𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊 ; 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

TWENTY-THREE

"Haisley, Kalen!" I exclaim, entering the cabin they're in. They both immediately get up to hug me, greeting me with excited tones and faces. Once we've all taken a seat, we start to catch up. 

"How's everything with Hermione?" I ask.

Haisley grins. "We're dating!" 

"Officially?" I gasp.

"Yes!" She squeals.

I stand up and hug her, the two of us jumping with joy. "I'm so happy for you!" After we calm down, I beg Haisley to tell me everything. But she refuses, instead asking me a question.

"Have you seen Rid-" She's interrupted by the entrance of Louis.

"Hola, amigos! I know you missed me." He says with a wide grin.

"Louis! How was your break?" I greet, then instantly launch into questions.

He sits next to Kalen, thinking for a bit. "It was good. Didn't get around too much." 

I glance at Kalen. "What about you? Any sparks in your life?"

He snorts, subtly putting an arm around Louis. "Nah, man. I got Louis, I'm set."

Louis rolls his eyes, moving Kalen's arm off of him. "As much as I love you, no PDA."

I raise an eyebrow at Haisley, who shrugs in return. "Are you excited for your first game?" I ask the brunette.

"Yeah, really excited! I'm so ready to beat some Slytherin ass."

Kalen high-fives her. "You better."

As the train exits the station, I stare out the window. I'm finally on my way back to Hogwarts, with my friends. I honestly couldn't ask for more than this.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, we head straight to the Great Hall. It's nice actually knowing where I need to go. We take our familiar seats at the Ravenclaw table, saying bye to Kalen as he joins his friends in Gryffindor. My eyes roam the room, checking to see how much people have changed over the break. At the Slytherin table someone catches my eye. Dark curls rest on his face, daring eyes staring straight ahead. His jawline is so sharp is could cut paper. His eyes flick over and meet mine. I blush at being caught staring. He gives a small salute with two of his fingers, and a wink, then turns back to McGonagall.

"Psst, Haisley!" I whisper. The Sorting Hat Ceremony had started, so I was trying to be quiet. 

She leans forward. "Yeah?"

I jerk my head in the direction of the guy. "Who's that? The one next to Malfoy?"

Haisley's hair whacks me as she turns her head to look. "What do you mean? That's Riddle."

"Riddle? As in, The Dark Lord, Riddle?"

Haisley seems speechless, so I turn around. She looks incredibly confused. "...Yeah. His son."

"Why's he at this school?"

"Vi, you're kidding, right?"

I bite my lip. "About what? I'm asking a genuine question."

"He's your-"

"You may begin the feast!" Dumbledore announces, interrupting our conversation. 

I dig into some delicious turkey. As much as I loved home-cooked meals, Hogwarts food is amazing. Haisley watches me eat, then sets her cutlery down. "Vienna, how's Mattheo?" She asks slowly.

I swallow my food. "Who's that?" I return, spooning more into my mouth.

Louis cocks his head, suddenly interested in our conversation. "What? He's your boyfriend."