A shift in fate | Mattheo Riddle

Fourteen

With a wave of her wand, small bundles of matchsticks appeared on each desk. Jane and I exchanged glances before grabbing ours.

"Easy enough," I muttered, rolling one between my fingers.

We both pointed our wands at the matchsticks, murmuring "Avifors." Mine trembled slightly before sprouting tiny gray wings. It fluttered feebly before falling still. Draco's, on the other hand, had already transformed into a small, sleek blackbird.

He shot me a smug look. "Try not to be too impressed."

"Not bad," I admitted, flicking my wand again. This time, the wings on my matchstick grew stronger, and within seconds, a small bird hopped onto my parchment.

As I reached out to nudge it, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. A few students were turned toward me, whispering in hushed voices. Their eyes flickered between me and Draco.

I frowned.

"Jane," I muttered, keeping my voice low. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" she whispered back, still focused on her matchstick.

I turned my head slightly, trying to catch bits of the conversation. It was faint, but I could make out a few words.

"...she stayed in his dorm last night..."

"...bet that's why they were late..."

"...probably shagged all night..."

My fingers tightened around my wand.

"What the fuck," I whispered under my breath.

Jane looked up. "What?"

Before I could answer, I caught another whispered remark.

"...can't believe she's already hooked up with Malfoy..."

My jaw clenched. Of course. The second I got too close to Draco, people just had to start making shit up.

I inhaled sharply, willing myself to keep my expression neutral, but my irritation must have been obvious because Jane narrowed her eyes. "Okay, what did you just hear?"

I leaned in slightly. "Apparently, I spent the night in Draco's room, and we had sex. That's why I was late."

Jane's eyes widened before she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You're kidding."

I glared at her. "Does it look like I'm kidding?"

She stole a glance at the students whispering about me, shaking her head. "Oh my god. People are actually insane."

Draco, still oblivious, nudged me with his elbow. "You planning on finishing your bird or just glaring at your matchstick all period?"

I turned to him, barely keeping my irritation in check. "Oh, I don't know, Malfoy. Apparently, we were too busy last night for me to be well-rested enough to focus in class."

His smirk faltered. "What?"

I gestured subtly toward the whispering students. "Rumor has it, I spent the night in your dorm. And, you know, we were late because we were too busy having sex."

Draco blinked, then let out a low chuckle, shaking his head in amusement.  "If that were true, I wouldn't be complaining." He smirked, leaning in slightly. "But I'd at least like to remember it."

I rolled my eyes, suppressing a laugh despite my annoyance. "You're impossible."

But the whispers continued. The quiet giggles. The way they threw glances my way before leaning into each other like they were dying to keep the gossip going.