Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Seventeen - Christmas Eve

Word Count: 2,044

Warnings: Talk of Self-Harm 

The weather had only gotten worse after we had been at Hogsmeade. Classes had continued as normal and so had the whispers, but I returned to ignoring them. Everything seemed to be going back to normal.

I watched Lupin walk through the doors of the classroom, a stack of papers in his hands. He offered me a smile as he placed my graded essay onto the desk.

"Well done," he whispered, tapping the perfect score at the top of the page. I simply looked away, taking the paper in front of me and beginning to read through its comments. He sighed, moving onto the next student.

Well, almost everything had gone back to normal. Almost.

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The halls were rampaged by students as the final bell rang, the Winter Holidays beginning. They jostled past me, pushing us around as they ran out of the castle as quickly as they could. I didn't care. I just smiled.

"Lyra." Lupin's voice rang out. I watched him approach. "Ready to go?" he asked.

I looked behind me to where Theo and Mattheo stood. Pansy, Blaise and Draco had left early for the holidays, not wanting to stay for the last week of classes. Theo's parents were away, making it so that he had to stay at Hogwarts, and Mattheo said he just didn't want to go home for the holidays. No one protested.

"I'm going to stay here. Theo and Riddle are, and I'd prefer not to go back to London." I told him.

His face fell, clearly disappointed. I noted how his jaw tensed upon looking at Riddle. "Okay. I have to go back to get more supplies for the next term, but I can be back for Christmas. It'll be tight but-"

"Why don't you just stay there then? I know there's a full moon close to Christmas anyway, and you shouldn't risk it."

"But we always spend Christmas together," he stuttered. "I know that we're not exactly on the best of terms at the moment but-"

"We're far from being on good terms, but I'm just being practical here. You need to be too."

He nodded. "Can we at least get our annual hot chocolate? With the cinnamon," he asked.

I shook my head. "I need to get going."

"I'm sorry Lyra." I felt myself tear up. "I would tell you everything if I thought it mattered."

I looked at him once again. "You don't get to decide what matters to me."

Theo wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders once I reached them, pulling me into his side protectively.

That was something else that wasn't back to normal. Theo acted as he always would around me. Kind, humorous, protective, but this attempt at trying to let me work it out myself was failing. It was clear to see that there was still a tension between us. I knew how to fix it, but the thought of it made my heart clench.

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The Common Room was empty apart from the three of us. Instead of our usual chairs, we were sat in front of the fireplace. A large fur rug sat on the floor, and on that rug was where I was positioned. The boys had taken a seat each, but I decided that I wanted to sit as close to the warmth as possible. The air was only getting colder outside, and the presence of the Dementors seemed to only make it worse.

"So, what did you get me for Christmas?" Theo asked me.

"What makes you think I got you anything?" I replied, still looking to the fireplace.