal creep upon me. There's also this thought in my head all day, about running out of time. Not having been kissed yet, not ever having been drunk, not one fag smoked — all my friends have done either some or all of these and even more. Not that I couldn't do it, but shouldn't my first kiss be, well, special? With someone I truly love. Or maybe I'm naive for still believeing in true love.

"I think I'll take a nap," I stand up from my chair and pack my things into my backpack.

"What's up with her?" I hear Enzo ask Ki quietly as I'm walking in the direction of the door.

"No idea," Ki sighs with concern in her voice.

Late at night, I'm sitting by the window with my notebook laid up against my thighs as I'm writing into it, head laid against the cool glass of the window sideways as I'm listening to the storm outside, watching the lightning when I hear an urgent knock on my door. Getting shaken out of my thoughts, I look up with a frown. I don't know if I have really heard that or if I'm just hallucinating. The line of short knocks is repeated and I get up from my sitting and walk over to the door that reveals a trembling, sweating Mattheo.

"Matt-"

"Can I come in?" he asks in a shaky voice, on the verge of crying, and I nod and step away from the door to let him in.

"What happened?" I ask in a concerned, worried tone as I watch him pace back and forth in my room with that same scared look on his face that I used to have as a kid when I always ran to my mum's room after I'd had a nightmare. The memories of these nights are still living rent-free in my head; telling my mother I have had a nightmare and her comforting me, telling me it'll be alright, telling me no one wants to hurt me.

"I-I had a nightmare," the answer echoes in the quiet of the night my room holds. I reach my hand out for him, my instincts kicking in; he's just a boy, breaking down in front of me- no, he's my friend who's come to me for support. And my heart's breaking that I'm seeing him like this.

"C'mere." Mattheo doesn't need any more reassurance that he can trust me with this, he closes the distance between us and still trembling, now even letting his tears run across his cheeks like rivers, he wraps his strong arms around me and so do I, rubbing his back as I hug him close, afraid he'd slip through my grip if I weren't.

"I-it was awful. He came at me and..." he sobs into the crook of my neck, barely able to squeeze a full sentence out of himself. I just run a hand through his hair, damp from his sweating, to comfort him.

"I told him I-I won't join his boy band. And he... he used a curse," by the time he gets through telling me his rather traumatic experience, dream-his interaction with his father, his voice cracks and lowers into a painful whisper.

"It's okay," I hug him tighter, and to that, he squeezes me more against himself as well. "It was just a dream."

"But it felt so real," he trembles again, shaking in his whole body as he holds me so tight.

I don't let go of him, nor does he break the contact either.

"I-I-I'm sorry I just came to you without anything... and for having you listen to this shite. It's just... only you know about it and I don't want to worry Theo," he pulls back to look at me after a few moments of him being comforted by me and me being comforted by the long hug we shared. It was much needed for me too.

"Don't be silly," I chuckle softly and shake my head. "You're not a burden. And I'm glad you came to me," I squeeze his arm reassuringly.

Minutes later, we're sitting on the cool wooden flooring, our backs against the walls that have the window in-between, just calming him down as we watch the storm outside, listening as the heavy rain crashes against the window, gifting us with the music of nature itself.

"Haven't seen you all day," Mattheo exclaims after some time of just staring off into the void, probably trying to cool down after the nightmare.

"Been at the library."

"Yeah, Ki told. But after that?"

"Took a nap."

He frowns. I can tell what he's thinking just by the way he looks at me, his eyes shining in the dim light of the night as the moon is peeping through the clouds, trying to steal the night back to have all the attention to himself.

"You haven't come down for dinner either," he points out, trying not to sound too concerned.

"Slept it through."

"Cassie-"

"No. I'm fine. Stop worrying about me," I sigh and look out the window. I don't know what to say after this. I feel like I've killed the mood as well.

"Okay. Sorry," he mutters and I leave it at it, not saying anything else. I would say something to not be sitting here with a friend in complete silence but it feels as if I had no thoughts. No feelings and no thoughts, except for the ones about yesterday. I feel empty, completely vacant, like the bottles of firewhisky consumed the day before in the Slytherin common room.

I want to ask him how that dance with Daphne went. I also want to ask him what happened after I left yesterday (but I'm not even sure if he'd noticed I sneaked back to my dorm), if he knows where Enzo was (which I could just ask from the guy in question, but again, it's not my business). But lacking of words to express all these thoughts and feelings that frame the thoughts about last night, it's just easier to keep them to myself as I can't find the right way to phrase and voice them.

"It was the Cruciatus Curse. The one he used in my dream," he says after seconds of silence when he realizes I'm not going to denote any of my possible thoughts, trying to sound neutral about it but his tired voice cracks once again and it comes through more as one filled with concern and some fear.

Opening my eyes, I have to think through what happened last night. Mattheo came up for comfort after he'd had a nightmare and after I refused to talk about what was bothering me, as an unspoken agreement we decided to sail onto lighter waves and talk about casual stuff; films, the Triwizard Tournament, music and avoided talking about school at all costs because it could've been traced back to his nightmares through how he's relieved to be back at Hogwarts after a summer all-too-long with Theodore Nott Sr., and the unforeseen events of the World Cup that still haunt me.

So, he insisted on going through my collection of vinyl and mixtapes. Most of the vinyls are from the attic at home; I've found some David Bowie, Queen, The Clash, and T. Rex albums up, in a box with the label only being "G.P.12" written with big, capital letters. I assume these are the stuff dad's listened to before he died. When I found the box I immediately took it to my room to go through the collection. I've been listening to them all summer long — much to Kiara's exasperation — and definitely have grown fond of them in the time being.

My music taste mostly consisted of the kind of rock that teens usually listen to when they're first met by some good rock songs and decide 'This is not music taste, this is a lifestyle' only to grow bored after listening to these few songs by the given artists for months on repeat. I mostly listened to AC/DC before, mixed with some Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin. But only their top hits — basic, aren't I? I mean, my mixtape I've been listening to on repeat, wearing it out to the point it almost broke, and consisting of Back In Black, Highway To Hell, Hell's Bells, T.N.T, Thunderstruck, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, I Was Made For Lovin' You, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Welcome To The Jungle, Immigrant Song, Paranoid and The Trooper should be considered a unique taste that totally describes me, right?

That was until this summer when my taste in music got turned upside down, almost completely by finding out I'm more into glam, and the more singable and melodic (and queer) side of rock.

So, Mattheo insisting on going through my vinyl and tapes is what ended in us falling asleep while the record was still playing. And it is also what results in me waking up in the morning on a mountain of tapes, my legs tangled up with the boy's. I sit up and take notice of how he's sleeping on the other end of the bed, on his back. I just watch for a few seconds, taking in how peaceful he's looking, just for once in a lifetime; no forehead wrinkling, no tense facial muscles, just a relaxed, calm expression as he's sleeping soundly, unaware of his surroundings. I watch as his chest rises and falls when breathing, how he occasionally takes a deeper, sharper inhale, releasing stress even in his sleep.

Cass, stop.

You're being a creep. He's your friend, you can't be just staring at him while he's asleep. In your dorm, in your bed.

Our legs are still touching.

With a sigh, I pull my leg away from on top of his and as I start to get up to stretch, I realize that he is indeed in my dorm and he couldn't be farther away from where he's supposed to be.

His dorm. In the Slytherin area.

Because right now, he's in the Gryffindor Tower and there's no way no one will notice if he just leaves like this. For Merlin's sake, how on earth have I got into this? Not that I care for my own good about what my housemates would think of me if they ever saw him walk out of my dorm like this, through the common room, it's not the case. But there are already too many rumours about us, all rude ones and I don't think we'd ever need more.

I look at the clock; it's 7:58, on a Sunday. The common room is filled with people.

I let out a sigh and go over to the bed to wake Mattheo up. But he just rolls over to his stomach and tells me to fuck off. After trying to be nice a few more times but getting the same response and even nudging him doesn't work, I decide to use the same technique I usually use on Kiara.

Turning my back to him, I lie down on top of him, my limbs hanging on the two sides. He finally takes notice of this and mutters in a calm tone. "What are you doin'?"

"Trying to wake you up," I reply in the same undisturbed tone as I'm staring up at the ceiling.

"Isn't working," he murmurs back and when he isn't moving, I take the initiative of the situation and get up, practically straddling him as I kneel up by the two sides of his hips and start to continuously (gently, may I add before someone said I'm abusing my friend) hit him. But when he only lets out a grunt, I lean forward and bite his arm. To that, his eyes open.

"Finally," I state satisfied, and just as I am about to get off of him, he rolls over to his back and pulls me back down and in a second, he's towering over me. I can feel his breath on me when he pins my wrists to the mattress.

"Did you really bite me?" he asks with furrowed eyebrows in a slightly playful tone, and I nod, trying not to become flustered at the positioning as I can feel his warm breath on my collarbones, his hands gripping my wrists and his hips brushing up against mine.

"You didn't respond to anything else," I smirk playfully, mixed with a sense of innocence.

"Why even did you wake me up?" he then looks over at the clock on my bedside table and groans when he sees it's only 8:07. "Ugh, Cassie."

"Shut up, you have to get out of here unnoticed," I try to free my wrists of his grip and he frowns, not understanding why he has to get out with no one noticing he's ever been here. I then tell him how weird it would get, how many new rumours we'd start, and stuff. I really do not need to be in the spotlight right now.

This is what results in me going over to Harry and Ron's dorm to borrow the well-known invisibility cloak from my friend. And this is what ends up with Mattheo and I under it, trying not to slide down the stairs as we both want to be the navigators. It all goes smoothly until Seamus and Dean make their way up the narrow staircase and we have to press up against the wall — and against each other. The next time we almost get caught is when I nearly trip on the hem of the cloak and Mattheo catches me, holding me tight against himself and I pretty much get a heart attack at his closeness again. What is up with me today?

Anyhow, we make it out of the Gryffindor common room and get into a secluded corner of the other corridor so that we can take the cloak off without being caught.

"You're really not as dumb as I initiated," he nudges me with a devious grin under the cloth and I smack his arm but I'm not able to hide a smirk from forming and Matt pulls the cloak off us. This is when I take notice of a familiar mop of brown hair passing by the entrance of the corridor and I shove Mattheo inside a nearby broom closet, almost tripping in the small, dark space.

After shaking himself out of astonishment, Mattheo grins at me and starts to tease me.

"Princess, we could've just stayed in your dorm. Your bed would've been much comfier to-"

"I'm not having sex with you, Mattheo Riddle," I poke him in the chest, practically pressing him against the wall behind him, and just when I say the word regarding physical contact with another person, the door opens, revealing two of our friends, about to burst out laughing, stating our close proximity with two of those charming Italian grins.

My cheeks flush out of embarrassment as I look at Ki and Theo and a stupid grin spreads across Mattheo's lips as well, mirroring the two, one of the kind that makes me really want to jinx him.

"She just jumped at me," Matt exclaims as if he were a victim of my desires, earning a sting from me on his arm hanging between us. "Ow. See? Feisty, this one."

"In a broom cupboard? Bold choice," Kiara grins and I shoot her a glare, a mix of frustration and fluster.

"And the initiator as well," Theo teases, and with a sigh and a grunt, I go to shove past them and leave. It's too early for this shit. Mattheo will explain to them what happened, anyway.

"Leaving without a kiss?" Mattheo calls after me and I can feel my blood boiling. I let my impulsive behaviour take over me as I turn around, and without thinking, I grab the back of his head and pull him down to crash my lips against his. He provoked me, he got what he wanted...

...Or have I taken it too far?

But the kiss only lasts a second, until I realize what I've done. Not giving him any time to react; to pull me more into the kiss or conversely, push me away, I break away from the boy, leaving him surprised, cursing in my head, and ignoring my friends' calls, I start running back to my dorm.

What have I done?

thank you if you made it this far! comment to be on the tag list.

+ a little something my dearest @inksoakedparchment made:

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[azrakaban]

Mr Corrigan - Lorenzo Berkshire

a/n: finished it ends with us at 2:30 am last night and was inspired to make this so enjoy this randomly put together one shot :) 

WARNING: CONTAINS A SMALL IT ENDS WITH US SPOILER THAT MAY OR MAY NOT RUIN A BIT OF IT. GO READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. TRUST ME. IT'S WORTH IT. I WOULD PAY MONEY TO READ IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN. Bye :D

Edit: I started writing this months ago, but I just couldn't get it to a standard I liked. So finally, I have it to the point where I'm satisfied with it, and can present to you: Mr Corrigan <3

...

"and then he said 'in the future... if by some miracle you find yourself in the position to fall in love again... fall in love with me.' And I SCREAMED Enzo! I screamed! I woke up everyone in my dorm and read it to them and they screamed too!" you said, flopping back onto your pillow.

"Atlas Corrigan has well and truly stolen my heart! I'm in LOVE!" you said, sighing and laughing at Enzo's raised eyebrow.

"I hope you're sparing some of that love for me then darling. I'm not sure how I feel about sharing your heart with your Mr Corrigan. I'd rather have it all to myself, you know? I'm kinda selfish like that." He said, smiling down at you.

"When you write lines like that for me Enzo, I'll kick him out and you can be the full time resident." you said, laughing and hitting him with a pillow gently.

"challenge accepted y/n. challenge accepted." he said, grabbing a pillow and hitting you back. "And I mean to the pillow war, don't get your hopes up, I'm no genius when it comes to writing." he said, shielding him from the cascading blows of your pillow on his head.

...

You dropped your bag onto the floor of your room, pulling your notes from your bag and sorting through them.

Throughout the various notes about Grindylows you found five scraps of paper, each with a tiny note from Enzo that he'd passed you earlier.

your eyes roved over each word, taking them in once again and smiling.

"I promise to plant kisses like seeds on your body, so in time you can grow to love yourself as much as I do."

"I like shiny things but I'd marry you with paper rings"

"thanks for being mine darling"

"not once have I looked at you and not had to blink to check that you're real."

"I'll take any portion of your heart you'll give me."

you laughed at the last one a bit, remembering his reluctance to share your heart with Atlas. But hey, what could he do? It was Atlas who was fictional, not him. (dear readers... I'm sorry)

you moved to lie back on your bed, sliding the notes into the draw beside your bed. you looked at the books beside your bed, reading the titles over and over again.

You were no Juliet, but you had your love story with Enzo. He completed you. your other half.

you noticed something poking at your neck and sat up, looking at your pillow. A slightly crinkled note sat on it.

you checked it was to you, before unfolding it. A magnet fell out, small and rectangular. You turned it over quickly to read what it said. "Boston: Where Everything Is Better." 

So he'd read it ends with us for you. That's it, you were sold, he was the one, you would marry him.

you smiled and decided to keep the magnet in your hand, waiting till you had finished the letter to put it somewhere. you unfolded his letter, and started to decipher his handwriting.

"dear y/n. I don't really know how to explain the effect you have on me. I don't even really know how to begin this letter to be honest. I'm no fictional character, and naturally I am not going to be incredible with words, so please bear with me while I try to get this onto paper. I might not be a certain Atlas Corrigan, Rhys Larsen or Edward Cullen (although he bears a striking resemblance to a certain Cedric Diggory), but I can at least try to get this onto paper.

People say "I would go to the ends of the earth for you. I would walk on fire for you. I would die for you. But I can't say that. I can't genuinely say that I would walk on fire to save you from something. Because, for starters, i wouldn't let you get into the position where you have to be saved. I want to be your protector, the focus of your mind, the only person you think about. 

It's not about having you as mine, it's about making you sure that you know I belong to you. Ask me to jump, I'd say how high. Ask me to give up my friends, I would (reluctantly though, so please don't)"

You paused to sniffle at that. Wait. Hang on. Sniffle? Oh merlin, there were tears in your eyes. What on earth? Must be hayfever. Your eyes slid back to the lettter, which was still going somehow. 

"Anyway, besides that y/n, I want to be the person who gets to memorise everything about you. The way your nose crinkles when you're confused, the look you get in your eyes when you're explaining your latest book to me, the un-natural ability you have to be able to guess what I'm thinking...

Other than when you're overthinking and you trick yourself into worrying that I don't love you anymore. In those instances when I have to remind you that I love you, I'll just pull out this letter for you to read. And if that's not enough of a reminder, then I'll hold you until the obsessive thoughts stop and you fall asleep in my arms, where you belong.  

Because that's one of the simple things I love. Just sitting, holding you. We don't have to be talking, holding you is enough. I just need to know that I still have you. And honestly, you consume all my thoughts. I won't say every minute of every hour, because lets be honest, I would not pass a single exam if you were on my brain 24/7. Sorry darling. 

I'm not going to ask you for another letter like this in return, because honestly, you didn't ask me to write this, and to be honest, I like that I'm the source of the love letters in this relationship.

 So y/n, once you've read this, you can ignore it, you can sleep with it under your pillow (little obssessive but I can excuse most things you do - this does not include murder, but does extend to Arson, Organised Theft and Kidnapping and Fights), or you can just keep it and treasure it.

Do whatever you want with it. It's yours. I'm yours.

Your own personal Mr Corrigan." 

The tears were freeflowing by this point, streaming down your cheeks. You flopped back onto your pillows, trying to act like the girls in movies when they lie back on their beds holding a photograph, book or diary. Unfortunately, you failed miserably with this attempt. 

You promptly banged your head on the headboard and cursed. So much for movie girl.You re-read the letter, and fresh tears sprang into your eyes, trickling down your cheeks. 

Enzo. He'd written this for you. Oh my merlin. All you wanted was to do something for him. But only one thing came to mind. Something he had mentioned in his letter. Big gestures could wait for later. All you needed to do right then was get to him. Find him. 

You sprung up off your bed, tears still falling, and grabbed one of his hoodies from your bedpost. Pulling it over your head, you ran to the Slytherin boys dorm. You quickly knocked on the door and the door opened. It was Blaise. He quickly looked back into the dorm and yelled: "BOYS! OUT!" 

They came quickly, Mattheo, Draco, Theodore and Blaise, filing out like a fire drill. It seemed almost practiced. Actually, knowing them, it probably was. You walked in tentatively, looking around the door. 

You could see him, sat on his bed, fiddling around with a scarf you left in his dorm once. "And I, left my scarf there at your sister's house" (ALL TOO WELL REFERENCE I'M SORRY I KNOW ITS THE WRONG CONTEXT BUT MOOOOOVING ON) 

He looked up and gave you a nervous smile, mouthing a quick 'hey.' That did it. You ran across the room to him, into his opening arms and he held you tight to him. His arms closed around you as you cried into his shoulder, the letter still held in your hand. 

"Merlin y/n, if I'd known the letter would have made you like this I might not have written it. I hate seeing you sad." He said, smiling sadly at you. You half laughed at that, choking back a sob, pulling back to look into his eyes. "Happy tears" you said, looking into his eyes.

 There was some confusion in them, but overall, just love. Overwhelming, brain shaking love. And what he did next rendered you unable to speak. 

Leaning forward, he kissed away your tears, fingers dusting your cheeks. Once he was happy there were no tears left, he leaned back and mouthed to you, "I love you." 

Unable to speak, you leaned forwards and pressed your lips to his, trying to put a lot of unsaid words into the kiss. His lips pushed back against yours, knowing what you were trying to say. 

You pulled back after a while, trying to speak.

 "Enzo- I-"

 A finger touched to your lips, silencing you. 

His eyes locked with yours. 

"It's okay. I know." 

You nodded, still slightly breathless, leaning forward and wrapping your arms around him, returning his hold. Your lips neared his ear and a few words escaped your lips. 

"I guess I'm yours too, my Mr Corrigan."

I'm lazy but I have decided to dedicate this part to @lavenderorlilac for being easily my favourite reader and follower both on TikTok and over here. Thank you love ❤️

[cass1dyyy]

ghosting

warnings: angst, swearing, a kiss

lorenzo berkshire x reader

a part 2 / follow on of “can i have this dance?”

1st person pov

where a gryffindor got into a fight with her best mate, and is ghosting the guy who she believes to be the cause of this. will he change her mind?

“theyre both not talking to you? doesnt seem like harry.” says hermione.

we’re both walking to dreaded potions class with professor snape, and of course, we share it with slytherin. which means seeing lorenzo berkshire, who ive been ignoring all week, since the yule ball. of course, he hasnt not noticed this, i can tell. probably because i havent been very discreet, practically running away whenever i see him turn the corner..

“i think it’s just because he’s ron’s best mate, y’know. doesnt want him to be the only one thinking that way. harry’s pretty chill.” i say, trying to convince myself that is the reason.

“im sure you’re right, y/n. dont let it get to your head, okay?”

i nod, as we turn into the doorway of the cold, uninviting potions class. we quickly find our seats with harry and ron, the awkwardness between us all immediately setting in. i can feel lorenzo’s eyes boring into the back of my head, and i try to ignore it.

“today, we’ll be… switching things up a bit.” snarls snape.

“i’ll be putting you with different partners. im sick of the.. gossip in my lessons recently.”

i huff, anxiety building up with me. the only person i could stand being put with was hermione, and i knew that wouldnt happen. snape had it out for us four all the time. snape starts reading out who gets partnered with who, and i rest my head on my hand.

“mr weasley with mr berkshire..” my eyes widen and i cringe. i stare at ron in disbelief, and he seems furious. i look back to see enzo roll his eyes and huff.

“miss granger with miss parkinson.. and finally, miss l/n with mr nott.”

i groan, and slap a hand over my mouth when i realise. snape would give me detention for anything now.

“something upsetting you miss l/n?” the professor snarls, his lips curling into a smirk.

“nothing sir.” i clear my throat, and get up, reluctantly walking over to theodore.

after the demonstration snape gave us, i want to cut the obvious tension with nott.

“okay, so the first ingredient we need to add is-“

“cut the shit, y/n.”

i stop suddenly, turning around and furrowing my eyebrows.

“excuse me? what the hell is wrong with you?”

“what’s wrong with me? whats wrong with you?? he spits.

“you’ve been turning enzo inside out since the yule ball, because you can’t get your shit together! seriously, youre ghosting him, and for what?”

my jaw drops, and i just stare at him, trying to process what he’d just shouted at me. he carries on.

“i couldnt care less about some girl enzo kissed, but you’re hurting him, and he’s my best mate. sort it out.”

he turns away from me, putting random shit into his cauldron as my face heats up, partly from embarrassment, partly from confusion. i’d been hurting him? i’d been turning him inside out? fuck. i needed to sort this out, but how?

“he shouted that at you? jeez.” exclaims hermione. we’re currently in the library, as i sit by a desk, watching hermione put books away deep in thought.

“i think you definitely need to talk to ron, and then talk to lorenzo. explain why you’ve been ignoring him. its not fair to him..”

“i know, i know. where would ron be right now?” i ask, pretty much to myself.

“common room maybe? he’s probably playing chess.” hermione reasons.

“i’d better go, is that okay?”

“of course! go, quickly!” she ushers me out of the library, as i sprint down the corridors, earning strange looks from students. i dont know why im running really, but i have a strange sense of urgency bubbling in me.

i burst through the painting and into the common room, with my hands on my knees, panting heavily.

“ron weasley!” i shout, between breaths. a ginger head turns from the couch by the fireplace, a confused expression painted on his face. once he sees me, his expression darkens.

“what do you want?”

“please ron, just listen to me!”

ron turns away, but someone grabs his arm, pulling him back towards me. its harry. a small smile breaks onto my face, and harry softly smiles back, as ron scoffs.

“what do you want now? come to tell me youre dating that git?”

“ron. ron i- i dont want to lose you. you’re my bestfriend and ive known you for years. i love you so much, and i just want you back. please ron.” by this point i’d burst into tears, sobbing and gasping for breath. i watched ron’s facial expression soften, and before i knew it, i was being wrapped up into a hug by ron’s strong arms.

he didnt say much, just hugging me, as i let it all out, wetting his jumper with my salty tears. i broke the hug, wiping my eyes and quickly hugged harry, before turning to leave.

“where are you going?” ron asked. not in a horrible way though, he said it with a soft tone, pure curiosity.

“i need to set things right with lorenzo..” i trail off, waiting for ron to get angry again. but instead, he took a deep breath, and nodded.

running blindly through the corridors trying to find enzo, i thumped into someone.

“sorry, sorry.” i apologise profusely, trying to keep going, when im held back by someone. its theodore nott. i gulp, looking up at him.

“dont start, okay? where’s lorenzo, i need to set things right with him.”

“atta girl.” he smiled, and it was the first time id ever seen him with a look of happiness on his face.

“he’s in the courtyard, sheltering from the rain and smoking a cig.”

“thank you, thank you!!” i call back to him, already running past him, jumping slightly as thunder rumbled loudly outside, clearly a thunderstorm going on.

“lorenzo, lorenzo!!” i shout, seeing a figure puffing out smoke, and looking my way.

he just looks at me, before turning on his heel, as i run up to him, tears welling up in my eyes. im not even sure why im crying, but i call out again.

“please, just hear me out. you can leave and never speak to me again after, but just hear me out, enzo.”

i watch him stop in his tracks as he turns around to face me. i exhale as i make eye contact with him.

“go on then.” is all he says, before i start rambling.

“im so so SO sorry. i should’ve never ghosted you, i was just scared of losing ron because he never had been mad at me like that before, i thought if he didnt see me around you he would be friends with me within the first day but he didnt, and im so stupid for it, and theres just.. something about you and i honestly, i honestly just missed you enzo. and yes, i know thats stupid because how can i? you know….”

because of my rambling, i missed how he started to walk closer to me, and suddenly i feel his large hands cup my face, as i trail off. he engulfs me in a soft kiss, that ignites sparks in my chest.

“its okay” he smiles at me, wiping the tears off my cheeks with his thumb. i immediately wrap my arms around his muscular build, crying. but they were tears of joy this time.

enzo grabs my hand, leading me into the courtyard area with no shelter, as rain hammers down onto us. he spins me around, as we ballroom dance in the pouring rain. the only sounds that could be heard were our laughs and the pattering of the rain on the paving stones. he leans in and we kiss, longer than the first time, but i can feel the genuine love in the kiss.

i smile against him, feeling the happiest ive felt in a while.

A/N: this took me a while to write for some reason, but i hope its okay, im still rusty at writing angst and fluff. 😭 btw its not proofread so sorry for mistakes or if a part doesn’t make sense!!

[shiftingwithdali]

explaining my dr?

soo i am shifting to a marauders dr. i’ve decided not to have magic in this dr purely because i feel like i wouldn’t be good at it. i also scripted the traumatic backstory help but if it helps all the bad stuff has already happened to its only up from here :)

so in my dr i’m sirius’ twin sister and regulus’ older sister. I’ve scripted that we were born in france. our parents divorced when i was about 3 years old and that me and orion moved to the netherlands and that my brothers and my mother moved to england. we always went back for holidays so i know the language and i know my brothers. in the netherlands i started figure skating and i was pretty good. i did have the bad experiences bc figure skating is a toxic sport and orion sucks.

in the netherlands ive met my best friend mara when i was about 5 years old. she’s kinda like the childhood best friend who moved away but a bit later we found each other again and now we’re better then ever.

but anyways uuh when i was in my middle adolescence (14/17) i was switched to pairs figure skating and in on of the competitions my partner and i did this one lift and he fell which made me fall harder on my head. which made me have to learn everything again (which i’m doing in the present time in my dr). this whole thing might sound dramatic but i did it so i’m a bit famous in the community but i still want to learn everything bc in my head it sounds unrealistic that when i shift there i just know how to do everything. but i still have the muscle memory so i can learn everything faster.

a bit later orion died and i moved to england to live with sirius, regulus and walburga. except for my brothers life kinda sucked here. but sirius was always talking about his friends at school. and the next year i also went to the school (hogwarts yay). i make another post about the school system in my dr bc it’s a bit different. but turns out mara is also in this school and i’m her roommate. in hogwarts i kinda met everyone.

i did script the last dramatic thing where the thing happened that made us run away from walburga. me, sirius and reggie all ran away together to james. i went back to hogwarts first to be with remus for our bonding moments. and bc it’s still christmas holiday everyone is away so hogwarts is quieter.

this is pretty much where i’m at now. when i shift it will be friday and everyone will be coming back on saturday with a coming back party in the evening. there is a private figure skating rink where i practice either by myself or with matteo (yes matteo riddle i’ve scripted matteo, theo and enzo in this timeline). me and remus are already together in a very happy and healthy relationship. me and mara are still best friends. and my relationship with my brothers are still good.

[papercorgiworld]

Two idiots in love

A Theodore Nott imagine

I’m back! Apologies for my silence. Especially to the ones who’ve been sending me love, but I was really busy and barely had any time to open this app or my phone in general. I got this post and a few more coming in the next few days. I had a very productive evening and day so, yey me. Sending you lots of love! Happy readings!

— The request —

Plss do a Theodore fic where he tutors the reader in potions or something and he’s a bit rude but like sweet at the same time??? Idk like he thinks she really cute but can’t believe someone can be so dumb

— The writing —

Theodore was a quiet guy and not one to make a move on just any girl. Unless drunk, then he might end up in a bathroom with some equally wasted girl for a little make out, but actively searching for a girlfriend just seemed like so much work to Theo. He much rather just hang out with his friends and skip class to have a smoke. 

However, this did not mean that he was immune to having a crush. Oh no, he had a crush and the worst case of crushing. He was constantly thinking about you and stealing glances whenever he could. It wasn’t on him, you were just too damn perfect. It was almost annoying Theodore how amazing you were. 

“Hey, Theo mate. I have a question.” Enzo quips as he takes a seat opposite of Theodore and reaches for some toast. “No.” Theodore answers without looking up from his plate, making Mattheo and Blaise smirk, but Enzo isn’t fazed at all. “Fine. Your loss. I’ll just have to tutor (y/n) myself.” Theodore’s eyes shoot up to meet Enzo’s with a piercing look to determine whether his friend was bullshitting him or not. Enzo’s smile reveals his amusement but also that he was telling the truth. “She needs a tutor?” Theodore says with a calm voice, though there is an obvious hint of excitement in it. “Yes, apparently she blew her last potions test… like big time. And she’s so desperate to fix her grade she asked me to ask you, apparently ‘the smartest guy in class’ - her words not mine - to tutor her. I’m assuming you’re interested?” She thinks I’m the smartest guy in class. So she’s noticed me. She knows who I am. She knows I’m smart. That’s good. Really good. She knows me. “Theo?” Enzo askes breaking Theo’s train of thoughts. “Uhm-Yeah-I… I’ll think about it. If I have time. And stuff.” Blaise, Enzo and Mattheo stare Theodore with wide eyes. “Someone hit him.” Blaise finally speaks and Mattheo nods before raising his hand to smack Theo’s head. “If I have the time, bloody idiot.” Theodore pushes Matt’s hand away and narrows his eyes at Mattheo’s mockery and insult. “Just say you’ll do it.” Enzo urges and Theo looks at him for a second before nodding in agreement.

***

Pretty. Perfect. Potions-Peanut. Theo thought as he watched you screw up a simple brew for the third time, like he hadn’t just explained to you step by step how to do it. He was falling in love even more as you sighed and stared at your cauldron and back at your instructions. “I think I messed it up again.” Theodore chuckles at your sad and defeated expression. “You think?!” Theo jokes, but immediately worries that that might be a bit rude of him. “But uhm-do you know where it went wrong?” He asks and you focus on your instructions again in search of which step you screwed up. Your eyebrows knit together even more and Theodore can’t help but roll his eyes. “You really don’t have a clue what you’re doing, do you?” You drop your head a little. Great, I'm making a total fool of myself in front of Theodore Nott. Not only am I ruining my fantasy of ever having a chance with him, now he and his friends will be laughing at me for the rest of the year… 

“You can’t be this dumb? Check again, you’ll find it.” Theo breaks the silence and your eyes meet his with a hesitant look, before quickly searching for an answer on the list of instructions. Yes, I just called her dumb. Good work, Theo. Theodore grits his teeth as his anger with himself grows. After a few seconds of you searching for how you screwed up your potion and Theodore searching for something right to say, you are the first to speak up. “I give up, I suck at potions.” You let the paper in your hands fall on the desk in front of you and turn to look at Theo who gives you a surprisingly sweet smile. “Yeah you do, but don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I’ll explain it again…and better this time.” 

Your heart melts at his sweet voice and you feel your cheeks heat up. “You really don’t have to waste your whole evening explaining potions to me, I’m sure you have better things to do.” Theodore smirks at your blushed cheeks. “I’m sure I won’t be teaching you potions all night. At some point you’ll get it and successfully brew this… and then we can move on to more interesting subjects.” You look back at the papers on the desk and press your lips together to keep yourself from smiling like a love struck fool, while Theo's smug eyes scan your face with satisfaction. “Dumb, but so adorable.”

“What?” You look up at Theo and he looks absolutely horrified. “I didn’t mean to say that outloud.” He chuckles awkwardly and you can’t help but laugh. “I might be dumb, but you’re a first class idiot as well.” Theodore rolls his eyes, while an amused smile tugs on his lips. She’s right about that. I am an idiot. He reaches for the books on the desk, forcing his smile into a line. “Let’s just focus on potions.” You chuckle at his flusteredness. “Sure.” 

Both flustered your glance over at one another only to catch the other one already staring. The potion might not have been right, but the chemistry definitely was.

***

“Sooo, how did the tutoring go?” Mattheo asks as he catches up with Theodore in the hallway. “Great.” Theodore answers, but avoids eye contact with his friend, making him suspicious. “Great? What does that mean, she understands the material now?” Theodore chuckles and his tongue darts in his mouth. “No, she still doesn’t get it. Which means she needs another session. So, it went great.” Theodore explained, unable to hide his happiness now that he gets to spend more time with you. Mattheo just shakes his head in amusement. 

[kissorkill16]

Hello Neighbor: Kept Secrets

By JJ

Summary: With Nicky missing, and no one around to help, it's up to Trinity and the rescue squad to investigate the neighbor and save their friend.

Chapter 4

I kicked open Enzo's bedroom door, sweat dripping down my face, and my face filled with panic.

"HE TOOK HIM!"

Enzo put his book down and looked at me in shock, he stood up and walked over to me. "Trinity, what -"

"NICKY'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!", I kept screaming. "WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM, HE'S IN TROUBLE!"

Enzo grabbed my shoulders and shook me gently, it made me calm down, but only a little bit. "Trin, take a breather. Who took Nicky?"

I took a deep breath, and then I tried to explain. But just as I was about to tell him, I heard a crash, then a bang coming from Maritza's room. The noises made me jump.

"What's going on in there?"

Enzo rubbed the back of his neck, looking at his feet, "Maritza's been really acting out lately, and she's been taking her anger out on a couple of things and people.", he said. "Me and Dad tried talking to her, but she'll just throw another chair at us."

I stared at him in shock, then I walked to Maritza's room, I opened the door as slowly as I could, just to be safe that she wouldn't throw something at me.

My eyes widened when I saw the huge mess in her room. There were so many torn up pillows, Barbie dolls with their heads ripped off, the curtains were ripped off her window, and in the center, I saw the photo with her, Lucy, and Mya.

I picked it up, careful not to cut myself on the broken glass. Then I turned around to look at Maritza, and I didn't like what I saw.

She looked like an absolute animal. Her hair was messy, she wasn't wearing her usual headband, and she was clutching that old baseball bat she used to play with when she was in elementary school. I carefully stepped forward to her, extending my hand to put on her shoulder.

"Mari, are you -"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!", she yelled at me, swinging her bat at me. Luckily, I was quick enough to move out the way. However, that only led to her breaking her own wall. Thankfully, it didn't break enough to have a pipe burst through the wall.

"Mari, calm down!", I tried. "I know you're upset about -"

Mari let out a dry laugh, nothing close to joy. She almost sounded insane. No, scratch that, she did sound insane. "Upset?", she asked, letting out another laugh. "That's a good one."

She paused for a minute, but then she swung her bat at her bookshelf, breaking one of the shelves in half.

"I'm not upset, Trinity. I'm overly pissed!", she said. "I keep losing people for no damn reason at all! First it was Lucy, then it was Mya, and now it's Nicky! I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

She let out another dry laugh, this one sounded more like a sob.

"But,...I guess I do deserve to lose Nicky.", she whimpered. "He needed someone to believe him, someone to be on his side, and I abandoned him just like everyone else."

I'm not going to lie, I felt like crying right now too. She was right. She did do that. We all did.

She took another swing at her bed, then she threw her bat at her window, nearly breaking the glass. Then she collapsed on her bed and started crying.

I sat down beside her, putting my hand on her back and gently rubbing it.

"I know you're overly pissed about Nicky's disappearance,...", I started off. "But taking your anger out on the people who are trying to help you isn't going to bring him back. We all feel guilty about how we treated Nicky before he was kidnapped, and I promise you, we know exactly how you feel. But -"

Maritza's head snapped up, and she looked at me with her eyes widened. "What did you say?", she asked.

"About what?", I asked.

"You said Nicky was kidnapped.", she said. She picked up her bat, "Who took him?"

I was scared she was going to hit me, but I knew I had to tell someone the truth.

I took a deep breath before I started.

"Everyone thinks Nicky ran away, but earlier this afternoon, I saw Mr. Peterson holding Nicky in a tight grip.", I said. "Mr. Peterson is hiding him somewhere in his house. I always wondered why he was the only one not helping, and now I know. He's the one who has Nicky."

Mari slowly stood up, walking towards the door. I jumped up and ran towards her, afraid she might do something irrational, and I wrapped my arms around her. She struggled in my arms for a while, but then she dropped her bat and broke down again.

She wrapped her arms around me, and cried into my shoulder. I didn't even care that she was getting my favorite shirt wet, what mattered more to me was that she was calming down.

We stayed that way for a while, and then I felt her sniffling and snoring. That's how I knew she was asleep. I gently picked her up, and carried her back to her room. I laid her down on her bed, then I put her blanket on her, warming her up.

Enzo walked in the room, careful not to step on any broken glass. "You got her to calm down?", he asked.

"Uh huh.", I replied, gently rubbing the back of Maritza's head. "I guess all she needed was a little cry and comfort."

"Probably."

We sat down in silence for a moment.

"By the way, I heard something about Mr. Peterson. But I didn't really hear much since there was a lot of noise going on in here.", he said. "What's going on?"

This was going to be tough.

I already knew what happened to Nicky. I knew if I told anyone about this, they'd all think I was crazy just like Nicky, and that would drive me to do the same stupid thing he did and break into Mr. Peterson's house to save him.

But I had to try. For my friend.

"Let's go to your room.", I said. "I don't want to wake Maritza up."

We quietly walked out of the room, going to Enzo's room and closing the door behind us.

When we sat down on his bed, I told him everything I saw today at Mr. Peterson's house.

And his reaction was not anything like I expected.

[chevvy-yates]

[NC_RES]_00003027 racers_sarto_steyr_001_CC_GBM.file ///core:_baby_drivers.file\\\

—

⚠️ READ: Please do not repost/reupload any of my art here or to any other platform, or I will be forced to do anything to get it annihilated.

Awesome cargo pants by @gloryride and Veegee (soon to be released) Enzo Sarto belongs to @gloryride. 💚 Jaysen belongs to me.

—

At first I thought about adding some text to it, but then I told myself, nah let the pics just speak. In this scene they probably met again after a another race, eventually starting slowly to be 'friends' now. Last pics tells me they might have agreed onto something about Baby (the car). Enzo may have lost it against Jay, yes — but Jay likes Enzo (and he knows Enzo likes him as well ;D) so it is a WinWin for them when they work together. In this way Enzo will still have Baby too, hehe.

I also once again forgot to place out the glowing tattoo mod I gave Jay. Guess Enzo will sooner or later ask why he's glowing all over his body. xD Jay will need to explain himself and I think he's first who gets to know about the "why" and "what". Because Jay and Enzo meet still in 2077 (when game events took place) before Jay finally finds Vijay in mid of 2078.

This one didn't make it into the set above bc the sunlight reflecting in the metal disturbed me and it is so bright in comparison to the rest and Baby is missing (car is to the left) too plus trash but I love how Jay looks at Enzolino here <3

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

hi Anne! for nice ask week, if you were in a room with the lone star writers and could ask them one question, what would it be??

Ok, my first thought is to demand that they explain the timeline 😂 But the only purpose behind that would be my own satisfaction when they were unable to do it. I don't think I should waste my one question on petty spite.

Next, I considered asking "What is everything that happens to Tarlos in season 5?" But do I really want to know that ahead of time?? As much as I can barely stand waiting another 5 months to find out what happens in the next season, I don't really want the whole thing spoiled for me. Watching it play out and speculating about what will happen next is a big part of the enjoyment.

Then, I also considered "Tell me everything about TK's past" because I want to know so much more about his childhood, his addiction, his relationship with Enzo and with Owen's 2nd wife, etc. But actually, I kind of doubt that the writers have that developed in detail. I think on shows like this they probably only plan out what they need to. If they want to include some aspect of TK's past in a future episode, they will come up with it at the time. So I don't know if I would really get an answer to this from the writers that's more satisfying than the one I can create for myself from my own imagination, fic, and the pieces we already know from the show.

I have ultimately settled on "Can you tell me everything that you were going to include in season 4 but didn't?" because there's a lot I want to know. Originally, there were different titles for the final two episodes: "Off the Rails" and "Two Weddings and a Train Wreck." Were these just working titles as they were breaking the episodes? Did they actually have episodes written that fit these titles only to completely change them? Or were the titles just some kind of decoy?

And Rafa talked a bit in post-finale interviews about how events in the last few episodes were moved around. It looks like the Gabriel storyline was supposed to begin in 4x16, which is clear when you look at the fact that Carlos is wearing the same outfit in the scene where Owen calls them about his Huntington's test results in 4x16 and the scene where Carlos asks Gabriel to be his best man in 4x17:

I think it's clear these scenes were supposed to be the same episode.

We see the same kind of thing in the way that TK and Carlos are wearing the same outfits in this scene that was later replaced by the soulmates scene:

and the scene where Gabriel comes to the loft in 4x17:

Obviously, the Gabriel stuff and the Huntington's stuff was happening simultaneously, probably in 4x16. But then what was happening in 4x17 and 4x18?? Was there more wedding? (Probably not) More Carlos spiraling after his father's death? Were they going to just have the Wyatt stuff happen in 4x17? But that doesn't really seem like it gives enough time for that story to play out by the end of the season. There's just so much I want to know!! That would be the question I would ask because I think it would give me the most interesting answer.

[overdevelopedglasses]

trick or treat 😈

Gah! Lexi!

Okokok.... something a bit different.

Anyone want OC songs?

Just gonna limit myself and do 1 each.

For Shinumi:

This is the first song in his playlist, and I totally imagine a MV/animatic just. Going through his life. Special shout to "choke the dark down" and "kill the body, not the memory"

For Fekami:

I'm kinda surprised about this one. Fekami doesn't really *have* a playlist, but i need to make him one. I was just trying to scroll through songs and im not sure why, but this one clicked.

I'd want to do my Essence Cast but that's a lot of explaining. I'll talk about Lily's song, and just kinda. Leave everyone to make sense of the other 6 XD

So for Lily:

This just. Wailing.

This is 100% in the second half of the story (uhh shit happens) and this is definitely when like. Everyone is wondering where "the hero" went and where they could've gone and just. I listen to this song and think "poor Lily" without fail. Shoutout to "I may be disturbed, but won't you concede, even heroes have the right to dream?"

Finally, for the rest of the gang:

William

Alex

Enzo

Percy

Robin

Samuel:

[maninthemiroh]

🌧️,🥥, &🌊!

Ok, so, for some reason, I chose to answer each question about a different DR? Hope you're alright with that, lol 💀. I also did some A+ rambling.

🌧️ Question: Who will be the first person you talk to in your DR that you’re excited to meet & how will the conversation go?

🌧️ answer, about my Boku No Hero Academia DR: Ok, so I actually got the basis for this DR from a really good unfinished Quotev 'MHA boys x Tamaranean!fem!reader' fic from years ago, so that person is Izuku and I will end up talking with him almost immediately and, for him, it will not be the most pleasant of conversations because it'll mostly be me threatening him and unintentionally belittling his strength. Also, I kiss him with tongue because that's how Tamaraneans learn languages 😭

🥥 question: List three specific smells from your DR and explain why you chose each of them.

🥥 answer, about my jujutsu Kaisen DR: Gunpowder, raspberries, and cypress. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Kitti… gunpowder?" And, to that I say, "yes, gunpowder." This is because it has been named as the odor of the moon and one of my cursed techniques harnesses the power of the Chinese zodiac, which is based on what? The moon cycle. I also keep that thang on me. A similar connection can be made with my second listed scent because raspberries have, for some reason that I don't fully understand, been theorized to be what space smells like (???) and I like raspberries, anyways, they're tasty, so why not? Cypress, though? Cypress is a frequently used plant in a lot of Chinese medicinal herb recipes which I, myself, would often utilize in that DR. Additionally, I feel like Yūji would smell like that, for some reason? I don't feel like it's cologne either, he just does?

🌊 question: Pretend your DR has one of those filler-beach-day episodes, what's everyone doing?

🌊 answer, about my Golden Trio era DR: I'm probably off shade-bathing somewhere and pretending not to be keeping watch over everyone else lest I get teased for caring about them and or any of them get kidnapped, AGAIN 🙄, Emil is laying on the pool chair next to me and staring holes into my pecs (he is NOT subtle, I can see his dumbass in my peripheral), Eunjeong is searching for Lepus because he wandered off, Lepus is dutifully taking notes on the thestral that somehow broke into the private pool …I see both of them, I just think Eunjeong's worry is funny, Garbhán is playing sharks and minnows with Hari, Wati, and Aisling. Garbhán is the shark, he's losing terribly. No one knows why he always chooses that role, it never ends well for him. His nickname is "Garbháge'' for a reason 😬. Ing is sunbathing, Oxalá is taking photos of everybody, Grazia is trying to catch Garb's attention and failing, Sabri is practicing magic with the water on some ATLA bender ish, and Theo, Shaurya, Aasha, Blessing, Flora, Fauna, Enyinnaya, Keahi, Makena, Kevin, Daphne, Astoria, Flinn, and Flann are, like, actually enjoying the water. Additionally, Aera wasn't invited, Ayomide turned down the invite, and Ayotunde is 2 hours late, but joins the group who's actually swimming.

PSA: I renamed most everyone in the Potterverse, so all of these people aside from Enzo, Ing and Theo are actual characters… Cannon counterparts will be explicitly explained in my Golden Trio era DR intro 😭

[breaniebree]

Third Times the Charm Sneak Peek

Chapter 2 -- The One Where Ron Gets A Shovel

Ron felt bad leaving Harry, but he knew that despite the circumstances of what was going on, he and Harry were only A1s, which meant that they weren’t capable of being partners on any investigations.  They needed someone higher up to help guide them and Ron had to admit, Eric Baxter was a great substitute.  The man was smart and funny.  Not to mention that he’d already taught Ron a lot more than he’d expected. 

When they left Sussex, Ron was only mildly surprised to see them arrive in Londonderry.  He followed Baxter through the main entrance of the Magical Intelligence Agency and into the Secret Intelligence Unit on the second floor otherwise known as the SIU.  They walked past a few desks in the bullpen before Baxter turned left and headed towards a smaller bullpen in the back where Ron recognized Sebastian Kane sitting with a tiny Korean woman who Ron remembered seeing at the Auror’s birthday party in the summer.

Sebastian’s eyebrow rose.  “Baxter, Ron, come to visit?”

“Unfortunately no,” Baxter said, making himself comfortable in one of the chairs.  “We need to track someone down.”

“Aw, and you need us because we’re better than you?”  the woman teased.

Ron snorted and her smile widened.

“I speak the truth, Red.”  She extended her hand.  “Auror Yeona Jin, but everyone calls me Auror J.”

“Ron Weasley.”

“He’s my A1 partner,” Baxter said.  “Fresh from the academy and doing well.  As to doing our job, I’d track this bitch down myself if it was within my bloody jurisdiction.”

Sebastian tilted his head.  “What do you need?”

“Druella Rosier Black,” Baxter said.  “Weasley?”

Ron cleared his throat.  “She’s um, the Lady Falmouth, technically.  She took off in ’93 to avoid the war and is now thought to be on a Mediterranean cruise somewhere.  We need her back in England so that she can answer some questions about her home in Sussex.”

Jin nodded.  “We can do that.  Any known family?

“She’s the last Rosier living,” Ron continued.  “Her brother Enzo and his wife, Alma were killed in the first war along with his son, Ezekiel.  Ezekiel had two children, Evan who was killed by Alastor Moody while resisting arrest in ’81 and his sister Aster who married Thaddeus Nott and was killed in ’84 in a claimed potions accident by her husband.  Black’s husband, Cygnus, died in ’92 of scrofungulus.  They had three daughters: Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Andromeda Black Tonks, and Narcissa Black Malfoy.  Bellatrix is the only daughter still alive.”

Jin wrinkled her nose.  “It’s always the insane ones who stick around.  Any information on her cruise?”

“No, but her grandson will know more, Draco Malfoy.”

Sebastian’s eyebrow rose slightly at the name.  “All right.  Give us twenty-four hours.  We’ll bring her back to England for questioning.”

“Thanks,” Baxter said.  “We think that she was letting known Death Eaters live in her home as recently as this morning.  Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla are at the top of our most wanted list.  If they have outside help, we need to know about it.”

“Agreed,” Sebastian said.  “We’ll bring her in.”

When they left, Ron snuck a look over at his partner.  “Bringing in the MIA was a good idea.”

Baxter’s lips curved.  “I’m full of those.  Atwell will tell you that I’m also full of shit, but don’t listen to her.”

Ron chuckled.  “Noted.”

“The Magical Intelligence Agency works on an international level,” Baxter explained.  “They are the Aurors we need to help us track criminals who leave the country.  They have jurisdiction in every country in the world and this means that they can do things that we aren’t able to, like go to the bloody Mediterranean Sea and try to find this witch.”

“Which leaves us where exactly?”  Ron asked.

Baxter stretched his arms up over his head.  “Let’s head back to Godric’s Hollow, Weasley.  There’s something about that graveyard that’s been bothering me.  I want to reinterview the witnesses who claim that they saw Brambilla there last week.  We’re missing something, Weasley, and until we find it, I think Zacarias is going to stay just out of our reach.”

That was what Ron was afraid of.