Hours before you and your friends- Pansy and Daphne, get back to the castle after weekend in Hogsmeade, boys are gathered in the common room.
💬 3.7m
@szturkaThe Slytherin common room was quiet — the kind of heavy, underwater quiet that only came when the girls were gone.
Low firelight flickered across the greenish glass of the lake, casting shifting shadows over the dark leather couches. The air was thick with smoke and the sharp, sweet smell of firewhisky.
Theodore Nott
exhaling a slow stream of smoke Fuck, I needed this.
Theo was sprawled across the largest sofa, one leg hooked over the armrest. A bottle of Ogden’s sat on the floor beside him, already half empty.
Mattheo Riddle
taking a long drag from his own cigarette You say that every time.
Mattheo was slouched in a high-backed chair, boots propped on the low table. His eyes were half-lidded, dark and unreadable in the dim light.
Draco Malfoy
sipping from a crystal tumbler It’s because he’s emotionally stunted. Alcohol is his only form of therapy.
Blaise Zabini
leaning against the mantelpiece, swirling his drink Says the one who’s been staring into that glass like it’s going to confess all his family secrets.
Draco Malfoy
shooting him a cold look Fuck off, Zabini.
Lorenzo Berkshire
quietly, from the window seat He’s not entirely wrong. You’ve been quiet.
Lorenzo’s voice was soft, but it carried. He was watching the giant squid drift past the window, his expression pensive.
Mattheo Riddle
snorting Yeah, what’s eating you, Malfoy? Daddy cut your allowance again?
Draco Malfoy
setting his glass down with a sharp click My father is the least of my problems right now.
Theodore Nott
grinning Oh, this should be good. Come on, then. Out with it. We’re all fucking friends here, aren’t we?
Theo’s tone was light, but there was an edge to it. A challenge. The fire cracked loudly in the silence that followed.
Draco Malfoy
running a hand through his perfectly styled hair It’s… Y/n.
The name hung in the air. Mattheo’s cigarette stilled halfway to his lips. Theo’s lazy smile didn’t move, but his eyes sharpened.
Blaise Zabini
What about them?
Draco Malfoy
letting out a short, humorless laugh They… talked to my father. For me.
Lorenzo Berkshire
Talked to him?
Draco Malfoy
More like stood in my fucking drawing room and calmly explained why his expectations were going to give me a nervous breakdown before I turned twenty. In front of my mother.
Theodore Nott
whistling low Brave.
Mattheo Riddle
voice flat Stupid, more like. Lucius Malfoy doesn’t take advice from teenagers.
Draco Malfoy
He listened. He fucking listened. And then he… eased up. Not much, but enough to breathe. My mother… she actually smiled at me after they left. Said Y/n was ‘refreshing.’
Draco picked up his glass again, staring into the amber liquid.
Draco Malfoy
No one’s ever done that for me. Stood between me and him like that. Not even my own fucking family.
Blaise Zabini
after a beat They’re good at that. Seeing what people need.
Mattheo Riddle
stubbing out his cigarette violently What’s that supposed to mean?
Blaise Zabini
shrugging, a faint smile on his lips It means I wouldn’t have passed my Arithmancy NEWT if Y/n hadn’t spent every free period last year drilling equations into my head. In the library. In empty classrooms. Even in the fucking owlery once.
Theodore Nott
sitting up slowly You never said that.
Blaise Zabini
Why would I? It was private. They didn’t want anyone to know they were tutoring the great Blaise Zabini. Said it would ruin my reputation.
Lorenzo Berkshire
softly They helped me, too.
All eyes turned to Lorenzo. He wasn’t looking at any of them, his gaze still fixed on the dark water.
Lorenzo Berkshire
After Aurelia. When I couldn’t… function. They brought me food. Sat with me. Made sure I slept. And when they found out who she’d left me for…
A small, almost imperceptible smile touched Lorenzo’s lips.
Lorenzo Berkshire
Let’s just say that ‘accidental’ hex in Duelling Club that put Roger Davies in the hospital wing for three days wasn’t entirely an accident.
Theodore Nott
laughing, a real, surprised sound No shit?
Mattheo Riddle
standing up abruptly This is bullshit.
Mattheo paced to the fireplace, his back to them. The tension in his shoulders was visible even through his shirt.
Draco Malfoy
What’s your problem, Riddle?
Mattheo Riddle
spinning around, eyes blazing My problem is that you’re all sitting here talking about them like some kind of… saint. Like they’re not the most frustrating, infuriating, stubborn person in this fucking castle!
Theodore Nott
voice dangerously calm And why does that bother you so much, Matty?
Theo rarely used the nickname. It meant he was serious. Deadly serious.
Mattheo Riddle
laughing, a harsh, broken sound Why? Because I’m in love with them, alright? Is that what you want to hear?
The silence that fell was absolute. The fire seemed to stop crackling. The squid outside froze mid-movement.
Mattheo Riddle
running a hand over his face Fuck. Fuck.
Theodore Nott
very quietly I know.
Mattheo Riddle
staring at him What?
Theodore Nott
I know. I’ve known since fourth year. I also know who’s been brewing those sobering potions you keep in your drawer. The ones that fix you up after a fight or a bender. The ones that taste like mint and honey.
Mattheo went very still.
Theodore Nott
Y/n’s been making them for you. For years. Dropping them off with me to give to you because they knew you’d never take them directly.
Blaise Zabini
blinking slowly Well. This is… a lot.
Draco Malfoy
looking between Theo and Mattheo Hold on. If you knew… how are you so calm about it?
Theodore Nott
taking a long drink straight from the bottle Because I spent the whole summer after sixth year with them. In Italy. As a couple.
Mattheo’s face drained of color.
Theodore Nott
It didn’t work out. We wanted different things. But it happened. And I never told you.
Mattheo Riddle
voice a whisper You… and Y/n.
Theodore Nott
Yeah. Me and Y/n.
Theo met Mattheo’s shattered gaze, his own expression unreadable.
Theodore Nott
So you see, Matty… we’ve all been a lot closer to them than any of us ever fucking admitted.
The common room door clicked open down the hall. Distant, familiar laughter echoed — Pansy’s sharp cackle, Daphne’s warm chuckle.
The girls were back.