Always and forever- Matteo Riddle

Tired

"Alright," he said simply.

That was it. No prying, no pity. Just... understanding.

I exhaled slowly, nodding back. "Alright."

Mattheo smirked slightly, tilting his head. "You good to go, then?"

I let out a small breath of laughter. "Yeah."

"Then let's go suffer through class."

I rolled my eyes but followed him out, the weight in my chest just a little lighter than before.

By the time we got to Potions, I could barely keep my eyes open. The exhaustion clung to me like a second skin, my limbs heavy, my mind clouded. I sat down at my usual seat, barely registering Mattheo dropping into the one beside me.

Professor Snape swept into the room, his robes billowing behind him as the chatter instantly died down. His cold gaze scanned the class before he began his lecture, his voice low and deliberate. I tried to focus, but the dim lighting and the soft bubbling of cauldrons made it impossible to keep my head from dipping forward.

I fought it—I really did—but my body had other plans.

I wasn't sure how long I was out before a sharp, deliberate slam echoed through the room. I jerked awake as the sound of a heavy book hitting my desk sent a jolt through me. My heart pounded as my eyes snapped open to find Snape looming over me, his dark eyes sharp and unreadable.

"Sleeping in my class, are we?" His voice was quiet, but laced with unmistakable displeasure.

I opened my mouth, scrambling for an excuse, but he cut me off with a slight raise of his hand. "No need to waste my time with excuses, Miss Malfoy. If you have such little regard for my lessons, then you can make up for it in detention tonight."

I sighed, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes. "Yes, Professor."

Snape stared at me for a moment longer before turning away, his robes swishing as he continued his lecture.

Beside me, Mattheo leaned over, his voice barely above a whisper. "Told you you'd fall asleep."

I shot him a tired glare. "Not helping."

Theo snickered from behind us. "You've been here for, what, five minutes? Impressive."
No
I groaned, sinking further into my seat as Snape's voice carried on in the background. This was going to be a long day.

The rest of the lesson dragged on painfully slow. I forced myself to stay awake, though every second felt like a battle. Snape didn't glance my way again, but I could feel his disappointment lingering in the air like a storm cloud waiting to break.

Mattheo and Theo continued to exchange quiet smirks and side comments, clearly enjoying my misery. I ignored them, focusing on keeping my head up and getting through the lesson without drawing any more attention to myself.

When class finally ended, I packed up my things sluggishly, my movements slow and drained. As we stepped out into the corridor, Mattheo nudged me with his shoulder.

"So, how does it feel to be Snape's favorite student?" he teased, grinning.

I let out a dry laugh. "Oh, absolutely brilliant. I'm thinking of asking for extra homework next."

Theo chuckled, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "At least you're taking it well."

"Like I have a choice?" I muttered, rubbing my temples.

Draco, who had been quiet until now, shot me a sideways glance. "You really should get some sleep before you make this worse."

I sighed, but before I could respond, Blaise strolled up, smirking. "You got detention after one lesson? That's got to be a record."