cigarette with your coffee?
8 June 1996
Mattheo’s POV
The first thing I’m aware of is warmth next to me and I blink my eyes open slowly, opening to one of the best views in the world. Euphemia Potter lays next to me in a room decorated in scarlet and gold, sprawled out on her stomach, her hair fanned out on the pillow. The blanket has fallen down slightly, exposing the smooth skin of her lower back and my hands itch to reach for her. I sigh, laying back on the pillows and watch her in the hazy early morning light streaming in through the windows as I process everything.
Mia’s room is set up much the same as mine, a double four poster bed, a small loveseat, fireplace, desk and ensuite bathroom. The difference however, besides the house colors, is her room is filled with pictures and memorabilia from her life and time at Hogwarts. Pictures move all across the mantle and desk and night stands, pictures of her and Harry, the Twins, the Quidditch team, and two people who look just like Mia and Harry but older, her parents I assume, dance and laugh from the picture frame on her nightstand. She has books and papers stacked on her couch, a muggle turntable on her desk, her Nimbus 2000 leaning against the wall beside me, her trunk open and filled with clothes, and various other nicknacks and possessions scattered across the room. Even half packed up for the summer, her room feels lived in; whereas mine feels livable. It’s so wholly her; inviting and warm and loving.
I’m a stupid, stupid man because now that I’ve gotten a taste I’m addicted. I will never be able to be rid of this woman; will never be able to close my eyes without seeing her face, or fall asleep without wishing she was by my side. I glance down at my watch, which I apparently neglected to remove in our hast last night, and sigh regretfully. I need to get back to my dorm, to pack and to avoid being seen leaving the Gryffindor Common Room unless I want rumors to spread like wildfire. While I am by no means finished with Mia, I don’t necessarily want the whole school to know. I still have to spend most of my summer with Ella and Draco and I don’t particularly want to hear either of their opinions.
Carefully, I remove myself from under her arm and climb out of the double bed. As silently as I can, I pull my clothes from the night before back on, retrieving them from their various locations across the floor. I watch her for a moment, sleeping soundly, peaceful and graceful and beautiful and my heart aches for her, calls to her as if begging to stay and never leave her side again. I want to leave her something, something so she knows I’m not just abandoning her after one night. I look around for a quill and some ink to write a note but she must have packed them up already and I let out a frustrated sigh.
But then I notice a coffee cup on her desk. I grab it, and with my wand, summon coffee to fill the cup the way I know she loves. Once the cup is full, I gently set it down on her nightstand and pull a cigarette from my pack, resting it to lean against the handle. I owe you a cigarette, I can hear her saying to me all those months ago on the Astronomy Tower. I lean over her figure, and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I owe you a cigarette, princess,” I whisper before I straighten up and back out of the dorm room and into the empty Gryffindor Common Room before I step back out into the halls and begin my walk back to my own room.
Euphemia’s POV
I wake to light streaming in from the window and the smell of coffee. I reach up to rub my eyes, opening them to an empty bed. The blanket is thrown back on one side and I sit up, hugging the sheet close to my body as I look around, hoping to see Mattheo but he’s nowhere. The bed is empty, the couch as I left it and the bathroom vacant. I sigh heavily and fall back against the pillows. Mattheo Riddle only ever does one night, I know that.
Out of the corner of my eye, steam catches my eye. A cup of coffee sits on my nightstand next to the picture of my parents, and a cigarette leans against the handle. I sit up and chuckle, twisting the cigarette between my fingers. I recognize the brand as what Mattheo always smokes and I smile, taking a sip of the coffee and I sit back, more confused now then when I thought he just left. My mind replays the night before, everything from kissing him on the dock to stumbling through the halls to get back to my dorm, to practically ripping the clothes off each other, to falling asleep in his arms, feeling more safe and at home than I ever thought possible.
✦
I step off the Hogwarts Express onto platform 9 ¾, the hidden station filled with parents and guardians all waiting to greet their children. I see Mrs. Weasley waving ecstatically to the Twins in front of me and I follow them to her, figuring Harry will follow Ron here as well. “Fred! What on earth happened to you?” Mrs. Weasley cries, grabbing her son’s face to inspect his black eye from last night.
“Nothing, Ma, I’m fine,” Fred grumbles, pulling his face out of her grasp.
“Just a prank from Zonko’s, mum. Nothing to worry about,” George supplies for his twin, who has been in a foul mood all morning, and leans down to hug his much shorter mother.
“Oh, you two will be the death of me, I swear,” Mrs. Weasley chuckles and turns to me. “Euphemia, darling. How are you? Staying safe?”
“Yes, ma’am. I am,” I nod, letting her pull me into a tight hug.
“I hear you’ve taken custody of Harry. Are you sure you’re up to it? You two can always come to ours.”
“I think so, yes. We have an apartment in London near Diagon Alley. Fred and George have the address for you.”
“Well, come over whenever and if you need anything don’t hesitate.” She says, cupping my face with her hands and I nod, promising I will as Harry, Ginny and Ron, along with a small and very excited owl, appear at our sides. As Mrs. Weasley greets them, my eyes wander around the platform and land on Mattheo talking with a woman with white hair pulled into a tight bun. She must be Mrs. Riddle, I assume and watch for a moment, wanting to go say hi but I’m sure Mrs. Riddle would not appreciate my presence in her son’s life. Before I look away, Mattheo’s eyes find mine and he smiles. “Bye, princess,” he mouths to me with a wink and I smile back before my attention is pulled away but Mrs. Weasley. We chat for a few minutes with the Weasleys but eventually, Harry and I move along towards the exit.
“Mia! Look, it’s from Sirius,” Harry says excitedly, waving a piece of parchment in front of me and I take it from him with a laugh and we pause near the exit so I can read it.
Dear Harry,
Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won’t tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven’t a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt. Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays’ worth of presents from your Godfather. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.
I’ll write again soon.
Sirius
P.S. I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it’s my fault he no longer has a rat.
“That’s great, Haz. I’m glad they’re safe,” I smile, handing the letter back to him. “Is that why Ron suddenly has that crazy little owl?” Harry nods.
“Also, Ron said the Quidditch World Cup is this summer, we have to go!” He is practically jumping with excitement and I laugh because I’ve never seen my brother so excited for a summer holiday.
“Yeah, alright, I’ll see what we can do. Ready to go home?” I ask as we near the platform entrance.
“Yeah, let’s go,” he nods with a smile and together we run through the magic brick wall and back into the muggle world for the first summer in fifteen years where we are totally happy, free, and safe.