I'm Erasing Myself from the Narrative
You hadn’t realized the extent of your injuries until the moment you walked into Mattheo’s dorm. That was also the moment you passed out. You woke back up three hours later in the infirmary bay. Your head was pounding like a drum, you didn’t know what had happened, and you were very confused as to why Mattheo was asleep slumped over in a chair at your bedside. The memories came back slowly.
As bad as you felt, physically and mentally, the sight of Mattheo asleep made you smile. You sat up in bed for a bit before Mattheo started to stir. When he opened his eyes to you, he smiled. You returned the smile.
“You're up.” He said.
“So are you.” You said back. You both lightly chuckled. It hurt a bit to laugh.
After a moment Mattheo asked, “What happened Y/n?”
You sighed before saying, “I guess I’m going to have to explain.”
You told him the story of you and Cedric. A myriad of emotions played across Mattheo’s face. He was sympathetic and was there for you, but you could feel the rage simmering underneath.
“Mattheo, I can feel your anger from here. Don’t do anything to Cedric you’ll regret.” You warned.
“Oh, I won’t regret it one bit.” Mattheo replied.
“Mr. Riddle, you cannot harm another student.” A voice from the doorway said. Both of you turned to see Dumbledore watching you.
“Ms. Potter, I heard everything, and I know that I need to make a report and dole out consequences. Do you want me to take that as your official statement?” Dumbledore asked.
“Yes, sir.” You didn’t want to repeat the tale more than you had too.
“Okay. I’ll leave you to rest. The nurse should be in shortly. Mr. Riddle I recommend going back to sleep in your dorm, but I won’t force you to leave.” He continued.
“The only way I’m leaving is if she asks me too, sir.” Mattheo said, “Do you want me to go?”
That question was directed at you. Immediately you replied, “No. Please stay, but get some sleep.”
You were surprised at how supportive he was being. You were friends but it was a new friendship, and you hadn’t known each other long. You hoped you weren’t asking too much.
You thought about telling him to leave but you just couldn’t. You just really needed someone there with you right now. You thought about trying to get Harry but you didn’t want to wake him up. It was almost 3:00 am according to the clock on your small nightstand.
“I’m going to go collect Mr. Diggory. Goodnight children.” Dumbledore said before leaving. Then the nurse walked in.
“Hello, children. I need to heal Ms. Potter’s injuries now. Ms. Potter, you have bruising on your neck, a slightly damaged windpipe, bruises on your abdomen and arms. You also have three cracked ribs. May I heal you now?” She asked.
“Call me Y/n and yes please.” You replied.
She smiled and waved her wand. You felt much better. The nurse continued by saying, “I’m going to keep you to rest here overnight but you should be able to go to class tomorrow as usual.”
You were very appreciative of how magic could heal injuries. She left after you said thank you. Then you ventured a look at Mattheo. He was pissed.
“He did all that to you?” He asked.
“It could have been worse.” You replied casually. Your mind flashed back to him saying how you wouldn’t put out. You wondered what it would have been like if he tried to force you too.
“I’m going to kill him.” Mattheo said, forcefully.
“No, you're not.” You said, even more forcefully. “It’s my issue. I’ll deal with it.”
“You shouldn’t have to.” He replied quickly.
“It’s fine. I’m glad you're here.” You said with a smile.
“And there’s no way I’m letting you sleep in that chair.” You added while scooting over, “Come sit with me.”
You didn’t know what you were doing. In the past few weeks, you’d found an unexpected friend in Mattheo. You loved it. You never truly had a friend before. The friendship was so valuable to you, but that smile made your heart give a dull ache. Mattheo considered it for a moment before sliding into the bed with you. The two of you stayed up for a bit talking but sleep overtook you both.
***
You felt oddly warm and safe when you woke up the next morning. You didn’t know why since you hadn’t opened your eyes yet. Then you heard voices. Your eyes snapped open. You slowly took in who was standing in front of you.
“Harry, Draco, Pansy, Hermione, Ron? What are all of you doing here?” You asked as you remembered last night.
“We came to give you some company before class started, but it seems you got that covered.” Draco responded.
“Huh?” You said before realizing you were wrapped in Mattheo’s arms and he’s in your bed, “Oh! That’s not what it looks like.”
“We were talking last night after I got my injuries healed and we must have passed out.” You quickly explained while blushing furiously. You felt Mattheo wake up next to you. He rubbed his eyes. Then you asked, “How did you all know I was here?”
“Dumbledore showed up last night and said you were in the medbay. He didn’t tell us why though.” Draco answered.
“What happened last night?” Pansy asked.
You swallowed nervously. Mattheo noticed and said, “You don’t have to tell anyone you don’t want to.”
“It’s fine, they should know.” You said before telling them what happened. “Don’t tell everyone though.”
Everyone nodded. Then you said, “Okay. Let’s go, everyone. Mattheo and I need to get ready for class.”
As they all left you could already feel the rumors spreading around the halls.