A shift in fate | Mattheo Riddle

Fourteen

I'd had enough.

I spun around in my seat, fixing them with a glare. "Do you have something you'd like to share with the class, or are you just going to sit there whispering like pathetic little cowards?"

The girls—three of them, all Ravenclaw—gawked at me like I'd just grown two heads. One of them, a brunette named Marissa, looked like she wanted to shrink into the floor. The other two, however, didn't seem as fazed.

One of them, a girl named Natalia, scoffed. "Relax, Moonvale. No need to get so defensive. If it's not true, why are you so pressed?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're spreading complete bullshit about me?" I shot back, my voice sharp. "And you weren't exactly whispering quietly."

Her friend, a blonde named Celeste, just smirked. "Well, you did show up late, and you and Malfoy looked very cozy last night."

Before I could respond, Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the room.

"That is quite enough."

The classroom instantly fell silent.

She stood at the front, her gaze icy as it swept across us. "Miss Moonvale, Miss Vance, Miss Rosier—unless you'd like to serve detention on the first day of term, I highly suggest you stop your chattering and return to your actual lesson."

I clenched my jaw but forced myself to nod. "Yes, Professor."

The other girls muttered their agreement, though I could still hear the smugness in their voices.

McGonagall's eyes lingered on me for a second longer before she turned back to the blackboard. "Good. Now, unless anyone else would like to share their personal matters with the entire class, I suggest we move on."

I sighed, gripping my wand a little tighter.

Beside me, Draco leaned in just enough for me to hear, his voice low and teasing. "For the record, if you had spent the night, I wouldn't have let you be late." He smirked. "But, I would've made sure you got zero sleep."

I turned to him, narrowing my eyes. "Oh, shut up, Malfoy."

But despite myself, I couldn't hold back the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips.

Class had finally ended, and thankfully, the next one was Charms. Honestly, it wasn't anything special. Professor Flitwick rambled on for what felt like forever, making everyone in class feel sluggish. Jane and I, especially, were struggling to keep our eyes open.

Once Charms ended, we practically ran to the Great Hall for lunch. As we settled into our usual spot at the Slytherin table. Khai and Pansy hadn't heard any of the details about last night yet, and frankly, I wasn't in the mood to spill the entire tea just yet. Not when the boys would be walking in any second.

As if on cue, the boys strolled into the hall. Theo, Lorenzo, and Blaise followed behind Draco, who was already making his way toward the table. Draco looked especially aloof, eyes scanning the room as if nothing bothered him. But I could tell by the faint edge in his expression that something was still off. Mattheo was nowhere to be seen.

As they sat down, I couldn't help but notice the knowing grin creeping onto Sebastian's face. His eyes flicked between me and Draco, and I already knew what was coming.

"You two look cozy this morning," he said, his voice light but full of mischief. "Everything go well last night?"

I shot him a look, not bothering to play innocent. "Cut it out, Sebastian."

But, of course, he just laughed, leaning back. "Oh, come on, V. I've got a good feeling about this... Whatever happened, I'm sure it was fun."

The rest of the boys chimed in, clearly enjoying the tension in the air. I could feel my cheeks heating up, and despite my best efforts to keep a cool face, I could tell Jane was biting back a grin.

"Please," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "You guys are ridiculous."

"Still, though," Sebastian said with a sly smile. "You didn't answer the question."

I shot Sebastian a look, trying to keep my cool. "I think you'd know if I had actually spent the night with Draco."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting. "Well, to be honest, I thought I heard some... sounds last night," he said, smirking. "And knowing Malfoy, I figured he was showing you every corner of his room."

I rolled my eyes, about to retort when Draco cut in, his voice laced with disgust. "What the actual fuck, Sallow? We didn't have sex, we just kissed."

"Damn right you did," Sebastian continued, unfazed by Draco's glare. "We got the whole show from you two. In the middle of the common room? It was like you were putting on a performance." He leaned back, taking a slow sip from his cup, a smug grin playing on his lips. "Almost like you were doing it on purpose," he added, casting me a knowing look.

My gaze sharpened, and I shot him a sweet, fake smile. "You sure know how to twist things, Sebastian."

He shrugged, completely unapologetic. "What can I say? You're an open book. You really did make it hard not to watch."

Draco snorted under his breath, shooting a glance at Sebastian. "Seriously, Sallow? You have no shame."

Sebastian just shrugged again, his grin widening. "Hey, I'm just making sure the show's worth the ticket price."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, leaning back in my seat as I tried to focus on my food. Jane shot me a concerned look, but I just waved her off. 

"So, where's Mattheo?" I asked, keeping my eyes on my plate and avoiding looking at any of the boys. I could already feel the teasing looks coming my way, or worse, the sarcastic remarks I was definitely about to get.

Blaise was the first to speak up. "Mattheo? Who knows," he said with a shrug, clearly enjoying the drama. "He stormed out earlier and hasn't been back since."

I snorted softly, shaking my head. "Sounds like him," I muttered under my breath.

Lorenzo leaned in with a grin, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. "You really know how to stir the pot, don't you, Moonvale? First, you get Draco all worked up, and then you send Mattheo into a rage. Impressive."

But as I glanced around the table, trying to distract myself from the awkwardness of the moment, I caught a glimpse of Mattheo entering the Great Hall. His eyes immediately flicked to mine before he quickly looked away, his jaw clenched, his posture rigid.

I couldn't read him, but something about the way he acted made my stomach twist. I wasn't sure if I should feel guilty or angry. Either way, he wasn't making it easy for me to figure out where we stood.

Draco seemed to notice my shift in focus, his gaze following mine. He raised an eyebrow. "You want me to talk to him?"

I shook my head. "No. Let him figure it out. I'm not the one who ran off."

I could feel the tension between me and Mattheo, but for now, I wasn't going to let it show. I had enough drama to deal with as it was.

Authors note: damnnnnnn some real drama happening atm. Im kinda loving it hahahaha