Wicked

Prologue
❝SNAKES & RATS❞
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IGNORE THEM, his brother had said. Although it did not matter, all the whispers and stares were hard to ignore. Yet no one dared to talk to him, or even be near him. The eleven year old boy, watched how people closed the doors to their compartments. Mattheo quickly realized he was not wanted here. The boy found an empty compartment, and entered with a sigh.

"Eww, get it off!" Mattheo heard someone yell loudly, followed by a girl's laughter. "I'm telling father!" Seconds later two kids with matching platinum blonde hair, stood in the door opening of the compartment he was in. Mattheo could tell by their clothes they were wearing, that they had no issues with money. The girl's grey polo long sleeve, was neatly tucked into her black skirt. The boy wore a matching polo, paired with black pants.

"Is it okay if we join you?" The girl asked. It was almost embarrassing how fast Mattheo nodded, but he felt no embarrassment when the girl smiled. "I'm Novalee, this is my twin brother Draco." She said as she sat down in front of him, her brother next to her. He mumbled his name, it was almost too quiet to hear, but yet they heard him clearly.

The boy heard a quiet 'Riddle' and looked around confused, until it landed on the pitch black snake in the girl's arms. He wondered how he had not noticed it sooner.

The girl saw him looking at it. "Oh! This is Nathaira. Is she not the most beautiful creature ever?" Mattheo nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"Sure." Draco scoffed, and rolled his eyes. Novalee just glared at him.

"Being afraid of snakes is embarrassing, you know." Draco mumbled a 'whatever' and looked down at the snake with a look of disgust.

"I think she's beautiful." Mattheo said, and Novalee looked at him with the biggest smile.

"You want to hold her? I can tell she already likes you." In truth- he wanted nothing more. But he was scared. Not of the snake, but of the way he could communicate with it. "Maybe another time?"

"Oh, okay." Her tone was filled with disappointment. However, it quickly disappeared as the girl looked back at her snake. The disappointed look, replaced with fascination.

"Are you nervous?" The girl asked, her eyes still on the snake, so the boy was not sure who she was talking to. "About the first year?" Now her green eyes met his again.

"No." A lie. "You?"

"Not really. Draco on the other hand, he is-" Novalee did not get to finish her sentence, before her twin brought his hand to cover her mouth. They both shared a look Mattheo could not understand, and a few seconds later, Draco pulled his hand away.

"Anyways, what house do you think you will get?" Mattheo could already tell she was a talkative person, and he was not sure if he loved it or hated it.

"Slytherin." There was no point in denying the fact. He did not think, he knew he would get Slytherin.

"Me too." She responded. "I mean, I have to get into Slytherin. I am sure my parents would kill me otherwise." The girl chuckled.

Nathaira, the snake. Was now moving freely around the room, which Draco highly protested against.

A new face showed up in the doorway. Mattheo have never had any friends growing up, there was no one he would recognize, or know. Although by the way Novalee's face lit up, he knew they were familiar.

"Teddy!" She quickly got up and hugged the boy. As the hug ended, the girl went back to her seat. "Nott." Draco greeted the boy, and the boy took a seat next to Mattheo.

"Teddy, this is Mattheo. Mattheo, this is Theodore." Novalee introduced the two.

"Mattheo, as in Mattheo Riddle?" Theodore asked, although he already knew the answer. Mattheo nodded, ashamed.

"That is awesome. A true descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself." Theodore said amazed, and all their expressions were just pure amazement.

And for once, Mattheo felt like he belonged somewhere.

"Mat?" Novalee's soft voice spoke. The boy saw her tear stained cheeks, and without hesitating he asked what happened.

The answer he received, made him end up in detention for beating a fifth year.

Although he had been at Hogwarts for a year and a half, he had received more detention then any other student, well, perhaps he was tied with the Weasley twins. Mattheo did not mind it though, the only one who seemed to have a problem with it was Novalee. But that is only because she wanted him to succeed.

Yet Novalee only talked to him if someone was bothering her. 'You get things done' she had said. True double standards. She knew the others would have her back too, but she also mentioned that Draco was all talk, nothing more. That is when he realized. He realized Novalee had a dark side to her too. She wanted to see them hurt by actions, not scared by empty threats.

And he liked it. He liked that side of her, because he felt the same way. They were the same.

Mattheo was also the person she would turn to when she was back from a holiday, back from being home. They would talk for hours in the common room. She would rant about everything and nothing, and Mattheo would just sit there and listen. Her head on his shoulder, both staring into the fireplace. Just loosing track of time.

By the time the pair reunited for third year, they were closer then ever. Novalee even felt closer to him, then she did her own twin.

Third year. Almost three years of being friends. Hours spent talking. Minutes spent laughing. Seconds spent crying.

Time was weird like that. Everything could change with one second, one minute or one hour.

No one knew what happened.

Their friends never got them to tell. One day, the pair just stopped talking. Their love turned to hatred, and their friendship turned to ash. And the talkative, Novalee? She stopped rambling.

No one knew, except them.