Puppets
Mattheo didn’t expect his Christmas to be spent all alone yet again, but here he is, sitting by himself while staring into the glistering fire before him. The common room is empty. Not many students like to spend Christmas in a dungeon, not even if it is decorated nicely in the brightest variations of red, white and green.
At least he actually got a present this year, Mattheo thinks to himself, the tiny box from Draco in his hands.
He gently unties the bow and pulls off the red wrapping paper. Mattheo stares at the tiny box in his hands. He slowly opens it, not really knowing what to expect. Inside is a thin silver chain bracelet. There is not much to it, but it is still a greater gift than he’s ever received before.
He slowly pulls it out of the box, looking down at the shiny metal in the palm of his hand. It takes him a few attempts to put it around his wrist, but at last he manages.
It didn’t take more than a day before Mattheo found out why Theo was ignoring him. It turns out, Theo hadn’t been very good at putting Mattheo’s stuff back in its place. Or rather, Mattheo knows exactly how the letter is supposed to lie, tugged away under an old jumper.
He knows the letter like the back of his hand, every scribble, every curve. It must be from reading it over and over again, he thinks.
The sound of the entrance takes him by surprise and he stands up in anticipation. A small part of him wishes whoever it might be to be Theo who’s finally realized that he overreacted and has come to apologize.
However, it is not. Instead, a small group of girls walk in, giggling to themselves. Mattheo sighs and flops down on one of the large black couches.
What a wonderful time.
Every morning Theo wakes up before Mattheo to leave before he gets a chance to say anything. It is the same today. When Mattheo awakes, the dorm is empty. Mattheo slowly rises from the comfort of his bed before beginning to get himself ready.
It’s the last day of the break, meaning that the rest of his dorm mates will return. He doesn’t know whether Theo has told them about Mattheo’s secret yet and he honestly wishes to never find out.
Unfortunately for Mattheo, the second his friends step through the doorway, he can tell that something is off.
Draco barely looks at him and Lorenzo has a sad expression on his face. Blaise pushes past them, clearly ignoring Mattheo who’s standing in the middle of the room.
Theo walks up behind them, his arms folded across his chest. He glares directly at Mattheo with dead eyes. “Really?” Mattheo scoffs, carelessly throwing his arms out. “So this is how it’s going to be now huh?”
They all stare at him, none of them uttering a single word. “Fuck this,” Mattheo cusses, making sure to bump into all of them as he pushes past them and out of the door.
For a second he hears his name being called, but once he looks back, no one is following him. He shakes his head, an ironic grin appears across his face. Mattheo heads towards the Astronomy Tower. He prays that no one is there and eventually heads up the spiral staircase.
To his luck, it is completely empty.
Mattheo sighs, taking a halt by the railing. It is cold outside and he is not nearly dressed appropriately. Every breath he takes is visible in the cold winter air and he slowly feels his fingers going numb.
He taps them along the railing, his mind anywhere but at the tower. This was never meant to happen. One of the reasons why he was even sent to Hogwarts in the first place was to be able to get a new start. Yet here he is, feeling no different from before he even went.
Mattheo gets sucked out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind him. He doesn’t look back, scared to see who it is. The person stops beside him, leaning onto the railing with their elbows, their eyes staring straight ahead at the scenery.
“Nott has already told the entire school,” Lorenzo states quietly, his eyes darting down towards his hands. There is a long deafening silence. “I’m sorry,” he then adds, not even glancing at Mattheo. The steam from his mouth lingers in the air.
Mattheo’s breath hitches. He knew it would happen eventually, but the thought alone scared him so much that he didn’t ever want to think of it.
“Why are you here Lorenzo?” Mattheo asks, his voice stern and emotionless as he turns to look at Lorenzo in anticipation. It has been awhile since he used Lorenzo’s actual name.
The question alone makes Enzo finally look up at Mattheo. For a moment, he doesn’t know what to say, but at last he finally opens his mouth. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to tell anyone about your family, I really do.”
Mattheo doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that.
“And sure, I may be slightly pissed that you didn’t think you could just tell us, but I don’t blame you.” Lorenzo draws his lips into a thin line. He pauses again. “And you certainly can’t control where you come from,” his voice trembles slightly. Mattheo can tell that it wasn’t supposed to but decides not to ask about it. Now is definitely not the time.
Mattheo doesn’t know what to say. He just stands there, mouth slightly open as he stares at his friend.
“Anyway,” Lorenzo says in a breath, “I shouldn’t be here.”
Mattheo narrows his eyes at him, his ability to speak immediately coming back. “What? Why?” He questions, his voice raising an octave or two. He’s fully facing Lorenzo now, his arms falling down to his sides. Enzo does the same, except his left hand is grasping the railing, his knuckles turning white.
“It may sound stupid. Idiotic even. But those guys have been my best friends since we were 12, and as much as I know that they’re overreacting, I can’t just walk away from them. You must try to understand me,” Enzo explains. There’s a hint of desperation in his eyes.
Mattheo clenches his jaw. What Lorenzo said was idiotic and stupid, but he tried to understand where he was coming from. If Mattheo were to have the privilege of having childhood friends, he thinks he might’ve done the same thing Enzo is doing right now. He would stand by them, even if he knew that they were in the wrong.
“I’m sorry,” Lorenzo utters, his eyes falling down to Mattheo’s left hand. He sees the hint of silver beneath the sleeve of his shirt.
Mattheo sighs, his teeth shuttering as he folds his arms in an attempt to keep warm. “Stop apologizing.”
Lorenzo bites back a small smile before slowly wandering off and down the spiral staircase.
Even though Mattheo should consider Enzo’s words cruel, he can’t even force himself to dislike him. At least now, he knows that he has one friend. Even if they have to pretend not to be.
Mattheo absolutely dreads going back to the dorm that night. He pauses just outside the door, hoping that he’s come back late enough for all of them to be asleep. To his dismay however, Draco is still awake, and his head jolts up when he hears the door creaking. He’s sitting on his bed with an open book in his lap. The only light in the room is from a lamp next to him on his nightstand.
The look on his face when he sees Mattheo is one Mattheo will never forget. His jaw is clenched and his lips drawn shut. His eyes bore directly into Mattheo with fury. Before Mattheo even has the chance to react, Draco shuts the book with such strength that Blaise sits up on his bed in pure confusion. Draco hurries off his bed and his body collides with Mattheo’s, loud enough for Theo and Lorenzo to wake up as well.
Draco pushes Mattheo back into the door behind him, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. He’s angry, very angry. He’s angrier than any of his friends have ever seen him before.
Theo’s eyes widen in shock and Blaise is rubbing his eyes in an attempt to figure out if this is reality or not. Lorenzo however jumps out of his bed to cling onto Draco’s right arm. “Malfoy. Stop it,” he pleads, his voice worried.
Draco doesn’t even look at him. “Why should I? He’s nothing but a liar.”
Mattheo keeps calm, looking back into Draco’s eyes. He knows that if he tried hard enough, he could turn this whole situation around like a flip of a switch.
Draco holds Mattheo’s arms on each side of his head, trapping him against the door. “Oh yeah?” Mattheo starts, “as if you wouldn’t have lied.”
“You should have told us the truth,” Draco says through gritted teeth.
Lorenzo’s hands wrap around Draco’s right wrist. He tightens his grasp. Draco glances at him, a slight hint of uncertainty flashes his eyes before Mattheo grabs his attention again. “Oh really?” Mattheo is fuming. “Why? So you could have told the whole school earlier?” Mattheo’s eyes dart to Theo, who looks guiltier than ever.
“I-” But before Theo even has the chance to explain himself, Mattheo is speaking again. “I trusted you, and instead you made a whole plan to get me in trouble so you could go through my stuff?”
Lorenzo lets go of Draco’s arm, his eyes meeting Theo’s.
“I’m not stupid Nott. I know you planned the whole thing. You wanted me to get caught so you could find out if your uncertainty about me was true.” Mattheo had wanted to say this ever since he put two and two together.
Draco hesitates for just a mere second. It turns out Theo has been keeping secrets as well. Mattheo uses this to his advantage, he rips his hands out of Draco’s, no longer tight, grip. “Well you found what you were looking for,” Mattheo spits, his voice raising significantly, “so keep your little puppets the fuck away from me.”
He glares directly at Draco who pushes past him and heads for the door, Theo right behind him.